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Background: Self-management approaches are increasingly recommended after stroke with the aim of supporting longer-term adaptation, adjustment and condition management. Stroke survivors with aphasi...

Due to super elevation and centrifugal force, close attention is needed to lateral stability of cargo when the train negotiates curves. To guarantee the security of cargo on wagons, proper blocking...

The impact of medical student psychological distress on academic performance has not been systematically examined. This study provided an opportunity to closely examine the potential impacts of workplace and study related stress factors on student's psychological distress and their academic performance during their first clinical year.This one-year prospective cohort study was performed at a tertiary hospital based medical school in Melbourne, Australia. Students completed a questionnaire at three time points during the year. The questionnaire included the validated Kessler psychological distress scale (K10) and the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), as well as items about sources of workplace stress. Academic outcome scores were aggregated and correlated with questionnaire results.One hundred and twenty six students participated; 126 (94.7%), 102 (76.7%), and 99 (74.4%) at time points one, two, and three, respectively. 33.1% reported psychological distress at time point one, increasing to 47.4% at time point three. There was no correlation between the K10 scores and academic performance. There was weak negative correlation between the GHQ-28 at time point three and academic performance. Keeping up to date with knowledge, need to do well and fear of negative feedback were the most common workplace stress factors.Poor correlation was noted between psychological distress and academic performance.

Since highway safety laws vary greatly from state to state in the U.S., there is a need to analyze the effectiveness and performances of the implemented highway safety laws. The random-parameter zero-truncated negative binomial (RZTNB) models are proposed to analyze the effects of highway safety laws on fatal crashes at state levels. The results show that the proposed models are useful in describing the relationships between the fatal crashes and the explanatory variables with better goodness of fit. By accounting for the heterogeneities, the RZTNB model outperforms the negative binomial model and reveals new insights. The findings indicate that (1) compared to the secondary ban, the primary handheld cellphone ban is more effective; (2) establishing reasonable and acceptable speed limits can enhance the traffic safety; and (3) the implemented speed camera system and ignition interlock device have weaknesses and alternative methods should be considered when upgrading laws and regulations.

This paper proposes a random-parameter bivariate zero-inflated negative binomial (RBZINB) regression model for analyzing the effects of investigated variables on crash frequencies. A Bayesian approach is employed as the estimation method, which has the strength of accounting for the uncertainties related to models and parameter values. The modeling framework has been applied to the bivariate injury crash counts obtained from 1000 intersections in Tennessee over a five-year period. The results reveal that the proposed RBZINB model outperforms other investigated models and provides a superior fit. The proposed RBZINB model is useful in gaining new insights into how crash occurrences are influenced by the risk factors. In addition, the empirical studies show that the proposed RBZINB model has a smaller prediction bias and variance, as well as more accurate coverage probability in estimating model parameters and crash-free probabilities.

Ray Blanchard presented a theory of male-to-female (MtF) transsexualism based on a typology, classifying MtF transsexuals as autogynephilic or homosexual. This theory has produced much debate, and many transsexuals have disagreed with it. In this research, comments about Blanchard's theory were collected through an anonymous questionnaire from a convenience sample of 170 mostly White/European Internet-using MtF transsexuals. Positive responses to the theory were given by 15.9% of participants, 31.9% gave neutral responses, and 52.2% gave negative responses. The most common theme of the responses was that the theory was too narrow and restrictive. Other common themes were that the theory was simply wrong, did not apply to the participant's experience, was not acceptable, was not important, only applied to cross-dressers, and suggested underlying motives of the researcher. Some participants reported that they had experienced autogynephilia, and some reported changes of their sexual orientation. Giv...

