bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Planning Process: Mappings between State and Decision Spaces
Authors: Ho Y-S
Published: October 2006

The planning process is modelled as an information processing system. The inputs to the system comprise observations of the state of the environment, and the outputs are goals and plans to guide actions in the environment. The processor consists of two interacting subsystems: the one carrying descriptions about material states is called the state space and the other holding information about decisions and values is called the decision space. The memory of the planning system stores its history: its ‘experiences’ both of its external and of its internal environments. The ‘facts’ which inform the planning system are represented as a relation between the state space and the decision space. Such a relation induces a pair of functions which is known to form a Galois connection between two sets. Compositions of these two functions are closure operators which define closure systems on the decision space and the state space, respectively. Each of these functions when restricted to the closure systems is an isomorphism. Isomorphic elements are paired together and the collection of such pairs forms a Galois lattice. A Galois lattice presents to the planners an overall view of the current ‘situation’ of the environment. Each element of the Galois lattice relates a set of ‘systems’ represented in the state space to a set of ‘values’ used to evaluate ‘systems’ in the decision space. The planning process is then viewed as a transformation of the Galois lattice which represents the current ‘situation’ to another Galois lattice which represents the desirable ‘situation’.
An Implementation-Scheduling Model for Urban Development Projects
Authors: Stern E
Published: October 2006

This paper is a report on the structure and the operational procedure of an implementation-scheduling model (ISM) used in preparing an urban development program for a small South African city. The model is aimed at defining a yearly or a phase-based set of projects that will maximize community benefit under local budgetary constraints. The local master plan serves as the frame from which development projects are defined. To promote economic development, projects are basically related to complementary development rather than to basic infrastructure works.
Perception Changes in the Realm of Design
Authors: Jaspersen T
Published: October 2006

Commodities undergo a continual process of change. Viewed over a short period of time such changes may seem insignificant; viewed historically, however, veritable leaps can be discerned. This study is an analysis of changes in product design from 1950 to 1980 as well as parallel changes in product perception. The products analysed reveal clear design and functional or technical changes in the time period in question. Whereas in the 1950s prewar designs were to a great extent still being produced, the early 1960s were marked by American tastes in design. At present, technical–functional design considerations are predominant. The findings show that perception of ‘stylistic leaps’ in historical retrospect is not explicable by changes in product, but by changes in perception. Products have various emotive connotations. ‘Old’ products are judged negatively, ‘new’ products positively.
Comparing Connectivity in Landscape Networks
Authors: van Langevelde F , van der Knaap W G M , Claassen G D H
Published: October 2006

Existing parameters that measure the connectivity of elements in landscape networks are dependent upon the size of the network, defined as the number of locations in it. These parameters are unsuitable for comparing the connectivity in networks that have different numbers of locations. The objective of this paper is to extend the existing parameters, so that the degree of connectivity of elements in a variety of networks can be compared. These parameters can be used to test relationships between the connectivity of locations and their function in the region and to compare these relationships across several locations in different regions as well as in one location in time. In simulations, we show that the size of the graph affects the values of the parameters derived. However, in contrast to the existing parameters, the degree of connectivity of elements in differently sized networks can be usefully compared. The parameter based on shortest-weighted paths can also differentiate between differently spaced networks.
General Revenue Sharing
Authors: Adams C F
Published: October 2006

Enacted in 1972, general revenue sharing added a new dimension to the intergovernmental grant system in the United States of America. Unlike traditional categorical grant programs predicated on an externality or some other efficiency-based rationale, revenue sharing addressed issues of vertical and horizontal fiscal imbalances as well as political concerns about the growing influence of the federal bureaucracy in the fiscal affairs of states and localities. Scheduled to terminate at the end of fiscal year 1986, revenue sharing nevertheless remains a viable concept in reckoning the makeup of a well-ordered intergovernmental grant system. It is with an eye toward future deliberations about such a program that this paper is written. The findings from six years of research at the Brookings Institution are drawn upon, and a review is given of the lessons learned about the role of such a program and how the design of any future revenue sharing program might be enhanced, with specific emphasis on greater equity and more effective integration of federal and state roles in addressing the causes and consequences of local-area fiscal disparities.
The Case for a Local Net Value-Added Tax for Municipalities
Authors: Schmidt K
Published: October 2006

In this paper the case made by the Advisory Council of the Federal Ministry of Finance for reform of the local business tax in Germany is outlined. The criteria for a good local tax are described, and the proposals deriving from the Council are presented. The proposed reform is to introduce a local value-added tax of the income type. This tax would be defined on the base of business payroll, profits, interest paid, and rent. It would include businesses, professions, and administrative bodies. The reform is outlined and possible criticisms are assessed. With appropriate definitions of tax base and an enlargement of the group of taxpayers, the value-added tax is argued to be the best approach that is need-oriented, is organised on the benefit principle, has horizontal balance, is economically stable, and is perceptible.
The Provision of Housing and Social Services in China's Special Economic Zones
Authors: Phillips D R , Yeh A G O
Published: October 2006

