bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pain assessment tools: children’s nurses’ views
Authors: Simons J. M. , MacDonald L. M.
Published: October 2004

The persistence of inadequate treatment of pain in children could be due to lack of knowledge and nurses’ failure to assess and manage pain effectively. It is recognized that effective pain assessment leads to more satisfied children and families. This study explored children’s nurses’ views on the use of pain assessment tools in a tertiary referral centre. Almost two-thirds of nurses did not have a preference for a pain assessment tool, but nearly three-quarters of nurses surveyed agreed that the introduction of pain assessment tools would improve documentation. When nurses were asked how much time they needed for education on these tools, 83 percent wanted only two hours, although almost half stated lack of knowledge or education as the main obstacle to use of a pain assessment tool. The inconsistencies in these replies could reflect the conflicting demands between the nurses’ need to increase their knowledge of pain assessment while managing a heavy workload.
Perceived vulnerability: a comparison of parents and children
Authors: Gleason Tracy R. , Evans Mary E.
Published: October 2004

This study examined the agreement between parents’ and children’s perceptions of children’s vulnerability to illness. While extreme perceptions of vulnerability, such as vulnerable child syndrome, are described as disorders of the parent-child relationship, children’s health-related cognitions have not been examined as part of this process. The self-perceptions of health of 47 pre-school-aged children and their parents were evaluated through an interview and a survey respectively. Risk factors for vulnerable child syndrome predicted elevated perceptions of vulnerability for parents but not for children. Agreement on the child’s level of vulnerability to illness was high, except that only one-third of the children whose parents classified them as more vulnerable relative to their peers classified themselves in this way. The results suggest that children’s perceptions of their health status should be incorporated into therapeutic work with families in which children are perceived as medically vulnerable.
Dualisms and female bodies in representations of African female circumcision
Authors: Njambi Wairimũ Ngaruiya
Published: October 2004

The contentious topic of female circumcision brings together medical science, women’s health activism, media, and national and international policy-making in pursuit of the common goal of eradicating such practices. Referring to these diverse and heterogeneous practices as ‘female genital mutilation’ (FGM), eradicators have then condemned them as ‘barbaric’ and medically harmful to female bodies and sexuality. In presuming that bodies can be separated from their cultural contexts, the anti-FGM discourse not only replicates a nature/culture dualism that has been roundly questioned by feminists in science studies and cultural studies, but has also perpetuated a colonialist assumption by universalizing a particular western image of a ‘normal’ body and sexuality in its quest to liberate women and girls. I use my own story as a circumcised woman to highlight the entanglements of body and culture as presented in these feminist theories of female bodies.
The Whitla-Lucas archive
Authors: Conlan Anna Christina
Published: October 2004

Centred on the diaries of Violet Thompson and Betty Whitla-Lucas, this exploratory paper self-reflexively plots key feminist problematics of integrating the personal with scholarship, while also enacting and working them through. By addressing my own familial connection to the archive, I explore the experience of using personal material within scholarship. Considering the increased incorporation of personal narrative into feminist scholarship, I question what is at stake in the production and reception of women’s life-writing. I propose a model of motivation and desire for the process of reading and writing of women’s life-narratives, probing the relationship of desire that exists between women. Returning to the archive, Violet’s and Betty’s records of pregnancy are read as sites of power relations, examining the existence of inter-discursive networks of empowerment that disrupt the dominant cultural precepts on female sexuality. In closing, I reflect upon the interplay of private fantasy with public history and imagine the potential for the disparate forms of women’s life-writing, not only as feminist interventions in the cultural field but as contributions to discussions on the nature of feminine inscriptions.
The mark of refusal
Authors: Philadelphoff-Puren Nina
Published: October 2004

What consequences do poststructuralist theories of language have for feminist strategies addressing rape? In particular, what might be the fate of attempts to secure the meanings of certain words uttered by women in this context, such as ‘no’? Can we bracket off such statements from the agon of the juridico-linguistic domain in a manner that short-circuits all contest? In contrast, if we agree that such contest is an irrevocable component of the field in which feminist struggles take place, does this mean we no longer need to attend to the destiny of women’s refusal before the law? This article will consider these questions in relation to the framing of refusal in a recent Australian sexual assault trial. I will suggest that a poststructuralist feminist strategy might turn to the political process of recontextualization that attends such utterances, in order to contest the institutional rewriting of rape as romance.
How Do Men Grab the Phallus?
Authors: Thompson Craig J. , Holt Douglas B.
Published: October 2004

A number of influential gender theorists contend that men suffer from a pandemic crisis of masculinity in their work and family roles that they seek to assuage through the compensatory consumption of phallic symbols. We critique this conventional view through a cultural analysis of the consumption practices of a group of men who fit the stuck-in-the-middle socio-economic profile commonly associated with the crisis of masculinity. We first discuss the ideological structure of phallic masculinity. Then, in our analysis, we find that our men’s everyday consumption practices construct a specific socio-cultural articulation of phallic masculinity whereby its internal paradoxes are leveraged as a means to produce desirable experiences and self-identifications. We further show how men adapt feminine practices as a revitalizing retreat, which we conceptualize as a form of gender tourism.
Currencies of Commercial Exchange
Authors: Cronin Anne M.
Published: October 2004

