bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dual Effects of Rabeprazole on Solid-Phase Gastric Emptying Assessed by the 13C-Octanoate Breath Test
Authors: Anjiki Hajime , Sanaka Masaki , Kuyama Yasushi
Published: September 2005

Background/Aims: Knowledge is limited regarding the effects of rabeprazole on gastric emptying. This randomized, open, crossover study was undertaken to investigate the effects. Methods: In 24 healthy volunteers (13 men and 11 women, aged 22–53 years), solid emptying was assessed twice using the 13C-octanoate breath test. On one occasion, the subjects received 20 mg rabeprazole for the preceding 2 days and 1 h before the test. On another occasion, they underwent no pretreatment. The time course of cumulative recovery of 13CO2 in breath was fitted to z(t) = m(1 – e–kt)β–1, and regression constants of k and β were determined. The half 13CO2 excretion time (t½b) and the time of maximal excretion (tmax) were calculated. Under the crossover protocol, k and β can describe the emptying features more precisely; a larger (smaller) β indicates a slower (faster) emptying in the early phase, and a larger (smaller) k indicates a faster (slower) emptying in the later phase. Between the two occasions, k, β, t½b, and tmax were compared. Results: Rabeprazole significantly decreased k and β, significantly prolonged t½b, but tmax remained unchanged. Conclusion: Rabeprazole has dual effects on solid emptying: an initial acceleration with a subsequent deceleration, resulting in an overall delay.
Doppler-Derived Ejection Intraventricular Pressure Gradients Provide a Reliable Assessment of Left Ventricular Systolic Chamber Function
Authors: Yotti Raquel , Bermejo Javier , Desco M. Mar , Antoranz J. Carlos , Rojo-Álvarez José Luis , Cortina Cristina , Allué Carmen , Rodríguez-Abella Hugo , Moreno Mar , García-Fernández Miguel A.
Published: September 2005

Background—Ejection intraventricular pressure gradients are caused by the systolic force developed by the left ventricle (LV). By postprocessing color Doppler M-mode (CDMM) images, we can measure noninvasively the ejection intraventricular pressure difference (EIVPD) between the LV apex and the outflow tract. This study was designed to assess the value of Doppler-derived EIVPDs as noninvasive indices of systolic chamber function.

Methods and Results—CDMM images and pressure-volume (conductance) signals were simultaneously acquired in 9 minipigs undergoing pharmacological interventions and acute ischemia. Inertial, convective, and total EIVPD curves were calculated from CDMM recordings. Peak EIVPD closely correlated with indices of systolic function based on the pressure-volume relationship: peak elastance (within-animalR=0.98; between-animalsR=0.99), preload recruitable stroke work (within-animalR=0.81; between-animalsR=0.86), and peak of the first derivative of pressure corrected for end-diastolic volume (within-animalR=0.88; between-animalsR=0.91). The correlation of peak inertial EIVPD with these indices was also high (allR>0.75). Load dependence of EIVPDs was studied in another 5 animals in which consecutive beats obtained during load manipulation were analyzed. During caval occlusion (40% EDV reduction), dP/dtmax, ejection fraction, and stroke volume significantly changed, whereas peak EIVPD remained constant. Aortic occlusion (40% peak LV pressure increase) significantly modified dP/dtmax, ejection fraction, and stroke volume; a nearly significant trend toward decreasing peak EIVPD was observed (P=0.06), whereas inertial EIVPD was unchanged (P=0.6). EIVPD beat-to-beat and interobserver variabilities were 2±12% and 5±11%, respectively.

Conclusions—Doppler-derived EIVPDs provide quantitative, reproducible, and relatively load-independent indices of global systolic chamber function that correlate closely with currently available reference methods.
Levels of Hematopoiesis Inhibitor
N
-Acetyl-Seryl-Aspartyl-Lysyl-Proline Partially Explain the Occurrence of Anemia in Heart Failure
Authors: van der Meer Peter , Lipsic Erik , Westenbrink B. Daan , van de Wal Ruud M.A. , Schoemaker Regien G. , Vellenga Edo , van Veldhuisen Dirk J. , Voors Adriaan A. , van Gilst Wiek H.
Published: September 2005

Background—

Anemia is common in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and is associated with a poor prognosis. However, only a minority of patients with CHF have impaired renal function or underlying hematinic deficiencies. It has been shown that inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system is associated with the development of anemia. The aim of the present study was to determine possible mechanisms linking anemia to renin-angiotensin system activity in CHF patients.

Methods and Results—

We initially evaluated 98 patients with advanced stable CHF who were treated with ACE inhibitors (left ventricular ejection fraction, 28±1%; age, 69±1 years; 80% male), 10 of whom had an unexplained anemia (normal hematinics and no renal failure). These 10 anemic patients were matched with 10 nonanemic patients in terms of age and left ventricular ejection fraction. Serum ACE activity was 73% lower in anemic CHF patients compared with nonanemic CHF patients (
P
=0.018). Moreover, serum of these patients inhibited in vitro the proliferation of bone marrow–derived erythropoietic progenitor cells of healthy donors by 17% (
P
=0.003). Levels of the hematopoiesis inhibitor
N
-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP), which is almost exclusively degraded by ACE, were significantly higher in anemic CHF patients and were clearly correlated to erythroid progenitor cell proliferation (
r
=−0.64,
P
=0.001).