The development since the late 1970s of four Special Economic Zones in South China, in which a variety of economic change is being piloted, has now been widely documented. These zones have certain similarities with Export Processing Zones in some other countries within Southeast Asia, although they are more comprehensive in development and include the provision of housing for foreigners and local Chinese, as well as social services and many other facilities. Housing and service provision has, to an extent, however, lagged behind the economic and physical development of the Chinese zones. The authorities in the zones have begun to view housing as an item worthy of investment, and the coexistence of foreign firms and joint ventures with Chinese-owned undertakings within the zones has meant that incomes and aspirations, and hence demands for facilities, are often higher than elsewhere in the country. This has meant an important re-examination of socialist principles in the zones. Housing in particular is becoming a commodity which is of higher quality than elsewhere in China and can be bought and sold, and many types of social and retail services are also being provided by individuals and firms rather than by the state or larger production units. In this paper the authors examine some of the changes currently being witnessed in these zones and the dilemmas which they pose for a government still attempting to maintain an avowed socialist orientation in its policy. In particular, they discuss the emergence of competition for housing and resources, and consider the extent to which the commodification of social facilities is compatible with the continuation of socialist state policy.
High-Level Nuclear Waste Transportation: Political Implications of the Weakest Link in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Authors: Kirby A M
Published: October 2006

By focusing primarily on the USA but also drawing upon examples from Europe and Australia, the author examines the technical, political, and constitutional issues which surround the question of high-level nuclear waste transportation. It is revealed that there are major questions of safety and public perception which are not being addressed by state institutions, and there is a discussion of the ways in which state and professional actors have attempted to limit the political discourse on these and related policy-relevant issues.
High-Technology Industry and Regional Development in Britain: The Case of the Cambridge Phenomenon
Authors: Keeble D E
Published: October 2006

After a discussion of the nature and definition of high-technology industry, original evidence on the recent (1981–84) regional and local evolution of high-technology industrial employment in Britain is presented. The case of the Cambridge Phenomenon is reviewed in detail, drawing upon a range of recent research to document the scale, nature, and impacts of rapid high-technology growth in the Cambridge region, especially in the 1980s. The volume of such growth in the period 1981–84 was greater in Cambridgeshire than in any other county of Britain. The reasons for Cambridge's exceptional performance are discussed, and to conclude there is a brief consideration of policy issues arising from the region's experience, including the role of universities and science parks, of government defence and procurement policies, of local small-firm assistance structures, and of selective help to ‘threshold’ firms.
Fiscal Equalization between States in West Germany
Authors: Zimmermann H
Published: October 2006

Almost from the beginning of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949, a sophisticated horizontal equalization mechanism with strong equalizing effects has existed between its states ( Länder). Its historical and social background is shown briefly, and the equalization procedure, which compares the revenue potential of each state with a rough measure of its fiscal need, is described in detail. The far-reaching equalization of state revenues that results is evaluated under distributional objectives and above all on allocative grounds: There are few incentives for states to care for their own tax base, particularly because states have no tax-rate authority which would enable them to vary their revenues from own sources.
Urban Administration in Post-Soviet Russia: Continuity and Change in St Petersburg
Authors: Hinton H
Published: October 2006

In this paper institutional change in the former Soviet Union will be explored by focusing on local government politics and administration. The political turmoil in local government is examined as efforts are made to capture the ‘residual legitimacy’ of the Communist Party and to replace the latent functions of the Party in coordinating the complex structure of local government. It is demonstrated that the complex centralized structure of Soviet local government still exists. It is argued that the conflict between the mayor and the city soviet has at least partly been a turf battle over whether the mayor or the city soviet will assume functions previously performed by units of the Communist Party; that, although on the surface the administrative system has been significantly altered, some units are little changed from the Soviet period; and that policy responsibilities of city government are being shaped as they assume by default residual responsibilities from the republic government and as the effects of privatization are felt.
Planning Cooperation and Transboundary Regionalism: Implementing Policies for European bOrder Regions in the German—Polish Context
Authors: Scott J W
Published: October 2006

Research summarized here indicates that, despite a certain degree of success, particularly in the area of environmental protection, German—Polish transboundary planning cooperation is being hampered by considerable lags between political agenda-setting, European Union structural programming, and postsocialist institutional transformation. Furthermore, though German—Polish cooperation institutions have been created largely from the ‘top down’, research indicates that transboundary regionalism must also develop local roots through a slow and gradual process of routinized interaction. The real test of German—Polish regionalism will thus be the development of new networks between public and private actors stabilizing the institutions now in place, but there nonetheless remain questions as to the intrinsic economic development potentials of transboundary cooperation within a context of European integration and expansion.
Reversing NIMBY: An Assessment of State Strategies for Siting Hazardous-Waste Facilities
Authors: Ibitayo O O , Pijawka K D
Published: October 2006