Drawing on interviews with advertising practitioners, this article explores the circulation of understandings of research in the advertising process. These understandings flow between advertising practitioners, their clients, and academics, and function to constitute important power-knowledge formations. Focusing on agencies’ imperative for self-promotion in a competitive, unstable market, I argue that attention to this circulation of knowledges is crucial for a fuller understanding of advertising as a commercial and social force. In the last section, I explore the interface between academia and the commercial realm and argue for a most subtle analysis of its inherent power-knowledge relations.
Teaching children at-risk
Authors: Lee Kyunghwa , Walsh Daniel J.
Published: October 2004

This article examines how an American preschool teacher’s practice and her views of her practice for children considered at-risk for later academic failure are constrained by her cultural contexts. The research is framed by a cultural psychology and draws on an 18-month ethnographic and interpretive biographic study of Anita, an experienced preschool teacher. Anita emphasized: providing a controlled and predictable environment; helping children succeed in kindergarten; and promoting children’s ability to take care of themselves. Her practice and her discussion on her practice reflected European-American cultural beliefs about the independent self. We discuss how these cultural beliefs both enhance and restrict the teacher’s views of children from underprivileged families and of their development.
Home-education
Authors: Rothermel Paula
Published: October 2004

This article reports on the performance of reception-aged, home-educated children. Media reports tend to focus on older home-educated children withdrawing from school but very little is known about younger children many of whom have never been to school. This research sought insight into the learning experience of these young children. The study involved 35 home-educated children aged between four and five years of age, from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. The children were assessed using the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (Start and End of Reception). Whilst the home-educated children outscored their school counterparts, those from lower socio-economic groups outperformed their middle class peers. It appeared that a flexible approach to education, and a high level of parental attention and commitment, regardless of their socioeconomic group and level of education, seemed the most important factors in the children’s development and progress.
Improved hit criteria for DNA local alignment
Authors: Noé Laurent , Kucherov Gregory
Published: October 2004

Background

The hit criterion is a key component of heuristic local alignment algorithms. It specifies a class of patterns assumed to witness a potential similarity, and this choice is decisive for the selectivity and sensitivity of the whole method.

Results

In this paper, we propose two ways to improve the hit criterion. First, we define the group criterion combining the advantages of the single-seed and double-seed approaches used in existing algorithms. Second, we introduce transition-constrained seeds that extend spaced seeds by the possibility of distinguishing transition and transversion mismatches. We provide analytical data as well as experimental results, obtained with the YASS software, supporting both improvements.

Conclusions

Proposed algorithmic ideas allow to obtain a significant gain in sensitivity of similarity search without increase in execution time. The method has been implemented in YASS software available at http://www.loria.fr/projects/YASS/.
Age-related changes in Serum Growth Hormone, Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 and Somatostatin in System Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Denko Charles W , Malemud Charles J
Published: October 2004

Background

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an age- and gender-associated autoimmune disorder. Previous studies suggested that defects in the hypothalamic/pituitary axis contributed to systemic lupus erythematosus disease progression which could also involve growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1 and somatostatin function. This study was designed to compare basal serum growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1 and somatostatin levels in female systemic lupus erythematosus patients to a group of normal female subjects.

Methods

Basal serum growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1 and somatostatin levels were measured by standard radioimmunoassay.

Results

Serum growth hormone levels failed to correlate with age (r2 = 3.03) in the entire group of normal subjects (i.e. 20 – 80 years). In contrast, serum insulin-like growth factor-1 levels were inversely correlated with age (adjusted r2 = 0.092). Of note, serum growth hormone was positively correlated with age (adjusted r2 = 0.269) in the 20 – 46 year range which overlapped with the age range of patients in the systemic lupus erythematosus group. In that regard, serum growth hormone levels were not significantly higher compared to either the entire group of normal subjects (20 – 80 yrs) or to normal subjects age-matched to the systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Serum insulin-like growth factor-1 levels were significantly elevated (p < 0.001) in systemic lupus erythematosus patients, but only when compared to the entire group of normal subjects. Serum somatostatin levels differed from normal subjects only in older (i.e. >55 yrs) systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Conclusions

These results indicated that systemic lupus erythematosus was not characterized by a modulation of the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 paracrine axis when serum samples from systemic lupus erythematosus patients were compared to age- matched normal female subjects. These results in systemic lupus erythematosus differ from those previously reported in other musculoskeletal disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and hypermobility syndrome where significantly higher serum growth hormone levels were found. Somatostatin levels in elderly systemic lupus erythematosus patients may provide a clinical marker of disease activity in these patients.
Risk factors for acute chemical releases with public health consequences: Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance in the U.S., 1996–2001
Authors: Ruckart Perri Z , Wattigney Wendy A , Kaye Wendy E
Published: October 2004

Background

Releases of hazardous materials can cause substantial morbidity and mortality. To reduce and prevent the public health consequences (victims or evacuations) from uncontrolled or illegally released hazardous substances, a more comprehensive analysis is needed to determine risk factors for hazardous materials incidents.

