bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
State structure and economic adjustment of the East Asian newly industrializing countries
Authors: Chu Yun-han
Published: May 2009

An analysis of the economic adjustment policies of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan during the 1970s and 1980s shows that these East Asian newly industrializing countries (NICs), which faced common problems in sustaining their recent industrial growth, responded to the challenge with industrial adjustment strategies that differed in their degree of intensity of state involvement and emphasis on national control. To explain this divergence in adjustment strategies, the article explores the variations in the national political structures of the four NICs and focuses particularly on three aspects of state structure: the organization of the economic bureaucracy, the institutional links between the state and private sector, and the larger state-society relations. The article demonstrates the usefulness of moving beyond the generalizations of the “developmental state” view by carefully disaggregating these aspects of state structure and by exploring the ordering logic that gives coherence to them.
The Atlantic Community and the Emerging Countries
Authors: Emerson Rupert
Published: May 2009

The Atlantic Community regards itself as the core of the free world and, at least in aspiration, as the leader of all the peoples which have not fallen under the communist spell. The major barriers to the successful assertion of that leadership are the suspicion and hostility generated by the era of Western imperial overlordship of most of the world and the radical divergence in view as to what constitutes the major problem of our times. Although there are marked differences of emphasis within it, the Atlantic Community arms and guards against the threat of communist imperialism, while much of Asia and Africa still see the colonialism of the West as the gravest and most immediate menace to their own freedom and the peace of the world. For the most part they want to abstain from what seems to them the sterile and unrewarding task of holding back communism in order to be able to concentrate on their own immense problems of stabilization, integration, and development. Aware of their pressing needs, and of what the West has to offer, they look to the Atlantic Community for economic and other assistance, even though they may also be ready to accept assistance from the communist states as well. It is probable that most of those in responsible positions in the Atlantic Community have a greater degree of understanding and sympathetic appreciation of the position of the underdeveloped countries than the leaders of the latter have of the West's concern with communism.
Economic Aspects of an Atlantic Community
Authors: Diebold William
Published: May 2009

The existence of an Atlantic Community with important economic aspects is revealed in the past and present relations among the countries of western Europe and North America. This Community is something less than the fusion of the nations of the Atlantic area advocated by some; it is something more comprehensive and more pervasive than the organizational alternative to “partnership” that others mean by the word. The Atlantic Community dealt with in this article is a state of affairs more than a concept; it does not have to be precisely delineated so long as we can discern its solid central mass. This Atlantic Community—such as it is, and whatever exactly it is—is the child of history and policy. Both genealogies are clearly established and well-known; to recall them helps pose the major questions of the present and future
The European Community and Atlantic Partnership
Authors: Hallstein Walter
Published: May 2009

It is a commonplace that the world in which we live has changed more rapidly and more drastically in the last hundred years than perhaps at any other stage of its history. So evident is this fact, and so familiar are the forces that have made for change, that by a curious paradox the mere repetition of arguments about “the shrinking globe,” “the increased speed of travel,” “the growth of communications,” and so on has tended to deaden our awareness of what they mean. From the earliest years of the century, we have become accustomed to hearing that the invention of automobiles, of aircraft, of telephones, and of radio would radically transform our world. If, now, we once more hear the same, or similar statements, made about space travel, ballistic missiles, atomic energy, and television, our immediate reflex is probably a shrug, denoting the understandable feeling that we have met it all before.
“Better living through chemistry”: the chemical industry in the world economy
Authors: Ilgen Thomas L.
Published: May 2009

The chemical industry has produced a pattern of economic development and political change differing from that identified by research on the textile, steel, and automobile sectors. Its capacity for innovation and self-renewal renders inappropriate much of the logic of sectoral decline derived from theories of the product cycle. The postwar record of state-industry relations in France, Britain, West Germany, and the United States suggests that "strong" states can be helpful in bolstering the performance of the chemical industry in an expanding global economy but such states often frustrate the process of adaptation and adjustment during periods of recession. "Weak" states are particularly well suited to strong performance by the industry in both the good times and the bad.
Obstructionism and the Rules of the General Assembly
Authors: Hovey Allan
Published: May 2009

The United Nations action against aggression in Korea was aided by a series of fortuitous circumstances which included the absence of the Soviet delegate from the Security Council in June 1950, the existence of a United Nations commission in Korea which was able to provide a timely and unimpeachable report of the facts, and the availability to United Nations forces of a base in Japan from which military operations could be, conveniently undertaken. For the purpose of assuring so far as possible that united resistance to further acts of aggression would not have to depend so largely on coincidence, the General Assembly, on November 3, 1950, gave its overwhelming approval to the “Uniting for Peace” resolution.
The international telecommunications regime: the political roots of regimes for high technology
Authors: Cowhey Peter F.
Published: May 2009

