Showing papers by "Keele University published in 1994"

Doing counselling research

Abstract: Doing Counselling Research Reading the Literature Placing Research in Context The Research Process Stages, Tasks and Traps Using Quantitative Methods Test, Rating Scales and Survey Questionnaires Listening to Stories about Therapy From Qualitative Research to Human Science Systematic Inquiry into Individual Cases Does It Work? Evaluating the Outcomes of Counselling Exploring the Interior of Therapy Method and Strategy in Process Research An Ethical Framework for Research Practice Critical Issues in Counselling Research

A Unified Model for Spatial and Temporal Information

Abstract: Many applications of spatial information systems require not just spatial data handling but a unified approach to space and time. This paper begins by motivating this requirement with some examples, continues by identifying some of the key issues in this area and then discusses a unified generic model for information which is referenced to two spatial dimensions and two temporal dimensions (database and event times)

Freeing Ourselves From Objectivity: Managing Subjectivity or Turning Toward a Participatory Mode of Consciousness?:

Abstract: The call by educational researchers for the methodological management of the self is placed within a discussion on modes of consciousness. The management of both subjectivity and objectivity are seen as sharing the same alienated mode of consciousness that believes in the possibility of a regulated distance between self and other. Drawing from interdisciplinary writings, I explore a participatory mode of consciousness, which involves a somatic, nonverbal quality of attention that necessitates letting go of the focus on self. The recognition of kinship and therefore of ethics is at the core of a participatory mode of consciousness. I further note relations to educational research and questions to be raised if a participatory mode of consciousness is to be fostered.

Sex, gender identity, gender role attitudes, and consumer behavior

Abstract: This article identifies differences between sex, gender identity, and gender role attitudes. Using measures of these constructs, data were collected in a field study of Christmas shopping behaviors. Alternative measurement and multivariate regression models were estimated. The results showed the models best fit the data when the measures were specified as reflecting unique rather than common gender constructs. The measures also each explained significant incremental variance in different shopping behaviors. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A sensitive high-resolution record of late Holocene climatic change from a raised bog in northern England:

Abstract: Proxy-climatic data in the form of plant macrofossils have been analysed from a 5 m core from Bolton Fell Moss, Cumbria, UK. Detailed analysis of peat from the upper 50 cm of this core is used to demonstrate a strong correlation between changes in the relative proportion of taxa and known climatic changes over the last 1000 years. The record of changes in bog vegetation contained within the peat profile is used to reconstruct changes in bog-surface wetness for the latter half of the Holocene. As bog- surface wetness is directly controlled by the prevailing climatic conditions, this reconstruction can be viewed as a proxy-climate record. Twelve radiocarbon age estimates on the 5m core suggest that between 50 and 500 cm peat accumulated at a relatively constant rate of 12.4 yr cm-1 . The regular sampling intervals thus provide a time series of past bog-surface wetness; spectral analyses of this series indicates that wetness changes are cyclic, with a ca. 800 year periodicity.

Adhesion: Molecules and Mechanics

Abstract: There is a difference between adhesion at the molecular level and adhesion in engineering. There is no doubt that molecules of solid materials stick together and can be separated mechanically. The problem is explaining the connection between molecular attractions and mechanical measurements. False ideas such as keying and gluing require critical assessment because they confuse molecules and mechanics. Mechanisms such as adhesive hysteresis, stringing, and clustering deserve evaluation. A rational theory of these phenomena should be based on the theoretical concept of reversible work of adhesion and on the measured quantity of adhesive energy, which includes the extra energy required to restructure the interface as surfaces move.

Enzymatic barriers for GI peptide and protein delivery

Abstract: The oral delivery of therapeutic peptides and proteins is a major challenge to pharmaceutical science. The gastrointestinal (GI) tract contains many endo- and exopeptidases, enzymes that hydrolyze peptide bonds and act synergistically to degrade proteins and peptides. It is important to have both qualitative and quantitative data on these peptidases when devising strategies for oral peptide and protein delivery. The greatest threat to therapeutic peptides lies in the lumen of the small intestine, which contains gram quantities of peptidases secreted from the pancreas, as well as cellular peptidases from the mucosal cells, which are constantly sloughed off from the villi. The second major enzymatic barrier is the brush border membrane of the epithelial cells, which contains at least 15 peptidases that together have a broad specificity and can degrade both proteins and peptides. Lysosomal peptidases will also present a barrier to any peptides or proteins endocytosed by the epithelial cells. Although the colon has received some attention as a possible site for peptide delivery, evidence shows that the lumen of the colon contains substantial amounts of peptidase activity, largely because of enzyme production by microorganisms. From a knowledge of the enzymatic barrier, the strategies for oral peptide delivery of enzyme inhibition and the synthesis of enzyme-resistant peptide analogues are logical developments. The latter approach is the most promising.