Past research indicates a dismal success rate in the siting of hazardous-waste management facilities. The observation that some facilities have been sited, however, suggests that the siting of these locally unwanted environmental facilities may not be an intractable problem. In this paper, based on a national survey of state siting attempts over the past decade, the strategies adopted by states and the factors and combination of factors associated with the few successful outcomes are examined. The data indicate that public trust (especially in the facility developer), early and continuous public involvement in the facility siting process, and an adaptive strategy that involves incorporating citizens' concerns into siting and operation decisions are associated with a higher likelihood of siting success.
The Social Production of Building form: Theory and Research
Authors: King A D
Published: October 2006

In this paper, the relation of theory to empirical research in the broad area indicated by the title is examined. The relevance, and, in cases, the adequacy, is discussed of existing theory for ‘making sense’ of specific empirical data on one item, or segment, of the built environment, namely, the specialised dwelling form of the bungalow, which, in both name and single-storey form, as vacation house or suburban dwelling, has been introduced to many market economies around the world. After a brief consideration of the historical and cross-cultural approaches to the study of the built environment and its neglect in the new urban studies, a series of questions generated by the data and contextualised within specific theoretical spheres are addressed. These include: the relation of building form to economy, society, and culture; culture and the political economy of building form; the social production of specialised dwelling forms; the relationship between per capita income, tenure, and dwelling form, and between dwelling and settlement forms; urban and building form and the world system; counterurbanisation and the world economy; and the political economy of global urbanisation. It is concluded that, for the adequate conceptualisation of the built environment, the use of theory must be eclectic and prepared to draw on different disciplines.
Collective Response: Social Justice, Difference, and the City
Authors:   The Minnesota Geography Reading Group, Faust D , Leitner H , Miller B , Nagar R , Sheppard E , Van Drasok B , Zhou Y
Published: October 2006

Young's argument for a group-differentiated, culturally pluralist form of social life is grounded in her compelling critiques of universalism and the dominant distributive paradigm of justice. Rejecting ‘the logic of identity’ that suppresses difference, and models of justice in which power is not seen as relational, she offers an alternative vision of social life that includes and empowers groups on their own terms. ‘City life’, which allows persons and groups to interact in common spaces without dissolving into unity, serves as her normative ideal. Although her analysis suffers from a one-dimensional conception of reason and her privileging of the urban scale is problematic, Young has produced a provocative book that leads the reader to consider the spatial characteristics of a just society.
Making Reference: Some Epistemological Questions about Social Inquiry Incited by Hypertext
Authors: Wynne Anna
Published: October 2006

Through a consideration of the practice of making reference in the social sciences, this paper concerns some epistemological questions incited by the use and effects of hypertext.
“Tha'lt Be like a Blush-Rose When Tha‘ Grows up, My Little Lass”: English Cultural and Gendered Identity inThe Secret Garden
Authors: Morris Mandy S
Published: October 2006

Although gardens as cultural landscapes have been examined within geography in relation to class, the ways in which gardens are constitutive of and constituted by gender relations have been largely ignored. Feminist geographers are now engaging with the gender implications of landscape representation and this paper, in which the multiple significances of the garden in Frances Hodgson Burnett's (1911) children's story The Secret Garden are explored, is a contribution to this field. Using an approach informed by feminisms and poststructuralisms I draw attention to intersections of late-19th and early-20th century discourses on Englishness, gender, class, and nature, gravitating around three children and set within an old abandoned garden. The garden is the site for a critical reading of the bodily regeneration of gendered and classed English identities whilst it is also a space of other possibilities.
Greening “the Heart of England”—Redemptive Science, Citizenship, and “Symbol of Hope for the Nation”
Authors: Bell Morag , Evans David M
Published: October 2006

Within the context of contemporary global environmental concerns the National Forest builds upon culturally specific interpretations of nature to construct a new national landscape of unprecedented scale for the next millennium. As a creative rather than solely a conservationist strategy, its ambitious multipurpose ideals link closely with broader political, scientific, and popular debates on economic investment, social improvement, and environmental enhancement. In this apaper we explore the nature — society relations which underpin the Forest vision. These are examined by reference to the planning design with its supposedly radical approach to environmental transformation; the distinctive environmental aesthetic including the ecological principles and cultural designs on which it is based; and the forms of participation on which this aesthetic depends, notably the emphasis placed upon partnership from international to local scales and, building on Agenda 21, the promotion of environmental citizenship. We examine the meanings of participation in practice and their links with flexibility, accountability, and control. The changing relations between participation, professional knowledge, and power are also explored, together with the implications for citizenship.
Grass-Roots Democracy and Participation: A New Analytical and Practical Approach
Authors: Smith David M , Blanc Maurice
Published: October 2006

This paper offers, to an anglophone readership, an account of a francophone theoretical perspective on the analysis of social relations and its application to the study of grass-roots democracy in contemporary democratic society. Both traditional representative and participatory conceptualisations of democracy, as well as the recent attempts of communitarianism, radical democracy, and associational theory to reformulate participatory perspectives are critically reviewed. The authors then turn to an account of the ‘transaction socials' perspective and, drawing upon English and French literature, apply it to the analysis of the relations of local grass-roots democracy. A practical step forward in increasing liberational forms of participation in local politics through the development of the concept of ‘the smuggler’ is offered.
Discourses of Race and Gender and the Comparative Method in Geography School Texts 1830–1918
Authors: Maddrell Avril M C
Published: October 2006

