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Selected AbstractsOptimum multiple tuned mass dampers for structures under the ground acceleration based on the uniform distribution of system parametersEARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 5 2003Chunxiang Li Abstract The five MTMD models, with natural frequencies being uniformly distributed around their mean frequency, have been recently presented by the first author. They are shown to have the near-zero optimum average damping ratio (more precisely, for a given mass ratio there is an upper limit on the total number, beyond which the near-zero optimum average damping ratio occurs). In this paper, the eight new MTMD models (i.e. the UM-MTMD1,UM-MTMD3, US-MTMD1,US-MTMD3, UD-MTMD1 and UD-MTMD2), with the system parameters (mass, stiffness and damping coefficient) being, respectively, uniformly distributed around their average values, have been, for the first time here, proposed to seek for the MTMD models without the near-zero optimum average damping ratio. The structure is represented by the mode-generalized system corresponding to the specific vibration mode that needs to be controlled. Through minimization of the minimum values of the maximum dynamic magnification factors (DMF) of the structure with the eight MTMD models (i.e. through the implementation of Min.Min.Max.DMF), the optimum parameters and values of Min.Min.Max.DMF for these eight MTMD models are investigated to evaluate and compare their control performance. The optimum parameters include the optimum mass spacing, stiffness spacing, damping coefficient spacing, frequency spacing, average damping ratio and tuning frequency ratio. The six MTMD models without the near-zero optimum average damping ratio (i.e. the UM-MTMD1,UM-MTMD3, US-MTMD1, US-MTMD2 and UD-MTMD2) are found through extensive numerical analyses. Likewise, the optimum UM-MTMD3 offers the higher effectiveness and robustness and requires the smaller damping with respect to the rest of the MTMD models in reducing the responses of structures subjected to earthquakes. Additionally, it is interesting to note, by comparing the optimum UM-MTMD3 with the optimum MTMD-1 recently investigated by the first author, that the effectiveness and robustness for the optimum UM-MTMD3 is almost identical to that for the optimum MTMD-1 (without inclusion of the optimum MTMD-1 with the near-zero optimum average damping ratio). Recognizing these performance benefits, it is preferable to employ the optimum UM-MTMD3 or the optimum MTMD-1 without the near-zero optimum average damping ratio, when installing the MTMD for the suppression of undesirable oscillations of structures under earthquakes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] How is Education Possible?EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY, Issue 1 2001Preliminary investigations for a theory of education The following text is the result of our ongoing discussions about the notion of intersubjectivity and its significance for an understanding of the process of education. Rather than merging our sometimes diverging ideas into one single line of argument, we decided to try if we could make the movement of divergence and convergence of our thoughts visible in the text itself. Although we definitely explore different pathways, these pathways lead to a similar insight. This is, that it is not the educator who educates, but that it is the educational ,situation',a situation constituted though not determined by the interaction between the educator and the student,which educates. This educational situation, which one of us describes as an ,in between space', emerges from the interaction between the educator and the student. In this respect we can say that it results from the difference between the partners in education. The in-between space of education is an emerging reality, which not only comes into existence as a result of the difference between the partners in education but in fact only exists in this difference. It is precisely in this respect that the form of the following article provides an example of what we want to say about the process of education. The point is, to put it briefly, that this article contains or expresses a meaning that results from the difference between the two texts, but this meaning is neither something that can be attributed to the two texts as such (in this sense this emerging meaning is constituted though not determined by the two texts), nor,and this is crucial,is it something that can be articulated in any positive way in a third text. The interaction between our two texts therefore creates a reality that results from the difference between the texts and only exists in this difference. The order of authorship expresses the fact that the first author wrote the left column and the second author the right column. [source] Correction: The natural killer cell-mediated killing of autologous dendritic cells is confined to a cellsubset expressing CD94/NKG2A, but lacking inhibitory killer Ig-like receptorsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 10 2003M. Della Chiesa Vol. 33(6) 2003, pp 1657-1666 The surname of the first author is Della Chiesa; thus the running title in the manuscript should have been given as M. Della Chiesa et al. [source] Orobanche benkertii sp. nova (Orobanchaceae Vent.) und weitere Orobanche -Sippen aus dem Nordwest-KaukasusFEDDES REPERTORIUM, Issue 1-2 2004St. Rätzel Im Verlaufe von zwei Exkursionen des Erstautors in den Nordwest-Kaukasus (Republik Adygeja) in den Jahren 2001 und 2002 konnte reichhaltiges Material der Gattung Orobanche L. gesammelt werden. Im Ergebnis der Durchsicht der Belege wurden weitere Erkenntnisse insbesondere zu den weniger bekannten Endemiten Orobanche gamosepala, O. grossheimii und O.inulae gewonnen sowie sechs neue Taxa (Orobanche benkertii sp. nova, O. laxissima sp. nova, O. alba subsp. xanthostigma subsp. nova, O. alba subsp. xanthostigma f. sineglandulosa f. nova, O. grossheimii f. pallescens f. nova, O. flava subsp. cicerbitae subsp. nova) werden beschrieben. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) Orobanche benkertii sp. nova (Orobanchaceae Vent.) and further Orobanche species from the Northwest Caucasus mountains During two excursions of the first author to the northwest Caucasian area (Republic Adygeja) in 2001 and 2002 rich material of genus Orobanche L. has been collected. As a result of the determination of these specimens better knowledges especially about the lesser known and endemic species Orobanche gamosepala, O.grossheimii and O.inulae could be received and , besides , six new taxa (Orobanche benkertii sp. nova, O. laxissima sp. nova, O. alba subsp. xanthostigma subsp. nova, O. alba subsp. xanthostigma f. sineglandulosa f. nova, O. grossheimii f. pallescens f. nova, O. flava subsp. cicerbitae subsp. nova) are described. [source] Piceoxylon pseudotsugae GOTHAN emend.FEDDES REPERTORIUM, Issue 1 2001Deutschland, VAN DER BURGH aus dem Obermiozän von Ottendorf-Okrilla bei Dresden 1987 konnte im Westteil der Kiesgrube Ottendorf-Okrilla (höheres Obermiozän) aus Tonen mit kohligen Schmitzen ein 1,14 m langer Stammrest geborgen werden. Er wird als Piceoxylon pseudotsugae Gothan 1906 emend, van der Burgh (1973) bestimmt. Das fossile Holz zeigt große Ähnlichkeit mit der heute noch im pazifischen Nordamerika beheimateten Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco. Xylotomische Nachweise dieser Art sind bis heute nur wenige bekannt. Sie stammen aus Nordamerika, Deutschland (Rheinland), Österreich und Slask (Schlesien/Polen). Zu der anatomischen Beschreibung des Holzes wird die Ökologie der rezenten und die Paläookologie der fossilen Pseudotsuga diskutiert. Piceoxylon pseudotsugae Gothan emend. Van der Burgh from the Upper Miocene from Ottendorf-Okrilla near Dresden, Germany. A fossil wood, collected in Ottendorf-Okrilla by H. Kubasch, Kamenz, is described in this paper. It is identified by the first author as Piceoxylon pseudotsugae Gothan 1906 emend, van der Burgh 1973 because of its clear spiral thickenings in the tracheids (early and late wood) together with vertical and horizontal resin ducts. Tertiary wood assigned to this species is up till now only known from a few localities in North America and Europe (Rheinland/Germany, Austria, Silesia/Poland). The recent comparable species, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, is known from a wide variety of localities in North America, with a very variable range concerning temperature. It is a tree of well drained, slightly acidic soils, preferably on sedimentary rocks with a volcanic or glacial origin. In the Tertiary of Europe this tree is also known from brown coal deposits. Therefore, for the Tertiary species a habitat in swamp environment must be added. [source] Salinophagia in anorexia nervosa: Case reportsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 2 2010John F. Morgan MA, MRCPsych Abstract We report two cases of pathological ingestion of salt as a feature of anorexia nervosa, which we have previously termed "salinophagia." Both cases were young women with anorexia nervosa of the purging subtype and of sufficient severity to necessitate inpatient treatment. In both instances, excessive quantities of salt were ingested in the context of treatment programs requiring nutritional rehabilitation, and motivated by a wish to despoil the food and render it distasteful, to rob its ingestion of any hedonic qualities. In one instance, this behavior pattern was imitated by other patients on the unit. Having first briefly described salinophagia in 1999, the first author has received considerable correspondence from other specialists suggesting that this is not an isolated phenomenon. The issues of phenomenology and treatment are further discussed. © 2009 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord, 2010 [source] The Nurse Educator's clinical roleJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2005Odette Griscti MHSc RN Aim., This paper reports a two-phase descriptive study exploring the clinical role of the nurse educator in Malta. Background., Previous studies indicate a number of similarities and differences in the clinical role of nurse educators by country of practice. These include importance assigned to the role, factors inhibiting/facilitating the role, means to eliminate barriers to the role, and perceptions of the ideal role. Design and methods., Data were collected using both quantitative and qualitative strategies. The quantitative phase involved asking all educators to fill in a time log of their academic and clinical activities for a 2-week period. In the qualitative phase, the first author