Methods

Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) data from 1996 through 2001 were analyzed using bivariate and multiple logistic regression. Fixed-facility and transportation-related events were analyzed separately.

Results

For fixed-facility events, 2,327 (8%) resulted in at least one victim and 2,844 (10%) involved ordered evacuations. For transportation-related events, 759 (8%) resulted in at least one victim, and 405 (4%) caused evacuation orders. Fire and/or explosion were the strongest risk factors for events involving either victims or evacuations. Stratified analysis of fixed-facility events involving victims showed a strong association for acid releases in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industry. Chlorine releases in fixed-facility events resulted in victims and evacuations in more industry categories than any other substance.

Conclusions

Outreach efforts should focus on preventing and preparing for fires and explosions, acid releases in the agricultural industry, and chlorine releases in fixed facilities.
Disease-Free Survival Advantage of Weekly Epirubicin Plus Tamoxifen Versus Tamoxifen Alone As Adjuvant Treatment of Operable, Node-Positive, Elderly Breast Cancer Patients: 6-Year Follow-Up Results of the French Adjuvant Study Group 08 Trial
Authors: Fargeot Pierre , Bonneterre Jacques , Roché Henri , Lortholary Alain , Campone Mario , Van Praagh Isabelle , Monnier Alain , Namer Moïse , Schraub Simon , Barats Jean-Claude , Guastalla Jean-Paul , Goudier Marie-Josèphe , Chapelle-Marcillac Isabelle
Published: October 2004

Purpose

To assess whether an epirubicin (EPI) -based chemotherapy plus hormonal regimen improves disease-free (DFS) in women older than 65 years, with node-positive, operable breast cancer (BC), relative to tamoxifen (TAM) alone.

Patients and Methods

A total of 338 patients were randomly assigned after surgery to receive TAM 30 mg/d for 3 years (TAM, n = 164), or EPI 30 mg on days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days for six cycles plus TAM 30 mg/d for 3 years (EPI-TAM, n = 174). In both arms, patients received radiotherapy, delivered after chemotherapy (CT) in the EPI-TAM group.

Results

The 6-year DFS rates were 69.3% with TAM and 72.6% with EPI-TAM (P = .14). The multivariate analysis shows a relative risk of relapse of 1.93 (95% CI, 1.70 to 2.17) with TAM compared with EPI-TAM (P = .005). The 6-year OS, related to disease progression, was 79.1% and 79.8%, respectively (P = .41). Compliance with CT was good: 96.9% of patients received six cycles. The acute toxicity per patient was mild: grade 2 neutropenia in 5.9%, grade 2 anemia in 2.0%, grade 3 nausea or vomiting in 4.6%, and grade 3 alopecia in 7.2%. Five cases (in five patients) of decreased left ventricular ejection fraction occurred after CT: three after adjuvant CT, and two after anthracycline-based CT for relapse. One patient died as a result of dysrhythmia related to carcinomatous lymphangitis. No secondary leukemia occurred.

Conclusion

This study conducted in node-positive elderly patients demonstrates a significant contribution of a weekly EPI regimen in terms of DFS. Moreover, this regimen is safe for hematologic, nonhematologic, and cardiac toxicities.
Gene Expression Signature With Independent Prognostic Significance in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Spentzos Dimitrios , Levine Douglas A. , Ramoni Marco F. , Joseph Marie , Gu Xuesong , Boyd Jeff , Libermann Towia. A. , Cannistra Stephen A.
Published: October 2004

Purpose

Currently available clinical and molecular prognostic factors provide an imperfect assessment of prognosis for patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). In this study, we investigated whether tumor transcription profiling could be used as a prognostic tool in this disease.

Methods

Tumor tissue from 68 patients was profiled with oligonucleotide microarrays. Samples were randomly split into training and validation sets. A three-step training procedure was used to discover a statistically significant Kaplan-Meier split in the training set. The resultant prognostic signature was then tested on an independent validation set for confirmation.

Results

In the training set, a 115-gene signature referred to as the Ovarian Cancer Prognostic Profile (OCPP) was identified. When applied to the validation set, the OCPP distinguished between patients with unfavorable and favorable overall survival (median, 30 months v not yet reached, respectively; log-rank P = .004). The signature maintained independent prognostic value in multivariate analysis, controlling for other known prognostic factors such as age, stage, grade, and debulking status. The hazard ratio for death in the unfavorable OCPP group was 4.8 (P = .021 by Cox proportional hazards analysis).