Conclusions—

Serum ACE activity is markedly lower in anemic CHF patients, and serum of these patients inhibits hematopoiesis. The clear correlation between Ac-SDKP and proliferation of erythroid progenitor cells suggests an inhibitory role of Ac-SDKP on hematopoiesis in CHF patients, which may explain the observed anemia in patients treated with ACE inhibitors.
Introducción: Monográfico sobre el impacto psicosocial tras el 11-M
Authors: Páez Darío
Published: September 2005

En el presente monográfico se muestran investigaciones que permiten entender los procesos psicosociales subyacentes a la “resiliencia colectiva” tras el 11-M. Los artículos abordan qué efectos psicosociales tiene la participación en las manifestaciones (Jiménez, Páez y Javaloy), las relaciones intergrupales que se desencadenan tras los atentados (Techio y Calderón-Prada), el efecto “oveja negra” tras los sucesos (Mendoza, Páez, Marques, Techio y Espinosa), la percepción de riesgo y las reacciones emocionales tras el impacto terrorista (Ubillos, Mayordomo y Basabe). También, se analiza el fenómeno de culpa colectiva (Etxebarria, Conejero y Ramos de Oliveira), las reacciones psico-políticas (Moya y Morales-Marente), la influencia de los procesos de comunicación sobre las elecciones del 14-M (López-Sáez y Martínez-Rubio), el modelo sociocultural de los rituales (Páez, Rimé y Basabe), y además, se incluye un artículo sobre la invasión de Irak (Rodrigues, Assmar y Jablonski). Finalmente, se exponen los comentarios sobre el libro de Blanco, del Aguila y Sabucedo (2005).
A Multiyear Ensemble Simulation of the U.S. Climate with a Stretched-Grid GCM
Authors: Fox-Rabinovitz Michael S. , Berbery Ernesto Hugo , Takacs Lawrence L. , Govindaraju Ravi C.
Published: September 2005

Multiyear (1987–97) limited ensemble integrations using a stretched-grid GCM, previously developed and experimented with by the authors, are employed for U.S. regional climate simulations. The ensemble members (six in total) are produced at two different regional resolutions: three members with 60-km and the other three members with 10-km regional resolution. The use of these two finer and coarser regional resolution ensemble members allows one to examine the impact of resolution on the overall quality of the simulated regional fields. For the multiyear ensemble simulations, an efficient regional downscaling to realistic mesoscales has been obtained. The ensemble means of the midtroposphere prognostic variables (height and meridional wind) show an overall good resemblance to the global reanalysis, especially for summer. Low-level features like the warm season Great Plains low-level jet are well represented in the simulations. During winter the 100-km simulations develop a southward wind east of the Rockies that is present neither in the reanalyses nor in the 60-km simulations. The analysis of the annual mean precipitation and its variance reveals that the ensemble simulations reproduce many of the observed features of a high-resolution rain gauge dataset analyzed on a 0.5° × 0.5° grid. Signal-to-noise ratios are larger than 1.5 s over a major part of the United States, especially over the Midwest and also over the mountainous regions like the Rockies and the Appalachians, suggesting that the orographic forcing is contributing to a larger signal. The ratios are smaller toward the eastern and western U.S. coastlines. This result could be attributed, at least in part, to limits in the representation of the land–sea contrasts.

For comparison purposes, an additional simulation has been performed using a global uniform 2° × 2.5° grid with the same number of global grid points as those of the above stretched grids. The stretched-grid GCM ensemble means show, overall, a better regional depiction of features than those of the uniform-grid GCM.

The results of the study show that even using limited ensemble integrations with a state-of-the-art stretched-grid GCM is beneficial for reducing the uncertainty of the multiyear regional climate simulation, especially when using finer 60-km regional resolution.
The “Owl Horn” Radar Signature in Developing Southern Plains Supercells
Authors: Kramar Matthew R. , Bluestein Howard B. , Pazmany Andrew L. , Tuttle John D.
Published: September 2005

During spring 2001 in the Southern Plains, a recurring, hitherto undocumented reflectivity signature that the authors have called the “Owl Horn” signature (because the radar reflectivity pattern resembles the profile of the Great Horned Owl) was observed on a mobile, X-band radar display. The reflectivity signature was always located at the rear side of a developing supercell, spanned the entire rear side of the storm, and was always seen on low-level plan position indicator (PPI) scans. It lasted on the order of only 5–10 min and was not an artifact of the radar.

A study of the Owl Horn signature was undertaken using the Tracking Radar Echoes by Correlation technique (TREC) to estimate the wind field. TREC has previously been applied to clear-air and hurricane environments, and to the internal motions of severe storms, but not to their evolution. The characteristics of the signature are presented, and then, through the application of TREC to the radar reflectivity data (Doppler wind data were not available in 2001) collected during May and June 2001, the horizontal wind field was estimated around and in the Owl Horn signature.