interviewed five educators, five nurses and five students about their perceptions of factors which impact the nurse educator's clinical role, as well as what the ideal clinical role of the nurse educator should be. Findings., Maltese nurse educators allot minimal time to their clinical role. Main reasons cited included workload, perceived lack of control over the clinical area, and diminished clinical competence. Nurse educators who frequented the clinical settings (who were either university or joint university and health service employees) where the study took place perceived that employment inequities among the various categories of nurse educators played an important role in the amount of time dedicated by each group to their clinical roles, and the importance individuals in these groups assigned to that role. The majority of interviewees saw the current role of nurse educators in Malta as preparing students for successful completion of the didactic sections of their programme, rather than preparing them with all the knowledge and clinical skills necessary to be competent practitioners. Participants considered that, when in clinical areas, nurse educators did focus on their students, as they should. However, they also thought that they often did not take the opportunity to forge links with professional staff. Conclusion., The clinical role of the Maltese nurse educator needs to be more multifaceted in approach. [source] Bertha Harmer's 1922 textbook , The Principles and Practice of Nursing: clinical nursing from an historical perspectiveJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 19 2009Geertje Boschma Aims and objectives., This study analyses the origins of a widely used textbook of nursing, commonly utilised in North American Schools of Nursing since 1922, and eventually worldwide. A biography of its first author, Bertha Harmer, is also included. Background., Tracing central ideas of nursing throughout the various editions, the book provides a commentary on the cultural,historical context of nursing and reveals how nursing leaders conceptualised the day-to-day knowledge base nurses would need for their practice. Design and methods., Historical analysis. Results., The core nursing concept of ,human needs' was central to Harmer's work and thinking. Conclusions., Its continuous development by her and her later co-author, Virginia Henderson, reflected broader changes in nursing that were central to the construction of nursing as hospital-based care during the twentieth century. Relevance to clinical practice and conclusion., Renewal of nursing practice exists by the virtue of nurses' collective ability to question continuously and critically, the foundations of their practice. Historical analysis of core nursing concepts is one approach to further such critique. [source] Family support, perceived self-efficacy and self-care behaviour of Turkish patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 8 2007Magfiret Kara Ka Aim., The purpose of this study was to describe family support, self-efficacy perception and self-care behaviour among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and to ascertain the relationship between these variables. Background., It is important to work at improving confidence in the patients' ability to follow a self-care regimen by increasing self-efficacy. Family support also plays an important role in self-care activities. Method and design., The study design is descriptive and correlational. Of 230 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who were recruited for the study, 200 agreed to participate. The patients were recruited by the first author from an outpatient clinic in the Department of Chest Disease of a university hospital and a pulmonary hospital in Erzurum, eastern Turkey. Data were collected by using a demographic data form, the Perceived Social Support from Family Scale, the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Self-efficacy Scale and the Alberto Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Self-care Behaviour Inventory. Results., Although most participants (91·5%) perceived that they had family support and more than three quarters (73·0%) of the participants engaged in an adequate amount of self-care behaviours, only twenty five participants' (12·5%) perceived self-efficacy as high. There were statistically significant positive relationships between family support and self-care behaviour (r = 0·302; p = 0·01) and between self-efficacy and self-care behaviour (r = 0·186; p = 0·01). There was also a statistically significant positive relationship between family support and self-efficacy (r = 0·412; p = 0·01). Conclusion., The results of the study demonstrated weak to moderate, but statistically significant, relationships between family support and self-care behaviours, self-efficacy and self-care behaviour and family support and self-efficacy in Turkish patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Relevance to clinical practice., The assessment of the family support, self-efficacy and self-care behaviours of the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease should be an essential part of nursing practice. The study also provides the foundation for the conduct of future studies of self-care training for managing patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [source] On