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Selected AbstractsPreferential flows and travel time distributions: defining adequate hypothesis tests for hydrological process modelsHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 12 2010Keith J. Beven Abstract This introduction to the second annual review issue of Hydrological Processes tries to put the collection of papers on preferential flows and travel time distributions into a more general context of testing models as hypotheses about how catchment systems function. It is suggested that, because of the possibilities of non-stationary and epistemic errors in both data and models, such tests could be carried out within a rejectionist limits-of-acceptability framework. The principles and difficulties of hypothesis testing within these particular research areas are discussed. An important point to take from this discussion is that the use of a formal testing framework, and the consequent rejection of models as hypotheses after allowing for uncertainties in the data, is the starting point for developing better theories and data sets. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] In Pursuit of Zero: Polymer Brushes that Resist the Adsorption of ProteinsADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 23 2009Angus Hucknall Abstract Protein resistant or "non-fouling" surfaces are of great interest for a variety of biomedical and biotechnology applications. This article briefly reviews the development of protein resistant surfaces, followed by recent research on a new methodology to fabricate non-fouling surfaces by surface-initiated polymerization. We show that polymer brushes synthesized by surface-initiated polymerization that present short oligo(ethylene glycol) side chains are exceptionally resistant to protein adsorption and cell adhesion. The importance of the protein and cell resistance conferred by these polymer brushes is illustrated by their use as substrates for the fabrication of antibody microarrays that exhibit femtomolar limits of detection in complex fluids such as serum and blood with relaxed requirements for intermediate wash steps. This example highlights the important point that the reduction in background noise afforded by protein-resistant surfaces can greatly simplify the development of ultrasensitive heterogeneous, surface-based clinical and proteomic assays with increased sensitivity and utility. [source] Current perspectives on the treatment of venous thromboembolism: need for effective, safe and convenient new antithrombotic drugsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 3 2004D.F. O'Shaughnessy Summary Treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) has evolved significantly over the last decade. Low-molecular-weight heparins have largely replaced unfractionated heparin in the treatment of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) but the majority of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) continue to be treated with unfractionated heparin. Fondaparinux is the first synthetic selective inhibitor of factor Xa. It has recently been proved to be more effective than, and as safe as, a low-molecular-weight heparin for the prevention of VTE after major orthopaedic surgery. The two large randomised MATISSE trials demonstrated that fondaparinux was at least as effective and as safe as previous reference heparin therapies in the treatment of VTE. Fondaparinux should further simplify the treatment of this frequent disease since a single once-daily fixed dosage regimen may effectively and safely treat both DVT and PE, an important point especially considering the frequent though clinically silent concomitance of these two thrombotic events. [source] In defence of the meltwater (megaflood) hypothesis for the formation of subglacial bedform fields,JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 3 2010John Shaw Abstract Characteristics of large-scale fluting and hummocky terrain on the Canadian Prairies test glacial and meltwater hypotheses for landform genesis. These tests defend the meltwater model. Neither sedimentary nor glaciotectonic processes can fully explain such erosional landforms. Province-scale flow paths, which mark palaeo-ice streams and subglacial flood routes, contain large-scale fluting with flanking hummock terrain. Antecedent relief causes these paths to differ from other flood landscapes such as the Scablands. Proponents of the glacial hypothesis use an invalid analogy between Icelandic and Prairie landsystems. They suggest that groove-ploughing formed large-scale fluting, and that ice pushing created hummocky terrain. However, landform location, form, and extent, surface lags, truncated architecture, and landform associations favour the meltwater hypothesis. A simple thought experiment and clear understanding of the principle of least number of assumptions answer the criticisms that meltwater forms cannot cross-cut and that the meltwater hypothesis disregards proper hypothesis testing. An example of cross-cutting erosional marks supports this theory. No narrow tract of smoothed terrain with fluting terminates at the glacially thrust Neutral Hills, negating an important point in the glacial hypothesis. While neither the glacial hypothesis nor postglacial winnowing explain boulder and cobble lags with percussion marks, meltwater processes explain them well. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Meaning and normativity in nurse,patient interactionNURSING PHILOSOPHY, Issue 1 2007Halvor Nordby phd Abstract, It is a fundamental assumption in nursing theory that it is important for nurses to understand how patients think about themselves and the contexts they are in. According to modern theories of hermeneutics, a nurse and a patient must share the same concepts in order to communicate beliefs with the same content. But nurses and patients seldom understand medical concepts in exactly the same way, so how can this communicative aim be achieved in interaction involving medical concepts? The article uses a theory of concepts from recent cognitive science and philosophy of mind to argue that nurses and patients can share medical concepts despite the diversity of understanding. According to this theory, two persons who understand medical language in different ways will nevertheless possess the same medical concepts if they agree about the normative standards for the applications of the concepts. This entails that nurses and patients normally share medical concepts even though patients' conceptions of disease and illness are formed in idiosyncratic ways by their social and cultural contexts. Several practical implications of this argument are discussed and linked to case studies. One especially important point is that nurses should seek to make patients feel comfortable with deferring to a medical understanding. In many cases, an adequate understanding of patients presupposes that nurses manage to do this. Another implication is that deference-willingness to normative meaning is not equivalent to the actual application of concepts. Deference-willingness should rather be thought of as a pre-communicative attitude that it is possible for patients who are not fully able to communicate to possess. What is important is that nurses and patients have the intention of conforming to the same meaning. [source] Incipient bubble formation during bulk polymerization of methyl methacrylate under near-isothermal conditions using a ribbon agitatorPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 5 2009Gurpreet J. Singh The polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is carried out under near-isothermal conditions in a 1-liter stainless steel stirred batch reactor with a glass bottom. A ribbon agitator is used to study the incipient stable-bubble formation point, Bi, during the bulk polymerization of MMA. A camcorder has been used to get images of the bubbles from the beginning of the polymerization till just beyond the incipient stable-bubble formation point. Experimental data on the monomer conversion, xm,Bi, the weight average molecular weight, Mw,Bi, and the viscosity, ,Bi, of the reaction mass have been generated at this important point. Data have been taken at several values of the (near-isothermal) temperature, initiator loading, reactor pressure, and the RPM of the ribbon stirrer. No significant effect of pressure and the RPM of the stirrer were observed over the ranges of these variables studied. Correlations have been developed for xm,Bi, Mw,Bi, and ,Bi, relating these to the initiator loading and the temperature. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Predictors of Residential Placement Following a Psychiatric Crisis Episode Among Children and Youth in State CustodyAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2009Jung Min Park PhD This study examined the extent and correlates of entry into residential care among 603 children and youth in state custody who were referred to psychiatric crisis services. Overall, 27% of the sample was placed in residential care within 12 months after their 1st psychiatric crisis screening. Among the children and youth placed in residential care, 51% were so placed within 3 months of their 1st crisis screening, with an additional 22% placed between 3 and 6 months after screening. Risk behavior and functioning, psychiatric hospitalization following screening, older age, placement type, and caregiver's capacity for supervision were associated with increased residential placement. The findings highlight the importance of early identification and treatment of behavior and functioning problems following a crisis episode among children and youth in state custody to reduce the need for subsequent residential placement. Having an inpatient psychiatric episode following a crisis episode places children at greater risk for residential placement, suggesting that the hospital is an important point for diversion programs. Children and youth in psychiatric crisis may also benefit from efforts to include their families in the treatment process. [source] Nurturing and growing innovative