bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CFTR ΔF508 mutation has minimal effect on the gene expression profile of differentiated human airway epithelia
Authors: Zabner Joseph , Scheetz Todd E. , Almabrazi Hakeem G. , Casavant Thomas L. , Huang Jian , Keshavjee Shaf , McCray Paul B.
Published: June 2005

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), an epithelial chloride channel regulated by phosphorylation. Most of the disease-associated morbidity is the consequence of chronic lung infection with progressive tissue destruction. As an approach to investigate the cellular effects of CFTR mutations, we used large-scale microarray hybridization to contrast the gene expression profiles of well-differentiated primary cultures of human CF and non-CF airway epithelia grown under resting culture conditions. We surveyed the expression profiles for 10 non-CF and 10 ΔF508 homozygote samples. Of the 22,283 genes represented on the Affymetrix U133A GeneChip, we found evidence of significant changes in expression in 24 genes by two-sample t-test ( P < 0.00001). A second, three-filter method of comparative analysis found no significant differences between the groups. The levels of CFTR mRNA were comparable in both groups. There were no significant differences in the gene expression patterns between male and female CF specimens. There were 18 genes with significant increases and 6 genes with decreases in CF relative to non-CF samples. Although the function of many of the differentially expressed genes is unknown, one transcript that was elevated in CF, the KCl cotransporter (KCC4), is a candidate for further study. Overall, the results indicate that CFTR dysfunction has little direct impact on airway epithelial gene expression in samples grown under these conditions.
α-Chemokine receptor blockade reduces high mobility group box 1 protein-induced lung inflammation and injury and improves survival in sepsis
Authors: Lin Xinchun , Yang Huan , Sakuragi Tohru , Hu Maowen , Mantell Lin L. , Hayashi Shinichiro , Al-Abed Yousef , Tracey Kevin J. , Ulloa Luis , Miller Edmund J.
Published: June 2005

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein, a late mediator of lethality in sepsis, can induce acute inflammatory lung injury. Here, we identify the critical role of α-chemokine receptors in the HMGB1-induced inflammatory injury and show that α-chemokine receptor inhibition increases survival in sepsis, in a clinically relevant time frame. Intratracheal instillation of recombinant HMGB1 induces a neutrophilic leukocytosis, preceded by alveolar accumulation of the α-chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-2 and accompanied by injury and increased inflammatory potential within the air spaces. To investigate the role of α-chemokine receptors in the injury, we instilled recombinant HMGB1 (0.5 μg) directly into the lungs and administered a subcutaneous α-chemokine receptor inhibitor, Antileukinate (200 μg). α-Chemokine receptor blockade reduced HMGB1-induced inflammatory injury (neutrophils: 2.9 ± 3.2 vs. 8.1 ± 2.4 × 104cells; total protein: 120 ± 48 vs. 311 ± 129 μg/ml; reactive nitrogen species: 2.3 ± 0.3 vs. 3.5 ± 1.3 μM; and macrophage migration inhibitory factor: 6.4 ± 4.2 vs. 37.4 ± 15.9 ng/ml) within the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, indicating that HMGB1-induced inflammation and injury are α-chemokine mediated. Because HMGB1 can mediate late septic lethality, we administered Antileukinate to septic mice and observed increased survival (from 58% in controls to 89%) even when the inhibitor treatment was initiated 24 h after the induction of sepsis. These data demonstrate that α-chemokine receptor inhibition can reduce HMGB1-induced lung injury and lethality in established sepsis and may provide a novel treatment in this devastating disease.
Length oscillation induces force potentiation in infant guinea pig airway smooth muscle
Authors: Wang Lu , Chitano Pasquale , Murphy Thomas M.
Published: June 2005

Deep inspiration counteracts bronchospasm in normal subjects but triggers further bronchoconstriction in hyperresponsive airways. Although the exact mechanisms for this contrary response by normal and hyperresponsive airways are unclear, it has been suggested that the phenomenon is related to changes in force-generating ability of airway smooth muscle after mechanical oscillation. It is known that healthy immature airways of both humans and animals exhibit hyperresponsiveness. We hypothesize that the profile of active force generation after mechanical oscillation changes with maturation and that this change contributes to the expression of airway hyperresponsiveness in juveniles. We examined the effect of an acute sinusoidal length oscillation on the force-generating ability of tracheal smooth muscle from 1 wk, 3 wk, and 2- to 3-mo-old guinea pigs. We found that the length oscillation produced 15–20% initial reduction in active force equally in all age groups. This was followed by a force recovery profile that displayed striking maturation-specific features. Unique to tracheal strips from 1-wk-old animals, active force potentiated beyond the maximal force generated before oscillation. We also found that actin polymerization was required in force recovery and that prostanoids contributed to the maturation-specific force potentiation in immature airway smooth muscle. Our results suggest a potentiated mechanosensitive contractile property of hyperresponsive airway smooth muscle. This can account for further bronchoconstriction triggered by deep inspiration in hyperresponsive airways.
Regulation of Rho/ROCK signaling in airway smooth muscle by membrane potential and [Ca2+]i
Authors: Liu Caiqiong , Zuo Jianmin , Pertens Evi , Helli Peter B. , Janssen Luke J.
Published: June 2005