Conclusion

The OCPP is an independent prognostic determinant of outcome in EOC. The use of gene profiling may ultimately permit identification of EOC patients appropriate for investigational treatment approaches, based on a low likelihood of achieving prolonged survival with standard first-line platinum-based therapy.
Visual sensing and profile extraction of the weld pool in pulsed gas metal arc welding
Authors: Yan Z , Zhang G , Zhang X , Gao H , Wu L
Published: October 2004

A visual sensing system has been established to monitor the weld pool in pulsed gas metal arc welding (P-GMAW). The system consists of a charge-coupled device (CCD), a frame-grabber and a composed filter system. To acquire quality images of the weld pool, the disturbance from the arc needs to be reduced. In this research, the arc light spectral distribution in GMAW is studied with a spectral analysis system and two suitable filtering spectral windows are indentified. As a result, two kinds of filter system are proposed. Studies have also been done in order to find the optimal timing and view angle for imaging. It is found that the end of the base current period in P-GMAW is an optimal instance for imaging and the weld pool can be best imaged from the upper rear in relation to the torch. Using the proposed filter, clear pool images have been acquired from the upper rear at the end of each base current period. Because of the satisfactory quality of the acquired images, image processing algorithms have been developed to extract the weld pool edge.
A new method of prototypes and dies manufacturing
Authors: Lesprier T , Mognol P , Furet B , Hascoet J-Y
Published: October 2004

During the design process of a part or a die, geometry goes through many evolutions. For each evolution, prototypes are often re-manufactured for testing, which increases time and costs. To reduce the launching time to market for new industrial products, a new methodology is proposed to make three-dimensional puzzle prototypes or dies instead of single pieces. Each piece is manufactured by using the best process with regards to quality and geometry requirements.
A comparison of linear and non-linear magnification on target detection performance in visual inspection
Authors: Chan A H S , Ma R C W
Published: October 2004

Considering the importance of magnification on visual inspection, two experiments on the detection of peripheral visual targets were conducted in this study: one on non-linear and the other on linear magnification. In the first experiment, two levels of non-linear scaling were compared with non-scaling. Performance with scaled stimuli was better than that with non-scaled stimuli, on each of the four axes tested. An unexpected decline in performance was found at the least eccentric target location for the highest level of scaling. There was a performance increment at the most eccentric target locations for both scaling conditions that was possibly due to a diminished masking effect. The second experiment investigated the effect of four levels of linear magnification and found that performance with scaled stimuli was better than performance with non-scaled stimuli. However, linear scaling of objects at central locations to the same degree as those in the periphery yielded little benefit here. At greater eccentricities, the effect of magnification of objects appeared to be offset to some extent by lateral interference. Inter-object spacing was magnified to the same extent as objects, so that the number of object locations decreased as scaling increased and the numbers of correctly detected target locations were similar for all scaling conditions. Both linear and non-linear magnification facilitated peripheral target detection performance but, perhaps because of the effects of lateral masking, neither linear nor non-linear magnifications seems to compensate completely for performance decrement with eccentricity. Enlarging both the objects and the inter-object spacing in practical industrial inspection situations must involve a trade-off between the number of objects in the viewing area and the scaling level to attain acceptable performance with least magnification. However, it seems wasteful to enlarge targets at the vicinity of fixation to the same degree as those at more eccentric locations. Appropriate inter-object spacing is important as well as object size when considering magnification conditions to optimize inspection performance.
Electronically controlled, intravaginal drug delivery
Authors: Künnemeyer R , Cross P S , Bunt C R , Carnegie D A , Rathbone M J
Published: October 2004

An electronically controlled drug delivery system is presented, which is designed for use in the vagina of airy cows. The electronics is manufactured from off-the-shelf components, based on a 16-bit microcontroller and a 433.92 MHz radio transceiver. All electronic components are placed inside a syringe. Controlled release is accomplished using electronic gas production from a gascell whose current is controlled by the microcontroller. The generated pressure propels the syringe piston and releases the drugs. Proof of principle experiments confirm that variable-rate, arbitrary-profile drug delivery can be achieved over several days of operation with an error in delivered volume of less than ±3 per cent or 5 mL and that the device and delivery profile can be controlled via its two-way radio link.
Wavelength decomposition analysis of surface generation in the ultraprecision machining of brittle single crystals
Authors: Cheung C F
Published: October 2004

Brittle single crystals present special characteristics that are not encountered in ultraprecision machining of ductile materials. The conventional surface characterization approaches based on surface roughness parameters and power spectrum analysis are inadequate for characterizing the surface generation. In this paper, a wavelength decomposition analysis is proposed that provides a component-by-component wavelength decomposition of the surface roughness profiles at a finite number of radial sections of the machined surfaces. Experimental results indicate that wavelength decomposition analysis provides an effective way of characterizing quantitatively the effect of different surface generation mechanisms such as the brittle-ductile transition on surface roughness in the ultraprecision machining of brittle single crystals.
On the prediction of chip flow angle in non-free oblique machining
Authors: Wen D H , Zheng L , Li Z Z , Hu R S
Published: October 2004