Instances of the Owl Horn in numerical model storm simulations were investigated. The numerical simulations were used to identify conditions under which the signature occurs, the process by which it is created is discussed, and its dependence upon the environmental wind shear is examined. Results indicate that the hodograph shape and magnitude influence the production of the Owl Horn signature. Supercell-magnitude shear is required, and some curvature—particularly low-level curvature—is essential to the production of the feature. The Owl Horn signature is formed when horizontal vorticity is tilted into the vertical by expanding outflow through a positive feedback mechanism with the outflow.
Dynamical Aspects of Wintertime Cold-Air Pools in an Alpine Valley System
Authors: Zängl Günther
Published: September 2005

This study presents high-resolution numerical simulations in order to examine the dynamical mechanisms controlling the persistence of wintertime cold-air pools in an Alpine valley system. First, a case study of a cold-pool episode is conducted, the formation of which was related to the passage of a warm front north of the Alps. While the preexisting cold air was rapidly advected away in the Alpine foreland, a persistent cold pool was maintained in the inner-Alpine part of the valley system, associated with sustained horizontal temperature differences of up to 10 K over a distance of 30 km. The case study is complemented by a series of semi-idealized simulations, combining realistic topography with idealized large-scale flow conditions. These simulations consider a range of different ambient wind directions in order to investigate their impact on the cold-pool persistence.

The results indicate that the most important dynamical mechanism controlling the persistence of cold-air pools in deep Alpine valleys is cold-air drainage toward the Alpine foreland. The preferred direction for such a drainage flow is down the pressure gradient imposed by the (geostrophically balanced) ambient flow. Thus, for a given valley geometry and a given strength of the ambient flow, the probability for persistent cold-air pools mainly depends on the ambient wind direction. If the direction of the imposed pressure gradient matches a sufficiently wide connection to the foreland (a valley or a low pass), then a drainage flow will lead to a rapid removal of the cold air. However, the presence of pronounced lateral constrictions in the connecting valley may strongly reduce the drainage efficiency. Cold-pool erosion by turbulent vertical mixing seems to play a comparatively minor role in deep valley systems as considered in this study.
Tropical–Extratropical Interactions Associated with an Atlantic Tropical Plume and Subtropical Jet Streak
Authors: Knippertz Peter
Published: September 2005

Tropical plumes (TPs) are elongated bands of upper- and midlevel clouds stretching from the Tropics poleward and eastward into the subtropics, typically accompanied by a subtropical jet (STJ) streak and a trough on their poleward side. This study uses ECMWF analyses and high-resolution University of Wisconsin–Nonhydrostatic Modeling System trajectories to analyze the multiscale complex tropical–extratropical interactions involved in the genesis of a pronounced TP and STJ over the NH Atlantic Ocean in late March 2002 that was associated with extreme precipitation in arid northwest Africa. Previous concepts for TP genesis from the literature are discussed in the light of this case study.

Analysis of the upper-level flow prior to the TP formation shows a northeastward propagation and a continuous acceleration of the STJ over the Atlantic Ocean equatorward of a positively tilted upper-level trough to the west of northwest Africa. Both dynamic and advective processes contribute to the generation of the accompanying cloud band. The northern portion of the TP consists of parcels that exit a strong STJ streak over North America, enter the deep Tropics over South America, and then accelerate into the Atlantic STJ, accompanied by strong cross-jet ageostrophic motions, rising, and cloud formation. The southern portion is formed by parcels originating in the divergent outflow from strong near-equatorial convection accompanying the TP genesis. A local increase in the Hadley overturning is found over the tropical Atlantic and east Pacific/South America and appears to be related to low inertial stability at the outflow level and to low-level trade surges associated with the cold advection, sinking, and lower-level divergence underneath two strong upper-level convergence centers in the eastern portions of both a subtropical ridge over North America and an extratropical ridge over the North Atlantic Ocean. Evidence is presented that the convective response lags the trade surge by several days.
An Operational Statistical Typhoon Intensity Prediction Scheme for the Western North Pacific
Authors: Knaff John A. , Sampson Charles R. , DeMaria Mark
Published: September 2005

The current version of the Statistical Typhoon Intensity Prediction Scheme (STIPS) used operationally at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) to provide 12-hourly tropical cyclone intensity guidance through day 5 is documented. STIPS is a multiple linear regression model. It was developed using a “perfect prog” assumption and has a statistical–dynamical framework, which utilizes environmental information obtained from Navy Operational Global Analysis and Prediction System (NOGAPS) analyses and the JTWC historical best track for development. NOGAPS forecast fields are used in real time. A separate version of the model (decay-STIPS) is produced that accounts for the effects of landfall by using an empirical inland decay model. Despite their simplicity, STIPS and decay-STIPS produce skillful intensity forecasts through 4 days, based on a 48-storm verification (July 2003–October 2004). Details of this model’s development and operational performance are presented.
Computing Divergence from a Surface Network: Comparison of the Triangle and Pentagon Methods
Authors: Dubois Jacqueline A. , Spencer Phillip L.
Published: September 2005

