bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hydrogenation of Si from SiNx(H) films: Characterization of H introduced into the Si
Authors: Jiang Fan , Stavola Michael , Rohatgi A. , Kim D. , Holt J. , Atwater H. , Kalejs J.
Published: August 2003

A promising method to introduce H into multicrystalline Si solar cells in order to passivate bulk defects is by the postdeposition annealing of a H-rich, SiNx surface layer. It has previously been difficult to characterize the small concentration of H that is introduced by this method. Infrared spectroscopy has been used together with marker impurities in the Si to determine the concentration and depth of H introduced into Si from an annealed SiNx film.
Enhanced thermal stability of laser diodes with shape-engineered quantum dot medium
Authors: Tokranov V. , Yakimov M. , Katsnelson A. , Lamberti M. , Oktyabrsky S.
Published: August 2003

Optical properties of the quantum dots (QDs) were optimized by shape engineering through the adjustment of the thickness of the GaAs overlayer prior to an additional heating step leading to QD truncation. QDs with a 6-nm-thick overlayer with the subsequent heating step were found to have the highest photoluminescence intensity at room temperature and the lowest luminescence bandwidth, 29 meV. 1.22 μm edge-emitting laser with a triple-layer truncated QD gain medium demonstrated room temperature threshold current density, 56 A/cm2, and saturated modal gain, 16 cm−1. An extremely high characteristic temperature for lasing threshold, T0=380 K up to 55 °C, and a maximum ground state lasing temperature of 219 °C were measured for these laser diodes.
Ultrafast nonlinear response of AlGaAs two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguides
Authors: Bristow A. D. , Wells J.-P. R. , Fan W. H. , Fox A. M. , Skolnick M. S. , Whittaker D. M. , Tahraoui A. , Krauss T. F. , Roberts J. S.
Published: August 2003

We have used femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy to study the ultrafast nonlinear response of AlGaAs two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguides in the near-infrared spectral region. The modulation of the reflectivity spectra due to the refractive index change produced by photogenerated carriers was measured. We observed an instantaneous pump-induced shift in the wavelength of a photonic resonance at 882 nm with a fast decay time of ≈8 ps. The magnitude of the reflectivity change was very large at wavelengths close to the photonic resonance, with a maximum value of ΔR/R>30% at 877 nm. These results confirm the excellent potential of photonic crystal waveguides in ultrafast nonlinear switching applications.
Transition from three- to two-dimensional growth in strained SrRuO3 films on SrTiO3(001)
Authors: Sánchez F. , Garcı́a-Cuenca M. V. , Ferrater C. , Varela M. , Herranz G. , Martı́nez B. , Fontcuberta J.
Published: August 2003

The morphology of strained SrRuO3 films grown on SrTiO3(001) has been investigated as a function of thickness. A transition of growth mode has been observed. At the early stages, there is a fingerlike structure originated by three-dimensional (3D) islands that nucleated along the substrate steps. Afterward, adatoms stick preferentially in the valleys of the structure and the films become progressively smoother. At a thickness above 10–20 nm, the films are extremely flat and have a self-organized structure of terraces and steps, with the growth proceeding mainly by a step flow (two-dimensional) mechanism. Relevance on film properties and possible use of the initial, nanometric, 3D structures are discussed.
Quantum-well microtube constructed from a freestanding thin quantum-well layer
Authors: Hosoda M. , Kishimoto Y. , Sato M. , Nashima S. , Kubota K. , Saravanan S. , Vaccaro P. O. , Aida T. , Ohtani N.
Published: August 2003

We fabricated and experimentally investigated a nanostructure known as a quantum-well (QW) microtube, which is a fine tube with a micron- or nanometer-order diameter fabricated by rolling a semiconductor GaAs QW. Although the wall thickness is only 40 nm, the system retains the quantum properties of a QW, and photoluminescence from the QW subband can be clearly observed. Even though the QW width is sufficiently small to make the QW subband type-II band-aligned, a type-II to type-I transition caused by uniaxial strain in the microtube allows for optical emission.
Domain of CuPtB-type and CuAu–I-type ordered structures in highly strained CdxZn1−xTe/ZnTe heterostructures
Authors: Lee H. S. , Lee J. Y. , Kim T. W. , Park H. L.
Published: August 2003

The ordered behaviors in highly strained CdxZn1−xTe/ZnTe epitaxial layers grown on (001) GaAs substrates were investigated by using selected area electron diffraction pattern (SADP) and cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurements. The results of the SADP and the HRTEM measurements showed that CuPt– and CuAu–I-type ordered structures were formed in the CdxZn1−xTe epitaxial layers. TEM images showed that the sizes of the ordered domains with elliptical shapes ranged between approximately 10 and 80 nm. An epitaxial relationship between the CuPt– and CuAu–I-type ordered structures was observed. The coexisting behaviors of the two ordered structures and the epitaxial relationship between the structures are discussed. The present results can help to improve the understanding of the formation mechanism and the coexisting behaviors of the two ordered structures in CdxZn1−xTe epilayers.
Sequence-independent DNA binding and replication initiation by the human origin recognition complex
Authors: Vashee Sanjay , Cvetic Christin , Lu Wenyan , Simancek Pamela , Kelly Thomas J. , Walter Johannes C.
Published: August 2003

