bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Epoxy Resin-modified, Urea-formaldehyde/Silicon Networks for High Impact Strength and Thermal Stability
Authors: Athawale Anjali A. , Alhousami Mohammed H.M.
Published: November 2008

A variety of toughening agents are used to modify epoxy resins that improve the fracture toughness of the epoxy systems. The basic goal in toughening cross-linked epoxy resins that are normally brittle at room temperature is to improve crack resistance and toughness without significantly decreasing other important inherent properties, such as the flexural modulus and the thermomechanical properties of the original epoxy resins.

In the present study, thermally stable epoxy resin modified urea-formaldehyde/silicon blends have been prepared by in situ polymerization technique. The materials were modified with triethylenetetramine (hardener) to obtain highly cross-linked thermosetting resins. The physical properties of the resulting blends were evaluated by measuring the impact strength, which is found to be increased by more than 25% of that of the cured and blank epoxy resin. The impact fracture surfaces are examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to reveal the morphological changes.

The hardness was found to be high in the case of modified epoxy resin as compared to blank epoxy. The influence on the thermal properties and the behavior of different curing agents on resins were investigated by thermogravimetrc analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results of the modified epoxy resins showed remarkably high thermal stability as well as a higher degree of solvent resistance as compared with blank epoxy resin.
PP/EPDM Blends and their Developments up to Nanocomposites
Authors: Khosrokhavar R. , Bakhshandeh G.R. , Ghoreishy M.H.R. , Naderi GH
Published: November 2008

In this article a review is presented of studies on polypropylene and ethylenepropylene-diene terpolymer nanocomposites, reported in the period from 1970 to 2007. The article has two major parts; first it discusses TPVs made up of a thermoplastic and a volcanizable elastomer, and second it explains about nanocomposite technology and its remarkable effects on the properties, morphology, and applications of TPVs.
Natural Fiber-Reinforced Recycled Polypropylene: Microstructural and Mechanical Properties
Authors: Quynh Truong Hoang T. , Lagattu Fabienne , Brillaud Jean
Published: November 2008

This article deals with short spruce fiber-reinforced recycled polypropylene materials. Polypropylene has been subjected to n extrusion and crushing cycles, in order to simulate the recycling process. Recycling consequences have been studied on five times and 10 times-recycled PP. Then, short spruce fibers have been added in the 10 times-recycled PP, with different fiber weight fractions: 10, 30, and 40%. For microstructural aspects, results obtained by DSC and WAXS show that added fibers lead to an increase of the polymer degree of crystallinity, and to the development of a new crystalline phase with the β form. Tensile tests have shown that fiber presence obtains high rigidity values, but embrittles materials. Fracture tests coupled with digital image correlation technique have also been performed. Results show the better accommodation of overstrains at the crack tip in the composite material. Thus, this new type of composite, made of recycled polymers and natural fibers, seems to be full of promise.
DSC Analysis and Mechanical Properties of Wood—Plastic Composites
Authors: Cui Y.H. , Tao J. , Noruziaan B. , Cheung M. , Lee S.
Published: November 2008

Wood fiber-reinforced recycled plastic composites (WRPCs) manufactured from sawdust and post-consumer high density polyethylene (HDPE) were studied in this article. The thermal, flexural properties and impact strength of the manufactured WRPCs were determined according to the relevant standard specifications. Effects of mix ratio, wood fiber length, type, and content of coupling agent on the mechanical properties of WRPCs were investigated. The fracture surfaces of WRPCs after impact test were examined and the fracture mechanism of WRPCs due to impact was also analyzed in this article. The results indicated that incorporation of wood fibers resulted in higher melting and slower crystallization rate of WRPCs. A linear relationship between cooling rate and crystallization rate was observed. With the increasing of the wood fiber weight fraction, the flexural strength of WRPCs increases. The longer the wood fiber length, the less the flexural strength of WRPCs under the conditions of this study. The Charpy impact strength decreases with the increasing of wood fibers content in WRPCs. It appears that the optimum compatibilizer content for wood and recycled HDPE mixing is 5% in weight fraction.
Effects of Various Environmental Conditions on RC Columns Wrapped with FRP Sheets
Authors: Bae Sang-Wook , Belarbi Abdeldjelil
Published: November 2008

A majority of the existing research studies focus on the effects of individual environmental conditions, such as freeze—thaw cycles and wet—dry cycles, while investigations on the combined effects of various environmental conditions are very rare. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various environmental conditions on reinforced concrete (RC) columns wrapped with FRP sheets with focus on the combined effects. Two different scales of RC columns wrapped with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) sheets were conditioned under various environmental conditions. Then, uni-axial compression tests were conducted in order to evaluate their strength, stiffness, and ductility. The environmental conditions considered in this study included freeze—thaw cycles, high-temperature cycles, high-humidity cycles, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and saline solution. Based on the test results, design guidelines were suggested, which included equations to determine axial capacity of RC columns wrapped with FRP sheets, and strength reduction factors to account for the effects of environmental conditions considered in this study.
Personalization of Fair Trade Apparel
Authors: Halepete Jaya , Littrell Mary , Park Jihye
Published: November 2008

