bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A competing‐risks nomogram for sarcoma‐specific death following local recurrence
Authors: Kattan Michael W. , Heller Glenn , Brennan Murray F.
Published: October 2003

The majority of staging systems focus on the definition of stage, and, therefore, prediction of prognosis. In the current era of clinical trial research, it has become apparent that the clinical stage alone is not sufficient to assess patient risk of treatment failure. As the number of biological markers increases, our ability to partition the traditional disease classification system improves, and our ability to predict patient success continues to increase. One approach to quantifying individual patient risk is through the nomogram. Nomograms are graphical representations of statistical models, which provide the probability of treatment outcome based on patient‐specific covariates. We will focus on the use of the nomogram when the response variable is time to failure and there are multiple, possibly dependent, competing causes of failure. In this setting, estimation of the failure probability through direct application of the Cox proportional hazards model provides the probability of failure (for example, death from cancer) assuming failure from a dependent competing cause will not occur. In many clinical settings this is an unrealistic assumption. The purpose of this study is to illustrate the use of the conditional cumulative incidence function for providing a patient‐specific prediction of the probability of failure in the setting of competing risks. A competing risks nomogram is produced to estimate the probability of death due to sarcoma for patients who have already developed a local recurrence of their initially treated soft‐tissue sarcoma. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Methods for mid‐course corrections in clinical trials with survival outcomes
Authors: Cook Thomas D.
Published: October 2003

Interim monitoring of randomized controlled clinical trials often requires that the assumptions under which the trial was designed be evaluated and that appropriate design modifications be made. Furthermore, if there is little hope of ultimately demonstrating benefit, the study may be terminated on either ethical or economic grounds. Design modifications may be made based on either blinded or unblinded analyses. Since observed patterns of recruitment and patient outcomes may differ from those required by standard methods, specialized tools may be required to perform the necessary computations. In this paper we demonstrate how the Markov chain model of Lakatos can accommodate arbitrary observed patterns of recruitment, hazard rates, and other design parameters for performing mid‐course corrections in trials with survival outcomes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessment of Results of Opponensplasty
Authors: SCHWARZ RICHARD J. , MACDONALD MARK
Published: November 2003

One hundred and fifty-six opponensplasties carried out on 115 patients at Anandaban Hospital between 1987 and 1997 were reviewed. In most cases a flexor digitalis superficialis opponensplasty was performed. The outcome was assessed by measuring the finger to which the thumb could obtain a pinch grip, the gap between the thumb and little metacarpophalangeal joints, and the satisfaction of the patient. The objective assessments demonstrated excellent or good results in 89%. Good or fair patient satisfaction was obtained in 93%. Early complications were seen in seven cases (4%). Objective measurements of outcome and patient satisfaction were not always in agreement, indicating that objective measures do not adequately assess the success of surgery from the patient’s perspective. We thus conclude that subjective measurements of results are an important measure of success and should be included in the evaluation of surgical results.
Non-Vascularized Free Toe Phalanx Transfers in Congenital Hand Deformities – the Great Ormond Street Experience
Authors: CAVALLO A. V. , SMITH P. J. , MORLEY S. , MORSI A. W.
Published: November 2003

Many options of varying complexity are available for the management of congenital short digits resulting from aphalangia in symbrachydactyly and constriction ring syndrome. We have used non-vascularized free toe phalanx transfers for these children when a vascularized toe transfer has been contraindicated. We describe our technique and experience with 22 children who underwent a total of 64 transfers of the proximal (35) or middle (29) toe phalanges (average 3 per child). The mean age at initial surgery was 15 months, and the mean follow-up was 5 years. Duration of time until epiphyseal closure could not be determined accurately, but total digital elongation averaged 6 mm. Complications of this technique include joint instability, premature epiphyseal closure and, in one patient, infection and graft loss. Donor site deformity was determined according to measured growth deficit and toe function. This technique is a simple option for digital elongation and, if performed in the appropriate age group in short fingered and monodactylous subtypes of symbrachydactyly, has the potential to allow growth and function with minimal donor site deficit.
Adaptability and Self-Management: A New Ethic of Employability for the Young Unemployed?
Authors: WORTH SEAN
Published: October 2003

Encouraging individuals' adaptability to more flexible patterns of work and learning, and promoting greater self-management of employment security, are central to UK policies aiming to improve employability and social inclusion. Little is known, however, about the responses to these issues of those deemed to have employability problems. This article presents the results of a qualitative phase of research with young people not in work, education or training to determine the extent to which these policy-espoused concepts of adaptability and self-management were reflected in their attitudes and jobsearch activity. The findings indicate generally negative attitudes and avoidance in jobsearch towards working outside a traditional ideal of standard, permanent employment and also towards improving prospects by updating skills. Reasons included a disincentive to enter training or temporary work due to short-term risks to benefit status, but more significant concerns reflected the increasing problem of the ‘churning’ of low-skilled youth between work and welfare. It is argued that inconsistencies between policy dictums about how the unemployed should behave in order to receive benefits and how they should behave in order to become more employable are not conducive to long-term employability and may actually contradict the aims of ‘active’ labour market policies.
The Open Unemployment Trap: Life at the Intersection of Labour Market and Welfare State. The Case of Germany
Authors: GEBAUER RONALD , VOBRUBA GEORG
Published: October 2003

