Measuring the shielding properties of flexible or rigid enclosures for portable electronics.

Heaviside, in volume 1 of Electromagnetic theory, considered shielding of conducting materials in the form of attenuation. This treatment is still significant in the understanding of shielding effectiveness. He also considered propagation of electromagnetic waves in free-space. What Heaviside (1850-1925) could never have imagined is that 125 years later, there would be devices we know as mobile phones (or cell phones, handies, etc.) with capabilities beyond the dreams of the great science fiction writers of the day like H. G. Wells (1866-1949) or Jules Verne (1828-1905). More than this, that there would be a need for law enforcement agencies, among others, to use electromagnetically shielded enclosures to protect electronic equipment from communicating with the 'outside world'. Nevertheless, Heaviside's work is still fundamental to the developments discussed here. This paper provides a review of Heaviside's view of shielding and propagation provided in volume 1 of Electromagnetic theory and develops that to the design of new experiments to test the shielding of these portable enclosures in a mode-stirred reverberation chamber, a test environment that relies entirely on reflections from conducting surfaces for its operation.This article is part of the theme issue 'Celebrating 125 years of Oliver Heaviside's 'Electromagnetic Theory''.

The experience and satisfaction of women attending breast cancer screening.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To determine women's satisfaction and experience with breast cancer screening and associated factors. DESIGN: Exploratory, descriptive design. SETTING: One center of the Ontario Breast Screening Program, a province-wide breast cancer screening program. SAMPLE: Nonprobability sample of 315 asymptomatic women, age 50 years or older, with no previous history of breast malignancy. METHODS: Data were collected from the entire sample of 315 women immediately postscreening using a self-report questionnaire and from a subgroup of 256 women by telephone interview at three weeks post-screening. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Satisfaction with and intentions and anxiety regarding breast cancer screening. FINDINGS: Overall, women reported a high level of satisfaction with their screening experience, including respect for privacy, encouragement to ask questions, and provision of information. Two areas of concern that participants identified were mammogram discomfort and fear about radiation risks. At the postscreening interview, women reported that breast screening had relatively little impact on social or physical aspects of their lives, but it did have a positive effect on certain emotional issues, such as their feelings of reassurance, well-being, and relaxation. CONCLUSION: Since the degree of satisfaction that participants in health services report has been shown to influence attendance patterns, assessing breast screening programs from the perspective of attendees is necessary. Such assessment can identify areas of satisfaction and concern and, thus, provide information for developing interventions aimed at promoting recruitment and retention. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: As health educators, nurses play an important role in providing breast cancer screening information to women. As well as being knowledgeable about screening guidelines and the benefits of screening, nurses also must recognize women's concerns about radiation risks and pain or discomfort with the procedure and be prepared to provide teaching and support for these women.

The use of cognitive-behavioral treatment including hypnosis for claustrophobia in cancer patients.

Two case studies are reported to illustrate the use of a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral approach to treat claustrophobia in cancer patients undergoing external beam radiation therapy. Hypnosis was an essential component of the cognitive-behavioral approach. Both patients responded favorably to the psychological intervention and completed the required external beam radiation therapy.

Hypnosis and cancer: an annotated bibliography 1985-1995.

The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to provide the reader with resources to explore the relationship between hypnosis and cancer. Items are included only if they contain explicit reference to this relationship and describe it in some detail. This bibliography includes 91 items published in English from 1985 to 1995, inclusive. For the reader's convenience, the annotations are organized into three categories: general discussions; case reports or case studies; and experimental and nonexperimental group designs.

Hypnosis for children and adolescents with cancer: an annotated bibliography, 1985-1995.

This annotated bibliography reviews the professional literature published in English, from 1985 to 1995 inclusive, on the subject of the use of hypnosis with pediatric cancer patients. Books, chapters, and journal articles are included; dissertation, theses, and unpublished material are not. This bibliography contains 37 items organized into three categories: (1) General Discussions; (2) Case Reports or Case Studies: and (3) Experimental and Nonexperimental Group Designs. The brief annotations provided are not intended to be reviews or to be evaluative, but, rather, to inform the reader about the content and focus of the publication. This is an update of a previously published annotated bibliography, also presented in this Journal, which explored the relationship between hypnosis and pediatric cancer in journal articles published from 1960 to 1985.

Psychological distress associated with organized breast cancer screening.

Regular breast cancer screening with the use of mammography for asymptomatic women is the most effective method for the early detection of breast cancer. Although the health and economic implications of breast cancer screening have received a great deal of attention, the psychological consequences of attending a breast screening program that includes mammography have been largely ignored. This article briefly reviews 10 studies that have examined the psychological distress associated with organized breast cancer screening. Anxiety appears to be the most prevalent consequence of mammography and seems to affect certain subgroups, with the most significant effects being among those women requiring further investigation because of abnormal results. The results of these studies, the research methods used and future directions in this area are discussed.