The international telecommunications regime provided a multilateral framework that reinforced domestic monopolies and bilateral cartel arrangements in the global market. The regime's epistemic community believed that telecommunications services and equipment were best supplied by national monopolies and that international communications by telephone, telegram, and telex should be jointly provided by monopolists. Strong domestic political incentives reinforced this cognitive framework. When technological innovation triggered a successful political attack on the domestic regulation of telecommunications in a few key countries, the stage was set for a global challenge to the intellectual and political foundations of the regime. Two paths to reform have emerged. Their significance can be assessed by looking at changes in the distribution of benefits from the regime, changes in the manner in which governments delegate power to the regime, and shifts in the epistemic community associated with the regime.
The theory of collective action and burden sharing in NATO
Authors: Oneal John R.
Published: May 2009

Mancur Olson's theory of collective action could account for much of the variance in the defense burdens of the allied nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the early years of the Cold War, but the association between economic size (gross domestic product, or GDP) and defense burden (the ratio of military expenditures to GDP) has declined to insignificant levels. Two influences are shown to be important in producing this change: the increased pursuit of private goods by Greece, Turkey, and Portugal and the growing cooperation among the other European allies. Since cooperation in the military realm has not provided the Europeans with credible means of self-defense, it appears to be a consequence of the general growth of interdependence in Europe during the postwar period. NATO is still essentially a uniquely privileged group producing a relatively pure public good. Accordingly, the theory of collective action continues to provide valuable insights into the operation of the alliance.
How Japan affects the international system
Authors: Schmiegelow Henrik , Schmiegelow Michèle
Published: May 2009

To cope with more than incremental change in the international system, the neorealist concept of structure and the neoliberal concept of process must be complemented by a third analytically distinguished element: the concept of action. All three concepts can be used on the systemic level of analysis of international relations theory. Their obvious differentiation is the degree of systemic consolidation, with structure at the highest, action at the lowest, and process at unstable intermediate degrees. Without analyzing prevailing models of action of important units of the international system, it is impossible to predict the possible range of outcomes of processes and structural changes in the international system.

This article offers Japan's “strategic pragmatism” as a model of action. The model, representing a functional cut across contending economic doctrines, combines relative fiscal conservatism with “progressive” provision of credit, dynamic capitalism with public policy activism, and critical rationalism with philosophical pragmatism. Japan's strategic pragmatism has not only enabled its government and enterprises to cope with uncertainty and change in their domestic and international environment but has also increased global welfare and changed the balance of strategic components of power in the international system. The spread of this model of action both within and beyond Japan's control points to a paradigm change in economic and international relations theory—that is, to the most pervasive form of systemic consolidation.
Middle power leadership and coalition building: Australia, the Cairns Group, and the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations
Authors: Higgott Richard A. , Cooper Andrew Fenton
Published: May 2009

Perhaps the key question of debate among neorealist scholars of international political economy concerns the manner in which cooperation may or may not be secured in the global economic order "after hegemony," a question posed by Robert Keohane. A second broad question of interest to scholars of international politics concerns the manner in which weaker states attempt to influence stronger ones. A conflation of these two questions could cause scholars and practitioners alike to pay closer attention than they have in the past to coalitions of the weak as vehicles for cooperation and regime building in the global political economy.

This article offers a case study of one recent exercise in coalition building as an attempt to foster cooperation in a "nonhegemonic" environment. Specifically, it examines the role of the Cairns Group of Fair Trading Nations in its attempts to foster reform in global agricultural trade within the current Uruguay Round of trade negotiations. The Cairns Group is shown to be an atypical, single-issue driven, transregional coalition. Led by Australia, the Group's actions represent an interesting exercise in "middle power" politics in a global economic order whose decisionmaking processes are increasingly more fragmented and complex and whose major actors need coaxing toward processes of cooperative economic management.
Efficacy of autologous fat injection laryngoplasty with an adenoviral vector expressing hepatocyte growth factor in a canine model
Authors: Umeno H , Chitose S , Murofushi Y , Kosai K , Sato K , Kawahara A , Nakashima T
Published: May 2009

Objective:

The effectiveness of autologous fat injection laryngoplasty may be reduced by resorption of injected fat tissue. The aim of the present study was to clarify the efficacy of fat injection laryngoplasty using autologous fat plus a replication-defective adenoviral vector expressing hepatocyte growth factor, regarding reduction of injected fat tissue resorption.

Material and methods:

Four female beagle dogs were used in this study. After sedation, a direct laryngoscope was introduced to enable visualisation of the larynx. In each dog, harvested autologous fat plus an adenoviral vector expressing hepatocyte growth factor was injected into the right true vocal fold, and harvested fat plus an adenoviral vector expressing no gene was injected into the left true vocal fold. A total laryngectomy was performed one year after the intracordal fat injection. Coronal sections of the resected whole larynges were made and the following parameters assessed using light and electron microscopy: size of fat area; number of vasculoendothelial cells surrounding adipocytes; and shape of injected adipocytes in the vocal fold.

Results:

The fat area was significantly larger and the number of vasculoendothelial cells surrounding adipocytes significantly greater in the intracordal fat injection containing adenoviral vector expressing hepatocyte growth factor, compared with the control intracordal fat injection containing adenoviral vector expressing no gene. When viewed under electron microscopy, the injected adipocytes were observed to have grafted better in the intracordal fat injection with hepatocyte growth factor adenoviral vector, compared with the control intracordal fat injection with adenoviral vector expressing no gene.

