Some aspects of fracture mechanics research during the last 25 years

A review is given of the various concepts of fracture mechanics, furthermore of their application to assess the toughness of steels and to guarantee the safety of structures containing cracks. The three most important parameters are the stress-intensity factor K_I for linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), the crack tip opening displacement CTOD and the J-integral for elastic-plastic fracture mechanics (EPFM). The ASTM designation E 1820-96 provides a common method for determining all applicable toughness parameters from a single test, including R-curves. Many investigations dealt with the numerous influences on these parameters, e.g. specimen geometry arid temperature and strain rate. Various failure concepts have been developed. The method of LEFM based on plane strain fracture toughness K_Ic is well established for high strength steels or low temperatures. For modern steels with high toughness the more complicated concepts of EPFM have to be applied. Because of the availability of commercial software for FE-calculations the application of the J-integral has become widespread in recent years. A number of approximative methods has been elaborated, e.g. CTOD-design-curve, BSI PD6493:1991, CEGB-R6-method, ETM, Eurocode 3 Annex C. Although the theory of fracture mechanics regards the material as an isotropic continuum the question is of great importance, how its materials parameters depend on the microstructure of the steels. Systematic investigations with the aid of the hot deformation simulator Wumsi showed the favourable material properties of fracture mechanics resulting from thermomechanical treatment. Many models were published for the quantitative correlation between microstructure and toughness parameters, mainly K_Ic. At the moment the modified Gurson model is in widespread use, which allows the prediction of J-R-curves.     

Various aspects of price formation in public health

The main problems involved in estimating the cost of medical service are discussed. Up to the present time, there was no universal approaches to price formation in practical public health. Economists and public health organizers are not trained to cope with this task. Based on the results of five-year studies and published data, the author present in detail the methodology of practical price formation and offer the typical problems in price estimation. The recommendations contained in this paper will help improve the work of specialists in price formation and aid all those engaged in the sphere of paid medical service.     

Uniting the past and the future in public health nursing: the Michigan Oral History Project

In 1987 a group of Michigan public health nurses recognized the need to capture the richness of the lives of renowned public health leaders by collecting and preserving their oral histories. With the assistance of the Bentley Collection at the University of Michigan, the Michigan Oral History Project found a home. In this paper, the process of designing and implementing the oral history project is described within the framework of McBride's Orchestrating the Stages of a Career, adapted from the Dalton/Thompson/Price career development model. The steps in selecting interviewers and leaders, conducting the interviews, and keeping track of the completed work are outlined. Finally, the early results and potential uses for the collected data are discussed. This project has special significance in this year for the celebration of the centennial of public health nursing.     

The Cognitive Interview: A meta-analytic review and study space analysis of the past 25 years.

The Cognitive Interview (CI) is a well-established protocol for interviewing witnesses. The current article presents a study space analysis of laboratory studies of the CI together with an empirical meta-analysis summarizing the past 25 years of research. The study space comprises 57 published articles (65 experiments) on the CI, providing an assessment of the boundary conditions underlying the analysis and application of this interview protocol. The current meta-analysis includes 46 published articles, including 20 articles published since the last meta-analysis conducted a decade earlier (K?hnken, Milne, Memon, & Bull, 1999). Reassuringly for practitioners, the findings of the original meta-analysis were replicated with a large and significant increase in correct details and a small increase in errors. In addition we found that there were no differences in the rate at which details are confabulated. Importantly, the effect sizes were unaffected by the inclusion of recent studies using modified versions of the CI. The CI appeared to benefit older adult witnesses even more than younger adults. We highlight trends and gaps in research and discuss how our findings can inform policy and training decisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Advances in the assessment of creep data during the past 100 years

Many of the classical models representing the creep and rupture behaviour of metals were developed prior to and during the 1950s and 1960s. Nevertheless their subsequent exploitation, in particular for the assessment of large creep property datasets, was initially limited by the capability of the analytical tools available at the time. Following an apparent decline in activity during the 1970s and 1980s, there has been a resurgence during the last two decades. Advances made in the assessment of creep data during the past 100 years are reviewed and factors contributing to the developments achieved are examined.     

Economic public health aspects of benign prostatic hyperplasia in Austria

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most frequent diseases in advanced aged men. The introduction of a new coding system (ICD-VESKA) in 1989 made it possible to analyze the number of hospitalized cases and to calculate the costs of inpatient care. In 1990 10,710 BPH cases were treated within Austrian hospitals. Controlling for multiple entries 9,742 individual patients (269.4 per 100,000) were treated 138,761 days. Case fatality was 0.5% (46 deaths). The number of inpatients comprises only the top 1,3% of morbidity, the total number is estimated with 770,000 patients. Based on the official nursing fees total costs in public affiliated hospitals were AS 250 millions. Including private hospitals total costs increase to AS 306 millions. The inpatient care of BPH represents only a small proportion of the total health and economic burden, which obviously mainly occurs in the outpatient system. Therefore BPH is one of the diseases of which social and economic importance is usually underestimated due to a lack of information.     

