Reference Point For Comparison Research Articles

Standardising assessment instruments and care planning in Ireland

Purpose – Scoping of instruments in use for assessment of needs and the practices that surround care planning in residential care for older people in Ireland, in the wake of the introduction of national standards. The paper discusses these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Survey of care providers using an online/postal questionnaire, developed from the domains of need outlined in the standards. Findings – There is wide variation in the use of standardised instruments for assessment. Within some domains, standardised instruments enjoy near universal usage. However, within other domains, standardised instruments are often absent, external professional input and/or guidelines dominate and/or instruments have been adapted in-house. Practices surrounding care planning are largely homogeneous and the preserve of medical professionals. Research limitations/implications – This research was confined to the Republic of Ireland, limiting generalisation. The self-selecting nature of participants must also be considered. Further research could include, examining how, over time, the standards are shaping care practice, particularly in relation to interdisciplinary working and person-centred care. Practical implications – The non-prescriptive nature of the standards presents a challenge to care providers in selecting appropriate standardised instruments for assessment. In addition, medical dominance of care planning limits the extent to which care plans can enhance the provision of interdisciplinary and person-centred care. Originality/value – This paper contributes to a growing literature on standardisation of assessment and care planning, provides a reference point for comparison with other nations and, in an Irish context, addresses an area that has received little attention to-date. As such, it is of interest to practitioners, care providers and regulators.

Constructing Geometric Properties of Rectangle, Square, and Triangle in the Third Grade of Indonesian Primary Schools

Previous studies have provided that when learning shapes for the first time, young children tend to use the prototype as the reference point for comparisons, but often fail when doing so since they do not yet think about the defining attributes or the geometric properties of the shapes. Most of the time, elementary students learn geometric properties of shapes only as empty verbal statements to be memorized, without any chance to experience the contepts meaningfully. In the light of it, a sequence of instructional activities along with computer manipulative was designed to support Indonesian third graders in constructing geometric properties of square, rectangle, and triangle. The aim of the present study is to develop a loval instructional theory to support third graders in constructing geometric properties of rectangle, square, and triangle. Thirty seven students of one third grade classes in SD Pupuk Sriwijaya Palembang, along with their class teacher, were involved in the study. Our findings suggest that the combination of computer and non-computer activities suppots third graders in constructing geometric properties of square, rectangle, and triangle in that it provides opportunities to the students to experience and to develop the concepts meaningfully while using their real experiences as the bases to attain a higher geometric thinking level. Key concepts: Geometric properties, rectangle, square, triangle, design research, realistic mathematics education  DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.22342/jme.4.2.414.160-171

Securing the Demographic and Genetic Future of Tuatara through Assisted Colonization

Climate change poses a particular threat to species with fragmented distributions and little or no capacity to migrate. Assisted colonization, moving species into regions where they have not previously occurred, aims to establish populations where they are expected to survive as climatic envelopes shift. However, adaptation to the source environment may affect whether species successfully establish in new regions. Assisted colonization has spurred debate among conservation biologists and ecologists over whether the potential benefits to the threatened species outweigh the potential disruption to recipient communities. In our opinion, the debate has been distracted by controversial examples, rather than cases where assisted colonization may be a viable strategy. We present a strategic plan for the assisted migration of tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus), an endemic New Zealand reptile. The plan includes use of extant populations as reference points for comparisons with assisted-colonization populations with respect to demography, phenotypic plasticity, and phenology; optimization of genetic variation; research to fill knowledge gaps; consideration of host and recipient communities; and inclusion of stakeholders in the planning stage. When strategically planned and monitored, assisted colonization could meet conservation and research goals and ultimately result in the establishment of long-term sustainable populations capable of persisting during rapid changes in climate.

