bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Care and inheritance: Japanese and English perspectives on the ‘generational contract’
Authors: IZUHARA MISA
Published: October 2003

This article explores the changing nature and patterns of the ‘generational contract’, with particular reference to the exchange of nursing care and housing assets between older parents and their adult children. Inheritance practices and attitudes are used to examine the ways in which socio-economic, demographic and policy changes have recently altered the conventional arrangements in Japanese society. The previously defined ‘generational contract’ is now ambiguous, and the expectations and obligations of different family members are fragmented. This article also discusses whether such practices in Japan are unique and the ways in which they differ from the English situation. Family obligations and inheritance have been more explicitly connected in the Japanese social and legal systems, while in England there is neither legal obligation to support older parents nor any constraint on inheritance. This article elucidates the similarities and differences in the patterns of inheritance and thus the exchange models between care and inheritance in the two societies.
The third age: class, cohort or generation?
Authors: GILLEARD CHRIS , HIGGS PAUL
Published: October 2003

In this paper we consider some of the ways that the third age can be thought about and studied. Taking the work of Peter Laslett as our key source, we explore his ‘aspirational’ approach toward redefining post-working life and look at some of its limitations as both definition and explanation. There is a need for a more sociologically informed approach to the third age, and we outline three potentially important structures that might better explain it – class, birth cohort, and generation. Whilst it might seem attractive to see the third age as a class-determined status, based on the material and social advantages accruing to people who have retired from well-paid positions in society, the historical period in which the third age has emerged makes this explanation less than adequate. Equally a cohort-based explanation, locating the third age in the ‘ageing’ of the birth cohort known as the baby boom generation, fails fully to capture the pervasiveness and irreversibility of the cultural change that has shaped not just one but a sequence of cohorts beginning with those born in the years just before World War II. Instead, we argue for a generational framework in understanding the third age, drawing upon Mannheim rather than Marx as the more promising guide in this area.
Expectations of gains in the second half of life: a study of personal conceptions of enrichment in a lifespan perspective
Authors: TIMMER ERIKA , BODE CHRISTINA , DITTMANN-KOHLI FREYA
Published: October 2003

This research focuses on cognitive representations of the personal future during the second half of life. To investigate the developmental perspectives of people growing older, the anticipation of possible gains is studied. The participants of this study took part in the German Aging Survey and the sample comprises 2,934 subjects aged 40–85 years. To assess their anticipated ‘gains’, we selected the future-related items from the SELE-questionnaire, a sentence completion instrument administered for the Survey. We assumed that many would anticipate further enrichment by new social and societal activities in retirement, but the most frequently-mentioned gains referred to changes in life style and leisure activities, especially travelling. Plans and wishes feature a predominantly leisure-oriented life style. Among the anticipations, those concerned with generativity – caring for others, societal commitment, vocational ambitions – substantially decrease at about the age of 50 years. It was hypothesised that age, gender, living in the former East or West Germany, health, education, income, and perceived control would influence the cognitive representation of the future. To examine the effects of these personal and situational factors on gain anticipations, multiple regression analyses were performed. With respect to all independent variables, differences in the kinds of expected gains were found. The outcomes are discussed with reference to lifespan developmental theory and the role of older people in society.
Earnings trends among older employees in England and Wales, 1972–2001
Authors: MALLIER TONY , MORRIS DAVID
Published: October 2003

This article considers the hypothesis that ‘older people in full-time employment normally receive earnings below the level previously enjoyed’, by examining the money and real earnings of older British full-time employees as they age. After a review of the factors that influence earnings, data from the New Earnings Survey of Great Britain are used to estimate average gross weekly money and real earnings of two cohorts of manual and non-manual workers as they age. The two cohorts were born respectively in 1927 and 1937, and male and female employees are considered separately. The estimates are used to develop time series age-earnings profiles of real earnings. These suggest that the average full-time older employee normally benefits over time from rising real earnings as a consequence of increases in national prosperity, although the increases vary by gender, occupational group and cohort. Older female employees benefited more than males from significantly higher percentage increases in their average real earnings, and between 1981–2000 average real earnings in non-manual occupations rose relative to manual workers' earnings.
Values, change and inter-generational ties between two generations of women in Singapore
Authors: TEO PEGGY , GRAHAM ELSPETH , YEOH BRENDA S. A. , LEVY SUSAN
Published: October 2003