The literature on health-related behaviours and motivation is replete with research involving explicit processes and their relations with intentions and behaviour. Recently, interest has been focused on the impact of implicit processes and measures on health-related behaviours. Dual-systems models have been proposed to provide a framework for understanding the effects of explicit or deliberative and implicit or impulsive processes on health behaviours. Informed by a dual-systems approach and self-determination theory, the aim of this study was to test the effects of implicit and explicit motivation on three health-related behaviours in a sample of undergraduate students (N = 162). Implicit motives were hypothesised to predict behaviour independent of intentions while explicit motives would be mediated by intentions. Regression analyses indicated that implicit motivation predicted physical activity behaviour only. Across all behaviours, intention mediated the effects of explicit motivational variables from self-determination theory. This study provides limited support for dual-systems models and the role of implicit motivation in the prediction of health-related behaviour. Suggestions for future research into the role of implicit processes in motivation are outlined.

Studies dealing with media coverage of climate change have increased steadily over the last decade or so, alongside the media coverage of climate change itself. This article aims to contribute to this growing literature on two levels: to deepen understanding of distinctive patterns of language use across nations speaking a common language and to demonstrate the usefulness of a new approach for finding such patterns. Articles in The (London) Times and the New York Times, published between 2000 and 2009, were analyzed using methods related to computational linguistics. Results show that the US seemingly still constructs climate change as a problem, whereas the UK focuses on finding solutions for the (established) problem of climate change. This linguistic and conceptual gap may hamper mutual understanding and the crafting of global climate change mitigation policies.

To mark the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl, this article identifies the generic, cross-industry safety lessons of the accident. These are supported by descriptions of contributing deficiencies (shortfalls in design, human factors, management, regulation and safety culture) and an account of the accident itself. The lessons are amplified by making links to other accidents with related features. A series of questions is developed to assist managers and engineers reexamine their organizational and technical systems in the light of the experience at Chernobyl.“As we approached the nuclear power plant by car, I could not have imagined that we were approaching a situation of what I term planetary scale, in that it will never be forgotten in world history: as, for instance, the eruption of the volcano which destroyed the city of Pompeii.”

The ability of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) to control cell fate is defined by its affinity for ligand. Current models suggest that ligand-binding heterogeneity arises from negative cooperativity in signaling receptor dimers, for which the asymmetry of the extracellular region of the Drosophila EGFR has recently provided a structural basis. However, no asymmetry is apparent in the isolated extracellular region of the human EGFR. Human EGFR also differs from the Drosophila EGFR in that negative cooperativity is found only in full-length receptors in cells. To gain structural insights into the human EGFR in situ, we developed an approach based on quantitative Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging, combined with Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations, to probe receptor conformation in epithelial cells. We experimentally demonstrate a high-affinity ligand-binding human EGFR conformation consistent with the extracellular region aligned flat on the plasma membrane. We explored the relevance of this conformation to ligand-binding heterogeneity and found that the asymmetry of this structure shares key features with that of the Drosophila EGFR, suggesting that the structural basis for negative cooperativity is conserved from invertebrates to humans but that in human EGFR the extracellular region asymmetry requires interactions with the plasma membrane.

Educational interventions for school-aged children to reduce the stigma of mental illness have mainly targeted high school students, and the long-term effects have rarely been considered. This article presents an evaluation of a school-based educational intervention on promoting positive attitudes and increased knowledge about mental illness in a sample of Victorian pre-adolescents. Sixty-nine grade 5 and 6 children received a 165-minute educational intervention about mental illness over two sessions. A group of 126 grade 5 and 6 children made up a control group. Knowledge, social distance and attitudes towards mental illness were assessed for both groups before and after the intervention. There was significant improvement in the intervention group on all measures compared with controls one week following the intervention, and a significant change remained four months after the intervention. These findings support the effectiveness of the intervention in changing attitudes favourably and improving knowled...

This paper examines the verbal strategies used by offenders during rape, examining the sequential, temporal and interactional aspects of sexual assaults. Forty-five statements taken from victims of rape were analysed in order to examine the interactive impact of the verbal strategies of offenders. There were three main aims: (i) to illustrate the impact these strategies have on victims' behaviours during assaults; (ii) to discuss how these verbal strategies vary across assaults; and (iii) to examine the precursors of and impact of victim resistance during the offence. Further, following recent examinations of the influence of location on the nature of rape and sexual assaults, assaults were compared between three locations: the victim's bedroom, elsewhere in the victim's home, and outside the victim's home. In each location, both compound (elaborate and repeated assaults) and direct assaults were examined. Findings across these styles and locations are discussed in order to understand the nature ...