Recently, we have shown that Rho and Rho-activated kinase (ROCK) may become activated by high-millimolar KCl, which had previously been widely assumed to act solely through opening of voltage-dependent Ca2+channels. In this study, we explored in more detail the relationship between membrane depolarization, Ca2+currents, and activation of Rho/ROCK in bovine tracheal smooth muscle. Ca2+currents began to activate at membrane voltages more positive than −40 mV and were maximally activated above 0 mV; at the same time, these underwent time- and voltage-dependent inactivation. Depolarizing intact tissues by KCl challenge evoked contractions that were blocked equally, and in a nonadditive fashion, by nifedipine or by the ROCK inhibitor Y-27632. Other agents that elevate intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) by pathways independent of G protein-coupled receptors, namely the SERCA-pump inhibitor cyclopiazonic acid and the Ca2+ionophore A-23187, evoked contractions that were also largely reduced by Y-27632. KCl directly increased Rho and ROCK activities in a concentration-dependent fashion that paralleled closely the effect of KCl on tone and [Ca2+]i, as well as the voltage-dependent Ca2+currents that were measured over the voltage ranges that are evoked by 0–120 mM KCl. Through the use of various pharmacological inhibitors, we ruled out roles for Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent CaM kinase II, protein kinase C, and protein kinase A in mediating the KCl-stimulated changes in tone and Rho/ROCK activities. In conclusion, Rho is activated by elevation of [Ca2+]i(although the signal transduction pathway underlying this Ca2+dependence is still unclear) and possibly also by membrane depolarization per se.
Increased hydrogen peroxide downregulates soluble guanylate cyclase in the lungs of lambs with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn
Authors: Wedgwood Stephen , Steinhorn Robin H. , Bunderson Melisa , Wilham Jason , Lakshminrusimha Satyan , Brennan Lisa A. , Black Stephen M.
Published: June 2005

Similar to infants born with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), there is an increase in circulating endothelin-1 (ET-1) and decreased cGMP-mediated vasodilation in an ovine model of PPHN. These abnormalities lead to vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling. Our previous studies have demonstrated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels are increased in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC) exposed to ET-1. Thus the initial objective of this study was to determine whether the development of pulmonary hypertension in utero is associated with elevated production of the ROS hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and if this is associated with alterations in antioxidant capacity. Second we wished to determine whether chronic exposure of PASMC isolated from fetal lambs to H2O2 would mimic the decrease in soluble guanylate cyclase expression observed in the ovine model of PPHN. Our results indicate that H2O2 levels are significantly elevated in pulmonary arteries isolated from 136-day-old fetal PPHN lambs ( P 0.05). In addition, we determined that catalase and glutathione peroxidase expression and activities remain unchanged. Also, we found that the overnight exposure of fetal PASMC to a H2O2-generating system resulted in significant decreases in soluble guanylate cyclase expression and nitric oxide (NO)-dependent cGMP generation ( P 0.05). Finally, we demonstrated that the addition of the ROS scavenger catalase to isolated pulmonary arteries normalized the vasodilator responses to exogenous NO. As these scavengers had no effect on the vasodilator responses in pulmonary arteries isolated from age-matched control lambs this enhancement appears to be unique to PPHN. Overall our data suggest a role for H2O2 in the abnormal vasodilation associated with the pulmonary arteries of PPHN lambs.
Endothelium-Derived Nitric Oxide Regulates Postischemic Myocardial Oxygenation and Oxygen Consumption by Modulation of Mitochondrial Electron Transport
Authors: Zhao Xue , He Guanglong , Chen Yeong-Renn , Pandian Ramasamy P. , Kuppusamy Periannan , Zweier Jay L.
Published: June 2005

Background—

Nitric oxide (NO) production is increased in postischemic myocardium, and NO can control mitochondrial oxygen consumption in vitro. Therefore, we investigated the role of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS)–derived NO on in vivo regulation of oxygen consumption in the postischemic heart.