start-ups: the role of policy as integratorR & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2007Bart Clarysse Nurturing and growing innovative start-ups have become an important point on the political agenda. After the dotcom bubble, however, many financial schemes and incubation initiatives initiated, in the mid-nineties, were cancelled or down scaled. There was a consensus that innovative start-ups need more than just money. Networking and coaching were identified as additional needs. Besides this, there is a change in the intensity and nature of these needs during the different stages of the early life cycle. In this paper we make an in-depth study of three approaches to nurture and grow innovative start-ups. Each of these initiatives embeds in a very different national innovation system: Chalmers Innovation in Sweden and Anvar/Banque de Développement des PMEs in France, and Sitra's PreSeed Service in Finland. Each approach is compared in terms of its financing, networking, and coaching support, along the different stages of the start-up's life cycle. [source] Art on the edge: hair and hands in Renaissance ItalyRENAISSANCE STUDIES, Issue 3 2009Evelyn Welch This paper argues that items designed for the bodily extremities such as hair-coverings, hats, fans and other accessories were valued for the ease with which they could be changed and adapted to express a range of different meanings: political, social and individual. They also provided an important point of contact between the world of commerce, the court elites and the wider community of men and women who purchased and used these goods. In studying these often marginalized items, we can explore mechanism for the transmission of concepts of fashion and innovation in the Renaissance period. [source] Discussion of "A Bayesian Approach to DNA Sequence Segmentation"BIOMETRICS, Issue 2 2005Hilary S. Booth This article discusses the results in Boys and Henderson (2004, Biometrics60, 573,581) in which the authors propose a new approach to the classification of genomic DNA into a number of hidden Markov states with a variable order of dependency, potentially allowing for the high-throughput detection of structure within genomic DNA. This article is likely to be an important point of departure for further modeling of this type. We question whether the genome of the bacteriophage lambda is the most appropriate example with which to demonstrate the method's effectiveness, whether it can be expected that the method will carry over to genomes where there is only one direction of transcription and no operon structure, and suggest a graphical display that seems to offer insight into the results. It would be interesting to see an analysis that uses the codon alphabet. [source] Sinai Tschulok (1875,1945),a pioneer of CladisticsCLADISTICS, Issue 1 2010Olivier Rieppel Sinai Tschulok emigrated from the Ukraine to Switzerland, where he studied natural sciences, in particular biology. He founded and managed his own high school, which prepared students for entry to university-level education. This left him little time for research, which may explain why his work largely fell into oblivion. He did publish two influential books, however (Tschulok, S., 1910, Das System der Biologie in Forschung und Lehre, Gustav Fischer, Jena and Tschulok, S., 1922, Deszendenzlehre, Gustav Fischer, Jena), which were cited and commented upon favourably by both Walter Zimmermann and Willi Hennig. The most important point, in their opinion, was how Tschulok's explication of biological systematics had turned the "natural system" into a proof for the "Theory of Descent". The influence of Walter Zimmermann on Willi Hennig and the development of phylogenetic systematics is well known. Here some parts of Tschulok's writings are discussed that render him a pioneer in Cladistics. © The Willi Hennig Society 2009. [source] Amelanotic malignant melanoma disguised as a diabetic foot ulcerDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 8 2004C. L. Gregson Abstract Background/case report A female patient with diet-controlled Type 2 diabetes mellitus, presented with disseminated malignancy. She had a 15-year history of a diabetic foot ulcer, which was subsequently found to be an amelanotic malignant melanoma. She had recently received immunosuppressive treatment for an episode of nephrotic syndrome secondary to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Conclusions This case raises two important points. Firstly, whether non-healing diabetic foot ulcers should be biopsied, and secondly, whether the spread of the malignant melanoma was precipitated by immunosuppressive treatment. [source] Consistent Regulation of Infrastructure Businesses: Some Economic Issues,ECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue 1 2009Flavio M. Menezes L51 This article examines some important economic issues associated with the notion that consistency in the regulation of infrastructure businesses is a desirable feature. It makes two important points. First, it is not easy to measure consistency. In