bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A SALIENT FEATURE OF CAPITAL ACCUMULATION IN TAIWAN
Authors: SASAMOTO TAKEHARU
Published: March 2007

The system of compulsory collection of rice by the Taiwan Provincial Food Bureau is a peculiarly Taiwanese device to achieve forced savings and capital accumulation, and has played a role in the development and stabilization of the Taiwan economy. This process of capital accumulation is of a unique nature especially in that it is designed to enable the government to economize its financial resources which otherwise would have had to be secured through other channels. The compulsory collection of rice is carried out by means of collecting taxes in kind, compulsory bartering of rice for fertilizer, which in essence means collection of the peasants’rice on the basis of an inequivalent exchange.
A NOTE ON PRICING MECHANISM IN THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF THE U.S.S.R.
Authors: KISHIMOTO SHIGENOBU
Published: March 2007

When we consider the price policy of the Soviet Union, which was enforced to facilitate the creation and establishment of heavy industries, in relation to the price mechanism as it actually functions in the economic process, it may be said that its function should be found within, and not without, the price mechanism. This not only indicates the transitional character of the Soviet price policy but presents suggestions for a genuine socialist price mechanism.
MACRO ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF FOREIGN AID*
Authors: YAMASHITA SHŌICHI
Published: March 2007

This paper is an quantitative analysis of the relationship between foreign aid and economic growth in seven Asian developing countries. The aims of the study are: (1) to elucidate economic effects of foreign aid in the reciving countries; (2) to estimate the total amount of aid which will bw required by these countries up to 1970l and (3) to clarify the degree of dependency on foreign aid of the each country in the past and future.
CHANGING MUSLIM VIEWS OF ISLAMIC HISTORY AND MODERNIZATION —An Interpretation of Religion and Politics in Pakistan—
Authors: KAGAYA KAN.
Published: March 2007

The subject of this article is a sociological analysis of the romantic‐Islamic interpretation of Pakistani history. The analysis is made within the historical context of the Restoration (tajaddud) Movement of late medieval Islam and the various intellectual movements of Modern Islam in pre‐partition Muslim India.
THE NATURE OF THE “THREAT OF CHINA”—A Japanese View—
Authors: OKABE TATSUMI.
Published: March 2007

A China with nuclear capabilities is one of the big problems in international politics in East Asia. Some of the politicians in Japan feel the threat, and are trying to cope with it by closer ties with the United States. The “threat,” however, must be analyzed from the aspects of both China's capabilities and her intentions. By analyzing China's past behavior, the writer deduces that China's main objective seems to be the “liberation of Taiwan,” and not mere expansionism or simple security. On the basis of this understanding, the writer concludes that the “threat” comes from the Sino‐American confrontation over Taiwan and from ideological or psychological warfare. It is concluded, therefore, that closer ties with the U. S. is not good for the peace and security of Asia. Better communications, the solution of the Taiwan problem and better domestic policies, it is suggested, are essential for this purpose.
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: Yamamoto Noboru , Mabuchi Tōichi
Published: March 2007

Book Reviews in This Article:

George De Vos & Hiroshi Wagatsuma eds., Japan's Invisible Race: Caste in Culture and Personality.

Koentjaraningrat ed., Villages in Indonesia.
JAPAN'S POSTWAR POPULATION AND LABOR FORCE
Authors: TACHI MINORU , OKAZAKI YŌICHI
Published: March 2007

Although the sharp decline in the birth rate that marked the postwar years in Japan did not continue past the mid‐1950's, the effects of this decline are being felt most dramatically some two decades later in an increasing manpower shortage problem. The labor shortage which now troubles Japan was created by the rapid absorption of surplus manpower reserves into the modernized industrial sectors of the economy during the period of accelerated economic growth after the war. But the problem has been considerably aggravated by the decline in manpower supply resulting from the falling‐off of the birth rate in the postwar years. As the effects of this decline in the birth rate are going to be felt increasingly for years to come, it is of the greatest necessity that adequate manpower policies be devised to cope with the problems that are sure to arise.
A STUDY OF THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF FARMERS IN TAIWAN, 1931–1950
Authors: CHANG HAN‐YU
Published: March 2007

A quantitative analysis is made herein of the Taiwanese farmhousehold economy in 1931, 1937, 1941, and 1950. The results reveal (1) farm expenditure and income for all types of farmers in 1950 were less than in 1931, the only year for which comparable figures are available; (2) in 1950 both the consumption expenses for most farmers and Engel's Coefficient for all types of farmers showed inferior conditions for that year as compared to the earlier periods; (3) secondary living expenses in 1950 only amounted to two‐thirds of those in the previous periods; (4) the poor situation in 1950 was caused by the decline of the rice price ratio and of cultivated area, which combined to offset the benefits derived from rent reduction for tenants, and (5) food expenses for all the periods, however, maintained a per capita annual level of 48–49 yen at the 1937 value.
THE PROCESS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION IN TAIWAN
Authors: LIU TCHIN‐CHING
Published: March 2007

