bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The many uses of regulatory impact assessment: A meta‐analysis of EU and UK cases
Authors: Dunlop Claire A. , Maggetti Martino , Radaelli Claudio M. , Russel Duncan
Published: January 2012

Research on regulation has crossed paths with the literature on policy instruments, showing that regulatory policy instruments contain cognitive and normative beliefs about policy. Thus, their usage stacks the deck in favor of one type of actor or one type of regulatory solution. In this article, we challenge the assumption that there is a predetermined relationship between ideas, regulatory policy instruments, and outcomes. We argue that different combinations of conditions lead to different outcomes, depending on how actors use the instrument. Empirically, we analyze 31 EU and UK case studies of regulatory impact assessment (RIA) – a regulatory policy instrument that has been pivotal in the so‐called better regulation movement. We distinguish four main usages of RIA, that is, political, instrumental, communicative, and perfunctory. We find that in our sample instrumental usage is not so rare and that the contrast between communicative and political usages is less stark than is commonly thought. In terms of policy recommendations, our analysis suggests that there may be different paths to desirable outcomes. Policymakers should therefore explore different combinations of conditions leading to the usages they deem desirable rather than arguing for a fixed menu of variables.
Are long‐term incentive plans an effective and efficient way of motivating senior executives?
Authors: Pepper Alexander , Gore Julie , Crossman Alf
Published: January 2012

Research on senior executive reward has typically explored the connection between pay, performance and the alignment of interests of executives and shareholders. This article examines the relationship between reward and motivation, drawing on the psychological, behavioural economics and decision‐making literatures. Based on an empirical study of FTSE 350 senior executives, the research examines whether long‐term incentive plans are an effective and efficient way of motivating executives, taking into account risk, time discounting, uncertainty and fairness. The article concludes that the way executives frame choices, perceive value, assess probability, evaluate temporal effects and respond to uncertainty means that long‐term incentive plans (LTIPs) are generally not efficient and are often not effective in meeting their objectives. It proposes that, in its current form, agency theory does not provide a sound basis for modelling senior executive reward, and suggests five areas for development.
Interaction of an Antituberculosis Drug with Nano‐sized Cationic Micelle: Förster Resonance Energy Transfer from Dansyl to Rifampicin in the Microenvironment
Authors: Mondol Tanumoy , Batabyal Subrata , Pal Samir Kumar
Published: January 2012

In this contribution, we report studies on the interaction of an antituberculosis drug rifampicin (RF) in a macromolecular assembly of CTAB with an extrinsic fluorescent probe, dansyl chloride (DC). The absorption spectrum of the drug RF has been employed to study Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from DC, bound to the CTAB micelle using picosecond resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. We have applied a kinetic model developed by Tachiya to understand the kinetics of energy transfer and the distribution of acceptor (RF) molecules around the donor (DC) molecules in the micellar surface with increasing quencher concentration. The mean number of RF molecules associated with the micelle increases from 0.24 at 20 μm RF concentration to 1.5 at 190 μm RF concentration and consequently the quenching rate constant (kq) due to the acceptor (RF) molecules increases from 0.23 to 0.75 ns−1 at 20 and 190 μm RF concentration, respectively. However, the mean number of the quencher molecule and the quenching rate constant does not change significantly beyond a certain RF concentration (150 μm), which is consistent with the results obtained from time resolved FRET analysis. Moreover, we have explored the diffusion controlled FRET between DC and RF, using microfluidics setup, which reveals that the reaction pathway follows one‐step process.
Combinational Sensitization of Leishmania with Uroporphyrin and Aluminum Phthalocyanine Synergistically Enhances their Photodynamic Inactivation in vitro and in vivo†
Authors: Dutta Sujoy , Waki Kayoko , Chang Kwang Poo
Published: January 2012

Leishmania were previously shown to undergo photolysis when their transgenic mutants were induced endogenously to accumulate cytoplasmic uroporphyrin or when loaded exogenously with aluminum phthalocyanine chloride. A combinational use of both is reported here, which renders Leishmania far more susceptible to photolysis. Fluorescence microscopy of cells loaded with the two photosensitizers localized them to different subcellular sites. Pre‐exposure of Leishmania to both synergistically sensitized them for photolysis as extracellular promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes in infected macrophages in vitro when illuminated at specific wavelengths to excite the respective photosensitizers for production of reactive oxygen species. Both Leishmania stages lost their viability completely when doubly photosensitized optimally and illuminated at low intensity, the host cells being left unscathed. Inoculation of mice with photoinactivated Leishmania produced no lesions, which invariably developed in the control groups during a period of observations for 8 weeks. Pretreatment of Leishmania with both photosensitizers rendered these cells susceptible to clearance from the ear dermis by white light illumination. The results suggest that double photosensitization for synergistic activity enhances the efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy in general and for Leishmania in particular.
Geographical Variation in Residence and Risk of Multiple Nonmelanoma Skin Cancers in US Women and Men
Authors: Wei‐Passanese Erin X. , Han Jiali , Lin Wen , Li Tricia , Laden Francine , Qureshi Abrar A.
Published: January 2012

