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Selected AbstractsPerformance-based seismic analysis and design of suspension bridgesEARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 4-5 2005Serafim Arzoumanidis Abstract This paper presents a performance-based seismic analysis and design of a large suspension bridge, the new Tacoma Narrows Parallel Crossing in the State of Washington. The scope of the project included establishment of design criteria, extensive analysis and validation of the design. The analysis was performed using detailed three-dimensional models that included geometric and material non-linearity. The target post-earthquake level of service was verified using stress, deformation and ductility criteria. In the absence of well-established criteria, which relate the structural response of tower shafts to specific levels of performance, capacity analyses were performed to demonstrate that the design fulfills the performance objectives. The seismic analysis and design of this bridge was reviewed throughout the design process. An independent check team also performed separate analysis and validation of the design. Thus, this bridge constitutes an example of a large-scale design project where the performance-based seismic design procedures underwent rigorous assessment. This work demonstrated that the performance-based approach for seismic design is an appropriate way for designing earthquake-resistant structures. Further data that relate the structural response with the performance objectives are necessary. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Iterative channel estimation and data detection in frequency-selective fading MIMO channels,EUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Issue 5 2004Maja Lon Signals transmitted through multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless channels suffer from multiple-access interference (MAI), multipath propagation and additive noise. Iterative multiuser receiver algorithms mitigate these signal impairments, while offering a good tradeoff between performance and complexity. The receiver presented in this paper performs channel estimation, multiuser detection and decoding in an iterative manner. The estimation of the frequency selective, block-fading channel is initiated with the pilot symbols. In subsequent iterations, soft decisions of all the data symbols are used in an appropriate way to improve the channel estimates. This approach leads to significant improvement of the overall receiver performance, compared to other schemes. The bit-error-rate (BER) performance of the receiver is evaluated by simulations for different parameter setups. Copyright © 2004 AEI. [source] Comment to Sherr and Sherr (1999): "Is there any appropriate way to distinguish different ,- N -acetylhexosaminidase activities in aquatic environments?"FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2000Jaroslav Vrba Abstract The recent paper of Sherr and Sherr on detecting low-affinity ,-glucosaminidase activity in several marine microbes extends current knowledge about hydrolytic enzyme activities in natural aquatic systems. However, their conclusions regarding the whole-cell assay with MUF- N -acetyl-,- D -glucosaminide (MUF-[GlcNAc]) cannot be accepted. First, we explicitly demonstrate a strong correlation between extracellular activities of the high-affinity enzymes and grazing rates of bacterivorous protists. Therefore, the assay can still be recommended for the estimation of total protistan grazing on prokaryotic picoplankton. Second, the ability of many aquatic organisms to produce enzymes which cleave fluorogenic substrates, such as MUF-[GlcNAc] and/or MUF-,- D - N,N,,N,-triacetylchitotriose (MUF-[GlcNAc]3), has been well-documented during the last decade. Thus, neither of the two substrates may be considered as exclusively specific for targeting either lysozymes or ,- N -acetylhexosaminidases. [source] Applicant and Recruiter Reactions to New Technology in Selection: A Critical Review and Agenda for Future ResearchINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SELECTION AND ASSESSMENT, Issue 2-3 2003Neil AndersonArticle first published online: 30 JUL 200 This paper presents a narrative review of recent research into applicant and recruiter reactions to new technology in employee selection. Different aspects of the use of new technology are noted including computer-based testing, Internet-based recruitment and candidate assessment, telephone-based and video-based interviews, video-based situational judgment tests, and virtual reality scenarios. It is argued that an appropriate way to conceptualize these advances is as ,technical innovations' as defined in the creativity and innovation research in Industrial, Work, and Organizational (IWO) psychology. Applicant reactions research is reviewed thematically, and studies into three main themes are discussed: Applicant preferences and reactions, equivalence, and adverse impact. Following Bartram (2001), an amphibian-monarchistic analogy is employed at several stages in the review. Four major criticisms of the extant applicant reactions research base are noted: its atheoretical orientation, a short-termist concentration upon reactions level outcomes, an over-reliance on students as surrogates, and a patchiness of coverage of crucial research questions. The second part of this paper explores neglected issues of recruiter adoption of new technology for employee selection. Again drawing from advances in the innovation and creativity literatures, this section explores likely antecedent factors at the individual and organizational levels of analysis. A general model of recruiter adoption of new technology is posited as a framework for future research in this area. For both applicant and