The purpose of this study was to understand the potential for product personalization to meet fair trade customers' apparel needs. The researchers tested a model that integrated customers' need for self-uniqueness, level of apparel involvement, perceived social and financial risks, and body size with customers' attitudes toward personalized apparel and intention to purchase personalized fair trade apparel. An online survey was used to collect data from 246 customers of a fair trade business. Results showed that consumers with greater need for self-uniqueness had a positive attitude toward personalization and were not concerned with social and financial risks. Consumers' involvement and social and financial risks were not related to their attitudes toward personalization. However, there was a positive relationship between body size and attitude toward personalized apparel. Overall, attitude toward personalization of apparel was positively related to intention to purchase personalized fair trade apparel. Implications for fair trade businesses are discussed.
Asylum and community: the Athens Lunatic Asylum in nineteenth-century Ohio
Authors: Ziff Katherine K. , Thomas David O. , Beamish Patricia M.
Published: November 2008

This paper examines the role of the village of Athens, Ohio, USA, in the founding and operation of the Athens Lunatic Asylum during the nineteenth century. Taking as its sources official, personal and popular culture documents, the paper focuses on the function of this Asylum as a participant in the economy of its surrounding community. The Athens Lunatic Asylum was deeply connected with its community, functioning as a market for local goods and services as well as an employer. Connections between the Asylum and the community were supported by a physical infrastructure of transportation and utilities as well as a political infrastructure that operated locally and at the state level. Implications for mental health care and for community are proposed.
Classic Text No. 76: 'Asthenia' by A. Dechambre (1865)
Authors: Berrios G.E.
Published: November 2008

The word asthenia has been used to name descriptive and explanatory concepts, hypothetical functional states, symptoms, syndromes and diseases; and on occasions it has been considered a synonym of adynamia, aboulia, feeling of fatigue, weakness, and lack of energy; for a time it was even the official antonym of `sthenia'.

Because at its core it refers to the (hypothetical) want of some driving element, asthenia has from the start been parasitical upon foundational concepts such as `force' and `energy'. For example, following the popularization of Newton's concept of force, asthenia was redefined as a failure in vital impetus (the biological version of the Newtonian idea).This alliance of asthenia with vitalism lasted up to the middle of the 19th century, by which time the new concept of energy had come to the fore and asthenia was dutifully redefined as a lack of `physiological' or `psychological' energy.

The 1850s also witnessed the arrival in medicine and psychiatry of the belief that subjective experiences are epistemologically informative. Soon enough asthenia was to become a new name for general (reported) feelings of tiredness, fatigue or aboulia and ceased to be defined on the basis of interactions between hypothetical stimuli and individual diathesis as it had been in the work of Hippocrates, Boissier de Sauvages, John Brown and others.

However, defining asthenia on the basis of subjective experiences caused a blurring of boundaries which invited the construction of new `clinical disorders' such as neurasthenia, psychasthenia and the `pathologies of energy'. This medicalization of tiredness culminated in the emergence of the notorious `chronic fatigue syndrome' (CFS) which contained many of the conceptual vices of the past. The epistemology and social role of CFS will not be understood until the history of the concept of asthenia from which it directly derives is adequately studied.
Libraries and Cultural Capital
Authors: Goulding Anne
Published: November 2008

This editorial discusses the concept of cultural capital and its relevance for cultural institutions and, specifically, libraries, gives an overview of the concept of cultural capital as first conceived by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu and explores the three types of cultural capital he identified (embodied, objectified and institutional). The editorial examines how libraries might be considered sites for the production, dissemination and acquisition of cultural capital, focusing on their role of facilitating access to objectified cultural capital in particular and discusses how recent uses of the term cultural capital do not adhere closely to Bourdieu's theories but suggests, nevertheless, that the term is being used increasingly to justify continued government financial support for cultural services.
Models of reference services in Australian academic libraries
Authors: Burke Liz
Published: November 2008

This article reports on a project which was undertaken in 2006 to investigate the current modes and methods for delivering reference services in Australian academic libraries. The project included a literature review to assist in providing a definition of reference services as well as a snapshot of statistics showing staff and patron numbers from 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005. These statistics provide a context within which Australian academic libraries deliver reference services. A survey of the 40 Australian university libraries was also conducted. This article explores how the delivery and model of reference services in Australian academic libraries has changed in recent decades. It concludes with an assessment as to whether reference services will continue to form part of academic library services into the 21st century.
Perceptions, Knowledge and ethical concerns with GM foods and the GM process
Authors: Knight Andrew J.
Published: November 2008