Residence in high ultraviolet (UV) locations is associated with increased risk for incident nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). However, the effect of geographic location on multiple NMSC development has not been well studied. We evaluated the association between state of residence at birth, age 15 and 30 and risk of multiple NMSCs among 80 275 women and men. After adjusting for age, gender, hair color, number of sunburns, tanning ability, family history of melanoma and nevus count, the cumulative relative risks (RRs) of developing ≥1 NMSC for those consistently residing in medium‐ and high‐UV index states were 1.20 (95% CI 1.14–1.27) and 1.42 (95% CI 1.32–1.53) respectively. We found that compared to individuals with one lifetime NMSC, the multivariate cumulative RRs of developing ≥2 NMSCs for those who stayed in medium‐ and high‐UV index states at all three timepoints were 1.09 (95% CI 1.00–1.19) and 1.15 (95% CI 1.02–1.30) respectively. These results cannot account for migration during the interval period and seasonal changes in residence; further, as BCC is the predominant NMSC, the results may be BCC‐driven. In conclusion, we found that consistent residence in medium‐ or high‐UVR locations was significantly associated an incremental risk of ≥2 NMSCs later in life.
Photochemically Generated Elemental Selenium Forms Conjugates with Serum Proteins That Are Preferentially Cytotoxic to Leukemia and Selected Solid Tumor Cells
Authors: Daziano Jean‐Pierre , Günther Wolfgang H.H. , Krieg Marianne , Tsujino Ichiro , Miyagi Kiyoko , Anderson Gregory S. , Sampson Reynée W. , Ostrowski Martin D. , Muir Sarah A. , Bula Raymond J. , Sieber Fritz
Published: January 2012

The objective of this study was to determine if and how photoproducts contribute to the antitumor effect of merocyanine‐mediated PDT. A panel of barbituric, thiobarbituric and selenobarbituric acid analogues of Merocyanine 540 was photobleached, and the resulting photoproducts were characterized by absorption, fluorescence emission, mass, energy dispersive X‐ray, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and tested for cytotoxic activity against tumor cell lines and freshly explanted bone marrow cells. While all dyes were readily photobleached, only photoproducts of selone dyes showed cytotoxic activity. One‐hour incubations with micromolar concentrations of selone‐derived photoproducts were sufficient to reduce leukemia/lymphoma cells ≥10 000 fold, whereas preserving virtually all normal CD34‐positive bone marrow cells. Of six multidrug‐resistant tumor cell lines tested, five were as sensitive or more sensitive to photoproducts than the corresponding wild‐type lines. Physicochemical characterizations of the cytotoxic activity indicated that it consisted of conjugates of subnano particles of elemental selenium and (lipo)proteins. The discovery of cytotoxic Se‐protein conjugates provides a rare example of photoproducts contributing substantially to the antitumor effect of PDT and challenges the long‐held view that Se in oxidation state zero is biologically inert. Agents modeled after our Se‐protein conjugates may prove useful for the treatment of leukemia.
Xanthene Dyes Induce Membrane Permeabilization of Bacteria and Erythrocytes by Photoinactivation
Authors: Kato Hisato , Komagoe Keiko , Nakanishi Yuka , Inoue Tsuyoshi , Katsu Takashi
Published: January 2012

We analyzed the photoinactivation of the membrane functions of bacteria and erythrocytes induced by xanthene dyes. The dyes tested were rose bengal, phloxine B, erythrosine B and eosin B. These dyes induced the leakage of K+ from Staphylococcus aureus cells within minutes of photoirradiation, in the order of rose bengal > phloxine B > erythrosine B > eosin B. The ability of dyes to inhibit respiration was weak, except for rose bengal, and the dyes dissipated the membrane potential in similar time traces with changes in K+ permeability. The xanthene dyes also induced the leakage of K+ from bovine erythrocytes upon photoirradiation in the same order as that observed with bacteria. Furthermore, we found that the ability to cause the leakage of K+ from erythrocytes was associated with dye‐induced morphological changes, forming a crenated form from the normal discoid. These results are discussed in connection with the ability of xanthene dyes to generate singlet oxygen and bind to bacterial cells, and further compared with the actions of cationic porphyrins, which induced photoinactivation of bacteria through respiratory inhibition.
Approach and Avoidance Motives and Close Relationships
Authors: Gable Shelly L. , Impett Emily A.
Published: January 2012

Despite the fact that humans have a deep motivation to pursue and maintain close relationships, little research has examined social relationships from a motivational perspective. In the current paper, we argue that any model of close relationships must simultaneously account for people’s tendencies to both approach incentives and avoid threats in close relationships. To that end, we review research stemming from Gable’s (2006) social and relationship model of motivation on both the antecedents and the consequences of approach and avoidance goal pursuit in the context of close relationships. We conclude with recommendations for future research in this area.
Social Relationships and Mortality
Authors: Holt‐Lunstad Julianne , Smith Timothy B.
Published: January 2012

