bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Infant and child mortality levels and trends in Bangladesh
Authors: Kabir M. , Chowdhury Rafiquel Islam , Amin Ruhul
Published: July 2008

Infant and child mortality levels and trends in Bangladesh are examined using data from the 1989 Bangladesh Fertility Survey. Both infant and child mortality declined from the mid 1970s but infant mortality declined more quickly. The level of infant mortality in 1989 was around 100 per 1000 live births while child mortality (5q) was 200 per 1000 live births. Life table analysis confirms the change in infant and child mortality.

The decline in infant mortality is attributed to the introduction of improved public health measures and access to maternal and child health services.
Inter-individual and seasonal weight variation in rural Nepali women
Authors: Panter-Brick C.
Published: July 2008

Changes in body weight were examined for non-pregnant women in rural Nepal, using 183 anthropometric measures between the early winter and monsoon seasons in 1982, 1982–83, 1990–91 and 1993. The women gained weight when work loads decreased after the monsoon, but despite substantial changes in total energy expenditure, which were out of phase with changes in food intake, seasonal changes were small, averaging only up to 2.6% of initial body weight.

There were notable differences between individual women, changes in body weight ranging from-5·6 kg to 4·8 kg. Weight change was examined with respect to lactation status, age, body mass index, mid upper arm circumference and skinfolds as well as total energy expenditure and intake. Non-lactating women, very thin women and women aged under 25 years gained more weight than their counterparts, both before and after the monsoon. Data for a sub-sample in 1982–83 indicated that women who maintained high physical activity levels throughout the year were less prone to weight loss than women whose activity fluctuated between seasons. Initial energy reserves, age-related maturation factors, levels of physical activity and energy intake combine to produce the notable inter-individual variation in body weight changes observed in this population.
Perceptions of symptoms of severe childhood malaria among Mijikenda and Luo residents of Coastal Kenya
Authors: Mwenesi H. A. , Harpham T. , Marsh K. , Snow R. W.
Published: July 2008

Effective community based malaria control programmes require an understanding of current perceptions of malaria as a disease and its severe manifestations. Quantitative and qualitative surveys of mothers on the Kenyan Coast suggest that fever is conceptualised in biomedical terms whereas the aetiology of severe malaria is perceived to be of more complex cultural origin. This is reflected in the treatments sought for convulsions. The results are discussed in the context of ethnographic factors. To be effective, future health information programmes must take cultural beliefs into account.
Premature weaning in East Bhutan: only if mother is pregnant again
Authors: Bohler Erik , Bergström Staffan
Published: July 2008

The relationship between breast-feeding and subsequent pregnancy in East Bhutan is examined, against the background of local attitudes to family planning. Ninety-eight mothers who had given birth 30–36 months earlier were interviewed. Semisolid supplementary feeding was introduced at a median age of 3 months. Median total duration of breast-feeding was 28 months, and day and night breast-feeding on demand was continued throughout. Median duration of postpartum amenorrhoea was 12 months, and was associated with the timing of the introduction of supplementary foods.

There was a significant association between the occurrence of a subsequent pregnancy and early termination of breast-feeding. The relationships between breast-feeding pattern and pregnancy interval are complex, and their relative influence changes with time. During the first year postpartum, infertility during lactational amenorrhoea is important. During the second year there is a strong negative effect on lactation from the next pregnancy. The only important reason for ceasing to breast-feed within 2 years seems to be a new pregnancy.
Is menopause withering away?
Authors: Topo Paivi , Hemminki Elina
Published: July 2008

Menopause (cessation of menstruction) and the period surrounding it (climacterium) are often defined retrospectively by asking a woman the date of her last menstrual period (LMP). Based on a survey of 2000 women aged 45–64 in 1989 in Finland, this study examines (1) the relation between these definitions and women's own definitions of their climacteric status and of the cessation of menstruction and (2) the effect of menopausal and postmeno pausal hormone therapy and hysterectomy on the definition of menopause and climacterium. Agreement of the woman's own definition of her climacteric status and interval since LMP was 25% among current hormone users, 41% among hysterectomised women and 64% among those who were neither currently using hormones nor had been hysterectomised. Current hormone users defined the climacteric phase as longer than their LMP suggested. Current hormone use and hysterectomy had little effect on reported final cessation of menstrual periods. It is concluded that hysterectomy and hormone therapy shape women's thinking about the end of reproductive life, blur the concepts of menopause and postmenopause and confuse the measurement of age at menopause.
The adaptive significance of social synchronisation of ultradian behaviour cycles: a computer model
Authors: Meier-Koll A. , Bohl E. , Schardl B. , Novacek F.
Published: July 2008