School texts on geography are an important but neglected repository of geographical knowledge and representations within the historiography of geography. During the period 1830–1918 geography school texts were influenced by European exploration, church sponsors of education, the mediation of religious and scientific explanation of the natural world, popular images of empire, and state education codes, grants, and inspections. These factors combined in differing degrees over the period studied to reflect hegemonic views of gender, race, and class. The comparative method, popularised as a means of transmitting geographical knowledge in this period, frequently resulted in methodological Eurocentrism, or specifically Anglo-centrism, and memory exercises instilled necessarily simplistic messages about geographical and political relations. Pupil-centred approaches, such as the use of adventure stories and family life as ciphers for geographical understanding, often served to masculinise the content of texts. State legislation for grant-related examinations served to homogenise the content of texts.
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution of the food relocation behaviour of the dung beetle tribe Eucraniini (Coleoptera:Scarabaeidae:Scarabaeinae)
Authors: Ocampo Federico C. , Hawks David C.
Published: October 2006

A phylogenetic analysis using 28S and 18S rDNA provides evidence that the tribe Eucraniini is a monophyletic group and the sister-group of the Phanaeini and Dichotomiini. Our molecular phylogeny of the dung beetle tribes provides strong evidence for the monophyly of the subfamily Scarabaeinae. The monophyly of the tribe Eucraniini is well supported and it includes the genera Anomiopsoides Blackwelder, Ennearabdus van Lansberge, Eucranium Brullé and Glyphoderus Westwood. The food-lifting relocation behaviour present in species of Eucranium, Anomiopsoides and Glyphoderus is considered a derived condition and it most probably evolved from tunnelling behaviour. The preference for dry dung or dung pellets by species of Eucraniini genera, and feeding on plant material by species of Anomiopsoides, are considered apomorphic. Our analyses suggest that rolling behaviour in the Scarabaeinae evolved at least twice during their evolution. The incidence of high endemicity of dung beetles in the Monte biogeographic province of Argentina suggests that the area constitutes an independent centre of evolution. Our hypothesis is that a vicariant event was responsible for the divergence of the Eucraniini from a Neotropical lineage ancestral to Eucraniini and Phanaeini. The isolation of the Eucraniini lineage probably occurred after the Andean uplift during the Quechua diastrophism (middle Miocene) that resulted in the creation of xeric plains in austral regions of South America.
Calcium regulation of chloroplast protein translocation is mediated by calmodulin binding to Tic32
Authors: Chigri Fatima , Hörmann Friederike , Stamp Anna , Stammers David K. , Bölter Bettina , Soll Jürgen , Vothknecht Ute C.
Published: October 2006

The import of nuclear-encoded proteins into chloroplasts is tightly controlled on both sides of the envelope membranes. Regulatory circuits include redox-control as well as calcium-regulation, with calmodulin being the likely mediator of the latter. Using affinity-chromatography on calmodulin-agarose, we could identify the inner envelope translocon component Tic32 as the predominant calmodulin-binding protein of this membrane. Calmodulin-binding assays corroborate the interaction for heterologously expressed as well as native Tic32. The interaction is calcium-dependent and is mediated by a calmodulin-binding domain between Leu-296 and Leu-314 close to the C-proximal end of the pea Tic32. We furthermore could establish Tic32 as a bona fide NADPH-dependent dehydrogenase. NADPH but not NADH or NADP
+
affects the interaction of Tic110 with Tic32 as well as Tic62. At the same time, dehydrogenase activity of Tic32 is affected by calmodulin. In particular, binding of NADPH and calmodulin to Tic32 appear to be mutually exclusive. These results suggest that redox modulation and calcium regulation of chloroplast protein import convene at the Tic translocon and that both could be mediated by Tic32.
Spectrum of a compact weighted composition operator
Authors: Gunatillake Gajath
Published: October 2006

For

ψ
\psi

analytic in the open unit disk and

φ
\varphi

an analytic map from the unit disk into itself, the weighted composition operator

C

ψ
,
φ

C_{\psi ,\varphi }

is the operator on the weighted Hardy space

H

2

(
β
)

H^{2}(\beta )

given by
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="left-parenthesis upper C Subscript psi comma phi Baseline f right-parenthesis left-parenthesis z right-parenthesis equals psi left-parenthesis z right-parenthesis f left-parenthesis phi left-parenthesis z right-parenthesis right-parenthesis period">

(

C

ψ
,
φ

f
)
(
z
)
=
ψ
(
z
)
f
(
φ
(
z
)
)
.

(C_{\psi ,\varphi }f)(z)=\psi (z)f(\varphi (z)).

