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Convenience
Terms modified by Convenience Selected AbstractsFeatures as an Abstraction for Designer Convenience in the Design of ShipsNAVAL ENGINEERS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2001Joshua D. Summers ABSTRACT This paper reports on a research effort involving design of a class of ships , nuclear submarines. It focuses on the use of features as a means of design abstraction, and it is found that a principal motivation for the use of features in this design environment is the convenience of the early stage submarine designer. To support this argument, a review of feature research is presented. Experiments in the development of feature catalogs are described, and implementation through two generations of feature-based submarine CAD systems are discussed. The architecture of the feature-based submarine CAD systems includes the use of Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC), the ACIS geometric modeler, and user interfaces which store/recall hierarchical submarine feature information easily. Strong connections to object-oriented programming and object-oriented databases are recognized. Conclusions are drawn regarding the use of features for ship designer convenience and regarding support provided by hierarchical, parameterized features for other means of design automation. [source] Private Property and the Law of Nature in Locke's Two Treatises: The Best Advantage of Life and ConvenienceAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009B. Jeffrey Reno The study of policy lies at the intersection of economics and ethics, dealing, to a great extent, with private property. Policy design therefore assumes an understanding of the relationship between property and human nature, a matter of great interest to John Locke. Locke's teaching, however, is far from clear, often composed of a set of dual arguments. Yet close attention to the dualistic arguments is revealing: the two objects Locke associates with property,life and convenience,correspond to the two bases upon which he grounds the right to property: labor and consent. His argument reflects the changing economic nature of property, and also provides insight into the poles within which people behave according to the Law of Nature. Thus, a full explication of the relationship between Locke's Law of Nature and doctrine of property illuminates the economic and ethical principles that ought to inform policymakers and analysts. [source] Populations at Risk Across the Lifespan: Case Studies: Psychological and Physical Abuse Among Pregnant Women in a Medicaid-Sponsored Prenatal ProgramPUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 5 2010Jennifer E. Raffo ABSTRACT Objectives: To document psychological and physical abuse during pregnancy among women enrolled in enhanced prenatal services (EPS); explore the associations between maternal risk factors and type of abuse; and examine the relationship between abuse and EPS participation. Design and Sample: Cross-sectional study utilizing screening data collected between 2005 and 2008. Convenience sample of Medicaid-insured pregnant women enrolled in EPS selected from urban and rural providers. Measures: A prenatal screening tool that included measures such as Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale-4, Patient Health Questionnaire-2, and Abuse Assessment Screen was used. Results: Logistic regressions showed that high perceived stress and lack of father support were associated with all types of abuse and abuse history. Women with risk factors, such as a positive depression screen (odds ratio [OR]=2.36), were associated with psychological abuse but not with physical abuse during pregnancy. Less than a 12th-grade education was associated with physical abuse (OR=1.64) but not psychological abuse during pregnancy. The amount or the timing of EPS participation was not significantly associated with abuse history or abuse during pregnancy. Conclusions: Risk factors, such as high perceived stress and lack of father support, may alert nurses to further explore abuse during pregnancy. Additional research is needed for understanding the relationship between abuse and EPS participation. [source] Beauty and Convenience: Architecture and Order in the New RepublicTHE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN CULTURE, Issue 3 2004Joy Sperling No abstract is available for this article. [source] Learning from Small Change: Clerkship and the Labors of ConvenienceANTHROPOLOGY OF WORK REVIEW, Issue 3 2008Gavin Hamilton Whitelaw Abstract Convenience stores are atop the list of global retail chains blamed for homogenizing landscapes, deskilling labor, and eroding local cultural difference. Further still, their very ubiquity and "nonplace"-ness is said to challenge conventional modes of ethnographic inquiry. In the following article, I move beyond such broad assumptions by examining how the convenience store constitutes a meaningful lifeworld and culturally embedded economic institution. Drawing on my training and experiences as a clerk, I explore in particular how impersonal familiarity is constructed and contested within the context of this retail environment. [source] Information provision to clients with stroke and their carers: Self-reported practices of occupational therapistsAUSTRALIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL, Issue 3 2010Louise Gustafsson Background:,The literature promotes the use of a wide range of educational materials for teaching and training clients with chronic conditions such as stroke. Client education is a valuable tool used by occupational therapists to facilitate client and carer ability to manage the stroke-affected upper limb. The aim of this study was to identify what information was provided to clients and carers, how this information was delivered, when the information was delivered and the client factors that influenced the method of information provision. Methods:,Convenience and snowball sampling was used to recruit occupational therapists working in stroke. Twenty-eight participants completed the study questionnaire anonymously and their responses were summarised descriptively. Results:,There was a clinically important trend for carers to receive less information than clients. Written and/or verbal information was the favoured method for delivering information related to handling (57%), soft-tissue injury minimisation (46.4%) and oedema management (50%). Information was delivered with decreasing frequency from admission (86%) to discharge (64%). More than 90% of participants indicated that the client's cognitive ability, visual ability, level of communication, primary language and perceptual ability were considered prior to the delivery of information. Discussion:,Participants regularly conveyed information to clients and carers with respect to management of the stroke-affected upper limb. However, an increased emphasis on the development of practical self-management skills, awareness of the impact of personal factors and a timeline for information provision may prove useful. [source] Global Collective Bargaining on Flag of Convenience ShippingBRITISH JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 1 2004Nathan Lillie The most significant case of transnational union bargaining co-ordination in existence is in the maritime shipping industry. A global union association, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), and a global employers' federation, the International Maritime Employers' Committee (IMEC), now negotiate over pay scales for seafarers on Flag of Convenience (FOC) ships. These negotiations set the pattern for pay and working conditions for a signifi-cant portion of the global seafaring work-force. The ITF brought about global wage bargaining by building and enforcing a global inter-union consensus between developed and developing countries around a uniform wage rate. [source] Mobile Construction Supply Chain Management Using PDA and Bar CodesCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2005H. Ping Tserng However, extending the construction project control system to job sites is not considered efficient because using notebooks in a harsh environment like a construction site is not particularly a conventional practice. Meanwhile, paper-based documents of the site processes are ineffective and cannot get the quick response from the office and project control center. Integrating promising information technologies such as personal digital assistants (PDA), bar code scanning, and data entry mechanisms, can be extremely useful in improving the effectiveness and convenience of information flow in construction supply chain control systems. Bar code scanning is appropriate for several construction applications, providing cost savings through increased speed and accuracy of data entry. This article demonstrates the effectiveness of a bar-code-enabled PDA application, called the mobile construction supply chain management (M-ConSCM) System, that responds efficiently and enhances the information flow between offices and sites in a construction supply chain environment. The advantage of the M-ConSCM system lies not only in improving the efficiency of work for on-site engineers, but also providing the Kanban-like visual control system for project participants to control the whole project. Moreover, this article presents a generic system architecture and its implementation. [source] Surge Capacity for Health Care Systems: Early Detection, Methodologies, and ProcessACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2006Peter L. Estacio PhD Excessive demand on hospital services from large-scale emergencies is something that every emergency department health care provider and hospital administrator knows could happen at any time. Nowhere in this country have we recently faced a disaster of the magnitude of concern we now face involving agents of mass destruction or social disruption, especially those in the area of infectious diseases and radiological materials. The war on terrorism is not a conventional war, and terrorists may use any means of convenience to carry out their objectives in an unpredictable time line. Have we adequately prepared for the potentially excessive surge in demand for medical services that a large-scale event could bring to our medical care system? Are our emergency departments ready for such events? Surveillance systems, such as BioWatch, BioSense, the National Biosurveillance Integration System, and the countermeasure program BioShield, offer hope that we will be able to meet these new challenges. [source] Prevalence and handedness correlates of traumatic injuries to the permanent incisors in 13,17-year-old adolescents in Erzurum, TurkeyDENTAL TRAUMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2003Varol Canakci Abstract ,,,The objectives of the present study were to explore the relationship between dental trauma and handedness, and to assess the prevalence of traumatic injuries to the permanent incisors of 13,17-year-old patients, seeking treatment for various dental conditions in Erzurum, Turkey. A questionnaire focusing on handedness was administered to these patients. Handedness was assessed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Oldfield, 1971). Hand preference was divided into two classes for convenience in data analysis: (i) right-handers (GSc from 80 to 100); and (ii) left-handers (GSc from ,80 to ,100). This study included the 13,17-year-old group patients who had GSc as described above. Thus, the present study was carried out on 2180 (1252 male and 928 female, with a mean age of 14.9 years) out of 2392 patients. The clinical examinations and radiographic assessments were performed in full-designed dental chairs. Preliminary analysis showed no differences in rates of handedness with respect to sex and age. Overall, 10.4% of the patients were left-handers. A total of 292 (13.4%) of 2180 patients examined had one or more traumatized permanent incisors. The proportion of dental trauma was significantly higher in males than in females, 17.41% in males as compared to 7.97% in females; and ratio of the affected males to females was about 2.18. Sex difference in the prevalence of traumatized permanent incisors was statistically significant (P < 0.001). That is, males had a significantly higher risk of dental trauma than females (P < 0.001; odds ratio: 2.49; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.88, 3.23). There was a higher level of traumatized permanent incisors among left-handers than among right-handers. 