Conclusions:

Injection into the vocal fold of autologous fat containing an adenoviral vector expressing hepatocyte growth factor can reduce subsequent resorption of injected fat.
Comparative study of framework surgery and fat injection laryngoplasty
Authors: Umeno H , Chitose S , Sato K , Nakashima T
Published: May 2009

Objective:

To evaluate differences between the functional results of framework surgery and autologous fat injection laryngoplasty, for patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis.

Study design:

Sixty-two patients underwent framework surgery, while 64 received autologous fat injection laryngoplasty. Voice function before and after both procedures was assessed using aerodynamic and acoustic analysis, with differences evaluated using pairedt-test in both groups.

Results:

In both groups, all parameters improved significantly after surgery, compared with before surgery. Post-operative improvement in all parameters was significantly greater after fat injection laryngoplasty, compared with framework surgery.

Conclusion:

Autologous fat injection laryngoplasty was thus found to be a more effective and reliable therapy for improving voice function in patients with vocal fold paralysis, compared with framework surgery.
Minor salivary gland carcinomas of oral cavity and oropharynx
Authors: Chijiwa H , Sakamoto K , Umeno H , Nakashima T , Suzuki G , Hayafuchi N
Published: May 2009

This paper reviews 22 cases of minor salivary gland carcinoma of the oral cavity or oropharynx which were treated at Kurume University Hospital between 1976 and 2005. Minor salivary gland carcinoma was observed in eight of 362 patients with cancer of the oral cavity (2 per cent), and in 14 of 275 patients with cancer of the oropharynx (5 per cent). The five-year and 10-year survival rates of patients with oropharyngeal minor salivary gland carcinoma were 90 per cent. No statistically significant difference was observed between survival rates for oropharyngeal minor salivary gland carcinoma and for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (p = 0.06). The five- and 10-year survival rates of patients with oral cavity minor salivary gland carcinoma were 75 and 37 per cent, respectively. No statistically significant difference was observed between survival rates for oral cavity minor salivary gland carcinoma and oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.

Patients' survival results correlated well with the clinical stage of their lesions. A significant difference in survival was observed, comparing stage IV with stages I, II and III (p = 0.04). In contrast, no significant relationship was found between either survival and tumour type or survival and treatment. Adjuvant therapy is recommended for patients with grade III adenoid cystic carcinoma with perineural infiltration or intravascular infiltration.
Epithelioid sarcoma of the neck: case report
Authors: Ueda Y , Chijiwa H , Nakashima T
Published: May 2009

Epithelioid sarcoma is an aggressive, malignant tumour of the soft tissue which tends to arise in proximity to large tendons and aponeuroses. We report the case of a patient presenting with an epithelioid sarcoma arising in the neck. A 56-year-old man was referred with a three-year history of a sensory disorder as well as a slowly growing mass in his right neck. The patient underwent resection of the tumour by means of a conservative neck dissection. The final diagnosis, based on the histological and immunohistochemical findings, was epithelioid sarcoma. Radiotherapy was performed after the operation. The post-operative course was uneventful, and there was no local recurrence or distant metastasis.
Competition between the non-native amphipod Caprella mutica and two native species of caprellids Pseudoprotella phasma and Caprella linearis
Authors: Shucksmith Richard , Cook Elizabeth J. , Hughes David J. , Burrows Michael T.
Published: May 2009

Competition plays an important role in invasion dynamics. According to Elton's biodiversity and invasibility hypothesis, non-native species must be competitively superior to the resident species in order to successfully invade. An invader that is ecologically similar to a native species may cause intense interspecific competition as they both require the same resource. Furthermore, an increase in the density of an invading competitor may enhance the intensity of the competitive interaction, however, this may be reduced if the inferior competitor has a refuge that reduces the amount of time it is in direct contact with the superior competitor. In laboratory-based competition experiments between the non-native caprellid Caprella mutica and two ecologically similar native caprellids Caprella linearis and Pseudoprotella phasma, C. mutica successfully displaced both species from homogeneous artificial habitat patches after 48 hours. Patches that contained a refuge reduced the number of C. linearis being displaced but only when C. mutica was at a low density. Potentially aggressive interactions between C. mutica and the native C. linearis may have caused C. linearis to be displaced from the patches and could have caused significantly higher mortality of C. linearis compared to the controls. This is the first study to show that the non-native C. mutica has the ability to displace ecologically similar native species when the resource space is limited and when the density of C. mutica was significantly (10 times) lower than the density of C. linearis.
Life cycle of the temporary fish parasite,Gnathia pilosus(Crustacea: Isopoda: Gnathiidae) from the east coast of South Africa
Authors: Hadfield Kerry A. , Smit Nico J. , Avenant-Oldewage Annemarié
Published: May 2009