This paper discusses the spectrum of

C

ψ
,
φ

C_{\psi ,\varphi }

when it is compact on a certain class of weighted Hardy spaces and when the composition map

φ
\varphi

has a fixed point inside the open unit disk.
Human small G proteins, ObgH1, and ObgH2, participate in the maintenance of mitochondria and nucleolar architectures
Authors: Hirano Yasuhiro , Ohniwa Ryosuke L. , Wada Chieko , Yoshimura Shige H. , Takeyasu Kunio
Published: October 2006

The Obg subfamily protein is one of the P‐loop small G proteins and is highly conserved in many organisms from bacteria to human. Two obg genes, obgH1 and obgH2, exist in the human genome. Both ObgH1 and ObgH2 showed similar GTPase activities (0.014 ± 0.005 and 0.010 ± 0.002/min for ObgH1 and ObgH2, respectively) to those of the bacterial Obg proteins and complemented the Obg function in Escherichia coli ribosome maturation, suggesting that the functions of Obg proteins are well conserved through evolution. Immunofluorescence microscopy of HeLa cells revealed that ObgH1 localizes in mitochondria, and ObgH2 in the dense fibrillar compartment region of the nucleolus. Knock‐down of ObgH1 by RNAi induced mitochondria elongation, whereas knock‐down of ObgH2 resulted in the disorganization of the nucleolar architecture. In conclusion, the two human Obg proteins have similar enzymatic activities that can complement bacterial Obg function, but show different cellular function(s) with different intracellular localizations.
The molecular chaperone HSP47 rapidly senses gravitational changes in myoblasts
Authors: Oguro Asami , Sakurai Takashi , Fujita Yoshinobu , Lee Sachiko , Kubota Hiroshi , Nagata Kazuhiro , Atomi Yoriko
Published: October 2006

Skeletal muscle unloading induced by spaceflight or bed rest leads to muscle atrophy. It is unclear how muscle atrophy is caused and how muscles respond to microgravity. We addressed the response of collagen and its chaperone system to gravitational forces. We show here that expression of HSP47, a collagen‐specific molecular chaperone, responds to gravitational changes, including microgravity and hypergravity in vitro and in vivo. By using the method hindlimb suspension of rats, which mimics microgravity conditions, we demonstrated that the expression of Hsp47 mRNA decreased within 1 day and the mRNA levels of collagen types I and IV were subsequently reduced. In contrast, hypergravity stimulated HSP47 expression. HSP47 and collagen types I and IV were localized intracellularly in the endoplasmic reticulum and/or Golgi apparatus of myoblasts, as expected. Intriguingly, Hsp47 mRNA levels in cultured myoblasts increased significantly with hypergravity treatment at 40G for 2 h, and decreased with microgravity treatment at almost 0G for 1–2 h. Collagen mRNA levels were also altered, although changes were slower and less pronounced compared with those for HSP47. The gravity‐regulated HSP47 may play a role in the maintenance of the extracellular matrix by modulating collagen production at the primary stage of adaptation.
During acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection highly susceptible mice deficient in natural killer cells are protected by a single α‐galactosylceramide treatment
Authors: Duthie Malcolm S. , Kahn Stuart J.
Published: October 2006

The protective immune response against Trypanosoma cruzi is improved by treatment with the natural killer (NK) T‐cell glycolipid antigen α‐galactosylceramide (α‐GalCer). A single α‐GalCer treatment of mice before T. cruzi infection decreases parasitaemia and prolongs survival. This protection is dependent on CD1d‐restricted NKT cells and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) suggesting that α‐GalCer‐activated NKT cells produce IFN‐γ, which stimulates the cells of the innate and adaptive immune responses to provide protection. To learn which cells provide protection we investigate here α‐GalCer treatment of mice deficient in different immune cells. Surprisingly, although NK cells provide protection against T. cruzi, and are a major source of IFN‐γ following α‐GalCer treatment, NK cells are not required for the α‐GalCer‐induced protection. The α‐GalCer treatment of NK‐cell‐depleted mice controlled parasitaemia and prevented death. In contrast, phagocytes, helper T cells and cytotoxic T cells are required. Furthermore, α‐GalCer treatment of MHC II–/– or CD8α–/– mice exacerbated the infection, demonstrating that α‐GalCer treatment induces some responses that favour the parasite. In summary α‐GalCer protection against T. cruzi required multiple cellular responses, but not the response of NK cells. These results provide useful information because α‐GalCer is being developed as therapy for infections, autoimmune diseases, allergy and cancers.
Fire induced stem death in an African acacia is not caused by canopy scorching
Authors: BALFOUR DAVID A. , MIDGLEY JEREMY J.
Published: October 2006

Abstract  The death of smaller stems of trees due to fire is widespread in savannas. There are currently two hypotheses as to how tree stems avoid stem death; by (i) growing tall and enabling the terminal buds to escape being scorched; and (ii) growing a larger stem diameter and thus being buffered against the heat of the fire. Laboratory‐based tests of these hypotheses on one savanna tree species, Acacia karroo Haynes, support the contention that the important parameter is stem diameter. In addition, anatomical evidence of heat impacts to xylem suggests that damage to the xylem of a stem may play a mechanistic role in causing stem death.
Is it possible to use urodynamic variables to predict upper urinary tract dilatation in children with neurogenic bladder‐sphincter dysfunction?
Authors: Wang Qing Wei , Wen Jian Guo , Song Dong Kui , Su Jing , Che Ying Yu , Zhang Peng , Du Ai Min , Wang Dao Xie , Zhu Qing Hua , Wei Jin Xing
Published: October 2006