Methods and Results—

Mice were subjected to 30 minutes of coronary ligation followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion. Myocardial oxygen tension (P
o
2
) was monitored by electron paramagnetic resonance oximetry. In wild-type,
N
-nitro-
l
-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)–treated (with 1 mg/mL in drinking water), and eNOS knockout (eNOS
−/−
) mice, no difference was observed among baseline myocardial P
o
2
values (8.6±0.7, 10.0±1.2, and 10.1±1.2 mm Hg, respectively) or those measured at 30 minutes of ischemia (1.4±0.6, 2.3±0.9, and 3.1±1.4 mm Hg, respectively). After reperfusion, myocardial P
o
2
increased markedly (
P
<0.001 versus baseline in each group) but was much lower in L-NAME–treated and eNOS
−/−
mice (17.4±1.6 and 20.4±1.9 mm Hg) than in wild-type mice (46.5±1.7 mm Hg;
P
<0.001). A transient peak of myocardial P
o
2
was observed at early reperfusion in wild-type mice. No reactive hyperemia was observed during early reperfusion. Endothelial NO decreased the rate-pressure product (
P
<0.05), upregulated cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) mRNA expression (
P
<0.01) with no change in CcO activity, and inhibited NADH dehydrogenase (NADH-DH) activity (
P
<0.01) without alteration of NADH-DH mRNA expression. Peroxynitrite-mediated tyrosine nitration was higher in hearts from wild-type mice than in eNOS
−/−
or L-NAME–treated hearts.

Conclusions—

eNOS-derived NO markedly suppresses in vivo O
2
consumption in the postischemic heart through modulation of mitochondrial respiration based on alterations in enzyme activity and mRNA expression of NADH-DH and CcO. The marked myocardial hyperoxygenation in reperfused myocardium may be a critical factor that triggers postischemic remodeling.
Recommendations of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Working Group on Future Direction in Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Baumgartner William A. , Burrows Stephanie , del Nido Pedro J. , Gardner Timothy J. , Goldberg Suzanne , Gorman Robert C. , Letsou George V. , Mascette Alice , Michler Robert E. , Puskas John D. , Rose Eric A. , Rosengart Todd K. , Sellke Frank W. , Shumway Sara J. , Wilke Norbert
Published: June 2005

New surgical procedures, imaging modalities, and medical devices have improved therapy for many patients and made treatment possible for others who have had few options in the past. In February 2004, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) Advisory Council proposed that the institute evaluate the status and future directions in cardiac surgery. In response to this recommendation, the NHLBI convened a working group of cardiac surgeons on May 7 and 8, 2004, to assess the state of cardiac surgery research, identify critical gaps in current knowledge, determine areas of opportunity, and obtain specific recommendations for future research activities. The working group discussed surgical revascularization, novel surgical approaches, valvular research directions, biotechnology and cell-based therapy, heart failure, imaging modalities, and barriers to clinical research and presents its recommendations here.
A Machine Learning Evaluation of an Artificial Immune System
Authors: Glickman Matthew , Balthrop Justin , Forrest Stephanie
Published: June 2005

ARTIS is an artificial immune system framework which contains several adaptive mechanisms. LISYS is a version of ARTIS specialized for the problem of network intrusion detection. The adaptive mechanisms of LISYS are characterized in terms of their machine-learning counterparts, and a series of experiments is described, each of which isolates a different mechanism of LISYS and studies its contribution to the system's overall performance. The experiments were conducted on a new data set, which is more recent and realistic than earlier data sets. The network intrusion detection problem is challenging because it requires one-class learning in an on-line setting with concept drift. The experiments confirm earlier experimental results with LISYS, and they study in detail how LISYS achieves success on the new data set.
How Do We Evaluate Artificial Immune Systems?
Authors: Garrett Simon M.
Published: June 2005

The field of Artificial Immune Systems (AIS) concerns the study and development of computationally interesting abstractions of the immune system. This survey tracks the development of AIS since its inception, and then attempts to make an assessment of its usefulness, defined in terms of ‘distinctiveness’ and ‘effectiveness.’ In this paper, the standard types of AIS are examined—Negative Selection, Clonal Selection and Immune Networks—as well as a new breed of AIS, based on the immunological ‘danger theory.’ The paper concludes that all types of AIS largely satisfy the criteria outlined for being useful, but only two types of AIS satisfy both criteria with any certainty.
The Hierarchical Fair Competition (HFC) Framework for Sustainable Evolutionary Algorithms
Authors: Hu Jianjun , Goodman Erik , Seo Kisung , Fan Zhun , Rosenberg Rondal
Published: June 2005