recruiter reactions further research is called for and implications for practice are noted throughout. [source] Preparing a large data set for analysis: using the Minimum Data Set to study perineal dermatitisJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 4 2005Kay Savik MS Aim., The aim of this paper is to present a practical example of preparing a large set of Minimum Data Set records for analysis, operationalizing Minimum Data Set items that defined risk factors for perineal dermatitis, our outcome variable. Background., Research with nursing home elders remains a vital need as ,baby boomers' age. Conducting research in nursing homes is a daunting task. The Minimum Data Set is a standardized instrument used to assess many aspects of a nursing home resident's functional capability. United States Federal Regulations require a Minimum Data Set assessment of all nursing home residents. These large data would be a useful resource for research studies, but need to be extensively refined for use in most statistical analyses. Although fairly comprehensive, the Minimum Data Set does not provide direct measures of all clinical outcomes and variables of interest. Method., Perineal dermatitis is not directly measured in the Minimum Data Set. Additional information from prescribers' (physician and nurse) orders was used to identify cases of perineal dermatitis. The following steps were followed to produce Minimum Data Set records appropriate for analysis: (1) identification of a subset of Minimum Data Set records specific to the research, (2) identification of perineal dermatitis cases from the prescribers' orders, (3) merging of the perineal dermatitis cases with the Minimum Data Set data set, (4) identification of Minimum Data Set items used to operationalize the variables in our model of perineal dermatitis, (5) determination of the appropriate way to aggregate individual Minimum Data Set items into composite measures of the variables, (6) refinement of these composites using item analysis and (7) assessment of the distribution of the composite variables and need for transformations to use in statistical analysis. Results., Cases of perineal dermatitis were successfully identified and composites were created that operationalized a model of perineal dermatitis. Conclusion., Following these steps resulted in a data set where data analysis could be pursued with confidence. Incorporating other sources of data, such as prescribers' orders, extends the usefulness of the Minimum Data Set for research use. [source] Sand intake by laying hens and its effect on egg production parametersJOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION, Issue 4 2008J. Van Der Meulen Summary Soil intake may be the most prominent source of environmental contaminants for free range and organic hens, but there are no quantitative data concerning soil intake by domestic hens. Consumption of soil of 14,32 g a day can be estimated from literature, but such a dilution of nutrient intake seems incompatible with high productivity. In this study laying hens were fed pelleted diets with 0%, 10%, 20%, 25% and 30% of sand addition to determine its effect on productivity. Feed intake, feed and nutrient (feed minus sand) conversion ratio, egg production, egg weight and body weight gain were measured over a 4-week period. Acid insoluble ash concentration in the faeces was measured to determine the accuracy of estimating the soil ingestion by the soil-ingestion equation for wildlife as a way to determine soil ingestion of free range and organic hens under practical circumstances. The hens were able to compensate the dilution of the diet with 20%, 25% and 30% of sand by increasing their feed intake. Feed intake increased significantly and feed to egg conversion ratio decreased significantly with increasing sand levels in the diet. The nutrient to egg conversion ratio of the diet without sand tended to be worse than for the diets with sand, presumably due to the total absence of coarse material in the diet. There were no differences in egg production and egg weight between hens fed the different diets but body weight gain was significantly lower for the hens fed the diets with 20%, 25% and 30% of sand. Estimation of sand ingestion was done by the soil-ingestion equation for wildlife. Provided that the actual dry matter digestibility coefficient of the nutrient part of the diet is taken into account, estimating the soil ingestion according to the soil-ingestion equation for wildlife seems an appropriate way to determine soil ingestion for free range and organic hens under practical circumstances. [source] Experiences of loss and chronic sorrow in persons with severe chronic illnessJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 3a 2007Gerd Ahlström PhD Aims and objectives., The aims of the present study were to describe losses narrated by persons afflicted with severe chronic physical illness and to identify the concomitant occurrence of chronic sorrow. Background., Reactions connected with repeated losses are referred to in the literature as chronic sorrow, which has recently been described in conjunction with chronic illness. Design., A qualitative study with an abductive approach of analysis, including both inductive and deductive interpretations. Method., The study is based on 30 persons of working age with average disease duration of 18 years. The average age was 51 years. All of the persons had personal assistance for at least three months because of considerable need for help in daily life due to physical disability. Each person was interviewed twice. There was also an independent assessment of the deductive results concerning chronic sorrow. Results., The inductive findings show that all persons had experienced repeated physical, emotional and