A new method for predicting the chip flow angle of inserts with different cutting conditions was studied in non-free oblique machining process. The effects of the major cutting edge, minor cutting edge, corner radius and cutting parameters (depth of cut and feed rate) on the chip flow direction were studied by calculating the components of the thrust cutting force for the major and minor cutting edges based on the hypothesis that the chip flow direction is also the thrust force direction. This method was verified by comparing the calculated and experimental results with the single-point and nose-radiused cutting edge for different cutting conditions. The prediction results under different cutting parameters show good agreement with experimental data.
Disassembly scheduling: Integer programming models
Authors: Lee D-H , Kim H-J , Choi G , Xirouchakis P
Published: October 2004

This paper focuses on the problem of determining the ordering and disassembly schedules of used or end-of-life products while satisfying the demand of their parts/components over a planning horizon. To represent and optimally solve the basic case of the problem, an integer programming model is suggested for the objective of minimizing the sum of purchase, set-up, inventory holding and disassembly operation costs. Then, the basic model is extended to consider more general cases with parts commonality, i.e. single and multiple product types with parts commonality. Computational experiments done on the problems obtained from the literature and a number of randomly generated test problems show that the integer programming models suggested in this paper work well up to medium-sized test problems.
Study on self-heating metallic powder for the selective laser sintering process
Authors: Shi Y , Chen S , Lu X , Huang S
Published: October 2004

Fabricating metallic functional parts directly using the selective laser sintering (SLS) process is a promising technique which is engaging many researchers. Existing problems during direct fabrication of a metallic part using SLS are analysed. To solve the problems, a new self-heating metallic powder material for SLS direct rapid fabrication is developed. This new material can release a controllable amount of heat during its interaction with laser beam energy, resulting in a reduction of the requirement to use laser power during direct sintering of the metallic part, prolonging the time in the metallic liquid phase and improving the strength and precision of the SLS part. A self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) material is selected as a self-heating component. For this reason, interaction of the SHS material with CO2 laser beam energy is researched, which proves that CO2 laser beam energy can instantly ignite the SHS reaction. On the basis of these investigations, the effect of sintering the metallic powder material mixed with SHS material using a CO2 laser is also researched. The results show that there is an optimal blending ratio of various materials in the new metallic powder material. Under the optimal blending ratio and SLS process parameters, this new metallic powder material can release a large amount of heat and the SHS reaction can be controlled within the laser sintering. This work shows that it is possible for the metallic part to be directly sintered using a small CO2 laser power (less than 50 W), thus greatly reducing the dimensions, price and running expenditure of an SLS machine and making it suitable for many applications.
Measuring transient wall heat flux under diesel engine conditions
Authors: Meingast U , Reichelt L , Renz U
Published: October 2004

Droplet break-up and evaporation processes in small-bore direct injection combustion engines may be influenced by the contact between the liquid spray and the engine wall surfaces. In this work, experimental data are presented that may be used to validate spray models and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes commonly employed in internal combustion engine design processes.

For the investigation, a high-pressure high-temperature injection chamber equipped with a common-rail injection system is used in combination with a heated wall aligned normal to the spray. The test conditions represent moderate diesel engine conditions. The temperature data of three surface thermocouples, which resolve the transient temperature of the wall, are numerically processed to evaluate the surface wall heat flux from an analytical solution of the transient energy equation.

The spray impinging on the surface causes a fast temperature change of up to 10 K in the stagnation region. The calculated surface heat flux exceeds 106 W/m2. The maximum flux, which is detected at the centre, increases as the distance between the wall and the injector is decreased or the wall temperature is increased. At larger wall distances and low wall temperatures no significant heat flux can be detected. The data of phase Doppler anemometry measurements conducted under identical conditions correlates well with the heat flux measurements.
Confidential Reproductive Health Services for Minors: The Potential Impact of Mandated Parental Involvement for Contraception
Authors: Jones Rachel K. , Boonstra Heather
Published: October 2004

CONTEXT: Recent legislative efforts to implement mandated parental involvement for minor adolescents seeking family planning services threaten the rights of adolescents younger than 18 to access reproductive health care.

METHODS: State and federal laws and policies pertaining to minor adolescents' rights to access services for contraception and sexually transmitted diseases are reviewed, and research examining issues of parental involvement among adolescents using clinic‐based reproductive health services is synthesized.

RESULTS: Attempts to mandate parental involvement for reproductive health care often focus on contraceptive services and are typically linked to federal or state funding. Studies of teenagers using clinic‐based family planning services suggest that slightly more than one‐half would obtain contraceptives at family planning clinics even if parental notification were required. Mandated parental involvement for contraception would discourage few teenagers from having sex, but would likely result in more teenagers' using the least effective methods, such as withdrawal, or no method at all. Family planning clinics encourage teenagers to voluntarily talk to their parents, but relatively little information is available about the extent to which activities to promote parent‐child communication have been adopted.