We report that a highly purified human origin recognition complex (HsORC) has intrinsic DNA-binding activity, and that this activity is modestly stimulated by ATP. HsORC binds preferentially to synthetic AT-rich polydeoxynucleotides, but does not effectively discriminate between natural DNA fragments that contain known human origins and control fragments. The complex fully restores DNA replication to ORC-depletedXenopusegg extracts, providing strong evidence for its initiator function. Strikingly, HsORC stimulates initiation from any DNA sequence, and it does not preferentially replicate DNA containing human origin sequences. These data provide a biochemical explanation for the observation that in metazoans, initiation of DNA replication often occurs in a seemingly random pattern, and they have important implications for the nature of human origins of DNA replication.
Differential DNA affinity specifies roles for the origin recognition complex in budding yeast heterochromatin
Authors: Palacios DeBeer Madeleine A. , Müller Ulrika , Fox Catherine A.
Published: August 2003

The origin recognition complex (ORC) marks chromosomal positions as replication origins and is essential for replication initiation. At a few loci, the ORC functions in heterochromatin formation. We show that the ORC's two roles at the heterochromaticHMRalocus inSaccharomyces cerevisiaewere regulated by differences in the ORC's interaction with its target site. AtHMRa, a strong ORC-DNA interaction inhibited and delayed replication initiation but promoted heterochromatin formation, whereas a weak ORC-DNA interaction allowed for increased and earlier replication initiation but reduced heterochromatin formation. Therefore, the ORC's interaction with its target site could modulate ORC activity within a heterochromatin domain in vivo.
BMAL1-dependent circadian oscillation of nuclear CLOCK: posttranslational events induced by dimerization of transcriptional activators of the mammalian clock system
Authors: Kondratov Roman V. , Chernov Mikhail V. , Kondratova Anna A. , Gorbacheva Victoria Y. , Gudkov Andrei V. , Antoch Marina P.
Published: August 2003

Mammalian CLOCK and BMAL1 are two members of bHLH-PAS-containing family of transcription factors that represent the positive elements of circadian autoregulatory feedback loop. In the form of a heterodimer, they drive transcription from E-box enhancer elements in the promoters of responsive genes. We have examined abundance, posttranslational modifications, cellular localization of endogenous and ectopically expressed CLOCK and BMAL1 proteins. Nuclear/cytoplasm distribution of CLOCK was found to be under circadian regulation. Analysis of subcellular localization of CLOCK in embryo fibroblasts of mice carrying different germ-line circadian mutations showed that circadian regulation of nuclear accumulation of CLOCK is BMAL1-dependent. Formation of CLOCK/BMAL1 complex following ectopic coexpression of both proteins is followed by their codependent phosphorylation, which is tightly coupled to CLOCK nuclear translocation and degradation. This binding-dependent coregulation is specific for CLOCK/BMAL1 interaction, as no other PAS domain protein that can form a complex with either CLOCK or BMAL1 was able to induce similar effects. Importantly, all posttranslational events described in our study are coupled with active transactivation complex formation, which argues for their significant functional role. Altogether, these results provide evidence for an additional level of circadian system control, which is based on regulation of transcriptional activity or/and availability of CLOCK/BMAL1 complex.
A conserved structural motif reveals the essential transcriptional repression function of Spen proteins and their role in developmental signaling
Authors: Ariyoshi Mariko , Schwabe John W.R.
Published: August 2003

Spen proteins regulate the expression of key transcriptional effectors in diverse signaling pathways. They are large proteins characterized by N-terminal RNA-binding motifs and a highly conserved C-terminal SPOC domain. The specific biological role of the SPOC domain (Spenparalog andorthologC-terminal domain), and hence, the common function of Spen proteins, has been unclear to date. The Spen protein, SHARP (SMRT/HDAC1-associatedrepressorprotein), was identified as a component of transcriptional repression complexes in both nuclear receptor and Notch/RBP-Jκ signaling pathways. We have determined the 1.8 Å crystal structure of the SPOC domain from SHARP. This structure shows that essentially all of the conserved surface residues map to a positively charged patch. Structure-based mutational analysis indicates that this conserved region is responsible for the interaction between SHARP and the universal transcriptional corepressor SMRT/NCoR (silencingmediator forretinoid andthyroid receptors/nuclear receptorcorepressor. We demonstrate that this interaction involves a highly conserved acidic motif at the C terminus of SMRT/NCoR. These findings suggest that the conserved function of the SPOC domain is to mediate interaction with SMRT/NCoR corepressors, and that Spen proteins play an essential role in the repression complex.
Endothelial PDGF-B retention is required for proper investment of pericytes in the microvessel wall
Authors: Lindblom Per , Gerhardt Holger , Liebner Stefan , Abramsson Alexandra , Enge Maria , Hellström Mats , Bäckström Gudrun , Fredriksson Simon , Landegren Ulf , Nyström Henrik C. , Bergström Göran , Dejana Elisabetta , Östman Arne , Lindahl Per , Betsholtz Christer
Published: August 2003