It is a widespread assumption that the interface between social assistance and the labour market implies an incentive structure that hinders people to work. This incentive structure is known as the unemployment trap. In particular within economics it is seen as a matter of course influencing the debate on labour market and social welfare reform. In contrary to these dominant discourses, we take the unemployment trap-theorem as a hypothesis to be tested empirically. We focus on the case of German social assistance (Sozialhilfe) by analysing data from the Social Assistance Calendar from the German Socio Economic Panel (GSOEP), a longitudinal data set, recorded by the Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW). The data are analysed by using approaches of the Event History Analysis, yielding results that clearly contradict the unemployment trap-theorem: Most people re-enter the labour market after a relatively short period of receiving Sozialhilfe. This is the starting point for asking for the recipients’ reasons for their labour market decisions by analysing 26 interviews with recipients of Sozialhilfe in Cologne and Leipzig.
Social Policy Digest Goes Online
Authors: Bennett Fran , Jones Ken
Published: October 2003

Readers will be aware that one of the Journal of Social Policy's regular features, the Social Policy Digest, is being relaunched as a web-based publication.
Adolescent singers and perceptions of vocal identity
Authors: Monks Susan
Published: October 2003

The link between voice and self-image is so fundamental it is often overlooked or taken for granted. Yet the knowledge of this relationship has much to teach singing teachers and choral directors in making communication with singers more effective, in choice of repertoire, technical development and rehearsal strategies. This study set out to explore the way adolescent singers think about their voices and express themselves through singing. The results produced a rich diversity of evidence which suggests that vocal change is a fruitful area for exploring in greater depth the relationship between the voice, musical expression and the human psyche.
A study on predictability of human physiological strain in Buenos Aires City
Authors: Alessandro A P , de Garín A B
Published: October 2003

High atmospheric temperature and humidity can cause discomfort and even death among people in high‐risk groups. Forecasting such meteorological situations can be a useful tool for public health managers. The predictability of discomfort is analysed using a time series of the relative strain index in Buenos Aires. Other authors have found that index values exceeding the thresholds of both nocturnal and diurnal comfort can increase mortality. This study finds that such situations are associated with index values over 0.20 at 14:00 h. local time (RSI14>0.20). Consequently, the meteorological conditions associated with RSI14≥0.20 are studied. The anomalies of the geopotential monthly mean fields show the passage of a low‐pressure system south of 45°S. This system is related to a trough, possibly of frontal character, moving across the province of Buenos Aires, and a simultaneous intensification of the northwestern low in Argentina. The synoptic situation is associated with a general northerly flow that brings heat and moisture from the tropics. On 81% of days with RSI14≥0.20, winds with a northerly component were recorded. This increases to 84.4% when at least one day with northerly wind is previously observed. The synoptic characteristics are examined using a combination of circulation indices: meridional (R), zonal (Z) and curvature (C). The daily sequence of the weighted averages of the anomalies obtained are ΔR<0,ΔZ>0 and ΔC>0. Some 67% of the days when RSI14≥0.20 correspond to this daily index pattern estimated at locations near Buenos Aires. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society
Tales of the 1001 nists: the phonological implications of litteral substitution sets in some thirteenth-century South-West Midland texts
Authors: LAING MARGARET , LASS ROGER
Published: October 2003

There are two main strands to this paper. The first is that in Middle English – and early Middle English especially – there are many writing systems that are so complex as to seem disorderly. But a sympathetic and careful interpretation of these systems shows sophisticated underlying order. The second strand is related to the first: early Middle English writing systems are local and may be represented on maps. When complex systems are assigned geographical positions close to each other – and indeed close to where simpler, more economical systems are localized – a picture emerges that can appear haphazard and unlike the dialect continuum we would expect. We refer to this phenomenon as surface nubbliness. This masks the underlying regional dialect continuum we believe to have been present in the spoken language. But knowledge of how these written systems mapped symbol to sound may enable us to uncover a continuum at the level of sound substance.
Dispersion and habitat use by Myotis daubentonii and Myotis nattereri during the swarming season: implications for conservation
Authors: Parsons K. N. , Jones G.
Published: October 2003