CONCLUSIONS: Mandated parental involvement for teenagers seeking contraceptive care would likely contribute to increases in rates of teenage pregnancy. Research that will help clinics implement and improve efforts to encourage voluntary parental involvement is urgently needed.
Nutrient Consumption and Pigmentation of Deep and Surface Colonizing Sapstaining Fungi in Pinus contorta
Authors: Fleet Carl , Breuil Colette , Uzunovic Adnan
Published: October 2004

In this paper, we examined the ability of deep and surface staining fungi to utilize wood tissue nutrients. Fungal isolates were inoculated onto fresh billets and γ-sterilised sawnwood, both from Pinus contorta, and also onto defined nutrient media. The wood samples were assessed for host viability, fungal growth and nutrient status. The results indicated that the most aggressive sapstain species on fresh logs was Ceratocystis coerulescens, followed consecutively by Leptographium spp., Ophiostoma minus, O. piliferum, O. piceae, O. setosum, O. pluriannulatum and Aureobasidium pullulans. HPLC analysis of soluble sugars in fungal-infected wood indicated that mannose was the most depleted sugar, followed by glucose. Lipid analysis of infected wood indicated that Leptographium spp. and C. coerulescens greatly reduced the triglyceride fraction and that there was a wide spectrum of consumption of triglyceridederived fatty acids between the fungi. On defined media, the carbon source mannose led to the darkest pigmentation for all tested fungi. For C. coerulescens, the order of pigmentation intensity for the remaining tested carbon sources was reversed when compared to the other fungal species.
Reddening by UV Irradiation after Smoke-Heating in Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) Black Heartwood
Authors: Maruyama Saori , Ishiguri Futoshi , Andoh Minoru , Abe Zensaku , Yokota Shinso , Takahashi Koetsu , Yoshizawa Nobuo
Published: October 2004

Sugi (Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) green logs with black heartwood were smoked, heated, and smoke-heated separately to improve the heartwood color. After each treatment, changes in heartwood color, pH, and extract amounts were examined. In addition, changes in heartwood color caused by UV irradiation were observed. Heating and smoke-heating of logs prevented the heartwood from discoloring to black, and the resulting color of thermally-treated heartwoods was yellow-white, whereas smoking alone allowed discoloration to black. The pH value decreased from the original 7.6 to 6.8 by smoking and to 6.5 by thermal treatment. The results obtained here suggest that a pH drop in heartwood by thermal treatment is involved in color changes of black heartwood.

When thermally-treated black heartwood was exposed to UV light, redness and yellowness increased and brightness decreased. The resulting color tone was reddish brown. The color of non-thermally-treated woods, however, showed little change. Furthermore, acetone, ethanol, and methanol extracts of thermally-treated black heartwood showed an increase in redness by UV irradiation, but the residues showed little color change. The coloring substances relating to the reddening of heartwood could be extracted with these solvents, particularly with methanol. Reddening in black heartwood by a combination of smoke-heating and UV irradiation is considered to be due to a decrease in brightness and an increase in both redness and yellowness.
Wood Preservation Based on In situ Polymerization of Bioactive Monomers. Part 1. Synthesis of Bioactive Monomers, Wood Treatments and Microscopic Analysis
Authors: Ibach Rebecca E. , Rowell Roger M.
Published: October 2004

In situ polymerization of bioactive monomers was investigated as an alternative to conventional preservative treatments. The results are presented in a series of two papers. In Part 1 of the study, six acrylate monomers with covalently bonded, potentially bioactive moieties were synthesized: (1) pentachlorophenolyl acrylate (PCPA), (2) tributyltin acrylate (TBTA), (3) 8-hydroxyquinolyl acrylate (HQA), (4) 5,7-dibromo-8-hydroxyquinolyl acrylate (DBHQA), (5) diethyl-N1N-bis(acryloxyethyl) aminomethyl phosphonate (Fyrol 6 acrylate, F6A), and (6) tetrabromobisphenol A acrylate (TBBPAA). All of these acrylates, except F6A, were purified. Southern pine sapwood samples were treated with acrylate solutions (except TBBPAA) at different retention levels and various amounts of crosslinker (trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate, TMPTM), polymerized in situ, and then acetone leached. The relative amount and location of the polymer in earlywood and latewood of selected samples were determined by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray analysis. Distribution of the compounds varied with treatment. Biological and thermal properties of the treated wood are discussed in Part 2 of this series.
The S2 Layer in the Tracheid Walls of Picea abies Wood: Inhomogeneity in Lignin Distribution and Cell Wall Microstructure
Authors: Singh Adya P. , Daniel Geoffrey
Published: October 2004

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the walls of Picea abies axial tracheids showed the distribution of lignin in the S2 layer to be inhomogenous. At relatively low magnifications, some parts of the outer and inner S2 layer appeared more electron dense than the mid region in the tracheids which were in contact with or in proximity to a ray. At similar magnifications, the presence of radial and tangential features was observed in the S2 layer of the tracheids which were in contact with or close to rays as well as in those which occurred elsewhere. Higher magnification views showed the S2 layer to be differentiated into electron lucent and dense regions in both radial and tangential directions. A comparison of the counts made of lignin particles in these regions suggested that the differentiation of the S2 wall into lucent and dense regions resulted from inhomogenous distribution of lignin observable at a nano level.
Lignin Distribution in Coppice Poplar, Linseed and Wheat Straw
Authors: Donaldson Lloyd , Hague Jamie , Snell Rebecca
Published: October 2004