28.3% of left-handers and 11.7% of right-handers had dental trauma. This difference in the prevalence of traumatized permanent incisors for handedness was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Indeed, left-handers had a significantly higher risk on dental trauma than right-handers (P < 0.001; odds ratio: 3.09; 95% CI 2.23, 4.29). The primary causative factor in the occurrence of trauma was the fall (27.7%). Then came violence and fight as the second most frequent cause of trauma (24%), followed by sports injury (18.8%). Trauma resulting from collisions and traffic accidents were accounted as 13.7 and 11.3% of all cases, respectively. The other causes were 4.5%. In conclusion, the present study suggests that left-handed adolescents have more frequent permanent incisor tooth trauma than right-handed adolescents. Left-handedness, therefore, appears to be a risk factor for trauma in 13,17-year-old adolescents. [source] Oral insulin , a review of current statusDIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 3 2010Harish Iyer Oral insulin is one of the most exciting areas of development in the treatment of diabetes because of its potential benefit in patient convenience, rapid insulinization of liver, adequate insulin delivery avoiding peripheral hyperinsulinaemia while potentially avoiding adverse effects of weight gain and hypoglycaemia. Growing evidence that earlier initiation of intensive insulin therapy produces sustained tight glycaemic control resulting in substantial delay in complications makes an effective oral insulin product even more vital for the management of patients with diabetes. Despite knowledge of this unmet medical need, oral delivery of insulin has been unsuccessful because of several barriers. For several decades, researchers have tried to develop oral insulin using various technologies without much clinical or commercial success. This review summarizes the development status of oral insulins which are publicly reported to be undergoing clinical studies. Currently, two oral insulin products are in an advanced stage of clinical development and first data from long-term therapy are expected to be available in the second half of 2010. [source] Screening for gestational diabetes; past, present and futureDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 5 2002F. W. F. Hanna Abstract Gestational diabetes is carbohydrate intolerance, with onset or first recognition of hyperglycaemia during pregnancy. Several studies have suggested that gestational hyperglycaemia is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, promoting the case for screening. Conversely, others argue that screening for gestational diabetes may colour the clinical judgement, influencing further management, e.g. more ,unjustified' caesarean sections. Additionally, the lack of definitive data either on a clear-cut glycaemic threshold for the development of adverse outcomes or on the impact of intervention is emphasized by opponents of screening. This review attempts to evaluate the available data on screening for gestational diabetes. Oral glucose tolerance test is promoted on the basis that the diabetogenic stress of pregnancy is encountered during late gestation and is best recognized in the fed state. There are different tests, including the 1 h/50-g, 2 h/75-g and 3 h/100-g tests, with practical limitations, including the time and cost involved and the unpleasant supra-physiological glucose load that is unrelated to body weight, and issues of reproducibility and sensitivity/specificity profiles. Despite its convenience, the poor sensitivity of random glucose has precluded its routine use for screening. Fasting glucose appears to be promising but further testing is required to ensure satisfactory sensitivity/specificity in different populations. Despite its limitations, the oral glucose tolerance test has become established as the ,most acceptable' diagnostic test for gestational diabetes. More convenient methods, e.g. fasting or random or post-load glucose, have to be validated therefore against the oral glucose tolerance test to gain acceptance for routine screening. Diabet. Med 19, 351,358 (2002) [source] A new type of hemoclip deviceDIGESTIVE ENDOSCOPY, Issue 2 2005Kenichi Watanabe Background: There are many endoscopic techniques for hemostasis of non-variceal upper GI bleeding. Endoscopic hemoclip placement is one of the most important techniques. A rotatable clip-fixing device developed by Olympus Co. (Tokyo, Japan) has come into widespread use in Japan. However, it involves a number of problems, such as requirement of skill for attachment and it is time-consuming. Materials: We developed a new type of hemoclip device with collaboration with Olympus Co. Results: We explain the new type of hemoclip device and how to use it. Finally, we examine the convenience of the new type of hemoclip compared with previous devices. Conclusion: Hemoclip placement for bleeding of GI tract seems to be very convenient now and may become common in the world in the future. [source] Direct chiral analysis of primary amine drugs in human urine by single drop microextraction in-line coupled to CEELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 16 2009Kihwan Choi Abstract Three-phase single drop microextraction (SDME) was in-line coupled to chiral CE of weakly basic amine compounds including amphetamine. SDME was used for the matrix isolation and sample preconcentration in order to directly analyze urine samples with the minimal pretreatment of adding NaOH. A small drop of an acidic aqueous acceptor phase covered with a thin layer of octanol was formed at the tip of a capillary by simple manipulation of the liquid handling functions of a commercial CE instrument. While the saline matrix of the urine sample was blocked by the octanol layer, the basic analytes in a basic aqueous donor phase were concentrated into the acidic acceptor drop through the octanol layer by the driving force of the pH difference between the two aqueous phases. The enantiomers of the enriched amines were resolved by using (+)-(18-crown-6)-tetracarboxylic acid as a chiral selector for the subsequent CE separation. From 10,min SDME with the agitation of the donor phase by a small stirrer retrofit to the CE instrument, enrichment factors were about a 1000-fold, yielding the LOD of 0.5,ng/mL for amphetamine. This low LOD value as well as the convenience of in-line coupled SDME make the proposed scheme well suited for the demanding chiral analysis of amphetamine-type stimulants. [source] Dual injection capillary electrophoresis: Foundations and applicationsELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 23-24 2004Feliciano Priego-Capote Abstract The state of the art of capillary electrophoresis (CE) approaches based on dual injection is here reported. Dual injection