The life cycle of the South African gnathiid isopod,Gnathia pilosus, was studied using the common east coast tidal pool fish,Scartella emarginataandAntennablennius bifilumas hosts. Laboratory studies observing the feeding ecology of these temporary ectoparasites determined that the second and third unfed larval stages (zuphea larvae 2 and 3) took an average of 3 hours 52 minutes and 4 hours 19 minutes to feed respectively. After feeding, the second stage fed larvae (praniza 2) took 35 days to moult into the third zuphea form. Male and female praniza 3 larvae could be discerned before their final moults into adults which took place approximately 42 and 48 days respectively after their blood meals. Fertilization occurred within 24 hours after the female had completed her moult. It was thus estimated that the complete life cycle from the first larval stage to adult took between 134 to 140 days in water temperatures ranging between 20°C and 25°C. The length for this life cycle is unexpectedly long for gnathiids living in subtropical waters and may indicate that water temperature is not always the main factor in determining the duration of gnathiid life cycles.
Exploring the immunology of parasitism – from surface antigens to the hygiene hypothesis
Authors: MAIZELS R. M.
Published: May 2009

Helminth immunology is a field which has changed beyond recognition in the past 30 years, transformed not only by new technologies from cDNA cloning to flow cytometry, but also conceptually as our definition of host immune pathways has matured. The molecular revolution defined key nematode surface and secreted antigens, and identified candidate immunomodulators that are likely to underpin parasites' success in eluding immune attack. The immunological advances in defining cytokine networks, lymphocyte subsets and innate cell recognition have also made a huge impact on our understanding of helminth infections. Most recently, the ideas of regulatory immune cells, in particular the regulatory T cell, have again overturned older thinking, but also may explain immune hyporesponsiveness observed in chronic helminth diseases, as well as the link to reduced allergic reactions observed in human and animal infections. The review concludes with a forward look to where we may make future advances towards the final eradication of helminth diseases.
The associations between socio-economic status and major depressive disorder among Blacks, Latinos, Asians and non-Hispanic Whites: findings from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Studies
Authors: Gavin A. R. , Walton E. , Chae D. H. , Alegria M. , Jackson J. S. , Takeuchi D.
Published: May 2009

Background

This study examined whether there were associations between individual measures of socio-economic status (SES) and the 12-month prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) in representative samples of Blacks, Latinos, Asians and Whites in the USA.

Method

The data used were from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Studies (CPES).

Results

There was an association between household income and MDD among Whites. However, the association was not statistically significant. Statistically significant associations were present between educational attainment and MDD among Whites. Among both Whites and Latinos, being out of the labor force was significantly associated with MDD. In analyses by nativity, being out of the labor force was significantly associated with MDD among US-born and foreign-born Latinos.

Conclusions

Significant associations between various measures of SES and MDD were consistently observed among White and, in some cases, Latino populations. Future studies should continue to examine sociopsychological factors related to SES that increase the risk of MDD among people from racial-ethnic communities.
Second language vocabulary acquisition from language input and from form-focused activities
Authors: Laufer Batia
Published: May 2009

Interest in L2 vocabulary learning and teaching started long before the nineteen-eighties (for references to earlier studies, see Rob Waring's database http://www1.harenet.ne.jp/~waring/vocab/vocrefs/vocref.html) but it declined with the advent of generative linguistics to the point of discrimination and neglect (Meara 1980). In 1986, I argued that vocabulary was about to acquire a legitimate and prominent place within applied linguistics (Laufer 1986), but I did not envisage the vast quantities of lexical research that would have been produced in the following two decades. One of the central concerns of vocabulary researchers is the source of L2 vocabulary learning. Is it L2 input, enhanced input, interaction, communicative tasks, non-communicative ‘artificial’ exercises, list learning, or repetition? A similar question is addressed by SLA researchers in general. This similarity of interests, which demonstrates the integration of vocabulary into mainstream SLA, prompted me to define the topic of this timeline as I did. And since the field of SLA developed in the 1980s, this timeline starts in the nineteen-eighties. I focus here on the external sources of learning, i.e. language input and instructional techniques, and not on learner-related variables, like motivation, L1, age, or strategies of learning. Nor do I focus on any other areas of lexical research, important as they may be, such as the construct of vocabulary knowledge, lexical development, testing, bilingual mental lexicon, or corpora analyses.
Centre for Applied Language Research at the University of Southampton
Authors: Baird Robert , Hyde-Simon Caroline
Published: May 2009

The Centre for Applied Language Research at the University of Southampton is one of two research centres within the discipline of Modern Languages. Established in 2004, CALR now has more than 50 members, predominantly faculty members working in the School of Humanities/Modern Languages, as well as growing number of postgraduate researchers. The Centre has always sought to work collaboratively with other centres and institutions worldwide and regularly hosts visiting international scholars. Additionally, many of its members work closely with the Centre for Transnational Studies, which also comes under the School of Modern Languages. CALR promotes an extensive applied language research agenda, including language education policy, second language acquisition (SLA), foreign language learning (FLL) and teaching, sociolinguistics, intercultural communication and language globalisation. Emanating from the legacy of Christopher Brumfit, the founder of the Centre, CALR work has always reflected an awareness of global and local issues in language use and learning. Brumfit was renowned for balancing his concerns for the rights and freedoms of the language learner with his influential work on classroom pedagogy. Since his passing in 2006, these values have lived on in the work of the Centre.
Experimental identification of the dynamics model for 6-DOF parallel manipulators
Authors: Abdellatif Houssem , Heimann Bodo
Published: May 2009