A cell's decision to growth arrest, apoptose, or differentiate in response to transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) superfamily ligands depends on the ligand concentration. How cells sense the concentration of extracellular bioavailable TGF-beta remains poorly understood. We therefore undertook a systematic quantitative analysis of how TGF-beta ligand concentration is transduced into downstream phospho-Smad2 kinetics, and we found that the rate of TGF-beta ligand depletion is the principal determinant of Smad signal duration. TGF-beta depletion is caused by two mechanisms: (i) cellular uptake of TGF-beta by a TGF-beta type II receptor-dependent mechanism and (ii) reversible binding of TGF-beta to the cell surface. Our results indicate that cells sense TGF-beta dose by depleting TGF-beta via constitutive TGF-beta type II receptor trafficking processes. Our results also have implications for the role of the TGF-beta type II receptor in disease, as tumor cells harboring TGF-beta type II receptor mutations exhibit impaired TGF-beta depletion, which may contribute to the overproduction of TGF-beta and a consequently poor prognosis in cancer.

DNA molecules suitable for amplification by Polymerase Chain Reaction were obtained by immobilizing whole blood or isolated leukocytes and incubating the immobilized cells for one hour with the known non‐enzymatic solution described for preparing intact DNA molecules for PFGE. Cell immobilization was done in agarose gels and punches of 1.2 mm of diameter had the amount of DNA needed for amplifying chromosomal and mitochondrial sequences, many times. The approach was successfully used in preparing DNA molecules from multiple samples in flat‐bottom 96‐well ELISA plates. The procedure is simple and does not demand special conditions for sample transportation or conservation; thus, it should be useful to collect and process samples under field conditions in epidemiological studies.

Attitudes to nanotechnology are widely studied and are changing fast. An experiment comparing young peoples' attitudes to nanomedicine and conventional treatment was conducted on 434 undergraduate students. They answered a number of questions about a hypothetical arthritis sufferer who was to be treated with a drug or a newly invented nanomedical technique, and requiring either one treatment or several. They were more influenced by the difference between one-shot and repeated treatments than by any difference between drug- and nanodelivery. Furthermore the two treatments that seemed most negative to participants were a drug that had to be administered repeatedly, or a nanosystem that was needed only once. Participants preferred the thought of a drug that only had to be taken once, or else a nanosystem so gentle and progressive that it only took its full effect after several administrations. There was a consistent gender difference, with male participants taking a more positive view of the risks, ...

The validity of a probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) is dependent in part upon the validity of human reliability data used in the model. Existing human error probabilities (HEPs) from a variety of sources can be applied in a PSA. These include HEPs that are a) derived from collected data, b) available in databanks, and c) derived using human reliability assessment (HRA) techniques. However, application of existing HEPs is subject to several pitfalls that can invalidate the PSA. In this article, the nature and importance of the pitfalls are identified and approaches for avoiding or minimising their effects are described. Finally, the implications of the foregoing for data collection, data application, and HRA generally are discussed.

Effective qualitative and quantitative human reliability assessment (HRA) is required to achieve safety goals associated with complex, hazardous systems. Traditionally, awareness of HRA amongst engineers has been low. Therefore, promotion of the discipline within organisations may be necessary to maximise the benefits available from its application. A high-level promotional strategy is identified, consisting of a) informative and persuasive measures, and b) formal mandates. Multiple channels of communication, both direct and indirect, are available to promote HRA. A range of supporting approaches are helpful, such as use of system-specific evidence to demonstrate the benefits of HRA, targeting all levels of the organisational hierarchy, and use of the requirements of external customers and the regulator. It is suggested that carefully managed investment in internal promotional activities is worthwhile.