We radio‐tracked 24 Myotis daubentonii and 35 Myotis nattereri during the swarming season to determine the catchment area of a swarming site and to study habitat preferences of the bats so that important foraging habitats within the catchment area could be identified. Sixty‐one percent of individuals were relocated and 39 day roosts were found for 31 bats. Maximum range from the swarming site was 26.7 km for M. daubentonii and 24.8 km for M. nattereri. Minimum convex polygons depicting the minimum catchment area of the swarming site measured 254 km2 for M. daubentonii and 497 km2 for M. nattereri. Including recoveries of ringed bats increases the area enclosed by the maximum range to at least 4118 km2. Compositional analysis of habitat used in relation to that available suggested selection of mixed agricultural areas by M. nattereri. Broad‐leaved woodland was preferred for foraging. Parkland, woodland and open‐water habitats were common around roosts of M. daubentonii. Such habitats should be conserved and enhanced to protect these species. Some individuals of both sexes returned to the swarming site of capture, but none visited another swarming site. Bats may be faithful to only one site and may be inflexible should that site be destroyed. Because the catchment area of swarming sites is large, such sites are probably important centres of outbreeding. Protection of these mating sites should be a conservation priority, and key habitats should be protected over a large area around swarming sites.
Effects of surface fires on understorey insectivorous birds and terrestrial arthropods in central Brazilian Amazonia
Authors: Haugaasen Torbjørn , Barlow Jos , Peres Carlos A.
Published: October 2003

Understorey insectivorous birds are highly vulnerable to different forms of habitat disturbance in tropical forests. Here we examine the effects of an unprecedented surface fire on understorey insectivores and forest litter arthropods in a terra firme forest of central Brazilian Amazonia, and compare species and guild abundance both close to and far from the clearly distinguishable fireline separating burnt and unburnt forest. All six of the most abundant insectivorous foraging guilds examined were detrimentally affected by fire, with dead‐leaf gleaners and professional ant‐followers being the most heavily affected. While army ants were apparently absent from the burnt forest, results from pit‐fall traps showed that wildfires had only a limited effect on the abundance of most leaf‐litter invertebrates. The fireline appeared to be an abrupt barrier to many understorey insectivorous birds, and there was little evidence to suggest that primary forest species were recolonizing burnt forest up to 1 year after the fires. Factors affecting the capture frequency of insectivorous birds are discussed.
Cat eradication significantly decreases shearwater mortality
Authors: Keitt B. S. , Tershy B. R.
Published: October 2003

Introduced predators are a leading threat to seabird populations world‐wide and cats (Felis catus) have probably had the most universally damaging effect (Moors & Atkinson, 1984). Eradication of feral cat populations from seabird colonies is a conservation priority (Tershy et al., 2002) and there are many studies that demonstrate the benefits of these actions for seabirds (e.g. Forsell, 1982; Cooper et al., 1995). However, detailed estimates of the effects of cat predation on seabird population viability are lacking in spite of the fact that such data could provide important support for land managers attempting to promote eradication programmes for seabird restoration.
Translocation of an imperilled woodrat population: integrating spatial and habitat patterns
Authors: Gerber L. R. , Seabloom E. W. , Burton R. S. , Reichman O. J.
Published: October 2003

Many species have strong habitat preferences that directly influence population viability. For successful reintroduction of threatened populations that rely on habitat structures, the correct placement of artificial structures is also important to population persistence. In this paper, we present a hierarchical approach to the problem of translocating animals that rely on permanent habitat structures, in which we first use population dynamics data to identify areas of suitable habitat, and then identify optimal configuration for habitat structures. We use data collected from a non‐endangered, conspecific population of the endangered riparian woodrat (Neotoma fuscipes riparia) to examine the degree to which the distribution of dens in translocation sites might influence the likelihood that animals persist in their new environment. We characterize the habitats in which dens occur, analyze their spatial clustering, and compare them to temporal changes in population status for sex and age classes. We compare the potential efficacy of translocation efforts using spatial analysis versus solely habitat‐based approaches and identify the optimal spatial configuration of dens that should be considered in this translocation effort. We found that patterns of habitat use were positively correlated with overstorey cover, and animal weight was positively correlated with understorey cover. Woodrats appear to select den locations on the basis of understorey cover, but also benefit from dense overstorey cover and distance to nearest tree. Our results suggest that in translocation efforts, artificial dens should be placed in clusters within a radius of 15 m, as values above and below this value showed negative correlations with body mass. Translocations should occur after reproductive events, which occur in April and August for woodrats in southern California. Our analyses provide practical guidelines in determining appropriate timing and spacing for translocation events in the context of animal condition, minimizing disease transmission, and reproduction.
Genetic variation and resistance to a bacterial infection in the endangered Gila topminnow
Authors: Giese Alan R. , Hedrick Philip W.
Published: October 2003