Social relationships benefit not only mental health but also physical health. This review addresses the following questions: (1) What is the overall magnitude of the effect of social relationships on risk for premature death? (2) How generalized is the effect and are there factors known to influence this association? (3) What are the likely pathways by which social relationships influence longevity? The article concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for potential interventions aimed at reducing risk for mortality.
Is Good Sex Good for You? Rethinking Sexuality and Health
Authors: Diamond Lisa M. , Huebner David M.
Published: January 2012

Despite the central importance of sexuality to human well‐being, the study of sexuality remains marginalized within health psychology, which hampers the ability of clinicians and policy‐makers to promote comprehensive health and well‐being. In this review we discuss the evidence that sexual functioning makes critical contributions to human health, focusing specifically on findings linking sexual activity to morbidity and mortality, to the health‐promoting effects of intimate relationships, and to processes of emotion regulation. We argue that researchers studying the psychology of health and well‐being should more substantively integrate sexuality into their research agendas. Health psychologists’ specific expertise in investigating and interpreting complex, reciprocal associations between subjective emotional states, health‐relevant cognitions, and health‐relevant behavior can make a notable contribution to elucidating some of the most intruiging correlations between sexuality and health that have emerged from medical and epidemiological studies. If we want to foster optimum physical and mental health among youths and adults, we must rigorously investigate the multiple mechanisms through which positive sexual functioning plays a unique and fundamental role in human well‐being across the life course.
Group Dynamics in Physical Activity Promotion: What works?
Authors: Estabrooks Paul A. , Harden Samantha M. , Burke Shauna M.
Published: January 2012

Over the past 20 years group dynamics‐based interventions have been used to successfully increase physical activity. However, the literature is less clear on the underlying mechanisms of effectiveness. That is, what makes these group dynamics interventions work? We conducted a systematic review to identify studies that used different group dynamics strategies to promote physical activity. Seventeen studies were identified and were coded by two raters to determine the degree to which group dynamics strategies were used, the format of the programs, and any analytic procedures used to determine the causal mechanisms underlying intervention effectiveness. The results of the coding indicated that while there is no standard package of group dynamics strategies being applied across the literature‐ and regardless of the breadth of the underlying theory or the structure of the programs‐ the effect on physical activity is robust. However, few studies explicitly measured potential causal mechanisms and even fewer completed the necessary analysis to detect mediation. We concluded that future research on developing a unified theory for group dynamics with appropriate measurement tools is necessary to further enhance the effects of group dynamics on physical activity promotion.
Social Class and Parenting: Classic Debates and New Understandings
Authors: Sherman Jennifer , Harris Elizabeth
Published: January 2012

Many scholars pinpoint the family as one of the most important loci of class differences and see parenting in particular as a mechanism for the reinforcement and reproduction of class variation. In this article, the authors explore the role of educational background, occupations, family resources, state surveillance, and culture in explaining how and why parenting practices vary by class backgrounds. The article reviews research that focuses on class‐based cultural norms and values, as well as research that argues that structural conditions and access to resources are more important than culture in influencing parenting norms, beliefs, and outcomes. The authors then discuss recent research that suggests that rather than seeing culture and structure as dichotomous, in fact, culture and structure are intertwined and it is through seeing them as mutually reinforcing factors that we can best make sense of class‐related parenting differences.
Experiencing Homelessness: A Review of Recent Literature
Authors: Meanwell Emily
Published: January 2012

Homelessness holds a longstanding place on the sociological research agenda, and has become particularly prominent in sociological literature since the 1980s. Recent literature reviews have summarized this research, but have only briefly considered the body of work focused on theexperienceof homelessness. I use this literature review to provide a more complete summary of this work on the daily lives, activities, subcultures, social relationships and networks, and social interactions of homeless individuals. I then explore variations in these experiences across important characteristics – such as gender, race and ethnicity, family status, and sexual orientation – as well as within three particular contexts that have been studied by sociologists: the streets, shelters and other service organizations, and social movements and collective action. I also consider how the homeless encounter and manage stigma and salvage the self. In addition to reviewing this literature, I consider how this work contributes to sociological understandings more broadly, and potential future research directions.
Unauthorized Migrants and the (Il)Logic of “Crime Control”: A Human Rights Perspective on US Federal and Local State Immigration Policies
Authors: Gunkel Steven E. , González Wahl Ana‐María
Published: January 2012

Immigration control, widely regarded the sovereign right of nation states, has often been pursued at the expense of civil and human rights. More than a century ago, nativists legitimated a punitive approach to immigration control that treated migrants’ rights as secondary by branding millions of newcomers to the United States as a “dangerous class”. In many ways, recent policies similarly criminalize immigrants and deploy crime control strategies in response. This article reviews the most significant of these policies at the federal and local state level, including: border security measures, detention and deportation, the 287(g) program, anti‐immigrant city ordinances, and the Arizona law (SB1070). Each initiative has been framed as necessary to protect American citizens from serious crime. We focus on four ways in which these policies violate human rights: first, border security measures that result in migrant deaths violate the right to life; second, detention and deportation violate the right to liberty; third, detention and deportation punish unlawful residents as though they were guilty of criminal rather than civil violations of the law, imposing penalties that are arbitrary and disproportionately harsh; and fourth, local state policies to counter illegal immigration encourage racial profiling, a practice that violates the right to freedom from discrimination.
Sexuality Education in the United States: Shared Cultural Ideas across a Political Divide
Authors: Fields Jessica
Published: January 2012

