bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Basilar Artery Vasospasm and Delayed Posterior Circulation Ischemia After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Sviri Gill E. , Lewis David H. , Correa Reinaldo , Britz Gavin W. , Douville Colleen M. , Newell David W.
Published: June 2004

Background and Purpose—

The clinical and hemodynamic impacts of basilar artery (BA) vasospasm (VS) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) are ill-defined. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between BA-VS and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) with posterior circulation after aneurysmal SAH.

Methods—

Daily transcranial Doppler (TCD) measurements of posterior and anterior circulation arteries were conducted in 162 patients with aneurysmal SAH. rCBF to the brain stem (BS) and other brain territories was assessed by multiple single-photon emission computed tomography with
99m
Tc ethyl cysteinate dimer single-photon emission computed tomography (ECD-SPECT) imaging during the course of VS.

Results—

SPECT imaging showed delayed BS hypoperfusion in 29 patients (17.9%). Of them, 23 patients (79.3%) were found to have BA-VS. Patients with very high BA flow velocities (FVs; >115 cm/s) had a 50% chance of developing delayed BS ischemia. BA-VS was found at a higher rate in patients who experienced reduced rCBF in the cerebellum (56.3%), thalamic nuclei (68.4%), and occipital lobe (81.8%). Although patients with delayed BS hypoperfusion did not present with a higher clinical grade, their clinical outcome was significantly worse (Glasgow Outcome Score after 30 days 2.48±1.16 versus 3.3±1.27;
P
=0.001).

Conclusions—

These findings suggest for the first time that BA-VS after aneurysmal SAH is associated with hypoperfusion to BS and other posterior circulation territories. The risk for delayed BS ischemia increased significantly when TCD BA-FVs were >115 cm/s.
Infiltrating Macrophages as In Vivo Targets for Intravenous Gene Delivery in Cerebral Infarction
Authors: Tanaka Shigeru , Kitagawa Kazuo , Sugiura Shiro , Matsuoka-Omura Emi , Sasaki Tsutomu , Yagita Yoshiki , Hori Masatsugu
Published: June 2004

Background and Purpose—

Gene therapy may show promise for stroke patients, but invasive techniques such as intraventricular or intracerebral injection of therapeutic genes may have limited applicability. The purpose of this study is to develop systemic gene therapy using macrophages infiltrating the infarct to deliver and express the gene.

Methods—

After permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats, an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) plasmid conjugate in liposomes was injected via the femoral vein. We also constructed a bicistronic plasmid vector for fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) as well as EGFP, administering it in other rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion.

Results—

EGFP expression in normal brain was absent but was strong in macrophages accumulating along the infarct border. FGF-2 protein production was induced in macrophages along the infarct border after injection of bicistronic FGF-2 and EGFP plasmid vector; this stimulated proliferation of neural progenitors in the subventricular zone in the ischemic hemisphere compared with control plasmid vectors (61.7±5.2 versus 42.2±5.5 cells per mm
2
, n=4 each,
P
<0.01).

Conclusions—

Systemic gene transfer by liposome to macrophages infiltrating an infarct may prove useful for gene therapy in stroke.
Stroke Risk After Transient Ischemic Attack in a Population-Based Setting
Authors: Lisabeth Lynda D. , Ireland Jennifer K. , Risser Jan M.H. , Brown Devin L. , Smith Melinda A. , Garcia Nelda M. , Morgenstern Lewis B.
Published: June 2004

Background and Purpose—

Stroke risk after transient ischemic attack (TIA) has not been examined in an ethnically diverse population-based community setting. The purpose of this study was to identify stroke risk among TIA patients in a population-based cerebrovascular disease surveillance project.

Methods—

The Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi (BASIC) Project prospectively ascertains stroke and TIA cases in a geographically isolated Southeast Texas County. The community is approximately half Mexican American and half nonHispanic white. Cases are validated by board-certified neurologists using source documentation. Cumulative risk for stroke after TIA was determined using Kaplan-Meier estimates. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to test for associations between stroke risk after TIA and demographics, symptoms, risk factors, and history of stroke/TIA.

Results—

BASIC identified 612 TIA cases between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2002; 60.9% were female and 48.0% were Mexican American. Median age was 73.8 years. Stroke risk within 2 days, 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, and 12 months was 1.64%, 1.97%, 3.15%, 4.03%, and 7.27%, respectively. Stroke risk was not influenced by ethnicity, symptoms, or risk factors.