We tested the association between host genetic diversity and resistance to a novel pathogen using controlled experiments to compare bacterially induced mortality among four populations of the endangered Gila topminnow (Poeciliopsis occidentalis) with different levels of genetic diversity, and between nine lines of inbred topminnows and their respective (non‐inbred) source populations. We exposed fish in treatment groups to salinity shock and high concentrations of the bacterium Listonella (Vibrio) anguillarum, a causative agent of vibriosis in fish. Mortality associated with vibriosis (mortality) 1 to 6 days post‐exposure differed among the populations, and between inbred and non‐inbred samples. However, mortality was not associated with expected heterozygosity based on microsatellite loci diversity, nor was it associated with expected or observed heterozygosity at a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II locus. Neither was mortality related to the presence or absence of specific MHC alleles. Additionally, the effect of severe inbreeding was to reduce mortality in the inbred fish relative to the non‐inbred controls in every population. Taken in the context of other studies, we conclude that effects of genetic diversity may be context‐ and locus‐specific, environmental stress may be an important determinant of host immunity, and genetic diversity should be used cautiously to predict the potential response of a population to a specific environmental challenge.
Heterogeneity of sea ice surface temperature at SHEBA from aircraft measurements
Authors: Haggerty Julie A. , Maslanik James A. , Curry Judith A.
Published: October 2003

Large variations in surface temperature of sea ice occur on a seasonal scale, and spatial variations are also significant due to exposure of open water in leads and varying thickness of sea ice. In this paper we examine aircraft, ground‐based, and satellite measurements of sea ice surface temperature over the region surrounding the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) ice station. Aircraft measurements from May and July demonstrate the spatial and temporal variability of surface temperature for the consolidated ice pack and for leads over the local area (which is defined here as the 30 × 30 km square observed by the aircraft). Data from May show a large increase in surface temperature during the month, but spatial variability of the thick ice temperature over the local area is not large with standard deviations on the order of 0.5 K. Surface temperatures during the melt season (July) were more uniform and near freezing as expected. Standard deviations during this period are smaller than in spring. Our analysis shows that surface temperature at a point (the SHEBA ice station) approximates the mean value over the local area during late spring and summer with an RMS error of 0.75 K. Lead temperatures cannot be reliably represented by the point measurements at the ice station. Surface temperature retrievals from advanced very high resolution radar (AVHRR) were compared with aircraft and ground‐based measurements in late May. Mean surface temperature values over the local area as derived from AVHRR and aircraft measurements were within 1.5 K of each other. Mean surface temperatures over varying spatial scales were calculated and found to differ by as much as 1.3 K from local to regional scales (500 km) in late May.
Ocean physics and nutrient fields along 180° during an El Niño–Southern Oscillation cold phase
Authors: Eldin Gérard , Rodier Martine
Published: October 2003

This paper presents physical and nutrient results from the Etude du Broutage en Zone Equatoriale cruise, conducted in the equatorial Pacific along the 180° meridian from 8°S to 8°N. Cold conditions of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation cycle were evident during the cruise (October–November 1996), and the equatorial upwelling was in its far western extension. Along the sampled section the nutrient‐enriched area was asymmetric around the equator, and a zone of high remineralization was found from 6° to 3°S. Intensive sampling at two 5‐day time series stations (3°S and 0°) provided some insight on high‐frequency variability. At 3°S a deep density mixed layer showed only small fluctuations in nutrients. On the equator a rapid reduction of surface nutrients during the time series station was attributed to advection of a different water mass from the northeast, in the southward branch of a Tropical Instability Wave (TIW). Measurements from the Tropical Atmosphere‐Ocean (TAO) array in the area confirmed significant contemporaneous TIW activity, which was linked to the cold conditions. Thus, in contrast to previous observations, it is shown that TIWs can contribute to relative decrease of nutrients at the equator. During the two time series sampling efforts, variability at diurnal and semidiurnal periods were found in physical parameters, originating from surface atmospheric forcing and internal wave activity at tidal frequency, respectively. In the 0–150 m layer, where intensive sampling of nutrients was performed, high‐frequency variability did not seem to modify nutrient distribution significantly and physical influences dominated over biology.
Ocean Seismic Network Pilot Experiment
Authors: Stephen R. A. , Spiess F. N. , Collins J. A. , Hildebrand J. A. , Orcutt J. A. , Peal K. R. , Vernon F. L. , Wooding F. B.
Published: October 2003