In this section, authors from China attempt to use urodynamic indices to predict upper urinary tract dilation in children with neurogenic bladder‐sphincter dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the possibility of using urodynamic variables to predict upper urinary tract dilatation (UUTD) in children with neurogenic bladder‐sphincter dysfunction (NBSD).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study included 200 children with NBSD, of whom 103 had UUTD and 97 did not; they were examined using routine urological, neurological and urodynamic methods. The group with UUTD was divided into three subgroups (group 1–3, from mild to severe hydronephrosis). A urodynamic risk score (URS) was calculated, including a detrusor leak‐point pressure (DLPP) of >40 cmH2O, a bladder compliance (BC) of <9 mL/cmH2O and evidence of acontractile detrusor (ACD).

RESULTS

The postvoid residual urine volume (PVR), DLPP, incidences of ACD and DLPP of >40 cmH2O were greater and the BC significantly less in groups 1–3 than in the control group. Moreover, the BC decreased, while the PVR, DLPP and the incidence of DLPP of >40 cmH2O were significantly higher in group 3 than in group 2. The relative safe cystometric capacity of groups 2 and 3 were lower, respectively, than that of the control and group 1, and the relative unsafe cystometric capacity (RUCC) and relative risk rate of cystometric capacity (RRRCC) were significantly greater with the severity of UUTD. The maximum detrusor pressure on voiding or at maximum flow rate, and the Abrams‐Griffiths number for voluntary contractile bladders, of the UUTD group were significantly higher than those of the control group. There was a positive correlation between URS and UUTD.

CONCLUSIONS

The selective use of urodynamic variables might be valuable for predicting the risk of UUTD in children with NBSD. Decreased BC, and increased DLPP and ACD are the main urodynamic risk factors, and they reciprocally increase the occurrence and grades of UUTD. The grades of UUTD are compatible with increases in RUCC, RRRCC and URS.
Surgical volume is related to the rate of positive surgical margins at radical prostatectomy in European patients
Authors: Chun Felix K.‐H. , Briganti Alberto , Antebi Elie , Graefen Markus , Currlin Eike , Steuber Thomas , Schlomm Thorsten , Walz Jochen , Haese Alexander , Friedrich Martin G. , Ahyai Sascha A. , Eichelberg Christian , Salomon Georg , Gallina Andrea , Erbersdobler Andreas , Perrotte Paul , Heinzer Hans , Huland Hartwig , Karakiewicz Pierre I.
Published: October 2006

OBJECTIVE

To assess the association between surgical volume (SV) and the rate of positive surgical margins (PSM) after radical prostatectomy (RP) in a large single‐institution European cohort of patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In all, 2402 men had a RP by a group of 11 surgeons, all of whom were trained by the surgeon with the highest SV; all surgeons used the same surgical technique. Variables assessed before RP were prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level, clinical stage and biopsy Gleason sum; variables assessed after RP were PSA level, extracapsular extension, seminal vesicle invasion, lymph node invasion and pathological Gleason sum. These were used to predict the rate of PSM in models before or after RP. Multivariate models were complemented with SV to test its independent and multivariate statistical significance and to quantify its impact on the model’s overall (and 200 bootstrap‐corrected) predictive accuracy.

RESULTS

The mean (range) SV was 201 (1–1293) RPs; the mean (median, range) rate of PSM was 20.2 (21.4, 0–32.9)%. In multivariate models, SV was a highly statistically significant independent predictor of PSM (P < 0.001) and increased the predictive accuracy in multivariate models both before (2.0%) and after RP (1.5%, both P < 0.001). However, when the surgeon with the highest SV, who contributed to 1293 cases, was removed from the analyses, the multivariate independent prediction and the gains in predictive accuracy related to adding SV, disappeared in the models both before (P = 0.9, accuracy gain 0.1%) and after (P = 0.4, accuracy gain − 0.3%) RP.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that patients treated by surgeons with a very high volume can expect to have a significantly lower rate of PSM, after accounting for clinical and pathological case‐mix differences. However, SV is not a predictor of PSM when analyses are restricted to intermediate‐ and low‐volume surgeons.
An immunohistochemical study of chromogranin A and human epidermal growth factor‐2 expression using initial prostate biopsy specimens from patients with bone metastatic prostate cancer
Authors: Yamada Yoshiaki , Nakamura Kogenta , Aoki Shigeyuki , Taki Tomohiro , Naruse Katsuya , Matsubara Hiroyuki , Tobiume Motoi , Zennami Kenji , Katsuda Remi , Honda Nobuaki
Published: October 2006

OBJECTIVES

To investigate, using prostate needle‐biopsy specimens at diagnosis from patients with bone metastatic prostate cancer, whether the relationship between neuroendocrine (NE) cell differentiation and human epidermal growth factor‐2 (HER‐2) expression is a prognostic factor for outcome.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study included 50 patients diagnosed as having bone metastatic prostate cancer between January 1998 and December 2001. We tested for NE cell differentiation by using immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for chromogranin A (CgA), and for HER‐2, using a commercial test for IHC staining.