The industrialization of Taiwan has recently been in the limelight as an example of success rare among those underdeveloped countries which have received U.S. aid. This does not mean, however, that the achievement of industrialization in Taiwan has necessarily been due to U. S. aid. Cleraly, a more basic factor supporting the progress of industrialization has been the high level of accumulation in the agricultural sector, which has its historical foundation in the development of agriculture. The function of such accumulation has been to sustain the rapidly expanding surplus population; to provide an abundant labor force; and to form the base for capital formation for labor‐intensive industry. The bold introduction of foreign capital and technology, resting upon this solid achievement, has provided the opportunity for industrial development.
SOCIO‐ECONOMIC STRUCTURE OF THE RURAL PHILIPPINES*
Authors: UMEHARA HIROMITSU
Published: March 2007

Since the hacienda type of landownership is quite unique, it is assumed that the village located within a hacienda, so called a hacienda barrio, has various distinctive features in relation to its socio‐economic structure. In this monograph, one of the hacienda barrio in Central Luzon is taken as a case study, revealing a heterogeneous composition of the tenant class, that is, the existence of non‐cultivating tenants and sub‐tenants. The author attempted to get an integrated or systematic understanding of this composition through an examination of the social stratification, arriving at the hypothetical conclusion that the existence of multiple sub‐classes within a homogeneous tenant class should be understood as a differentiation of the tenant class within the framework of the hacienda.
CAPITAL ALLOCATION IN LESS DEVELOPED ECONOMIES
Authors: HOGAN Warren P. , Swettenham F. A.
Published: March 2007

“European mining is done by companies, and company's money is almost like government money…. Machinery is bought, houses are built, in fact the capital of the company is spent…. After possibly a series of great hardships to the staff and disasters to the company, it is found that the tin raised is infinitesimal in value when compared with the rate of expenditure, and that the longer the work goes on the greater will be the losses. This is usually discovered when the paid‐up capital is all but exhausted. The company is wound up and the State gets a bad name with investors, and the only people who really enjoy themselves are the neighbouring Chinese miners who buy the mine and the plant for an old song and make several large fortunes out of working on their own ridiculous and primitive methods.”
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: Yamada Saburō , Ishihara Kyöichi
Published: March 2007

Book Reviews in This Article:

Seeds of Plenty, Seeds of Want: Social and. Economic. Implications of the Green Revolution by Andrew Pearse

China's Transition to Industrialism: Producer Goods and Economic Development in the Twentieth Century by Thomas G. Rawski
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: UMEHARA HIROMITSU , YONEKAWA SHIN'ICHI
Published: March 2007

Book Reviews in This Article:

Asian Village Economy at the Crossroads: An Economic Approach to Institutional Change.

Transatlantic Industrial Revolution: The Diffusion of Textile Technologies between Britain and America, 1790–1830s.
A DIFFUSION MODEL OF THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING THE CARIBBEAN BASIN ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT
Authors: CLARK Don P.
Published: March 2007

This paper uses a two‐stage approach to investigate the process of adopting trade provisions of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), and to identify factors which influence the dynamic adoption process. First, logistic growth functions of the share of preferential exports in total exports over time are estimated to provide measures of the adoption rate and upper limit participation value for each CBERA beneficiary. The second step relates these estimated parameters to country‐specific characteristics to identify factors responsible for intercountry differences in CBERA participation. Results indicate that the process of adopting provisions of a tariff preference scheme mirrors a dynamic diffusion process whereby beneficiaries increase their share of preferential exports in total exports to the United States over time.
CORPORATE DEBT RESOLUTION AND THE ROLE OF FOREIGN CAPITAL IN THE POST‐CRISIS RESTRUCTURING OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Authors: SOHN CHAN‐HYUN
Published: March 2007

The outbreak of the financial crisis in the Republic of Korea in 1997 exposed the structural weaknesses in the country's economy. Heated debates have failed to generate definitive answers on just what caused the financial crisis. Considering the importance of restructuring the corporate sector, this paper analyzed how the resolution of corporate debts was accomplished and examined the role of foreign capital in Korea's post‐crisis corporate restructuring. Special attention was given to the measures devised to recover nonperforming loans for the liquidation of corporate debts, to the foreign capital inflows through cross‐border M&As or privatization processes, and to the changes in control through corporate governance reforms. This paper concluded that the resolution of corporate debts has been satisfactory and successful and that foreign capital contributed significantly to effective corporate restructuring and debt resolution in the post‐crisis restructuring of Korea.
COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE IN JAPAN, KOREA, AND TAIWAN BETWEEN 1980 AND 1999: TESTING FOR CONVERGENCE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CLOSER ECONOMIC RELATIONS
Authors: JAMES William E. , MOVSHUK Oleksandr
Published: March 2007