The primary goal of the Ocean Seismic Network Pilot Experiment (OSNPE) was to learn how to make high quality broadband seismic measurements on the ocean bottom in preparation for a permanent ocean seismic network. The experiment also had implications for the development of a capability for temporary (e.g., 1 year duration) seismic experiments on the ocean floor. Equipment for installing, operating and monitoring borehole observatories in the deep sea was also tested including a lead‐in package, a logging probe, a wire line packer and a control vehicle. The control vehicle was used in three modes during the experiment: for observation of seafloor features and equipment, for equipment launch and recovery, and for power supply and telemetry between ocean bottom units and the ship. The OSNPE which was completed in June 1998 acquired almost four months of continuous data and it demonstrated clearly that a combination of shallow buried and borehole broadband sensors could provide comparable quality data to broadband seismic installations on islands and continents. Burial in soft mud appears to be adequate at frequencies below the microseism peak. Although the borehole sensor was subject to installation noise at low frequencies (0.6 to 50 mHz), analysis of the OSNPE data provides new insights into our understanding of ocean bottom ambient noise. The OSNPE results clearly demonstrate the importance of sediment borne shear modes in ocean bottom ambient noise behavior. Ambient noise drops significantly at high frequencies for a sensor placed just at the sediment basalt interface. At frequencies above the microseism peak, there are two reasons that ocean bottom stations have been generally regarded as noisier than island or land stations: ocean bottom stations are closer to the noise source (the surface gravity waves) and most ocean bottom stations to date have been installed on low rigidity sediments where they are subject to the effects of shear wave resonances. When sensors are placed in boreholes in basement the performance of ocean bottom seismic stations approaches that of continental and island stations. A broadband borehole seismic station should be included in any real‐time ocean bottom observatory.
Export of anthropogenic reactive nitrogen and sulfur compounds from the East Asia region in spring
Authors: Koike M. , Kondo Y. , Kita K. , Takegawa N. , Masui Y. , Miyazaki Y. , Ko M. W. , Weinheimer A. J. , Flocke F. , Weber R. J. , Thornton D. C. , Sachse G. W. , Vay S. A. , Blake D. R. , Streets D. G. , Eisele F. L. , Sandholm S. T. , Singh H. B. , Talbot R. W.
Published: October 2003

Measurements of gaseous and particulate reactive nitrogen and sulfur species, as well as other chemical species, were made using the P‐3B and DC‐8 aircraft over the western Pacific during the NASA Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE‐P) experiment, conducted between February and April 2001. These measurements provide a good opportunity to study the extent to which anthropogenic NOx and SO2 emitted over the East Asian countries remain as NOy and SOx (=SO2 + nssSO42−) in the form of gas or fine particles when an air mass is transported into the western Pacific region. In this paper a method to estimate transport efficiencies, ε(NOy) and ε(SOx), in an air mass that has experienced multiple injection, mixing, and loss processes is described. In this analysis, CO and CO2 are used as passive tracers of transport, and the emission inventories of CO, CO2, NOx, and SO2 over the East Asia region are used. Results from the P‐3B presented in this study indicate that 20–40% and 15% of NOx emitted over the northeastern part of China remained as NOy over the western Pacific in the boundary layer (BL) and free troposphere (FT), respectively. In the FT, PAN is found to have been the dominant form of NOy, while only 0.5% of emitted NOx remained as NOx. The transport efficiency of SOx is estimated to have been 25–45% and 15–20% in the BL and FT, respectively. Median values of the nssSO42−/SOx ratio are 0.4–0.6 both in the BL and FT, however large variability is found in the FT. These results are generally consistent with those derived using DC‐8 data. The results obtained in this study indicate that more than half of NOy and SOx were lost over the continent and that the vertical transport from the BL to FT further reduced their amounts by a factor of 2, likely due to wet removal. Budgets of NOy and SOx were also studied for air masses, which we sampled during TRACE‐P and the flux out from the continent in these cases is estimated to be 20% of the emissions. Flux in the BL and FT is found to have a similar contribution.
Pore‐pressure diffusion: A possible triggering mechanism for the earthquake swarms 2000 in Vogtland/NW‐Bohemia, central Europe
Authors: Parotidis M. , Rothert E. , Shapiro S. A.
Published: October 2003

Vogtland/NW‐Bohemia (VB) at the German/Czech border region is characterized by recurring intraplate earthquake swarms, Quaternary volcanism, intersecting fault systems, and an established connection between ascending magmatic fluids and seismicity. As the triggering mechanism of seismicity in VB is still unknown, this study aims to contribute by investigating the possible role of fluids in VB, based on poromechanics. We assume that ascending fluids, of magmatic origin, trigger earthquakes by the mechanism of pore‐pressure diffusion (i.e., relaxation). Two physical fields, the hydraulic diffusivity and the criticality (i.e., critical pore‐pressure value leading to failure), both heterogeneously distributed in rocks, mainly control this triggering process. The results of the analysis of the year 2000 earthquake swarm data support this concept. It is further strengthened by a numerical model, with correlated diffusivity and criticality fields, which successfully simulates the general spatio‐temporal seismicity pattern of the earthquake swarms 2000.
Convective scheme and resolution impacts on seasonal precipitation forecasts
Authors: Shin D. W. , LaRow T. E. , Cocke S.
Published: October 2003