Compared to their European counterparts, the American public has been characterized as relatively unknowledgeable and indifferent about genetically modified foods. To evaluate these claims, six focus groups were held in three Arkansas cities to: (1) determine the extent of knowledge the public possesses about genetically modified foods; (2) detail perceived benefits and risks associated with agricultural biotechnology applications; and (3) explore lay perceptions about the genetic modification process itself. Participants demonstrated partial knowledge, and tended to overestimate the number of genetically modified foods. However, participants tended to be familiar with debates surrounding benefits, risks and moral issues associated with agricultural biotechnology applications. Findings also showed that while participants were not overly concerned about combining genes between plants, they were concerned about inserting animal genes into plants. If these results are any indication, moral and ethical issues will dominate any discussion of foods derived from a mixture of animal and plant genes.
Public fiction as knowledge production: the case of the Raëlians' cloning claims
Authors: Ingram-Waters Mary C.
Published: November 2008

In this article, I follow the construction of the public fiction of the 2002 Raëlians' cloning claims as a site of liminal, or transitional, space for scientific knowledge production. In 2002, the Raëlians, a new religious movement, announced the successful birth of Baby Eve, allegedly, the first clone. Baby Eve was quickly denounced as a hoax. Within the media frenzy that led up to and followed Baby Eve's birth, the voices of a core set of pro-cloning scientists emerged as experts in constructing human cloning. These experts used the Raëlians' claims to settle several controversies about human cloning: reproductive cloning was unethical while therapeutic cloning was desirable; scientists who advocated reproductive cloning were immoral; and human cloning was too complex to be achieved by anyone working outside mainstream scientific institutions. Though Baby Eve is undoubtedly a fictional construct, she offered the world an important opportunity to engage the science fiction-like implications of human cloning as if they were real.
Marvelous medicines and dangerous drugs: the representation of prescription medicine in the UK newsprint media
Authors: Prosser Helen
Published: November 2008

Using discourse analysis, this study examines the representation of prescription medicines in the UK newsprint media and, specifically, how the meaning and function of medicines are constructed. At the same time, it examines the extent to which the newsprint media represents a resource for health information, and considers how it may encourage or challenge faith in modern medicine and medical authority. As such, it extends analysis around concepts such as the informed patient and examines the representation of patients and doctors and the extent to which patient—doctor identities promoted in the newsprint media reflect a shift away from paternalism to negotiated encounters. Findings show the media constructs a discrete, contradictory, and frequently oversimplified set of characterizations about medicine. Moreover, it discursively constructs realities that justify and sustain medial dominance. Ideological paradigms in discourse assign patients as passive and disempowered while simultaneously privileging “expert” knowledge. This constructs a reality that marginalizes patients’ participation in decision-making.
Does Customer Relationship Management Activity Affect Firm Performance?
Authors: Soch Harmeen , Sandhu H.S.
Published: November 2008

The focus of this study is to find out the impact of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) on the financial performance of firms in India. The study identifies four CRM constructs – customer need sensing, communication, intermediaries, and the internal environment of firms. A CRM scale is developed, refined and validated and confirmatory factor analysis is used to examine the model fit. Firm data on profitability and growth is used as performance indicators for estimating the regression model. Using a large sample of 171 firms from eight different industry types, results suggest that there is a positive influence of CRM on firm performance but that this impact is insignificant.
Through the Eye of a Child
Authors: Mostafa Mohamed M.
Published: November 2008

Meta-analysis is a statistical technique that allows one to combine the results from multiple studies to glean inferences on the overall importance of a certain phenomenon. This study employs a substantive meta-analysis approach to quantitatively summarize the results of empirical studies of the direct impact of age on children's understanding of advertising intent. When all the available estimates are combined and averaged, there seems to be a genuine and positive effect of age on children's understanding of advertising (average effect size = 0.367, aggregate N = 9307). The findings of this study significantly refine the body of knowledge concerning the impact of age on children's understanding of advertising intent, and thereby offer an improved conceptual framework for marketers and policy makers.
A New Marketing Strategy for E-Commerce
Authors: Alrawi Khalid W. , Ekbia Hamid R. , Jaber Khalifa H.
Published: November 2008

The purpose of this exploratory study is to address e-commerce issues, such as marketing and logistical problems, and create viable recommendations for the Gulf environments based on the views of managers of industrial firms registered in the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce in the United Arab Emirates.

The issues that e-commerce faces will be examined through the marketing mix. It is believed that the four concepts of the marketing mix (product, place, price, and promotion) play an equally critical part in the success of e-commerce. Therefore, concentrating on these concepts will prove to be of utmost importance to an e-commerce provider for the Gulf firms.