“Sexuality education”– broadly defined as teaching and learning about a range of issues related to puberty, sexuality, and relationships – occurs all day every day, formally and informally, intentionally and unintentionally. Nevertheless, adults organize policy and instruction for young people around a constrained set of concerns: first, that the sexuality education youth receive does not help them navigate an increasingly sexualized and dangerous world and, second, that the lessons are themselves damaging, exacerbating the risks youth and children already face. I discuss sexuality education’s entanglement with these conventional cultural ideas about youth, sexuality, and education. I consider the ways that abstinence‐only and comprehensive school‐based sexuality education rest on a series of a discursive framings, including a commitment to regulating sexuality and youth, a contemporary “moral panic” that renders all talk about youth and sexuality provocative, and normative and instrumental conceptions of teaching and learning about sexuality. I conclude by discussing the implications of these discursive framings for classroom practice and imagining an alternative model in which sexuality education might embrace ambiguity and ambivalence as a necessary and even welcome condition of young people’s sexuality and education.
Weathering Risk: Uncertainty, Weather Forecasting, and Expertise
Authors: Daipha Phaedra
Published: January 2012

Bridging the sociology of uncertainty and weather, this review paper provides a sociological examination of the weather forecasting enterprise in order to illustrate how expert decision makers negotiate high uncertainty. It begins with an outline of the literature on uncertainty and risk, particularly as it regards the modern experience. It then fleshes out and expands the discussion through an examination of weather forecasting practice. The final section reprises the theme of expert decision making under uncertainty, this time focusing on the communication of risk and uncertainty, and it concludes with a few thoughts on the future of the field.
Bordetella bronchiseptica in a Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis Patient: Possible Transmission from a Household Cat
Authors: Register K. B. , Sukumar N. , Palavecino E. L. , Rubin B. K. , Deora R.
Published: January 2012

Bordetella bronchiseptica is a zoonotic respiratory pathogen commonly found in domesticated farm and companion animals, including dogs and cats. Here, we report isolation of B. bronchiseptica from a sputum sample of a cystic fibrosis patient recently exposed to a kitten with an acute respiratory illness. Genetic characterization of the isolate and comparison with other isolates of human or feline origin strongly suggest that the kitten was the source of infection.
Effect of Ribavirin on Junin Virus Infection in Guinea Pigs
Authors: Salazar M. , Yun N. E. , Poussard A. L. , Smith J. N. , Smith J. K. , Kolokoltsova O. A. , Patterson M. J. , Linde J. , Paessler S.
Published: January 2012

Junin virus (JUNV) is the aetiological agent of Argentine haemorrhagic fever. The pathogenesis of the infection is not well understood, no licensed vaccines exist and no specific antiviral therapy is available. Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of ribavirin to delay and reduce JUNV disease and virus burden in guinea pigs without preventing death. Based on available data, we performed three different studies to determine the efficacy of ribavirin against JUNV in the guinea pig model with a focus on survival. Different doses and treatment schedules of ribavirin were tested in a lethal model of JUNV infection. Our results show that prolonged treatment with high doses of ribavirin significantly reduces the mortality in guinea pigs infected with JUNV. These results may be useful in future experimental studies or clinical testing.
A Longitudinal Look at Attitudes and Perceptions Related to the Integration of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education
Authors: Berlin Donna F. , White Arthur L.
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this study is to provide an in‐depth analysis of attitudes and perceptions related to the integration of mathematics, science, and technology education of preservice teachers preparing to teach STEM disciplines. Longitudinal data by individual cohort and across 7 years of the Integrated Mathematics, Science, and Technology (MSAT) Program are reported, analyzed, and interpreted to help design and improve preservice teacher education programs and improve teaching and learning in STEM classrooms. Results of quantitative analyses indicate that there was generally no change in preservice teacher attitudes and perceptions related to the value of the integration of mathematics, science, and technology education—they clearly valued integration at the onset and at the completion of the program. However, there was a significant change in preservice teacher attitudes and perceptions related to integration feasibility in terms of inefficiency and difficulty.

Implications for teacher education programs include: (a) more exposure to concepts, processes, and skills in STEM that are similar, analogous, complementary, or synergistic; (b) familiarity with instructional strategies and access to resources; (c) deeper understanding of content across STEM; and (d) strategies for collaboration and team work to make integrated instruction time more efficient and less difficult to manage.
Morningness‐eveningness and educational outcomes: the lark has an advantage over the owl at high school
Authors: Preckel Franzis , Lipnevich Anastasiya A. , Boehme Katharina , Brandner Lena , Georgi Karsten , Könen Tanja , Mursin Katharina , Roberts Richard D.
Published: January 2012

Background.Chronotype refers to individuals’ preference for morning or evening activities. Its two dimensions (morningness and eveningness) are related to a number of academic outcomes.