Many current Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) suffer from a tendency to converge prematurely or stagnate without progress for complex problems. This may be due to the loss of or failure to discover certain valuable genetic material or the loss of the capability to discover new genetic material before convergence has limited the algorithm's ability to search widely. In this paper, the Hierarchical Fair Competition (HFC) model, including several variants, is proposed as a generic framework for sustainable evolutionary search by transforming the convergent nature of the current EA framework into a non-convergent search process. That is, the structure of HFC does not allow the convergence of the population to the vicinity of any set of optimal or locally optimal solutions. The sustainable search capability of HFC is achieved by ensuring a continuous supply and the incorporation of genetic material in a hierarchical manner, and by culturing and maintaining, but continually renewing, populations of individuals of intermediate fitness levels. HFC employs an assembly-line structure in which subpopulations are hierarchically organized into different fitness levels, reducing the selection pressure within each subpopulation while maintaining the global selection pressure to help ensure the exploitation of the good genetic material found. Three EAs based on the HFC principle are tested - two on the even-10-parity genetic programming benchmark problem and a real-world analog circuit synthesis problem, and another on the HIFF genetic algorithm (GA) benchmark problem. The significant gain in robustness, scalability and efficiency by HFC, with little additional computing effort, and its tolerance of small population sizes, demonstrates its effectiveness on these problems and shows promise of its potential for improving other existing EAs for difficult problems. A paradigm shift from that of most EAs is proposed: rather than trying to escape from local optima or delay convergence at a local optimum, HFC allows the emergence of new optima continually in a bottom-up manner, maintaining low local selection pressure at all fitness levels, while fostering exploitation of high-fitness individuals through promotion to higher levels.
A Study of Fitness Distance Correlation as a Difficulty Measure in Genetic Programming
Authors: Tomassini Marco , Vanneschi Leonardo , Collard Philippe , Clergue Manuel
Published: June 2005

We present an approach to genetic programming difficulty based on a statistical study of program fitness landscapes. The fitness distance correlation is used as an indicator of problem hardness and we empirically show that such a statistic is adequate in nearly all cases studied here. However, fitness distance correlation has some known problems and these are investigated by constructing an artificial landscape for which the correlation gives contradictory indications. Although our results confirm the usefulness of fitness distance correlation, we point out its shortcomings and give some hints for improvement in assessing problem hardness in genetic programming.
Economic and Societal Changes in China and their Effects onWater Use A Scenario Analysis
Authors: Hubacek Klaus , Sun Laixiang
Published: June 2005

China's development over the last few decades has been characterized by high rates of economic growth, large‐scale migration from rural areas to the fast‐growing cities accompanied by changes in lifestyles, and steady population growth. These developments have left deep marks on resource availability and quality. In this article we conduct a scenario analysis of how lifestyle changes and other major developments might affect water resources.

China has the longest tradition in river and water resource management in the world. Its civilization has sought to control the effects of floods and drought for thousands of years and has utilized water flows for irrigation and navigation. In the last century, competing uses such as domestic, municipal, and industrial water consumption have also become reasons for the regulation of and large‐scale abstraction of water.

To investigate the major changes in economy and society and their effects on the water situation in China, a set of scenarios is developed and analyzed within a structural economics framework. A hydrological model that represents water flows in the major watersheds is linked to a regional input‐output model that represents socioeconomic activities in the major economic‐administrative regions of China. The regional analysis shows that the North and Northwest regions are water‐scarce and that lifestyle changes and technical shifts are the most important factors driving future water consumption.
Sustainable Consumption and Worktime Reduction
Authors: Schor Juliet B.
Published: June 2005

This article argues that in the global North a successful path to sustainability will entail a stabilization of consumption through reductions in hours of work, a solution that neither ecologists nor economists have addressed seriously. The article presents data on the slowdown of hours reductions in many countries and discusses the need for policy intervention to counter firm‐level disincentives to reducing hours of work. It then discusses the potential popularity of work‐hour reductions with consumers. It ends with an argument that technological changes will be insufficient to achieve sustainable consumption patterns and that averting continued increases in the scale of consumption through trading income for time is imperative.
Indirect and Direct Energy Requirements of City Households in Sweden: Options for Reduction, Lessons from Modeling
Authors: Carlsson‐Kanyama Annika , Engström Rebecka , Kok Rixt
Published: June 2005

The objective of this article is to explore the potential for lowering household energy use given existing local support systems, in this case in the Stockholm inner city with the aid of the Dutch energy analysis program (EAP) that was adapted to Swedish conditions and that portrays total energy use for 300 consumption categories. Previously such modeling for Sweden was carried out using only Dutch databases. Our case‐study area is well equipped with food stores, local markets, public transportation, and entertainment, facilitating some energy‐efficient consumption choices. With maintained expenditure levels but changed consumption patterns, current reduction potentials are on the order of 10–20%. Options concerning diet can lower food indirect energy use by up to 30%, whereas options in other areas have a lower potential. Further reductions will require enhanced local support systems, external as well as internal. The results indicate that it is risky not to use nationally adapted figures for energy efficiency in the production sectors when modeling household energy use, because potential for change may be overlooked. Future work should include foreign energy intensities when modeling imported goods; otherwise, results may be less reliable. The Swedish EAP needs further work before it can be put to use as a modeling tool for everyday behavior, but it is already generating important possibilities for producing reliable data that can be used by local energy counselors.
Market Movements: Nongovernmental Organization Strategies to Influence Global Production and Consumption
Authors: O'Rourke Dara
Published: June 2005