An investigation is carried out to assess the role of different convective schemes and resolutions in seasonal quantitative forecasts of precipitation. The model performances are evaluated by changing convective schemes and the resolution impacts are examined by increasing the model horizontal resolution from T63 to T170 and finally T255. The predicted rainfall amounts are compared against the TRMM satellite estimate. Every forecast captures prominent rainfall features reasonably well. However, there are pros and cons in each of the forecasts. Predicted seasonal rainfall patterns and intensities from changing convective schemes exhibit larger variability and higher impact on predictability than those from increasing resolution. The impact of higher resolution with any currently implemented cumulus parameterization turns out to be smaller in seasonal precipitation forecasts than in short‐ to medium‐range forecasts.
Periodic weighing and the assessment of meal mass and feeding frequency in seabirds
Authors: Phillips Richard A. , Hamer Keith C.
Published: November 2003

Although periodic weighing of chicks is used widely as a means to assess meal mass and feeding frequency in seabirds, there have been few critical assessments of its effectiveness. Using established methods, we were able to predict whether feeding had occurred with an accuracy of over 96% at nests where adult attendance was being monitored independently. This was despite the occasional provision of small meals which did not result in positive mass increments of chicks between weighings. However, information from repeat weighing could not be used to distinguish food delivery by both rather than a single parent within the weighing interval according to the relative sizes of mass increments. This may be because chicks are unable to cope with large meals from both adults because of gut capacity constraints. In addition, adults occasionally return from foraging trips with no food for the chick. These results have important implications for studies in which adult foraging trip durations are estimated solely using periodic weighing data, particularly in species with relatively short feeding intervals.
Song complexity and song structure in the Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon
Authors: Feßl Birgit , Hoi Herbert
Published: November 2003

We examined different song parameters leading to a complex song configuration, and song output (production), and their relation in male Moustached Warblers and discuss them with reference to female choice. With more than 120 different syllables per two minutes of song, male Moustached Warblers can be regarded as one of the most complex singers within the genus Acrocephalus. We found significant differences between males for almost all song parameters investigated (repertoire size, switching and repetition rate, song speed and strophe length) but not for time spent singing per 20 minutes. This individual variation probably is an important cue for female mate choice. Male Moustached Warblers achieve song complexity mainly via frequent syllable switching. Song complexity seems to be consistent throughout the song and our results suggest that females could assess the overall song complexity of a singer by examining even very short song bouts. Furthermore, a high proportion of motifs – clusters of syllables with the same sequence – occurs within the song of each male which would also facilitate assessment of song complexity by females. However, repertoire size and strophe length were positively related, thus it remains to be investigated which song feature, if any, females actually use.
Ecological correlates of feather mite prevalence in passerines
Authors: Figuerola Jordi
Published: November 2003

The relationship between host ecology and feather mite prevalence was analysed in birds. Feather mites are small arthropods (fam. Pterolichoidea and Analgoidea) commonly found on birds, although the nature of their interactions with the host (commensalism, mutualism or parasitism), still remains unclear. Host body mass and migratory behaviour were unrelated to feather mite prevalence. Contrary to expectation, there was no differences in mite prevalence between colonial and solitary‐breeding species. However, winter sociality was associated with increased prevalence, suggesting that winter and breeding sociality affected the distribution patterns of feather mites in different ways. Plumage dichromatism was negatively correlated with feather mite prevalence, a result that is opposite to that predicted by the Hamilton and Zuk hypothesis for the evolution of host secondary sexual characteristics in relation to parasitism.
Energetic constraints on expression of carotenoid‐based plumage coloration
Authors: Hill Geoffrey E.
Published: November 2003

Carotenoid pigments are used by many bird species as feather colorants, creating brilliant yellow, orange, and red plumage displays. Such carotenoid‐based plumage coloration has been shown to function as an honest signal that is used in female mate choice. Despite recent interest in carotenoid‐based ornamental traits, the basis for individual variation in expression of carotenoid‐based plumage coloration remains incompletely understood. I tested the hypothesis that, independent of carotenoid access, food stress during molt would cause reduced expression of carotenoid pigmentation. I fed molting male House Finches Carpodacus mexicanus seed diets supplemented with either the red carotenoid pigment canthaxanthin or the yellow/orange carotenoid pigment β‐cryptoxanthin (in the form of tangerine juice). Within each diet treatment, one group of males was given restricted food access and the other group was given unrestricted food access. Carotenoid supplements were placed in water so carotenoid access was controlled independent of food access. The results indicated a strong effect of both carotenoid access and food access on color display. Some males in the β‐cryptoxanthin‐supplemented group grew red plumage, suggesting that they can metabolically modify yellow pigments into red pigments, but no bird supplemented with β‐cryptoxanthin grew plumage as red as birds supplemented with canthaxanthin. Males in the unrestricted food groups grew redder and more intensely pigmented plumage than males in the restricted food groups. These observations provide the best evidence to date of an energetic cost of carotenoid utilization in the generation of colorful plumage.
Cross‐reactivity of antibodies on thymic epithelial cells from humans and marmosets by flow‐cytometry
Authors: Riecke Kai , Nogueira Ana C. , Alexi‐Meskishvili Vladimir , Stahlmann Ralf
Published: November 2003