The paper presents a self-contained approach for the dynamics identification of six degrees of freedom (DOF) parallel robots. Major feature is the consequent consideration of structural properties of such machines to provide an experimentally adequate identification method. The known periodic excitation is modified and enhanced to take the actuator coupling as well as the numerical solution of the direct kinematics into account. The benefits of explicit frequency-domain data filtering are demonstrated. Additionally, a new implementation of the maximum-likelihood estimator allows for automatic tuning of the data filter. The issue of optimal input experiment design is also discussed and substantiated with extensive experiments.
A saturated PD controller for robots equipped with brushless DC-motors
Authors: Hernández-Guzmán V. M. , Santibáñez V. , Zavala-Río A.
Published: May 2009

In this paper we are concerned with control of rigid robots equipped with brushless DC-motors (BLDC) when the electric dynamics of these actuators is taken into account. We show for the first time that a saturated PD controller suffices to achieve global asymptotic stability. Our controller is the simplest controller proposed until now to solve this problem: it only requires position measurements and linear feedback of electric current.
Deactivating Cardiac Pacemakers and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators in Terminally Ill Patients
Authors: BECA JUAN PABLO , ROSSELOT EDUARDO , ASENJO RENÉ , ANGUITA VERÓNICA , QUEVEDO RAFAEL
Published: May 2009

A 68-year-old patient who suffered from gastric cancer diagnosed 8 months earlier presented with multiple peritoneal and hepatic metastasis, despite several rounds of chemo- and radiotherapy. After admission to hospital, his general condition quickly became severely compromised. He was nearly emaciated, despite being on partial parenteral feeding. Four years earlier, due to a cardiac arrhythmia that was refractory to medication, the patient had a cardiac pacemaker (CPM) implanted, regulated to go off at frequencies of below 70 beats per minute. Given the patient's terminal situation, the team started developing some doubts about the pacemaker's effects during his dying process. The patient had mentioned his intention to donate his pacemaker after his death, but had not asked for its deactivation. The specialists were not sure about the effect of the pacemaker in unnecessarily prolonging the patient's final hour. Nevertheless, they opposed deactivation, which they considered ethically uncertain. The family, who had been initially for the deactivation, decided against it. The patient's condition was progressively deteriorating, as he was falling into a state of sopor and, later, into a coma.
Bioethics and Public Reason: A Report on Ethics and Public Discourse in Spain
Authors: CORTINA ADELA
Published: May 2009

One of the essential tasks of bioethics in morally pluralistic societies consists of fostering a public use of reason in its field of competence. This is the fundamental thesis of the present work. To deal with it I will try to answer two crucial questions: (a) What is moral pluralism and why does it demand fostering the use of public reason in moral issues in the sphere of bioethics and (b) What are the laboratories of bioethics in a pluralistic society?
The Bioethics Advisory Board of Puerto Rico: Personal Reflections on an Initial Agenda
Authors: FRONTERA ERNESTO A.
Published: May 2009

In 2005 the new Governor of Puerto Rico appointed a panel of experts to evaluate the healthcare system of Puerto Rico and make recommendations. Among other things, the panel recommended the creation of an advisory board on bioethics for the commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Euthanasia, Philosophy, and the Law: A Jurist’s View from Madrid
Authors: ANSUÁTEGUI ROIG FRANCISCO JAVIER
Published: May 2009

In societies with an established system of rights, human dignity occupies the vertex of the moral statute. Freedom and equality are specific derivations of that higher value. Taking freedom and equality seriously necessarily means articulating a system of rights that places at its apex the value that unifies both: human dignity.
Bioética: Nuevas Reflexiones sobre Debates Clásicos [Bioethics: New Reflections on Classic Debates], edited by Florencia Luna and Arleen L. F. Salles. Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2008. 480 pp.
Authors: Belli Laura Florencia
Published: May 2009

Readers are invited to contact Greg S. Loeben in writing at Midwestern University, Glendale Campus, Bioethics Program, 19555 N. 59th Ave., Glendale, AZ 85308 (gloebe@midwestern.edu) regarding books they would like to see reviewed or books they are interested in reviewing.
Histone deacetylase inhibition improves meiotic competence but not developmental competence in growing pig oocytes
Authors: Petr J. , Chmelíková E. , Kheilová K. , Jílek F.
Published: May 2009