Genetic toxicology and toxicogenomic analysis of three cigarette smoke condensates in vitro reveals few differences among full‐flavor, blonde, and light products

Cigarette smoking leads to various detrimental health outcomes. Tobacco companies produce different brands of cigarettes that are marketed as reduced harm tobacco products. Early examples included “light” cigarettes, which differ from regular cigarettes due to filter ventilation and/or differences in chemical constituents. In order to establish baseline similarities and differences among different tobacco brands available in Canada, the present study examined the cytotoxicity, mutagenicity, clastogenicity, and gene expression profiles of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) from three tobacco products, encompassing a full-flavor, blonde, and “light” variety. Using the Salmonella mutagenicity assay, we confirmed that the three CSCs are mutagenic, and that the potency is related to the presence of aromatic amines. Using the Muta™Mouse FE1 cell line we determined that the CSCs were clastogenic and cytotoxic, but nonmutagenic, and the results showed few differences in potencies among the three brands. There were no clear brand-specific changes in gene expression; each brand yielded highly similar expression profiles within a time point and concentration. The molecular pathways and biological functions affected by exposure included xenobiotic metabolism, oxidative stress, DNA damage response, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, as well as inflammation. Thus, there was no appreciable difference in toxicity or gene expression profiles between regular brands and products marketed as “light,” and hence no evidence of reduced harm. The work establishes baseline CSC cytotoxicity, mutagenicity, and expression profiles that can be used as a point of reference for comparison with data generated for products marketed as reduced harm and/or modified risk tobacco products. Mol. Mutagen. 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.†

DISCUSSION OF The Impact of Mandatory IFRS Adoption on Accounting Quality: Evidence from Australia

ABSTRACT Studying the impact of mandatory IFRS adoption on accounting quality in Australia provides a point of reference for comparison to other IFRS-adopting countries. It could also guide the process of transition for countries considering IFRS adoption. Similar to previous research, Chua et al. (2012) use earnings management, early loss recognition, and value relevance to surrogate accounting quality. The study concludes that there is accounting quality improvement as a result of less earnings management, early loss recognition, and increased value relevance. Although the reasons for the results are unexplored, this conclusion, similar to other prior research, is based on disputable interpretations that greater conservatism and lower earnings management reflect higher accounting quality.

Tussen lege stad en bruisende handelsmetropool - Het beeld van de Scheldesluiting in negentiendeeeuwse romantische kunst

Scheldt is frequently quoted in illustrated travel guides of the first half of the nineteenth century. The economic greatness of Antwerp as a sixteenth-century metropolis is a reference point for comparison with the image of nineteenth-century Antwerp. The empty city of the late eighteenth century still reflects the earlier splendour. Under the Napoleontic regime and the United Kingdom of the Netherlands the temporary opening of the Scheldt and the beginning of the reconstruction of the port give rise to a trading city represented as having a prosperous future. Landscape paintings and (litho)graphic albums of city views tell the same story. Historical paintings stage with great theatricality the sixteenth-century drama of the Fall of Antwerp. Focus can change, depending on the political context (French, (Pan)-Netherlandic, or Belgian). The memory of economic decline after the fall of the city is linked to the glorification of the Antwerp school of painting. Rubens and the Scheldt become intertwined. Besides, in paintings and murals painters recover Antwerp’s image as a prosperous sixteenthcentury trading metropolis. The opening of the Scheldt in 1863, the modernization of the port infrastructure, and the economic revival are the basis for an optimistic image of Antwerp as one of the greatest ports in the world.

Altered right ventricular papillary muscle position and orientation in patients with a dilated left ventricle

To investigate the impact of left ventricular dilatation on right ventricular papillary muscle displacement. Thirteen patients underwent high-resolution cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at Emory University Hospital: Seven patients with congestive heart failure and a dilated left ventricle composed the dilated left ventricular group, and 6 normal subjects were used as a control. A total of 120 cardiac magnetic resonance imaging slices were acquired in a short-axis view at end diastole for each subject. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging slices were used to identify the papillary muscle tip position in 3-dimensional coordinates for the septal, posterior, and anterior papillary muscles. The centroid of the papillary muscle coordinates was used as the reference point for comparison between subjects. The relative orientation between the right ventricular papillary muscles was evaluated and compared between the dilated left ventricular group and normal subjects. Dilatation of the left ventricle resulted in a significant (P = .05) displacement of the septal right ventricular papillary muscle toward the centroid: normal group, 0.0285 ± 0.036 mm/mm versus dilated left ventricular group, 0.1437 ± 0.026 mm/mm. More specifically, the septal papillary muscle significantly (P = .03) moved away from the septal wall (normal group: 0.61 ± 0.09 mm/mm, dilated left ventricular group: 0.379 ± 0.037 mm/mm). Specific locations of all 3 right ventricular papillary muscles were reported for normal subjects and patients with a dilated left ventricle. Patients with a dilated left ventricle have significantly increased displacement of the septal right ventricular papillary muscle away from the septum when compared with normal controls. This demonstrates pathophysiologic contribution of the left ventricle to specific papillary muscle alterations within the right ventricle.

Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants in Lake Ontario, Canada, lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) between 1979 and 2004 and possible influences of food‐web changes

Concentrations of non-polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) brominated (hexabromocyclododecane [HBCD], 1,2-bis[2,4,6-tribromophenoxy]ethane [BTBPE], and pentabromoethylbenzene [PEB]) and chlorinated (Dechlorane Plus [DP] as well as short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins [SCCP and MCCP, respectively]) flame retardants were evaluated in archived Lake Ontario, Canada, lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) samples collected between 1979 and 2004. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers also were analyzed to provide a point of reference for comparison to previous studies. Concentrations of the dominant PBDE congeners (BDEs 28, 47, 99, 100, 153, and 154) increased significantly from 1979 until the mid-1990s, then either leveled off or decreased significantly between 1998 and 2004, a result that corresponds to those of previous studies. In contrast, BDE 209 increased approximately fourfold between 1998 and 2004. The temporal trends of the non-PBDE flame retardants varied, with sum (sigma) HBCD and DP showing significant overall decreases; BTBPE, sigmaSCCP, and sigmaMCCP showing parabolic trends; and PEB showing no overall change during the study period. Because many of the non-PBDE chemicals may be used as replacements for penta- and octa-BDE mixtures, these results will provide a baseline to evaluate future usage patterns. Possible changes in food-web structure, evaluated through stable nitrogen isotopes (delta15N), may be influencing our interpretations of contaminant trends in lake trout and are hypothesized to be partially responsible for the observed decrease in concentrations of BDEs 28, 47, 99, 100, 153, and 154 between 1998 and 2004. Retrospective analyses evaluating temporal trends in stable isotope values at the base of the food web, however, are recommended to test this hypothesis further.

Resilience of Families Living in Poverty

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways that community social workers reflect the established literature on family resilience. This exploratory study involved semistructured group interviews with community social workers from an urban agency that serves families who are poor. The analysis was completed by comparing Walsh's “Key Processes in Family Resilience” with the responses from the participants in the group interviews. Specifically, Walsh (2002) identifies three domains of resilient families, including belief systems, organizational patterns, and communication processes. These were used as reference points for comparison. The interviews with the community social workers revealed a connection between using positive beliefs, thinking, and taking action steps that define a resilient family. This only becomes possible in the context of supportive internal family relations and external community connections. While the community social workers affirm elements of the established models of family resilience, they also emphasized its dynamic nature as the interplay of positive family beliefs combined with action steps and support from the community.

Microstructures of reactive magnesia cement blends

The microstructures of reactive magnesia cement blends, consisting of mixtures of a reactive magnesium oxide (MgO), Portland cement (PC) and pulverised fuel ash (pfa), as observed with scanning electron microscopy are reported. To allow identification of the hydration products of MgO, mixtures of pfa and MgO only were also studied and mixtures of PC and pfa were included as a reference point for comparison. Mixtures with 90 wt% pfa, were found to have a microstructure, which consists of weakly bonded spheres stacked together; when the pfa content is reduced to 50 wt%, the microstructure changes to spheres packed into a solid matrix. For mixtures with a high MgO content, up to 50 wt%, however, the microstructures remain more open and particulate in nature due to the high water demand of reactive MgO. It is shown that these changes in microstructure are consistent with a simple estimate based on the volume fraction of solids formed during hydration. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed that in these blends MgO reacts mainly with water to form magnesium hydroxide, with hydrotalcite as a minor reaction product, and that for the reactive MgO used here hydration completes early on so that there should be no risk for damage due to later-age hydration. Moreover, comparison of X-ray diffraction patterns obtained from mixtures containing either PC and pfa or MgO and pfa with those of blends containing PC, MgO and pfa, shows little evidence of interaction between PC and MgO in terms of the hydration products that are formed.