Conclusions—

Using a population-based design, we found that early stroke risk after TIA was less than previously reported in this bi-ethnic population of Mexican Americans and nonHispanic whites. Approximately half of the 90-day stroke risk after TIA occurred within 2 days.
Orai and the Transdisciplinary Wunderkammer
Authors: Punt Michael
Published: June 2004

The inevitable realization in scientific circles that the reality of the imagined has an equivalent epistemological significance to the material raises fascinating questions, as it invites a skeptical reconsideration of the essential basis of knowledge. While this dramatic shift provides a moment of profound satisfaction for those artists, designers and scientists who have long argued for a transdisciplinary worldview, it also provides a moment of the greatest challenge as we begin to consider how knowledge might be extended, codified and distributed in a multiverse of collaborative realities
A Unique Art Form: The Friezes of Pirgí
Authors: James Alice V. , James David A. , Kalisperis Loukas N.
Published: June 2004

In the village of Pirgí, on the Greek island of Chios, the façades of hundreds of buildings are completely covered with gray and white friezes. Circles, squares, triangles and rhomboids are used to create a lively geometry, ranging from the straightforward to the complex, to give each house its distinctive identity, its own unique face to display to the world. While analyzing the frieze designs, the authors discovered that the frieze artists intuitively obey a unique set of color-reversing rules. The goal of the project was to explain this powerful art form and to discover the essential mathematical structure underlying these color-reversing friezes.
SFO: It's All Good
Authors: Ross Phil
Published: June 2004

A dispatch on the arts, technologies and cultures in the metropolitan community served by the San Francisco airport.
The Turbulent Structure of Sfumato within Mona Lisa
Authors: Queiros-Conde Diogo
Published: June 2004

The author describes a particular way of looking at the Mona Lisa whereby evidence of a turbulent structure (based on underlying sfumato) that reveals an infinity of hidden faces behind the famous figure can be seen. When light is progressively reduced by a “squinting process,” the effect is especially striking in the last face on the edge of the painting's dark areas. The author interprets this visual phenomenon in the context of entropic skins geometry, which he has developed to describe the geometry and statistics of turbulent flows. Finally, the author argues that the form just under Mona Lisa's left shoulder can be interpreted as a human skull anamorphosis, as a kind of ironic signature by Leonardo.
Smell Your Destiny: Web Interaction with the Fifth Sense
Authors: Rapoport Sonya
Published: June 2004

Smell Your Destiny is a fishy tale that parodies the quest for success exhibited in the 21st-century cyber-personality. This article is adapted from the author's web project, where traits formerly considered undesirable and now considered desirable for achieving success are administered to the populace by means of aromatherapy. Play-on-word medications, derived from the names of actual pharmaceuticals, are prescribed in pill form for ingestion by fish that swim in community gene pools. The pills induce curative fish fragrances that are exuded by the fish into the environment. Trait changes occur when residents breathe in the fumes, which are prescribed to accommodate current societal values. URLs and links within the work provide access to virtual smelling sites.
Into the Hollow of Darkness: Realizing a 3D Interactive Environment
Authors: Le Meur Anne-Sarah
Published: June 2004

The author considers the meaning of interactivity and the potentials of virtual environments, in particular in the exploration of the total visual field and its periphery. She presents her artistic project, the aim of which is to cause viewers to become more sensitive to their own perceptions, respecting images and indistinct sensations that may arise
On the Design and Analysis of Competent Selecto-recombinative GAs
Authors: Dijk Steven van , Thierens Dirk , Berg Mark de
Published: June 2004

In this paper, we study two recent theoretical models—a population-sizing model and a convergence model—and examine their assumptions to gain insights into the conditions under which selecto-recombinative GAs work well. We use these insights to formulate several design rules to develop competent GAs for practical problems. To test the usefulness of the design rules, we consider as a case study the map-labeling problem, an NP-hard problem from cartography. We compare the predictions of the theoretical models with the actual performance of the GA for the map-labeling problem. Experiments show that the predictions match the observed scale-up behavior of the GA, thereby strengthening our claim that the design rules can guide the design of competent selecto-recombinative GAs for realistic problems.
Analysis of Upper-and Lower-limits of Fill Time in Resin Transfer Mold Filling Simulation
Authors: Dai Fuhong , Zhang Boming , Du Shanyi
Published: June 2004