Relational colour constancy from invariant cone-excitation ratios

Abstract: Quantitative measurements of perceptual colour constancy show that human observers have a limited and variable ability to match coloured surfaces in scenes illuminated by different light sources Observers can, however, make fast and reliable discriminations between changes in illuminant and changes in the reflecting properties of scenes, a discriminative ability that might be based on a visual coding of spatial colour relations This coding could be provided by the ratios of cone-photoreceptor excitations produced by light from different surfaces: for a large class of pigmented surfaces and for surfaces with random spectral reflectances, these ratios are statistically almost invariant under changes in illumination by light from the sun and sky or from a planckian radiator Cone-excitation ratios offer a possible, although not necessarily unique, basis for perceptual colour constancy in so far as it concerns colour relations

Hannah Arendt: A Reinterpretation of her Political Thought

Abstract: 1. Introduction 2. The Origins of Totalitarianism 3. 'Totalitarian Elements in Marxism' 4. The Human Condition 5. Morals and politics in a post-totalitarian age 6. A new republicanism 7. Philosophy and politics 8. Conclusion.

Southern Menderes Massif: an incipient metamorphic core complex in western Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract: In the southern sector of the Menderes Massif, north of Selimiye (Milas) augen gneisses interpreted as a deformed peraluminous granite have been dynamothermally metamorphosed and are surrounded by and intrude a regionally metamorphosed Palaeozoic ‘envelope’ The granitic rocks exhibit a moderately-dipping mylonitic foliation and NNE-SSW- trending mineral elongation lineation The progressive deformation of the granitic rocks produces a structural sequence typical of an extensional shear zone marked, from bottom to top, by a very thick extensive zone of mylonites followed in turn by brecciated mylonite and cataclasite The kinematic indicators exhibit a top-to-the south, down-dip sense of shear These structures are attributed to exhumation of the granitic rocks of the massif along a major, south-dipping, normal-sense shear zone that accommodated crustal extension during Late Oligocene collapse of the orogen in western Turkey Thus, the southern Menderes Massif may be interpreted as the exhumed footwall of a major extensional shear zone, and possibly as an incipient core complex

Spectroscopy of $A0620-00$: the mass of the black hole and an image of its accretion disc

Abstract: We present spectra of the black hole binary A0620-00 taken at Hα and Hβ to study the distribution of emission-line flux from its accretion disc. Using the spectra of Hα, we have measured the K-type companion star's radial velocity semi-amplitude and rotational broadening to be K 2 =433±3 km s −1 and v sin i=83±5 km s −1 . Accounting for the Roche-lobe geometry of the companion, the rotational broadening gives the mass ratio q=M 2 /M 1 =0.06 7±0.01. The disc contributes 6±3 per cent of the light at Hα and 17±3 per cent at Hβ, with the K star providing the rest. The masses of the compact object and K star derived from our values of K 2 and q are M 1 =(3.09±0.09)sin −3 i M ○. and M 2 =(0.21±0.04)sin −3 i M ○.

Deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate levels: A critical factor in the maintenance of genetic stability

Abstract: DNA precursor pool imbalances can elicit a variety of genetic effects and modulate the genotoxicity of certain DNA-damaging agents These and other observations indicate that the control of DNA precursor concentrations is essential for the maintenance of genetic stability, and suggest that factors which offset this control may contribute to environmental mutagenesis and carcinogenesis In this article, we review the biochemical and genetic mechanisms responsible for regulating the production and relative amounts of intracellular DNA precursors, describe the many outcomes of perturbations in DNA precursor levels, and discuss implications of such imbalances for sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents, population monitoring, and human diseases

Molecular genetic studies of sporadic pituitary tumors.