Daily behaviour patterns in a hunter–gatherer community of Colombian Indians show that individual activities are regulated by ultradian behaviour cycles of about 2 hr and that these cycles can be synchronised by social interaction. A computer model was developed which simulated an artificial community and generated dynamic portraits of locomotor activity and social aggregation similar to those of the observed community of Colombian Indians. Social phase-locking of ultradian behaviour cycles occurred, contributing to the safety of group members and their economy of effort in gathering and related activities. Social synchronisation of ultradian behaviour cycles may also have occurred in early hominid groups.
Unmet need for family planning in Jamaica
Authors: Chiezah M. A. , Adamchak D. J.
Published: July 2008

This study updates and extends estimates for unmet need and total demand for family planning for Jamaican women in the reproductive age group, 15–49. The findings suggest that, as yet unmet need for family planning was 22·7%, compared to 16% previously estimated.
Sex linked versus autosomal inbreeding coefficient in close consanguineous marriages in the Basque country and Castile (Spain): genetic implications
Authors: Calderón R. , Morales B. , Peña J. A. , Delgado J.
Published: July 2008

Pedigree structures of 161 uncle/niece-aunt/nephew and 4420 first cousin consanguineous marriages registered during the 19th and 20th centuries in two large and very different Spanish regions have been analysed and their genetic consequences evaluated. The frequencies of the different pedigree subtypes within each degree of relationship were quite similar in both populations despite significant heterogeneity in inbreeding patterns. The mean X-linked inbreeding coefficient (Fx) for each type of cousin mating was calculated and compared to that expected for autosomal genes (F). The effect of genealogical structure on theFx/Fradio was compared to different cultural populations worldwide. Preferentiality and avoidance of close consanguinity along with specific types of pedigrees are discussed on the basis of premarital migration and sociocultural rules still deeply rooted in certain human groups. By admitting that the observedFxcoefficient is usually higher thanFin most human populations some remarks have been made in terms of population genetic risk.
Birth spacing and infant and early childhood mortality in a high fertility area of Bangladesh: age-dependent and interactive effects
Authors: Alam Nurul
Published: July 2008

To examine the effects of birth spacing on early childhood mortality, 3729 singleton births in 1983–84 were followed for 3 years in rural Bangladesh. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess whether the survival of older siblings modifies the effect of preceding birth intervals and to see if the effects of preceding and succeeding birth intervals are inter-related, controlling for the effects of sex of the child, mother's age and household economic status. With the exception of the neonatal period, birth spacing effects were highly significant. A preceding birth interval of <15 months was associated with a greater mortality risk in the post-neonatal period for children with an older sibling who survived infancy. However, a short preceding birth interval did not adversely affect post-neonatal mortality if the older sibling died in infancy. Neonatal and post-neonatal deaths were higher if older siblings had died in respective age intervals. A pregnancy interval of <12 months after childbirth raised the risk of death at ages 1–2 years considerably if the child was born after a short birth interval (<15 months). The results suggest that the high mortality risks of closely spaced children are due to sibling competition for parental resources.
Australian trends in mortality by socioeconomic status using NSW small area data, 1970–89
Authors: Quine Susan , Taylor Richard , Hayes Lillian
Published: July 2008

This ecological study examines trends in socioeconomic differentials in mortality in New South Wales, Australia, over a 20-year period (1970–89). The proportion unskilled was used as the indicator of socioeconomic status and its selection justified. Using census data aggregated by Local Government Area, the relationship between mortality and socioeconomic status was examined using quintiles based on the proportion unskilled in the population. Local Government Areas were also sorted into quintiles using mortality rates (0–74 years) to describe change in mortality differentials over time. Socioeconomic differentials were more evident in the relatively homogeneous Local Government Areas within the Sydney Statistical Division than in the remaining NSW Statistical Divisions which are more heterogeneous and predominantly rural. Although there has been an overall decline in mortality for males and females, and for high and low status groups, over this period the relative socioeconomic differentials have not declined. For the most recent period (1985–89) there appears to be some widening of differentials for males. The NSW state trends are generally similar to those reported for Britain and for other industrialised countries, suggesting that this is a common trend and that policies to reduce inequalities have not been effective.
Antecedents of Adolescent Pregnancy
Authors: Wilson Fiona
Published: July 2008

The recognition of which girls are at risk of becoming pregnant before the age of 16 years is of interest to legal, educational, social and medical services. In this paper a large amount of data, available for a total population of schoolgirls, has been used to show that prediction is indeed possible. It was found that compared to a group of girls matched on a number of sociodemographic characteristics, those who became pregnant during adolescence were more likely to have been academic underachievers at age 11, to have made an appearance in a juvenile court, and to have been referred to a child guidance or psychiatric clinic at an early age. Difficulties over matching also suggest that they are more likely to have five or more siblings, to be illegitimate and to have mothers who were themselves teenagers at the time of their daughter's birth.
Fertility of Migrant Women in Australia
Authors: Yusuf Farhat , Eckstein Gary
Published: July 2008

This paper examines the current fertility (1971–72) of migrant women in Australia, in order to compare the fertility levels and patterns prevalent among migrants from nine selected countries with those of the Australian born women. Birth registration data have been mainly used in the analysis.