possible counterexamples to Negami's planar cover conjectureJOURNAL OF GRAPH THEORY, Issue 3 2004Petr Hlin Abstract A simple graph H is a cover of a graph G if there exists a mapping , from H onto G such that , maps the neighbors of every vertex , in H bijectively to the neighbors of , (,) in G. Negami conjectured in 1986 that a connected graph has a finite planar cover if and only if it embeds in the projective plane. The conjecture is still open. It follows from the results of Archdeacon, Fellows, Negami, and the first author that the conjecture holds as long as the graph K1,2,2,2 has no finite planar cover. However, those results seem to say little about counterexamples if the conjecture was not true. We show that there are, up to obvious constructions, at most 16 possible counterexamples to Negami's conjecture. Moreover, we exhibit a finite list of sets of graphs such that the set of excluded minors for the property of having finite planar cover is one of the sets in our list. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 46: 183,206, 2004 [source] The meaning of self-care for people with chronic illnessJOURNAL OF NURSING AND HEALTHCARE OF CHRONIC ILLNE SS: AN INTERNATIONAL INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL, Issue 3 2010Debbie Kralik RN kralik d, price k & telford k (2010) Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness2, 197,204 The meaning of self-care for people with chronic illness Aim., To reveal the meaning of self-care as described by men and women living with chronic conditions. Background., Chronic illness self-care and self-management are terms that have been used interchangeably in the literature. Self-care in the context of chronic illness has received some research attention, but remains an under-explored concept. Methods., Conversation data were gathered using longitudinal email groups facilitated by the first author over a 21-month period between 2003,2005, with 42 men and women living with chronic illness. Results., Self-care is a process of adaptation in response to learning about oneself and about ways to live well with illness. Developing capacity to self care impacted significantly on the way participants experienced illness, their view of themselves and of their future. Conclusions., People living with chronic illness describe the process of self-care as transformational in terms of feelings about their selves and reclaiming a sense of order. It enables them to move forward with a sense of the future. The primary health care principle of holistic assessment, taking account of the wider context of people's lives, is of heightened importance when educating about self-care. Relevance to clinical practice., Health care workers can assist people by acknowledging that chronic illness self-care is a process that gradually evolves and is borne out of listening to the person's priorities and finding ways for strategies to fit harmoniously alongside those priorities. [source] Stepping out of the box: broadening the dialogue around the organizational implementation of cognitive behavioural psychotherapyJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 4 2005J. POOLE ba dip nursing (mh) The dissemination and uptake of cognitive behavioural interventions is central to the evidence-based mental health agenda in Britain. However, some policy and related literature, in and of itself social constructed, tends to display discursive naïvety in assuming a rational basis for the dissemination and organizational integration of cognitive behavioural approaches. Rational constructions fail to acknowledge that the practice settings of key stakeholders in the process are likely to be socially constructed fields of multiple meanings. Within these, the importance of evidence-based interventions may be variously contested or reworked. To illustrate this, a case example from the first author will discuss the hypothetical introduction of a cognitive behavioural group for voice hearers in a forensic mental health unit. This will highlight contradictions and local organizational problems around the effective utilization of postgraduate cognitive behavioural knowledge and skills. A synthesis of social constructionist with organizational theory will be used to make better sense of these actual and anticipated difficulties. From this basis, specific ways in which nurses and supportive stakeholders could move the implementation of cognitive behavioural psychotherapy agenda forward within a postmodern leadership context will be proposed. [source] Constructing views of science tied to issues of equity and diversity: A study of beginning science teachersJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 1 2003Julie A. Bianchini In this study, we examined the discursive and social practices of a teacher educator (the first author) and her eight beginning science teachers in a course on the nature of science and issues of equity and diversity. We focused our investigation on beginning science teachers' views of science and science teaching, as well as the grounds they offered for their views. We organized our discussion of the nature of science, teacher learning, and grounds for views along three dimensions: personal, social, and political. We found that beginning teachers routinely drew from only one of these three dimensions to support their views of the nature of science and ways to represent science to all students. In our implications, we recommend that teacher educators encourage teacher learners to examine personal, social, and political grounds carefully and critically in the process of constructing or revising their views. We argue that attention to these three dimensions of grounds for views will assist beginning teachers in adopting nature of science positions that are broad and complex, that more clearly reflect the goals of equity and excellence, and thus, that hold greater promise for achieving a science education inclusive of all students. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 53,76, 2003 [source] Existence of solutions to a phase transition model with microscopic movementsMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 11 2009Eduard Feireisl Abstract We prove the existence of weak solutions for a 3D phase change model introduced by Michel Frémond in (Non-smooth Thermomechanics. Springer: Berlin, 2002) showing, via a priori estimates, the weak sequential stability property in the sense already used by the first author in (Comput. Math. Appl. 2007; 53:461,490). The result follows by passing to the limit in an approximate problem obtained adding a superlinear part (in terms of the gradient of the temperature) in the heat flux law. We first prove well posedness for this last problem and then,using proper a priori estimates,we pass to the limit showing that the total energy is conserved during the evolution process and proving the non-negativity of the entropy production rate in a suitable sense. Finally, these weak solutions turn out to be the classical solution to the original Frémond's model provided all quantities in question are smooth enough. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] From functional neurosurgery to "interventional" neurology: Survey of publications on thalamotomy, pallidotomy, and deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease from 1966 to 2001MOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 8 2003Marwan I. Hariz MD Abstract Articles on surgery for Parkinson's disease (PD), published between 1966 and 2001, were reviewed with respect to whether the first author had a neurosurgical affiliation, and whether the papers appeared in neurosurgical or non-neurosurgical journals. Between 1966 and 1979, neurosurgeons and non-neurosurgeons published almost equally on surgery for PD in both neurosurgical and non-neurosurgical journals; between 1980 and 1995, the majority of publications were by neurosurgeons in neurosurgical journals; and after 1995, non-neurosurgeons were more often first authors of surgical publications and these were more frequent in non-neurosurgical journals. The fact that the first author of surgical publications on PD is often a non-neurosurgeon may have some bearing on the reported results of surgery. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society [source] Snap-shots of live theatre: the use of photography to research governance in operating room nursingNURSING INQUIRY, Issue 2 2003Robin Riley Snap-shots of live theatre: the use of photography to research governance in operating room nursing The use of photography is an underreported method of research in the nursing literature. This paper explores its use in an ethnographic research project, the fieldwork of which was undertaken by the first author. The aim was to examine the governance of operating room nursing in the clinical setting and the theoretical orientation was the work of Michel Foucault. The focus of this paper is on how photography was used as a means of data generation. To establish some context we begin by drawing on writers from sociology and anthropology to provide an overview of the status of vision and visual research methods in contemporary social research. We then move to a brief discussion of the uses of photography in social research and the limitations imposed by ethical considerations of its use in clinical nursing settings. As well, the process and approach involved in this research project, and issues of analysis are discussed. Three ,snap-shots' of operating room nursing, taken by participants, are presented. Each is analysed in terms of its contributions to the research process as well as its substantive contribution to the theoretical framework and the research aims. [source] Periodontal condition of the mandibular anterior dentition in patients with conventional and self-ligating bracketsORTHODONTICS & CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2008N Pandis Structured Abstract Authors,,, Pandis N, Vlachopoulos K, Polychronopoulou A, Madianos P, Eliades T Objectives,,, To explore whether the use of self-ligating brackets is associated with better values for periodontal indices because of the lack of elastomeric modules and concomitantly, reduced availability of retentive sites for microbial colonization and plaque accumulation. Setting and Sample Population,,, Private practice of the first author. Patients were selected using the following inclusion criteria: age range 12,17 years, fixed appliances on both arches, aligned mandibular arch, and absence of oral habits and anterior crossbites. Materials and Methods,,, Prospective cohort investigation. Participants were grouped for bracket type, thus 50 