strategies have been proposed with three main objectives: (i) to provide information about reaction kinetics and/or related parameters, (ii) to perform in-capillary derivatization for improving separation and/or determination, (iii) to develop electrophoretic methods for the simultaneous analysis of anionic and cationic compounds. For the first two purposes, dual injection, which involves sample and reagent, can be realized either from the same end of the capillary (electrophoretically mediated microanalysis, EMMA) or from the two ends of the capillary (electroinjection analysis, EIA). The third objective, with dual injection of sample from the two ends of the capillary, takes advantage of moving cationic and anionic compounds with opposite directions. The foundations of each alternative, conditions necessary for working with them, restrictions, applications as well as perspectives are reviewed in order to establish the advantages, shortcomings, and convenience or no of their use in comparison to conventional CE. [source] Interaction between halogenated aromatic compounds in the Ah receptor signal transduction pathwayENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY, Issue 5 2004Guosheng Chen Abstract Many toxic and biochemical responses to halogenated aromatic compounds (HACs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins (PCDDs) are mediated through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which is an intracellular cytosolic target for HACs. Environmental exposure to HACs almost always involves complex mixtures of congeners, some of which can antagonize the action of potent HACs such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD). In this work we studied TCDD and representative PCB congeners, alone and in mixture, for their effect on CYP1A gene transcription and protein levels in primary rat hepatocytes. Together with our previous work, our results suggest that formation of the Ah receptor-ligand-DRE (dioxin response element) complex is the principal point of divergence in the mechanism between an AhR agonist and an AhR antagonist. The coplanar PCBs 77 and 126 and the mono- ortho PCB 156 were full agonists toward CYP1A1 gene transcription and CYP1A protein levels, showing typical additive behavior with TCDD to the target molecule AhR. In contrast, the nonplanar PCB 153 antagonized the action of TCDD, even at concentrations that occupied a significant fraction of AhR molecules. Competitive inhibition explains the commonly reported decrease of ethoxyresorufin- O -deethylase (EROD) activity when PCBs are present in high concentrations and the antagonism of PCBs to the EROD activity of TCDD. The result is that Western blotting offers a much more reliable measure of CYP1A protein concentration than does the EROD assay, despite the greater convenience of the latter. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 19: 480,489, 2004. [source] The current status of antibiotic use in equine reproductionEQUINE VETERINARY EDUCATION, Issue 3 2009M. M. LeBlanc Summary Antibiotics are infused into the uterine lumen, added to semen extenders and given systemically for infections of the reproductive tract of the mare and stallion. Evidence-based guidelines for determining treatment length and route of administration are limited and use is frequently based on convenience or tradition. Current recommended antibiotic use for the treatment of bacterial and fungal endometritis, placentitis and metritis in the mare and genital infections of the stallion are presented. Antibiotic classes used for reproductive problems are also reviewed. [source] European Food Marketing: Understanding Consumer Wants , The Starting Point in Adding Value to Basic Food Products La commercialisation des aliments en Europe : comprendre des désirs des consommateurs , point de départ pour ajouter de la valeur aux produits alimentaires de base Lebensmittelhandel in Europa: Das Verständnis der Kundenwünsche ist Voraussetzung für zusätzliche Wertschöpfung bei GrundnahrungsmittelnEUROCHOICES, Issue 3 2009David Hughes Summary European Food Marketing: Understanding Consumer Wants , The Starting Point in Adding Value to Basic Food Products European consumers have been in sombre mood as they battle to make ends meet in an economic recession. Yet, for many countries, the past 50 years or so has been a halcyon period of economic growth and, in real terms, declining food prices. Apart from lower food prices, attributes of convenience, health, pleasure and more esoteric social elements such as animal welfare-friendliness and environmental sustainability are increasingly important to consumers in their food choices. With higher household incomes has come an increasingly segmented food market, as businesses seek to differentiate their products from competitors to earn a premium above the basic commodity price. In an increasingly competitive European and global market, whether the firm is small or large, the first step in successful product differentiation requires an insightful understanding of the drivers of consumer purchase and consumption behaviour. These have fundamental commercial importance in the marketing strategy of any business. Yet, a surprising number of businesses in the food and beverage industry know very little about who buys and consumes their products. In the 21st century, the primacy of consumers and citizens will be substantially more ,front and centre' than in the previous 50 years of production-driven agricultural and food policy. Les consommateurs européens font grise mine depuis qu'ils peinent à joindre les deux bouts dans un contexte de récession économique. Pourtant, dans de nombreux pays, les cinquante dernières années ont formé une période en or de croissance économique et de baisse des prix alimentaires en termes réels. Outre des prix plus bas, les consommateurs accordent, dans leurs choix alimentaires, une importance de plus en plus grande à des attributs en termes de commodité, de santé, de plaisir et d'éléments sociaux plus ésotériques comme le bon traitement des animaux et la durabilité environnementale. La hausse des revenus des ménages a entraîné une segmentation accrue des marchés des produits alimentaires car les entreprises cherchent à différencier leurs produits de ceux de leurs concurrents pour obtenir une prime en sus du prix du produit classique. Dans un marché européen et mondial de plus en plus concurrentiel, que l'entreprise soit petite ou grande, la première étape