Several platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family members display C-terminal protein motifs that confer retention of the secreted factors within the pericellular space. To address the role of PDGF-B retention in vivo, we deleted the retention motif by gene targeting in mice. This resulted in defective investment of pericytes in the microvessel wall and delayed formation of the renal glomerulus mesangium. Long-term effects of lack of PDGF-B retention included severe retinal deterioration, glomerulosclerosis, and proteinuria. We conclude that retention of PDGF-B in microvessels is essential for proper recruitment and organization of pericytes and for renal and retinal function in adult mice.
ARC6 Is a J-Domain Plastid Division Protein and an Evolutionary Descendant of the Cyanobacterial Cell Division Protein Ftn2[W]
Authors: Vitha Stanislav , Froehlich John E. , Koksharova Olga , Pyke Kevin A. , van Erp Harrie , Osteryoung Katherine W.
Published: August 2003

Replication of chloroplasts is essential for achieving and maintaining optimal plastid numbers in plant cells. The plastid division machinery contains components of both endosymbiotic and host cell origin, but little is known about the regulation and molecular mechanisms that govern the division process. The Arabidopsis mutant arc6 is defective in plastid division, and its leaf mesophyll cells contain only one or two grossly enlarged chloroplasts. We show here that arc6 chloroplasts also exhibit abnormal localization of the key plastid division proteins FtsZ1 and FtsZ2. Whereas in wild-type plants, the FtsZ proteins assemble into a ring at the plastid division site, chloroplasts in the arc6 mutant contain numerous short, disorganized FtsZ filament fragments. We identified the mutation in arc6 and show that the ARC6 gene encodes a chloroplast-targeted DnaJ-like protein localized to the plastid envelope membrane. An ARC6–green fluorescent protein fusion protein was localized to a ring at the center of the chloroplasts and rescued the chloroplast division defect in the arc6 mutant. The ARC6 gene product is related closely to Ftn2, a prokaryotic cell division protein unique to cyanobacteria. Based on the FtsZ filament morphology observed in the arc6 mutant and in plants that overexpress ARC6, we hypothesize that ARC6 functions in the assembly and/or stabilization of the plastid-dividing FtsZ ring. We also analyzed FtsZ localization patterns in transgenic plants in which plastid division was blocked by altered expression of the division site–determining factor AtMinD. Our results indicate that MinD and ARC6 act in opposite directions: ARC6 promotes and MinD inhibits FtsZ filament formation in the chloroplast.
The Arabidopsis Basic/Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor Family[W]
Authors: Toledo-Ortiz Gabriela , Huq Enamul , Quail Peter H.
Published: August 2003

The basic/helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins are a superfamily of transcription factors that bind as dimers to specific DNA target sites and that have been well characterized in nonplant eukaryotes as important regulatory components in diverse biological processes. Based on evidence that the bHLH protein PIF3 is a direct phytochrome reaction partner in the photoreceptor's signaling network, we have undertaken a comprehensive computational analysis of the Arabidopsis genome sequence databases to define the scope and features of the bHLH family. Using a set of criteria derived from a previously defined consensus motif, we identified 147 bHLH protein–encoding genes, making this one of the largest transcription factor families in Arabidopsis. Phylogenetic analysis of the bHLH domain sequences permits classification of these genes into 21 subfamilies. The evolutionary and potential functional relationships implied by this analysis are supported by other criteria, including the chromosomal distribution of these genes relative to duplicated genome segments, the conservation of variant exon/intron structural patterns, and the predicted DNA binding activities within subfamilies. Considerable diversity in DNA binding site specificity among family members is predicted, and marked divergence in protein sequence outside of the conserved bHLH domain is observed. Together with the established propensity of bHLH factors to engage in varying degrees of homodimerization and heterodimerization, these observations suggest that the Arabidopsis bHLH proteins have the potential to participate in an extensive set of combinatorial interactions, endowing them with the capacity to be involved in the regulation of a multiplicity of transcriptional programs. We provide evidence from yeast two-hybrid and in vitro binding assays that two related phytochrome-interacting members in the Arabidopsis family, PIF3 and PIF4, can form both homodimers and heterodimers and that all three dimeric configurations can bind specifically to the G-box DNA sequence motif CACGTG. These data are consistent, in principle, with the operation of this combinatorial mechanism in Arabidopsis.
Intergenerational Welfare Participation in New Zealand
Authors: Maloney Tim , Maani Sholeh , Pacheco Gail
Published: August 2003