particular, one cannot simply point to different regulatory parameters as evidence of inconsistent regulatory policy. Second, even if one does observe consistency emerging from decisions made by different regulators, it does not necessarily mean that this consistency is desirable. It might be the result, at least partially, of career concerns of regulators. [source] Legal Pluralism and the European UnionEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 3 2006N. W. Barber It claims that a legal system is pluralist when it contains inconsistent rules of recognition that cannot be legally resolved from within the system. The first part of the article sets out the model, demonstrating why it requires a departure from the classical accounts of law advanced by writers such as Hart and Kelsen. The second half applies this model to actual legal orders: first, to Rhodesia during the crisis of 1965, and then to the legal orders of the European Union. It is argued that there are interesting and important points of similarity between the two. [source] Comparing in-work benefits and the reward to work for families with children in the US and the UKFISCAL STUDIES, Issue 1 2001Mike Brewer Abstract The income transfer systems for low-income families in the US and the UK try both to reduce poverty and to encourage work. In-work benefits are a key part of both countries' strategies through the earned income tax credit and the working families' tax credit (and predecessors) respectively. But tax credits are only one part of the whole tax and welfare system. In-work benefits, taxes and welfare benefits combine in both countries to provide good financial incentives for lone parents to do minimum-wage work, but poorer incentives to increase earnings further. But direct comparisons of budget constraints hide important points of detail. First, not enough is known about what determines take-up of in-work benefits. Second, the considerable differences in assessment and payment mechanisms and frequency between EITC and WFTC mean that low-income families in the US and the UK may respond very differently to apparently similar financial incentives. [source] Energy Saving and Environmental Measures in Railway Technologies: Example with Hybrid Electric Railway VehiclesIEEJ TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2008Masamichi Ogasa Member Abstract The electric railway system is the highest class of energy efficient transportation means. This is due to two important points: (i) low running resistance (including low energy losses) and (ii) energy regeneration in braking. Regenerative braking of railway electric vehicles is effective when the other powering ones, in other words electrical load, exist near the regenerating train on the same electrified line. So, early in the morning and at midnight, or in the low-density district lines, regeneration cancellation phenomenon often occurs and the regenerative brake force cannot be operated in accordance with the recommended value. Newly appeared high-performance energy storage devices press the issues of energy storage and reuse technologies on ground and on vehicles. Hybrid energy source is one effective solution. In this paper, as an example, we show our trolley and on-board battery hybrid controlled tramcar, developed to reduce regeneration cancellation. With the trolley line collective power as well as charge and discharge power of the on-board lithium ion rechargeable battery, the hybrid energy providing and regenerating technology is achieved. The running test results show a maximum regenerative ratio of 44%, which is top class value in an electric railway system. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Review of pulp sensibility tests.INTERNATIONAL ENDODONTIC JOURNAL, Issue 9 2010Part I: general information, thermal tests Jafarzadeh H, Abbott PV. Review of pulp sensibility tests. Part ,: general information and thermal tests. International Endodontic Journal, 43, 738,762, 2010. Abstract A major, and essential, part of the diagnostic process for pulp disease is the use of pulp sensibility tests. When diagnosing pulp pain, these tests can be used to reproduce the symptoms reported by the patient to diagnose the diseased tooth as well as the disease state. However, a major shortcoming with these tests is that they only indirectly provide an indication of the state of the pulp by measuring a neural response rather than the vascular supply, so both false positive and false negative results can occur. The relevant literature on pulp sensibility tests in the context of endodontics up to January 2009 was reviewed using PubMed and MEDLINE database searches. This search identified papers published between November 1964 and January 2009 in all languages. Thermal tests have been used as an integral part of dental examinations. Two types of thermal tests are available, one uses a cold stimulus and the other uses a hot stimulus, and each has various methods of delivery. If these tests are used properly, injury to the pulp is highly unlikely. A review of the literature