Aims.The main goal of the study was to investigate the incremental validity of chronotype as a predictor of academic achievement after controlling for a number of traditional predictors. In so doing, a further aim was ongoing validation of a chronotype questionnaire, the Lark‐Owl Chronotype Indicator.

Sample.The sample comprised 272 students attending 9th and 10th grades at five German high schools. Data was also obtained from 132 parents of these students.

Method.Students were assessed in class via self‐report questionnaires and a standardized cognitive test. Parents filled out a questionnaire at home. The incremental validity of chronotype was investigated using hierarchical linear regression. Validity of the chronotype questionnaire was assessed by correlating student ratings of their chronotype with behavioural data on sleep, food intake, and drug consumption and with parent ratings of chronotype.

Results.Eveningness was a significant (negative) predictor of overall grade point average (GPA), math–science GPA, and language GPA, after cognitive ability, conscientiousness, need for cognition, achievement motivation, and gender were held constant. Validity evidence for the chronotype measure was established by significant correlations with parent‐ratings and behavioural data.

Conclusions.Results point to the possible discrimination of adolescents with a proclivity towards eveningness at school. Possible explanations for the relationship between chronotype and academic achievement are presented. Implications for educational practice are also discussed.
Study on the Operational Window of a Swirl Stabilized Syngas Burner Under Atmospheric and High Pressure Conditions
Authors: Mayer C. , Sangl J. , Sattelmayer T. , Lachaux T. , Bernero S.
Published: January 2012

Providing better fuel flexibility for future gas turbine generations is a challenge as the fuel range is expected to become significantly wider (natural gas, syngas, etc.). The technical problem is to reach a wide operational window, regarding both operational safety and low emissions. In a previous paper, an approach to meet these requirements has already been presented. However, in this previous study it was difficult to exactly quantify the improvement in operational safety due to the fact that the flashback phenomena observed were not fully understood. The present continuative paper is focused on a thorough investigation of operational safety also involving the influence of pressure on flashback and the emissions of the proposed burner concept. To gain better insight into the character of the propagation and to visualize the path of the flame during its upstream motion, tests were done on an atmospheric combustion test rig providing almost complete optical access to the mixing section as well as the flame tube. OH* chemiluminescence, HS-Mie scattering and ionization detectors were applied and undiluted H2 was used as fuel for the detailed analysis. To elaborate on the influence of pressure on the stability behavior, additional tests were conducted on a pressurized test rig using a downscaled burner. OH* chemiluminescence, flashback and lean blow out measurements were conducted in this campaign, using CH4, CH4/H2 mixtures and pure H2. The conducted experiments delivered the assets and drawbacks of the fuel injection strategy, where high axial fuel momentum was used to tune the flow field to achieve better flashback resistance.
The Optimal Control Approach to Dynamical Inverse Problems
Authors: Steiner Wolfgang , Reichl Stefan
Published: January 2012

This paper considers solution strategies for “dynamical inverse problems,” where the main goal is to determine the excitation of a dynamical system, such that some output variables, which are derived from the system’s state variables, coincide with desired time functions. The paper demonstrates how such problems can be restated as optimal control problems and presents a numerical solution approach based on the method of steepest descent. First, a performance measure is introduced, which characterizes the deviation of the output variables from the desired values, and which is minimized by the solution of the inverse problem. Second, we show, how the gradient of this error functional can be computed efficiently by applying the theory of optimal control, in particular by following an idea of Kelley and Bryson. As the major contribution of this paper we present a modification of this method which allows the application to the case where the state equations are given by a set of differential algebraic equations. This situation has great practical importance since multibody systems are mostly described in this way. For comparison, we also discuss an approach which bases an a direct transcription of the optimal control problem. Moreover, other methods to solve dynamical inverse problems are summarized.
Improving hand hygiene in a paediatric hospital: a multimodal quality improvement approach
Authors: Jamal Ahmed , O'Grady G , Harnett E , Dalton D , Andresen D
Published: January 2012

Background

Effective hand hygiene has long been recognised as an important way to reduce the transmission of bacterial and viral pathogens in healthcare settings. However, many studies have shown that adherence to hand hygiene remains low, and improvement efforts have often not delivered sustainable results. The Children's Hospital at Westmead is the largest tertiary paediatric hospital in Sydney, Australia. The hospital participated in a state-wide ‘Clean hands save lives’ campaign which was initiated in 2006.

Intervention

Strong leadership, good stakeholder engagement, readily accessible alcohol-based hand rub at the point of patient care, a multifaceted education programme, monitoring of staff, adherence to recommended hand hygiene practices and contemporaneous feedback of performance data have significantly improved and maintained compliance with hand hygiene.