Microbial perchlorate reduction: A precise laboratory determination of the chlorine isotope fractionation and its possible biochemical basis

Perchlorate-reducing bacteria fractionate chlorine stable isotopes giving a powerful approach to monitor the extent of microbial consumption of perchlorate in contaminated sites undergoing remediation or natural perchlorate containing sites. This study reports the full experimental data and methodology used to re-evaluate the chlorine isotope fractionation of perchlorate reduction in duplicate culture experiments of Azospira suillum strain PS at 37 °C (Δ 37Cl Cl −–ClO 4 − ) previously reported, without a supporting data set by Coleman et al. [Coleman, M.L., Ader, M., Chaudhuri, S., Coates, J.D., 2003. Microbial Isotopic Fractionation of Perchlorate Chlorine. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69, 4997–5000] in a reconnaissance study, with the goal of increasing the accuracy and precision of the isotopic fractionation determination. The method fully described here for the first time, allows the determination of a higher precision Δ 37Cl Cl −–ClO 4 − value, either from accumulated chloride content and isotopic composition or from the residual perchlorate content and isotopic composition. The result sets agree perfectly, within error, giving average Δ 37Cl Cl −–ClO 4 − = − 14.94 ± 0.15‰. Complementary use of chloride and perchlorate data allowed the identification and rejection of poor quality data by applying mass and isotopic balance checks. This precise Δ 37Cl Cl −–ClO 4 − value can serve as a reference point for comparison with future in situ or microcosm studies but we also note its similarity to the theoretical equilibrium isotopic fractionation between a hypothetical chlorine species of redox state + 6 and perchlorate at 37 °C and suggest that the first electron transfer during perchlorate reduction may occur at isotopic equilibrium between an enzyme-bound chlorine and perchlorate.

Dépistages anonymes et gratuits : comparaison de la population rencontrée en centre et en dehors des locaux

The free and anonymous HIV testing centre of Fernand Widal Hospital (CDAG) regularly organises off-site visits to distribute information and provide screening for people at high risk in the community. To demonstrate the benefits of this action, this at-risk targeted population in the community was compared with that which comes to the centre. The individuals screened during the community off-site visits in 2005 were recorded. An equivalent number of patients coming spontaneously to the centre for screening were used as a reference point for comparison. The socio-demographic characteristics, the delay in time between the screening and return to the CDAG for the results and the screening results of the number of people infected were analysed. In total, 427 persons out of 443 were screened in 14 visits: 7,7% of persons tested off-site were infected versus 5,4% of those screened at the centre. Those who were tested off-site were in most cases infected with Hepatitis C, whereas HIV was more prevalent in those who had come to the CDAG centre. The African population (53,6%) was more significantly affected. Even when their results were positive (83,3%), 34,2% of patients tested off-site did not come to get their results versus only 8,2% of those who had come to the hospital centre for testing. The off-site community visits strengthen the role and the capacity of the CDAG to fulfil its mission because high-risk individuals are much less likely to come to the centre for screening. However measures must be taken and procedures established to improve the process and opportunity for results to be returned to the individuals, as well as follow-up and management of those who test positive for infection.

Airway sizes and proportions in children quantified by a video-bronchoscopic technique

BackgroundA quantitative understanding of airway sizes and proportions and a reference point for comparisons are important to a pediatric bronchoscopist. The aims of this study were to measure large airway areas, and define proportions and factors that influence airway size in children.MethodsA validated videobronchoscope technique was used to measure in-vivo airway cross-sectional areas (cricoid, right (RMS) and left (LMS) main stem and major lobar bronchi) of 125 children. Airway proportions were calculated as ratios of airways to cricoid areas and to endotracheal tube (ETT) areas. Mann Whitney U, T-tests, and one-way ANOVA were used for comparisons and standard univariate and backwards, stepwise multivariate regression analyses were used to define factors that influence airway size.ResultsAirways size increased progressively with increasing age but proportions remained constant. The LMS was 21% smaller than the RMS. Gender differences in airways' size were not significant in any age group or airway site. Cricoid area related best to body length (BL): cricoid area (mm2) = 26.782 + 0.254* BL (cm) while the RMS and LMS area related best to weight: RMS area (mm2) = 23.938 + 0.394*Wt (kg) and LMS area (mm2) = 20.055 + 0.263*Wt (kg) respectively. Airways to cricoid ratios were larger than airway to ETT ratios (p = 0.0001).ConclusionThe large airways progressively increase in cross sectional area size, maintain constant proportional relationships to the cricoid and are gender independent across childhood. Anthropometric factors (body length and weight) are significantly related to but only have weakly predictive influences on major airway size. The cricoid is the most suitable comparator for other airway site measurements. These data provide for quantitative comparisons of airway lesions.