social losses. Most common were ,Loss of bodily function', ,Loss of relationship', ,Loss of autonomous life' and ,Loss of the life imagined'. ,Loss of identity' included the loss of human worth, dignity and a changed self-image. In addition, the deductive findings suggest that chronic sorrow exists in the study population. Sixteen of 30 participating subjects were assessed by both assessors to be in a state of chronic sorrow and there was an especially high agreement with respect to one criterion of chronic sorrow ,Loss experience, ongoing or single event' (28 of 30 subjects). Conclusions., This study shows that persons with severe chronic illness often experience recurring losses. These experiences are consistent with the phenomenon of chronic sorrow. Relevance to clinical practice., Knowledge of the existence of chronic sorrow in persons with chronic illness will enable nurses to support these persons in a more sensitive and appropriate way. [source] Combating prejudice and racism: new interventions from a functional analysis of racist languageJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2003Bernard Guerin Abstract Based on a conversational model of language-use-in-social-context, this article focuses on one particular form of racist and prejudiced talking that has not received enough attention,conversations in which racist statements function to maintain groups and relationships rather than seriously promote racism. Despite their casualness, such statements are still pernicious, and a range of potential interventions are proposed for this language function. These involve actively altering a community's discursive resources to include more rejoinders to racist comments. Such rejoinders must be utilized in the most appropriate way for any relationship, and this might mean polite corrections, witty repartee, strong put-downs to silence someone making racist comments, or as counter-jokes to racist jokes, depending upon the social context and power relations involved. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Growth dynamics of dairy processing firms in the European UnionAGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 3-4 2010Cornelis Gardebroek EU dairy processing industry; Dynamic panel data; Firm growth Abstract The structure of the dairy processing industry in the European Union has changed enormously in recent decades. In many countries, the industry is characterized by a few large companies with a big market share accompanied by many small processors that often produce for niche markets. This article investigates which factors relate to growth of dairy processing firms. Using a unique 10-year panel data set and recently developed dynamic panel data estimators, the growth process of dairy processors is investigated for six rather diverse European countries. The data structure and the estimation method allow for dealing with endogeneity issues in an appropriate way. Firm size growth measured in total assets is found to be affected by firm size, firm age, and financial variables. Growth in number of employees is only affected by firm age and lagged labor productivity. Implications for these results are given in the final section of the article. [source] 4-[18F]fluorophenyl ureas via carbamate-4-nitrophenyl esters and 4-[18F]fluoroaniline,JOURNAL OF LABELLED COMPOUNDS AND RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS, Issue 12 2006Sebastian Olma Abstract Four different no carrier added (n.c.a.) 4-[18F]fluorophenylurea derivatives are synthesized as model compounds via two alternative routes. In both cases carbamate-4-nitrophenylesters are used as intermediates. Either n.c.a. 4-[18F]fluoroaniline reacts with carbamates of several amines, or the carbamate of n.c.a. 4-[18F]fluoroaniline is formed at first and an amine is added subsequently to yield the urea derivative. The choice of the appropriate way of reaction depends on the possibilities of precursor synthesis. The radiochemical yields reach up to 80% after 50 min of synthesis time while no radiochemical by-products can be determined. These high yields were possible due to an optimized preparation of n.c.a. 4-[18F]fluoroaniline with a radiochemical yield of up to 90%. From the various ways of its radiosynthesis, the substitution with n.c.a. [18F]fluoride on dinitrobenzene is chosen, using phosphorous acid and palladium black for reduction of the second nitro group. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Tooth displacement due to occlusal contacts: a three-dimensional finite element studyJOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 12 2006S. GOMES DE OLIVEIRA summary, The use of the Finite Element Method (FE) is an appropriate way to study occlusal forces and tooth movement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of different occlusal contact patterns on tooth displacement in an adult dentition using a three-dimensional FE model of a human maxilla and mandible. Initially, images of a computerized tomography scan were redrawn in a computer program (CATIA) followed by the FE mesh construction. The MSC/Patran software was used to develop the FE mesh comprising 520 445 elements and 106 633 nodes. The MSC/Nastran program was utilized as pre and post-processor for all mathematical calculations necessary to evaluate dental and mandibular biomechanics. Four occlusal patterns were tested: FEM 1 , standard occlusal contacts; FEM 2 , removal of mesial marginal and mesial tripoidism contacts; FEM 3 , removal of distal marginal and distal tripoidism contacts; FEM 4 , similar to FEM 3 with added contacts between upper and lower incisors. Small changes in the standard distribution of occlusal contacts resulted in an imbalance of occlusal forces and changes in dental positioning. All simulations tested showed