Results

Hand hygiene compliance has increased from 23% in 2006 to 87% in 2011 (p<0.001). Sustained improvement in compliance with hand hygiene has been evident in the last 4 years. A decline in a set of hospital-acquired infections (including rotavirus, multiresistant organism transmission, and nosocomial bacteraemia) has also been noted as hand hygiene rates have improved. Monthly usage of alcohol-based hand rub has increased from 16 litres/1000 bed days to 51 litres/1000 bed days during this same period.

Conclusion

This project has delivered sustained improvement in hand hygiene compliance by establishing a framework of multimodal evidence-based strategies.
Medical errors reported by French general practitioners in training: results of a survey and individual interviews
Authors: Venus Emily , Galam Eric , Aubert Jean-Pierre , Nougairede Michel
Published: January 2012

Context

French interns in general practice are, like all medical students, exposed to medical errors during their training.

Objective

To measure the professional and personal impact of medical errors on French general practitioner (GP) trainees.

Design, setting and participants

Quantitative and qualitative study of medical errors and GP trainees enrolled at Paris Diderot University.

Method

An online anonymous questionnaire was sent to all GP trainees at Paris Diderot University and recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 volunteers.

Results

70 of the 392 (18%) interns contacted replied to the questionnaire and 10 semi-structured interviews were then conducted. 97% of the participants had already made a medical error. Even with the extreme, conservative assumption that non-respondents would have reported no errors, the prevalence of self-reported medical errors in the whole sample would still have been 17%. 64% said they were at least strongly affected by their error and 74% made constructive changes to their work after the error. The interns revealed that the emotional impact of their errors were great with feelings such as guilt that could remain for more than 2 years after the event. 33% would have liked to talk more about the circumstances of their error with their superior. Most interns suggest more training on medical errors and more open-minded discussion when the error actually happens rather than formal training at the university.

Conclusion

Medical errors remain a sensitive subject that is not broached enough in our university but interns need to talk about their experiences with their peers to improve risk management and prevent the recurrence of new errors.
EFFECT OF ANNEALING TEMPERATURE ON OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF TITANIUM DIOXIDE THIN FILMS PREPARED BY SOL-GEL METHOD
Authors: SARODE M. T. , SHELKE P. N. , KHOLLAM Y. B. , JADKAR S. R. , KALE B. B. , MOHITE K. C. , KOINKAR PANKAJ
Published: January 2012

TiO 2 sol-gel thin films were deposited on glass substrates by dip coating method. Nanocrystalline TiO 2 thin films were prepared at 300°C. The effect of annealing temperature on optical properties of nanocrystalline TiO 2 thin films was studied. The films were characterized by different techniques: XRD, UV-visible spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and FESEM. The characterization studies revealed that the films are crystallized as anatase phase and are nano-structured. The optical measurements were showed the indirect band gap between 3.31 and 3.35 eV with corresponding crystallite sizes between 8.9 and 3.7 nm at the temperatures 300, 400 and 500°C. The FESEM images of film were showed spherical nanocrystalline structure of TiO 2 particles with the crystallite sizes between 30 and 100 nm. It is also observed that refractive index of the film increases with increasing the annealing temperature. The smaller crystallite size gives larger band gap due to quantum size effects.
EFFECTS OF THE ORGANIC SOLVENT IN CARRIER GAS ON THE PREPARED TiO2 THIN FILM BY METAL-ORGANIC CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION METHOD
Authors: Horikawa Toshihide , Asano Hiroyuki , Akiyama Kazuhide , Nakahara Daisuke , Katoh Masahiro
Published: January 2012

Titanium dioxide ( TiO 2) thin films are prepared on glass substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method using the different organic solvents, e.g. ethanol or cyclohexane, in nitrogen carrier gas with different their concentrations. We reported the effects of the each organic solvent in the carrier gas for MOCVD method on the morphology of the composed particles, the thickness, the surface roughness, and the transparency of the prepared TiO 2 thin films with changing the deposition temperature. The morphology of the particles which compose the thin films, and the surface roughness of the prepared TiO 2 thin films are observed and measured by atomic force microscope (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The film thickness is measured by fluorescent X-ray spectroscopy (XRF), and the transparency of the films is confirmed by UV-vis spectroscopy. The transparencies of the TiO 2 thin films differ depending on the MOCVD conditions, e.g. the organic solvents species, the concentration of the container in the carrier gas and the deposition temperatures. We have found that the species and the concentration of the organic solvents in the carrier gas are very important factor to prepare homogeneous TiO 2 thin films by MOCVD method; cyclohexane inhibits to aggregate of the TiO 2 nanoparticles on the glass substrate during the MOCVD process.
FLEXURAL STRENGTH AND IMPACT ENERGY OF MICROFIBRIL BAMBOO FIBER REINFORCED ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY COMPOSITES BASED ON POLY-LACTIC ACID RESIN
Authors: SUJITO  , TAKAGI HITOSHI
Published: January 2012