In the present work, a label immunoquantification procedure was developed in order to determine the number of markers introduced into DNA. A non-enzymatic, in vitro labeling method for introducing the p-bromobenzoyl radical (label), through transamination and acylation reactions of the cytidine nucleotides in calf thymus DNA, was carried out. Three spacer arms with different lengths were used for separating the label from the nucleotide and three labeled DNA were obtained. Anti-p-bromobenzoyl chicken IgY polyclonal antibodies were obtained. The antibodies detected the label, into three-labeled DNA, with different sensitivities, in relation to spacer arm length used. About 3-11 labels per 4 x 10(6) bases into thermally denatured DNA were immunoquantified.

The antigenicity of three chimeric synthetic peptides (Qm, Qm‐16, and Qm‐17) incorporating an immunodominant epitope of the gp41 transmembrane protein (587–617) and the different epitopes of the gp120 envelope protein (495–516), (301–335), (502–516) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV‐1), separated by two glycine residues, was evaluated by UltramicroEnzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (UMELISA) by using panels of anti‐HIV‐1 positive sera (n = 47). The specificity was evaluated with samples from healthy blood donors (n = 20) and anti‐HIV‐2 positive samples (n = 10). The results indicate that the chimeric peptide, Qm, was the most reactive one because it detected antibodies to virus efficiently. This may be related to peptide adsorption onto the solid surface, the C‐terminal region of HIV‐1 gp120 (495–516) combined with gp41 (587–617) in the chimera, and the epitope accessibility to the antibodies. This study showed the usefulness of the chimeric peptides as antigen to detect antibodies to HIV‐1 virus.

The public do not like, and we do not like the idea of designer babies (Ruth Deech, then Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, quoted in The Independent, 18 October 2000). We are all on the slippery slope-the question we should be asking is: skis or crampons (Professor John Harris, The Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, University of Manchester, in an interview with Susan Johnson). LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL GROUNDING OF THE DESIGNER BABY DEBATE In October 2000, news was released of the world’s first ‘designer baby’—Adam Nash who was born on 29 August 2000 in the United States. He was chosen as a donor for his sister Molly, who suffered with Fanconi Anaemia, which is a rare genetic disease. Without a bone marrow transplant, Molly would have died before the age of 10. A suitable donor had not been found, so her parents decided to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF), and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to select an embryo that would not carry the disease-causing gene and would b...

This paper details a survey of coal miners’ views on the bases for risk-taking. While literature exists on the subject of risk-taking in mines, comparatively few studies have sought to elicit the views of mine personnel themselves. An 83-item questionnaire, grounded upon insights from an earlier qualitative study, was developed and distributed to a sample of mine personnel (N=932). Results were analysed by means of principal components, factor analysis, an iterative refinement of the data set resulting in the development of a three-factor model that was considered to reflect potentially important dispositional influences on risk-taking amongst operational staff in mines. Derived constructs, identified as time pressure, management commitment and confidence in ability to control risk, were found to possess moderate to high levels of internal consistency (α statistic) and high face validity. Findings are discussed with reference to insights from both cognitive risk research and more recent work within the sa...

Although The State of the Nation's Ecosystems: Measuring the Lands, Waters, and Living Resources of the United States does not offer any easy answers, this nonpartisan, scientifically grounded “first in a series” report gives U.S. policy makers what none have been able to before: core national indicators by which to evaluate the state of the nation's ecosystems.

In the present work, a comparative study of 5-FdUrd, thy -, and metabolic in vivo labeling methods for plasmid and chromosomal DNA in E. coli DH5α cells was performed in order to achieve the best thymidine substitution method by 5-BrdUrd. According to the colorimetric immunoenzymatic results, we found that the minimal detectable labelled DNA (MDLD) was 312 pg with the 5-FdUrd and thy - methods for 5-BrdUrd labelled plasmid DNA. 5-BrdUrd replaced about 96% of the total thymidine by 5-FdUrd methods; for the thy - and metabolic labeling methods, the MDLD value was 1,25 ng for denatured 5-BrdUrd chromosomal DNA. Pyrimidine nucleoside analogues were also evaluated as immunochemical markers for their in vivo introduction into DNA.