d'une différentiation de produit réussie consiste à bien comprendre les motivations des consommateurs en termes d'achat et leur comportement en terme de consommation. Ces considérations ont une importance commerciale primordiale dans la stratégie de commercialisation de toute entreprise. Pourtant, un nombre surprenant de firmes de l'industrie des aliments et boissons savent très peu de chose sur les clients qui achètent et consomment leurs produits. Au vingt-et-unième siècle, la primauté des consommateurs et des citoyens sera nettement plus ,,frontale et centrale" qu'elle ne l'était dans les cinquante dernières années durant lesquelles la politique agricole et alimentaire était axée sur la production. Gedrückte Stimmung hat sich unter den europäischen Verbrauchern breit gemacht, da sie in der Rezession über die Runden kommen müssen. Dabei konnten viele Länder in den vergangenen etwa 50 Jahren auf eine glückliche Zeit wirtschaftlichen Wachstums und real rückläufiger Lebensmittelpreise blicken. Einmal abgesehen von den geringeren Lebensmittelpreisen, richtet der Verbraucher sein Hauptaugenmerk bei der Auswahl seiner Lebensmittel zunehmend auf Kriterien wie Verbraucherfreundlichkeit, Gesundheit, Genuss sowie esoterischere soziale Elemente wie Tierschutzfreundlichkeit und Umweltverträglichkeit. Höhere Haushaltseinkommen führten zu einem immer stärker segmentierten Lebensmittelmarkt, da die Unternehmen danach streben, ihre Produkte von denen der Konkurrenz abzuheben, um einen Aufschlag auf den Grundwarenpreis zu erzielen. Ob es sich nun um ein kleines oder großes Unternehmen handelt: Auf einem zunehmend wettbewerbsorientierten europäischen Markt und Weltmarkt und auf dem Weg hin zu einer erfolgreichen Produktdifferenzierung ist es zunächst einmal erforderlich, die Triebfedern für die Kaufentscheidung und das Konsumverhalten des Verbrauchers zu verstehen. Diese spielen eine wichtige wirtschaftliche Rolle in der Marketingstrategie eines jeden Unternehmens. Dennoch wissen erstaunlich viele Unternehmen aus der Lebensmittel- und Getränkeindustrie nur sehr wenig darüber, wer ihre Produkte kauft und konsumiert. Im 21. Jahrhundert werden die Wünsche der Verbraucher und Bürger wesentlich stärker Vorrang haben als dies in den vergangenen 50 Jahren produktionsorientierter Agrar- und Lebensmittelpolitik der Fall war. [source] Safety and efficacy of transdermal fentanyl in patients with cancer pain: phase IV, Turkish oncology group trialEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 1 2007. KÖMÜRCÜ md We have performed a prospective evaluation of the efficacy, safety and convenience of the transdermal therapeutic system , fentanyl (TTS-F) in Turkish cancer patients when it was newly available in Turkey. Ninety-nine patients with historically confirmed malignancy and pain entered the study; the mean age was 55.1 (16,58) years. The study duration was 28 days. Transdermal therapeutic system , fentanyl was used in opioid-naïve or pre-treated patients. Most patients reported a decrease in pain severity. Use of rescue medication decreased from day 4 to day 28. The majority of patients rated patch convenience of use as excellent. A total of 22.2% of patients experienced adverse events that were either probably related or very likely to be related to the study drug. The majority of the adverse events mentioned were related to the digestive system. Eighteen serious adverse events were reported by 13 patients. Six events were doubtfully related, and 12 events were not related to the study drug. Four patients died during the trial. None of these deaths was attributed to the study drug. In conclusion, the trial showed that TTS-F is easily managed, effective and will help to enable the appropriate opioid administration to patients who are suffering from cancer pain in Turkey. [source] Dental undergraduate expectations and opinions of Web-based courseware to supplement traditional teaching methodsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2003R. Eynon The rapid growth of Internet for the delivery of information has enabled teaching materials to be placed on websites allowing student access to course material. It is the aim of this paper to evaluate a cohort of dental undergraduate students who have used Web-based courseware in prosthetic dentistry for a semester. A questionnaire was distributed to clinical undergraduate students prior to the use of the prosthetics course to determine their experience of using the World Wide Web (WWW) and their expectations of an online course. A second questionnaire was distributed at the end of 6 months which asked about their usage and opinions of the prosthetics Web-based courseware. The main concerns raised at the beginning of the course were related to computer access, the ability to use computers, the time involved and their conception that the e-course would be an additional burden. The main potential benefits were perceived to be convenience, availability of information and the ability to reinforce or catch up on aspects of the module they did not understand or had missed. Feedback at the end of the year showed that most students had accessed the Web-based courseware site at least once a month and, generally, their comments were favourable, dispelling some of the initial perceived fears. They felt that the website was a quick and convenient way to access information and was a good additional resource. Access to the site and printing information were the main problems raised by the students who had to use a shared cluster. In conclusion, Web-based courseware was felt to be a useful additional resource for students. However, this research showed that sufficient computers and printers must be available for such a resource to become an integrated part of the dental course. [source] Novel keratin 16 mutations and protein expression studies in pachyonychia congenita type 1 and focal palmoplantar keratodermaEXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2000F. J. D. Smith Abstract: Pachyonychia congenita type 1 (PC-1) is an autosomal dominant ectodermal dysplasia characterized by nail dystrophy, focal non-epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma (FNEPPK) and oral lesions. We have previously shown that mutations in keratin 16 (K16) cause fragility of specific epithelia resulting in phenotypes of PC-1 or FNEPPK alone. Here, we report 2 novel mutations in K16 causing distinct phenotypes. A heterozygous missense mutation (L124R) was detected in a