Showing papers by "University of Salford published in 1993"

A Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) and the role of fear-avoidance beliefs in chronic low back pain and disability

Abstract: Pilot studies and a literature review suggested that fear-avoidance beliefs about physical activity and work might form specific cognitions intervening between low back pain and disability. A Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) was developed, based on theories of fear and avoidance behaviour and focussed specifically on patients' beliefs about how physical activity and work affected their low back pain. Test-retest reproducibility in 26 patients was high. Principal-components analysis of the questionnaire in 210 patients identified 2 factors: fear-avoidance beliefs about work and fear-avoidance beliefs about physical activity with internal consistency (alpha) of 0.88 and 0.77 and accounting for 43.7% and 16.5% of the total variance, respectively. Regression analysis in 184 patients showed that fear-avoidance beliefs about work accounted for 23% of the variance of disability in activities of daily living and 26% of the variance of work loss, even after allowing for severity of pain; fear-avoidance beliefs about physical activity explained an additional 9% of the variance of disability. These results confirm the importance of fear-avoidance beliefs and demonstrate that specific fear-avoidance beliefs about work are strongly related to work loss due to low back pain. These findings are incorporated into a biopsychosocial model of the cognitive, affective and behavioural influences in low back pain and disability. It is recommended that fear-avoidance beliefs should be considered in the medical management of low back pain and disability.

A trial of two cognitive-behavioural methods of treating drug-resistant residual psychotic symptoms in schizophrenic patients: I. Outcome.

Abstract: Despite neuroleptic medication, many schizophrenic patients continue to experience residual positive psychotic symptoms. These residual symptoms cause distress and disability. We report a controlled trial of two cognitive-behavioural treatments to alleviate residual hallucinations and delusions. Forty-nine patients were recruited into the trial, of whom 27 entered the trial and completed post-treatment assessment, and 23 were reassessed at six-month follow-up. Patients were randomly allocated to either coping strategy enhancement (CSE) or problem solving (PS). Half the patients were allocated to a high-expectancy positive demand condition and half to a counter-demand condition to evaluate expectation of improvement. Patients receiving either cognitive-behavioural treatment showed significant reductions in psychotic symptoms compared with those in the waiting period, who showed no improvement. There was some evidence, although equivocal, that patients receiving CSE improved more than those receiving PS. There was no evidence that improvements generalised to negative symptoms or social functioning, nor was there evidence that expectancy of treatment benefit contributed to the treatment effect.

Enhanced tactile feedback (tele-taction) using a multi-functional sensory system

Abstract: The safe and economic exploitation of remote manipulation techniques is dependent upon accurate, responsive handling abilities. This usually means the use of teleoperation. However, the construction and control of effective general purpose end-effectors remains complex, and tactile data collection by, and feedback from, these devices is at best primitive. This work studies the development of an advanced instrumented finger with multimodal tactile sensations ranging from contact pressure/force, to hardness, texture, temperature, slip, surface profile/shape, and thermal conductivity. This is integrated with a portable gloved tactile feedback unit providing the operator with directly stimulated feedback of tactile data (tele-taction) on the pressure, vibrational and thermal effects of the handling operation. >

Evidence for two kinds of hydrogen bond in ice

Abstract: DESPITE its simplicity at the molecular level, water is a complex and poorly understood liquid1. The reasons for this centre around the existence of a dynamic hydrogen-bonded network throughout the liquid. Attempts to describe the structure of liquid water have tended to invoke either continuum models such as the 'distortedbond' model2, which assumes that the hydrogen-bonded structure relaxes on a timescale similar to that in other liquids, and mixture models, such as the 'flickering-cluster' model3, which postulate the coexistence of two or more long-lived structures in the liquid. Here we analyse inelastic neutron-scattering spectra for the ice I solid phase of water, which provide evidence for the existence of two different kinds of hydrogen-bond, of different strengths, in the solid. A model in which strong and weak hydrogen-bonds in the ratio of about 2:1 are randomly distributed throughout the network is able to reproduce the neutron spectra. If we can assume that the same kind of bimodal hydrogen-bonding exists in the liquid state, our model may be able to explain several of the anomalous properties of liquid water, such as the large specific heat and the unusual behaviour of water in thin films and clusters.

Deposition of wear resistant coatings based on diamond like carbon by unbalanced magnetron sputtering

Abstract: Amorphous hydrogenerated carbon films containing a small amount of metal (Me:C-H) have been deposited by closed field unbalanced magnetron sputter ion plating. The films have graded film compositions to optimise the adhesion to the substrates, and multilayer TiC/Ti:C-H films have also been deposited. The films have excellent properties: very high measured microhardness (more than 4000 H v ), excellent adhesion ( L c 115–125 N), coefficients of friction against WC of less than 0.2, and volumetric wear rates one fifth that of titanium nitride. The coating procedure is ideally suited to the system used, and many applications for the films are already realised.