mesial displacement of posterior teeth. The most significant changes were registered in the model presenting unstable occlusal contacts when the anterior teeth were in occlusion (FEM 4). These findings may explain mandibular incisors crowding and maxillary incisors flaring as a result of small variations in dental contacts. [source] Uncovering sexual abuse: evaluation of the effectiveness of The Victims of Violence and Abuse Prevention ProgrammeJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 1 2010J. DONOHOE bsc Accessible summary ,,Discusses factors inhibiting open talk around a client's history of abuse including gender, age and diagnosis. ,,Evaluates the helpfulness of a training course designed to reduce and overcome these factors. ,,Aim of the evaluation is to help replicate the training nationally, following the positive impact found. Abstract Despite the high prevalence of sexual abuse among users of mental health services, it appears that mental health professionals are frequently unaware of clients' abuse histories. In order to address this, a Mental Health Trusts Collaboration Project of nine trusts was formed, which piloted delivering the Department of Health's Victims of Violence & Abuse Prevention Programme one-day education and training course regarding enquiring about histories of sexual abuse to various mental health practitioners. This hoped to educate practitioners in factors associated with victims and offenders, improve confidence and competence in asking about client's history of abuse and to increase awareness of the importance of asking. The purpose of this paper is to describe the impact of this course on mental health professionals' practice and attitudes in one of these nine trusts. It was found that since the delivery of the course, 44% (n= x) of professionals had been asking about abuse in 75,100% of cases. Gender, age and diagnosis of both the service users and the practitioners were all identified as factors potentially affecting practitioners' willingness to ask about abuse. Most importantly, 93% (n= x) of participants were found to feel they have the skills and knowledge to enquire about abuse and respond to disclosure in the appropriate way and 77% (n= x) of participants felt that this training had changed their clinical practice. The aim of this evaluation is to prove the effectiveness of the Department of Health's education and training course, which will help towards replicating the project nationally. [source] Asymptotics of the hypergeometric functionMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 6 2001D. S. Jones An asymptotic representation is obtained for the hypergeometric function ${\bf F}(a+\lambda,b-\lambda,c,1/2-1/2z)$\nopagenumbers\end as $|\lambda|\rightarrow\infty$\nopagenumbers\end with $|{\rm ph}\,\lambda|<\pi$\nopagenumbers\end. It is uniformly valid in the z -plane cut in an appropriate way. Several other forms of the hypergeometric function are discussed also. Another representation which has some advantages over the conventional one is given as well. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Experimental investigation of a moored floating systemPROCEEDINGS IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS & MECHANICS, Issue 1 2008Daniel Beyer Floating structures are generally excited by a more or less irregular sea state. Therefore the structure undergoes a nonlinear dynamical behaviour which results from hydrodynamic effects or the kinematic coupling of different components. The motions of these structures have been analysed intensively with numerical techniques which predict a wide range of nonlinear effects. On the other hand, experiments are still important when it comes to verifying these theoretical findings. Investigating such a floating structure experimentally requires a complex setup: A wave generator needs to be driven in an appropriate way to yield waves with the required characteristics at the structure. The structure itself is usually designed similar to a real,world system and it has to allow for a comparison with numerical analyses. Sensors which measure the tracks of the individual components not only have to reach a prescribed precision but also need to ensure that the motion is not perturbed as a result of the measurements. Lastly, unwanted disturbances have to be avoided. For experiments in a wave tank this includes that reflections have to be minimized. This talk addresses the development of an experimental setup for the investigation of a floating structure. It highlights components which are found to be critical for the obtained accuracy and proposes techniques to reduce experimental errors. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Is a gene-centric human proteome project the best way for proteomics to serve biology?PROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 17 2010Thierry Rabilloud Abstract With the recent developments in proteomic technologies, a complete human proteome project (HPP) appears feasible for the first time. However, there is still debate as to how it should be designed and what it should encompass. In "proteomics speak", the debate revolves around the central question as to whether a gene-centric or a protein-centric proteomics approach is the most appropriate way forward. In this paper, we try to shed light on what these definitions mean, how large-scale proteomics such as a HPP can insert into the larger omics chorus, and what we can reasonably expect from a HPP in the way it has been proposed so far. [source] Determinants of mail-survey response: Survey design factors and respondent factorsPSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, Issue 3 2002James G. Helgeson With the use of a hierarchy-of-effects model, the decision to complete a mail survey was