New Zealand panel data, which provide extensive information on the benefit histories of parents and their children, are used to estimate an intergenerational correlation coefficient in social welfare dependency. Recent estimation techniques for addressing issues of measurement error are applied to this analysis. The long‐term benefit histories of parents and instrumental variable techniques provide useful lower and upper‐bound estimates of the true intergenerational correlation. Our results suggest that the true correlation coefficient between the welfare participation of parents and their offspring is somewhere between one‐third and two‐thirds, but probably much closer to the lower limit in this range. Approximately one‐quarter of this effect appears to operate through the lower educational attainment of children reared in families receiving social welfare benefits.
Counter‐Terrorism and the Criminalisation of Politics: Australia's New Security Powers of Detention, Proscription and Control
Authors: Hocking Jenny
Published: August 2003

This paper details the threats to civil liberties in Australia attendant upon rushed legislative efforts (during 2002) to deal with international terrorism. It is therefore indicative of the dangers of opportunistic political responses in countries which have not incurred terrorism directly and which may need more sustained debate about the nature and appropriateness of unprecedented and extra‐judicial powers. The potential for the criminalisation of politics is demonstrated here through an examination of the ASIO Act Amendment Bill 2002 and the Security Legislation Amendment (Terrorism) Bill 2002. The paper criticises the detention, proscription and executive control of normal political activity which these Bills proposed.
The “Crusade” Against Evil: Bush's Fundamentalism
Authors: Maddox Graham
Published: August 2003

This paper deals with some of the religious elements in the responses to the terrorist attacks. It criticises some initial Christian responses (in America) as well as George Bush (Jnr)'s self‐asserted Christian credentials. The conjunction between business‐friendly forms of religion and the religious cloak over a right‐wing political stance is presented as an aspect of Bush's “crusade”. The paper surveys the history of the constitutional separation of church and state and the emergence of a republican tradition which had pretensions to displace the “moral haughtiness” and insolence of American religiosity. But the “faith‐based” legislation favoured by Bush has prevailed in the general judgementalism of the administration and in the “security measures” and pro‐corporate legislation enacted in 2001 and 2002.
Western Images of Islam, 1700–1900
Authors: Almond Philip
Published: August 2003

This paper traces fluctuating attitudes to Islam and its Prophet, particularly in the eighteenth and nineteenth. Western perceptions, as revealed by writers of the period, encyclopaedias, biographies and commentaries, were sometimes sympathetic, sometimes dismissive; sometimes celebrating Islam's piousness; sometimes accusing it of fraud. Sometimes Islam is seen as benign; sometimes its violence is seen as endemic. Often the cultural biases of western observers are obvious: the west is progressive and historically dominant, the east (and its cultural accoutrements) is degenerate and over‐zealous. But we ought not judge religions or cultures by their worst manifestations alone. Oriental societies were never just Islamic or traditional. They comprise not only those who perpetuate oppressive practices towards women but also modernizers who seek change.
Religious Citizenship
Authors: Hudson Wayne
Published: August 2003

This short paper raises one side of a pertinent contemporary debate — that religion is still an important influence in politics. Social science errs by imagining this is a transient phenomenon. The post‐Enlightenment presumption that secular and sacred realms should and could be isolated, with political activity uncontrolled by scriptural prescription, was probably never feasible and certainly is not now in those countries where religion plays a large role in political and social life. This realisation seems to demand a reconsideration of theories of citizenship and the erstwhile national constitution of rights and obligations. Law and civic belonging will need to be re‐constituted according to multi‐faith rather than secular principles, even in countries like Australia.
Aestheticising Terrorism: Alternative Approaches to 11 September
Authors: Bleiker Roland
Published: August 2003

This paper highlights the methodological difficulties of ascribing causation to events which are to some extent “irrational” and demanding of different forms of understanding — such as those provided in Romantic literature, or poetry, or art. It may be that the scientific urge to systematise diverts analytical attention from debates over values, and from existential complexities in the connections between (say) poverty and violent acts of (imagined) retribution. Official language also proffers distorting metaphors, sanitises facts and impedes the possibility of combating terrorism. “Non‐analytical methods” may be essential to analysis.
Crime That Pays: The Global Spread of the Russian Mafia
Authors: Granville Johanna
Published: August 2003

Books reviewed in this article:

Robert I. Friedman, Red Mafia: How the Russian Mob Has Invaded America

Paul Klebnikov, Godfather of the Kremlin: Boris Berezovsky and the Looting of Russia

James O. Finckenauer and Elin J. Waring, Russian Mafia in America: Immigration, Culture, and Crime

Chrystia Freeland, Sale of the Century: Russia's Wild Ride from Communism to Capitalism

Jeffrey Robinson, The Merger: The Conglomeration of International Organized Crime
How Many Separated Aboriginal Children?
Authors: Read Peter
Published: August 2003

