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Critical Overview (critical + overview)
Selected AbstractsQuantitative analysis of essential oils: a complex taskFLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, Issue 6 2008Carlo Bicchi Abstract This article provides a critical overview of current methods to quantify essential oil components. The fields of application and limits of the most popular approaches, in particular relative percentage abundance, normalized percentage abundance, concentration and true amount determination via calibration curves, are discussed in detail. A specific paragraph is dedicated to the correct use of the most widely used detectors and to analyte response factors. A set of applications for each approach is also included to illustrate the considerations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Mythico-History, Social Memory, and Praxis: Anthropological Approaches and DirectionsHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2009Susan Rasmussen This article explores the interface and tension between myth, history, and memory, in relation to ideology and praxis of identity. There is a critical overview of anthropological and other approaches in the humanities and social sciences to ,mythico-history' and social memory, their mutual influences, and current debates and directions in this literature. In particular, emphasis is upon the uses of oral narratives in historiography and social context in the constructions of personal and collective identities of difference, for example, ethnicity and gender in ,narratives of nation' and ,myths of matriliny' and their connections to social practice, drawing on secondary cross-cultural data and primary data from this anthropologist's research in Tuareg (Kel Tamajaq) communities of northern Niger and Mali. [source] The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and nursingJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 2 2004Penelope M. Kearney BHlthSci MN RN MCN MRCNA Background., Nursing conceptualizes disability from largely medical and individual perspectives that do not consider its social dimensions. Disabled people are critical of this paradigm and its impact on their health care. Aim., The aims of this paper are to review the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), including its history and the theoretical models upon which it is based and to discuss its relevance as a conceptual framework for nursing. Method., The paper presents a critical overview of concepts of disability and their implications for nursing and argues that a broader view is necessary. It examines ICF and its relationship to changing paradigms of disability and presents some applications for nursing. Conclusion., The ICF, with its acknowledgement of the interaction between people and their environments in health and disability, is a useful conceptual framework for nursing education, practice and research. It has the potential to expand nurses' thinking and practice by increasing awareness of the social, political and cultural dimensions of disability. [source] ,Best research practice': in pursuit of methodological rigourJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 3 2001Frances Maggs-Rapport BA MPhil CertEd FRSA ,Best research practice': in pursuit of methodological rigour Rationale.,This paper is based on the rationale that misuse of methodological notions in research publications lays research studies open to criticism and dismissal. Aim.,In search of ,best research practice', this paper aims to examine the different qualities of four major qualitative methodologies: ethnography, descriptive phenomenology, interpretative phenomenology/hermeneutics and critical social theory. Design.,The study presents a critical overview of methodological decision-making, illustrating the sorts of issues researchers must consider in order to justify to the readership and to themselves the employment of a particular methodology. This is presented alongside a general overview of qualitative research and a précis of each of the major qualitative methodologies. The paper describes the methodologies, salient features, and examines methodological similarities and differences. The paper concludes by examining the need for methodological rigour within the framework of the National Health Service (NHS) Executive's drive for evidence-based practice in health care. Recommendations.,It is hoped that the paper will stimulate a deeper exploration of methodological rigour in future research publications. [source] A review of catalytic approaches to waste minimization: case study,liquid-phase catalytic treatment of chlorophenolsJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 11 2005Mark A Keane Abstract Effective waste management must address waste reduction, reuse, recovery/recycle and, as the least progressive option, waste treatment. Catalysis can serve as an integral green processing tool, ensuring lower operating pressures/temperatures with a reduction in energy requirements while providing alternative cleaner synthesis routes and facilitating waste conversion to reusable material. The case study chosen to illustrate the role that catalysis has to play in waste minimization deals with the conversion of toxic chlorophenols in wastewater. The presence of chloro-organic emissions is of increasing concern with mounting evidence of adverse ecological and public health impacts. A critical overview of the existing treatment technologies is provided with an analysis of the available literature on catalytic dechlorination. The efficacy of Pd/Al2O3 to promote the hydrogen-mediated dechlorination of mono- and dichlorophenols is demonstrated, taking account of both the physical and chemical contributions in this three-phase (solid catalyst and liquid/gaseous reactants) system. Hydrodechlorination activity and selectivity trends are discussed in terms of chloro-isomer structure, the influence of temperature is discussed, the role of base (NaOH) addition is examined and the feasibility of catalyst reuse is addressed. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Accuracy, precision and quality control in age determination, including a review of the use and abuse of age validation methodsJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2001S. E. Campana Many calcified structures produce periodic growth increments useful for age determination at the annual or daily scale. However, age determination is invariably accompanied by various sources of error, some of which can have a serious effect on age-structured calculations. This review highlights the best available methods for insuring ageing accuracy and quantifying ageing precision, whether in support of large-scale production ageing or a small-scale research project. Included in this review is a critical overview of methods used to initiate and pursue an accurate and controlled ageing program, including (but not limited to) validation of an ageing method. The distinction between validation of absolute age and increment periodicity is emphasized, as is the importance of determining the age of first increment formation. Based on an analysis of 372 papers reporting age validation since 1983, considerable progress has been made in age validation efforts in recent years. Nevertheless, several of the age validation methods which have been used routinely are of dubious value, particularly marginal increment analysis. The two major measures of precision, average percent error and coefficient of variation, are shown to be functionally equivalent, and a conversion factor relating the two is presented. Through use of quality control monitoring, ageing errors are readily detected and quantified; reference collections are the key to both quality control and reduction of costs. Although some level of random ageing error is unavoidable, such error can often be corrected after the fact using statistical (,digital sharpening)' methods. [source] Undergraduate psychiatric nursing education at the crossroads in Ireland.JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 6 2006The generalist vs. specialist approach: towards a common foundation This paper provides a critical overview of undergraduate educational preparation for psychiatric nursing and proposes the use of a model, which may equip psychiatric nurses to adapt to current and future directions in psychiatric nursing practice. It contends that mental health nursing is a distinct scope of practice and as such requires specialty undergraduate education. A major difference between educational preparation for psychiatric nursing in the Republic of Ireland and the UK, and distinct from most other developed countries, is the existence of separate, specialized pre-registration programmes that, upon graduation, allow the nurse to register as a psychiatric nurse. In other countries such as, Australia, the integration of pre-registration nurse education into the university sector resulted in the wide-scale adoption of a generalist approach to nurse education. In light of the recent changes in pre-registration nursing education in Ireland, and the integration of nursing into higher-level education, this paper examines the generalist vs. specialist approach to nurse education. It contends that neither the generalist nor the specialist model best serve the nursing profession in preparing safe and competent practitioners. Rather, it argues that the use of a model which incorporates both generalist and specialist perspectives will help to redress the imbalance inherent in both of the existing approaches and promote a sense of unity in the profession without sacrificing the real strengths of specialization. Such a model will also facilitate psychiatric nurses to adapt to current and future directions in psychiatric nursing practice. [source] Preparation and properties of magnetic nano- and microsized particles for biological and environmental separationsJOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 11 2007Daniel Horák Abstract The paper presents a critical overview on magnetic nanoparticles and microspheres used as separation media in different fields of chemistry, biochemistry, biology, and environment protection. The preparation of most widely used magnetic iron oxides in appropriate form, their coating or encapsulation in polymer microspheres, and functionalization is discussed in the first part. In the second part, new developments in the main application areas of magnetic composite particles for separation and catalytical purposes are briefly described. They cover separations and isolations of toxic inorganic and organic ions, proteins, and other biopolymers, cells, and microorganisms. Only selected number of relevant papers could be included due to the restricted extent of the review. [source] Racing to Theory or Retheorizing Race?JOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 1 2009Understanding the Struggle to Build a Multiracial Identity Theory Empirical research on the growing multiracial population in the United States has focused largely on the documentation of racial identification, analysis of psychological adjustment, and understanding the broader political consequences of mixed-race identification. Efforts toward theory construction on multiracial identity development, however, have been largely disconnected from empirical data, mired in disciplinary debates, and bound by historically specific assumptions about race and racial group membership. This study provides a critical overview of multiracial identity development theories, examines the links between theory and research, explores the challenges to multiracial identity theory construction, and proposes considerations for future directions in theorizing racial identity development among the mixed-race population. [source] Critical review of the World Health Organization's (WHO) 2007 report on ,evidence of the long-term effects of breastfeeding: systematic reviews and meta-analysis' with respect to obesityOBESITY REVIEWS, Issue 6 2008M. B. Cope Summary Obesity among children and adults has become a highly recognized public health concern and there is an increasing need to discover causes and evaluate preventative measures. One putatively causal influence on obesity is breastfeeding (BF). The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published a report (WR) on ,Evidence of the Long-Term Effects of Breastfeeding: Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis' and concluded ,that the evidence suggests that breastfeeding may have a small protective effect[emphasis added] on the prevalence of obesity . . . [and] the effect of breastfeeding was not likely to be due to publication bias or confounding.' Here we provide a critical overview of the WR's section on BF and obesity by addressing eight questions: Q1: Is there sufficient evidence to conclude that BF is associated with lower rates of obesity in children? Q2: Is there sufficient evidence to conclude that BF is associated with lower rates of obesity among breastfed offspring once they reach adulthood? Q3: If there are such associations, what are their magnitudes in comparison with other putatively causal factors and with respect to the potential impact on individual or population levels of obesity? Q4: Is there sufficient evidence to conclude that BF causes a reduction in risk of obesity during childhood? Q5: Is there sufficient evidence to conclude that BF does not cause a reduction in risk of obesity during childhood? Q6: Is there sufficient evidence to conclude that BF causes a long-term reduction in risk of obesity that persists into adulthood? Q7: Is there sufficient evidence to conclude that BF does not cause a long-term reduction in risk of obesity that persists into adulthood? Q8: What further research might be done to address these questions? We conclude that, while BF may have benefits beyond any putative protection against obesity, and benefits of BF most likely outweigh any harms, any statement that a strong, clear or consistent body of evidence shows that BF causally reduces the risk of overweight or obesity is unwarranted at this time. [source] | |||||||||||||