A novel, two-stage oxidation experiment is described that enables the outward diffusion of cations in alumina scales during high-temperature oxidation to be analyzed on the basis of microstructural changes in the surface morphology of the scale. Using this technique, observations of aluminum out-diffusion along α-Al2O3 grain boundaries during oxidation of Fe–Cr–Al alloys, nickel aluminides and platinum-modified NiAl bond-coats are made. Although microstructural evidence for the inward grain boundary diffusion of oxygen is more difficult to obtain, it still can be demonstrated by the growth of the oxide above interface cavities on nickel aluminides and inside internal cracks in the alumina scales during cyclic oxidation of zirconia top-coated material. SEM examination of the crack surfaces after scale spallation provides a vivid illustration of two simultaneous processes, aluminum outward and oxygen inward diffusion along grain boundaries in the scale.

The recent Competition Commission inquiry into supermarket retailing highlighted the existence of spatial monopolies in certain areas of the UK. This paper explores their extent and examines future retail expansion opportunities in light of the report's recommendations. Using a number of indicators, we assess the geographical incidence of monopolies and provide a series of 'what-if?' analyses of how retailers might achieve growth. We examine how further market concentration might exacerbate existing monopolies/duopolies and consider the store divestments retailers may be prepared to undertake to increase their market shares. The overall pattern of retail provision in the British market is found to be highly complex at the subnational level. The indicators examined highlight monopoly/duopoly situations in under-provided areas, particularly relating to Tesco and Sainsbury in South East England. We suggest that merger/acquisition amongst the top firms might provide opportunities for other retailers to enhanc...

(2002). Talking About Safety—An Interview with Trevor Kletz, Part 2: Hazop, Hazan and the Attitude of the Public to Technological Risk. Safety and Reliability: Vol. 22, The Markov Edition, pp. 40-49.

Through a small number of distinctive comb types found in Scotland in the Late Norse period (12th-14th century AD) we seek to show how artefacts might be used for wider interpretations than the establishment of chronologies. The form of the various comb types reflects major elements within the lives of those who commissioned and used them. These elements are a combination of symbolic representations of economic activity and the need to express regional loyalties and identities within a wider cultural milieu.

We report the synthesis of the triphosphate of 5-methyl 4-N-[6-(p-bromobenzamido)hex-1-yl]-2′-O-deoxycytidine 3A . We also analyzed the formation of intramolecular H-bonds of 5-methyl 4-N-{n-[6-(p-bromobenzamido) caproyl amino]alk-1-yl}-2′-deoxycytidine compounds, and confirmed their presence by 1H-NMR studies. In vitro DNA labeling with modified nucleotides is preliminarily evaluated.

Metaphors used in news reports and on the Internet, such as "cloned organs are farmed," "genetically modified plants are killers," and so on, can be grouped or classified into higher order metaphors such as "CLONES ARE PLANTS" and "PLANTS ARE HUMANS." But reports on cloning and genetically modified (GM) plants use more than metaphors. We claim that cloning often was debated in terms of stock characters, such as Frankenstein's monster, taken from fictional accounts of cloning, whereas GM foods and crops often were discussed with rhetorical flourishes on idiomatic or familiar phrases, such as seeds of disaster. There are many cases in fiction of clones or single individuals as artificial persons, whereas GM plants are rare. We suggest that to express ideas that are literal, in the relative absence of familiar stock characters or personifications (characters that could be used in metaphors), the relevant thoughts are expressed using other familiar items, such as food-related book or film titles, idioms, and ...

(2000). A high aperture beamline for vacuum ultraviolet circular dichroism on the srs. Synchrotron Radiation News: Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 21-27.

Luminescence spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy have been used to study the transformation from theta-Al2O3 to alpha-Al2O3 on the surface of platinum-modified nickel aluminide, (Ni,Pt)Al, bond coats on superalloys during initial stages of oxidation at 1,000-1,200°C. The transformation can proceed in a number of ways, depending on the surface roughness, leading to different microstructures of the stable alpha-alumina scale. The use of the luminescence method makes it possible to correlate microstructural features of the oxide with the local stress through piezospectroscopic shifts of both alpha- and theta-alumina optical spectra.

