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Selected AbstractsTime and Work,Life Balance: The Roles of ,Temporal Customization' and ,Life Temporality'GENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 5 2008Emma Roberts This article poses a challenge to the orthodox binary, conceptualization of work,life balance only made possible by relying on the widespread ,clock time' worldview, which understands employment practices in terms of the basic time = money equation. In particular, it is the balance metaphor which relies on a quantification of both work and life in order to make sense and can therefore be seen to be based on an understanding of time as a measurable and value-able unit. This article seeks to begin the exercise of examining the concept of work,life balance through a broader concept of the temporal dimension than simply limited quantitative notions. Two temporal themes are reported from a study which identified employees who had customized their working pattern to suit the various and multi-dimensional facets of their lifestyles and thereby successfully improved their work,life balance. Participants in this study demonstrated that an improved work,life balance is more about a mind-set that refuses to be dominated by a work temporality and is determined to create ,me time' rather than e.g. simply choosing a four day week or a part-time job. It is argued that the notion of work,life balance is more usefully conceptualized within a broader notion of ,livingscapes' which contain both elements of work and life and that as researchers, our challenge must be to reflect the complexity of this weave within our analyses of individuals' work,life balance. [source] Conspicuity of zones of ablation after radiofrequency ablation in porcine livers: Comparison of an extracellular and an SPIO contrast agentJOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 1 2008Christopher Bangard MD Abstract Purpose To compare conspicuity of zones of ablation on nonenhanced, gadopentetate dimeglumine-(Gd-DTPA) and ferucarbotran-(SPIO)-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) images. Materials and Methods In all, 33 radiofrequency ablations (RFA) were performed in 17 healthy porcine livers at 1.5T MR imaging 1 day and 2 and 4 weeks after RFA: T2-weighted (w) ultra turbo spin echo (UTSE), proton density (PD)-w UTSE, T1-w gradient echo (GRE) pre- and 5 minutes postcontrast administration, dynamic T1-w GRE during Gd-DTPA (Magnevist) or SPIO (Resovist) administration, T2-w UTSE, and PD-w UTSE sequences 10 minutes after SPIO administration. Regions of interest (ROIs) for contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were drawn in consensus by two radiologists. Results PD-w SPIO-enhanced images (23.5 ± 5.5) showed higher liver-to-lesion CNR than T1-w GRE Gd-DTPA-enhanced images (13.5 ± 6.1) 1 day after RFA (P , 0.05). At all other timepoints, liver-to-lesion CNR of PD-w and T2-w SPIO-enhanced images did not differ significantly from T1-w GRE Gd-DTPA-enhanced images (P , 0.05). Nonenhanced T2-w images revealed lower liver-to-lesion CNR (7.0 ± 7.5/6.5 ± 5.9/6.8 ± 5.0, 1 day/2 weeks/4 weeks, respectively) than T2-w SPIO-enhanced (17.4 ± 4.8/15.3 ± 4.5/14.2 ± 5.7), PD-w SPIO-enhanced (23.5 ± 5.5/16.9 ± 3.6, 1 day/2 weeks), and T1-w Gd-DTPA-enhanced (15.3 ± 3.6/12.7 ± 3.5, 2/4 weeks) images (P , 0.05). Liver-to-lesion CNR of SPIO-enhanced dynamic T1-w GRE images after 30, 80, 150, and 240 seconds did not change significantly over time (P , 0.05). Conclusion One day after RFA lesion conspicuity on PD-w ferucarbotran-enhanced images is better than on T1-w GRE Gd-DTPA-enhanced images. At all other timepoints, ferucarbotran is not superior to gadolinium. Ferucarbotran- and gadolinium-enhanced images improve lesion conspicuity compared with nonenhanced T2-w images at all timepoints. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2008;28:263,270. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Exercise training attenuates ageing-induced BKCa channel downregulation in rat coronary arteriesEXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 6 2010Sulayma Albarwani Physical inactivity and ageing are widely recognized as risk factors for development of coronary artery disease. One of the characteristic changes that occurs in aged coronary artery is downregulation of their large-conductance voltage- and calcium-activated K+ (BKCa) channels. In this study, we investigated the effects of moderate exercise training (ET) on the activity of BKCa channels in coronary arteries of aged rats. Old Fischer 344 rats (23,26 months old) were randomly assigned to sedentary (O-SED, n= 24) or exercise-trained groups (O-ET, n= 28). The O-ET rats underwent a progressive treadmill exercise-training programme for 60 min day,1, 5 days week,1 for 12 weeks. Young animals were