Acknowledging the difficulty in arriving at an accurate estimate of the number of Aboriginal children removed from their families during the twentieth century, I argue that the greatest accuracy will flow from working with specialist scholars of small areas. Their studies, many of which already exist, draw on archival, documentary, oral and community sources. Such locally specialised knowledge is necessary to unravel official population figures and shifting definitions of Aboriginality, sometimes deliberately intended to deceive. Community‐based knowledge is needed to expand upon the files of removed children, at least half of which, in Wiradjuri country, are missing or inaccessible. Lastly I consider some of the implications of the discussion in relation to a “Stolen Generations Tribunal”.
Unspeakable Pasts as Limit Events: The Holocaust, Genocide, and the Stolen Generations
Authors: Gigliotti Simone
Published: August 2003

This article examines the role of testimony in the production of the memory of the Holocaust and the practice of forcible removals in Australia as “limit events”. A “limit event” is an event or practice of such magnitude and profound violence that its effects rupture the otherwise normative foundations of legitimacy and so‐called civilising tendencies that underlie the constitution of political and moral community. The references are the stories of removal collated in Bringing Them Home, and eyewitness testimonies from the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem in 1961. By situating the stolen generations and the Eichmann trial as limit events, I argue that the effects of witnessing and story‐telling exposed a cultural semantics of what was speakable and unspeakable in the narratives of judging historical injustice and remembering past traumas.
The impact of cognitive styles on perceptual distributed multimedia quality
Authors: Ghinea Gheorghita , Chen Sherry Y.
Published: August 2003

Multimedia technology has been widely used in web‐based instruction, but previous studies have indicated that individual differences, especially cognitive styles, have significant effects on users’ preferences with respect to presentation of multimedia content. However, such research has thus far neglected to examine the effect of cognitive styles on users’ subjective perceptions of multimedia quality. This study aims to examine the relationships among users’ cognitive styles, the multimedia Quality of Service (QoS) delivered by the underlying network, and Quality of Perception (QoP), which encompasses user levels of enjoyment and understanding of the informational content provided by multimedia material. Accordingly, 132 users took part in an experiment in which they were shown multimedia video clips presented with different values of two QoS parameters (frame rate and colour depth). Results show that, whilst the two QoS parameters do not impact user QoP, multimedia content and dynamism levels significantly influence the user understanding and enjoyment component of QoP.
Learning from web‐based instructional systems and cognitive style
Authors: Graff Martin
Published: August 2003

Two of the principal issues, which have been addressed in assessments of the benefits of web‐based instructional systems, are firstly, whether the segmentation of information provided by the web structure aids users in apprehending the interrelationships between the units of information featured in the web. Secondly, whether providing the user with an overview of the web system assists in facilitating his/her learning. It is suggested in the present study that these two issues may be more effectively understood by a consideration of an individual's cognitive style. Fifty participants were assigned to one of two web‐based instructional systems featuring information on the subject of psychological ethics. The information in one of the web systems was segmented to a greater degree than the information in the other. Half the participants using each web system were given an overview of the system and half were not. After a given time using the system, participants were tested on the information from the web. The findings suggest that cognitive style and segmentation had an effect on performance, although the provision of the overview had little effect. The results are discussed in terms of a consideration of cognitive style in the design of web‐based instructional systems.
Web‐based learning interaction and learning styles
Authors: Sabry Khaled , Baldwin Lynne
Published: August 2003

This paper reports a study exploring the learning styles and perceptions of a group of undergraduate and postgraduate learners in a university in the UK in relation to using the web for learning. In particular, we explore the sequential/global learning style dimension (which is concerned with the progress of understanding) in relation to three categories of web‐based interaction: learner‐tutor, learner‐learner, and learner‐information. An Index of Learning Styles is used as the tool to explore this dimension. The findings are presented with regard to the learning preferences of a group of learners towards these three categories of interaction. We conclude with a discussion of these findings in relation to Interactive Learning Systems (ILSs) design.
Websites as educational motivators for adults with learning disability
Authors: Johnson Rachel , Hegarty John R.
Published: August 2003

Adults with learning disability pose an educational challenge for teachers and support workers. They frequently have limited skills in reading and writing, and may find it difficult to pay attention to topics of little interest to them. Nevertheless, they can be keen to use new technology, and often have hobbies and interests that are catered for on the Internet. This article describes a project aimed to highlight the advantages and weaknesses of web‐based learning for adults with learning disability, and to suggest improvements. Eight students with mild to moderate learning disability were helped to find websites related to their interests, and supported in creating multimedia work linked to those sites. Results showed the powerfully motivating effect of the websites for students, but highlighted the access difficulties posed by websites for such students. Further work in this area is needed, to develop strategies for exploiting the motivating effect of websites, and to improve the accessibility of sites for people with low literacy levels.
Adaptive navigation support in educational hypermedia: the role of student knowledge level and the case for meta‐adaptation
Authors: Brusilovsky Peter
Published: August 2003