The finite element/control volume method (FE/CVM) is widely used to simulate resin flow in resin transfer molding process. There exists the errors of varying degree in the fill time with the use of the approach. In this paper, the reasons leading to such errors are investigated. The conception of the up-and down-stream flow rates is introduced. An Unsaturated Flow Layer (UFL) technique to predict and track the movement of the free surface is presented, in which the downstream flow rate is used. The fill time obtained by the analytical solutions, the UFL technique and the traditional FE/CVM have been compared with each other. It is validated that the numerical fill time with the UFL technique and the traditional FE/CVM are the upper-and lower-limits of the analytical fill time respectively. The notable errors of numerical solutions obtained by the traditional FE/CVM and the UFL technique were both observed. A new Weighted Average Flux (WAF) approach is further proposed to eliminate the problem. A simple analytical formula for weighted factors is derived, through which the solution accuracy of the different numerical techniques are discussed. A variety of examples including 1-D, 2-D00, 2.5-D00 shell geometries and fully 3-D flows are presented to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed approach. The results show that the WAF approach cannot give solutions in excellent agreement with the analytical solutions, but also can save the computer time, compared with traditional FE/CVM.
A Statistical Approach to Permeability of Clustered Fibre Reinforcements
Authors: Lundström T. Staffan , Frishfelds Vilnis , Jakovics Andris
Published: June 2004

The focus is set on mesoscale modelling of permeability of real fabrics used in composite manufacturing. Of particular interest is the effect of expected perturbations from perfect geometries, such as fibre bundle crimp, on the permeability. To start with, variational methods are used to calculate the permeability of individual gaps between fibre bundles. Based on this study a network of unit cells is formed enabling studies of two-and three-dimensional flow through the structure. From such an analysis the overall permeability of an arbitrary distribution of unit cell permeabilities can be calculated. Here random and controlled distributions are simulated. The former is an approximate representation of a continuous strand mat and the latter may describe Non-Crimp Fabrics. The result is that for random distributions, the permeability decreases with the maximum variation in unit cell while for a controlled permeability distribution the overall permeability can as well increase as decrease depending on the type of perturbation. In both cases the type of flow: one-, two-or three-dimensional strongly influence on the quantitative result. Hence, for the type of fabrics studied, it is necessary to model the full 3D-flow through to get a correct permeability value.
Experimental and Analytical Evaluation of the Notched Tensile Fracture of CFRP-Woven Laminates at Low Temperatures
Authors: Kumagai Susumu , Shindo Yasuhide
Published: June 2004

This paper describes an experimental and analytical study on the cryogenic fracture behavior of CFRP-woven laminates under tension with a sharp notch. Single-Edge Notched Tension (SENT) tests were performed at room temperature, liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K), and liquid helium temperature (4 K). During the SENT tests, AE method was implemented to assist in identifying the occurrence of damage which forms from a notch. The growth of crack from notch tip was characterized by microscopical observation and AE response. A finite element analysis was also carried out to calculate the strain energy release rate and stress intensity factor for SENT specimens. The results of the finite element analysis are used to supplement the experimental data. An example is given to show how the acoustic emission data obtained on SENT specimens can be used to nondestructively test the fracture properties of CFRP-woven laminates at low temperatures.
Civilian Victims in an Asymmetrical Conflict: Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan
Authors: Benini Aldo A. , Moulton Lawrence H.
Published: June 2004

Like other wars, recent Western military interventions have entailed loss of civilians in the affected countries. As a result of the ‘Revolution in Military Affairs’, Martin Shaw makes two claims likely to recur in debates on such wars. The first is that those losses were much smaller than the loss of life as a result of previous misrule and oppression. The second is that during these interventions civilians suffered only accidental ‘small massacres’. Using victim figures from 600 local communities exposed to hostilities during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the authors test Shaw’s claims. They model community victim counts as a function of potential explanatory factors via zero-inflated Poisson regression. Several historic as well as concurrent factors are significant. Moreover, totals work out considerably higher than those offered by previous researchers. These findings are important to several aspects of the new way of war: as a reminder that harm comes not only from direct violence but from indirect effects of munitions; underreporting of civilian losses as a likely systemic feature; and distributions of victims as mediated by histories of war of which Western interventions may be final culminations.
Avoiding Diversionary Targets
Authors: Chiozza Giacomo , Goemans Henk E.
Published: June 2004

This article identifies three common flaws in the empirical literature on the diversionary use of force. First, while theoretical models of the diversionary use of force are built on the motivations of leaders to stay in power, the great majority of empirical studies employ datasets with the country or countryyear as their unit of analysis. Second, while theories of the diversionary use of force strongly suggest a reciprocal relationship between the probabilities of losing office and international conflict, almost no studies have explicitly modeled such a reciprocal relationship. Third, most empirical studies ignore how the diversionary incentives of leaders might affect the strategic calculus of their potential foreign opponents. This article explicitly addresses these common flaws by using a dataset with the leader-year as the unit of analysis and by employing a two-stage probit model to examine a reciprocal relationship between the probabilities of losing office and becoming a target, thus focusing on targets. The authors find only qualified support for the modified strategic theory of diversionary conflict. On the one hand, as the risk of losing office increases, leaders become less likely to be targets in an international crisis. On the other hand, however, the risk of becoming a target in an international crisis does not affect the probability of losing office.
Forecasting Israeli–Palestinian Relations
Authors: Sylvan Donald A. , Keller Jonathan W. , Haftel Yoram Z.
Published: June 2004