patients formed the conventional bracket cohort and 50 patients the self-ligating bracket cohort. Both cohorts were followed with the purpose to examine periodontal status. Average length of follow-up was 18 months. This time period was considered adequate for a proportion of study participants to experience the outcome of interest. Outcome variables were plaque index, gingival index, calculus index, and probing depth for the two bracket cohorts. Results,,, No difference was found in the indices recorded between the two bracket cohorts studied. Conclusion,,, Under the conditions as applied in this study, the self-ligating brackets do not have an advantage over conventional brackets with respect to the periodontal status of the mandibular anterior teeth. [source] L-histidine decarboxylase as a probe in studies on histamineTHE CHEMICAL RECORD, Issue 6 2002Takehiko Watanabe Abstract Because the Falck-Hillarp formaldehyde fluorescence method, which was superbly applied to identify catecholaminergic and serotonergic neurons, is not applicable to histamine, the first author (T.W.) developed an antibody to L-histidine decarboxylase (HDC) for identification of the histaminergic neuron system in the brain. The anti-HDC antibody was of great use for mapping the location and distribution of this histaminergic neuron system. (S)-,-fluoromethylhistidine, a specific and potent irreversible inhibitor of HDC, was also very useful in studies on functions of the neuron system. The activity of HDC is increased by various agents, treatments, and physiological conditions. We found new compounds that increased HDC activity (i.e., tetradecanoylphobol acetate (TPA), other tumor promoters, and staphylococcal enterotoxin A); and using mast cell-deficient mutant (W/Wv) mice, we obtained evidence that this increase occurred in macrophages. To further characterize the mechanism of increases in HDC activity, the second author (H.O.) cloned human HDC cDNA and a human HDC gene. In studies on the regulation mechanism of the HDC gene, which is expressed only in limited types of cells such as mast cells, enterochromaffin-like cells in the stomach, cells in the tuberomammillary nucleus of the brain, and macrophages, CpG islands in the promoter region of the HDC gene were found to be demethylated in cells expressing the gene, whereas they are methylated in other cells that do not express the HDC gene. In collaboration with many other researchers, we developed HDC knockout mice. The resulting research is producing a lot of interesting findings in our laboratory as well as in others. In summary, HDC has been and will be useful in studies on functions of histamine. © 2002 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 2: 369,376, 2002: Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI 10.1002/tcr.10036 [source] The Role of Allergy and Smoking in Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Polyposis,THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 9 2008FACS, Steven M. Houser MD Abstract Objectives/Hypothesis: The article considers the interrelatedness of allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The negative impact of perennial allergy and tobacco use on polyposis in sinus surgery patients is explored. Study Design: A retrospective chart review, performed by the first author over a 6-year period, of patients who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery for CRS. Methods: The subjects' allergy status and smoking history are scrutinized by summary statistics and a multiple linear logistic model for predicting the presence of polyps. Results: High prevalence of perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) is seen in the subject population (56.4%). Both PAR and tobacco use are associated with nasal polyposis (P = .0073 and P = .0114, respectively). Conclusions: The close association of PAR and CRS suggests a possible causal link. Management of allergic rhinitis and tobacco cessation may provide greater control of chronic hyperplastic rhinosinusitis. [source] THE RADIOCARBON CHRONOLOGY OF KOPIA, AN EARLY GLASS MANUFACTURING CENTRE IN INDIAARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 5 2010A. K. KANUNGO Right from the time of the Painted Grey Ware (PGW) culture, dating to c. 1200,600 bce, more than 210 archaeological sites in India have provided evidence of glass, but there has been no attempt to date the glass-yielding layers by radiometric techniques. This has hampered the establishment of a chronology for the beginning and evolution of glass-making in India. The site of Kopia was excavated by the first author for three seasons from 2004 to 2006 to understand the history, development and technology of glass production in India. The excavation produced evidence of a long period of occupation, covering the Fine Grey Ware (FGW), Northern Black Polished Ware (NBP), Sunga,Kushana and Gupta periods. Twenty accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and radiocarbon dates, all derived from charcoal samples and processed independently by three laboratories, are available from the site. The dates range in their calibrated form on average from the ninth to the second century bce in locality I and from the second century bce to the second century ad in locality II. [source] Development of Rotary Blood Pump Technology: Past, Present, and FutureARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 6 2000Yukihiko Nosé Abstract: Even though clinical acceptance of a nonpulsatile blood flow was demonstrated almost 45 years ago, the development of a nonpulsatile blood pump was completely ignored until 20 years ago. In 1979, the first author's group demonstrated that completely pulseless animals did not exhibit any abnormal physiology if 20% higher blood flows were provided to them. However, during the next 10 years (1979,1988), minimum efforts were provided for the development of a nonpulsatile, permanently implantable cardiac prosthesis. In 1989, the first author and his team at Baylor College of Medicine initiated a developmental strategy of various types of nonpulsatile rotary blood pumps, including a 2-day rotary blood pump for cardiopulmonary bypass application, a 2 week pump for ECMO and short-term circulatory assistance, a 2 year pump as a bridge to transplantation, and a permanently implantable cardiac prosthesis. Following the design and developmental strategy established in 1989, successful development of a 2-day pump (the Nikkiso-Fairway cardiopulmonary bypass pump) in 4 years (1989,1993), a 2 week pump (Kyocera gyro G1E3 pump) in 6 years (1992,1998), and a bridge to transplant pump (DeBakey LVAD,an axial flow blood pump) in 10 years (1988,1998) was made. Currently, a permanently implantable centrifugal blood pump development program is successfully completing its initial Phase 1 program of 5 years (1995,2000). Implantation exceeded 9 months without any negative findings. An additional 5 year Phase II program (2000,2005) is expected to complete such a device that will be clinically available. [source] Evolution-Motion of Crustobodies and Geotectonic MetallogenyACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 3 2000CHEN Guoda Abstract, Following the paper entitled A Preliminary Proposal on Crustobody Geotectonics presented by the first author to the 30th IGC in 1996, this paper further extends and elucidates the concept of crustobody in order to make a unifying study of the evolution and motion of crustal structures and to understand the law governing the formation and development of the earth' crust. In this paper the characteristics of crustobody evolution-motion are given. The authors lay emphasis on the relationship between crustobody evolution-motion and tectonic metallogeny. In the end, a multiple dynamic system of the crustobody evolution-motion is discussed from internal and external dynamic forces, and the mantle creep in internal dynamic factors is paid special attention to. [source] Toolkit for assessing the readiness of local safeguarding children boards: origins, ingredients and applicationsCHILD ABUSE REVIEW, Issue 5 2005Tony Morrison Abstract A central plank in the transformation of children's services in England and Wales is the creation on a statutory footing of Local Safeguarding Children Boards in every local authority area. The focus of the boards will be on the promotion, multiagency coordination and scrutiny of services to safeguard and promote children's welfare. They replace Area Child Protection Committees, which were judged to be ineffective. This paper presents the origins, ingredients and applications of an audit and preparation Toolkit designed to support the establishment of the new boards. The Toolkit was developed from the findings of a survey of 204 members of 16 ACPCs by the first author, and has been tested and refined through work with a large number of ACPCs. This survey identified problematic aspects of interagency collaboration that will need remedying if the new boards are to succeed where the previous committees failed. These include: the board's strategic relationship to wider children's planning fora; operational definition of the term ,safeguarding'; collective accountability; level of membership; performance management capacity; service user consultation. The ingredients of the Toolkit are described in relation to the findings of the survey. The paper concludes with a discussion of the applications and approaches to be considered in using the Toolkit. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Goal Attainment Scaling in paediatric rehabilitation: a report on the clinical training of an interdisciplinary teamCHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2008D. Steenbeek Abstract Background Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) is a responsive method for individual goal setting and treatment evaluation. However, current knowledge about its reliability when used in paediatric rehabilitation treatment is insufficient and depends highly on standardization of the GAS method. A training programme was developed to introduce GAS to a team of 27 professionals from five disciplines. The purpose of the paper is to share the experiences of professionals and parents during this training. Methods The training consisted of three 2-h general discussion sessions and intensive individual feedback from the study leader (i.e. the first author). Feedback was given until the GAS scales met predetermined criteria of ordinality, described specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic abilities and activities in a single dimension, used the ,can-do' principle and could be scored within 10 min. Therapists and parents were asked to give their opinion