This paper seeks to explore the basis for a free trade agreement (FTA) between Japan and the Republic of Korea by comparing export patterns of these two countries with that of a nonmember—Taiwan—that is geographically close and is also a major exporter of machinery. After calculating indices of revealed comparative advantage (RCA) for 3‐digit SITC categories, we test for convergence of export patterns between each pairing of partners (Japan‐Korea, Korea‐Taiwan, and Japan‐Taiwan). We find that even though each partner has a statistically significant correlation of RCA indices, export patterns of Korea and Taiwan are converging with that of Japan, while in the case of Taiwan and Korea there is no significant convergence between their export patterns. Finally, we identify sectors where trade diversion is likely to occur and provide an upper‐bound estimate of the potential amount of trade that might be diverted from Taiwan by a Japan‐Korea FTA.
TRADE PATTERNS AND EXCHANGE RATE REGIMES: TESTING THE ASIAN CURRENCY BASKET USING AN INTERNATIONAL INPUT‐OUTPUT SYSTEM
Authors: YANO TAKASHI , KOSAKA HIROYUKI
Published: March 2007

This paper aims at analyzing exchange rates and trade patterns of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, China, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan in relation to Japan and the United States, with reference to the Asian currency crises in 1997. In order to analyze these issues, we constructed an international input‐output model linked with macroeconometric models of the ten countries/regions. Analyses on the Asian exchange rates with a currency basket peg framework show that the Asian exchange rate policy was the de‐facto dollar peg policy. As for trade patterns in relation to the yen‐dollar rate; when a country/region's industrial structure is similar to that of Japan's and the yen is weak, the appropriate change of the yen's weight proves to hold its competitiveness. By contrast, the weak yen shows a decrease of its imports, regarding complementary structure. In either case, however, effects are limited.
THE EMERGENCE OF THE ASIAN MIDDLE CLASSES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS
Authors: HATTORI TAMIO , FUNATSU TSURUYO
Published: March 2007

The middle classes in Asian countries, which emerged rapidly in environments that were significantly different from those in the West, share some common features, but differ from one another on a number of other counts. Important among the similarities is that their nation‐building efforts after independence were perforce ambivalent in that, while pursuing economic growth in condensed ways, they tried to maintain the integrity of the state by emphasizing traditional values. On the other hand, they differ from one another in terms of the peculiarities of the preconditions they faced when launching development, the social structure specific to each, and the time at which and the strategy under which they began to pursue economic growth. These factors have brought diversity into the Asian middle classes' development processes and characteristics This paper examines the diversity of the middle classes that are now in a process of emergence in Asia.
THE MECHANISM FOR STATE‐LED CREATION OF MALAYSIA'S MIDDLE CLASSES
Authors: TORII TAKASHI
Published: March 2007

This paper analyzes the mechanism for creation of middle classes in Malaysia since 1971 The United Malays National Organization‐led government has implemented three long‐term development plans. One of the objectives of the New Economic Policy (NEP) for raising the economic positions of the Bumiputera (sons of the soil) was to create Malay middle classes. The development process has taken place in three phases: from the launching of NEP in 1971 to 1981, the first half of the Mahathir administration, and from 1991 to the present At the start of NEP, the government had an ambiguous idea about simply creating Malay middle classes. After the 1980s, however, Mahathir emphasized creating middle classes in relation to his industrialization policy In order to achieve its target and intention, the Malaysian government has changed its role in accordance with the targets it has sought.
CRANIAL DESCRIPTION AND GENETIC IDENTITY OF THE HOLOTYPE SPECIMEN OF TURSIOPS ADUNCUS (EHRENBERG, 1832)
Authors: Perrin William F. , Robertson Kelly M. , Van Bree Peter J. H. , Mead James G.
Published: March 2007

Abstract

Two species of bottlenose dolphins are currently recognized by most cetologists: the pan‐tropical and temperate Tursiops truncatus and the endemic Indo‐Pacific T. aduncus. The latter was described from a specimen from the Red Sea, with nothing in the description that would allow referral of the specimen to one or the other of the two species. Because both species occur in the northern Indian Ocean, it was possible that the holotype specimen was actually a common bottlenose dolphin, not of the Indo‐Pacific species. The holotype skull was thought lost but has been found in the Berlin Museum. We describe the skull and examine its affinities through comparison of a partial mtDNA control‐region sequence with sequences from South Africa and through application of classification functions from a discriminant analysis of the two putative species from Taiwan. The mtDNA sequence is identical to that of South African specimens referred to the Indo‐Pacific species, and the multivariate likelihood assignment associates the skull with Taiwanese specimens referred to that species. These results ensure the correctness of use of the name T. aduncus for the species.
Evans syndrome and primary biliary cirrhosis
Authors: AZAD A. , BERERA V. , JAYARAJAN J. , LIM K.
Published: March 2007

Primary biliary cirrhosis associated with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopaenia has rarely been reported in adults. We are presenting an 83‐year‐old woman with primary biliary cirrhosis who was also diagnosed with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia and idiopathic thrombocytopaenic purpura.
Ringing or colour‐banding does not increase predation mortality in redshanksTringa totanus
Authors: Cresswell Will , Lind Johan , L. Quinn John , Minderman Jeroen , Philip Whitfield D.
Published: March 2007