SPICE: Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination

Abstract: In June 1991, the International Standards group for Software Engineering approved a study period to investigate the need and requirements for a standard for software process management. A new international work item has been subsequently raised. The resulting project is named SPICE (Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination). The project aims to build on the best features of existing software assessment methods.

SPICE: Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination

Abstract: In June 1991, the International Standards group for Software Engineering approved a study period to investigate the need and requirements for a standard for software process management. A new international work item has been subsequently raised. The resulting project is named SPICE (Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination). The project aims to build on the best features of existing software assessment methods.

Braided pneumatic actuator control of a multi-jointed manipulator

Abstract: Problems with control and compliance of pneumatic systems have prevented their widespread use in advanced robotics. However, their compactness, power/weight ration and safety are factors that could potentially be exploited in sophisticated dexterous manipulator designs. This paper reports on the design of a dexterous manipulation with three fingers and an opposal thumb powered by 18 new compact braided pneumatic muscle actuators (PMA). These muscles (which are variants on the McKibben Muscle design) have considerable power output potential, combined with controllable motion and inherent compliance to prevent damage to handled objects. When arranged as antagonistic pairs the joints of the gripper can be driven independently. Using experimental data a system model can be developed and control of these muscles can be explored showing that accurate regulated performance is feasible. >

The Europeanisation of Local Government

Abstract: The year 1992 provides an excellent occasion to review trends in intergovernmental relations in Western Europe and particularly within the European Community. This review is designed to highlight some of the main changes taking place in the relationships between central governments and lower-level tiers of government in the main Western European countries and to focus upon the impact which the European Community (EC) has had on the behaviour of local governments at the regional and sub-regional levels . The essence of the argument is that changes at the supranational level, and especially at the EC level, are bringing and will continue to bring about an increasing focus by sub-national governments on Brussels. Additionally, these changes are leading local governments to form partnerships with their counterparts in other EC countries, creating an increasing number of general and specific networks able to lobby Brussels directly, leading their members to by-pass national governments. The subsidiarity principle at the heart of the Maastricht Treaty reinforces these trends-one reason for its unpopularity in certain parts of the EC . Throughout Europe, and indeed throughout the world, there are a series of changes taking place which impact on regional and local governments, forcing them to adapt their behaviour and to change their relationship with other levels of government, vertically and horizontally. Academic identification of these changes dates almost uniformally from the early 1970s . Analysis

Insulinlike growth factor gene expression in human fracture callus

Abstract: The effects of insulinlike growth factors on bone and cartilage-derived cells in culture have been extensively investigated, but there is little information on their role in vivo in bone, especially in fracture healing. This study investigated insulinlike growth factor (IGF) I and II mRNA expression in normally healing human fractures by in situ hybridization. Endothelial and mesenchymal cells at the granulation tissue stage expressed IGF-II mRNA. At the stage of bone and cartilage formation, osteoblasts and non-hypertrophic chondrocytes expressed mRNA for both IGF-I and II. Some osteoclasts were positive for IGF-II mRNA at the stage of bone remodeling. The greater time span of IGF-II expression relative to IGF-I reflects the predominance of IGF-II in human bone matrix. Taken together with the known effects of IGFs on bone and cartilage cells in vitro, these findings support a role for IGFs in local cellular regulation in human fracture healing.

An ethnographic study of nursing culture as an exploration for determining the existence of a system of ritual

Abstract: The idea that much of nursing is ‘ritualized’ activity which is harmful to patient care assumes that ‘ritual’ itself is unacceptable behaviour or practice At a time when market forces are clearly influencing the delivery of care and, in turn, changes in nursing practice, it has become important both to clarify what ‘ritual’ is and to determine its existence and ‘form’ within nursing This study explored nursing culture for ‘ritual’ in a ward setting and used ethnography as both method and description Rituals were found to exist in the working day of the nurses studied, but was not an indication that ‘ritualized behaviour’ is harmful to individualized patient care There is a clear need, however, to determine specifically the difference between ‘unsafe outdated practices’ and ritual in a cultural ‘sense’ This would ensure that what had to be relinquished would in no way jeopardize the future existence of nursing and nurses as socially cohesive groups with their own culture

A trial of two cognitive behavioural methods of treating drug-resistant residual psychotic symptoms in schizophrenic patients. II. Treatment-specific changes in coping and problem-solving skills.