Three main points emerge. Among the married women there were few differences in fertility regardless of the country of birth. A major exception was the somewhat higher fertility levels among the southern European migrants. Extramarital fertility seemed to vary substantially between different migrant groups: New Zealanders had the highest and the Italians and Greeks had the lowest levels. There were major differences in the proportion of women married among the various migrant groups; again the southern Europeans had highest proportions married. Comparison of the reproductive behaviour of migrants with their counterparts in the countries of origin showed that the southern European migrants in Australia had higher fertility rates than those prevalent in their countries of origin.
Abortion in India, with Particular Reference to West Bengal
Authors: Dutta Ranajit
Published: July 2008

Induced abortion has a long history in India. It occurs in village society, although the rate is relatively low. Socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of women having legal abortions are presented for a national, a West Bengal state, and a West Bengal local sample. A series of illegal abortions (1969) prior to the legalization of abortion in West Bengal is compared with more recent experience (1977–78) of legal abortion.

Clinical facilities for meeting the demand for abortion are still inadequate. Reasons are given for predicting that the demand for legal abortion will continue to rise. Currently only 6% of legal abortions are by vacuum aspiration and nearly one-quarter by hysterotomy and hysterectomy. Greater provision needs to be made for the safer early abortions.
A Demographic Study of Mirpur: A Village in Coastal Midnapore District, West Bengal
Authors: Basu Amitabha , Gupta Ranjan , Bhattacharya Kalyan K.
Published: July 2008

Mirpur is a small village of 320 individuals in coastal Midnapore district, West Bengal, the inhabitants of which claim partial Portuguese ancestry. The demographic data collected in Mirpur are reported here. The age structure of the population suggests a growing population trend, but a constriction at the base of the pyramid indicates a recent decline of fertility. The completed family size, net reproductive index and total fertility rate are also compatible with high growth rate, but the age-specific fertility rates are lower in the younger than in the older women. The infant mortality rate is low in general, and is lower in the offspring of the younger women. The Mirpurians suffer from protein-calorie malnutrition and heavy intestinal parasitic load. The possible relationships among high fertility, malnutrition and high parasitic load are discussed.
Postpartum Lactational Amenorrhoea as a Means of Family Planning in the Sudan: A Study of 500 Cases
Authors: Adnan Amal M. , Bakr Salah Abu
Published: July 2008

The lactational histories of 500 Sudanese women were studied retrospectively to examine postpartum lactational amenorrhoea as a method of family planning. Particular attention was given to the factors affecting postpartum lactational amenorrhoea, including supplementary feeding and the use of modern contraceptive methods. Breast-feeding was overwhelmingly practised (90%) among this sample, which was roughly representative of the Sudanese population as a whole. The prevalence of amenorrhoea among this group of lactating women was quite high (73%). Duration of lactational amenorrhoea ranged from 2 to 36 months with a median of 12 months.

Introduction of supplementary feeding had little effect on lactational amenorrhoea up to the 9th month of breast-feeding. Beyond the 12th month of breast-feeding, lactational amenorrhoea was significantly prolonged by postponing the introduction of supplementary feeding until the 4th month or later.

Ovulation, and hence conception, during lactational amenorrhoea was unpredictable. It occurred as early as the 3rd or as late as the 36th month postpartum. Conceptions interrupting lactational amenorrhoea soon after delivery (3–9 months) were more frequent among primiparous women. The failure rate of lactational amenorrhoea as a contraceptive was 8·4%. Though extremely high compared to that of the pill, lactational amenorrhoea was more useful as a fertility control mechanism because, in this study, a high proportion of women initiated pill use, but soon discontinued it because of side effects. Modern contraceptive practice was not prevalent. Amenorrhoeic mothers accepted the pill after the 6th month postpartum (41%), compared to lactating mothers whose menses had returned who started it much earlier. Forty-nine percent of the women studied relied completely on the protection of lactational amenorrhoea. Fifty-seven percent of all lactating women who used the combined pill reported a reduction in milk production. There are several policy implications of this study.
Child Survivorship and Pregnancy Spacing in Iran
Authors: Janowitz Barbara , Nichols Douglas J.
Published: July 2008

Using data collected over a 12-month period (1977–78) from more than 15,000 hospital deliveries at a single maternity hospital in Tehran, Iran, we have examined the effects of previous pregnancy outcomes, breast-feeding and contraceptive use on birth spacing. The outcomes of previous pregnancies, particularly the most recent, significantly affect the length of the pregnancy interval, and so does breast-feeding. Pregnancy outcomes influence both breast-feeding and subsequent contraceptive behaviour, and breast-feeding adds to the degree of protection against pregnancy afforded by conventional contraception. Improved survivorship increases the length of pregnancy intervals most when it results in increased use of contraception and when breast-feeding is commonly practised for extended periods.
Superfluid spherical Couette flow
Authors: PERALTA C. , MELATOS A. , GIACOBELLO M. , OOI A.
Published: July 2008