This article addresses the issue of how international relations theories and experts do at forecasting Israeli–Palestinian relations. A group of academics who study the Middle East were brought together to set forth their logic and arguments concerning possible future scenarios of Israeli–Palestinian relations. The article reports on a ‘rule-based’ computational model built upon the reasoning of these experts. Sensitivity analysis of the model is summarized, and four empirical tests of the model are reported. Relations between Middle East states, externally generated existential threats to Israel, and domestic structural factors such as coalition politics in Israel emerge as driving forces in the sensitivity analysis. Further examination shows that the model is in theoretical harmony with scholars who have employed two-level games and has some similarity to realist explanations and frameworks emphasizing public opinion. Model tests reveal relatively solid results: comparisons with other forecasts generally favor this model, while both the cases of the Labor Party coming to power in Israel and a change in Jordanian behavior after the death of King Hussein lend further support to the model presented here. Finally, when the scholars who served as the expert group to produce these forecasts were asked to reflect back on the process, they exhibited the same rationalizations that have been found in other expertbased forecasts, even though the results of the forecasts were more favorable than many such forecasts.
Civilizational Conflicts: More Frequent, Longer, and Bloodier?
Authors: Tusicisny Andrej
Published: June 2004

Huntington’s clash of civilizations thesis considers interstate and intrastate conflicts between groups of different civilizations to be more frequent, longer, and more violent than conflicts within civilizations. The clash of civilizations should be the principal issue in world politics after the end of the Cold War, and it should especially shape the relationship between the West and Islam. This article examines Huntington’s hypotheses on the basis of a dataset derived from the Uppsala Conflict Data Project. A new research design uses conflict-years in order to deal with conflicts both between and within states. It also tries to find the ‘core’ intercivilizational conflicts. The analyses distinguish three periods after World War II, and each of them is characterized by a higher number of intercivilizational conflict-years than the previous one. There are two points of transition, in the 1960s and 1980s, but the trends in the clash of civilizations seem to be unaffected by the end of the Cold War. The relationship between civilizational difference and duration of conflict is not statistically significant. Conflicts within civilizations are less likely to escalate into war during the post-Cold War period than during the Cold War period, while the intensity of conflicts between civilizations remains as high as in the Cold War. The majority of intercivilizational conflict-years during the post-Cold War period have involved Islamic groups. Nevertheless, the frequency of conflict between the Islamic and Sinic (Confucian) civilizations and the West remains marginal.
Guns, Camps and Cash: Disarmament, Demobilization and Reinsertion of Former Combatants in Transitions from War to Peace
Authors: Knight Mark , O÷zerdem Alpaslan
Published: June 2004

The process of disarmament, demobilization, reinsertion and reintegration (DDRR) of former combatants plays a critical role in transitions from war to peace. The success or failure of this endeavour directly affects the long-term peacebuilding prospects for any post-conflict society. The exploration of the closely interwoven relationship between peacebuilding and the DDRR process also provides a theoretical framework for this article, which aims to present an assessment of various disarmament, demobilization and reinsertion (DDR) programmes planned or implemented in a number of countries over the last two decades. The assessment is conducted by focusing on three specific DDR issues: disarmament as a social contract; demobilization without cantonment; and the relevance of financial reinsertion assistance. The majority of these initiatives adopted a ‘guns–camps–cash’ approach that seems to provide only a limited perspective for dealing with a wide range of complex issues related to the DDR process. Therefore, the article questions whether there is a need for a more comprehensive consideration of disarmament by acknowledging and responding to its social, economic and political implications. In conjunction with the above-mentioned consideration, disarmament in terms of a social contract is proposed as an alternative to the current military-centred approach. Experience also indicates a tendency towards the inclusion of cantonment in the demobilization phase, regardless of whether it actually can have some negative impacts on the DDRR process in general. Subsequently, the article questions such implications and possible approaches to demobilization without cantonment. Finally, the article focuses on the effectiveness of cash payments during reinsertion as an easier alternative to the provision of other material assistance, since this tends to be the most controversial aspect of the reinsertion phase.
Structure–Property Relationship of Castor Oil-Based PU–PBMA Interpenetrating Polymer Networks
Authors: Begum Muneera , Siddaramaiah  , Somashekar R. , Somashekarappa H.
Published: June 2004