Abstract: Changes in coping skills and problem-solving skills were examined in two groups of schizophrenic patients. The groups received either coping skills enhancement or problem-solving treatments to reduce their drugresistant residual psychotic symptoms. The coping skills group showed significant increases both in the number of positive coping strategies used and in their efficacy, whereas the problem-solving group showed a decrease in these measures during treatment. Both groups showed significant improvements in problem-solving skills. Changes in coping but not problem solving were significantly related to decreases in psychotic symptoms during treatment. It was concluded that treatment involving the teaching of coping skills had a specific treatment effect.

A malaria control trial using insecticide-treated bed nets and targeted chemoprophylaxis in a rural area of The Gambia, west Africa. 5. Design and implementation of the trial.

Abstract: A large-scale malaria intervention programme using insecticide-treated bed nets and chemoprophylaxis administered to children was introduced into a rural area of The Gambia. The operation was carried out using the existing primary health care (PHC) service in the region. Training of the village health workers, sensitization of the communities, and implementation of net impregnation and the drug delivery programme are described. This delivery system resulted in over 90% of nets being treated with insecticide and 80% of children receiving over 90% of their tablets during the rainy season. There was considerable variation in the distribution of permethrin on a bed net and between individual nets, which is likely to facilitate the spread of insecticide resistance in the local mosquito populations. Bed nets made from heavier fabrics tended to absorb more insecticide than those made from lighter materials. Four months after dipping, 89% of the insecticide had been lost from treated nets. This was probably due mainly to women washing their nets, an activity carried out on average once every 2 months during the rainy season. The high number of insecticide-treated bed nets in the study area demonstrated that a malaria control programme operated through a PHC system can be implemented successfully.

Demonstration of TGF-beta 1 mRNA by in situ hybridization in normal human fracture healing.

Abstract: The role of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) in fracture healing has previously been investigated in a rodent model, but not in human material. We investigated TGF-beta 1 gene expression in specimens of callus from normally healing human fractures, using in situ hybridization to a cDNA TGF-beta 1 probe and an autoradiographic disclosure system. TGF-beta 1 mRNA was present in areas of proliferation of mesenchymal tissue, bone, and cartilage. Levels of expression were lower in cells in the fracture hematoma and in differentiated (hypertrophic) chondrocytes. These results are compatible with those found in various animal models using immunohistochemistry and support the view that locally produced TGF-beta 1 is a regulator of fracture repair in humans from the early (mesenchymal proliferation) stage to the stage of remodeling of woven bone. They also indicate that, for TGF-beta 1, animal models accurately reflect human bone repair.

Bargaining in the transfer market: theory and evidence

Abstract: This paper examines the transfer market for association football players as operated in the English Football League using transfer data for the 1990–91 season. After describing the purposes and procedures involved in the transfer system together with the motives of the participants, we apply two-person bargaining theory to analyse the determination of transfer fees. The data and estimation procedures are explained and the results reported and interpreted. Our analysis suggests that the Nash bargaining theory captures the salient features of the bargaining process in the footballer's transfer market.

Universal Grammar and the acquisition of French verb movement by native speakers of English

Abstract: White (1989) has shown that L1 English-speaking learners of L2 French appear to be more successful in acquiring the postverbal location of French manner and frequency adverbs than L1 French-speaking learners of L2 English are in acquiring the preverbal location of English manner and frequency adverbs. One implication of recent work by Pollock (1989) on the structure of English and French clauses is, however, that the task of acquiring the placement of manner and frequency adverbs should be the same for both sets of learners, because English provides learners with as much positive syntactic evidence for preverbal manner/frequency adverbs as French does for the postverbal location of such adverbs. The problem, then, is to explain why there should be this difference in success. On the basis of a detailed study of the developing intuitions of English-speaking adult learners of L2 French it is suggested in this article that the English-speakers' success is only apparent. Both groups of learners have great diff...

Deposition of graded alloy nitride films by closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering

Abstract: The development of a deposition system based on closed field unbalanced magnetron sputter ion plating (uniform deposition and plasma), has greatly increased the number of complex nitrides that it is possible to routinely deposit. The new alloy nitrides can increase the hardness of standard TiN by a factor of 2, and can consequently result in longer tool life. In order to maintain high levels of coating to substrate adhesion, it is necessary to gradually grade the composition of the film in the interface region. Grading of an alloy nitride such as TiZrN will ensure minimum Lc scratch adhesion levels of 75 N. The technique can be closely controlled and is very flexible, enabling the changes in composition to be attained with precision.