This article analyzes nongovernmental organization (NGO) “market campaigns” that seek to motivate changes in global consumption and production patterns. Through campaigns targeting products as diverse as paper, shoes, and computers, advocacy groups seek to use existing concerns of consumers to influence producers, and simultaneously, to expand and deepen consumer demand for more sustainable products and services. NGOs deploy both negative information to critique leading brands, and positive information to help build new markets for improved products. Successful market campaigns construct networks of actors that identify points of leverage within global production and trading regimes; coordinate research, exposure, direct action, and negotiations with brands; identify solutions; advance new multi‐stakeholder standards and monitoring and certification schemes; build new nongovernmental regulatory institutions; and occasionally attempt to strengthen state regulation. Through an assessment of three market campaigns focused on Staples, Nike, and Dell, this article describes the nature of these campaigns, discusses how they function, assesses their central strategies and tactics, and analyzes whether they are actually having an impact. The article concludes by discussing the relevance and implications of these campaigns for the field of industrial ecology, and how industrial ecology might support future efforts to advance more sustainable production and consumption.
Linking the Use of Scented Consumer Products to Consumer Exposure to Polycyclic Musk Fragrances
Authors: Wormuth Matthias , Scheringer Martin , Hungerbühler Konrad
Published: June 2005

Synthetic organic chemicals are ingredients of many consumer products used daily. Consumers are therefore constantly exposed to a broad spectrum of synthetic organic chemicals, which might be irritants or have other effects harmful to human health, in the consumption phase of the product life cycle. Relevant examples are the polycyclic musk fragrances that make up an important group of synthetic fragrance compounds. Using a scenario‐based approach, we simulate various product uses and calculate the resulting dermal exposure to the musk fragrances 6‐acetyl‐1,1,2,4,4,7‐hexamethyltetraline and hexahydro‐hexamethyl‐cyclopenta (γ)‐2‐benzopyran for a wide spectrum of consumer products. The product spectrum was selected from scented personal care products and household cleansing agents. Exposure to musk fragrances is calculated with two dermal exposure models, and results are presented for female and male European consumers. The variability of required inputs is accounted for by assuming minimal, average or median, and maximal values for important model parameters. The study identifies a limited number of types of scented consumer products as significantly contributing to daily dermal consumer exposure to musk fragrances. Exposure levels resulting from the simultaneous use of these products and the number of exposed consumers are investigated.
Consumption and the Rebound Effect: An Industrial Ecology Perspective
Authors: Hertwich Edgar G.
Published: June 2005

Measures taken to protect the environment often have other, unintended effects on society. One concern is that changed behavior may offset part of the environmental gain, something that has variously been labeled “take‐back” or “rebound.” In energy economics, the rebound effect encompasses both the behavioral and systems responses to cost reductions of energy services as a result of energy efficiency measures. From an industrial ecology perspective, we are concerned about more than just energy use. Any given efficiency measure has several types of environmental impacts. Changes in the various impact indicators are not necessarily in the same direction. Both co‐benefits and negative side effects of measures directed to solve one type of problem have been identified. Environment is often a free input, so that a price‐based rebound effect is not expected, but other indirect effects not connected to the price, such as spillover of environmental behavior, also occur. If the costs and impact of products that are already environmentally friendly are reduced, the “rebound” can be in the opposite, desired direction. Furthermore, I identify technical spillover effects. Hence a number of related effects, often producing positive results, are not as well understood. Household environmental impact assessments and eco‐efficiency assessments take into account the rebound effect, but they do not necessarily take into account these other effects. The analysis hence indicates that the current focus on the rebound effect is too narrow and needs to be extended to cover co‐benefits, negative side effects, and spillover effects.
The Everyday Life Context of Increasing Energy Demands: Time Use Survey Data in a Decomposition Analysis
Authors: Jalas Mikko
Published: June 2005

Industrial ecologists have modeled with precision the material foundations of industrial systems, but given less attention to the demand for products and the drivers of structural changes in these systems. This article suggests that time use data complement data on monetary expenditure and can be used to elucidate the everyday life context in which the changes in the economy take place. It builds upon the claim that goods are not direct sources of utility, but enter specific household activities as inputs. A second argument for the proposed approach is that it can be used to introduce and foster human agency in analyses of production systems. The article uses Finnish time use survey data, consumption expenditure data, and data on the sectoral energy intensities of financial output in the Finnish economy. First, a measure of the energy intensity of activities is derived by relating consumer time use and the required direct and indirect energy requirements. Second, the results include a decomposition of changes in the energy requirements of private consumption in Finland during the 1990s. It is shown that although the same activities on average require increasing energy inputs per unit of time, Finns have simultaneously changed the structure of their everyday life toward less energy‐intensive activities.
An Analysis of Sustainable Consumption by the Waste Input‐Output Model
Authors: Takase Koji , Kondo Yasushi , Washizu Ayu
Published: June 2005