Castor oil-based polyurethane (PU) and polybutyl methacrylate (PBMA) interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) (PU/PBMA; 80/20, 60/40, 50/50, 40/60 and 20/80) have been prepared by sequential polymerization. The prepared IPNs have been characterized by physico-mechanical and optical properties. The thermal behaviour of IPNs were performed using thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA). TGA thermogram shows that the thermal degradation of PU–PBMA IPN was found to proceed in three different steps. The microcrystalline parameters such as crystal size (hNi) and lattice disorder (g) of IPNs have been estimated using wide angle X-ray scattering studies (WAXS), and quantification of the polymer network has been carried on the basis of these parameters.
Ultrasonic Devulcanization of Carbon Black Filled Polyurethane Rubber
Authors: Ghose Sayata , Isayev A. I.
Published: June 2004

Following our success with the recycling of unfilled polyurethane rubber (PUR), an attempt was made to devulcanize carbon black (CB)-filled PUR. Although CB was added in various proportions, only samples with lower filler loading could be treated. Devulcanization experiments were carried out at various feed rates, gap sizes, and amplitudes in a grooved barrel as well as a coaxial reactor with ultrasonic attachments and the optimum processing conditions were determined. Gel fraction, crosslink density, and dynamic properties of the treated samples were determined. However, attempts to cure the 100% devulcanized samples obtained from the grooved barrel reactor failed possibly due to severe degradation of main chains and reduced polymer–filler interactions under ultrasound treatment. Hence the next plausible step was to prepare blends of the devulcanized and filled virgin vulcanizates. These blends were successfully cured and their mechanical properties were determined. It was found that blends containing 50% or higher amount of devulcanized rubber exhibited reasonable mechanical properties thereby proving that the application of ultrasound is a suitable method for the recycling of CB-filled PUR.
Structure and Properties of Hygroscopic PA6–Inorganic Salt Blend
Authors: Zhang Shijie , Zhao Jianqing , Pang Chaun , Bonnaud Leila
Published: June 2004

Blends of nylon-6 and inorganic salt (composition range 0–10% by weight) were prepared by melt processing at 230 C, forming an intimate blend of the two components. The structure of the blend was investigated by using FTIR and WAXD techniques. The formation of a nitrogen atom–metal ion coordination bond is seen in the FTIR spectrum. X-ray analysis showed the decrease of the nylon-6 crystallinity due to the existence of the coordination bond. The hygroscopicity of the nylon-6 blend increases sharply with the increase in salt addition. The coordination interaction can hinder the internal rotation of nylon-6 molecular chain leading to the increase in the rigidity of the nylon-6 blend and to the decrease in the toughness.
Mechanical Properties of Glass Bead-Filled Linear Low-Density Polyethylene
Authors: Yang Wei , Shi Wei , Li Zhong-Ming , Xie Bang-Hu , Feng Jian-Min , Yang Ming-Bo
Published: June 2004

The tensile and impact properties of glass bead (GB)-filled linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) were studied in this article. The tensile stress–strain behaviors of GB-filled LLDPE composites do not show any obvious difference from that of pure LLDPE, but the overall mechanical properties of GB-filled LLDPE composites are improved quite a lot, which demonstrates that in a relatively small bead size range, the inorganic spherical particle can effectively increase the mechanical properties of LLDPE. The elastic modulus and the elongation to break are almost constant for various filler contents, while the yield strength greatly increases when the filler content is very low, and then remains at about that level up to a 20% filler concentration. After a sharp increase when the filler concentration is 5% by weight, the impact strength gradually increases with increasing filler content, and obtains a 40% improvement above the resin, showing significant toughening effect. Combining the effects of bead size and filler concentration studied on the mechanical properties of GB-filled LLDPE composites, it is found that for glass beads with relatively small particle size, the bead size plays a significant role, which seems to be inconsistent with some results from the literature. From investigation of the morphology of the filled specimen, it is found that though the glass beads are not surface treated, the glass beads used present quite good interfacial adhesion with the matrix LLDPE, and the distribution of the bead in the matrix is the main influencing factor on the mechanical properties of the LLDPE composites.
The State of the State: The Model of the Modern State and Its Contemporary Transformation
Authors: Axtmann Roland
Published: June 2004

The first part of this article sketches the ideal-type of the territorially consolidated, sovereign nation-state. The second part discusses how the assumptions of “homogeneity,” “unity,” and “sovereignty” that underlie this ideal-type have become problematized over the past few decades. The moves toward a state form that institutionalizes polycentricity, heterogeneity, and plurality are discussed in the context of the conflict between nationalism and multiculturalism; the internationalization of the state; and geopolitical transformations. Methodologically, the article puts forward an argument in favor of a historically informed institutional analysis of state transformations.
Globalization, State Transformation, and Public Security
Authors: Bislev Sven
Published: June 2004