Two methods for creating gridded fields of divergence from irregularly spaced wind observations are evaluated by sampling analytic fields of cyclones and anticyclones of varying wavelengths using a surface network. For the triangle method, which requires a triangular tessellation of the station network and assumes that the wind varies linearly within each triangle, divergence estimates are obtained directly from the wind observations and are assumed valid at triangle centroids. These irregularly spaced centroid divergence estimates then are analyzed to a grid using a Barnes analysis scheme. For the pentagon method, which requires a pentagonal tessellation of the station network and assumes that the wind varies quadratically within each pentagon, divergence estimates also are obtained directly from the wind observations and are valid at the station lying within the interior of each pentagon. These irregularly spaced divergence estimates then are analyzed to a grid using the same Barnes analysis scheme.

It is found that for errorless observations, the triangle method provides better analyses than the pentagon method for all wavelengths considered, despite the more restrictive assumption by the triangle method regarding the wind field. For well-sampled wavelengths, however, the preanalyzed divergence estimates at the interior stations of pentagons are found to be superior to those at triangle centroids. When random, Gaussian errors are added to the observations, all advantages of the pentagon method over the triangle method are found to disappear.
Short-Range Ensemble Forecasts of Precipitation Type
Authors: Wandishin Matthew S. , Baldwin Michael E. , Mullen Steven L. , Cortinas John V.
Published: September 2005

Short-range ensemble forecasting is extended to a critical winter weather problem: forecasting precipitation type. Forecast soundings from the operational NCEP Short-Range Ensemble Forecast system are combined with five precipitation-type algorithms to produce probabilistic forecasts from January through March 2002. Thus the ensemble combines model diversity, initial condition diversity, and postprocessing algorithm diversity. All verification numbers are conditioned on both the ensemble and observations recording some form of precipitation. This separates the forecast of type from the yes–no precipitation forecast.

The ensemble is very skillful in forecasting rain and snow but it is only moderately skillful for freezing rain and unskillful for ice pellets. However, even for the unskillful forecasts the ensemble shows some ability to discriminate between the different precipitation types and thus provides some positive value to forecast users. Algorithm diversity is shown to be as important as initial condition diversity in terms of forecast quality, although neither has as big an impact as model diversity. The algorithms have their individual strengths and weaknesses, but no algorithm is clearly better or worse than the others overall.
Improved Site-Specific Numerical Prediction of Fog and Low Clouds: A Feasibility Study
Authors: Bergot Thierry , Carrer Dominique , Noilhan Joël , Bougeault Philippe
Published: September 2005

Accurate short-term forecasts of low ceiling and visibility are vital to air traffic operation, in order to maximize the use of an airport. The research presented here uses specific local observations and a detailed numerical 1D model in an integrated approach. The goal of the proposed methodology is to improve the local prediction of poor visibility and low clouds at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle International Airport. In addition to the development of an integrated observations and model-based forecasting system, this study will try to assess whether or not the increased local observing network yields improvements in short-term forecasts of low ceiling and poor visibility. Tests have been performed in a systematic manner during 5 months (the 2002/03 winter season). Encouraging results show that the inclusion of dedicated observations into the local 1D forecast system provides significant improvement to the forecast. Inspection of events indicates that the improvement in very short-term forecasts is a consequence of the ability of the forecast system to more accurately characterize the boundary layer processes, especially during night. Accurate forecast of low cloud seems more difficult since it strongly depends on the 3D mesoscale flow. This study also demonstrates that the use of a 1D model to forecast fogs and low clouds could only be beneficial if it is associated with local measurements and with a local assimilation scheme. The assimilation procedure used in this study is based on different steps: in the first step the atmospheric profiles are estimated in a one-dimensional variational data assimilation (1DVAR) framework, in the second step these atmospheric profiles are modified when fog and/or low clouds are detected, and in the third step the soil profiles are estimated in order to keep the consistency between the soil state and atmospheric measurements.
Radar Z–RRelationship for Summer Monsoon Storms in Arizona
Authors: Morin Efrat , Maddox Robert A. , Goodrich David C. , Sorooshian Soroosh
Published: September 2005