The extension of the waste input‐output (WIO) model to analyze households' sustainable consumption patterns is presented in this article. We estimate direct and indirect emission loads induced by household consumption by the WIO model. The WIO model is much more suitable for the analysis of sustainable consumption than the conventional input‐output model because it can deal with the disposal stage of consumed goods as well as the purchase and use stages. A simple method for evaluating income rebound effects is also introduced. As indicators of environmental loads, we estimate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and landfill consumption induced by household consumption. The model is applied to some typical sustainable consumption scenarios: shifting transportation modes from a private car to public transportation, the longer use of household electric appliances, and eating at restaurants instead of cooking at home. We found that the income rebound effects should be considered to evaluate environmental loads induced by different consumption patterns.
Pursuing More Sustainable Consumption by Analyzing Household Metabolism in European Countries and Cities
Authors: Moll Henri C. , Noorman Klaas Jan , Kok Rixt , Engström Rebecka , Throne‐Holst Harald , Clark Charlotte
Published: June 2005

Bringing about more sustainable consumption patterns is an important challenge for society and science. In this article the concept of household metabolism is applied to analyzing consumption patterns and to identifying possibilities for the development of sustainable household consumption patterns. Household metabolism is determined in terms of total energy requirements, including both direct and indirect energy requirements, using a hybrid method. This method enables us to evaluate various determinants of the environmental load of consumption consistently at several levels—the national level, the local level, and the household level.

The average annual energy requirement of households varies considerably between the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Sweden, as well as within these countries. The average expenditure level per household explains a large part of the observed variations. Differences between these countries are also related to the efficiency of the production sectors and to the energy supply system. The consumption categories of food, transport, and recreation show the largest contributions to the environmental load. A comparison of consumer groups with different household characteristics shows remarkable differences in the division of spending over the consumption categories.

Thus, analyses of different types of households are important for providing a basis for options to induce decreases of the environmental load of household consumption. At the city level, options for change are provided by an analysis of the city infrastructure, which determines a large part of the direct energy use by households (for transport and heating). At the national level, energy efficiency in production and in electricity generation is an important trigger for decreasing household energy requirements.
Slower Consumption Reflections on Product Life Spans and the “Throwaway Society”
Authors: Cooper Tim
Published: June 2005

Sustainable consumption is unlikely to be achieved as long as the quantity of household waste generated in industrial nations continues to rise. One factor underlying this trend is the life span of household goods. This article contributes to recent advances in life‐cycle thinking by highlighting the significance of product life spans for sustainable consumption and exploring the current state of research. A theoretical model is developed to demonstrate how, by contributing to efficiency and sufficiency, longer product life spans may secure progress toward sustainable consumption. Empirical research undertaken in the United Kingdom on consumer attitudes and behavior relating to the life spans of household products is reviewed and factors that influence the market for longer‐lasting products are discussed. A need is identified for further research on product life spans and some themes are proposed.
Small is Beautiful U.S. House Size, Resource Use, and the Environment
Authors: Wilson Alex , Boehland Jessica
Published: June 2005

As house size increases, resource use in buildings goes up, more land is occupied, increased impermeable surface results in more storm‐water runoff, construction costs rise, and energy consumption increases. In new, single‐family houses constructed in the United States, living area per family member has increased by a factor of 3 since the 1950s. In comparing the energy performance of compact (small) and large single‐family houses, we find that a small house built to only moderate energy‐performance standards uses substantially less energy for heating and cooling than a large house built to very high energy‐performance standards. This article examines some of the trends in single‐family house building in the United States and provides recommendations for downsizing houses to improve quality and resource efficiency.
Using Input‐Output Analysis to Measure the Environmental Pressure of Consumption at Different Spatial Levels
Authors: Munksgaard Jesper , Wier Mette , Lenzen Manfred , Dey Christopher
Published: June 2005

Input‐output modeling is a useful tool for tracing environmental impacts of consumption. Because it includes impacts originating from production layers of infinite order (capturing the entire economy), input‐output modeling is highly relevant for studies operating in a life‐cycle context. In this article we show how the input‐output approach can be used to enumerate the problem of sustainable consumption. Based on a literature survey including research done by the authors we present measures of the emissions of carbon dioxide at different spatial levels: nation, city, and household. Further, we take more environmental effects into account and introduce the concept of environmental efficiency by combining input‐output modeling and data envelopment analysis. Finally, we discuss the policy relevance of the different measures. The article demonstrates that input‐output modeling has a wide range of life‐cycle oriented applications when combined with other data sources such as detailed trade statistics, foreign input‐output and environmental statistics, and household expenditure data.
Sustainable Consumption of Food: A Framework for Analyzing Scenarios about Changes in Diets
Authors: Duchin Faye
Published: June 2005