Environment-friendly or "green" composites (GCs) made from micro-fibril bamboo fiber (BF) and biodegradable poly-lactic acid (PLA) resin were fabricated using a hot-pressing methods. The effect of BF content on the flexural properties and impact energy of the GCs was investigated. The results show that the flexural properties and impact energy of the GC samples are tremendously affected by the addition of BF. Both the flexural properties and impact energy increase with increasing the BF content up to 40% and then decrease with BF contents less or more than 40% by mass. This was because of the existence of internal defects such as voids was observed for the GC samples reinforced with less or more than 40% mass of BF.
INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON INFILTRATION PROCESS OF LIQUID COPPER IN W SKELETON
Authors: BAI YANXIA , LIANG SHUHUA , WANG YANLONG
Published: January 2012

The effects of temperature on liquid infiltration of molten copper in W skeleton pores are investigated by numerical simulation. The unsteady state infiltration processes of molten copper in the same W skeleton pores are studied at the temperature of 1373K, 1473K and 1593K, respectively. The mobility of molten copper is affected by the temperature, which then lead to the different transport process. The infiltration velocity of molten copper in W solid is affected by viscosity, surface tension and contact angle of liquid copper, which indicates that higher temperature can accelerate the rate of the seepage. The velocity distribution drops down along the infiltration and displays parabolic trend along the position.
OBSERVATION OF THE CORROSION CHARACTERISTICS OF METALIZING FILM IN SEAWATER SOLUTION
Authors: MOON KYUNG-MAN , KIM YUN-HAE , OH MIN-SEOK , PARK DONG-HYUN , WON JONG-PIL
Published: January 2012

Four types of coated films (DFT: 300um), that is pure zinc, pure aluminum, and two Al - Zn alloy ( Al : Zn =85:15 and Al : Zn =95:5), were coated onto carbon steel (SS401) with arc spraying, and the corrosion behavior of their samples were evaluated by the electrochemical method in this study. The pure aluminum sample had the high corrosion resistance when exposed to seawater solution and pure zinc and alloy ( Al : Zn =95:5) samples followed the pure aluminum sample. The other alloy ( Al : Zn =85:15), the so-called galvalume that was coated onto the carbon steel, ranked 4th in corrosion resistance in this study. The results of the porosity ratio of those samples are well matched with the electrochemical data
VARIATIONS OF IMPACT VALUE AND HARDNESS FOR ROLL SHELL STEEL AND S25C UNDER VARIOUS TEMPERING
Authors: SUH CHANG-MIN , SUH MIN-SOO
Published: January 2012

This study carried out a series of experiments viz. impact tests (drop weight & Charpy) and hardness tests after various heat treatments. The fractography observation on normal roll shell steel (NRS), abnormal roll shell steel (ARS), and S25C steel were carried out as well to analyze the cause of brittle fractures and damages in the roll shell steel. The optimal tempering temperature has been characterized for ARS and NRS.
COMPARISON OF SLIDING WEAR AND THREE-BODY ABRASIVE WEAR CHARACTERISTICS OF PLAIN CARBON STEEL
Authors: KIM YONG-SUK , YOON NARAE , KIM JONG CHUL
Published: January 2012

Sliding wear and three-body abrasive wear characteristics of plain carbon steel (0.19C-0.72Mn) were compared to understand mechanisms of both wear in the steel. Microstructure of the steel was varied by heat treatments, and effects of microstructure as well as hardness on both wear were investigated. Dry sliding wear tests were carried out at room temperature using a pin-on-disk wear tester against AISI 52100 bearing steel. Three-body abrasive wear tests were performed using a ball-cratering abrasive wear tester employing angular SiC abrasives. The sliding wear proceeded with subsurface deformation and consequent fracture, while micro ploughing and cutting were major mechanisms of the abrasive wear. Hardness alone failed to characterize the sliding wear of the steel. Subsurface strain-hardening and uniform-deformation were principal controlling factors for the sliding wear, while hardness was the factor to control the abrasive wear of the steel under the given test condition.
THERMAL STRAIN MEASUREMENT OF A DOUBLE RING STRUCTURE USING DIGITAL IMAGE CORRELATION METHOD
Authors: JIN TAILIE , GOO NAM SEO
Published: January 2012

Thermal output is a large error source in the thermal deformation measurement of specimens under temperature change when a strain gage is used. Although several methods have been developed and used to compensate thermal output, the range of measuring temperature is limited to several hundred degrees C. In this study, we used a digital image correlation (DIC) method to measure the full-field thermal deformation and strain of a double ring structure consisting of an inner aluminum ring and an outer titanium ring. Thermal deformation of the ring was measured up to 200 degrees C, and a finite element simulation for the heating condition of the double ring structure was performed. The deformation and strain results from the DIC method and simulation were in good agreement.
FLUID-STRUCTURE-INTERACTION ANALYSIS OF GOLF CLUBS COMPRISING AIR GUIDES
Authors: KWON Y. D. , KWON S. B. , DOH J.H. , KIM HYUN-KOOK
Published: January 2012

An FSI analysis of wood is performed to predict the downward aerodynamic force caused by the face loft angle. Several experiments are carried out to retrieve the shaft stiffness as well as the stiffness of the entire system, which consists of a human body and the arm gripping the wood. A sudden load is applied to the head of the wood, and the dynamic response is captured using a digital camcorder. The motion of a white dot marked at the head of wood is tracked by a TEMA package to form a trajectory map as a function of time. The applied load is divided by the measured dynamic deflection to yield the dynamic stiffness of the club head gripped by the golfer.