Natural and Modified Nanomaterials as Sorbents of Environmental Contaminants

Nanotechnology is a revolutionary scientific and engineering concept that will have a large impact on our life. A core piece of this technology is the production of nanomaterials for electronic, chemical, medical, pharmaceutical, and environmental applications. In the last case, natural and modified natural nanomaterials would be good reference points for comparison of the functionality, cost, and potential ecological implications of synthetic nanomaterials. Here we investigated the performance of natural and modified nanomaterials (an allophane and a surface-modified smectite) in adsorbing copper (a common heavy metal contaminant), naphthalene (a representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon), or 17β-estradiol (an endocrine-disrupting chemical). Allophane is an effective sorbent of copper (Cu): at pH 5.5 it can take up 4448 mg Cu/kg at the equilibrium concentration of 10 mg Cu/L. On the other hand, the surface-modified smectite is an excellent sorbent for naphthalene and 17β-estradiol. It can sorb 1180 mg naphthalene/kg at the equilibrium concentration of 1 mg/L or remove 98% of 17β-estradiol from a solution after 4 h of reaction. While the environmental impact and health effects of synthetic nanomaterials are essentially unknown and their use is of concern, natural nanomaterials (e.g., allophane and smectites) have been part of human existence since antiquity. As such, they do not pose much risk either to the physical environment or to human health.

Reactivity of (eta(6)-arene)tricarbonylchromium complexes toward additions of anions, cations, and radicals.

A computational and experimental study of additions of electrophiles, nucleophiles, and radicals to tricarbonylchromium-complexed arenes is reported. Competition between addition to a complexed arene and addition to a noncomplexed arene was tested using 1,1-dideuterio-1-iodo-2-((phenyl)tricarbonylchromium)-2-phenylethane. Reactions under anionic and cationic conditions give exclusive formation of 1,1-dideuterio-1-((phenyl)tricarbonylchromium)-2-phenylethane arising from addition to the complexed arene. Radical conditions (SmI(2)) afford two isomeric products, reflecting a 2:1 preference for radical addition to the noncomplexed arene. In contrast, intermolecular radical addition competition experiments employing ketyl radical addition to benzene and (benzene)tricarbonylchromium show that addition to the complexed aromatic ring is faster than attack on the noncomplexed species by a factor of at least 100,000. Density functional theory calculations using the B3LYP method, employing a LANL2DZ basis set for geometry optimizations and a DZVP2+ basis set for energy calculations, for all three reactive intermediates showed that tricarbonylchromium stabilizes all three types of intermediates. The computational results for anionic addition agree well with established chemistry and provide structural and energetic details as reference points for comparison with the other reactive intermediates. Intermolecular radical addition leads to exclusive reaction on the complexed arene ring as predicted by the computations. The intramolecular radical reaction involves initial addition to the complexed arene ring followed by an equilibrium leading to the observed product distribution due to a high-energy barrier for homolytic cleavage of an exo bond in the intermediate cyclohexadienyl radical complex. Mechanisms are explored for electrophilic addition to complexed arenes. The calculations strongly favor a pathway in which the cation initially adds to the metal center rather than to the arene ring.

Distribution of range and cultivated grassland plants in southern Alberta

We analysed the geographic distribution of native grassland and introduced grassland plants and the association of species abundance with climate and site characteristics in southern Alberta using a database of range and pasture assessments collected during 1991, 1992 and 1993. Distribution maps of native and introduced grassland plants could be inferred from association between site data recording botanical composition or presence and mean monthly climate surfaces for May and August. Introduced species formed three main geographical patterns with alfalfa, smooth bromegrass and crested wheatgrass most widespread, Russian wildrye restricted to the south eastern quarter and timothy, creeping red fescue, bluegrass and clovers restricted to the northern half. Native plants formed four main patterns characterised by Stipa comata and Bouteloua gracilis – south eastern; Agropyron spp. – widespread; Festuca spp. – northern and foothills; and Stipa viridula – sparse. Relative abundance of Stipa comata and Bouteloua gracilis were related primarily to latitude and longitude and variables describing temperature during the growing season. Biomass increased and range condition decreased with increasing latitude reflecting the decline in dominant native species, the increase in introduced and invader species and the better growing season moisture in northern areas. The maps provide a recent snapshot of the condition of commercially utilised native and cultivated grasslands in Alberta. They constitute a valuable reference point for comparison with future climate or management-induced change.

