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Biomedical subjects

R E Webb

Publications and source records attributed to R E Webb.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Tiresias and the breast: thinking of Lacan, interpretation, and caring.

Lacan's intellectual complexity and fascination with language are too often taken as an indication that in his conception of analysis there is no room for caring and love. In this paper we argue that this impression represents a misunderstanding of Lacan. We explore the role of the analyst according to Lacan, both as the 'subject of absolute knowledge', 'supporting the function Tiresias' and the 'man of care' with breasts. To Lacan, the process of analysis is an adventure into the realm of the exotic where there is a complexity of excitement and deep anxiety, an interplay of words and illusive exploding breasts, the birth and death of desire, and the confrontation with the illusion of 'self'. The analyst recognises the patience and courage necessary to face this and to understand that 'life is a foreign language; all men mispronounce it' (Morley, 1925, p. 188).

Breast↗
PubMed1991

Dentin-bonding molar efficiency using N-phenylglycine, N-phenyl-beta-alanine, or N-methyl-N-phenylglycine.

Three structurally related substituted amino acids (N-compounds) were studied in a three-step dentin-bonding protocol. The first step of an acidic ferric oxalate solution and the third step of a surface-active comonomer were held constant throughout the study. In the second step, the amount of the N-compound--either N-phenylglycine (NPG), N-methyl-N-phenylglycine (NMNPG), or N-phenyl-beta-alanine (NPBA)--was varied in acetone from 0 mol/L through 5 x 10(-1) mol/L in seven steps. At 1 x 10(-3) mol/L for NPG and NMNPG, average bond strength values were 7.4 +/- 2.2 and 10.5 +/- 2.7 MPa. The highest bond strength value for NMNPG was at 1 x 10(-2) mol/L, with 13.2 +/- 4.0 MPa. The highest value for NPG was at 1 x 10(-1) mol/L, with a value of 11.8 +/- 2.5 MPa. The average bond strength for NPBA did not differ from zero across the entire range of concentrations. Molar efficiency was defined as the bond strength per mole of these applied N-compounds. For the two N-compounds that did provide adhesion to dentin, NPG and NMNPG, the average bond strengths rose, peaked, and fell as the amounts of applied N-compound were increased. The molar efficiency dropped off as the concentration of applied N-compound rose. The least operator-sensitive and most efficient N-compound, NMNPG, delivered a bond strength equivalent to that of NPG, with 10% of the applied NPG amount.

Adhesives↗
PubMed1991

Space travel shortens diapause in gypsy moth eggs.

Field-collected and laboratory-reared gypsy moth eggs were exposed to microgravity, cosmic radiation, sub-freezing temperatures, unusual vibrations, and other extraterrestrial phenomena while they were sealed for 6 days, in January, in a Get-Away-Special (GAS) canister in the open bay of a NASA earth-orbiting spacecraft, the Columbia. Insects were not exposed to light after preparation for and during space flight. Under field conditions, out-of-doors, the eggs should have hatched in April, after 3-4 months of chilling temperatures and should not have hatched after the 6 days of chilling to -11 degrees C during flight in the Columbia spacecraft. However by April 1, more than 4000 larvae had hatched from eggs that had travelled in space, as opposed to approximately 350 from a similar number of control, earthbound eggs. These results indicate that the period of a circannual rhythm in field- and lab-reared insects had been shortened, presumably as result of exposure to microgravity, other factors associated with space flight, and/or conditions of outer space. These results suggest that it may be possible to develop methods for rearing the gypsy moth year round, without the necessity of three months chilling interspersed in the development process. This, in turn, would facilitate production of large numbers of insects for sterile male release or for use as a rearing medium for parasites, predators and pathogens of the gypsy moth.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Preventive and therapeutic benefits in relation to cost: performance over 10 years of Mothercraft Centers in Haiti.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of Mothercraft Centers operating in Haiti over the period 1964 to 1975 as a public health measure in private and public health services is reported. For the most part, the data are derived from centers operating routinely in the health services rather than from pilot demonstrations. Their impact in both therapy and prevention of severe malnutrition in preschool children is considered, and it is found that numerically the greater benefit is in prevention. At a total annual cost of $4034 a typical center accomplishes successful therapy and prevents relapse in 105 children. In addition, it provides protection against severe malnutrition to their 306 younger siblings. It is thus estimated that, considering only these 411 children demonstrably benefited from a year's operation, the cost of providing essentially lifetime protection from severe malnutrition is approximately $10 per child.

Body Weight↗
PubMed1977

Should fearful individuals be instructed to proceed quickly or cautiously?

Snake or cockroach phobic Ss were given opportunities to approach a live specimen. Those instructed to go "as far as they could" made significantly more progress in overcoming their fear than Ss asked to proceed cautiously. They also did better than the group especially urged to push themselves, although this difference was not significant. Implications for treatment strategies are discussed.

Animals↗