We solve numerically for the first time the two-fluid Hall–Vinen–Bekarevich–Khalatnikov (HVBK) equations for an He-II-like superfluid contained in a differentially rotating spherical shell, generalizing previous simulations of viscous spherical Couette flow (SCF) and superfluid Taylor–Couette flow. The simulations are conducted for Reynolds numbers in the range 1 × 102≤Re≤3 × 104, rotational shear 0.1≤ΔΩ/Ω≤0.3, and dimensionless gap widths 0.2≤δ≤0.5. The system tends towards a stationary but unsteady state, where the torque oscillates persistently, with amplitude and period determined by δ and ΔΩ/Ω. In axisymmetric superfluid SCF, the number of meridional circulation cells multiplies as Re increases, and their shapes become more complex, especially in the superfluid component, with multiple secondary cells arising for Re > 103. The torque exerted by the normal component is approximately three times greater in a superfluid with anisotropic Hall–Vinen (HV) mutual friction than in a classical viscous fluid or a superfluid with isotropic Gorter–Mellink (GM) mutual friction. HV mutual friction also tends to ‘pinch’ meridional circulation cells more than GM mutual friction. The boundary condition on the superfluid component, whether no slip or perfect slip, does not affect the large-scale structure of the flow appreciably, but it does alter the cores of the circulation cells, especially at lower Re. As Re increases, and after initial transients die away, the mutual friction force dominates the vortex tension, and the streamlines of the superfluid and normal fluid components increasingly resemble each other. In non-axisymmetric superfluid SCF, three-dimensional vortex structures are classified according to topological invariants. For misaligned spheres, the flow is focal throughout most of its volume, except for thread-like zones where it is strain-dominated near the equator (inviscid component) and poles (viscous component). A wedge-shaped isosurface of vorticity rotates around the equator at roughly the rotation period. For a freely precessing outer sphere, the flow is equally strain- and vorticity-dominated throughout its volume. Unstable focus/contracting points are slightly more common than stable node/saddle/saddle points in the viscous component, but not in the inviscid component. Isosurfaces of positive and negative vorticity form interlocking poloidal ribbons (viscous component) or toroidal tongues (inviscid component) which attach and detach at roughly the rotation period.
Non-modal growth of perturbations in density-driven convection in porous media
Authors: RAPAKA SAIKIRAN , CHEN SHIYI , PAWAR RAJESH J. , STAUFFER PHILIP H. , ZHANG DONGXIAO
Published: July 2008

In the context of geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide in saline aquifers, much interest has been focused on the process of density-driven convection resulting from dissolution of CO2in brine in the underlying medium. Recent investigations have studied the time and length scales characteristic of the onset of convection based on the framework of linear stability theory. It is well known that the non-autonomous nature of the resulting matrix does not allow a normal mode analysis and previous researchers have either used a quasi-static approximation or solved the initial-value problem with arbitrary initial conditions. In this manuscript, we describe and use the recently developed non-modal stability theory to compute maximum amplifications possible, optimized over all possible initial perturbations. Non-modal stability theory also provides us with the structure of the most-amplified (or optimal) perturbations. We also present the details of three-dimensional spectral calculations of the governing equations. The results of the amplifications predicted by non-modal theory compare well to those obtained from the spectral calculations.
Molecular surveillance ofNeisseria meningitidiscapsular switching in Portugal, 2002–2006
Authors: SIMÕES M. J. , CUNHA M. , ALMEIDA F. , FURTADO C. , BRUM L.
Published: July 2008

Neisseria meningitidiscapsular switching has been reported in several countries. In order to establish the genetic relationship within group B and C strains expressing subtypes 2a or 2b, and to evaluate whether C to B capsular switching occurred in Portugal, 64 meningococci (56 serogroup C and 8 serogroup B) isolated from invasive meningococcal disease were typed using molecular methods. The studied phenotypes, 2b:P1.5,2 and 2a:P1.5-1,10-8, were the most frequent among serogroup C, but were uncommon among serogroup B strains. The multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) allelic profile and the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) fingerprints showed that seven serogroup B strains were genotypically identical to C strains, suggesting that capsular switching occurred. Active laboratory surveillance to find evidence of capsule switching is a now priority as MenC was introduced in the Portuguese vaccination schedule in January 2006.
The classical AI planning problems in the mirror of Horn linear logic: semantics, expressibility, complexity
Authors: KANOVICH MAX , VAUZEILLES JACQUELINE
Published: July 2008

We introduce Horn linear logic as a comprehensive logical system capable of handling the
typical AI problem of making a plan of the actions to be performed by a robot so that he
could get into a set of final situations, if he started with a certain initial situation.
Contrary to undecidability of propositional Horn linear logic, the planning problem is
proved to be decidable for a reasonably wide class of natural robot systems.