Comparison of maximum-likelihood-based detection for two multirate access schemes for CDMA signals

Future wireless systems will need to accommodate information sources with different data rates. Direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS/CDMA) is a multiple access technique that is well suited to provide multirate access. Thus, in this paper, multirate communication systems are considered for the transmission of DS/CDMA wireless signals. Performance for maximum-likelihood-based detection is studied in the context of two multirate access methodologies: multicode access, where high data rate users multiplex their information streams onto multiple codes; and variable spreading length access where signature sequences of different lengths are assigned to users with different data rates. Various maximum-likelihood-based detection schemes for the variable spreading length system are considered as they can achieve near-optimal performance and thus provide reference points for comparison with suboptimal schemes. In addition, asymptotic multiuser performance measures are calculated and bounded to compare performance of the two systems.

Cold + Hot and Cold Dark Matter Cosmologies: Analysis of Numerical Simulations

We present a series of four simulations of Cold Dark Matter (CDM) and Cold + Hot Dark Matter (CHDM) cosmologies. We discuss the power spectrum and correlation functions in real and redshift space, with comparisons to the CfA2 and IRAS redshift data, the pairwise velocity of galaxies, and the distribution of hot and cold particles in CHDM simulations. We confirm that CHDM with cold/hot/baryon density ratios $\Omega_c/\Omega_\nu/\Omega_b= 0.6/0.3/0.1$ is a good fit to a wide variety of present-epoch data, much better than CDM. In particular, with reasonable assumptions about identification of galaxies and biasing, we find that the power spectrum agrees rather well with both the CfA2 and IRAS power specta in both the nonlinear and linear regimes. New CHDM models (e.g., with $\Omega_\nu=0.2$ or with two massive neutrinos) predict a significantly larger rate of formation of galaxies at high redshift, which may be needed to explain some observational data. At the same time, the difference between the variants is rather small at $z=0$. The results presented in this paper are interesting for two purposes: (i) For a comparison with other classes of models (like CDM and $\Lambda$CDM) at $z=0$.(ii) As a reference point for comparison between different variants of the CHDM model.

Protein and glucose metabolism during isolated closed-head injury.

Patients with isolated closed-head injuries are characterized by excessive nitrogen loss, hyperglycemia, and increased caloric demand. However, the relative contributions of specific metabolic events such as protein breakdown and synthesis or glucose production and utilization to the physiological changes prevalent during isolated closed-head injury remains unestablished. By use of isotopic dilutions of L-[1-13C]leucine and D-[3-3H]glucose, components of protein and glucose metabolism were examined in patients with isolated closed-head injury (n = 7). Normal overnight-fasted volunteers (n = 8) were also studied as a reference point for comparison. Despite prevailing hyperinsulinemia (29 +/- 5 microU/ml), head-injured patients had elevated plasma leucine concentrations (183 +/- 22 vs. 144 +/- 8 mumol/l), whole body proteolysis (331 +/- 44 vs. 150 +/- 7 mg.kg-1.h-1), protein synthesis (248 +/- 38 vs. 126 +/- 11 mg.kg-1.h-1), and amino acid oxidation (84 +/- 11 vs. 23 +/- 3 mg.kg-1.h-1). Therefore nitrogen loss normally associated with isolated closed-head injury is primarily due to an increase in the rate of whole body proteolysis, with a greater proportion of the resultant amino acids being oxidized for energy. Furthermore, head-injured patients were hyperglycemic (6.7 +/- 0.3 mumol/l) with increased rates of glucose turnover (an estimate of production and utilization) compared with the controls (4.0 +/- 0.7 vs. 2.5 +/- 0.2 mg.kg-1.min-1). Hence, these data suggest that head injury, even in the absence of peripheral trauma, induces a physiological state of accelerated metabolism associated with resistance to insulin action.

Estimation of Similarity between Human Liquids and Nonhuman Liquids: Effects of Reference Point for Comparison

The experiment investigated how varied was the perceived similarity among liquids (saliva, tears, blood, perspiration, urine, semen) which are referred to as a human's or as a chimpanzee's. The reference point for comparison varied. Analysis confirmed for 38 women who had a pet a higher perceived similarity when the human being was the reference point for comparison rather than the chimpanzee. The asymmetry of response was not observed in a survey of 120 French people or 60 French-Canadian students.