Globalization changes the context, the structure, and the institutions of the nation-state. Even the traditional core area of public security is being affected, and rationalities from business and the market are being introduced to the security field. The most recent security technologies build less on public authority and more on management and markets. The San Diego region of Southern California, a region thoroughly affected by globalization, illustrates this process through its introduction of management methods in police work and the growth of gated communities as a defensive technology.
Revenues, State Formation, and the Quality of Governance in Developing Countries
Authors: Moore Mick
Published: June 2004

Sources of state revenue have a major impact on patterns of state formation. This proposition from fiscal sociologyis valid and convincing in the context of western European history and comparisons among contemporary states in the South. This article investigates the extent to which we can conclude that the quality of governance in contemporary developing countries might improve if states were more dependent for their financial resources on domestic taxpayers. The radically different context of contemporary third-world states cautions against too firm conclusions.
Institutional Choice and the Diffusion of Policy Paradigms: Brazil and the Second Wave of Pension Reform
Authors: Melo Marcus Andr…
Published: June 2004

This article discusses current explanations of issues of institutional change and innovation in the global environment, with specific reference to the diffusion of pension-policy paradigms. It argues against explanations which stress unilaterally the role of external actors and shows the limitations of approaches based on diffusion models in which the actor’s choice space is not examined. It argues that domestic factors are crucial in determining the outcomes of policy-diffusion processes. Although current policy ideas and models are important, the extent to which they are influential and shape concrete policy choices are primarily determined by domestic political institutions and pathdependent domestic factors. Ideas and policy paradigms provide a possibility set for an institutionally and path-dependent constrained choice. Drawing on a case study of the diffusion of the reform model advocated by the World Bank, the article argues that Brazil’s non-reform can be best explained by path dependency and by the “politics of loss imposition” that characterizes pension reform. Brazilian reformers copied a model from an existing policy template, but this emulative behavior can be best viewed as an instance of a path-dependent, constrained, institutional choice, rather than a mimetic behavior associated with a cultural, linguistic, or regional pattern as suggested by strands of the diffusion literature.
Mapping Music Education Research in Scandinavia
Authors: Jÿrgensen Harald
Published: June 2004

Research in music education and related topics has a long tradition in Scandinavia. This article gives an overview of research in music education, with emphasis on the years 1990–2002. Research is related to four major issues: The characteristics and musical development of children, youth, and adults; how social variables, especially gender, are present in some educational settings; how music is taught and studied in educational institutions, from pre-school to tertiary education in academies; and how research has addressed basic issues in music education, i.e. ‘What is music education?’ and ‘What is music education research?’, as well as ‘What is the relationship between research and practice?’
Mapping Music Education Research in Germany
Authors: Gruhn Wilfried
Published: June 2004

This article presents a very general survey of tracks and trends in music education research in Germany and its roots in the 19th century, where the beginning of empirical music psychology can be traced back to Tonpsychologieand perception research of scholars such as Helmholtz, Stumpf, Wundt, and Wellek. Focus areas that are addressed in the article refer to child development and early music learning, the acquisition of musical skills, music in schools and society, gender studies, multicultural approaches and cross-cultural studies.
Mpping Music Education Research in the USA: A Response to the UK
Authors: Price Harry E.
Published: June 2004

The research enterprise in the United States is a vast one, with at least 15 music education and two music therapy research journals. This is in addition to the multitude of papers presented at a myriad of state, regional and national conferences, including the hundreds of papers presented at the biannual meetings of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC): National Association for Music Education. Much of the USA music education research occurs in situ, such as general music classrooms and secondary ensemble rehearsals, and examines the impact of different aspects of teaching strategies on students’ attentiveness, attitudes and achievement, as well as studying informal learning. While common in the USA, it is unusual to see work in the UK that focuses on ensemble conducting or music classroom or ensemble management. Also, work in the USA can be classified under the titles used by the Special Research Interest Groups of MENC: Affective Response, Adult and Community Music Education, Creativity, Early Childhood, Gender Research in Music Education, History, Instructional Strategies, Learning and Development, Measurement and Evaluation, Perception and Cognition, Philosophy, and Social Sciences. Of late, there has been an increased interest in multicultural issues in research as well. There is a deficit of published philosophical inquiry, however.
Mapping Music Education Research in Australia
Authors: Stevens Robin S. , McPherson Gary E.
Published: June 2004