Of police road accident files describing overtaking accidents, 973 were sampled from the headquarters of Nottinghamshire Constabulary, UK for 1989–1993. Of particularly detailed cases, 410 were examined in depth and salient facts extracted including the exact manoeuvre involved, the errors made by drivers, the reasons for error, and the principal behavioural countermeasures that would have prevented the accident. Particular hazards were: (1) oncoming vehicles that only came into view during the overtake, from turnings, bends and hill crests, and (2) collisions involving the same direction cohort. The most effective single countermeasure was to avoid overtaking a vehicle travelling at or near the speed limit. The study illustrates the 'structured judgement method' of accident causation research in which human interpreters are used to assign causes and processes to individual cases, but orthodox research techniques are used to standardize procedures, and to assess and ensure reliability.

In-depth studies of behavioural factors in road accidents using conventional methods are often inconclusive and costly. In a series of studies exploring alternative approaches, 200 cross-flow junction road accidents were sampled from the files of Nottinghamshire Constabulary, UK, coded for computer analysis using a specially devised ‘Traffic Related Action Analysis Language’, and then examined using different computational and statistical techniques. The present study employed an AI machine-learning method based on Quinlan's ‘ID3’ algorithm to create decision trees distinguishing the characteristics of accidents that resulted in injury or in damage only; accidents of young male drivers; and those of the relatively more and less dangerous situations. For example the severity of accidents involving turning onto a main road could be determined with 79% accuracy from the nature of the other vehicle, season, junction type, and whether the Turner failed to notice another road user. Accidents involving young mal...

Chromium ion luminescence spectroscopy with an optical microprobe has been used to map the residual compressive. stress in aluminafilms grown by high temperature thermal oxidation of NiAI single cr...

A qualitative study based on the first-hand accounts of students in higher education was conducted Participants were encouraged to explain, in their own terms, their own help-seeking behaviour. The focus for their explanations was ‘help-seeking from academic staff’. The aim of the study was to construct a culturally sensitive account of barriers to help-seeking in a student population. The discussion focuses on how studies of this kind might complement and extend what is already known about help-seeking m the extant literature.

Offering an affirmative reading of work suggesting a strong association between postmodern society and consumer society, this paper provides an account of consumption and identity through an initial consideration of modern and postmodern conceptions of space‐time. Rather than addressing the detail of various critiques of work promulgating a strong association between the postmodern and consumerism; and rather than considering directly the degree of overlap or synonymy of the two terms; the paper works with an understanding of the modern /postmodern distinction that allows the problem (or, rather, aporia) of identity, and its increasingly important relation to consumption, to be brought to the fore. The connections between modernity, postmodernity, space‐time, identity and consumption are shown to possess a strong theoretical coherence‐recognition of which is extremely limited in those critiques expressing incredulity with respect to the association of consumerism and postmodernity, to which this paper obl...

The rise in student numbers at UK higher education institutions in recent years has led to increasing uncertainty among academic staff about the role they should play in relation to students with problems. One way of addressing uncertainties of this sort is to clarify the expectations of the various constituencies involved. Certainly academic staff are seen by their employers as one component of the helping networks that operate within their institution. But what about students? Do they see lecturers as a source of help outside of the classroom? The study reported here is a repertory grid investigation of students' preparedness to approach academic staff for help with problems. The findings suggest that students both expect and want their lecturers to be a source of help.

We invoke the Lifshitz theory of van der Waals forces to derive a simple, analytical expression for the adhesion across a planar metal-ceramic interface. The van der Waals energy is conveniently expressed as a function of readily accessible bulk properties of the respective materials. Application to several non-reactive metal-sapphire systems shows the predicted van der Waals energy to provide a good lower-bound estimate of the measured adhesion energy. Apart from platinum and palladium, where strong metal-aluminium interactions have been predicted, adhesion energies in noble-metal systems are well accounted for by van der Waals interactions alone. Not surprisingly, adhesion in the more chemically active metals exceeds the van der Waals energy.

Trust is a complex feature of human interaction. It provides a coherent framework for understanding and solving many of the most difficult problems associated with learning safety lessons from mistakes. Organisations can improve their ability to learn from mistakes and manage safety by pursuing measures that promote a climate of trust.