Callithrix jacchus, the common marmoset, is particularly suitable for immunological studies in vivo and in vitro since many antibodies directed against epitopes of human cells do also react with their analogues from this non‐human primate. We studied the reactivity of antibodies against human epitopes on primary cultures of thymic epithelial cells from marmosets and humans by flow‐cytometry after different culture periods. The antibodies against integrins, including CD61, reacted with thymic epithelial cells from both humans and marmosets, as did anti‐CD44 and anti‐CD106. Antibodies specific for thymic epithelial cells (TE‐3, TE‐4, TE‐8, TE‐15, TE‐16, TE‐19) also bound to cells from marmosets but expression of all epitopes was not observed in all cultures studied. The expression of CD51, CD54, CD58 and CD106 on human cells declined after 4 weeks of culture. Our findings indicate that marmosets are a valuable model for immunological studies of effects of xenobiotics on the thymic epithelium.
Magie der Vermählung – Bemerkungen zu einer Ästhetik der ‘Zwischensphäre’ in Virginia Woolfs Lappin and Lapinova und Ilse Aichingers Engel in der Nacht
Authors: Friedrichsen Annegret
Published: November 2003

Der englische Kinderarzt und Psychotherapeut D.W.Winnicott hat u.a. in Playing and Reality (1971) seine psychoanalytisch fundierte These einer »Zwischensphäre« (»the intermediate area«) definiert als einen illusionären Zwischenbereich von großer Bedeutung für das Verständnis von Spiel, Kommunikation und kulturellem Erleben überhaupt. Der vorliegende Artikel bezieht diese Erkenntnisse auf zwei literarische Texte von Virginia Woolf (1882–1942) und Ilse Aichinger (geb. 1921), welche auf verschiedene Weise eine Sphäre berühren, die als Zwischensphäre im Winnicottschen Sinne entschlüsselt werden kann. In sowohl Virginia Woolfs Short Story Lappin and Lapinova (1938) als auch Ilse Aichingers Erzählung Engel in der Nacht (1949) spielt eine solche Sphäre auf verschiedenen Ebenen eine zentrale Rolle. Dargestellt wird, wie bei Virginia Woolf ein Phantasieraum zwischenmenschlicher, spielerischer Kommunikation thematisiert wird, dessen symbolischer Kern auch für das Verständnis von künstlerischer Kommunikation als Aktivierung einer inneren Vermählung verschiedener Dispositionen von Bedeutung ist. In Ilse Aichingers Erzählung wird die Wichtigkeit und das Scheitern einer zwischenmenschlich‐spielerischen Kommunikation thematisiert, die bildhaft in der Vorstellung des Engels als »Bote« zwischen verschiedenen Bereichen enthalten ist. In »Engel in der Nacht« spielt die Engel‐Metaphorik eine entscheidende Rolle, wo fixierte Vorstellungen von Bedeutung und Realität in Frage gestellt werden und Verwandlung auf symbolischer Ebene dargestellt wird. Sowohl in »Lappin and Lapinova« als auch in »Engel in der Nacht« wird damit der vitale kommunikative Aspekt der Zwischensphäre zum Ausdruck gebracht. Ästhetisch gesehen wird das Thema der Zwischensphäre auch und nicht zuletzt sprachlich – als Integration nicht‐sprachlicher, bildlicher und sinnlicher Bereiche – realisiert, wodurch eine Vermählung entsteht, aus der eine Magie eines ästhetischen ‘Mehrwerts’ entsteht.
Thomas Carlyle and the “Characteristics” of Nineteenth‐Century English Literature
Authors: Schatz‐Jakobsen C.
Published: November 2003

The place of Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) in nineteenth‐century English literary history is as uncertain as the nature and genre‐affiliation of early writings like “Characteristics” (1831) and Sartor Resartus (1833–34). The question of whether Carlyle war ‘really’ a Romantic or a Victorian runs parallel to the question of the kind of ground, rhetorical or conceptual, on which his texts rest. While a sufficiently close (rhetorical) reading of “Characteristics” may provide an answer to the second question, it may be the same token render the first question, and the period‐terms resorted in its formulation, irrelevant.
Clinical trials of controlled‐release melatonin in children with sleep–wake cycle disorders
Authors: Jan James E. , Hamilton Don , Seward Nadine , Fast Diane K. , Freeman Roger D. , Laudon Moshe
Published: November 2003

This is the first study to examine effective doses of controlled‐release (CR) melatonin in children with chronic sleep–wake cycle disorders. All 42 subjects had severe neurodevelopmental difficulties. Initially, a randomized double‐blinded cross‐over design was used in 16 children, comparing the effectiveness of fast‐release (FR) and CR melatonin. In the remainder of the patients, the CR melatonin was studied on a clinical basis. The effectiveness of treatment was assessed by sleep charts and clinical follow‐up. Emphasis was placed on the judgement of the parents, who had guidance from the physicians. The average final CR melatonin dose in the 42 patients was 5.7 mg (2–12 mg). The studies showed that the FR melatonin was most effective when there was only delayed sleep onset, but CR formulations were more useful for sleep maintenance. Children appeared to require higher doses than adults.
Correlation between nuclear melatonin receptor expression and enhanced cytokine production in human lymphocytic and monocytic cell lines
Authors: García‐Mauriño Sofía , Pozo David , Calvo Juan R. , Guerrero Juan M.
Published: November 2003