The planning problem is proved to be EXPTIME-complete for the robot systems that allow
actions with non-deterministic effects. Fixing a finite signature, that is a finite set of
predicates and their finite domains, we get a polynomial time procedure of making plans for
the robot system over this signature.

The planning complexity is reduced to PSPACE for the robot systems with only pure
deterministic actions.

As honest numerical parameters in our algorithms we invoke the length of description of a
planning task ‘from W to
Z˜’ and the Kolmogorov descriptive complexity of AxT, a set of
possible actions.
Carbon abatement costs: an integrated approach for India
Authors: Gupta Sujata , Hall Stephen G.
Published: July 2008

Economic models for assessing costs of greenhouse gas abatement can be classified as macroeconomic (top-down) models or micro (bottom-up) models. As yet little attention has been focused on the modelling of developing countries. This paper proposes a methodology for integrating the two approaches and illustrates it with the example of India. The results show that a carbon tax would have limited effectiveness in controlling carbon emissions. Investing carbon tax revenues in carbon-abating technologies can give substantial carbon savings. The costs of carbon abatement using the integrated model are higher than those predicted by other global models with India as a sub-region.
Macroeconomic policies, second-best theory and the environment
Authors: Mäler Karl-Göran , Munasinghe Mohan
Published: July 2008

This paper seeks to develop a basic analytical framework that can be used to trace the environmental impacts of macroeconomic policies, and especially to identify where unforeseen negative environmental effects may occur and design remedial measures. The framework is based on a formal mathematical model which shows the second-best nature of macroeconomic policies in the presence of environmental externalities. The model confirms the empirically observed and intuitively appealing conclusion that it is the combination of macroeconomic policies and subsidiary imperfections (policy, market or institutional), rather than macroeconomic policies alone, that leads to environmental degradation. Several illustrative examples are presented from case studies in selected developing countries.
Bretton Woods intervention programmes and sustainable development
Authors: Opschoor J.B. , Jongma S.M.
Published: July 2008

Since the beginning of the 1980s the Bretton Woods institutions (World Bank and International Monetary Fund) have introduced structural adjustment loans and stabilization programmes to correct balance-of-payments distortions and to realize the conditions necessary for economic growth in developing countries. In the course of the 1980s, the concept of sustainable development was launched which asked for a qualitatively different orientation of growth. This paper presents a summary of what has been learned with respect to the relationship between Bretton Woods intervention programmes and development. Adjustment programmes appear to have evolved through three different stages, with attention for environmental aspects of sustainable development emerging in the third stage. A sectoral analysis is presented of the possible environmental impacts of the various components of intervention programmes. Recommendations are made regarding possible improvements of WB and IMF adjustment strategies in the light of sustainable development, without fully translating them into actual changes at the level of specific programmes.
Economic analysis of deforestation in Mexico
Authors: Barbier Edward B. , Burgess Joanne C.
Published: July 2008

This paper uses panel analyses to estimate relationships for agricultural planted area and beef cattle numbers at the state level in Mexico during the period 1970–85, in order to determine the main factors affecting forest land conversion. Of the key policy variables, maize and fertilizer prices appear to be the main influences on the expansion of planted area, whereas beef prices and credit disbursement influence cattle numbers. Population growth also affects both livestock and agricultural activities, and income per capita is positively correlated with cattle expansion. These estimated relationships are used to examine the effects both of agricultural and livestock sectoral policy changes and of trade liberalization in Mexico resulting from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). To avoid any unintended impacts of NAFTA on deforestation, it may be necessary for Mexico to make complementary investments in land improvements, especially for existing cultivation on rainfed land.
International transfers, price uncertainty and tropical deforestation
Authors: Bulte Erwin , Van Soest Daan
Published: July 2008

International transfers to developing countries are sometimes advocated on the ground that they contribute to tropical forest conservation. Here we demonstrate that the effectiveness (and attractiveness) of this instrument is reduced if the restrictive assumption of deterministic prices is relaxed. With stochastic prices, the steady-state forest stock in the absence of transfers is greater, implying that the marginal benefit of additional hectares conserved is less. In addition, the ‘wealth effect’ of transfers counteracts the ‘freeing-up effect’, which implies that per unit of subsidy fewer hectares of tropical forest are protected. Both effects reduce the attractiveness of transfers as a policy instrument for Western governments to combat tropical deforestation.
Impacts of development and global change on the epidemiological environment
Authors: Daily Gretchen C. , Ehrlich Paul R.
Published: July 2008