The use of metal and colour‐rings or bands as a means of measuring survival, movements and behaviour in birds is universal and fundamental to testing ecological and evolutionary theories. The practice rests on the largely untested assumption that the rings do not affect survival. However this assumption may not hold for several reasons, for example because the ‘oddity effect’ predicts predators select prey that appear different to their neighbours in order to avoid the ‘confusion effect’. We compared the foraging behaviour and the death rates of redshanksTringa totanusconspicuously marked with six colour rings and one metal ring each to unmarked birds in a study system, where routinely up to 50% of the total population are killed by avian predators during a winter. If avian predators selectively target and/or have a higher capture success of ringed birds then we would predict the proportion of colour‐ringed birds in the population to decline through a winter. The proportion of colour‐ringed birds in the population did not change over the course of three separate winters, and in one winter the ratio of marked:unmarked birds found killed by sparrowhawksAccipiter nisuswas the same as the ratio of marked birds alive in the population. In the year with largest sample size, power was sufficient to detect a greater than 2.2% difference in predation rate between ringed and unringed groups. The average kill rate difference between ringed and unringed birds across the three winters was less than 1% (0.73±2.2%) suggesting that even if there were differences in predation rate that were not detected because of low statistical power they were extremely small. There were no differences in any foraging measures comparing ringed and unringed birds, suggesting that the rings did not affect the ability of birds to meet their daily energy budgets. The results showed that colour‐ringed birds were not preferentially targeted or killed by avian predators, and suggest that the presence of a metal and even several large colour‐rings is unlikely to affect behaviour and predation mortality even under extreme selection.
Allen–Fahey and related experiments support the predominance of cochlear slow-wave otoacoustic emissions
Authors: Shera Christopher A. , Tubis Arnold , Talmadge Carrick L. , de Boer Egbert , Fahey Paul F. , Guinan John J.
Published: March 2007

Originally proposed as a method for measuring the power gain of the cochlear amplifier, Allen–Fahey experiments compare intracochlear distortion products and ear-canal otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) under tightly controlled conditions. In this paper Allen–Fahey experiments are shown to place significant constraints on the dominant mode of reverse energy propagation within the cochlea. Existing Allen–Fahey experiments are reviewed and shown to contradict the predictions of compression-wave OAE models recently proposed in the literature. In compression-wave models, distortion products propagate from their site of generation to the stapes via longitudinal compression waves in the cochlear fluids (fast waves); in transverse traveling-wave models, by contrast, distortion products propagate primarily via pressure-difference waves whose velocity and other characteristics depend on the mechanical properties of the cochlear partition (slow waves). Compression-wave models predict that the distortion-product OAEs (DPOAEs) measured in the Allen–Fahey paradigm increase at close primary-frequency ratios (or remain constant in the hypothetical absence of tuned suppression). The behavior observed experimentally is just the opposite—a pronounced decrease in DPOAE amplitude at close ratios. Since neither compression-wave nor simple conceptual “hybrid-wave” models can account for the experimental results—whereas slow-wave models can, via systematic changes in distortion-source directionality arising from wave-interference effects—Allen–Fahey and related experiments provide compelling evidence against the predominance of compression-wave OAEs in mammalian cochlear mechanics.
Effect of spectral frequency range and separation on the perception of asynchronous speech
Authors: Healy Eric W. , Bacon Sid P.
Published: March 2007

The use of across-frequency timing cues and the effect of disrupting these cues were examined across the frequency spectrum by introducing between-band asynchronies to pairs of narrowband temporal speech patterns. Sentence intelligibility by normal-hearing listeners fell when as little as 12.5ms of asynchrony was introduced and was reduced to floor values by 100ms. Disruptions to across-frequency timing had similar effects in the low-, mid-, and high-frequency regions, but band pairs having wider frequency separation were less disrupted by small amounts of asynchrony. In experiment 2, it was found that the disruptive influence of asynchrony on adjacent band pairs did not result from disruptions to the complex patterns present in overlapping excitation. The results of experiment 3 suggest that the processing of speech patterns may take place using mechanisms having different sensitivities to exact timing, similar to the dual mechanisms proposed for within- and across-channel gap detection. Preservation of relative timing can be critical to intelligibility. While the use of across-frequency timing cues appears similar across the spectrum, it may differ based on frequency separation. This difference appears to involve a greater reliance on exact timing during the processing of speech energy at proximate frequencies.
Simulation of guided waves in complex piping geometries using the elastodynamic finite integration technique
Authors: Rudd Kevin E. , Leonard Kevin R. , Bingham Jill P. , Hinders Mark K.
Published: March 2007

Although many technologies exist for inspecting piping systems, they are most successful on straight pipes and are often unable to accommodate the added complexities of pipe elbows, bends, twists, and branches, particularly if the region of interest is inaccessible. This paper presents a numerical technique based on the elastodynamic finite integration technique for simulating guided elastic wave propagation in piping systems. Comparisons show agreement between experimental and simulated data, and guided wave interaction with flaws, focusing, and propagation in pipe bends are presented. These examples demonstrate the ability of the simulation method to be used to study elastic wave propagation in piping systems which include three-dimensional pipe bends, and suggest its potential as a design tool for designing pipe inspection hardware and ultrasonic signal processing algorithms.
Miniaturized mandrel-based fiber optic hydrophone
Authors: Ames Gregory H. , Maguire Jason M.
Published: March 2007