regarding the rationale, indications, limitations, and interpretation of thermal tests, the value of these diagnostic tests, as well as a discussion of the important points about each of these tests is presented. [source] Aromatization and ring cyclization: A better understanding on the ring cyclization mechanism of 3-amino-6-hydrazino-1,2,4-triazin-5(2H)-one reacted with acetic acid in N,N -dimethylformamideJOURNAL OF HETEROCYCLIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 5 2005Long-Chih Hwang In this paper we report that the title compound (3) reacts with excess N,N -dimethylformamide (DMF) containing two equivalents of acetic acid to afford 6-amino-1,2,4-triazolo[3,4- f][1,2,4]triazin-8(7H)-one (1). When 3-amino-2-benzyl-6-hydrazino-1,2,4-triazin-5(2H)-one (6), the N-2 benzylated derivative of 3, is treated under the same conditions, ring cyclization does not occur; instead, 3-amino-2-benzyl-6-(2-formyl-hydrazino)-1,2,4-triazin-5(2H)-one (7) is formed. Single-crystal X-ray analysis of a 3-ethyl derivative of compound 1 reveals the predominant tautomeric structure to be the 7H -tautomer (7H - 1). From these results, we propose a reasonable cyclization mechanism that incorporates two important points: (1) the tautomerism of the N-2 hydrogen with the C-5 oxo group aromatizes the 1,2,4-triazine ring, and (2) the DMF is proto-nated by acetic acid on the nitrogen atom, then deamination occurs where DMF is attacked by the 6-hydrazino group of 3 or 6. [source] Toward an Information Tool for Integrated Product Policy: Requirements for Data and ComputationJOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Reinout Heijungs Summary Integrated product policy, according to the European Union, requires reliable data on the impact of consumer products along their life cycles. We argue that this necessarily requires the development of an information tool for hybrid analysis, combining aspects of life-cycle assessment and input-output analysis. A number of requirements in the development of such a hybrid information tool are identified, mainly concerning data and computational structure. For the former, some important points of attention are discussed, whereas for the latter, operational formulas are developed. [source] Early childhood predictors of mothers' and fathers' relationships with adolescents with developmental disabilitiesJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 6 2010D. B. Mitchell Abstract Background The importance of positive parent,adolescent relationships is stressed in research on adolescents, although very little is known about this relationship when a teen has developmental disabilities (DD). We investigated the relationships of adolescents with disabilities with their mothers and their fathers in order to answer a number of questions regarding these relationships. In particular, we asked: are there differences in the relationships of mothers and fathers with their adolescent with DD? Are there early childhood predictors of the parent,teen relationship and are those based on variables that are amenable to intervention? Finally, do these predictors differ for mothers and fathers? Methods This study focused on the relationships of 72 mothers and 53 fathers with their 15-year-old teens with DD and their predictors from the early childhood years. Data were collected from parents through interviews and self-administered questionnaires, and from their children with disabilities through structured assessment when children were age 3 years and again at age 15 years. Results Analyses indicated that both mother,teen and father,teen relationships were predicted by earlier parenting stress. The father,teen relationship was also predicted by early behaviour problems, but this relation was mediated by parenting stress. Socio-economic status, type of disability and the child's level of functioning were not predictive of later relationships between parents and teens. Mothers and fathers did not differ significantly in their reports of perceived positive relationships with their teens. Conclusions The findings from this study suggest two important points of potential intervention during the early intervention years. First, parenting assistance and support to reduce stress during the early childhood years can benefit both mothers and fathers. Second, helping families and children cope with and diminish problem behaviours is likely to yield multiple advantages for parents and children and deserves emphasis in early intervention and pre-school programmes. [source] STEROID EFFECTS ON THE GENE EXPRESSION OF PERIPHERAL MYELIN PROTEINSJOURNAL OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, Issue 1 2002RC Melcangi The present article summarizes recent observations obtained in our laboratory which clearly indicate that sex steroids exert relevant effects on the peripheral nervous system. In particular, the following important points have emerged: (1) Steroids exert stimulatory actions on the synthesis of the proteins proper of the peripheral myelin (e.g., glycoprotein Po and peripheral myelin