Although improvements in human health represent a crucial aspect of development worldwide, many trends associated with development and global change appear to be reducing health security. In this article, we define the human epidemiological environment and describe key biophysical, economic, sociocultural, and political factors that shape it. The potential impact upon the epidemiological environment of aspects of both development and global change are then examined: the influences of human population size, mobility, geographic distribution, and nutritional status; modernization; loss of indigenous medicinal knowledge; microbial evolution of antibiotic resistance; land conversion and biodiversity loss; agricultural intensification; stratospheric ozone depletion; and climate change. Human vulnerability to infectious disease is often strongly and deleteriously influenced by ongoing, intensifying changes in these factors. An unprecedented level of communication and cooperation between experts, institutions, and nations is required to respond to the increasing threat of epidemic disease, which points to a promising area for enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration.
Transfigured plight
Authors: Sprinkle Robert Hunt
Published: July 2008

Our environment is complex, but it is understandable through rational investigation, and it is not to be feared. So wrote Titus Lucretius Carus of the nature of things some thirty human lifetimes ago—not so long, really. About species evolution Lucretius thought much, guessed well, and worried little. About microparasitic evolution he knew nothing. Would he have feared it? Should we fear it now?
William D. Nordhaus Managing the Commons: The Economics of Climate Change, Cambridge, MA, The MIT Press, 1994, ISBN 0-262-140551-1
Authors: Costanza Robert
Published: July 2008

William Nordhaus has gone further than any economist to date at building a dynamic integrated model of the world’s climate and economic systems, with some one-way linkages to agricultural systems and ecosystems. Managing the Commons is an admirably readable description of this effort which, in his words, ‘balances the costs of emissions controls in energy policies and other areas against the impacts to agriculture, coastlines, and ecosystem values’. In addition to a detailed description of the Dynamic Integrated Climate and the Economy (DICE) model and several scenarios produced by the model, the book includes large sections on sensitivity analysis of the model’s parameter uncertainty and an analysis of the value of information gained at various times in the future to the decision process.
Effect of community-based nutrition education intervention on calcium intake and bone mass in postmenopausal Vietnamese women
Authors: Hien Vu Thi Thu , Khan Nguyen Cong , Mai Le Bach , Lam Nguyen Thi , Phuong Tuan Mai , Nhung Bui Thi , Nhien Nguyen Van , Nakamori Masayo , Yamamoto Shigeru
Published: July 2008

Objective

To examine the effect of community-based nutrition education intervention on calcium intake and bone mass in Vietnamese postmenopausal women.

Design

A controlled trial was conducted in two groups as intervention and control. The intervention group was given nutrition education during 18 months to improve calcium intake, while the control subjects had the usual diet. Calcium intake and bone mass were evaluated every 6 months. Bone mass was assessed by speed of sound (SOS) at calcaneus, referred to as quantitative ultrasound measurement. Anthropometric indices and serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) were determined at baseline and at the end of intervention.

Setting

Two rural communes of Hai Duong province located in the Red River Delta in Vietnam.

Subjects

A total of 140 women aged 55–65 years, who were more than 5 years postmenopausal and with low calcium intake (<400 mg/d), were recruited. After 18 months of intervention, 108 women completed the study.

Results

Calcium intake in the intervention group had increased significantly (P < 0·01) while it had no significant changes in controls. SOS values were not changed significantly in the intervention subjects while it decreased significantly by 0·5 % in the controls (P < 0·01). The intervention led to a decrease in serum PTH by 12 % (P < 0·01). In the controls, there was an increase in serum PTH by 32 % (P < 0·001).

Conclusion

Nutrition education intervention was effective in improving calcium intake and retarding bone loss in the studied subjects.
Effective Recruitment and Selection
Authors: Hancock Cath
Published: July 2008

Cath Hancock, Staff Development Officer at Cardiff University, and Alison Clayton of Cameron McKenna have supplied us with two articles addressing aspects of the recruitment and selectiom process. This article from Cath Hancock concentrates on the pre-intervies process but also looks briefly at post-interview issues.
Effective Recruitment and Selection
Authors: Clayton Alison , McKenna Cameron
Published: July 2008

Alison Clayton and Cath Hancock have supplied us with two articles addressing aspects of the recruitment and selection process. This article from Alison Clayton, Training and Development Officer at Cameron McKenna, deals with the skills you need to be an effective interviewer.
Research: A Bridge between Academic Law and Practice
Authors: Collino Janice
Published: July 2008

This article (from Janice Collino, Academic Manager at ILEX Tutorial College) Reports on a case study looking at the effectiveness of LPC studies.
The European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998
Authors: Starmer Keir
Published: July 2008

The European Conversion for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) is an international treaty of the Council of Europe. It was adopted in 1950, ratified by the UK in 1951 and entered into force in 1953. The unsual feature of the Convention, as an international human rights instrument, is that it provides a mechanism for individuals to enforce their Convention rights against state parties.
Enriching the Law
Authors: Silvia Dame
Published: July 2008