Radar-based estimates of rainfall rates and accumulations are one of the principal tools used by the National Weather Service (NWS) to identify areas of extreme precipitation that could lead to flooding. Radar-based rainfall estimates have been compared to gauge observations for 13 convective storm events over a densely instrumented, experimental watershed to derive an accurate reflectivity–rainfall rate (i.e., Z–R) relationship for these events. The resultant Z–R relationship, which is much different than the NWS operational Z–R, has been examined for a separate, independent event that occurred over a different location. For all events studied, the NWS operational Z–R significantly overestimates rainfall compared to gauge measurements. The gauge data from the experimental network, the NWS operational rain estimates, and the improved estimates resulting from this study have been input into a hydrologic model to “predict” watershed runoff for an intense event. Rainfall data from the gauges and from the derived Z–R relation produce predictions in relatively good agreement with observed streamflows. The NWS Z–R estimates lead to predicted peak discharge rates that are more than twice as large as the observed discharges. These results were consistent over a relatively wide range of subwatershed areas (4–148 km2). The experimentally derived Z–R relationship may provide more accurate radar estimates for convective storms over the southwest United States than does the operational convective Z–R used by the NWS. These initial results suggest that the generic NWS Z–R relation, used nationally for convective storms, might be substantially improved for regional application.
The Application of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry to Absolute Bioavailability Studies in Humans: Simultaneous Administration of an Intravenous Microdose of 14C‐Nelfinavir Mesylate Solution and Oral Nelfinavir to Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Sarapa Nenad , Hsyu Poe‐Hirr , Lappin Graham , Garner Ronald Colin
Published: September 2005

The absolute bioavailability of nelfinavir was determined in 6 healthy volunteers following simultaneous administration of 1250 mg oral nelfinavir and an intravenous infusion of 14C‐nelfinavir mesylate on day 1 and at steady state. Nelfinavir oral bioavailability decreased from 0.88 to 0.47 over the 11‐day study period. The moderate bioavailability of nelfinavir was due to significant first‐pass metabolism rather than low absorption, limiting the potential of formulation improvement to decrease pill burden. Human absolute bioavailability studies with accelerator mass spectrometry microdosing, in which an intravenous microdose is given along with a conventional oral dose of the same drug, can differentiate between gastrointestinal absorption and the first‐pass metabolism of new drug candidates. Accelerator mass spectrometry allowed a several thousand‐fold dose reduction of 14C‐nelfinavir relative to that required for liquid scintillation counting. Accelerator mass spectrometry microdosing reduces potential safety issues around dosing radioactivity to humans and prevents the need to formulate high intravenous doses.
Cytokines and Toxicity in Acetaminophen Overdose
Authors: James Laura P. , Simpson Pippa M. , Farrar Henry C. , Kearns Gregory L. , Wasserman Gary S. , Blumer Jeffrey L. , Reed Michael D. , Sullivan Janice E. , Hinson Jack A. ,   The Pediatric Pharmacology Research Unit Network
Published: September 2005

Several cytokines have been reported to have hepatoprotective properties in animal models of acetaminophen toxicity. To investigate the relationships of cytokines and toxicity in acetaminophen overdose, blood samples were collected from patients following acute ingestions of acetaminophen. Samples for cytokine analysis were collected at the time of routine clinical monitoring in 111 patients (90 females; mean age 13.6 years). Plasma concentrations of interleukin 6, interleukin 8, interleukin 10, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 were analyzed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Patients were stratified by toxicity severity, defined by the maximal values of hepatic transaminase elevation. Levels of interleukin 6, interleukin 8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 were higher in patients with serum alanine aminotransferase > 1000 IU/L, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 had the strongest association with toxicity. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 values were higher in patients with greater delays in N‐acetylcysteine treatment and in patients with higher values of prothrombin time. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 elevation in acetaminophen overdose may represent an innate, immunomodulary response of the liver to earlier events in the toxicity. An understanding of the role of cytokine responses in acetaminophen overdose may be relevant to the future development of new therapies for acetaminophen toxicity.
Un Ecart Infime (Part III)
Authors: Lawlor Leonard
Published: September 2005

This article is the third part of a trilogy investigating the relation between Merleau-Ponty and Foucault. All three essays are inspired by Foucault’s diagnosis of our epoch in terms of biopower. They therefore aim at the creation of a new concept of life. In ‘ Un Ecart Infime (Part III)’, I lay out Foucault’s analysis, from the first chapter of The Order of Things, of Velázquez’s painting, Las Meninas. By stressing what Foucault says about the ‘sagittal lines’ exiting the painting, one can show that that there are three major phases in Foucault’s analysis: locating the blind spot; multiplying the invisibility; and the diffraction of the multiplicity into singularities. More generally, we can see that Foucault’s analysis of the painting concerns the informal space in auto-affection; in other words, it concerns the ‘blind spot’ in the mirror relation, in the ‘psyché’. The blind spot in the ‘soul’ - and the ambiguity in the French word psyché between mirror and soul - is why we can say that Foucault’s analysis concerns life: being blind, life must be conceived as informal and unmappable. I show in the conclusion that the inability of mapping and of seeing this space in fact allows for the increase of power.
The tattered man with only one shoe
Authors: Farrington Gill
Published: September 2005

Radio Five Live reporter Farrington recalls being on the streets as the bombs went off: "A church had become a sanctuary for the walking wounded and ambulances were taking other passengers away on stretchers. Witnesses with blackened faces spoke of seeing a flash and hearing a bang. The next thing they saw, they said, were bodies on the floor of an adjacent carriage. An enduring image was of a man sitting on a kerb. He looked liked a City trader. His suit jacket and the briefcase propped by his side were pristine, but his trousers were hanging in rags round his ankles and he was wearing only one shoe. His expression was blank."
The freeloading generation
Authors: Blackhurst Rob
Published: September 2005