RESULTS

Eleven patients (22%) were positive for CgA; there was a significant difference in the time to recurrence (P = 0.025) but no significant differences in cause‐specific survival rate or survival rate after recurrence. In all, 21 patients (42%) were positive for HER‐2; the cause‐specific survival rate, time to recurrence and survival rate after recurrence were all significantly more favourable in the HER‐2‐negative group (P = 0.008, 0.049 and 0.025, respectively). In the 49 patients for whom both factors could be determined, there was no significant correlation between CgA and HER‐2 positivity.

CONCLUSIONS

NE cell differentiation of the primary tumour in patients with bone metastatic prostate cancer does not reflect the prognosis, whereas HER‐2 overexpression is a prognostic factor for an unfavourable outcome. These results suggest that NE cell differentiation is not induced by HER‐2.
Different brain effects during chronic and acute sacral neuromodulation in urge incontinent patients with implanted neurostimulators
Authors: Blok Bertil F.M. , Groen Jan , Bosch J.L.H. Ruud , Veltman Dick J. , Lammertsma Adriaan A.
Published: October 2006

OBJECTIVE

To compare changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), using positron emission tomography (PET), during chronic and acute sacral neuromodulation (SN). SN is an effective long‐term treatment for chronic urge incontinence due to urinary bladder hyperactivity, as sensory nerves, spinal and supraspinal structures are probably responsible for the action of SN. It is not known which brain areas are involved, and the optimum benefit of SN is not immediate, suggesting that induced plasticity of the brain is necessary.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Brain activity was measured in two groups: 12 urge incontinent patients (11 women and one man; mean age 52 years) in whom an implanted unilateral S3 nerve neurostimulator had been effective for >6 months (mean time after implantation 4.5 years); and eight urge incontinent patients (seven women and one man; mean age 49 years) in whom the neurostimulator was activated for the first time in the PET scanner.

RESULTS

During SN in chronically implanted patients, there were significant decreases in rCBF in the middle part of the cingulate gyrus, the ventromedial orbitofrontal cortex, midbrain and adjacent midline thalamus, and rCBF increases in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. During acute SN in newly implanted patients, there were significant decreases in rCBF the medial cerebellum, and increases in the right postcentral gyrus cortex, the right insular cortex and the ventromedial orbitofrontal cortex. Group analysis between chronic and newly implanted patients showed significant differences in the associative sensory cortex, premotor cortex and the cerebellum, all three involved in learning behaviour.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggests that chronic SN influences, presumably via the spinal cord, brain areas previously implicated in detrusor hyperactivity, awareness of bladder filling, the urge to void and the timing of micturition. Furthermore, SN affects areas involved in alertness and awareness. Acute SN modulates predominantly areas involved in sensorimotor learning, which might become less active during the course of chronic SN.
Incentives to underprice
Authors: Camp Graeme , Comer Aimee , How Janice C. Y.
Published: October 2006

In an initial public offering, the choices made by issuers, such as the offer price, might not appear to be wealth maximizing. In this article, we argue that the choices are strategic. Based on the model developed by Barry (1989), we show that the average change in the issuer's wealth (4.52 per cent) is lower than the average loss implied by underpricing (12.09 per cent). Our results support the notion that the choices issuers make at the offering generate a compensatory benefit in the aftermarket. That the issuer may well not suffer a net wealth loss from the offering is in accordance with continued initial public offering activity.
MISPERCEPTIONS AND MONETARY POLICY IN A NEW‐KEYNESIAN MODEL
Authors: Jääskelä Jarkko P. , McKeown Jack
Published: October 2006

This paper studies the consequences for the monetary policy design of information shortages on the part of the private sector. We model these shortages as exogenous shocks to expected income, which through an IS curve, disturb aggregate demand. We constrain policymakers to follow Taylor‐like rules but allow them to optimise coefficients: we find that the presence of misperceptions makes the optimised Taylor rule respond more aggressively to inflation and the output gap. We also find that if the policymaker is uncertain about misperceptions, then it is less costly to assume they are pervasive when they are not than the reverse. In other words, setting policy on the basis that the private sector is subject to misperceptions is a ‘robust’ policy.
DOES ECONOMIC GROWTH EXHIBIT A DIFFERENT IMPACT ON JOB CREATION AND JOB DESTRUCTION?
Authors: Zagler Martin
Published: October 2006

The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate the link between economic growth and unemployment, using microeconometric evidence for the United Kingdom. The results show a significant and negative relation between unemployment and economic growth, using fixed effects panel regression methods. This implies that faster sectoral change, driven by higher rates of innovation and therefore by higher rates of economic growth, would foster structural unemployment. Moreover, we find that economic growth even more strongly influences job creation and job destruction.
A score test under logistic regression models based on case–control data
Authors: Zhang Biao
Published: October 2006