by completing a questionnaire. Results One hundred and fifteen GAS scales were developed and scored by professionals. The development of a GAS scale remained a time-consuming procedure, despite the training: 45 (SD = 27) minutes per scale. The content criteria of GAS were found to be useful by all participants. Common issues requiring revision of the initial scales were equal scale intervals, specificity, measurability and selection of a single variable. After the training, 70% of the therapists and 60% of the parents regarded GAS as a suitable tool to improve the quality of rehabilitation treatment. Examples of GAS scales developed by the various disciplines are presented and discussed. Conclusions The experiences reported in this paper support the further development of training procedures for GAS before it can be used as an outcome measure in effect studies. The findings may be helpful in introducing GAS in the field of childhood disability. [source] From functional neurosurgery to "interventional" neurology: Survey of publications on thalamotomy, pallidotomy, and deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease from 1966 to 2001MOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 8 2003Marwan I. Hariz MD Abstract Articles on surgery for Parkinson's disease (PD), published between 1966 and 2001, were reviewed with respect to whether the first author had a neurosurgical affiliation, and whether the papers appeared in neurosurgical or non-neurosurgical journals. Between 1966 and 1979, neurosurgeons and non-neurosurgeons published almost equally on surgery for PD in both neurosurgical and non-neurosurgical journals; between 1980 and 1995, the majority of publications were by neurosurgeons in neurosurgical journals; and after 1995, non-neurosurgeons were more often first authors of surgical publications and these were more frequent in non-neurosurgical journals. The fact that the first author of surgical publications on PD is often a non-neurosurgeon may have some bearing on the reported results of surgery. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society [source] Gender Trends in Emergency Medicine PublicationsACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 12 2007Siu Fai Li MD Background In recent years, the number of women entering the field of emergency medicine (EM) has increased. Objectives To determine if authorship in EM publications has increased in parallel with this trend. Methods The gender of first and last authors of EM articles in Academic Emergency Medicine, American Journal of Emergency Medicine, Annals of Emergency Medicine, and Journal of Emergency Medicine were examined. The authors reviewed articles from 1985, 1995, and 2005 for American Journal of Emergency Medicine, Annals of Emergency Medicine, and Journal of Emergency Medicine and from 1999 and 2005 for Academic Emergency Medicine. The primary outcomes were the proportions of female authors. Results A total of 2,016 articles were reviewed. Overall, 18% of first and last authors were female. Respectively, for 1985, 1995, 1999, and 2005, the proportions of female first authors were 9%, 15%, 19%, and 24%; the proportions of female last authors were 9%, 18%, 19%, and 22%. The trend of increases in female authorship was statistically significant. Conclusions Although female authorship remains a minority in EM publications, it has increased significantly in parallel with increases in female participation in EM. [source] Should children be screened to undergo early treatment for otitis media with effusion?CHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2003A systematic review of randomized trials Abstract Background Otitis media with effusion (OME) is the most common cause of acquired hearing loss in childhood and has been associated with delayed language development and behavioural problems. Some have argued that children should be screened and treated early if found to have clinically important OME. The aim of this review was to assess evidence from randomized controlled trials about the effectiveness of screening and treating children with clinically important OME in the first 4 years of their life. The primary outcome was language development. Methods We searched the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, MEDLINE and EMBASE and reference lists of all included studies in February 2003. We also contacted the first authors of the studies included in this review. Search terms included otitis media; otitis media with effusion; glue ear; OME; screen; children; treatment; language; and behaviour. Data extraction and methodological quality assessment were performed by at least two of us for each study independently, using methods described in the Cochrane Collaboration Handbook. Results From the three included randomized controlled trials evaluating interventions among children with OME identified through screening, we found no evidence of clinically important benefit in language development. Conclusions The identified randomized trials do not show an important benefit on language development from screening the general population of asymptomatic children in the first 4 years of life to undergo early treatment for OME. Screening asymptomatic children in the first 4 years of life for OME is not recommended. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||