Fiber optic hydrophones typically use a long sensor fiber wrapped around an air-filled mandrel to achieve high responsivity. Minimum mandrel diameter is determined by fiber reliability considerations. A miniature hydrophone, with diameter of about a third that of previous hydrophones, is reported. Such a hydrophone has applications for very thin towed arrays. Small diameter fiber with high strength Bragg gratings written through the coating are key enablers.
Illusory percepts from auditory adaptation
Authors: Parra Lucas C. , Pearlmutter Barak A.
Published: March 2007

Phenomena resembling tinnitus and Zwicker phantom tone are seen to result from an auditory gain adaptation mechanism that attempts to make full use of a fixed-capacity channel. In the case of tinnitus, the gain adaptation enhances internal noise of a frequency band otherwise silent due to damage. This generates a percept of a phantom sound as a consequence of hearing loss. In the case of Zwicker tone, a frequency band is temporarily silent during the presentation of a notched broadband sound, resulting in a percept of a tone at the notched frequency. The model suggests a link between tinnitus and the Zwicker tone percept, in that it predicts different results for normal and tinnitus subjects due to a loss of instantaneous nonlinear compression. Listening experiments on 44 subjects show that tinnitus subjects (11 of 44) are significantly more likely to hear the Zwicker tone. This psychoacoustic experiment establishes the first empirical link between the Zwicker tone percept and tinnitus. Together with the modeling results, this supports the hypothesis that the phantom percept is a consequence of a central adaptation mechanism confronted with a degraded sensory apparatus.
Calibration sphere for low-frequency parametric sonars
Authors: Foote Kenneth G. , Francis David T. I. , Atkins Philip R.
Published: March 2007

The problem of calibrating parametric sonar systems at low difference frequencies used in backscattering applications is addressed. A particular parametric sonar is considered: the Simrad TOPAS PS18 Parametric Sub-bottom Profiler. This generates difference-frequency signals in the band 0.5–6kHz. A standard target is specified according to optimization conditions based on maximizing the target strength consistent with the target strength being independent of orientation and the target being physically manageable. The second condition is expressed as the target having an immersion weight less than 200 N. The result is a 280-mm-diam sphere of aluminum. Its target strength varies from −43.4dB at 0.5kHz to −20.2dB at 6kHz. Maximum excursions in target strength over the frequency band due to uncertainty in material properties of the sphere are of order ±0.1dB. Maximum excursions in target strength due to variations in mass density and sound speed of the immersion medium are larger, but can be eliminated by attention to the hydrographic conditions. The results are also applicable to the standard-target calibration of conventional sonars operating at low-kilohertz frequencies.
Parallel capillary-tube-based extension of thermoacoustic theory for random porous media
Authors: Roh Heui-Seol , Raspet Richard , Bass Henry E.
Published: March 2007

Thermoacoustic theory is extended to stacks made of random bulk media. Characteristics of the porous stack such as the tortuosity and dynamic shape factors are introduced into the thermoacoustic wave equation in the low reduced frequency approximation. Basic thermoacoustic equations for a bulk porous medium are formulated analogously to the equations for a single pore. Use of different dynamic shape factors for the viscous and thermal effects is adopted and scaling using the dynamic shape factors and tortuosity is demonstrated. Comparisons of the calculated and experimentally derived thermoacoustic properties of reticulated vitreous carbon and aluminum foam show good agreement. A consistent mathematical model of sound propagation in a random porous medium with an imposed temperature is developed. This treatment leads to an expression for the coefficient of the temperature gradient in terms of scaled cylindrical thermoviscous functions.
Finite element analysis of guided waves in fluid-filled corrugated pipes
Authors: Maess Matthias , Herrmann Jan , Gaul Lothar
Published: March 2007

Free wave propagation in fluid-filled corrugated pipes is analyzed using finite element methods in combination with a wave-based approach. By combining discretized models with a wave-based approach, complex mechanism of wave motion in the three-dimensional waveguide is fully included. The pipes are treated as waveguides having periodic properties in the direction of wave propagation. The analysis of these guided waves leads to dispersion curves which show the strong frequency-dependency of the different wave modes. The method also allows the inclusion of coupling between fluid-borne and structure-borne wave modes which occur at the acoustic–structure interface. Phase and group velocities of the wave modes are derived in postprocessing steps. Additionally, the energy ratio of the fluid-domain and solid-domain vibrational energies is computed. Finally, linear damping models are included in order to explore wave mode attenuation.
Acoustic measures of low-frequency noise in extended high-frequency audiometry
Authors: Schmuziger Nicolas , Brechbuehl Matthias , Probst Rudolf
Published: March 2007

A very high signal-to-noise ratio is required for equipment designed for extended high-frequency audiometry because listeners with almost no hearing ability in the extended high-frequency range may have normal hearing sensitivity in the lower frequencies. Two commercially available systems designed for pure-tone audiometry were evaluated both in the conventional and extended high-frequency range. Unwanted lower frequency signals greater than the noise floor occurred predominantly at presentation levels of approximately 110dB SPL or higher. Test tones in the extended high-frequency range should be restricted to levels that are not associated with lower frequency noise.
Radiation force and shear motions in inhomogeneous media
Authors: Ostrovsky Lev , Sutin Alexander , Il’inskii Yuri , Rudenko Oleg , Sarvazyan Armen
Published: March 2007