What is the law other than a collection of rules intended to guide human coexistence and to govern society? Some of society's rules derive from an earnest desire to improve the lot of the public. Others simply atempt to constrain antisocial behaviour or codify exixting customs, some good, some bad. So in a few modern Muslim societies, ancient rules about the proper form ofdress for women are enforced as strictly as those intended to prevent and punish criminal behaviour. And until quite recently, although not imposed so strictly, similar customs applied here: wearing of hats in Church, medieval dress for nuns and 17th century wigs and gowns in court. Other laws regulate without a moral imperative: traffic regulations and limits on noise spring to mind. Some laws attempt to control commerce and are a mix of the regulatory and moral.
The Lawmaking Process in The Scottish Parliament
Authors: McFadden Jean
Published: July 2008

The Scotland Act 1998 which established the Scottish Parliament confers on that Parliament the power to make laws which are known as Acts of the Scottish Parliament. However, the legislative competence of the Parliament is restricted. The main restriction relates to reserved matters, that is those matters which the UK Parliament has not devolved to the Scottish Parliament. These are listed in sch 5 to the Act and cover such matters as defence, taxation, social security and macro-economics. Other significant restrictions on the Parliament's legislative competence are that an Act of the Scottish Parliament cannot make any provision which is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) or with European Community law, nor can an Act of the Scottish Parliament modify certain “protected enactments” - including most provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 itself and the Human Rights Act I 998. Finally, an Act of the Scottish Parliament cannot have effect outside Scotland, nor can it remove the Lord Advocate from his position as head of the systems of criminal prosecutions and investigation of deaths in Scotland. An Act of the Scottish Parliament is not law so far as any provision of it is outside the Parliament's legislative competence
Legal Education and the Welsh Language
Authors: Watkin Thomas Glyn
Published: July 2008

The adjacent quotation is from Gwyn Thomas (1913–1981), the Anglo-Welsh novelist and playwright, who fulminated against the revival of Catalan with a force which is scarcely comprehensible, despite the fact that Spanish, or perhaps one should say Castilian, was his preferred choice of language both to learn at school and at Oxford, and later to teach. The force of his invective becomes explicable however when one remembers that he lived at a time when the Welsh language was starting to be just the sort of ‘first-class nuisance’ which he chided Catalan for being, and was about to commence a similar sort of revival.
Managing Content: Licensing, Copyright, and Privacy Issues in Managing Electronic Resources
Authors: Bebbington Laurence
Published: July 2008

“When digital systems remove the physical object (the book) from the archive, then all that is left is a form of rights licensing. This is intellectual property in its purest form. If books as physical objects have helped to define the library in the past, then the negotiation of licences will define the library of the future. That is why the business of licensing electronic rights is so difficult.”
What's Your (Current Copyright) Problem?
Authors: Norman Sandy
Published: July 2008

No, I am not about to start an agony aunt copyright column but rather aim to select and try to resolve one or two copyright problems law librarians may have. Law librarians are no different from any other set of library and information professionals in finding copyright a difficult area. Copyright may be a minefield, as is so often said, but if one is aware of the potential problems and treads carefully, a safe path may be found through it.
Digital Collections: Repackaging Information for Our Users
Authors: Curr Kate
Published: July 2008

There are a wide variety of reasons for you to decide to create a digital collection in your library but there are a number of questions that you should ask about the collection before you make any final decisions. This article does not attempt to provide answers to these questions, as the answers will vary greatly from library to library and depending on the different types of information being considered, but rather it highlights those issues you should consider when evaluating collections. The case study of the NSW Electoral Profiles shows how the NSW Parliamentary Library created a digital collection in response to a demand from our users for information and a need to be able to deliver it quickly across a wide area.
Digital Rights Management
Authors: Kumik Peter
Published: July 2008

It was only three years ago that I was told that publishing valuable digital content on the Internet would not take off for 10 years. Today it is happening all around us with MP3 music files being swapped by our children and market research reports openly passed between business colleagues. The problem is that the intellectual property owners lose control of distribution through publishing content on the Internet – in its raw essence, an unregulated global arena – and then, more often than not, do not get paid for use of a large percentage of their content, This is perhaps the greatest reason why publishers have been unwilling to place valuable content online. Historically low-value content has taken up the vast majority of what we have been able to access online with companies hoping to recoup costs through advertising revenue. The reason is simple; conventional Internet technologies do not have any facilities for enforcing copyright, but the problem is that advertising revenues are dwindling so publishers need to find other ways of generating revenue. We can now look back with a sense of irony at straplines from major technology companies saying “Information at your finger tips”, “Information where and how you need it” as this is exactly what they are now trying to prevent so that they can keep an element of control.
PoLeR: Practical Online Legal Electronic Research
Authors: Harradine Rachel
Published: July 2008

I was appointed as a dedicated subject librarian for Law at Manchester Metropolitan University in November 1996. The University Library manages the post while the Law Department finances it, making it unique within the current staffing structure. The University supports the full range of academic and practitioner law courses over a variety of attendance modes. This accounts for a FTE of 1037 students.
IT in Law and Law on the Web
Authors: Bebbington Laurence W.
Published: July 2008