protein 22) in vivo and on the Schwann cells in culture; (2) in many cases the actions of hormonal steroids are not due to their native molecular forms but rather to their metabolites (e.g., dihydroprogesterone and tetrahydroprogesterone in the case of progesterone; dihydrotestosterone and 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha,17 beta -diol in the case of testosterone); (3) the mechanism of action of the various steroidal molecules may involve both classical (progesterone and androgen receptors) and nonclassical steroid receptors (GABA, receptor); and finally, (4) the stimulatory action of steroid hormones on the proteins of the peripheral myelin might have clinical significance in cases in which the rebuilding of myelin is needed (e.g., aging, peripheral injury, demyelinating diseases, and iabetic neuropathy). [source] Experimenting with organisational development in Bhutan: A tool for reform and the achievement of multi-level goals?PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2009Janine O'Flynn Abstract In this article we present a unique study of how a nation, Bhutan, is using a specific change management approach,organisational development,as the lever for system-level change in pursuit of a complex, multi-level suite of goals to, ultimately, enhance Gross National Happiness (GNH). We argue that this represents one of the first attempts at using OD for wide-scale change, something hinted at decades ago, and flagged by recent work coming out of the United Nations Development Program and civil society organisations (CSOs). Conceptually, we point to a high level of fit between the Bhutanese development philosophy and OD, and argue there is great potential for using OD in the context. However, we raise a series of issues around the practical feasibility of this approach highlighting important points of tension which pose major challenges for the Bhutanese experiment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Structures of feeling and socio-cultural formations: the significance of literature and experience to Raymond Williams's sociology of cultureTHE BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, Issue 2 2003Paul Filmer ABSTRACT Williams elaborates the concept of structures of feeling in different ways at important points in his writings. This gives it a particular methodological significance in relating the extraordinariness of imaginative literature to the ordinariness of cultural process. It is employed particularly to show the significance of literature for the articulation of alternatives to dominant world views, and thus to the politics of social change. Williams's different formulations of the concept are discussed in terms of their ways of relating reflexive experience to institutional structures and in relation to the genetic structuralism of Goldmann and Bourdieu's concepts of habitus and cultural field. Three types of criticisms are considered, which have in common the contention that the concept is unclear. Operationalized in analysing literature and its symbols, it can contribute towards clarification of the complexity of the processes of reflexive communication of experience which are at the root of social order and change. [source] Testing for linkage and Hardy-Weinberg disequilibriumANNALS OF HUMAN GENETICS, Issue 2 2009E. Kulinskaya Summary This paper concerns several important points when testing for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and linkage disequilibrium (LD) in genetics. First, we challenge the necessity of using exclusively two-sided tests for LD. Next, we show that the exact 2-sided tests based on the most popular measures of LD are not equivalent, and neither are the standard statistical tests even though the 1-sided tests are equivalent. We show how this results in different inference about LD for two data sets consisting of small groups of markers. Finally, we advocate the use of the conditional p-value for both LD and HWE testing. An important advantage of this p-value is that equivalent 1-sided tests are transformed into equivalent 2-sided tests. [source] Commentary: At the Center of Decision Making in Mental Health Services and Interventions Research: Patients, Clinicians, or Relationships?CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2006Lisa A. Cooper Wills and Holmes-Rovner (2006) highlight the fact that despite growing interest in the role of patient preferences and shared decision making with clinicians in the general health services research community, relatively little is known about the impact of these preferences and processes on actual decisions, service delivery engagement, or intervention outcomes in the mental health field. This commentary expands on three important points raised in Wills and Holmes-Rovner's article: (a) the need for more and better research on values assessment, (b) contextual factors in the decision-making process, and (c) the measurement of patient preferences regarding their level of involvement in decision making. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||