With these quantities (i.e., the downward force and stiffness of the wood head), one can predict the sole deflection caused by the aerodynamic downward force. To eliminate the inconsistent downward deflection that often results in missed shots, we create an air guide on the head of the wood to lead the direction of air flow downward. The air guide mounted on the head induces an upward aerodynamic force that compensate for the downward force. An FSI analysis is again performed on the wood head comprising the air guide to examine the nullified net aerodynamic force. Result show, that the deflection induced by the aerodynamic force is minimized, thus allowing a golfer to expect a more consistent and stable shot.
TRANSPARENT NANO PARTICLES FORMATION IN ZNO THIN FILMS DEPOSITED BY ULTRASONICATED CHEMICAL BATH METHOD AND ITS OPTICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL AND STRUCTURAL STUDY
Authors: MAHAJAN J. R.
Published: January 2012

Chemical bath deposition(CBD) synthesis has been a novel method for growing nanomaterials for varieties of applications. Simple in design, low cost, portability, high yield: suitable for large production and high crystallanity of nanoparticles are few of the unique features which makes it important. In present study ultrasonicated CBD synthesis mechanism used, to deposite nano thin films of ZnO . Currently there is immense interest to develop transparent nano-materials for futuristic multi-functional devices. ZnO based low dimensional structures such as quantum dots, quantum rods, quantum wires and quantum walls offer interesting possibilities for such applications. Since the excitonic Bohr radius for ZnO is ~ 5nm. Growth of device grade nanostructures of ZnO is highly desirable for potential integration for optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. Deposited films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy to study surface morphology, X-ray diffraction was used for structural analysis and UV-visible spectroscopy to study optical properties.
VIOLENT SCENE DETECTION IN MOVIES
Authors: CHEN LIANG-HUA , SU CHIH-WEN , HSU HSI-WEN
Published: January 2012

As violence in movies has harmful influence on children, in this paper, we propose a vision-based algorithm to detect violent scenes in movies. Under our definition of violence, the task of violent scene detection is decomposed into action scene detection and bloody frame detection. While previous approaches addressed only the shot level of video structure, our approach works on a more semantic-complete scene structure of video. The input video (digital movie) is first segmented into several scenes. Based on the filmmaking characteristics of action scene, some features of the scene are extracted to be fed into the support vector machine for classification. Finally, the face, blood and motion information are integrated to determine whether the action scene has violent content. Experimental results show that the proposed approach works reasonably well in detecting most of the violent scenes. Compared with related work, our approach is computationally simple yet effective.
CENSUS HISTOGRAMS: A SIMPLE FEATURE EXTRACTION AND MATCHING APPROACH FOR FACE RECOGNITION
Authors: CHIACHIA GIOVANI , MARANA APARECIDO NILCEU , RUF TOBIAS , ERNST ANDREAS
Published: January 2012

Most face recognition approaches require a prior training where a given distribution of faces is assumed to further predict the identity of test faces. Such an approach may experience difficulty in identifying faces belonging to distributions different from the one provided during the training. A face recognition technique that performs well regardless of training is, therefore, interesting to consider as a basis of more sophisticated methods. In this work, the Census Transform is applied to describe the faces. Based on a scanning window which extracts local histograms of Census Features, we present a method that directly matches face samples. With this simple technique, 97.2% of the faces in the FERET fa/fb test were correctly recognized. Despite being an easy test set, we have found no other approaches in literature regarding straight comparisons of faces with such a performance. Also, a window for further improvement is presented. Among other techniques, we demonstrate how the use of SVMs over the Census Histogram representation can increase the recognition performance.
ILLUMINATION INVARIANT FACE RECOGNITION USING FABEMD DECOMPOSITION WITH DETAIL MEASURE WEIGHT
Authors: CHEN HENGXIN , TANG Y. Y. , FANG BIN , WEN JING
Published: January 2012

With varying illumination conditions, facial features obtained from images are distorted nonlinearly by variant lighting intensity and direction, so face recognition becomes very difficult. According to the "common assumption", illumination varies slowly and the face intrinsic feature (including 3D surface and reflectance) varies rapidly in local area, we can then consider high frequency features that represent the face intrinsic structure. FABEMD8 (Fast and Adaptive Bidimensional Empirical Mode Decomposition) is a fast and adaptive method of BEMD22 (Bidimensional Empirical Mode Decomposition), and not using time-consuming plane interpolation computation, it can decompose the image into multilayer high frequency images representing detail features and low frequency images representing analogy features. But we cannot make a quantitative analysis of how many detail features can be used to eliminate illumination variation. So we propose two measures to quantify the detail features, and with these measure weights, we can activitate FABEMD based multilayer detail images matching for face recognition under varying illumination. With PCA, the experiments based on Yale face database B and MU PIE face database show that the method proposed in this paper can get remarkable performance.