kindred with PC-1. In a family where mild FNEPPK was the only phenotype, a 23 bp deletion and a separate 1 bp deletion downstream were found in exon 6: [1244,1266del; 1270delG]. At the protein level, these mutations remove 8 residues and substitute 2 residues in the helix termination motif (HTM) of the K16 polypeptide. The HTM sequence is conserved in all known intermediate filament proteins and for convenience, this complex mutation was designated ,HTM. Transient expression of K16 cDNAs carrying either the L124R or the ,HTM mutation in epithelial cell line PtK2 produced aggregation of the keratin cytoskeleton. However, the aggregates observed with the ,HTM mutation were morphologically different and appeared to be less disruptive to the endogenous cytoskeleton. Therefore, loss of the HTM sequence may render this mutant K16 less capable of contributing to filament assembly and decrease its dominant-negative effect, resulting in the milder FNEPPK phenotype. [source] Structure,activity relationships of wheat flavone O -methyltransferase , a homodimer of convenienceFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 9 2008Jack A. Kornblatt Wheat flavone O -methyltransferase catalyzes three sequential methylations of the flavone tricetin. Like other flavonoid O -methyltransferases, the protein is a homodimer. We demonstrate, using analytical ultracentrifugation, that perchlorate dissociates the dimer into monomers. The resulting monomers retain all their catalytic capacity, including the ability to catalyze the three successive methylations. We show, using isothermal titration calorimetry, that the binding constant for S -adenosyl- l -methionine does not change significantly as the protein dissociates. The second substrate, tricetin, binds to the dimers but could not be tested with the monomers. CD, UV and fluorescence spectroscopy show that there are substantial changes in the structure of the protein as it dissociates. The fact that there are differences between the monomers and dimers even as the monomers maintain activity may be the result of the very low catalytic capacity of this enzyme. Maximal turnover numbers for the dimers and monomers are only about 6,7 per minute. Even though the binding pockets for S -adenosyl- l -methionine, tricetin, selgin and tricin are intact, selection of a catalytically competent structure may be a very slow step during catalysis. [source] The major- and trace-element whole-rock fingerprints of Egyptian basalts and the provenance of Egyptian artefactsGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 7 2001John D. Greenough Discrimination diagrams have been developed that source Egyptian basaltic artefacts using whole-rock major element geochemistry. These include K2O versus SiO2, TiO2 and P2O5 against MgO/Fe2O3t (total Fe as Fe2O3), and a discriminant analysis diagram using SiO2, Fe2O3t, CaO, and MnO. A complementary set of diagrams uses easily obtained trace element data (Nb/Y versus Zr/Nb; Zr [ppm] versus Rb/Sr; TiO2 [wt % volatile free] versus V; and Cr [ppm] versus Zr/Y) to determine the bedrock sources. These diagrams have been applied to seven First Dynasty basalt vessels (Abydos), two Fourth Dynasty basalt paving stones (Khufu's funerary temple, Giza), and two Fifth Dynasty paving stones (Sahure's complex, Abu Sir). They show that the bedrock source for all the artefacts was the Haddadin flow in northern Egypt. Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis applied to the whole-rock data (major elements and trace elements together) and previously published mineral fingerprinting studies confirm these results. Comparing mineral versus whole-rock fingerprinting techniques, a major advantage of the former is the small sample size required (0.001 g compared to , 0.1 g). Analytical costs are similar for both methods assuming that a comparison (bedrock) database can be assembled from the literature. For most archaeological problems, a whole-rock bedrock database is more likely to exist than a mineral database, and whole-rock analyses on artefacts will generally be easier to obtain than mineral analyses. Whole-rock fingerprinting may be more sensitive than mineral-based fingerprinting. Thus, if sample quantity is not an issue, whole-rock analysis may have a slight cost, convenience, and technical advantage over mineral-based methods. Our results also emphasize that the Egyptians cherished their Haddadin basalt flow and used it extensively and exclusively for manufacturing basalt vessels and paving stones for at least 600 years (,3150 B.C. to 2500 B.C., approximate ages of the vessels and Abu Sir paving stones, respectively). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Ligand-Driven Wavelength-Tunable and Ultra-Broadband Infrared Luminescence in Single-Ion-Doped Transparent Hybrid MaterialsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 13 2009Shifeng Zhou Abstract Here, tuning of the optical properties of emission centers by tailoring the ligand fields is investigated. Experimentally, it is demonstrated that Ni2+ can act as a single emission species in multiple octahedral local environments. Nanocrystal-embedded hybrid materials are employed as hosts in order to take advantage of their convenience in local environment design for practical applications. Novel composite gain materials with high transparence are successfully made, and show interesting wavelength-tunable and ultra-broadband infrared luminescence covering the whole near-infrared region from 1,100 to 1,800,nm. The infrared luminescence peak positions can be finely tuned from 1,300 to 1,450 and to 1,570,nm, with the largest full width at half maximum being about 400,nm and covering the telecommunication bands at 1,200,1,500,nm. According to the results of characterization, the unusual luminescence, interestingly, originates from Ni2+ in nanocrystals and the doping efficiency of Ni2+ is surprisingly high. The results demonstrate that the method presented may be an effective way to fabricate multifunctional light sources with various fundamental multifunctional applications from efficient broadband optical amplifiers to bio-imaging. [source] Patient preferences for managing asthma: results from a discrete choice experimentHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 7 2007Madeleine T. King Abstract Effective control of asthma requires regular preventive medication. Poor medication adherence suggests that patient preferences for medications may differ from the