modeled as a process moving through several stages. A set of variables thought to influence the survey-completion decision process was examined. These variables include survey design factors, which were manipulated by the researchers, and respondent factors, such as attitudinal and personal constructs. Based on the research findings, the hierarchy-of-effects model is an appropriate way to model the mail-survey-response process. The data indicate that among the survey design factors included in the study, the monetary incentive had the most effect on the decision process, with a pervasive impact throughout the process. Importantly, respondent factors such as attitude toward research were of critical importance in moving respondents through the survey-response process. Research into the response-rate phenomenon is likely to benefit by considering how both survey design and respondent factors affect specific stages of the response process and enhance participation in surveys. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Self-management for men surviving prostate cancer: a review of behavioural and psychosocial interventions to understand what strategies can work, for whom and in what circumstancesPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 9 2010Jane Cockle-Hearne Abstract Objective: In the context of increasing prostate cancer survivorship, evidence of unmet supportive care needs and growing economic health-care restraints, this review examined and evaluated best approaches for developing self-management programmes to meet men's survivorship needs. Methods: A search of international literature published in the last 12 years was conducted. Only randomised controlled trials were included in the analysis. Key components of the interventions were evaluated to determine what has been offered, and which elements are most beneficial in improving health outcomes. Methodological issues were also considered. Results: Targeting participant need and promoting motivation to participate and maintain programme adherence were the most important factors to emerge in ensuring positive health outcomes. Both need and motivation are multi-faceted, the components of which are identified and evaluated. Guidance was also identified in relation to delivery design, theoretical mechanisms for change, modes of delivery and facilitator issues. Conclusion: Self-management is a viable and appropriate way of providing health-care solutions to ameliorate men's functional and emotional problems associated with increased prostate cancer survivorship. Integration into clinical practice will require training, resources and commitment and, in addition, economic viability will be difficult to assess since cost comparison with current provision is not straightforward. Nevertheless, from the psychosocial and behavioural studies reviewed there is convincing evidence that can be used to design, implement and evaluate future self-management programmes for men surviving prostate cancer. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effects of Written Information Material on Help-Seeking Behavior in Patients with Erectile Dysfunction: A Longitudinal StudyTHE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2008Michael M. Berner MD ABSTRACT Introduction., Neither men with erectile dysfunction (ED) nor their physicians are willing to discuss sexual problem sufficiently. Written information material could facilitate a dialogue and encourage men to seek treatment. Aim., The central task of this article was to determine the effectiveness and acceptance of patient information material for sexual dysfunction. Methods., Through an information campaign, men received informational material. Eight thousand men also received a first survey, which asked about the intention to seek treatment and to discuss the sexual problem with a physician or partner. A second follow-up questionnaire, 3,6 months after the first one, asked for the implementation of these intentions. Descriptive and regression-based analyses were applied. Main Outcome Measures., Help-seeking behavior, subjective assessment of change in disease severity and partnership quality, satisfaction. Results., Four hundred forty-three men participated in both surveys. Nearly 90% of them became active after reading the information material. More than half talked with their partner (57.8%) and a physician (65%), and one-third sought treatment (31.8%). Especially discussing the problem with the partner and receiving treatment improved erectile functioning and led to an increase in the quality of partnership (P , 0.05). The initial intention to become active was a good predictor for completing an action. The main reasons for not becoming active were inhibitions to talk about ED (46.8%) and fear of a medical examination (27.7%). Conclusions., Overall, the results demonstrate that written information material is a useful resource for men with ED, because it evokes a high help-seeking behavior. It was perceived both to improve the sexual problem as well as to increase the quality of partnership. Providing such material in the medical practice may be an appropriate way to overcome inhibitions and to initiate dialogue with affected men. However, the results must be interpreted with caution because of possible motivationally driven self-selection bias. Berner MM, Leiber C, Kriston L, Stodden V, and Günzler C. Effects of written information material on help-seeking behavior in patients with erectile dysfunction: A longitudinal study. J Sex Med 2008;5:436,447. [source] Reforms Towards Intellectual Property-Based Economic Development in MalaysiaTHE JOURNAL OF WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, Issue 4 2009Lim Heng Gee It has been constantly asserted that the intellectual property (IP) system