To date, despite the fact that e-commerce is likely to have far-reaching implications for international marketing, only a handful of studies have explored marketing and e-commerce in the Gulf region in an international context. This study shows that there is a great potential for e-commerce in the Gulf region in particular.
Case Study
Authors: Singh Jittu
Published: November 2008

This caselet is a description of differences between two individuals in an academic institute. The problem(s) it addresses have a bearing on relations between academic and administrative people, organization culture, systems and processes and traditional and modern e-mail communications. The case situation is not to be used as an illustration of correct or incorrect way of addressing the issues. It can be used for teaching purpose.
Does Finance Lead to Economic Growth? An Empirical Assessment of 12 Asian Economies
Authors: Biswas Joydeep
Published: November 2008

The paper describes tests of hypotheses from economic history concerning the significance of financial development as a determinant of economic growth. By invoking co-integration and causality tests for 12 representative countries that corroborate our analysis, evidence shows that the finance and growth relationship varies across Asian markets. Therefore, this study concludes that policy measures for infrastructure improvements should be taken into account to make financial sectors more vibrant to invigorate economic growth.
India's Trade Competitiveness and Exchange Rate Policy
Authors: Bhatt P.R.
Published: November 2008

There is a general view that the export performance of India is unsatisfactory because of its low competitiveness, but no systematic attempt has been made to validate this view. India needs a 12 per cent compound annual growth rate for exports during 2002–07 to reach 1 per cent of world exports of US$ 80.5 trillion. The Indian government has made serious efforts to reform trade policies to make exports more competitive globally. An attempt has been made in this article to measure India's trade competitiveness and examine the role of the exchange rate policy in trade competitiveness. The results indicate that when nominal and real exchange rates appreciate, export price competitiveness (Relative Export Price [REP]) improves, but the competitiveness of profitability (Relative Profitability of Exports and Profitability of Exports Index) deteriorates.
From Utilitarian Morality to Moral Imagination
Authors: Patriotta Gerardo , Starkey Ken
Published: November 2008

In this essay, the authors take Jim March's Journal of Management Inquiry essay on the nature of scholarship as their starting point to assess the contribution of the business school in promoting a “utilitarian morality” model of education where knowledge is valued, not for its intrinsic worth, but because of the consequences it produces. In particular, the authors consider the role of historical, institutional, and market forces in shaping the missions, values, and views of knowledge that business schools purport to achieve. They conclude by suggesting how we might reimagine the business school through the lens of moral imagination.
A Tale of a Peripatetic Professor
Authors: Shay Jeffrey P.
Published: November 2008

Craig Lundberg reflects on his academic journey academic journey that began nearly 50 years ago. He begins by providing insights into his formative early life experiences and the importance of mentors; from his thesis advisor who inspired him to become a professor to the scholars that continue to inspire his research today. Lundberg's teaching, service, and research anecdotes may provide valuable lessons for us all. Perhaps most important, Lundberg shares his unabated concerns for the future of management education and offers advice for professional associations, administrators, and budding scholars. The interview is followed by comments from two of Craig's mentors: John Hennessey and Karl Weick.
Conspicuous Invisibility
Authors: Quinlan Elizabeth
Published: November 2008

Shadowing entails a researcher closely following a subject over a period of time to investigate what people actually do in the course of their everyday lives, not what their roles dictate of them. Behaviors, opinions, actions, and explanations for those actions are reflected in the resulting thick, descriptive data. There is little written that describes the uses of shadowing as a data collection strategy; this article sets out to respond to this deficit. Based on shadowing experiences, the article explores the dimensions of conspicuous invisibility: being there but not being there, negotiating distance within the proximity to subjects, and maintaining an identity as a researcher while forming enduring friendships. It argues that shadowing is useful as a data collection technique for institutional ethnography.
“Under Erasure”
Authors: Defenbaugh Nicole L.
Published: November 2008

This autoethnographic article argues that the ill body exists as a site of scholarship and the wounded body, survives as a corporeal site for understanding the liminal space between health and illness. Throughout the article, the author explores the practice of naming and renaming illness in the medical community as she struggles to reclaim her voice in a meandering journey of medical tests. Through self-reflexive discourse and personal narrative, the author locates her shifting identity and erased body to understand her new role in an unfamiliar culture.
Splitting and Integrating
Authors: Ben-Ari Adital , Dayan Devora
Published: November 2008

The present study focuses on the life stories of mental health professionals who treated battered women in their practice and experienced intimate and domestic violence in their personal lives. Narrative interviews were conducted with 9 women in the mental health professions who experienced violence in their intimate relationships. The article attempts to develop a conceptual perspective within which the life stories of these particular women can be better understood. It analyzes the transformation of self as reflected in the dynamics between two facets of identity: the professional and the personal. These facets were found to be in constant dialogue as they moved from intentional splitting to integration along a temporal dimension, with each playing a different role.
Backlash or Equality?
Authors: Girard April L.
Published: November 2008