In fully grown pig oocytes, meiotic maturation in vitro is retarded by inhibition of histone deacetylases by trichostatin A (TSA). In growing oocytes with partial meiotic competence, culture with TSA has no significant effect on the meiotic maturation. Growing oocytes treated with TSA mature mainly to metaphase I. The ratio of oocytes that mature to metaphase II is very limited. After transient exposure to TSA, the maturation of growing oocytes with partial meiotic competence takes a different course. When these oocytes are first cultured in a TSA-free medium, then cultured for another 24 h with 100 nM TSA and finally again in a TSA-free medium for 24 h, the ratio of oocytes that mature to metaphase II significantly increases reaching 59%. When oocytes were cultured for the same length of time without transient exposure to TSA, only 19% matured to metaphase II. Those oocytes that matured to metaphase II after transient exposure to TSA were successfully activated using calcium ionophore. However, the subsequent cleavage was very limited. We can conclude that transient exposure of growing pig oocytes with partial meiotic competence to TSA increases oocyte meiotic competence, but it does not enhance developmental competence after parthenogenetic activation.
EXCESS SENSITIVITY, LIQUIDITY CONSTRAINTS, AND THE COLLATERAL ROLE OF HOUSING
Authors: Benito Andrew , Mumtaz Haroon
Published: May 2009

We estimate consumption Euler equations using U.K. household-level data, employing a switching regression technique. We find excess sensitivity to income for one group of households but not for a second group. The likelihood of excess sensitivity is greater for the young, those without liquid assets, the degree-educated, ethnic minorities and those with negative home equity, consistent with liquidity constraints and buffer-stock saving. Housing capital gains affect the consumption plans of the excess sensitivity group of households, but not the other group. These results are consistent with a “collateral channel” for housing. Around 20%–40% of U.K. households display excess sensitivity.
LONGEVITY, RETIREMENT, AND CAPITAL ACCUMULATION IN A RECURSIVE MODEL WITH AN APPLICATION TO MANDATORY RETIREMENT
Authors: Zhang Jie , Zhang Junsen
Published: May 2009

This paper explores how retirement timing, together with life-cycle saving and human capital investment in children, responds to rising longevity in a recursive model with altruistic agents. We find that rising longevity raises the retirement age. If initial life expectancy is not too high, rising longevity also raises human capital investment in children and the saving rate. Through these channels, rising longevity can be conducive to long-run economic growth. A binding mandatory retirement age reduces human capital investment and the growth rate, raises the saving rate, and reduces welfare.
CONSEQUENCES OF MODELING HABIT PERSISTENCE
Authors: Bossi Luca , Gomis-Porqueras Pere
Published: May 2009

In this paper, we study the stationary and non-stationary equilibria of a deterministic, pure exchange, two-period overlapping generations model with habit persistence. We show that preferences with multiplicative habits can lead to quite different equilibrium outcomes compared to subtractive ones. The two most commonly adopted habit specifications can differ in terms of homotheticity, gross substitutability, and uniqueness of equilibria. We illustrate these differences in terms of steady-state equilibria, as well as local dynamics.
LIQUIDITY PROVISION AND BANKING CRISES WITH HETEROGENEOUS AGENTS
Authors: Fontenla Matías
Published: May 2009

The banking literature following Diamond and Dybvig [Journal of Political Economy 85, 191–206 (1983)] has assumed that all depositors are ex ante identical. This paper relaxes this assumption by introducing two types of agents. Whereas some agents are uncertain about their liquidity needs at the time they deposit in banks, other agents know exactly at what time they will want to withdraw their funds. Agents who know ex ante that they will want to withdraw in the short term will tend to disrupt the ability of a bank to serve customers who are uncertain about their timing of withdrawal. An adverse selection problem arises, where short-term deposits have the incentive to join the financial system and limit, or completely do away with, banks' liquidity provision service. On the other hand, potentially beneficial long-term funds will not be deposited in banks. Further, when unpredicted short-term withdrawal needs are sufficiently high, bank reserves are exhausted, and long-term investments need to be disrupted, causing a banking crisis.
Variability of repeating earthquake behavior along the Longitudinal Valley fault zone of eastern Taiwan
Authors: Chen Kate Huihsuan , Rau Ruey‐Juin , Hu Jyr‐Ching
Published: May 2009

Two major clusters of repeating earthquake sequences (RES) are found on two fault patches near the Longitudinal Valley fault (LVF) in eastern Taiwan, the Chihshang segment to the south and the Hualien segment to the north. The 25 M 2.3–4.6 RES on the Hualien segment are widely distributed in a NNE direction over a distance of 45 km, whereas on the Chihshang segment, the 30 M 2.2–3.4 RES have a shorter along‐strike extent of about 15 km. The longer spatial extent of RES on the Hualien segment may indicate a wider distributed creeping zone at depth. M ≥ 3.8 RES are observed on the Hualien segment and are characterized by quasiperiodic recurrence. Statistical analysis of the size and number of earthquakes adjacent to the RES indicates that the smaller number of large earthquakes in the vicinity may explain the quasiperiodic recurrence of RES. We argue that on the Hualien segment, M∼4 or larger earthquakes are isolated enough in space to facilitate the occurrence of repeated ruptures.
Overpressure and consolidation near the seafloor of Brazos‐Trinity Basin IV, northwest deepwater Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Schneider Julia , Flemings Peter B. , Dugan Brandon , Long Hui , Germaine John T.
Published: May 2009