The report shows that melatonin enhances IL‐2 and IL‐6 production by two human lymphocytic (Jurkat) and monocytic (U937) cell lines via a nuclear receptor‐mediated mechanism. Jurkat cells express nuclear (RZRα, RORα1 and RORα2) and membrane (mt1) melatonin receptors, and melatonin binds to Jurkat nuclei and membranes with the same affinity described for human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Melatonin enhances IL‐2 production by Jurkat cells activated by either phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). PHA activation of Jurkat cells does not change the profile of melatonin receptor expression; on the contrary, PMA activation negatively regulates the mt1 receptor. In the absence of the membrane receptor, melatonin still activates IL‐2 production. U937 cells express only the mt1 receptor. Although melatonin binds to both U937 nuclei and membranes, CGP 52608, a ligand of the nuclear receptor for melatonin, does not inhibit melatonin binding to U937 nuclei, suggesting that a protein other than the RZR/RORα receptor was involved in the process. In U937 cells, melatonin did not modify basal production of IL‐6 or when activated by PMA plus LPS (lipopolysaccharide), a treatment that downregulates the expression of the mt1 receptor. However, in U937 cells activated with IFN‐Γ, which induces the expression of the RORα1 and RORα2 nuclear receptors and represses the expression of the mt1 receptor, melatonin can activate IL‐6 production. These results show that the expression of nuclear melatonin receptor is sufficient for melatonin to activate cytokine production in human lymphocytic and monocytic cell lines.
The University's Role in Credentialing the Public Finance Officer
Authors: Clarke Wes , Bland Robert L.
Published: November 2003

Three main issues related to the certification of public finance officers are reviewed in this article: (1) the evolutionary development of the Government Finance Officers Association of Texas (GFOAT) through the last fifteen years; (2) the advantages of national versus state‐based certification; and (3) the role of universities in the credentialing process. The beneficial role of the last one is pointed out as regard to both the profession and the academy. The authors advocate the idea that the involvement of universities enhances the credibility of certification programs. The advantages are based on the greater pool of expertise and the increased variety of opportunities for continuing education for public officials without university education.
The President's Commission to Study Capital Budgeting: An Interim Review
Authors: Phaup Marvin
Published: November 2003

The President's Commission to Study Capital Budgeting is slated to complete its report by year‐end 1998. Even though it would be premature to try to anticipate the Commission's recommendations, it is already clear that the Commission will contribute significantly to the capital budgeting debate by casting the concept of capital budgeting broadly, as a systematic decision process, rather than merely a budget accounting or scoring convention or a government financing alternative to the balanced budget rule. This article summarizes some of the analytical accomplishments of the Commission at the mid‐point of its expected life.
The Federal Line Item Veto Experiment: After the Supreme Court Ruling, What's Next?
Authors: Joyce Philip G.
Published: November 2003

The federal line item veto has ceased to exist, thanks to the Supreme Court's June 1998 ruling invalidating the expansion of the president's rescission authority that was contained in the Line Item Veto Act. This article reviews the application of the Act during 1997, its effect on spending and the deficit, the judicial reaction to its use, and the prospects for the restoration of some version of the power. President Clinton was quite restrained in the use of his new power, with the exception of his cancellations in the Military Construction appropriation bill; these were ultimately restored by the Congress. Because of the president's restraint, the Line Item Veto Act had a miniscule affect on spending and the deficit; total cancellations represented less than .04 percent of FY98 discretionary budget authority. Ultimately, the Supreme Court held that the Act violated Article I, Section 7 because it created a Constituionally impermissable way for the president to change laws. There is no clear fallback position for supporters of the Act; alternatives are either difficult to enact, hard to administer, or too weak to be considered an effective substitute. Given the problems in enacting any alternative, it may be that the federal line item veto will end up only as a historical anomaly.
Budget Redirection in Georgia State Government
Authors: Huckaby Henry M. , Lauth Thomas P.
Published: November 2003

Budget redirection in Georgia state government represents a change from the expectation of continuous budget growth to an expectation that budget expansion will be accompanied by compensating budget reductions through an ongoing process of priority assessment. Its essential features are: the requirement that state agencies identify a minimum of 5 percent of their current year's budget which becomes the primary means for funding new programs and services in the coming fiscal year; and a limit, based upon revenue projections, on the amount an agency may request above the current year's budget. Like budget reforms in any era, it emanated from a combination of fiscal, managerial, and political objectives.