Young journalist Blackhurst poses the question, "Why shouldn't news be free" and comments: "Just as annual fees for credit cards disappeared almost overnight under market pressure, so a large middle swathe of the British newspaper market may be forced to dispense with a cover price over the next few decades. Perhaps we'll see a whole stable of free-sheets with different political and demographic complexions. Paid-for newspapers could still flourish in such a world, but they may well be limited to niches in the market... As the free news shock wave gains momentum, new papers, like the next London free sheet, may have to try harder by including the star-name columnists and celebrity interviews that have so far been confined to the paid-for press. Would young and budget-conscious commuters then even contemplate spending £275 pounds a year buying a daily quality paper, or £100 regularly reading an evening title? That sort of money buys, at least, a brace of return tickets for two on Easy Jet."
How best to wrestle a giant
Authors: Lawton James
Published: September 2005

The Independent's chief sports writer welcomes the capture of the 2012 Olympic Games by London, but warns of its journalistic pitfalls: "No doubt a coming generation of sports writers are already thirsting for the London Olympics of 2012 and the chance it offers them to make their names and their careers, and for some of them it will surely be a baptism of glory. But the most successful will need plenty of luck, great energy for two or three weeks and an absolute refusal to be cowed by the fact that there will be 1,000 stories out there that they will neither own nor sniff. The Olympics have long been a monster of logistics, and that remains the killing problem: you can only be in one place at one time and generally it tends to be where the big story isn't."
A Daughter in Israel: Celebrating Bat Jephthah(Judg. 11.39d-40)
Authors: Beavis Mary Ann
Published: September 2005

This article offers a new hypothesis regarding Judg. 11.39d-40, a reference to an otherwise unknown festival celebrated by the ‘daughters of Israel’ in memory of the sacrifice of Jepththah’s daughter. After a survey of feminist and non-feminist speculations as to the nature of the festival, evidence from Greek heroine cults in which daughters are sacrificed for the good of the state is adduced as the closest parallel in ancient literature. The article concludes with some feminist theological considerations occasioned by the patriotic and military nature of the festival.
Europe’s First Roots: Female Cosmogonies before the Arrival of the IndoEuropean Peoples
Authors: Percovich Luciana
Published: September 2005

There is a hidden history of Europe, which is far earlier than the Indo-European history of public konwledge and education. Archaeological, mythological and linguistic evidence point to a matrilineal society, which honoured the place of women, was based on a partnership between women and men, and lived in accord with its natural environment. I find in this early history a cause of hope for Europe’s present and future. If Europeans can learn from this diverse and non-militaristic distant past, which has been repressed but not destroyed, there is hope that we can develop models of society based on partnership rather than dominance.
In Woman’s Image: An Iconography for God
Authors: Polinska Wioleta
Published: September 2005

Historical representations of God are deeply masculinist within the Christian tradition. In spite of the theoretical recognition that God transcends gender, Christian tradition failed to produce fully autonomous female images of God. While representations of the Virgin Mary were the only expressions of the divine as feminine, the figure of Mary was shrouded in ambivalence since she was often shown as both authoritative and submissive. In spite of these limitations, she can serve as an inspiration to feminist artists and theologians. Contemporary renditions of Mary, inspired by the images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, show her as triumphant, and actively involved in women’s struggle. Other artistic works from Native American and Goddess traditions display the sacred women as selfdetermined and capable of creativity at various stages in life. This article proposes that within a visual culture like ours, figures of God as feminine are crucial in challenging the reigning masculine symbols for God.
The Body as a Lived Metaphor: Interpreting Catherine of Siena as an Ethical Agent
Authors: Grimwood Tom
Published: September 2005

This article argues that reading the life of Catherine of Siena can fall into passive models of feminine agency that stifle the potential such a life has to offer. By investigating the way passivity is imposed by both traditional and feminist writers on her life, this article argues that new ways of conceptualizing asceticism are possible through the affirmation of Catherine of Siena’s agency as active. This involves viewing the relation of the ascetic body to its explanatory texts (both historical and contemporary) as something more than literal. Using recent interpretations of Paul, this article argues that Catherine of Siena can be read as a performative exposition of the hidden oppressiveness of the dualistic framework ascetics are often taken to be mere ‘victims’ of.
Are Industrial Districts Formed by Networks Without Technologies?
Authors: Belussi Fiorenza
Published: September 2005