Lignin distribution was determined by interference microscopy, and by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) for a range of agricultural residues including coppice poplar, linseed, and wheat straw. Interference microscopy was used to determine the lignin concentration in the middle lamella at the cell corner, and for the secondary wall of libriform fibres in the secondary xylem of poplar and linseed. Wheat was examined in the same way for cortical fibres. In addition the secondary wall of vessel elements was examined for poplar. Confocal microscopy was used to confirm the results from interference microscopy by providing semiquantitative information based on lignin autofluorescence, and by staining with acriflavine. Wheat had the lowest level of lignification, with 31 % lignin in the middle lamella of cortical fibres and 9% lignin in the secondary wall. Poplar had a lignin concentration of 63% in the middle lamella and 6% in the secondary wall of libriform fibres, while linseed had corresponding values of 69 % and 13 %. The secondary wall of poplar vessel elements had a lignin concentration of 25 %. In all three species most of the stem tissue was lignified except for phloem and bark, where present. In linseed the pith was unlignified. In wheat, most of the parenchyma cells were lignified except for a few cells lining the stem cavity. Libriform fibres in poplar and linseed sometimes had an unlignified gelatinous layer in samples containing tension wood. In linseed, lignification was greater in xylem fibres compared to bast fibres. Ray parenchyma cells of poplar and linseed appeared to be lignified to the same extent as xylem fibres.
Selectivity and Efficiency of Biomimetic Catalysts in a Model System for Pulp Bleaching
Authors: Walker C. C. , McDonough T. J. , Dinus R. J. , Eriksson K.-E. L.
Published: October 2004

Three biomimetic systems were evaluated for their selectivity in a model system for pulp. FeSO4, Fe-EDTA and hemoglobin, in the presence of H2O2, constituted the biomimetic systems. Sodium lignosulfonate and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) were used as a model system to represent lignin and carbohydrate fractions in pulp. A simple kinetic model was used to determine kinetic parameters for depolymerization of each substrate. Point selectivities at two different H2O2concentrations were evaluated on the basis of the resulting expressions. Hemoglobin demonstrated superior selectivity for lignosulfonate degradation at a high H2O2level. The production of hydroxyl radicals from each of the biomimetic systems was measured using a chemiluminescence assay. For the FeSO4and Fe-EDTA systems, depolymerization was related to the amount of radicals generated. The fate of reacted H2O2was evaluated using a specially designed reactor to measure H2O2consumed by reaction and that decomposed. To achieve a given number of chain scission in lignosulfonate, the hemoglobin system consumed the least amount of H2O2.
Oxidative Ammonolysis of Technical Lignins. Part 1. Kinetics of the Reaction under Isothermal Condition at 130°C
Authors: Capanema Ewellyn A. , Balakshin Mikhail Yu. , Chen Chen-Loung , Gratzl Josef S. , Kirkman Adrianna G.
Published: October 2004

Investigations were conducted on the oxidative ammonolysis of REPAP organosolv lignin at 130 °C in 0.8M NH4OH solution under oxygen pressure of 12 bar. The lignin was completely solubilized at the reaction time of 165 min. The kinetics of the nitrogen incorporation consists of two phases. The first phase is up to the reaction time of approximately 35 min including 15 min heating up period. The rate of nitrogen incorporation in the first phase is 2.3 times higher than that in the second phase: κ1 = 4.58 × 10−4 s−1
versus κ2 = 1.90 × 10−4 s−1. The oxygen uptake and CO2 formation in the reaction is rather high. When the nitrogen incorporation was ceased after reaction for 255 minutes, more than 4 moles of oxygen/C9-unit of lignin were consumed and approximately 1.5 moles of carbon dioxide/C9-unit of lignin were released. In addition, extensive O-demethylation of methoxyl groups occurred. The molar ratio of the nitrogen incorporation to the methoxyl group eliminated is approximately 1.4 and 0.7 for the soluble and insoluble N-modified lignins, respectively. Structural analyses of the soluble N-modified lignins by FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopic techniques showed only quantitative differences in the spectra obtained at different reaction times. This indicates that the reaction pathways do not change in the course of the oxidative ammonolysis. Possible reaction mechanisms of the oxidative ammonolysis are discussed on the basis of the experimental data.
Oxidative Ammonolysis of Technical Lignins. Part 2. Effect of Oxygen Pressure
Authors: Capanema Ewellyn A. , Balakshin Mikhail Yu. , Chen Chen-Loung , Gratzl Josef S. , Kirkman Adrianna G.
Published: October 2004