Through an examination of the public debates from Ontario's Bill 117, An Act to Better Protect Victims of Domestic Violence, this article explores the discourses that men's rights activists used to counter feminist constructions of domestic violence. Using a combined method, the author collapses the data into four important themes: protection, rights, and gender; funding and fairness; numerical and statistical truths; and resistance. By examining how they collectively construct the problem of domestic violence, the author exposes the ways in which men's rights advocates disqualify women's experiences and the responses to such claims.
Preparing Newly Licensed Associate Degree Nurses to Work in Home Health Care
Authors: Chaya Joan , Reilly Margaret , Davin Denise , Moriarty Mari , Nero-Reid Valerie , Rosenfeld Peri
Published: November 2008

This article describes an innovative learning program, designed for associate degree nurse (ADN) graduates, developed at the visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) to expand its hiring pool of potential applicants to home health care nursing positions. The program, “Transitions to Home Health Care,” provides a strong emphasis on independent judgment, assessment skills, and collaboration with other professions and resources outside the home health care agency. In view of the expanding number of ADN graduates and the increasing competition for a limited number of new bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), VNSNY developed and is testing a model that combines a specially designed one-year didactic educational course and a clinical practice internship program to prepare new ADN graduates to work in the home health care field at a level more comparable to that of BSN graduates. To date, VNSNY has had preliminary success with this new approach.
Theorizing therapeutic culture
Authors: Wright Katie
Published: November 2008

Analyses of the influence of psychology and the growth of counselling during the 20th century commonly point to the deleterious effects of a cultural shift from reticence and self-reliance to emotional expressiveness and help-seeking. Indeed, the ascendancy of therapeutic culture has been widely interpreted as fostering cultural decline and enabling new forms of social control. Drawing on less pessimistic assessments of cultural change and recent directions in social theory, this article argues for greater recognition of the ambivalent legacy of the therapeutic turn. Through a reinterpretation of the consequences of the diminution of traditional authority, the weakening of the division between public and private life, and the rise of the confessional, the article challenges dominant readings of decline and control. In doing so, it draws attention to how psychological knowledge and therapeutic understandings of the self have given legitimacy to, and furnished a language with which to articulate, experiences of suffering formerly confined to private life. In advancing a less pessimistic interpretation of cultural change, it considers two historic moments in Australia: the advent of telephone counselling in the 1960s and the Royal Commission on Human Relationships in the 1970s.
Framing ideology in the niche media
Authors: Budarick John , King Debra
Published: November 2008

The role of niche media in discursively constructing and deconstructing powerful ideas is often underestimated. Using the 2004 `Redfern riots' as a case study, this article investigates how ideological elements of the riots were framed by the Koori Mail, a fortnightly niche Indigenous publication, compared to the more mainstream Sydney Morning Herald and Daily Telegraph. The research is conducted through a frame analysis of 155 media texts from these three newspapers. In comparing the niche and mainstream media, the contribution of the niche media to the contested nature of debate within the mediated public sphere is evident. By keeping the riots within a socio-political frame, the Koori Mail actively reframed dominant ideological constructions of racial identity and were able to construct a more nuanced and politicized critique of the riots than that offered by the two mainstream papers.
Bushrangers: Ned Kelly and Australian identity
Authors: Tranter Bruce , Donoghue Jed
Published: November 2008

Be they highwaymen, bandits or bushrangers, outlaws are mythical figures celebrated across a variety of cultures. Australians' knowledge of colonial outlaws is examined by asking a national sample of adults if they could name four `bushrangers'. A large majority identified Ned Kelly and a substantial proportion Ben Hall, although less than a quarter could name four bushrangers and one in five were unable to name any bushrangers at all. Australian-born, middle-class, middle-aged, politically informed people who live in Queensland or NSW were the most knowledgeable, with the educational achievement findings suggesting that bushrangers occupy the realm of `middle-brow' taste. Ned Kelly is confirmed as Australia's best-known colonial figure and folk hero. Immortalized in Sidney Nolan's paintings and mythologized in various cultural milieux, Kelly has transcended bushranging to symbolize a romantic and rebellious aspect of Australian identity.
Cosmopolitanism, the nation-state and imaginative realism
Authors: Kendall Gavin , Skrbis Zlatko , Woodward Ian
Published: November 2008

Contemporary writing on cosmopolitanism has asserted the need for a new sociological toolkit to deal with an emergent post-national social order. At the heart of this agenda is a misunderstanding about the role of the nation-state, which has led to some rather unhelpful theorizations. The state is assumed to be a dead hand in the development of post-national sentiments or an increasingly irrelevant social structure. We argue that the superseding of the nation-state is not necessary for the development of cosmopolitan sentiments of solidarity. In addition to classical sociology, it is work surrounding the concepts of cosmopolitan democracy and constitutional patriotism and the public sphere that can assist us in theorizing cosmopolitanism. What distinguishes this tradition is the utilization of social science concepts such as democracy, state, public sphere and law in an attempt to ground the idea of cosmopolitanism within the context of existing social structures.
Use of Screening Colonoscopy in Ambulatory HIV-Infected Patients
Authors: Campbell Jeffrey , Young Benjamin
Published: November 2008