The use of intelligent technologies in legal document preparation continue to develop so as to integrate with new software and operating system developments. At the end of May products were launched by both the West Group (WestCiteLink) and LexisNexis containing smart tag features allowing integration between Windows XP (Microsoft's new operating system to be launched in the UK in October) and legal databases. As users type, smart tags activate automatically and find and identify legal citations to statutes, cases etc. Once identified a set of options can provide automatic link creation to the documents on Westlaw or LexisNexis, without the user having to leave the Word document. WestCiteLink is the result of a strategic alliance between West Group and Microsoft. As the cursor hangs over the citation the user is presented with options which can:

• find the document on Westlaw

• determine the KeyCite history

• identify citing references

• create a hyperlink to the document

• mark the cite for inclusion in a Table of Authorities.
Professional Support—Professional Rapport
Authors: Booth Claire
Published: July 2008

On reflection, if it were not for BIALL I might well not be writing this. I am not referring to John's invitation to give a presentation in Cork but to the fact that BIALL played a pivotal role in my becoming a professional support lawyer. In 1997, Kate Hodgson and I were awarded BIALL bursaries to go to the AALL Conference in Baltimore; while we were there, Kate happened to tell me about the PSLs at her firm, Cameron McKenna, and the work they did. The more she told me, the more I thought, like the character Mike in the musical A Chorus Line, ‘I can do that, I can do that!’ I came home from Baltimore having gained not only a good friend but also the idea of changing my career in a way that would combine my legal training and my law library and publishing experience.
What the Customer Wants: Issues in Information Provision
Authors: Tooms Elisabeth
Published: July 2008

At Allen & Overy what our customers want is the answer. They want an answer which is timely, accurate and authoritative. I could amplify this bald statement by saying that sometimes the customer wants to know what the question will be. Not long ago a partner said to me that what he really wanted was that I should be able to tell him what the questions would be that the client would ask him at a reception that evening. Perhaps another way of putting it is to say that he wanted the knowledge he did not have at that moment.
Building a Foreign Law Collection: Methods and strategies
Authors: Knudsen Holger
Published: July 2008

My Institute is part of, and funded by, the Max Planck Society, which roughly corresponds to an Academy of Science in other countries. The Society runs 80 research institutes today, out of which 12 conduct research in the humanities, including six institutes that deal with legal questions on a superior level, including mine. The different institutes are located in different parts of the country, and this very much corresponds to the federalist foundations of the German state.
Delivering Library Services in an MDP Environment
Authors: Hewson Catherine
Published: July 2008

The MDP environment in which I work is the professional services firm of Andersen. I am the manager of the combined research service for Andersen's UK Tax practice and the Andersen Legal law firms in the UK. Andersen Legal in the UK is the firm of Garretts in England and Dundas & Wilson in Scotland. Andersen Legal practices share knowledge, resources and technology to offer a broad range of legal services to clients around the world.
keeping FE/HE “Legal, Honest and Truthful”
Authors: Weedon Ralph
Published: July 2008

This article aims to give a broad outline of what the JISC Legal Information Service is and why it was set up. In particular it deals with the challenges of the Internet and the new legislation that attempts to regulate it or stimulate its use. The Internet is fast becoming embedded in the FE/HE sector, in teaching and learning, research and administration–ignore it at your peril some might say. Yet there are risks to this, in some cases, enthusiastic rush to embrace all things that utilise the WWW. The relative ease of access, extraction and dissemination on ‘the net’ has tempted some to overlook the legalities. This article summarises briefly the main areas of law under consideration and the potential costs of infringement. It explains that FE/HE is subject to this legislation sometimes in specific ways. It concludes by stressing the need for feedback from the sector including BIALL members in order that the service can improve.
Rememberng the Alamo
Authors: Mansfield Susan
Published: July 2008

Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Special Libraries Association is the international association representing the interests of thousands of information professionals in 60 countries. The Association offers a variety of programs and services designed to help its members serve their customers more effectively and succeed in an increasingly challenging environment of information management and technology.
IT in Practice
Authors: Bebbington Laurence
Published: July 2008

Sweet and Maxwell announced the replacement of their Alerter service from I October with an enhanced Alerter product. This will be available by e-mail only and it will no longer be possible to view the daily alerts on the Sweet and Maxwell Web site. Subscribers can receive information at both 9.00 am and 11.00 am. The first morning alert will contain details of cases, newspaper articles and press releases from the previous afternoon and the later update will cover morning press releases and primary and secondary legislation. It is also possible to elect to receive consolidated daily or weekly alerts and specify individual subject areas. The sting in the tail is that the former free service is to be replaced by this ‘affordable commercial service’ based on the size of the subscriber organisation. From mid-September free two-week trials are available. See www.sweetandmaxwell.co.ukJonline/alerter/aler.cfm for details.