Investigations were conducted on the effects of oxygen pressure on the oxidative ammonolysis of REPAP organosolv lignin at 130 °C under oxygen pressure of 5, 8 and 12 bar. The rates of reactions monitored, such as nitrogen incorporation, lignin solubilization, oxygen uptake and CO2 formation, increase with increasing oxygen pressure. Kinetics of nitrogen incorporation under different oxygen pressure consists of two phases and follows a first order law in each phase. Linear correlation between the rate of nitrogen incorporation and oxygen pressure implies that the reaction is first order with respect to oxygen concentration. This indicates that oxygen participates directly in the rate-determining step of nitrogen incorporation. The rate of lignin solubilization also linearly increases with increasing oxygen pressure, implying that the rate of lignin degradation directly depends on oxygen pressure. The nitrogen incorporation is linearly correlated with the oxygen uptake, CO2 formation, oxygen incorporation into lignin, loss of carbon and methoxyl group content under all values of oxygen pressure and during the entire reaction period. This suggests that the reactions in the oxidative ammonolysis of lignin proceed via the same pathways in the different kinetic phases. In addition, the changes in the oxygen pressure were found to have only minor effect upon the coefficients of these linear correlations. This is in good agreement with the structures of N-modified lignin elucidated from FTIR and indicates that oxygen pressure affects only the reaction rate, but not the reaction mechanism.
Distributed Optimization with a Two-Dimensional Drying Model of a Board, Built up by Sapwood and Heartwood
Authors: Carlsson Peter
Published: October 2004

Optimization with distributed computing is performed on a two-dimensional orthotropic drying model which allows boards with arbitrary outtake of the log and sapwood/heartwood distribution in the cross section. Drying schedules with an optimized variation of temperature and humidity which yields minimized drying time are created at the same time as moisture, stress and deformation levels are considered. A numerical example with distributed computing of a board with a mixture of sapwood and heartwood is presented. Drying starts from the fibre saturation point.
The Effect of Pressure Steaming on the Steady State Ion Diffusion and Drift Speed in Wood
Authors: Törnqvist Magnus , Hurme Tapio , Rosenholm Jarl B.
Published: October 2004

Diffusion tests were made in wood chips of northern pine (Pinus sylvestris), birch (Betula verrucosa) and spruce (Picea abies). The chips were pre-treated in two different ways, immersion into water and by steaming. The new results covering very high concentrations, 0.5 mol/dm3 up to 1.5 mol/dm3, of NaCl, NaOH and Na2S were recorded for both ways of pre-treating samples. The results were graphically compared, with the main emphasis on the differences between the immersed and the steamed samples. The differences were shown to be not only in the magnitude of the flow; clear differences in the concentration dependencies were also noticed. Spruce was more affected by the pre-steaming than pine and birch.
New Approaches to the Education of Older Adults
Authors: Wolf Mary Alice
Published: October 2004

In this chapter, the author explores the theoretical underpinnings of programs
for older learners, including developmental perspectives, research,
gender roles, reminiscence, cognition, and need‐based learning.
Major Streams of Research Probing Older Adult Learning
Authors: Fisher James C.
Published: October 2004

This chapter examines and describes the research on older adult learning
and education, summarizes the findings and their impact on practice, and
suggests a research agenda for the field.
Policy for Older Adult Education
Authors: Peterson David A. , Masunaga Hiromi
Published: October 2004

This chapter focuses on public policy initiatives that have shaped the field
of educational gerontology and discusses their impact. Initiatives in the present
and expectations for the future are discussed.
Cohorts of the Future
Authors: Grabinski C. Joanne
Published: October 2004

Using Strauss and Howe's theory of generations, future cohorts are
described, including personality characteristics and potential for learning in
older adulthood.
Adult Learners and Internet‐Based Distance Education
Authors: Eastmond Daniel V.
Published: October 2004

Adult learners respond differently to different types of technology. This
chapter presents a typology of Internet‐based instruction that relates levels
of technology to characteristics of adult learning.
Facilitating Group Learning on the Internet
Authors: Holt Margaret E. , Kleiber Pamela B. , Swenson Jill Dianne , Rees E. Francis , Milton Judy
Published: October 2004

Summarizing research conducted from 1994 to 1996 with on‐line National
Issues Forums, this chapter describes group learning on the Internet and
how it can be facilitated.
On‐Line Education: A Study of Emerging Pedagogy
Authors: Schrum Lynne
Published: October 2004

Educational institutions have entered a period of profound change. This
review of pedagogical, organizational, and institutional issues provides
guidelines for on‐line educators and administrators.
Women's Career Development and Part‐Time Arrangements
Authors: Kropf Marcia Brumit
Published: October 2004

This chapter discusses the benefits, challenges, and strategies of part‐time
work arrangements and explores how part‐time employment can be a viable
career development option for women.
Human Resource Development's Role in Women's Career Progress
Authors: McDonald Kimberly S. , Hite Linda M.
Published: October 2004

The authors explore the role of human resource development in promoting
the career progress of women.