Background. Colorectal cancer screenings are underused in HIV-infected patients, but reasons for underuse have not been examined. Methods. Using a standardized questionnaire, HIV-infected patients aged !50 years were asked if they had a colorectal cancer screening and what factors influenced their decisions. Results. Among 55 patients (53 [96%] male; mean age 57 years [range: 51-71]); 35 (64%) ever received colorectal cancer screenings, 2 (4%) were scheduled for screening, 16 (29%) had never been screened, and 2 (4%) provided unusable results. Patients screened were more likely to remember discussing colorectal cancer (P < .01) and colorectal cancer screenings (P < .01) with a medical practitioner. Conclusions. In this population of HIV-infected patients >50 year olds, a significant minority of patients did not undergo the colorectal cancer screening. Discussions about the colorectal cancer screenings and colorectal cancer risk appear to have a significant impact on a patient's decision to be screened.
Dietary Restraint Influences Accuracies in Estimating Energy Expenditure and Energy Intake Among Physically Inactive Males
Authors: Harris Cristen L. , George Valerie A.
Published: November 2008

Inaccurate estimations of energy intake (EI) and energy expenditure (EE) may ultimately affect body weight. The purpose of this study was to evaluate accuracy of estimated EI and EE among males in reference to exercise and rest using a counterbalanced, crossover, repeated-measures design. Participants ( N = 80) were recruited from a large, urban university in South Florida. Exercise consisted of walking on a treadmill for 60 min at 65% age-predicted maximum heart rate. Food intake was evaluated immediately following exercise and rest. Participants underestimated EI (kcal) on both the exercise ( M = 435, SEM = 69) and rest days ( M = 439, SEM = 54), overestimated EE (kcal) for exercise ( M = 129, SEM = 44), and underestimated EE for rest ( M = 54, SEM = 10). Greater accuracy in estimating EE for exercise was significantly ( p < .05) associated with higher dietary restraint. The findings suggest that among sedentary males, there is an inability to accurately estimate calories, which has the potential to influence behaviors that affect weight management.
Friction stir welding of aluminium 7136-T76511 extrusions
Authors: Hamilton C. , Dymek S. , Kalemba I. , Blicharski M.
Published: November 2008

This research programme evaluates the as welded properties of Al 7136-T76511 extrusions joined through friction stir welding (FSW). Microstructural characterisation and mechanical testing were performed on the baseline material and on panels friction stir welded at 250 and 350 rev min–1 (all other weld parameters held constant). Transmission electron microscopy revealed the microstructural features in each of the unique weld regions and demonstrated that the precipitate density and morphology in these regions correlates with the temperature profile produced by the FSW process. A thermal model of FSW is developed that utilises an energy based scaling factor to account for tool slip. The slip factor is derived from an empirical relationship between the ratio of the maximum welding temperature to the solidus temperature and energy per unit length of weld. The thermal model successfully predicts the maximum welding temperatures and profiles over a range of energy levels. The mechanical behaviour after welding is correlated to the temperature distribution predicted by the model and to the observed microstructural characteristics. As welded mechanical properties of the alloy trended positively with the energy per unit length of weld, i.e. the highest joint efficiency was achieved at the highest welding temperature.
Novel low cost procedure for fabrication of diffusion bonds in Ti 6/4
Authors: Bache M. R. , Tuppen S. J. , Voice W. E. , Lee H. G. , Aspinwall D. K.
Published: November 2008

A novel processing route has been developed with the aim of achieving low cost joining. To this end, the fabrication of structurally sound bonds between a similar Ti 6/4 alloy couple has been facilitated by incorporating a copper based interlayer integral to the faying surface. A Gleeble thermomechanical simulator has been employed to optimise the key bonding parameters (i.e. pressure, time, temperature and environment) together with the quantity of copper required to produce high quality bonds with near parent properties. Metallographic sections, chemical composition and microhardness traverses across the bond line are all presented as evidence of joint form and integrity. The mechanical response of the bonds was assessed under monotonic tensile loading conditions. The suitability of this novel joining technique for the fabrication of engineering components and its implications are discussed.
Microstructure and high temperature strength of age hardenable AA2219 aluminium alloy modified by Sc, Mg and Zr additions
Authors: Rao K. Srinivasa , Raju P. Naga , Reddy G. M. , Kamaraj M. , Rao K. Prasad
Published: November 2008