is an effective way to enhance creativity, technological innovations, trade and competitiveness. Others, however, maintain that the IP system may not necessarily be the most effective and appropriate way to fuel the economy. This article investigates the role that IP plays in the economic development of Malaysia from 1986 to 2006. In particular, the article examines the impact of IP-based reforms, which includes not only the IP laws but other IP-related policies with a view to determine how these policies contribute to economic development in Malaysia. For this purpose, the article starts with a brief summary of important IP-related policies. Then the article proceeds with an analysis of trends in IP applications such as patent, trademark and industrial design application. Using data such as numbers of IP filing and grant, this article suggests ways in which the reforms in IP-related policies could have supported growth or could have directly influenced trends in IP application in Malaysia. The article further examines the growth of IP applications in four industrial sectors in Malaysia, i.e. automobiles, information technology, pharmaceuticals, and information and communications technology. [source] The influence of self-citation corrections and the fractionalised counting of multi-authored manuscripts on the Hirsch indexANNALEN DER PHYSIK, Issue 9 2009M. Schreiber Abstract The Hirsch index or h -index is widely used to quantify the impact of an individual's scientific research output, determining the highest number h of a scientist's papers that received at least h citations. Fractionalised counting of the publications is an appropriate way to distribute the impact of a paper among all the coauthors of a multi-authored manuscript in an easy way, leading to a simple modification hm of the h -index. On the other hand the exclusion of self-citations allows one to sharpen the index, what is appropriate, because self-citations are usually not reflecting the significance of a publication. I have previously analysed the citation records of 26 physicists discussing the sharpened index hs as well as the modification hm of the original h -index. In the present investigation I combine these two procedures yielding the modified sharpened index hms. For a better comparison, interpolated indices are utilized. The correlations between the indices are rather strong, but nevertheless the positions of some datasets change, in a few cases significantly, depending on whether they are put into order according to the values of h, hm, hs, or hms. This leads to the conclusion that the additional effort in determining the modified sharpened index hms is worth performing in order to obtain a fairer evaluation of the citation records. [source] The role of spontaneous vegetation succession in ecosystem restoration: A perspectiveAPPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 1 2001Karel Prach Abstract. The paper summarizes ideas which were discussed during the ,Spontaneous Succession in Ecosystem Restoration' conference and elaborated through further discussion among the authors. It seeks to promote the integration of scientific knowledge on spontaneous vegetation succession into restoration programs. A scheme illustrating how knowledge of spontaneous succession may be applied to restoration is presented, and perspectives and possible future research on using spontaneous vegetation succession in ecosystem restoration are proposed. It is concluded that when implementing spontaneous succession for ecological restoration the following points must be considered: setting clear aims; evaluation of environmental site conditions; deciding whether spontaneous succession is an appropriate way to achieve the aims; prediction of successional development; monitoring of the results. The need for interdisciplinary approaches and communication between scientists, engineers and decision-makers is emphasized. [source] A review of maternal deaths at Goroka General Hospital, Papua New Guinea 2005,2008AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Karen SANGA Background:, Papua New Guinea is a developing country with a population of six million, facing significant geographical, cultural and economic barriers to the provision of antenatal and intrapartum care. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is an internationally regarded index of the quality of a country's maternity services; the most recently reported MMR for Papua New Guinea of 773 deaths per 100 000 births is one of the highest in the world. Aims:, To review information about women who died from pregnancy-related causes, both direct and indirect, in the Goroka General Hospital (GGH) during the period 1st January 2005 to 31st May 2008. Methods:, A retrospective review was undertaken of the charts of women recorded as dying in the Obstetrics and Gynecology (O&G) ward of GGH in the study period. Results:, The charts of 21 women who died from pregnancy-related causes were reviewed and information collated. Puerperal sepsis and sepsis complicating unsafe abortion were the most common causes of maternal death accounting for 48% deaths. Other causes included ectopic pregnancy and postpartum haemorrhage. Contributing factors included residence in a rural area, geographical and transport difficulties accessing care, non-use of family planning services, non-booking for antenatal care and late presentation in pregnancy or labour, and under-resourcing of services at GGH. The socio-economic status of most of the women was low, and where educational attainments were recorded these were also low. 71% of women identified themselves as practising Christians. Conclusions:, Better outreach services to provide health information and antenatal care, with specific counselling about the need