An action of radiation force induced by ultrasonic beam in waterlike media such as biological tissues (where the shear modulus is small as compared to the bulk compressibility) is considered. A new, nondissipative mechanism of generation of shear displacement due to a smooth (nonreflecting) medium inhomogeneity is suggested, and the corresponding medium displacement is evaluated. It is shown that a linear primary acoustic field in nondissipative, isotropic elastic medium cannot excite a nonpotential radiation force and, hence, a shear motion, whereas even smooth inhomogeneity makes this effect possible. An example is considered showing that the generated displacement pulse can be significantly longer than the primary ultrasound pulse. It is noted that, unlike the dissipative effect, the nondissipative action on a localized inhomogeneity (such as a lesion in a tissue) changes its sign along the beam axis, thus stretching or compressing the focus area.
Immunomodulatory Peptide from Cystatin, a Natural Cysteine Protease Inhibitor, against Leishmaniasis as a Model Macrophage Disease
Authors: Mukherjee Snigdha , Ukil Anindita , Das Pijush K.
Published: March 2007

Cystatin, a natural cysteine protease inhibitor, has strong antileishmanial activity, which is due to its potential to induce nitric oxide (NO) generation from macrophages. Cysteine protease-inhibitory activity and NO-up-regulatory activity correspond to different regions, as revealed by the dissection of cystatin cDNA into nonoverlapping fragments. By using synthetic overlapping peptides, the NO-up-regulatory activity was found to be confined to a 10-mer sequence. In addition to having reasonable inhibitory effects on amastigote multiplication within macrophages (50% inhibitory concentration, 5.2 μg/ml), 97 and 93% suppression, respectively, of liver and spleen parasite burdens was achieved with the 10-mer peptide at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg of body weight/day, given consecutively for 4 days along with a suboptimal dose of gamma interferon in a 45-day mouse model of visceral leishmaniasis. Peptide treatment modulated the levels of cytokine secretion by infected splenocytes, with increased levels of interleukin-12 and tumor necrosis factor alpha and increased inducible NO synthase production, and also resulted in resistance to reinfection. The generation of a natural peptide from cystatin with robust immunomodulatory potential may therefore provide a promising therapeutic agent for macrophage-associated diseases.
Uninfected Mosquito Bites Confer Protection against Infection with Malaria Parasites
Authors: Donovan Michael J. , Messmore Andrew S. , Scrafford Deborah A. , Sacks David L. , Kamhawi Shaden , McDowell Mary Ann
Published: March 2007

Despite decades of research and multiple initiatives, malaria continues to be one of the world's most debilitating infectious diseases. New insights for malaria control and vaccine development will be essential to thwart the staggering worldwide impact of this disease (A. Bjorkman and A. Bhattarai, Acta Trop. 94:163-169, 2005); ultimately successful vaccine strategies will undoubtedly be multifactorial, incorporating multiple antigens and targeting diverse aspects of the malaria parasites’ biology (M. F. Good et al., Immunol. Rev. 201:254-267, 2004). Using a murine model of malaria infection, we show here that exposure to bites from uninfected mosquitoes prior toPlasmodium yoeliiinfection influences the local and systemic immune responses and limits parasite development within the host. In hosts preexposed to bites from uninfected mosquitoes, reduced parasite burdens in the livers were detected early, and during the blood-stage of the life cycle, these burdens remained lower than those in hosts that received mosquito bites only at the time of infection. Repeated exposure to bites from uninfected mosquitoes skewed the immune response towards a T-helper 1 (Th1) phenotype as indicated by increased levels of interleukin-12, gamma interferon, and inducible nitric oxide synthase. These data suggest that the addition of mosquito salivary components to antimalaria vaccines may be a viable strategy for creating a Th1-biased environment known to be effective against malaria infection. Furthermore, this strategy may be important for the development of vaccines to combat other mosquito-transmitted pathogens.
Virulence Plasmid Diversity inClostridium perfringensType D Isolates
Authors: Sayeed Sameera , Li Jihong , McClane Bruce A.
Published: March 2007