We propose a score statistic to test the vector of odds ratio parameters under the logistic regression model based on case–control data. The proposed score test is based on the semiparametric profile loglikelihood function under a two‐sample semiparametric model, which is equivalent to the assumed logistic regression model. The proposed score statistic has an asymptotic chi‐squared distribution under the null hypothesis and an asymptotic noncentral chi‐squared distribution under local alternatives to the null hypothesis. Moreover, we show that the proposed score test is asymptotically equivalent to the Wald test under the logistic regression model based on case–control data. In addition, we demonstrate that the proposed score statistic and its asymptotic distribution may be obtained by fitting the prospective logistic regression model to case–control data. We present some results on simulation and on the analysis of two real datasets.
Macao students' attitudes toward English: a post‐1999 survey
Authors: CARISSA YOUNG MING YEE
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACT:  This paper describes a survey that assessed the attitudes toward English among university students in Macao five years after it reunited with the People's Republic of China and ceased to be a Portuguese colony. A group of 144 Macao‐born and 197 Mainland‐born Chinese students studying in a university in Macao were surveyed using a 22‐item questionnaire. The results reveal students' strong motivation to learn English and readiness to use English as a medium of instruction. Mean comparisons using t‐tests indicate that the Macao‐born students are, compared to their Mainland‐born counterparts, less comfortable in speaking English and less certain of whether or not Portuguese is superior to English. These differences might lie partly in the remaining influence of Portuguese as the sole official language of Macao over the past four centuries and partly in the lack of long‐term language policy and English learning campaigns in Macao.
Statian Creole English: an English‐derived language emerges in the Dutch Antilles1
Authors: ACETO MICHAEL
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACT: This paper examines data gathered via fieldwork from St Eustatius, an island in the Dutch Caribbean. This English variety displays a handful of correspondences with other Englishes spoken in geographically proximate areas, but what is most noteworthy about this restructured English is that so much of its grammar is significantly different from many of those same nearby varieties. Historical, linguistic, and ethnographic data are interwoven to make the case that Statian English sounds different from most other Englishes of the Caribbean basin because the colonizing and settlement patterns of the island differed from plantation societies focusing on the production of cash crops. St Eustatius was a commercial center instead, offering an entrepôt for goods (and, at times, slaves) for sale to customers from the eastern rim of the Americas. In this import‐export context, English as a lingua franca of trade emerged with its own distinctive cluster of features.
Repetition priming of possible and impossible objects from ERP and behavioral perspectives
Authors: Friedman David , Cycowicz Yael M.
Published: October 2006

Theorists postulate that two‐dimensional objects that can exist in three dimensions (3D, labeled “possible”) are represented by a structural description system (SDS). Objects that cannot because of anomalous structural features (labeled “impossible”) are not represented by the SDS. To test these assumptions, ERPs and RTs were recorded while subjects classified possible and impossible objects (each presented three times) as left‐ or right‐facing. Repetition of both types of objects led to RT facilitation. ERP repetition priming occurred only for possible objects, which took the form of a long‐duration increase in positive amplitude from about 500 ms for second and third relative to first presentations. The data suggest that RT priming of impossible objects depends on part‐based structural encoding, whereas ERP priming most likely reflects contact, upon repetition, with a unitized representation that exists only for possible objects.
The Duty to Obey the Law
Authors: Lefkowitz David
Published: October 2006

Under what conditions, if any, do those the law addresses have a moral duty or obligation to obey it simply because it is the law? In this essay, I identify five general approaches to carrying out this task, and offer a somewhat detailed discussion of one or two examples of each approach. The approaches studied are: relational‐role approaches that appeal to the fact that an agent occupies the role of member in the political community; attempts to ground the duty to obey the law in individual consent or fair play; natural duty approaches; instrumental approaches; and philosophical anarchism, an approach that denies that most subjects of contemporary states have a duty to obey the law simply in virtue of its status as such.
Rapid Early Development of Circumarctic Peatlands and Atmospheric CH
4
and CO
2
Variations
Authors: MacDonald Glen M. , Beilman David W. , Kremenetski Konstantine V. , Sheng Yongwei , Smith Laurence C. , Velichko Andrei A.
Published: October 2006

An analysis of 1516 radiocarbon dates demonstrates that the development of the current circumarctic peatlands began ∼16.5 thousand years ago (ka) and expanded explosively between 12 and 8 ka in concert with high summer insolation and increasing temperatures. Their rapid development contributed to the sustained peak in CH
4
and modest decline of CO
2
during the early Holocene and likely contributed to CH
4
and CO
2
fluctuations during earlier interglacial and interstadial transitions. Given the decreased tempo of peatland initiation in the late Holocene and the transition of many from fens (which generated high levels of CH
4
) to ombrotrophic bogs, a neoglacial expansion of northern peatlands cannot explain the increase in atmospheric CH
4
that occurred after 6 ka.