The Settings Approach—Implications for Policy and Strategy

Abstract: Paper presented at the conference “The ‘Settings’ Approach—Implications for Health Promotion” organized by the Institute of Health Education in London, 26th January 1993

Dipstick dot ELISA for the detection of Taenia coproantigens in humans

Abstract: A dipstick dot ELISA for detection of Taenia-specific coproantigens was developed. The test was based on a sandwich ELISA using antibodies raised against adult Taenia solium. Antibodies were adsorbed to nitrocellulose paper previously adhered to acetate plastic to form dipsticks. Once blocked with 5% skimmed milk and dried the antibody-coated dipsticks were stable for several weeks at room temperature. Both micro and dot ELISA formats were genus specific although the dot ELISA was less sensitive than the micro ELISA based on the same antiserum. During field studies, in which the majority of samples were tested in rural villages soon after collection, 3728 samples were tested. All samples were also examined by microscopy using formol ether concentration and individuals questioned to determine whether they were aware of being infected. After the initial diagnostic work individuals were treated with taeniacidal drugs for worm recovery. Use of the coproantigen test significantly increased the number of cases diagnosed. Of the 41 cases diagnosed by the three diagnostic techniques combined 31 were detected by the dipstick assay making it the most sensitive technique employed. The specificity of the dipstick assay was 99·9% with a positive predictive value of 88·%. The combined diagnostic approach did not, however, diagnose all cases. The coproantigen test was fast and easy to use. Further improvements may make the dipstick test suitable for wide-scale use in field studies and diagnostic laboratories.

Developing and Testing the Delay-Time Model

Abstract: This paper further develops the basic delay-time model for inspections of repairable machinery described in a recent paper by Baker and Wang. In our earlier work, one of a set of simple models was selected and fitted to objective data by minimizing the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). In the present work, several extensions to the basic model are derived, which relax earlier model assumptions, and are designed to cope with the complexities of real-world situations. These extensions include allowing the age of a machine to influence both the period u from replacement of a component to visibility of a defect, and the subsequent period h to failure; allowing an inspection to have a hazardous or beneficial effect on the lifetime of a component; and allowing several mechanisms that induce a correlation between the two hitherto independent periods u and h. The resulting models were fitted to objective data, and it was found that some model extensions improved the fit for particular components. In general, we conclude that a broad range of models should be explored. This is necessary both to capture the complexity of real data, and also to give confidence in the adequacy of simpler models.

A uniform kinematic approximation for specular reflectivity

Abstract: A surface-excess structure factor, gs, for surface reflectivity R, is introduced, defined by gs = q2 ΔR(1 − R), where ΔR = R − RF is the Fresnel reflectivity; q = (k+ + k1) and k+ and k- are the normal components of the wave-vector on either side of the interface. This corresponds to expressing ΔR as a rational form, ΔR = (1 - RF) gs(q2 + gs) ·gs, unlike R or ΔR, is a smooth function, which is sensitive to the surface-excess density profile, Vs(z), and for which the perturbation expansion in Vs(z) converges absolutely and uniformly for all k+, down to and including the critical angle. The perturbation expansion for gs is developed, explicitly to second order in Vs; the corresponding distorted-wave Born approximation (DWBA) for R is obtained by expanding in powers of gsq2. If t ∫−∞∞|Vs(z)|dz↬1, where t is the surface thickness, then gs may be uniformly approximated by its kinematic analogue; this provides a more generally reliable approximation than the DWBA, especially near the critical angle, and at low substrate contrast.

Mechanism of production of ions in electrospray mass spectrometry

Abstract: A mechanism for the production of multiply charged molecular ion species in electrospray mass spectrometry (ES-MS) is still required. A concise discussion of a recently published ionic solution equilibrium model offering a partial mechanism is presented. That publication proposed that the ion abundance–charge profile could be fitted by one or a series of superimposed Gaussian functions, in accord with a solution equilibrium model. It is shown that indeed a simulated mass spectrum based on a solution odel can compare well with the observed spectrum. However, some new and recently published experimental evidence is presented which shows that the ES mass spectra of many proteins give rise to multiply charged molecular ions which carry higher charges than those calculated by the model. Further, the ion abundance–charge profile is very sensitive to some experimental parameters, e.g. cone voltage; it does not necessarily reflect the solution or gaseous ion populations in the mass spectrometer source. Therefore, the concept that gaseous multi-charged ions originate from equivalently charged solvated ions in electrically neutral solution must be treated with caution.