This article describes the integration of life‐cycle assessment methods with a new input‐output model of the world economy to analyze the environmental and economic implications of alternative future diets. The article reviews findings by industrial ecologists about the energy and land required for the production and consumption of alternative foods and diets in several European countries. It also reviews attributes of foods and diets identified by nutritionists as reducing the risks of obesity and major chronic diseases related to the diets of the affluent. The predominantly plant‐based Mediterranean‐type diet emerges as a dietary scenario that could satisfy both sets of concerns. The likely implications for agriculture and for farm policies of a shift toward this diet from the current average diet in the United States are discussed and shown to be substantial. The one‐country studies reviewed in the article provide substantial insights into the potential ramifications of dietary change. Many of the limitations of these studies could be overcome by conducting the analysis in a global framework that represented the relationships among consumption, production, and trade and the physical constraints within which they operate. Analysis of the environmental and economic implications of alternative scenarios describing healthy diets can help stimulate more intensive dialogue, debate, and action among the interested parties; such analysis can both benefit from and contribute to initiatives such as the World Health Organization's global strategy on diet and health, which intends to enlist the support of governments, corporations, and civil society.
Towards an Integrated Regional Materials Flow Accounting Model
Authors: Sinclair Philip , Papathanasopoulou Eleni , Mellor Warren , Jackson Tim
Published: June 2005

A key challenge in attaining regional sustainability is to reduce both the direct and the indirect environmental impacts associated with economic and household activity in the region. Knowing what these flows are and how they change over time is a prerequisite for this task.

This article describes the early development of an integrated regional materials flow accounting framework. The framework is based on a hybrid (material and economic) multiregional input‐output model. Using readily available economic and materials data sets together with transport and logistics data, the framework attempts to provide estimates of household resource flows for any U.K. region at quite detailed levels of product and material disaggregation. It is also capable of disaggregating these flows according to specific socioeconomic criteria such as income level or occupation of the head of household. Allied to appropriate energy and life‐cycle assessment data sets, the model could, in addition, be used to map both direct and indirect environmental impacts associated with these flows.

The benefits of such an approach are likely to be a considerable reduction of uncertainties in (1) our knowledge of the household metabolism, and hence our predictions of regional household waste generation; (2) our assessment of the impacts of contemplated changes in industrial process siting, and thereby on other aspects of local and regional planning; and (3) our understanding of the impacts of changes in the pattern of demand for different materials and products. It is concluded that the use of such an integrated assessment tool has much to contribute to the debate on regional sustainability.
Environmental Load from Dutch Private Consumption: How Much Damage Takes Place Abroad?
Authors: Nijdam Durk S. , Wilting Harry C. , Goedkoop Mark J. , Madsen Jacob
Published: June 2005

This article describes a method for determining the environmental load of Dutch private consumption. The method generates detailed information about consumption‐related environmental impacts. The environmental load of households (direct) and production (indirect) was determined for 360 expenditure categories reported in the Dutch Expenditure Survey. The indirect environmental load was calculated with linked input‐output tables covering worldwide production and trade. The environmental load per Euro turnover of industries was linked to consumer expenditures. With this method we can quantify several types of environmental load per expenditure category and per economic production region.

It was found that food production, room heating, and car use are the most important elements in the environmental load of Dutch private consumption. The impacts taking place abroad were—with the exception of emission of greenhouse gases and road traffic noise—found to be larger than domestic impacts. Most land use was found to take place in developing (non‐OECD) countries, whereas most emissions occur in industrialized (OECD) countries.
Live Better by Consuming Less?: Is There a “Double Dividend” in Sustainable Consumption?
Authors: Jackson Tim
Published: June 2005

Industrial ecology has mainly been concerned with improving the efficiency of production systems. But addressing consumption is also vital in reducing the impact of society on its environment. The concept of sustainable consumption is a response to this. But the debates about sustainable consumption can only really be understood in the context of much wider and deeper debates about consumption and about consumer behavior itself. This article explores some of these wider debates. In particular, it draws attention to a fundamental disagreement that runs through the literature on consumption and haunts the debate on sustainable consumption: the question of whether, or to what extent, consumption can be taken as “good for us.” Some approaches assume that increasing consumption is more or less synonymous with improved well‐being: the more we consume the better off we are. Others argue, just as vehemently, that the scale of consumption in modern society is both environmentally and psychologically damaging, and that we could reduce consumption significantly without threatening the quality of our lives. This second viewpoint suggests that a kind of “double dividend” is inherent in sustainable consumption: the ability to live better by consuming less and reduce our impact on the environment in the process. In the final analysis, this article argues, such “win‐win” solutions may exist but will require a concerted societal effort to realize.
Women in Mesopotamia
Authors: Stol
Published: June 2005

A succinct but comprehensive survey is given on what we know on women in ancient Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria (with an occasional remark on Syria), covering the time span of roughly 3000-300 B.C. Thanks to the rich archival material we are well informed about her social position, in particular the status of a married or widowed wife. Marriage is the most important topic in this article. Attention is also paid to women at work and in religion. Differences in region and time are pointed out.
Femmes dans la Ville Mamlūke
Authors: Chapoutot-Remadi Mounira
Published: June 2005