In the present work, it was envisaged to develop thermally stable Al–Cu alloy by modifying its chemistry. AA2219 alloys with different levels of scandium (Sc), magnesium (Mg) and zirconium (Zr) were prepared by melting with inert gas (argon) tungsten arc welding. Sc was added in three levels (0·2, 0·4, 0·8%), Mg one level (0·45%) and Zr one level (0·2%). Optical, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were carried out to study the microstructural details. Long time aging studies and hot tensile tests were used to study the high temperature strength of the alloys. High temperature tensile test was performed on the specimens at 250, 350 and 400°C. Room temperature tensile test was carried out for comparative purpose. Electron probe microscopy analysis (EPMA) was carried out to find out the copper segregation in the alloys. Microstructural studies showed that raising Sc content from 0·2 to 0·8% resulted in significant grain refinement. Grain refinement was much more effective with the addition of 0·2%Zr to AA2219 alloy containing 0·8%Sc and 0·45%Mg. Addition of Sc, Mg and Zr was found to increase in eutectic temperature and decrease in freezing range. Hot tensile results were found to be in agreement with results of hardness data. Among all the compositions, AA2219+0·8%Sc+0·45%Mg+0·2%Zr alloy was found to be the best in terms of its high temperature strength.
A new understanding of melt overheating treatment of Sn–20 wt-%Sb from viewpoint of TI-LLST
Authors: Sun Q. Q. , Liu L. J. , Li X. F. , Zu F. Q. , Ding G. H. , Guo L. L. , Chen J. , Huang Z. Y.
Published: November 2008

Investigations of the electrical resistivity of liquid Sn–20 wt-%Sb alloy as a function of temperature were carried out by dc four probe method. An abnormal change on the resistivity–temperature curve was observed in temperature interval of 850–980°C, which indicated that temperature induced liquid–liquid structure transitions (TI-LLST) occurred with temperature rising. Further explorations of effects of TI-LLST on solidification showed that the undercooling for primary or peritectic phase crystallisation increased for the samples solidified from the melt experienced the TI-LLST, and the size of primary phase decreased markedly.
Microstructure and high temperature tensile properties of narrow gap braze joint between X-40 and IN738
Authors: Henhoeffer T. , Huang X. , Yandt S. , Seo D. Y. , Au P.
Published: November 2008

In the braze repair of gas turbine components, substituting the parent metal with dissimilar metals can improve the mechanical properties of the refurbished parts. In this study, the microstructure and high temperature tensile properties of brazed joints made of X-40 (the parent metal) and IN738 (the substitute metal), were evaluated in the narrow gap as brazed and heat treated conditions. The resulting joint contained primary γ-Ni phase, discrete refractory element rich carbides/carboborides and eutectic phases. The carbides and eutectic phases exhibited Vickers hardness values several times higher than those of IN738 and γ-Ni phase particles. The high temperature yield strength of the as brazed joints was also greater than that of the X-40 base metal, but the ductility was significantly lower. The fracture surfaces revealed that cracking occurred in both intergranular (among the γ-Ni grains) and transgranular modes. Crack initiation was found to be associated with discrete carbides/carboborides and eutectic phases. It was observed that post-braze heat treatment at 950°C for 120 h improved the high temperature tensile ductility due to a reduction of carbides and eutectic phases in the brazed joint. Increasing the heat treatment time reduced the size and the amount of carbides and eutectic phases and contributed to an increase in transgranular fracture. However, extending the heat treatment time up to 840 h reduced the ductility due to oxidation damage in the braze joint.
Distribution of metals between inhalable and respirable fractions of welding fumes generated in gas metal arc welding
Authors: Berlinger B. , Náray M. , Záray G.
Published: November 2008

Respirable and inhalable fractions of welding fumes were collected in a welding plant, where corrosion resistant steel (X8CrNi1810) was welded with gas metal arc welding (GMAW). Welding fumes were sampled with ‘fixed point’ sampling technique applying different sampling heads: Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) sampler and conical inhalable sampler (CIS) for the inhalable aerosol fraction and the Higgins–Dewell (HD) cyclone for the respirable aerosol fraction. The ‘water soluble’ and the total concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni and Cr(VI) were determined after water extraction and microwave assisted digestion applying inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry (Q-ICP-MS), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and UV visible spectrophotometry. The amounts of ‘water soluble’ metal components in the respirable aerosol fraction were 60–97% of their amounts in the inhalable fraction. These rates were 64–94% in the case of the total metal concentrations, while the respirable Cr(VI) was 1˙6-fold higher than inhalable Cr(VI). These findings suggest that from toxicological point of view the measurements of the chemical composition and size distribution of the particles formed during a welding process have high importance.
Experimental investigation of fatigue performance of spot welded dual phase sheet steels
Authors: Xu J. , Zhang Y. S. , Xinmin Lai , Chen G. L.
Published: November 2008