Adaptive hypermedia is an alternative to the traditional “one‐size‐fits‐all” approach in the development of hypermedia systems. Adaptive hypermedia (AH) systems build a model of the goals, preferences, and knowledge of each individual user, and use this model throughout the interaction with the user, in order to adapt to the needs of that user. Adaptive navigation support is a specific group of adaptive hypermedia techniques that become especially popular in educational hypermedia systems. This paper provides a brief overview of main adaptive navigation support techniques and analyzes the results of most representative empirical studies of these techniques. It demonstrates an evidence that different known techniques work most efficiently in different context. In particular, the studies summarized in the paper have provided evidence that users with different knowledge level of the subject may appreciate different adaptive navigation support technologies. The paper argues that more empirical studies are required to help the developers of adaptive hypermedia systems in selecting most relevant adaptation technologies. It also attempts to build a case for meta‐adaptive hypermedia systems, ie, systems that are able to adapt the very adaptation technology to the given user and context.
Adaptive web‐based learning: accommodating individual differences through system's adaptation
Authors: Magoulas George D. , Papanikolaou Yparisia , Grigoriadou Maria
Published: August 2003

The idea of developing educational hypermedia systems for the Web is very challenging, and demands the synergy of computer science and instructional science. The paper builds on theories from instructional design and learning styles to develop a design rational and guidelines for adaptive web‐based learning systems that use individual differences as a basis of system's adaptation. Various examples are provided to illustrate how instructional manipulations with regards to content adaptation and presentation, and adaptive navigation support, as well as the overall degree of system adaptation, are guided by educational experiences geared towards individual differences.
Reviews: 1
Authors: Murray Linda
Published: August 2003

Riding, Richard & Rayner, Steven (1998) Cognitive styles and learning strategies David Fulton (London) ISBN 1‐85346‐480‐5 213 pp £19

http://www.fultonpublishers.co.uk

 

orders@fultonpublishers.co.uk
Reviews: 9
Authors: Deeson Eric
Published: August 2003

Rudestam, Kjell & Schoenholtz‐Read, Judith ed (2002) Handbook of online learning Sage (Thousand Oaks CA & London) ISBN 0‐7619‐2403‐5 460 pp £35 (boards £69)

http://www.sagepub.co.uk
 
info@sagepub.co.uk
Countersystem Analysis and the Construction of Alternative Futures
Authors: Sjoberg Gideon , Gill Elizabeth A. , Cain Leonard D
Published: August 2003

This essay explicates the role of countersystem analysis as an essential mode of social inquiry. In the process, particular attention is given to the place of negation and the future. One underlying theme is the asymmetry between the negative and the positive features of social activities, the negative being more readily identifiable empirically than the positive. A corollary theme, building on the observations of George Herbert Mead, is: one engages the present through experience; one engages the future through ideas. Furthermore, as Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck, and Niklas Luhmann suggest, we in late modernity seem to be facing a future that is more contingent than it was in early modernity. After articulating the foundations of the mode of inquiry we term “countersystem analysis,” we employ Karl Mannheim as a point of departure for critically surveying a constellation of scholars—conservatives as well as reformers—who have relied upon some version of countersystem analysis in addressing the future. Such an orientation serves to advance not only theoretical inquiry but empirical investigation as well.
Theory-Testing, Generalization, and the Problem of External Validity
Authors: Lucas Jeffrey W.
Published: August 2003

External validity refers to the generalization of research findings, either from a sample to a larger population or to settings and populations other than those studied. While definitions vary, discussions generally agree that experiments are lower in external validity than other methodological approaches. Further, external validity is widely treated as an issue to be addressed through methodological procedures. When testing theories, all measures are indirect indicators of theoretical constructs, and no methodological procedures taken alone can produce external validity. External validity can be assessed through determining (1) the extent to which empirical measures accurately reflect theoretical constructs, (2) whether the research setting conforms to the scope of the theory under test, (3) our confidence that findings will repeat under identical conditions, (4) whether findings support the theory being tested, and (5) the confirmatory status of the theory under test. In these ways, external validity is foremost a theoretical issue and can only be addressed by an examination of the interplay between theory and methods.
Data mining for selection of insurance sales agents
Authors: Cho Vincent , Ngai Eric W. T.
Published: August 2003

The insurance industry of Hong Kong has been experiencing steady growth in the last decade. One of the current problems in the industry is that, in general, insurance agent turnover is high. The selection of new agents is treated as a regular recruitment exercise. This study focuses on the characteristics of data warehousing and the appropriate data mining techniques that can be used to support agent selection in the insurance industry. We examine the application of three popular data mining methods – discriminant analysis, decision trees and artificial neural networks – incorporated with a data warehouse to the prediction of the length of service, sales premiums and persistence indices of insurance agents. An intelligent decision support system, namely Intelligent Agent Selection Assistant for Insurance, is presented, which will help insurance managers to select quality agents by using data mining in a data warehouse environment.
A computer‐based system for road selection
Authors: Fonseca Daniel J. , Daosuparoch Siwawong , Moynihan Gary P. , Chen Der‐San
Published: August 2003