Music education research in Australia has grown almost exponentially over the past 25 years. Particularly in the area of doctoral research studies, there has been a substantial increase in the number of theses completed from two in 1977 to 72 in 2002. In addition, there have been increases in professional research undertaken by university academics, in the number of nationally competitive research grants being awarded by the Australian Research Council and other research funding agencies, and in commissioned research studies. This article reviews the various types of music education research being undertaken in Australia and also discusses the dissemination of the findings of research through articles in national and international scholarly journals and papers presented at local and international conferences. One of the conclusions drawn is that Australian music education has ‘come of age’ in terms of both the quantity and the quality of its national research profile.
GC/MS Identification of Pyrolysis Products from 1,2-Bis(2,4,6-Tribromophenoxy)ethane
Authors: Balabanovich A. I. , Luda M. P. , Operti L.
Published: June 2004

Despite the large amount of work carried out for the identification of pyrolytic products of fire retardant polymers, there is still lack of reliable MS data on halogenated substances. The development of toxic halogenated products mostly occurs during the process of pyrolysis, burning or recycling and they originate from the use of halogenated fire retardants. 1,2-Bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane is a common fire retardant used in acrylonitrile– butadiene–styrene terpolymers for computer housing. Its pyrolysis products (brominated vinyl phenyl ethers, brominated alkyl phenyl ethers, brominated diaryl ethers, polybrominated dibenzodioxins) from a 340 C pyrolysis have been identified by GC/MS and their mass spectra are presented and discussed. A mechanism accounting for the formation of the products is proposed.
Experimental Analysis on False Alarms of Fire Detectors by Cooking Fumes
Authors: Qiyuan Xie , Hongyong Yuan , Huiliang Guo
Published: June 2004

Experiments were conducted to analyze the response of ionization and photoelectric detectors to the two typical Chinese cooking fumes simulated in the FE/DE. Four real fire smokes were also carried out for comparison with the nuisance cooking fumes. The outputs of the ionization and photoelectric detector, CO, CO2 and humidity were recorded throughout the six experiments and were compared. The results of these experiments show that the smoke detectors, especially the ionization detector, are sensitive to cooking fumes and nuisance alarms are easy to happen. It is also indicated that CO and CO2 concentration in the cooking fumes varied much less than those in the four real fire sources. The feasibility of reducing false alarms in kitchen through the use of multi-criteria algorithm, which combines the CO or CO2 with smoke, is discussed as well.
Commercial Flame Retardancy of Thermoplastic Polyesters – A Review
Authors: Weil Edward D. , Levchik Sergei V.
Published: June 2004

The review is focused on flame retardants known or believed by the authors to be in actual use or in serious development at the time of writing. Wherever possible, the information presented is supported by publications, conference papers, patents or product literature, and there was no intent to present proprietary information. Emphasis is on the main commodity polymers such as PET and PBT. An attempt is made to show the considerations which influence plastics compounders in the choice of flame retardant for each application.
Segregation and Residential Mobility
Authors: Maloutas Thomas
Published: June 2004

Segregation patterns and trends are traditionally considered to be changing through residential mobility, while scant attention is paid to the social mobility of long-term residents. This paper explores first the origins of this unilateral attention and ultimately relates it to the context in which mobility, and residential mobility in particular, were conceptualized by the founders of Urban Sociology.The rest of the paper is an attempt to substantiate the context dependency of this relation through the examination of the social mobility of long-term residents and its impact on shaping local social profiles in Athens. The Athenian context, bearing important similarities to those of other large cities in Southern Europe and elsewhere, has been characterized both by comparatively reduced residential mobility and by increased social mobility in the process of rapid postwar urbanization and the massive conversion of rural masses to urban dwellers. The importance of spatially endogenous social mobility is discussed in particular with respect to social structures and institutions – such as the family or the housing system – that have been systematically impeding residential mobility. The conclusion is that the social mobility of the longterm residents has a varying, context-dependent importance for the analysis of segregation patterns and tendencies which in many cases is unwittingly neglected.
Local Agenda 21: Progress in Spain
Authors: Echebarria Carmen , Barrutia Jose M. , Aguado Itziar
Published: June 2004

A consensus exists regarding the idea that, in the search for sustainable development (SD), Local Agenda 21 (LA21) is a key tool for implementing a set of sustainability policies at local level. From a consensus of this nature both an important flow of scientific production and a significant degree of real implementation might be expected. However, a review of the literature and a real case-study (Spain) lead us to conclude that although increasing effort is being made in both fields, there is still a long way to go.
Under Construction
Authors: Deacon Bernard
Published: June 2004