It is widely acknowledged that there has been a technological revolution in information and communication technologies (ICT), centred on Internet applications, in recent years. However, there is still a great controversy about the extent to which ICT are transforming the competitiveness of individual firms, clusters and large economic regions. On the one hand, the use of ICT could undermine those economic systems that are very distant from the strategic motors where these developments are taking place, re-establishing a re-centralization pattern in both functional (size) and geographical (space) dimensions. On the other hand, the ‘virtualization’ of the spatial economic relations could offer economic agents located in peripheral areas a better access to the development of distance relationships. In this perspective, the assumptions of the ‘vanishing’ of physical distance could represent a fascinating ‘utopia’. This paper analyses how industrial districts (IDs), which may be considered special forms of clusters, have managed the absorption of ICT (information and communication technologies). Are they formed by networks without technologies? In order to answer this question we organized an empirical research in three selected Italian clusters. We chose three cases which are representative of the empirical variation. The investigation presented here is based on a selected sample of 42 firms interviewed (all SMEs). Their behaviours in terms of ICT technology adoption were found to be quite similar in the three IDs studied. We reached the conclusion that neither size nor the entrepreneurial cognitive frame matters in hindering diffusion. Our results seem to demonstrate that firms adopted ICT technologies with respect to end customers while they were reluctant to use B2B linkages with subcontractors and suppliers (EDI and ERP technologies). However, this should not be interpreted as a lock-in phenomenon, but as a sign that they rely on flexible and trustful informal communication that cannot easily and efficiently be virtualized in electronic form.
Technological Life-Cycles
Authors: Dalum Bent , Pedersen Christian Ø.R. , Villumsen Gert
Published: September 2005

New disruptive technological life-cycles may initiate the emergence of new regional industrial clusters or create opportunities for further development of existing ones. They may, however, also result in stagnation and decline. For clusters in many of the fast developing technologies, the evolution is closely related to shifts in technological life-cycles. During the 1980s and 1990s new mobile communications technologies have emerged as a series of distinct life-cycles, which have caused major disruptions in the industry. The paper examines the key features of a cluster in wireless communications technologies, where the economic evolution has been quite closely related to the emergence of new key technologies. The analysis is focused on the strategy and policy issues involved in the specific phase where one technological life-cycle may (or may not?) be succeeded by the next. When facing disruption the actors in the cluster have discussed various strategies for how to cope with shifts in the technological life-cycles. We find that there is room and need for policy and collective action in periods of uncertainty created by new disruptive technological life-cycles.
Damage Tolerance in Naturally Compliant Structures
Authors: Alam M. S. , Jenkins C. H.
Published: September 2005

In this study, the damage tolerant design in a particular compliant structure, the spider web, has been studied. The orb web spider has evolved over the last 180 million years. This long period of evolution has made the present spider web, an elegant, natural, lightweight structure that efficiently resists different loads, such as wind and insect impact. It can function as a net for catching prey even if several elements are broken. Nature has accomplished these tasks by optimizing its form of construction, and by making spider silk a biopolymer with superior elasticity and tensile strength. Spider webs are clearly one of the most efficient structures engineered by nature. In this study, we attempt to understand how the spider web achieves its damage tolerance. A finite element (FE) model of an ideal spider web has been created using the FEMAP pre- and post-processing software and analyzed using the ABAQUS nonlinear FE code. Both the static and dynamic problems have been considered, and experimental validation has also been performed. How stress is redistributed in the face of damage and how the loss of web elements affects the dynamic response of the web have been considered. Finally, the numerical simulations have been compared to physical experiments. Instead of actual spider webs, artificial nets have been examined; the first natural frequencies for different damage configurations have been measured by laser vibrometer. A FE model of the net has also been created in FEMAP and analyzed by ABAQUS. In both analyses, the same elements have been removed systematically from the center of the web and the first natural frequencies have been determined. The prediction matches well with the experiment. The results of this study may give insight into other ultra-lightweight structures, such as cable-stayed bridges and gossamer space structures.
On Constitutive Equations For Anisotropic Nonlinearly Viscoelastic Solids
Authors: Merodio J. , Rajagopal K. R.
Published: September 2005

Many biological, geological and synthetic bodies are anisotropic. In particular, some of these bodies reflect the anisotropy due to fiber reinforcement along a direction or more than one direction. In a recent paper Merodio developed constitutive equations for fiber-reinforced transversely isotropic nonlinearly viscoelastic bodies where the transverse isotropy was a consequence of the presence of a single family of unidirectional reinforcements. It was shown that constitutive equations for such materials can be expressed in terms of functions of 18 independent invariants, eight of them associated with the deformation and the orientation of the fiber. Here we provide a corresponding analysis for more general constitutive equations: anisotropic models with two preferred fiber directions, i.e., two families of fiber reinforcements. In this case, we show that the constitutive equations can be expressed in terms of functions of 37 independent invariants. These invariants are analyzed with regard to their properties, e.g., their non-negativity, etc, which have a bearing on the response characteristics of the body. There are 11 coupling invariants arising from the simultaneous existence of both family of fibers. These invariants depend, among other variables, on the relative fiber orientations, and the physical implications of these invariants are discussed. We determine the invariants for two illustrative deformation gradients: (i) a diagonal one aligned with one of the two fiber directions and corresponding to a homogeneous deformation, and (ii) a simple shear deformation along one of the two fiber directions in a plane containing both fibers. The physical significance of all the invariants, in the two different cases, is discussed. The need for simplifying these models to a form that is amenable to analysis and experimental corroboration is also discussed.
Integral Solutions of Boundary Value Problems of Anti-Plane Piezoelectricity
Authors: Lioubimova E. , Schiavone P.
Published: September 2005