This paper presents the development of a knowledge‐based system for effectively evaluating alternative routes at different traveling times in a medium‐size city. A decision analysis technique, the analytical hierarchy process, was incorporated via a preference scale into the reasoning mechanism of the system to evaluate up to 54 possible road segments based on nine major transportation factors. The resulting platform provides travelers with a quantitative measure to compare and contrast alternative routes connecting departing and destination points within the city limits. The developed prototype system, which was successfully validated by independent experts in the field, can be regarded as a new tool in engineering orientation for route finding in transportation systems.
A logic‐based approach to rule induction in expert systems
Authors: Mak Brenda , Blanning Robert
Published: August 2003

Rule induction is an important part of learning in expert systems. Rules can help managers make more effective decisions and gain insight into the relationships between decision variables. We present a logic‐based approach to rule induction in expert systems which is simple, robust and consistent. We also derive bounds on levels of certainty for combining rules. We apply our approach to the development of rules for the entry decisions of new products. We then discuss how the logic‐based approach of rule induction can be used to create a decision support system and the methodology to create such a system.
Human Resource Management and Individualisation in Australian Labour Law
Authors: Mitchell Richard , Fetter Joel
Published: August 2003

By tradition, Australian industrial relations have been regulated by industrial awards and collective agreements made by, or under the auspices of, industrial tribunals. The central parties to these agreements and awards were employers and trade unions. The individual employment contract between employer and employee was subject to these collective arrangements, which, generally speaking, set the minimum floor of employment conditions from which the parties could not derogate.

In common with other countries, there was a strong push for ‘deregulation’ of the labour market throughout the 1980s and the 1990s in Australia. In 1996, the Liberal/National Party Coalition conservative government introduced new federal labour laws that permitted employers and employees to enter individualised employment relationships by excluding the operation of much collective regulation from their affairs.

The present paper explores the supposed rationales for this legal development, and outlines the legal conditions that are imposed upon this statutory individualisation process. It also examines the evidence in order to address certain questions: ‘How effective has the individualisation process been in Australia?’; ‘Explicitly or implicitly, what sort of employment system outcomes were envisaged?’; ‘What forms of flexibility has it been able to introduce into the employment relationship?’; and ‘To what extent has it been able to promote a “high performance” HRM agenda in Australian workplaces?’
Legal Implications of Fatigue in the Australian Transportation Industries
Authors: Jones Christopher , Dorrian Jillian , Dawson Drew
Published: August 2003

In recent years, changes in the workplace have lead to increases in the incidence of fatigue and fatigue-related injuries. At the same time, there has been an increase in the scientific understanding of fatigue. The present article discusses the primary statutory instruments that regulate duties in the workplace to manage fatigue: Occupational Health and Safety legislation and regulations applicable to the road transport and aviation industries. Following this, the manner in which the criminal law and civil law address fatigue is also considered. In addition, other statutes exist that do not directly address fatigue management duties but must be considered when fatigue is addressed in the workplace. Workers Compensation legislation is discussed in this regard. It is argued that as they stand, the laws that seek to regulate fatigue are inconsistent with each other and with current scientific understanding. Suggestions are presented to address these shortcomings, and a proposal is made to create an offence of fatigued driving.
Australian Workplace Agreements in Practice: The ‘Hard’ and ‘Soft’ Dimensions
Authors: Roan Amanda , Bramble Tom , Lafferty George
Published: August 2003

The purpose of this paper is to assess the claim by the Office of the Employment Advocate (OEA) and the Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business (DEWRSB) that Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) allow employers to integrate both the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ dimensions of ‘strategic’ human resource management (HRM) theory, providing greater efficiency and profitability, while also giving employees more flexibility. Based on a review of the literature and the content of 539 AWAs approved between March 1997 and June 1998, we conclude that the general trend of AWAs is towards the ‘hard’ HRM philosophy of minimisation of costs and maximisation of flexibility of hours. Provisions based around the developmental and personal needs of employees are relatively uncommon and, where they occur, are usually brief. Contrary to Government predictions, there is very little evidence that AWAs are being used to advance the philosophy of ‘soft’ HRM.
Space, Subjectivity and the Investment Location Decision: The Case of the Illawarra
Authors: Hodgkinson Ann , Nyland Chris
Published: August 2003

The article seeks to make a dual contribution. It adds to the work of those researchers who have attempted to carry the spatial dimension of industrial relations research beyond traditional systems theory. In so doing it urges the need for industrial relations analysts to become conversant with the wide body of scholarship that has contributed to the labour dimension of the spatial literature. The article also examines the relative importance that those charged with determining where investment is located, place on industrial relations issues and compares the major regions of New South Wales in this regard.
Casual Employment: A Problematic Strategy for the Registered Clubs Sector in New South Wales
Authors: Buultjens Jeremy
Published: August 2003