concerns of the prescribing clinicians. This study investigated patient preferences for preventive medications across symptom control, daily activities, medication side-effects, convenience and costs, using a discrete choice experiment embedded in a randomized clinical trial involving patients with mild,moderate persistent asthma. The present data were collected after patients had received 6 weeks' treatment with one of two drugs. Three choice options were presented, to continue with the current drug, to change to an alternative, hypothetical drug, or to take no preventive medication. Analysis used random parameter multinomial logit. Most respondents chose to continue with their current drug in most choice situations but this tendency differed depending on which medication they had been allocated. Respondents valued their ability to participate in usual daily activities and sport, preferred minimal symptoms, and were less likely to choose drugs with side-effects. Cost was also significant, but other convenience attributes were not. Demographic characteristics did not improve the model fit. This study illustrates how discrete choice experiments may be embedded in a clinical trial to provide insights into patient preferences. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Longer and better lives for patients , and their centers: A strategy for building a home hemodialysis programHEMODIALYSIS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2008Melville H. HODGE Abstract Physicians should prescribe the dialysis mode most likely to result in the best outcome for the end-stage renal disease patient, not leave it to the patient or dialysis center to choose. That prescription, in order of decreasing desirability, should be for frequent home nocturnal hemodialysis, frequent home short-daily, or least efficacious, 3x in-center or peritoneal dialysis. Patient limitations may require prescribing a less than optimal mode. Physician-patient discussions should focus on expected clinical outcomes and health benefits, not patient convenience or "lifestyle." In order to overcome natural fears, qualified patients should participate in a short in-center frequent dialysis personal clinical trial to experience the benefits. The financial health of dialysis centers will be enhanced by shifting continually inflating labor costs from the center to patients and home caregivers. This shift from 3x in-center to frequent (optimally 6x nocturnal) home dialysis may reasonably be expected to enhance the survival and well-being of both the patient and the center. [source] Indinavir/ritonavir-based therapy in HIV-1-infected antiretroviral therapy-naive patients: comparison of 800/100 mg and 400/100 mg twice dailyHIV MEDICINE, Issue 1 2005D Konopnicki Objectives To compare the efficacy and tolerability of indinavir (IDV)/ritonavir (RTV) at 800/100 and 400/100 mg twice daily (bid) in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive patients. Methods An open comparison of two groups of ART-naive patients treated with IDV/RTV 800/100 or 400/100 mg bid plus two nucleoside analogues was carried out. Viral load, CD4 cell count and tolerability were measured at baseline and at weeks 4, 12, 24 and 48. IDV plasma concentrations were measured retrospectively. Results A total of 107 patients were included in the study. Of these, 57 were treated with 800/100 and 50 with 400/100 mg IDV/RTV bid. At week 48, a viral load of <50 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL was achieved by 77 and 64% of the patients, respectively, and the median CD4 cell count increases were +171 and +164 cells/,L (intent-to-treat; P not significant), respectively. Side effects leading to protease inhibitor discontinuation occurred in 61% of subjects in the 800/100 mg group vs. 20% in the 400/100 mg group (P<0.0001). Switching from 800/100 to 400/100 mg dosage improved adverse events in 16 of 20 patients. IDV concentrations were above 0.15 mg/L in 89% of the 28 patients tested in the 400/100 mg group. Conclusions Indinavir/ritonavir 400/100 mg bid provided the same efficacy as 800/100 mg bid at 48 weeks in an ART-naive population, but safety and tolerance were significantly better for 400/100 mg, while convenience was also improved and cost was reduced. [source] Personalization versus Customization: The Importance of Agency, Privacy, and Power UsageHUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 3 2010S. Shyam Sundar What makes customization so appealing? Is it because the content is tailored or because the user feels greater agency? Study 1 tested these propositions with a news-aggregator Website that was either personalized (system-tailored), customized (user-tailored), or neither. Power users rated content quality higher when it had a customizable interface, whereas nonpower users preferred personalized content. In Study 2, half the participants were told that their browsing information may be used for providing requested services while the other half was told that it would not be used. The interaction found in Study 1 was observed only under conditions of low privacy, with the pattern being reversed under high privacy. Significant three-way interactions were found for sense of control and perceived convenience. Personalisierung vs. Kundenorientierung: Die Rolle von Agentschaft, Privatheit und Machtausübung Dieser Artikel dokumentiert zwei Studien. Studie 1 setzte Vielnutzer und Normalnutzer einer Nachrichtenaggregationswebseite aus, welche entweder personalisiert (system-zugeschnitten), kundenorientiert (nutzerzugeschnitten) oder keines von beiden war. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine Kreuzinteraktion dahingehend, dass Vielnutzer die Qualität des Inhalts höher einstuften, wenn sie die kundenorientierte Oberfläche nutzten, während Normalnutzer den personalisierten Inhalt bevorzugten. In Studie 2 wurde der Hälfte der Teilnehmer erzählt, dass ihre Surfinformationen möglicherweise genutzt werden, um die abgefragten Angebote bereitzustellen. Der anderen Hälfte wurde gesagt, dass dies nicht geschehe. Die Ergebnisse duplizieren das Kreuzmuster der ersten Studie, allerdings nur für die Niedrige-Privatheit-Bedingung. Das Muster kehrt sich für die Hohe-Privatheit-Kondition um. Signifikante 3-Wege-Interaktionen wurden für Wahrnehmung von Kontrolle und wahrgenommene Verbraucherfreundlichkeit gefunden. Schlüsselbegriffe: Kundenorientierung, Personalisierung, Agentschaft, Vielnutzung, Privatheit, wahrgenommene Kontrolle, wahrgenommene Verbraucherfreundlichkeit, Online-Nachrichten, Gatekeeping, Portal Adaptation ou personnalisation : L'importance de l'agentivité, de la confidentialité et de l'intensité de l'utilisation Résumé Cet article fait état de deux études. La première a présentéà de grands utilisateurs et à des utilisateurs réguliers un site web agrégateur de nouvelles qui était adaptéà l'utilisateur (conçu par le système), personnalisé (façonné par l'utilisateur lui-même) ou qui n'était ni l'un ni l'autre. Les résultats révèlent une interaction asymétrique en ce que les grands utilisateurs notaient plus favorablement la qualité du contenu lorsque le site avait une interface personnalisée, alors que les utilisateurs réguliers préféraient le contenu adapté. Dans la seconde étude, la moitié des participants ont été avisés que l'information sur leur navigation pourrait être utilisée afin de leur offrir les services demandés, alors que l'autre moitié a été avisée que cette information ne serait pas utilisée. Les résultats montrent que le modèle asymétrique révélé dans la première étude ne s'observait que sous les conditions de faible confidentialité, alors que le rapport s'inversait dans le contexte de forte confidentialité. Des interactions triangulaires significatives ont été démontrées pour le sentiment de contrôle et pour le sentiment de commodité. Mots clés : adaptation, personnalisation, agentivité, grands utilisateurs, vie privée, sentiment de contrôle, sentiment de commodité, nouvelles en ligne, portail La Personalización versus la Adaptación al Cliente La Importancia de la Agencia, la Privacidad, y el Uso del Poder Resumen Este manuscrito presenta dos estudios. El estudio 1 expuso a los usuarios de poder, así como a los usuarios regulares a una página agregada de noticias de Internet que estuvo ó personalizada (adaptada al sistema), ó adaptada al cliente (adaptada al usuario), ó a ninguna de las dos. Los hallazgos revelaron una interacción de cruce tal que los usuarios con poder estimaron al contenido como de mayor calidad cuando tenían una interfaz adaptada al usuario, mientras que los usuarios sin poder prefirieron el contenido personalizado. En el estudio 2, se les dijo a la mitad de los participantes que la forma en la que buscaban información podría ser usada para proveer los servicios solicitados mientras que a la otra mitad se le dijo que no sería usada. Los resultados revelaron que la pauta de cruzamiento encontrada en el estudio 1 fue observada solo en condiciones de privacidad baja, mientras que la pauta fue reversa bajo las condiciones de privacidad alta. Las interacciones significativas de 3 partes fueron encontradas para el sentido del control y la percepción de la conveniencia. Palabras Claves: Adaptado al cliente, personalización, agencia, poder de uso, privacidad, control percibido, percepción de conveniencia, noticias online, guardián, portal. [source] Adaptive interaction in a 3D product structure browsing system for maintenance trainingHUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 1 2008Wei Dong The traditional maintenance training method with a physical model of the product is costly and inconvenient. Computer-aided instruction (CAI) technology along with multimedia can provide much help in the training but provides limited interaction between the user and the system. In this article, a 3D model-based product structure browsing system for maintenance training, CAMT, is developed for complex products adopting desktop virtual reality technology. To improve training performance, the interaction between the trainee and the CAMT system is enhanced by adaptive change of the zoom level, mouse sensitivity, and rotation origin. Details about the implementation of adaptive interaction are discussed. Experiments were conducted to test the effectiveness of this adaptive interaction. Seventy participants were arranged randomly into two groups assigned to perform product structure learning tasks using software with or without adaptive interaction functions. Statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences between the groups in task time, operation convenience, and learning satisfaction. Most participants preferred to use the system with adaptive interaction. It may be concluded that using adaptive interaction with maintenance training systems can significantly improve the usability of the systems and the efficiency of interactive learning. Although adaptive interaction has obvious advantages, our experiment also suggested that it is not a good idea to provide only the adaptive interaction mode. It is better to set adaptive interaction as the default mode but also to provide the possibility for a user to switch to a mode without adaptive interaction because a static view scope is also helpful to learn the 3D structure of a complex product. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The utilization of e-government services: citizen trust, innovation and acceptance factors,INFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 1 2005Lemuria Carter Abstract. Electronic government, or e-government, increases the convenience and accessibility of government services and information to citizens. Despite the benefits of e-government , increased government accountability to citizens, greater public access to information and a more efficient, cost-effective government , the success and acceptance of e-government initiatives, such as online voting and licence renewal, are contingent upon citizens' willingness to adopt this innovation. In order to develop ,citizen-centred' e-government services that provide participants with accessible, relevant information and quality services that are more expedient than traditional ,brick and mortar' transactions, government agencies must first understand the factors that influence citizen adoption of this innovation. This study integrates constructs from the Technology Acceptance Model, Diffusions of Innovation theory and web trust models to form a parsimonious yet comprehensive model of factors that influence citizen adoption of e-government initiatives. The study was conducted by surveying a broad diversity of citizens at a community event. The findings indicate that perceived ease of use, compatibility and trustworthiness are significant predictors of citizens' intention to use an e-government service. Implications of this study for research and practice are presented. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||