We consider boundary value problems of anti-plane shear in the static theory of linear piezoelectricity. Using the boundary integral equation method, we reduce the problems to systems of singular integral equations to which Nöether's classical theorems on existence of solution are shown to apply. Moreover, it is shown that for the boundary value problems considered here, Nöether's theorems actually reduce to Fredholm's theorems. This allows us to establish well-posedness results and find integral potential-type solutions of the corresponding boundary value problems for a rather general class of piezoelectric materials.
A Modified Theory of Magnetic Effects in Elastic Materials
Authors: Ericksen J. L.
Published: September 2005

Essentially, this is a critique of static theories covering magnetic effects and elastic deformations. For this, I just use general ideas of continuum theory and common ideas from the calculus of variations as it relates to energy minimization. I obtain the basic equations and jump conditions before even mentioning forces and torques, since descriptions of these have been controversial.
A Bakhtinian Approach to Identity in the Context of Institutional Practices
Authors: Lacasa Pilar , Del Castillo Héctor , García-Varela Ana B.
Published: September 2005

This study deals with the construction of identity in institutional contexts, taking as a starting point a Bakhtinian approach. We focus on the idea of author and hero and consider it as a metaphor allowing us to look for new models through which to understand human learning. We consider in particular the ethical and aesthetic dimension of human activity, which relate to the concepts of ‘I’ and ‘other’, respectively, and pay special attention to personal and interpersonal dimensions of consciousness. After exploring some of Bakhtin’s earliest texts, we focus on classroom conversations in which children worked together with their teacher and the researchers on the production of a web page which was to include their own comments and reflections following a discussion of violence on TV programs. Our examples are drawn from a wider investigation carried out in a Spanish elementary school, where we have been working from within an ethnographical and action research perspective. The analyses show that when mass media are present in the classroom, and children and adults talk about violence on television, specific situations are created that favor the construction of identity from an ethical-aesthetic perspective: that is, children are capable of assuming responsibilities and, furthermore, they create heroes who are also responsible for their own actions.
Historical Reflections on Mental Health Care in Sweden: The Welfare State and Cultural Diversity
Authors: Bäärnhielm Sofie , Ekblad Solvig , Ekberg Jan , Ginsburg Bengt Erik
Published: September 2005

This article discusses historical reflections on the response of Swedish mental health care to cultural diversity and immigration and our views regarding future directions for clinical care, research and training. Sweden has become increasingly multicultural through immigration. Mental health care in Sweden faces the challenges of encountering cultural diversity and the mental health consequences of forced immigration, acculturation, and refugee trauma. In our view, Swedish mental health care is at a crossroads: either it takes up the challenge raised by immigration of an increasing cultural diversity or it satisfies itself with rhetoric, thus leaving reality at the margins. Equity regarding access to mental health care in Sweden today must include an acceptance of, and interest for, the diversity of the population.
Social networks in a ‘discredited’ neighbourhood
Authors: Warr Deborah J.
Published: September 2005

Neighbourhoods are vulnerable to being stigmatized with implications for residents’ social networks, experiences of social connectedness, and opportunities for developing or accessing social capital. Goffman defined stigma as a discrediting attribute that impairs social acceptability. Poverty can be considered a discrediting attribute and stigma is experienced through negative labelling and stereotyping of the poor. Using qualitative data collected through interviews and participant observation in two impoverished suburbs in Victoria, Australia, this article explores experiences of neighbourhood, social networks and stigma as they are perceived by residents and people working in the neighbourhood. There was evidence of people being involved in supportive local bonding networks but few people were linked in bridging networks that extended outside the neighbourhood. Bridging networks are considered to be most effective for accessing valuable forms of social capital. The article considers social contexts for residents’ networks for their potential to generate social capital. Contemporary contexts for the stigmatization of poverty and possibilities for ‘destigmatizing’ social groups and neighbourhoods are discussed.
The reduction of women’s imprisonment in England and Wales
Authors: Player Elaine
Published: September 2005

The Government published a separate strategy for women offenders and established the Women’s Offending Reduction Programme to co-ordinate cross-government initiatives that target women’s offending and the criminogenic factors that underpin it. In order for preventive strategies to be taken forward the reduction of women’s imprisonment has been identified as a priority. Yet the Government has presided over a period of unprecedented growth in the female prison population and its criminal justice policies convey contradictory messages about the use of custody for women. The future capacity of the female estate has been expanded by the commissioning of two new women’s prisons and the sentencing reforms contained in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 fail to apply a brake on the courts’ increasing use of imprisonment. This article examines the ways in which the new legislation fails the test of ‘joined-up’ government by undermining its own strategy for female offenders and exposing larger numbers of women to the risk of imprisonment.