Pore water overpressures (u*) within mudstones beneath Brazos‐Trinity Basin IV (deepwater Gulf of Mexico, offshore Texas) are greater than 70% of the hydrostatic vertical effective stress (σ′vh) [λ* = 0.7 = (u*/σ′vh)]. These results are compatible with recent observations that suggest sedimentation rates in this region are rapid (6 mm/a). We compare the petrophysical properties and pore pressures within a 127‐m‐thick package of mudstone penetrated at two locations: Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) sites U1319 and U1320. Site U1319 is at the margin of Brazos‐Trinity Basin IV, whereas Site U1320 lies at its center, beneath 180 m of turbidite fill. Experimentally derived preconsolidation stresses and an in situ pore pressure measurement record overpressure at Site U1319 and Site U1320 (λ* ∼ 0.2 to 0.8 and λ* ∼ 0.8, respectively). We use these data to define an average vertical effective stress gradient. Assuming that void ratio (e) is proportional to the log of vertical effective stress (σ′v), we predict pore pressures (u) throughout the mudstone at both sites using bulk density data. Overpressures are greater at Site U1320 due to rapid deposition of the overlying turbidites. However, a large fraction of the overpressure induced by the turbidite load applied at Site U1320 has dissipated by drainage into the overlying basin fill. High overpressures near the seafloor drive shallow fluid flow, reduce slope stability, and may explain large submarine landslides.
Linear and global space‐time dependence and Taylor hypotheses for rainfall in the tropical Andes
Authors: Hurtado Andrés F. , Poveda Germán
Published: May 2009

The space‐time linear and global dependence of tropical rainfall in an intra‐Andean valley of Colombia is estimated using 15 min of resolution data, recorded by 18 raingauges, through correlation (ρ) and mutual information (MI) analysis of the entire record (1998–2006) and at seasonal and interannual (ENSO) timescales. Spatial dependence analyses are developed for increasing (1) time aggregation intervals T = 15 min to T = 24 hours, and (2) time lags τ = 15 min to τ = 120 min. Results for (1) indicate that both spatial MI and ρ decay as I(λ, T) = A(T)λ−α(T), but also that A(T) = aTμ and α(T) = bT−ω. Maps of MI and ρ for increasing values of T are discussed in terms of geographical and few known meteorological features. Regarding (2), exponential functions fit better the spatial decay rates of both MI and ρ, such that I(λ, τ) = F(τ)exp[−ϕ(τ)λ], with F(τ) = exp[−dτ], and ϕ(τ) = j−kτ. Maps of MI and ρ for increasing values of τ suggest that MI may be better suited than ρ to capture highly localized singularities of tropical mountain rainfall. Estimated power laws are highly dependent on both the seasonal cycle and ENSO phases, consistently with temporal dynamics of rainfall at both timescales. We tested the validity of Taylor hypothesis ρ(0, τ) = ρ(Uτ, 0) and found it rejected in 11 of 18 raingauges, which prompted us to introduce a global Taylor hypothesis using the space‐time MIs as I(0, τ) = I(Uτ, 0). Results indicate that power laws characterize the decay of both the temporal I(0, τ) and the space‐transformed I(λ, 0) with respect to τ. A rigorous statistical test indicates that the global Taylor hypothesis is valid in 14 of 18 raingauges within the 20–180 min time range.
Electric fields, conductivity, and estimated currents from aircraft overflights of electrified clouds
Authors: Mach Douglas M. , Blakeslee Richard J. , Bateman Monte G. , Bailey Jeffrey C.
Published: May 2009

Using rotating vane electric field mills and Gerdien capacitors, we measured the electric field profile and conductivity during 850 overflights of clouds and thunderstorms. The measurements were made with NASA ER‐2 and Altus‐II aircrafts. Peak electric fields, with lightning transients removed, ranged from −1.0 kV m−1 to 16. kV m−1, with a mean value of 0.9 kV m−1. The median peak field was 0.29 kV m−1. Flash rates ranged from 0 to over 27 flashes min−1 with the mean flash rate of 1.2 flashes min−1. The median flash rate for an overpass was 0.25 flashes min−1. The positive plus negative conductivity ranged from 0.6 pS m−1 to 3.6 pS m−1 at the nominal flight altitudes of 15 to 20 km. The mean and median total conductivity was 2.2 pS m−1. Peak current densities during the overpasses ranged from −2.0 nA m−2 to 33. nA m−2. The mean peak current density was 1.9 nA m−2, and the median value was 0.6 nA m−2. Using the peak electric fields, a median field falloff with distance based on all overflights, and cylindrical storm symmetry, the total upward current flow from storms in our data set ranges from −1.3 to 9.4 A with a mean value of 0.8 A. The median total current was 0.27 A. The contributions from lightning field changes do not significantly affect the total derived currents. We found that 7% of the storms were producing current flows above the storms that were opposite in polarity from the standard role that thunderstorms play in the global electric circuit. Approximately one third of the storms had no detectable lightning during the overpasses but still had significant electric fields. Owing to a possible sampling bias, the fraction of nonlightning storms with electric fields may not reflect the global probability of these clouds.
Burial and temperature evolution in thrust belt systems: Sedimentary and thrust sheet loading in the SE Canadian Cordillera
Authors: Hardebol N. J. , Callot J. P. , Bertotti G. , Faure J. L.
Published: May 2009