Clostridium perfringenstype D isolates are important in biodefense and also cause natural enterotoxemias in sheep, goats, and occasionally cattle. In these isolates, the gene (etx) encoding ε-toxin is thought to reside on poorly characterized large plasmids. Type D isolates sometimes also produce other potentially plasmid-encoded toxins, includingC. perfringensenterotoxin and beta2 toxin, encoded by thecpeandcbp2genes, respectively. In the current study we demonstrated that theetx,cpe, andcpb2genes are carried on plasmids in type D isolates and characterized the toxin-encoding plasmids to obtain insight into their genetic organization, potential transferability, and diversity. Southern blotting of pulsed-field gels showed that theetxgene of type D isolates can be present on at least five different plasmids, whose sizes range from 48 to 110 kb. Theetxplasmids also typically carried IS1151andtcpopen reading frames (ORFs) known to mediate conjugative transfer ofC. perfringensplasmid pCW3. PCR studies revealed that other than theirtcpORFs,etxplasmids of type D isolates do not carry substantial portions of the conserved or variable regions in thecpeplasmids of type A isolates. Southern blotting also demonstrated that in type D isolates thecpeandcpb2genes are sometimes present on theetxplasmid. Collectively, these findings confirmed that the virulence of type D isolates is heavily plasmid dependent and indicated that (i) a single type D isolate can carry multiple virulence plasmids, (ii) a single type D virulence plasmid can carry up to three different toxin genes, and (iii) manyetxplasmids should be capable of conjugative transfer.
AN ALGEBRAIC APPROACH TO SYMMETRIC PRE-MONOIDAL STATISTICS
Authors: ISAAC P. S. , JOYCE W. P. , LINKS J.
Published: March 2007

Recently, generalized Bose–Fermi statistics was studied in a category theoretic framework and to accommodate this endeavor the notion of a pre-monoidal category was developed. Here we describe an algebraic approach for the construction of such categories. We introduce a procedure called twining which breaks the quasi-bialgebra structure of the universal enveloping algebras of semi-simple Lie algebras and renders the category of finite-dimensional modules pre-monoidal. The category is also symmetric, meaning that each object of the category provides representations of the symmetric groups, which allows for a generalized boson-fermion statistic to be defined. Exclusion and confinement principles for systems of indistinguishable particles are formulated as an invariance with respect to the actions of the symmetric group. We apply the procedure to suggest that the symmetries which can be associated to color, spin and flavor degrees of freedom lead to confinement of states.
GENERAL RELATIVITY, GRAVITATIONAL ENERGY AND SPIN–TWO FIELD
Authors: SOKOŁOWSKI LESZEK M.
Published: March 2007

In my lectures I will deal with three seemingly unrelated problems: i) to what extent is general relativity exceptional among metric gravity theories? ii) is it possible to define gravitational energy density applying field–theory approach to gravity? and iii) can a consistent theory of a gravitationally interacting spin–two field be developed at all? The connecting link to them is the concept of a fundamental classical spin–2 field. A linear spin–2 field introduced as a small perturbation of a Ricci–flat spacetime metric, is gauge invariant while its energy–momentum is gauge dependent. Furthermore, when coupled to gravity, the field reveals insurmountable inconsistencies in the resulting equations of motion. After discussing the inconsistencies of any coupling of the linear spin–2 field to gravity, I exhibit the origin of the fact that a gauge invariant field has the variational metric stress tensor which is gauge dependent. I give a general theorem explaining under what conditions a symmetry of a field Lagrangian becomes also the symmetry of the variational stress tensor. It is a conclusion of the theorem that any attempt to define gravitational energy density in the framework of a field theory of gravity must fail. Finally I make a very brief introduction to basic concepts of how a certain kind of a necessarily nonlinear spin–2 field arises in a natural way from vacuum nonlinear metric gravity theories (Lagrangian being any scalar function of Ricci tensor). This specific spin–2 field consistently interacts gravitationally and the theory of the field is promising.
Comparison of protective effects of trimetazidine against experimental warm ischemia of different durations: early and long-term effects in a pig kidney model
Authors: Jayle Christophe , Favreau Frederic , Zhang Kequiang , Doucet Carole , Goujon Jean Michel , Hebrard William , Carretier Michel , Eugene Michel , Mauco Gerard , Tillement Jean Paul , Hauet Thierry
Published: March 2007

Acute renal failure (ARF) is often the consequence of an ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and associated with high mortality. Warm ischemia (WI) is a crucial factor of tissue damage, and tissue destruction led by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) can impact the early and long-term functional outcome. Trimetazidine (TMZ) is an anti-ischemic drug. Previously, we already verified its protective effect on a cold-ischemic pig kidney model by directly adding TMZ into the preservation solution (Faure JP, Baumert H, Han Z, Goujon JM, Favreau F, Dutheil D, Petit I, Barriere M, Tallineau C, Tillement JP, Carretier M, Mauco G, Papadopoulos V, Hauet T. Biochem Pharmacol 66: 2241–2250, 2003; Faure JP, Petit I, Zhang K, Dutheil D, Doucet C, Favreau F, Eugene M, Goujon JM, Tillement JP, Mauco G, Vandewalle A, Hauet T. Am J Transplant 4: 495–504, 2004). In this study, we aimed to study the potential effect of TMZ pretreatment (5 mg/kg iv 24 h before WI) on the injury caused by WI for 45, 60, and 90 min and reperfusion in a WI pig kidney model. Compared with sham-operated (control) and uninephrectomized animals (UNX), TMZ pretreatment significantly reduced deleterious effects after 45 min, and particularly 60 and 90 min, of WI by improving the recovery of renal function and minimizing the inflammatory response commonly prevalent in ischemic kidney injury. Compared with controls (control group and UNX group), it was observed that 1) hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1α) expression occurred earlier and with a higher intensity in the TMZ-treated groups; 2) the reduction of IRI during the first week following reperfusion was correlated with an earlier and greater expression of stathmin, which is involved in the process of tubular repair; and 3) the tubulointerstitial fibrosis was reduced, particularly after 60 and 90 min of WI. In conclusion, TMZ made the warm-ischemic kidneys more resistant to the deleterious impact of a single episode of I/R and reduced early and long-term subsequent damage.
Packet Media Streaming with Imprecise Rate Estimation
Authors: Jurca Dan , Frossard Pascal
Published: March 2007