New regionalist writings display a growing tendency to turn towards the role of institutions and culture in the formation of regions. However, the way these are articulated is less than clear. This article calls for a re-combination of culture and institutions in order to analyse the process of regional formation at a micro-level. To do this it employs the concepts of discourse and the everyday to investigate the cultural reproduction of the region in the peak institutions of the new regionalization in the South West of England. In the absence of widespread regional identities in England, such institutions play a major role in constructing and policing the meaning of ‘region’. Interview data help to unpack an evolving regional discourse in south-west England, one that involves the everyday reproduction of representations of the region in the new regional institutions. Underlying this discourse of the region lie some traditional and stereotypical images of the South West. Furthermore, the implications of this reconfiguration of scale are explored in relation to another territorial identity at a lower scale, with reference to the campaign for a Cornish Assembly. The article concludes that the power of regional elites to create regions is overstated by the new regionalism.
Inward Investment, Firm Embeddedness and Place
Authors: White Mark C.
Published: June 2004

This paper examines the embeddedness of multinational software firms located in the Republic of Ireland. Over the past 15 years, Ireland has emerged as a software centre of growing importance. Many leading US companies now use Ireland as a platform from which to service the European market, in turn making Ireland the world’s leading software exporter. As a result, the extent to which software multinationals become embedded within Ireland will affect future economic development. Although subject to several interpretations, the conceptualization of embeddedness offered in this paper incorporates traditional concerns with local linkages between multinational corporations and host regions as well as issues of growing interest such as affiliate evolution and expansion. In addition, it considers the wider business environment’s influence on firm embeddedness. The findings are based on published data and corporate and government interviews conducted during field research in Ireland. The paper finds that over time software multinationals are becoming somewhat more embedded within Ireland, but several issues related to the negative externalities of Dublin’s rapid growth potentially hinder future development.
The Portuguese Natural Gas Market in the European Context
Authors: Ferreira Paula , Soares Isabel , Araújo Madalena
Published: June 2004

The Portuguese natural gas market is recent and small – being an emergent market according to Directive 98/30/EC. It is still protected and monopolistic while most other European countries have already liberalized, at least partially, their natural gas markets. This paper focuses on the process of restructuring the energy market in the European Union, and the present situation in Portugal, and emphasizes the regional dimension of the Portuguese market. The natural gas price strategies followed by Portuguese companies are analysed, and a comparison with those of liberalized Europe is attempted. Special attention is given to the United Kingdom, as an example of a completely liberalized market, and also to Spain due to its close links to the Portuguese energy sector. From the results obtained, possible future scenarios for Portugal in a liberalization context are presented.
Sensitivity Analysis of the Frequency Response of a Piecewise Linear System in a Frequency Island
Authors: Narimani A , Golnaraghi M Farid , Jazar G Nakhaie
Published: June 2004

In this paper, we analyze the frequency response of a piecewise linear suspension system. Dynamical characteristics of the suspension will suddenly change when its relative displacement exceeds a clearance. Piecewise linear characteristics occur, for example, wherever we use stoppers to prevent the system from excessive relative displacement. A modified averaging method is used to find the frequency response of the system to a harmonic base excitation. A frequency island is observed, which corresponds to large amplitude vibration for a certain range of system parameters. The island is an isolated region that cannot be reached by the variation of excitation frequency and depends upon initial conditions. On the frequency island, the isolator amplifies the amplitude of vibration rather than suppressing it. This will be dangerous in applications where stoppers are installed to ensure relative displacement is limited. The ranges of system parameters causing the frequency island are determined. The results obtained by an analytical method are verified using numerical simulation.
Snap-Through Truss as a Vibration Absorber
Authors: Avramov K V , Mikhlin Yu V
Published: June 2004

In this paper we consider the possibility of elastic oscillation absorption using the snap-through truss. This truss was introduced by Mises in 1923. A single-degree-of-freedom linear oscillator is chosen as the most simple model of a continuous elastic system. The nonlinear absorber with three equilibrium positions (the snap-through truss) is attached to this oscillator. The dynamics of this system is studied by the nonlinear normal vibration mode approach. The construction and stability analysis of the localized and non-localized nonlinear normal modes are developed. If the localized mode is realized, the system energy is concentrated in the nonlinear absorber. This situation is the most appropriate to absorb vibrations.
A Singular Perturbation Model Order Reduction Method for a Specially Structured Model
Authors: Agili Sedig S , Ansary Omid , Mossayebi Faramarz
Published: June 2004

In this paper we consider a model order reduction technique in the context of a special descriptor representation of linear time-invariant continuous-time systems. Specifically, we present a unique form of singular perturbation model order reduction technique for such a representation. It is shown that this technique leads to a reduced-order model with an upper triangular system matrix. This method also results in one algebraic Riccati equation instead of two, which are generally required for singular perturbation model order reduction techniques. The foregoing structure enables the analysis and design of large dimensional systems with less computational cost and errors in comparison to the existing methods. An example is also given to illustrate the application of the proposed method.