for supervised delivery, are urgently required in the Eastern Highlands Province that GGH serves if numbers of maternal deaths are to be reduced. Working through churches in the region may be the most appropriate way to provide information and services to women because a majority of women adhere to Christianity and can be reached in this way. [source] Engaging with Aboriginal communities in an urban context: some practical suggestions for public health researchersAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 1 2009Priscilla Pyett Objective: In this paper, one Indigenous and two non-Indigenous public health researchers reflect on our combined experience of over thirty years in Aboriginal health, in order to develop some practical guidelines, particularly for researchers working with urban Indigenous population groups. Approach: Public health research is important not only to address the health inequities experienced by Australia's Indigenous populations, but also to build knowledge and confidence and to inform practice in Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations. Ethical guidelines and previous research experience demonstrate that researchers need to engage with the communities that may be involved in or affected by the research they propose. Although more than half of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population live in urban and regional centres, most research and commentaries address the health and social issues of remote communities. Researchers often do not know how to engage with urban Aboriginal communities and how to approach the particular research challenges within this context. Conclusion and Implications: The practical guidelines suggested in this paper may assist public health researchers to conduct ethical health research that is planned and carried out in a culturally appropriate way and that will benefit urban Aboriginal people. While not intended to be prescriptive, we believe that the lessons learned in Victoria will be applicable to other urban Indigenous contexts around Australia. [source] They Do What They Are Told to Do: The Influence of Instruction on (Chess) Expert Perception,Commentary on Linhares and Brum (2007)COGNITIVE SCIENCE - A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL, Issue 5 2009Merim Bilali Abstract Linhares and Brum (2007) argue that they provide evidence for analogy as the main principle behind experts' acquisition of perceptual knowledge. However, the methodology they used,asking players to pair positions using abstract similarity,raises the possibility that the task reflects more the effect of directional instructions than the principles underlying the acquisition of knowledge. Here we replicate and extend Linhares and Brum's experiment and show that the matching task they used is inadequate for drawing any conclusions about the nature of experts' perception. When expert chess players were instructed to match problems based on similarities at the abstract level (analogy), they produced more abstract pairs than pairs based on concrete similarity. However, the same experts produced more concrete pairs than abstract ones when instructed to match the problems based on concrete similarity. Asking experts to match problems using explicit instructions is not an appropriate way to show the importance of either analogy or similarity in the acquisition of expert knowledge. Experts simply do what they are told to do. [source] Diagnosing and treating diabetic foot infectionsDIABETES/METABOLISM: RESEARCH AND REVIEWS, Issue S1 2004Benjamin A. Lipsky Abstract Foot infections are a common, complex and costly complication of diabetes. We have made considerable progress in establishing consensus definitions for defining infection. Similarly, we have learned much about the appropriate ways to diagnose both soft tissue and bone infections. Accompanying these advances have been improvements in our knowledge of the proper approaches to antibiotic (and surgical) therapy for diabetic foot infections. Furthermore, investigators have explored the value of various adjunctive therapies, especially granulocyte colony stimulating factors and hyperbaric oxygen, for improving outcomes. This paper presents a summary of a minisymposium on infection of the diabetic foot that was held at the fourth International Symposium on the Diabetic Foot, in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands. Crown copyright 2004. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Knowability, Closure, and Anti-RealismDIALECTICA, Issue 1 2008Sven Rosenkranz In light of the paradox of knowability anti-realists ought to revise their wholesale equation of truth and knowability, lest they be committed to the absurd conclusion that there are no truths that will never be known. The task accordingly becomes to identify the problematic statements the knowability of whose truth would force that conclusion and to restrict the equation in appropriate ways to all but the problematic statements. This restriction strategy was first implemented by Tennant. However, recently Williamson and Brogaard and Salerno have argued that the restriction strategy, and in particular Tennant's implementation of it, fail to avert the paradoxical conclusion. Here I argue, first, that the arguments devised by Brogaard and Salerno are ineffective because they rely on an invalid closure principle and, second, that while Williamson's argument may suffice to undermine Tennant's specific proposal, it fails to discredit the restriction strategy as such. To this end, I give a better characterisation of the problematic cases, which is immune to Williamson's criticism, and then show how the restricted anti-realist thesis fares in light of the meaning-theoretical arguments anti-realists typically advance in