Legal and ethical aspects of nonreactive social psychological research: An excursion into the public mind.

Assessed reactions of 174 randomly selected Ss (median age 27.83 yrs) to 8 nonreactive methods used in social psychological research by I. Silverman (see record 1975-28673-001). In general, while in many cases the majority of Ss did not react negatively to the methods, substantial minorities in most cases and the majority in some cases did object. Possible interpretations of these data are discussed. It is suggested that future investigators consider the public's attitudes toward a particular nonreactive method in determining its use or nonuse. Issues raised by such a procedure are discussed, and a call is made for more critical thinking on ethical issues as well as for more data that can help to resolve ethical concerns. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physical health 25 years later: The predictive ability of neuroticism.

Objective: Neuroticism, a personality trait related to distress and emotional stability, is often correlated with physical symptoms and disease presence. Theorists have posited that chronic emotional instability creates physiological changes detrimental to health, yet most findings are based on cross-sectional analyses. The objective of the current study was to examine neuroticism assessed in 1973 and the likelihood of reporting physical conditions 25 years later. Design: Participants included 21676 adult twins (n = 8143 intact twin pairs) ranging from 15 to 47 years old in 1973 who were assessed again between 1998 and 2002. Main Outcome Measures: Thirteen physical conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome, ulcers, and coronary heart disease, were selected based on their prior theoretical and empirical links to personality traits. Results: Results indicate that the likelihood of having a physical condition is related to higher levels of prior neuroticism, with some associations attenuated when controlling for familial similarity. Conclusion: Familial influences are most pronounced for conditions most related to systemic pain, suggesting genetic pathways between neuroticism and these pain experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When the Cold Wind Blows: Legal Strategies against Ghettoization in Denmark

The paper will present and analyze the Danish government’s strategy against “ghettoization.” This strategy includes a wide range of legal initiatives aiming to prevent certain social housing estates from developing into what the government defined as “ghettos.” The government’s strategy mainly promotes initiatives to control the access to socially exposed neighborhoods. The issue of controlling who should be removed from the neighborhoods is left to the discretion of the social housing organizations. These organizations have started a practice that involves evicting families with criminal children living at home. The right to housing is accordingly challenged within different frameworks. The right to access to housing is challenged in the light of government regulation which prohibits people on social welfare to move into the areas. The right to stay in housing is challenged in the light of social housing organizations initiating court procedures to evict unwanted tenants. Taking a rights-based approach to housing law, the paper will assess the legal consequences of these different strategies. Claiming that the strategies are silencing the real victims of ghettoization, the paper will explore the possible ways of addressing the discriminatory aspects of the legal strategies.     

An analysis of the cost of incomplete abortion to the public health sector in South Africa--1994

The aim of the study was to compare initial caries development in fluoridated and non-fluoridated deciduous and permanent enamel in situ. Enamel slabs were mounted in removable appliances and worn for 4 wks. Significantly larger lesions developed in deciduous than in permanent enamel when no topical fluorides were used. Fluoride mouthrinsing partly prevented lesion development in deciduous and completely in permanent enamel. Initial enamel caries not detected by microradiography can be visualized by CLSM (confocal laser scanning microscopy).     

Has the health profile and pregnant Ethiopian immigrants changed in the Ashkelon region in the past years?]

There are about 6500 births yearly in the Ashkelon District. 6% of the mothers are Ethiopians, most of whom immigrated to Israel since the early 90's. Our data are from 3 sources: birth certificates, infant death certificates, and the national population register. Birth rates in single mothers and rates of low-birth-weight births have declined over the years. Infant mortality and still-birth rates have also shown remarkable and consistent declines between 1990-1995. We conclude that improvement in life conditions of Ethiopian immigrants and better use of health services have had a great impact on birth outcomes and pregnancy patterns. The gap between Ethiopian immigrants and other Jewish communities in Israel is closing fast.     

Public health and environmental protection. Political, legislative and public aspects

Environmental and preventive medicine are closely related to each other as well as to politics and public awareness. To illustrate this, the example air pollution and the evolution of knowledge thereon are outlined and compared to four other environmental hazards: cigarette smoking, lead, asbestos and electromagnetic fields. The role of the media, of scientists, industry, legislation, and the courts in relation to each of the five hazards are assessed in a table.