Abstract: Tumor formation may result from the activation of dominant oncogenes or by inactivation of recessive, tumor suppressor genes. The role of such mutations in the development of pituitary tumors has been studied. Tumors from 88 patients, representing the 4 major classes of adenoma, were investigated. In DNA extracted from matched leukocyte and tumor samples, allelic deletions were sought with 15 probes identifying restriction fragment length polymorphisms on chromosomes 1, 5, 10, 11, 13, 17, 20, and 22. Evidence of amplification or rearrangement of 10 recognized cellular oncogenes (N-ras, mycL1, mycN, myc, H-ras, bcl1, H-stf1, sea, kraS2, and fos) was sought in tumor DNA. Activating dominant mutations of Gs alpha were detected using the polymerase chain reaction to amplify exons 7-10 and hybridizing the product to normal and mutant allele-specific oligonucleotides. Allelic deletions on chromosome 11 were identified in 16 tumors (18%) representing all 4 major subtypes. Deletions on other autosomes were observ...

Structure and Energetics of Alumina Surfaces Calculated from First Principles

Abstract: First-principles calculations based on density–functional theory and pseudopotentials are used to calculate the energies and relaxed structures of five low-index surfaces of α-alumina. Evidence for the reliability of the theoretical methods is provided by calculations of the lattice parameters and internal coordinates of the perfect crystal, which agree very closely with experimental data. It is shown that, for some of the surfaces, relaxation effects reduce the surface energy by over a factor of two and lead to major changes of surface structure, with particularly large effects being found for the (0001) and (1010) surfaces. Results are also presented for the distribution of valence electron charge in the surface region. These results suggest that α-alumina is highly ionic even for ions at the surface.

Effect of oral gamolenic acid from evening primrose oil on menopausal flushing

Abstract: Objective : To evaluate the efficacy of gamolenic acid provided by evening primrose oil in treating hot flushes and sweating associated with the menopause. Design : Randomised, double blind, placebo controlled study. Setting : District general hospital and teaching hospital. Subjects : 56 menopausal women suffering hot flushes at least three times a day. Intervention : Four capsules twice a day of 500 mg evening primrose oil with 10 mg natural vitamin E or 500 mg liquid paraffin for six months. Main outcome measures - Change in the number of hot flushes or sweating episodes a month. Results : 56 diaries were analysed, 28 from women taking gamolenic acid and 28 from those taking placebo. Only 18 women given gamolenic acid and 17 given placebo completed the trial. The mean (SE) improvement in the number of flushes in the last available treatment cycle compared with the control cycle was 1.9 (0.4) (P Conclusion : Gamolenic acid offers no benefit over placebo in treating menopausal flushing.

Object-oriented approaches to geo-referenced information

Abstract: This paper surveys the current state of the object-oriented paradigm as it applies to the handling of geo-referenced information. The model of any computerized system is multi-layered, with a high-level system-independent conceptual model of the application domain supported by increasingly system-oriented models beneath. The author argues that object-oriented approaches can be taken at each of these layers. The major constructs of object-orientation are discussed from this layered viewpoint and in the context of geo-information handling.

Carbon Taxes, Consumer Demand and Carbon Dioxide Emissions: A Simulation Analysis for the UK

Abstract: In this paper we examine the effects of a carbon tax, one of the possible instruments for reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Such taxes are currently being proposed as a means of reducing CO2 emissions, motivated by concerns about the global greenhouse effect and its potential impact on global climate and sea levels (Cline, 1991) and on global economies (Nordhaus, 1991). We therefore take as our problem the reduction of CO2 emissions by the UK economy by use of a carbon tax, and the corresponding effect of this tax on the purchasing power and economic behaviour of households. If they were introduced, carbon taxes would affect the price of fossil fuels in the UK, and thus UK consumer prices, both directly for fuels and indirectly for manufactured goods. These price changes would in turn affect the level and structure of UK final demand, and it is this post-tax UK final demand which will determine UK fossil fuel use, and thus CO2 emissions. In particular, we investigate the social effects of a carbon tax, by considering the distribution of the increased tax burden across consumers.