The southern Canadian foreland fold‐and‐thrust belt (FFTB) (SW Alberta–SE British Columbia) records the interplay between foreland basin evolution with the deforming wedge and thus controls the regional‐scale overburden and exhumation history. Overburden estimates are typically based on the assumption that peak burials were reached by sedimentary burial prior to the emplacement of thrust sheets. This study combines organic maturity ranks from a newly compiled catalog with forward thermokinematic modeling to examine this assumption. The organic maturity rank trends correlate not only to sedimentary but also to tectonic burial histories. The forward thermokinematic modeling builds on this combined burial history scenario and shows how required peak burial and temperatures can be achieved with reduced sedimentary overburden when combined with tectonic loading. We thus consider that the overburden was reached during instead of prior to the contraction of the FFTB as result of an integrated sedimentary and tectonic burial history. Thermokinematic modeling also suggests that first‐order steady state temperature conditions prevail during the development of the FFTB. Differently from earlier findings that considered a drop in paleotemperature gradient during the belts growth, steady state conditions reduce the amount of regional overburden required and, consequently, of eroded sediments. Besides tracing the regional evolution, organic maturity ranks are also affected by more local phenomena such as thrust‐scale denudation patterns and fluid flow.
Chromatin assembly controls replication fork stability
Authors: Clemente‐Ruiz Marta , Prado Félix
Published: May 2009

During DNA replication, the advance of replication forks is tightly connected with chromatin assembly, a process that can be impaired by the partial depletion of histone H4 leading to recombinogenic DNA damage. Here, we show that the partial depletion of H4 is rapidly followed by the collapse of unperturbed and stalled replication forks, even though the S‐phase checkpoints remain functional. This collapse is characterized by a reduction in the amount of replication intermediates, but an increase in single Ys relative to bubbles, defects in the integrity of the replisome and an accumulation of DNA double‐strand breaks. This collapse is also associated with an accumulation of Rad52‐dependent X‐shaped molecules. Consistently, a Rad52‐dependent—although Rad51‐independent—mechanism is able to rescue these broken replication forks. Our findings reveal that correct nucleosome deposition is required for replication fork stability, and provide molecular evidence for homologous recombination as an efficient mechanism of replication fork restart.
The ER‐resident ubiquitin‐specific protease 19 participates in the UPR and rescues ERAD substrates
Authors: Hassink Gerco C , Zhao Bin , Sompallae Ramakrishna , Altun Mikael , Gastaldello Stefano , Zinin Nikolay V , Masucci Maria G , Lindsten Kristina
Published: May 2009

Ubiquitination regulates membrane events such as endocytosis, membrane trafficking and endoplasmic‐reticulum‐associated degradation (ERAD). Although the involvement of membrane‐associated ubiquitin‐conjugating enzymes and ligases in these processes is well documented, their regulation by ubiquitin deconjugases is less well understood. By screening a database of human deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), we have identified a putative transmembrane domain in ubiquitin‐specific protease (USP)19. We show that USP19 is a tail‐anchored ubiquitin‐specific protease localized to the ER and is a target of the unfolded protein response. USP19 rescues the ERAD substrates cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)ΔF508 and T‐cell receptor‐α (TCRα) from proteasomal degradation. A catalytically inactive USP19 was still able to partly rescue TCRα but not CFTRΔF508, suggesting that USP19 might also exert a non‐catalytic function on specific ERAD substrates. Thus, USP19 is the first example of a membrane‐anchored DUB involved in the turnover of ERAD substrates.
Symmetry operators for Dirac’s equation on two-dimensional spin manifolds
Authors: Fatibene Lorenzo , McLenaghan Raymond G. , Rastelli Giovanni , Smith Shane N.
Published: May 2009

It is shown that the second order symmetry operators for the Dirac equation on a general two-dimensional spin manifold may be expressed in terms of Killing vectors and valence 2 Killing tensors. The role of these operators in the theory of separation of variables for the Dirac equation is studied.
Cell manipulation with magnetic particles toward microfluidic cytometry
Authors: Liu Chengxun , Stakenborg Tim , Peeters Sara , Lagae Liesbet
Published: May 2009

Magnetic particles have become a promising tool for nearly all major lab-on-a-chip (LOC) applications, from sample capturing, purification, enrichment, transport to detection. For biological applications, the use of magnetic particles is especially well established for immunomagnetic separation. There is a great amount of interest in the automation of cell sorting and counting with magnetic particles in LOC platforms. So far, despite great efforts, only few fully functional LOC devices have been described and further integration is necessary. In this review, we will describe the physics of magnetic cell sorting and counting in LOC formats with a special focus on recent progress in the field.