Since the 1980s casual employment in Australia has been increasing rapidly, especially in service industries like hospitality. There have been a number of explanations suggested for this increase, including increased flexibility and lower costs. The casualisation of the hospitality sector would suggest that the benefits from casual employment are straightforward. However, the situation may not be so straightforward. This paper uses data from registered clubs in NSW, an important sector of the hospitality industry, to examine the extent of casual employment in the sector and the reasons for it. While the findings do indicate a high level of casual employment in the industry, it appears that club managers are divided over the benefits of a casualised workforce. Most managers believe that casual employment does increase flexibility; however, there is uncertainty amongst managers about the labour cost savings associated with casual employment. Due to these uncertainties, it appears some club managers have adopted a strategy of reducing the level of casual employment in their clubs while other club managers are pursuing a policy of increasing the level of casual employment. These contradictory intentions indicate the problematic nature of casual employment for the sector.
Introduction: The many faces of context
Authors: Surra Catherine A. , Perlman Daniel
Published: August 2003

This paper introduces a special issue of the journal Personal Relationships dealing with context and relationships. It reflects on the state of the literature and discusses five approaches to the interplay of context and relationships.
Are men universally more dismissing than women? Gender differences in romantic attachment across 62 cultural regions
Authors: Schmitt David P.
Published: August 2003

Gender differences in the dismissing form of adult romantic attachment were investigated as part of the International Sexuality Description Project—a survey study of 17,804 people from 62 cultural regions. Contrary to research findings previously reported in Western cultures, we found that men were not significantly more dismissing than women across all cultural regions. Gender differences in dismissing romantic attachment were evident in most cultures, but were typically only small to moderate in magnitude. Looking across cultures, the degree of gender differentiation in dismissing romantic attachment was predictably associated with sociocultural indicators. Generally, these associations supported evolutionary theories of romantic attachment, with smaller gender differences evident in cultures with high–stress and high–fertility reproductive environments. Social role theories of human sexuality received less support in that more progressive sex–role ideologies and national gender equity indexes were not cross–culturally linked as expected to smaller gender differences in dismissing romantic attachment.
The cultural grounding of personal relationship: Friendship in North American and West African worlds
Authors: Adams Glenn , Plaut Victoria C.
Published: August 2003

This study considers how different constructions of self and social reality influence the experience of relationship. Reflecting the relational interdependence of West African worlds, the authors hypothesized and observed that Ghanaian participants were significantly more likely than U.S.A. participants (ns = 50 each) to advocate caution toward friends and to emphasize practical assistance in friendship. Reflecting the atomistic independence of North American worlds, the authors hypothesized and observed that U.S.A. participants were significantly more likely than Ghanaian participants to indicate a large friendship network; to emphasize companionship, particularly relative to Ghanaian women; and to emphasize emotional support, particularly relative to Ghanaian nonstudents. Results suggest that friendship is not a universal form; instead, it takes different forms in different cultural worlds.
Neighborhood context and financial strain as predictors of marital interaction and marital quality in African American couples
Authors: Cutrona Carolyn E. , Russell Daniel W. , Abraham W. Todd , Gardner Kelli A. , Melby Janet N. , Bryant Chalandra , Conger Rand D.
Published: August 2003

Demographic characteristics, family financial strain, neighborhood–level economic disadvantage, and state of residence were tested as predictors of observed warmth, hostility, and self–reported marital quality. Participants were 202 married African American couples who resided in a range of neighborhood contexts. Neighborhood–level economic disadvantage predicted lower warmth during marital interactions, as did residence in the rural south. Consistent with the family stress model (e.g., Conger & Elder, 1994), family financial strain predicted lower perceived marital quality. Unexpectedly, neighborhood–level economic disadvantage predicted higher marital quality. Social comparison processes and degree of exposure to racially based discrimination are considered as explanations for this unexpected result. The importance of context in relationship outcomes is highlighted.
Gay males’ intimate relationship quality: The roles of attachment security, gay identity, social support, and income
Authors: Elizur Yoel , Mintzer Arlette
Published: August 2003

Past research of relationship quality in same–sex couples has emphasized similarities with heterosexual couples. The present study examined both general and gay–specific intra– and interpersonal factors as predictors of gay men's relationship durability and relationship satisfaction. Our proposed path model postulated effects of contextual variables on self and relationships (i.e., social support/acceptance as context for attachment security, self–acceptance, and intimate relationships). The data, collected from an Israeli sample of gay men (N = 121), supported this model. All hypothesized paths were significant: Attachment security mediated the association of perceived friends’ support and self–acceptance with relationship quality, self–acceptance mediated the association of self–definition and perceived friends’ acceptance with relationship quality, and income had a direct association with relationship quality.