Problematics of government (post) modernity and social work

Abstract: This paper attempts to locate contemporary developments and tensions in social work within current debates in social theory concerning the problematics of government and (post) modernity. It argues that modern social work emerged in a period of ‘welfarism’ which has now passed and that as a consequence social work has not simply been restructured in the era of neo-liberalism but is exposed as an activity particularly concerned with managing family life via the exercising of moral judgements and negotiating responsibilities. As a consequence the essential ambiguities of social work are more self evident than previously, and rather than constituting problems to be overcome, articulate the central elements of what it is to do social work. The article concludes by, tentatively, outlining the implications of such an analysis and how it may help us to understand what is going on and how we might proceed

Dietary carotenoids protect human cells from damage.

Abstract: A physical chemistry technique based on singlet oxygen luminescence at about 1270 nm and a biological cell membrane technique were used to study the quenching of singlet oxygen by four carotenoids bound to the surface of lymphoid cells. All the carotenoids studied showed a beneficial effect in cell protection, but there were subtle differences between them.

Hydraulics of interrill overland flow on stone-covered desert surfaces

Abstract: The hydraulics of interrill overland flow on stone-covered desert surfaces depend on the resistance to flow, which may be partitioned into grain resistance, form resistance, wave resistance, and rain resistance. Efforts to model large-scale roughness in open channels suggest that resistance to overland flow on such surfaces is a function of grain Reynolds number, Froude number, flow depth, and the size, shape, spacing, and pattern of the roughness elements. The effect of flow depth on flow resistance f is often hidden in the flow Reynolds number Re. In laboratory and field studies alike, f-Re relations have been found to be convex-upward and negatively sloping, and these shapes have been explained in terms of the progressive inundation of the roughness elements. Where laboratory- or field-based models have been developed for predicting f, they invariably contain percent stone cover. The prominence of this variable reflects the strong influence of stone size and spacing on flow resistance. A laboratory study shows that where the Froude number F > 0.50, wave resistance increases with stone cover and dominates resistance to flow on all surfaces with stone covers greater than 10%. A field study indicates that where F < 0.50 and wave resistance is inconsequential, grain and form resistance typically account for about 5% and 95% of f, respectively. These findings have important implications for sediment transport modeling because percent grain resistance is equal to percent grain shear stress, and it has recently been suggested that in overland flow, as in river flow, sediment transport capacity is determined by grain shear stress rather than total shear stress. A laboratory study, however, demonstrates that this is not the case. Sediment transport capacity is in fact greater than predicted by grain shear stress because energy dissipated in the wakes of roughness elements in overland flow is transformed into turbulence sufficiently close to the bed to affect sediment transport.

The imidazoline site involved in control of insulin secretion: characteristics that distinguish it from I1- and I2-sites.

Abstract: 1. The nature of the binding site mediating the insulin secretagogue activity of certain imidazoline compounds remains unclear and the pharmacology of the I1- and I2-imidazoline sites, described in many tissues, does not correlate with the observed responses to imidazolines in islets. In the present paper, we describe further results which support the concept that the islet imidazoline site may represent a novel subtype of imidazoline receptor. 2. Culture of rat isolated islets in the presence of imidazoline secretagogues (either efaroxan or phentolamine) resulted in loss of responsiveness on subsequent re-exposure to these agents. However, culture of islets with either idazoxan or UK14,304 (imidazoline ligands that do not stimulate insulin secretion) did not lead to any loss of response when the islets were subsequently exposed to efaroxan. By contrast, islets cultured with UK14,304 (a potent alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist), displayed loss of sensitivity to noradrenaline, consistent with down-regulation of alpha 2-adrenoceptors. 3. In order to characterize the imidazoline site further, radioligand binding studies were performed in membranes from RINm5F insulinoma cells using [3H]-RX821002, an imidazoline insulin secretagogue that does not interact significantly with imidazoline sites in other tissues. [3H]-RX821002 labelled alpha 2-adrenoceptors with high affinity (2.01 +/- 0.7 nM) but also labelled a second, non-adrenoceptor site with much lower affinity. 4. Under conditions of alpha 2-adrenoceptor blockade (in the presence of adrenaline), efaroxan displaced [3H]-RX821002 binding to the low affinity site, in a dose-dependent manner.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)