support of their view. [source] Downscaling of global climate models for flood frequency analysis: where are we now?HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 6 2002Christel Prudhomme Abstract The issues of downscaling the results from global climate models (GCMs) to a scale relevant for hydrological impact studies are examined. GCM outputs, typically at a spatial resolution of around 3° latitude and 4° longitude, are currently not considered reliable at time scales shorter than 1 month. Continuous rainfall-runoff modelling for flood regime assessment requires input at the daily or even hourly time-step. A review of the different methodologies suggested in the literature to downscale GCM results at smaller spatial and temporal resolutions is presented. The methods, from simple interpolation to more sophisticated dynamical modelling, through multiple regression and weather generators, are, however, mostly based directly on GCM outputs, sometimes at daily time-step. The approach adopted is a simple, empirical methodology based on modelled monthly changes from the HadCM2 greenhouse gases experiment for the time horizon 2050s. Three daily rainfall scenarios are derived from the same set of monthly changes, representing different possible changes in the rainfall regime. The first scenario represents an increase of the occurrence of frontal systems, corresponding to a decrease in the rainfall intensity; the second corresponds to an increase in convective storm-type rainfall, characterized by extreme events with higher intensity; the third one assumes an increase in the monthly rainfall without any change in rainfall variability. A continuous daily rainfall-runoff model, calibrated for the Severn catchment, was used to generate daily flow series for the 1961,90 baseline period and the 2050s, and a peaks-over-threshold analysis was undertaken to produce flood frequency distributions for the two time horizons. Though the three scenarios lead to an increase in the magnitude and the frequency of the extreme flood events, the impact is strongly influenced by the type of daily rainfall scenario applied. We conclude that if the next generation of GCMs produce more reliable rainfall variance estimates, then more appropriate ways of deriving rainfall scenarios could be developed using weather generators rather than empirical methods. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Mealtime talk that supports literacy developmentNEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 111 2006Catherine E. Snow Participation in dinner table conversations offers children opportunities to acquire vocabulary, practice producing and understanding stories and explanations, acquire general knowledge, and learn how to talk in culturally appropriate ways. [source] Training to Provide for Healthy Rural AgingTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2001B.A.(Hons), Joseph Troisi Ph.D., M. Phil., M.A.(Soc), M.Th. ABSTRACT: More than 60 percent of the world's aged population is in developing countries, the majority living in rural and remote areas. Resources in these areas are scarce and there is a lack of services and programs, especially in the areas of health, housing and social welfare. The most serious deficiency faced by many countries in meeting the challenges of population aging is the pronounced scarcity of trained caregivers. Little attention has been given to developing effective training policies and programs. Most of the people providing a service to older people lack basic training and this is more so in rural and remote areas. The processes for extending liealthy aging and postponing the onset of chronic diseases and disabling conditions exist already. Unfortunately, these processes are not disseminated in appropriate ways. It is therefore imperative to disseminate this information by training people at the grass roots level to reach the most vulnerable and isolated older people. Primary care workers should have the necessary skills, knowledge and techniques to facilitate good care of older people in their environment. This article reviews and analyzes attempts being made by a number of countries to meet this need. Though the basic issues dealt with are often the same, the approach used differs. [source] Veterinary Drug Usage and Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria of Animal OriginBASIC AND CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY, Issue 4 2005Frank M. Aarestrup There are large variations in the amounts of antimicrobial agents used to produce the same amount of meat among the different European countries, which leaves room for considerable reductions in some countries. The emergence of resistant bacteria and resistance genes due to the use of antimicrobial agents are well documented. In Denmark it has been possible to reduce the usage of antimicrobial agents for food animals significantly and in general decreases in resistance have followed. Guidelines for prudent use of antimicrobial agents may help to slow down the selection for resistance and should be based on knowledge regarding the normal susceptibility patterns of the causative agents and take into account the potential problems for human health. Current knowledge regarding the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in food animals, the quantitative impact of the use of different antimicrobial agents on selection of resistance and the most appropriate treatment regimes to limit the development of resistance is incomplete. Programmes monitoring the occurrence and development of resistance and consumption of antimicrobial agents are strongly desirable, as is research into the most appropriate ways to use antimicrobial agents in veterinary medicine. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||