used for comparison. Coronary arteries were mounted on a wire myograph, and contractions in response to 1, 10, 30, 50 and 100 nmol l,1 iberiotoxin were compared. Iberiotoxin (100 nmol l,1) contracted coronary arteries of young, O-SED and O-ET rats by 115 ± 14, 36 ± 5.6 and 61 ± 5% of 5-hydroxytryptamine-induced contractions, respectively. Patch-clamp studies revealed a larger magnitude of BKCa current in young (104 ± 15.6 pA pF,1) compared with O-ET (44 ± 9 pA pF,1) and least in O-SED coronary smooth muscle cells (8.6 ± 2 pA pF,1). Western immunoblotting was performed to study expression levels of BKCa channel proteins. The , and ,1 subunits of the BKCa channel were reduced by 40 ± 3.5 and 30 ± 2.6%, respectively, in coronary arteries of old compared with young rats, and ET attenuated this reduction in expression level to 28 ± 2 and 12 ± 4%, respectively. Our results showed that ageing was associated with a reduction in BKCa channels, and ET partly reversed this reduction. We conclude that low-intensity ET may be beneficial in restoring age-related decline in coronary vasodilatory properties mediated by BKCa channels. [source] Tensile bond strengths of four different dentin adhesives on irradiated and non-irradiated human dentin in vitroJOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 9 2001C. R. Gernhardt This study evaluated the influence of irradiation on dentin bond strength. Sixty irradiated and 60 non-irradiated human third molars were used. The irradiation dose of 60 Gy was fractionally applied over 6 weeks (2 Gy day,1, 5 days week,1). All teeth were prepared in a special manner allowing the simulation of intra-pulpal pressure and dentin perfusion. Dentin specimens with a thickness of 2·0 mm were obtained under standardized conditions. The specimens were randomly assigned to four experimental groups. Tensile bond strength of four different dentin bonding agents (ScotchbondŌ 1, Solobond Plus®, Prime&BondŌ 2·1 and Syntac®) was evaluated using an Instron Universal testing machine. Pairwise comparison did not show any significant differences between the irradiated and non-irradiated groups. The influence of the different dentin adhesives was significant (P=0·0001; ANOVA). Compared with Solobond Plus® and Prime&BondŌ 2·1, the use of ScotchbondŌ 1 resulted in a significantly higher tensile bond strength in non-irradiated specimen (P< 0·05; closed test procedure based on Kruskal,Wallis test). Within the limitations of an in vitro study, it can be concluded that adhesive restoration procedures can be successfully used in patients irradiated for cancer of the head and neck. [source] Temporal endosonographic evaluation of anal sphincter integrity after primary repair for obstetric ruptures: a case for specific training of obstetriciansCOLORECTAL DISEASE, Issue 7Online 2010P. Pronk Abstract Objective, To evaluate primary repaired obstetric lesions of the anal sphincter complex on anal endo-ultrasound within a few days and 8 weeks after primary repair and to investigate in this way the influence of suboptimal woundhealing on the final anatomical result. Furthermore to investigate the relation between faecal incontinence and sphincter defects. Design, A prospective cohort study. Setting, The obstetric clinic and coloproctology outpatient clinic of the Zaans Medical Centre in Zaandam, the Netherlands. Subjects, A cohort of 32 consecutive women with primary surgically repaired 3B, 3C or 4th degree anal sphincter defect after vaginal delivery. Main outcome measures, Appearance of the anal sphincter complex on anal endo-ultrasound within a few days week and 8 weeks after primary surgical repair, i.e. first and second ultrasound, respectively. Evaluation of anal continence, using the Vaizey incontinence score, at second ultrasound. Results, No major wound breakdown was seen and four women had superficial, skin related wound problems. Twenty-eight women (87.5%) had a repaired external anal sphincter on the first and the second ultrasound. Of four external anal sphincter defects on first ultrasound one defect was not present on second ultrasound. The internal sphincter showed a defect on first ultrasound in 11 women and this was still present in 10 on second ultrasound. A total of 11 women had a persisting anal sphincter defect (external, internal or in combination). Mean Vaizey scores were significantly higher in women with a persisting sphincter defect (EAS, IAS or in combination) than in women with no sphincter defects, 2.3 and 0.4 respectively (95% CI 0.1,3.6, P = 0.04). Conclusion, Anal endo-ultrasound may be used for early evaluation of surgical repair of anal sphincter lesions after vaginal delivery. Persisting defects in the anal sphincters, in this series not because of major wound breakdown, can be explained by inadequate surgical repair. [source] | ||||||||||