Spot weld fatigue performance of dual phase steels is of great interest to worldwide automotive manufacturers due to their expanding use in automotive industry. Given that the majority of the fatigue life is spent propagating the crack through the microstructure, changes in microstructure of welding steels could result in significant changes in spot weld fatigue life compared to that of low carbon steel spot weld. In the present study, tensile shear spot welds of DP600GI, DP780GI with different thickness were used for fatigue test under various amplitude tensile loads. For comparison tensile shear fatigue test was also conducted for spot welds of low carbon steel. Microhardness was measured for spot weld of dual phase steels to study the hardness change across the weld nugget. Failure mechanism and crack propagation path of dual phase steel spot weld was studied. For spot welds of low thickness, the fatigue strength of dual phase steel spot weld is higher than that of low carbon steel specimen in high cycle fatigue test. When thickness increases, the fatigue strength of dual phase steel spot weld and low carbon steel spot weld are almost the same, and fatigue strength of dual phase spot welds also increases with the thickness. And it is also shown in the present study that static tensile interfacial fracture of spot weld does not necessarily lead to interfacial fracture of high cycle fatigue tests. Crack propagation path of tensile shear spot weld of dual phase sheet steels under fatigue test was examined. Crack initiates at the faying surface around the weld nugget, and then passes through the thickness of sheet, which leads to the failure of specimens.
Influence of Cu addition on intermetallic compound formation and microstructure of Sn–3Ag–1˙5Sb–xCu solder joints
Authors: Lee H. T. , Huang W. Y. , Chen Y. F.
Published: November 2008

This study investigates the influence of 0–1˙5 wt-%Cu addition on the microstructure and the intermetallic compound (IMC) formation of the as soldered Sn–3Ag–1˙5Sb– xCu (wt-%) solders and following thermal storage at 150°C for 0, 25, 200 and 600 h, with the intention of identifying the optimum Cu addition for industrial applications. The experimental results show that the melting point of Sn–3Ag–1˙5Sb– xCu solder decreases with Cu addition. For Cu additions of 1˙0 wt-% or higher, an IMC of Cu6Sn5 particles is dispersed throughout the matrix, resulting in a dispersion strengthening effect, and its size increases with the levels of Cu addition increasing. The coarsened long strip like Cu6Sn5 with a length of more than 100 μm growing from the upper interface of IMC layer into the solder matrix is observed in the solder with 1˙5 wt-%Cu addition after thermal storage. Cu6Sn5 grains in the IMC layer develop the ripening grains with a more hexagonal or polygonal shape and smooth edged flat surfaces instead of scallop shape. Additionally, the microhardness of each solder increases with Cu addition and decreases with increasing time of thermal storage at 150°C.
Qualitative study of bimetallic joints produced by solid state welding process
Authors: Kong T. F. , Chan L. C. , Lee T. C.
Published: November 2008

Forge welding (FOW) and hot pressure welding (HPW) are solid state welding processes. They are capable to be used for joining dissimilar metals. This paper presents a qualitative study of bimetallic joints produced by these two processes under various welding temperatures T and depths of deformation d. The test materials are stainless steel 316L and 6063 aluminium alloy. This combination can take advantage of both excellent wear resistance and light weight. The joint quality was examined by tensile tests and metallographic observation. The quality characteristics such as tensile strength σ and the continuity of diffusion zone are discussed. The results show that the bimetallic joints produced by the FOW are superior in quality to those produced by the HPW.
Long-term outcome of patients with multiple myeloma after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation and nonmyeloablative allografting
Authors: Rotta Marcello , Storer Barry E. , Sahebi Firoozeh , Shizuru Judith A. , Bruno Benedetto , Lange Thoralf , Agura Edward D. , McSweeney Peter A. , Pulsipher Michael A. , Hari Parameswaran , Maziarz Richard T. , Chauncey Thomas R. , Appelbaum Frederick R. , Sorror Mohamed L. , Bensinger William , Sandmaier Brenda M. , Storb Rainer F. , Maloney David G.
Published: November 2008

Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) followed by nonmyeloablative allogeneic HCT (auto/alloHCT) provides cytoreduction and graft-versus-myeloma effects. We report on long-term outcomes of 102 patients with multiple myeloma who received auto/alloHCT with a median follow-up of 6.3 years. Treatment consisted of high-dose melphalan and autograft followed by 2-Gy total body irradiation, with or without fludarabine, and alloHCT from human leukocyte antigen-identical siblings. Postgrafting immunosuppressive agent was cyclosporine or tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil. Forty-two percent of patients developed grade 2 to 4 acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and 74% extensive chronic GVHD. Five-year nonrelapse mortality after allografting was 18%, 95% related to GVHD or infections. Among 95 patients with detectable disease, 59 achieved complete remissions. Median time to progression was 5 years. Median overall survival (OS) was not reached. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3 years. Five-year OS and PFS were 64% and 36%, respectively. Seventy-three patients receiving autoHCT within 10 months from treatment initiation had 5-year OS of 69% and PFS of 37%. In multivariate analysis, β-2-microglobulin of more than 3.5 μg/mL at diagnosis and auto/alloHCT more than 10 months after treatment initiation correlated with shorter OS (P = .03 and P = .02) and PFS (P = .04 and P = .03), whereas Karnofsky scores less than 90% at allotransplantation correlated with shorter PFS only (P = .005). Long-term disease control and GVHD remain key issues.