We address the problem of delay-constrained streaming of multimedia packets over dynamic bandwidth channels. Efficient streaming solutions generally rely on the knowledge of the channel bandwidth, in order to select the media packets to be transmitted, according to their sending time. However, the streaming server usually cannot have a perfect knowledge of the channel bandwidth, and important packets may be lost due to late arrival, if the scheduling is based on an over-estimated bandwidth. Robust media streaming techniques should take into account the mismatch between the values of the actual channel bandwidth and its estimation at the server. We address this rate prediction mismatch by media scheduling with a conservative delay, which provides a safety margin for the packet delivery, even in the presence of unpredicted bandwidth variations. We formulate an optimization problem whose goal is to obtain the optimal value for the conservative delay to be used in the scheduling process, given the network model and the actual playback delay imposed by the client. We eventually propose a simple alternative to the computation of the scheduling delay, which is effective in real-time streaming scenarios. Our streaming method proves to be robust against channel prediction errors, and performs better than other robustness mechanisms based on frame reordering strategies.
System Architecture and Mobility Management for Mobile Immersive Communications
Authors: Dowlatshahi Mehran , Safaei Farzad
Published: March 2007

We propose a system design for delivery of immersive communications to mobile wireless devices based on a distributed proxy model. It is demonstrated that this architecture addresses key technical challenges for the delivery of these services, that is, constraints on link capacity and power consumption in mobile devices. However, additional complexity is introduced with respect to application layer mobility management. The paper proposes three possible methods for updating proxy assignments in response to mobility management and compares the performance of these methods.
Scalable Video Streaming Based on JPEG2000 Transcoding with Adaptive Rate Control
Authors: Vetro Anthony , Schwenke Derek , Hata Toshihiko , Kuwahara Naoki
Published: March 2007

This paper describes a scalable video streaming system based on JPEG2000 with various modes of streaming. A core function of the proposed system is a low-complexity transcoding technique that adapts the quality and resolution of the scene based on available bandwidth. One key feature of this technique that is important for surveillance applications is that interesting regions of the scene are assigned higher quality than background regions. To cope with varying network conditions, we also present a rate control algorithm that adaptively transcodes stored JPEG2000 frames. The proposed algorithm is designed to improve overall quality over a uniform rate control method by increasing bandwidth utilization, while satisfying buffer constraints and maintaining consistent quality over time. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed system and rate control algorithm in terms of both objective measures and subjective evaluation. Complexity is also evaluated.
Scalable Island Multicast for Peer-to-Peer Streaming
Authors: Jin Xing , Cheng Kan-Leung , Gary Chan S.-H.
Published: March 2007

Despite the fact that global multicast is still not possible in today's Internet, many local networks are already multicast-capable (the so-called multicast “islands”). However, most application-layer multicast (ALM) protocols for streaming have not taken advantage of the underlying IP multicast capability. As IP multicast is more efficient, it would be beneficial if ALM can take advantage of such capability in building overlay trees. In this paper, we propose a fully distributed protocol called scalable island multicast (SIM), which effectively integrates IP multicast and ALM. Hosts in SIM first
form an overlay tree using a scalable protocol. They then detect IP multicast islands and employ IP multicast whenever possible.
We study the key issues in the design, including overlay tree construction, island management, and system resilience. Through simulations on Internet-like topologies, we show that SIM achieves lower end-to-end delay, lower link stress, and lower resource usage than traditional ALM protocols.
1H NMR Study of the Enantioselective Binding of Λ‐ and Δ‐[Ru(bpy)2(m‐bpy‐GHK)]Cl2 to the DeoxynucleotideDuplex d(5′‐C1G2C3G4A5A6T7T8C9G10C11G12‐3′)2
Authors: Myari A. , Hadjiliadis N. , Garoufis A.
Published: March 2007

The interaction of the diastereomeric complexes Λ‐ and Δ‐[Ru(bpy)2(m‐GHK)]Cl2, (GHK = glycine‐histidine‐lysine) to the deoxynucleotide duplex d(5′‐CGCGAATTCGCG‐3′)2 was studied by means of 1H NMR spectroscopy. The diastereomers interact with the oligonucleotide duplex differently. The Δ‐[Ru(bpy)2(m − GHK)]Cl2 is characterized by major groove binding close to the central part of the
oligonucleotide, with both the peptide and the bipyridine ligand of the complex involved in the binding. The Λ‐[Ru(bpy)2(m‐bpy‐GHK)]Cl2 binds loosely, approaching the helix from the minor groove. The NMR analysis shows that the peptide (GHK) binding has a determinative role in the interactions of both diastereomers with the oligonucleotide.