Medieval Islamic jurists strictly regulated the comings and goings of women in the street, as well as their code of dress. But the historical sources show that the baths, markets, cementaries, and tombs of the saints were actively visited by women, who were equally present in the great popular assemblies originating in religious or secular festivities. Therefore, women's behaviour in the great cities of the Mamluk empire totally differed from the ideal put forth by the jurists.
Gender and China Studies
Authors: Hevia James
Published: June 2005

A Review Article of CHRISTINA K. GILMARTIN, GAIL HERSHATTER, LISA ROFEL, TYRENE WHITE, eds., Engendering China: Women, Culture, and the State. Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press [Harvard Contemporary China Series, 10, 1994, £ 18.25/$ 27.50 paperback/£ 39.95/$ 59.95 hardback]
Women and Economic Change: The Pepper Trade in Pre-Modern Southeast Asia
Authors: Watson Andaya Barbara
Published: June 2005

Women in Southeast Asia are traditionally said to have occupied a “high status”, especially in comparison with China and India. As yet, however, little research has been undertaken on the pre-modern period. This paper examines the development of the pepper trade in Sumatra during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and explores the manner in which this new cash crop affected the position of women. Prior to the introduction of pepper, females dominated horticulture and local marketing. Initially pepper was incorporated into household gardens, but increased production made its growing and marketing less easily allied with domestic tasks. The arrival of Europeans accelerated the process whereby control of pepper resources fell into male hands, both local and foreign. Declining prices meant pepper's popularity declined, but the Dutch and English East India Companies still tried to persuade local rulers to enforce cultivation. On the east coast of Sumatra the pepper areas were far from coastal centers of control, and compulsion proved impossible. On the west coast, however, the pepper districts were closer to English posts, and the changes brought about by forced cultivation were therefore more far reaching. Women were particularly affected, since Europeans saw plantation agriculture as a male preserve, with females occupying a secondary position. Growing local resistance to pepper growing is normally attributed to the low returns it offered from the mid seventeenth century onwards. As a case study, this paper suggests that another element was the cultural disruption that European policies introduced, and especially the effects on the traditional roles of women in the domestic economy.
The Cultivation of Female Talent
Authors: Wing-Chung Ho Clara
Published: June 2005

This article reviews the attitudes of Qing commentators on several issues concerning women's literacy, education, and upbringing for the period 1650-1800. Although there is much evidence to demonstrate that not all male scholars wanted literate mothers, wives, or daughters, many women in this era did learn to read and write. But there was a strong emphasis on literary learning for moral refinement and the attainment of ‘virtue’ Female-authored poetry was regarded on the one hand, as indicative of a certain level of intellectual achievement, and on the other hand, as frivolous. In general, the Qing debate on women acquiring talent was part of a wider discussion on the interrelationship of female virtue, talent, and happiness.
Precious Metal Flows and Currency Circulation in the Mughal Empire
Authors: Haider Najaf
Published: June 2005

From the late sixteenth century, the Mughal empire became, with the sole exception of Ming China, the biggest importer of foreign bullion outside Europe. In many modern publications, references to this phenomenon are confined to the context of studying the East-West trade in general, while there is some discussion of its relevance as a factor of change in the Mughal economy. An attempt has been made here to quantify precious metal flows to the Mughal empire and to put them in the perspective of its mint production and silver currency circulation. The significance of India's trade network with Iran and the Ottoman empire is highlighted together with the suggestion that the economic organisation of these regions had a greater influence on the transmission of precious metals to the former than is usually acknowledged. Also, as the level of money supply in medieval monetary economies was inextricably linked with the structure of the bullion market, mint organisation and fiscal measures of the state, the objective here is to point out the importance of this interface in any assessment of a precise relationship between trade and real economic changes.
Money in Mesopotamia
Authors: Powell Marvin
Published: June 2005

Although contemporary preconceptions about what money is or is not sometimes evoke doubt about the existence of money in ancient Mesopotamia, it seems clear that it did exist. Money was substance oriented, and coins, when they finally appear are weighed like any other valuable metal. The most common money substances were barley as cheap money and silver as the more expensive, but other substances were also used. As to the forms or shapes in which money circulated, a number of words in the ancient languages can be identified that probably refer to these forms, but their specific appearance remains, in most cases, unknown.
L'Économie-Monde Ottomane en Question
Authors: Panzac Daniel
Published: June 2005

The contracts drawn up in the 18th century between European captains and Ottoman charterers state precisely the currency to be used for payment. The exploitation, on this point, of 1719 contracts, written in both Maghrib and Machrek Ottoman harbours, has concerned three periods, 1686-1707, 1754-1767 and 1791-1794. It reveals a secular evolution characterized by the simultaneous and successive circulation of numerous ottoman and european currencies and the persistency of two distinguished areas of use, the Maghrib and the Levant, which expresses the diversity and the upholding of these areas, long after they joined the Ottoman empire.