Personal values are framed by social contexts and carried through a person's lifecourse, but are sufficiently malleable to adapt to changing conditions. The dynamic character of personal values should be more frequently recognised in studies of inter-generational ties. This study examines the relationships between two generations of Singaporean women and their divergent values about gender roles, preference for the gender of children, family formation, care-giving and living arrangements. Younger women embrace more western views, while their older counterparts uphold Confucian values. Previous studies have tended to characterise inter-generational ties as conveying ‘conflict’ or ‘solidarity’, but here the concept of ‘ambivalence’ is employed to show that contradictory values co-exist, and that inter-generational ties encapsulate the negotiated outcome of complex attitudes, values and aspirations.
NEGOTIATING LAW AND CUSTOM:

JUDICIAL DOCTRINE AND WOMEN'S PROPERTY

RIGHTS IN UGANDA
Authors: KHADIAGALA LYNN
Published: October 2003

Since the promulgation of Uganda's new constitution in 1995, the Law Reform Comission (LRC) has had the task of revising statutory laws to conform to the new constitution. One focal point has been the drafting of a Domestic Relations Bill. The bill proposes significant changes in women's legal status within the institutions of marriage and succession. Under the new statute, for example, women would gain joint marital property rights over any assets acquired during the course of marriage. Women could use the law to challenge husbands who seek to sell property or shift assets among their wives. The bill also proposes that when a married person dies intestate, the suviving spouse(s) should be appointed administrator to the estate, unless the courts have good reason not to do so. This should facilitate widows who seek to protect their assets from relatives who perceive in death opportunities to grab property. Not suprisingly, publication of the bill generated considerable outrage among men who perceive the extension of property rights to women as a direct threat to a natural social order privileging male authority.
THE DEBATE ON SONG IN THE ACCADEMIA FIORENTINA
Authors: Nosow Robert
Published: October 2003

For James Haar on his 70th Birthday

The sixteenth century in Italy was a time when academies of all kinds flourished as venues, and often as arbiters, of literature and high culture. A casual look at the academies might give the impression that they were mostly social in nature, that they functioned as a pastime for bored aristocrats and ambitious letterati. As originally constituted, the Accademia degli Umidi, founded 1 November 1540, indeed fitted this description, but with one difference characteristic of Florentine society - it was organised by twelve men of various social classes with a common interest in poetry and language. The academy expanded considerably under the patronage of Duke Cosimo I de' Medici and on 25 March 1541 was reconstituted as the Accademia Fiorentina. Its avowed purpose was to promote the Tuscan language as an instrument of literature and knowledge, in an age when mastery of Latin was required of any educated man. In advancing the cause of vernacular literature, the Accademia Fiorentina, like other academies of the time, greatly extended the programme of Italian humanism, making available the fruits of humanist thought and enquiry to a larger public.
Yes, ‘Awaken’, and the progressive rock style
Authors: PALMER JOHN R.
Published: October 2003

Going for the One was a good rebirth of Yes at that time, to find its feet and really know what it wanted to do. And we made ‘Awaken’ . . . (Morse 1996, p. 58).

Since the release of their third recording, The Yes Album, in March 1971, the music of the English band Yes has been associated with the rock music substyle called ‘progressive rock’. The first two Yes albums showcase a very capable, inventive group of musicians who drew freely from the multitude of sounds around them, emulating aspects of the various musical styles they found engaging. However, it was not until they composed the works appearing on The Yes Album that the band coupled this eclecticism with a quest for originality to develop a voice highly idiosyncratic when judged against prevailing popular music styles. Subsequent albums reveal a predeliction for experimentation and expansion, and successful record sales in both the UK and US encouraged further development in the same direction. Although not members of the ‘first wave’ of progressive rock bands, Yes became ‘codifiers’ and for many, especially later detractors, the flagship of the ‘progressive' fleet. Before I go on to describe and illustrate, through the analysis of a particular song, aspects of Yes's musical language, I will briefly describe the environment in which it appeared and flourished.
A singer-songwriter's view of the French record industry: the case of Léo Ferré
Authors: Tinker Chris
Published: October 2003

Léo Ferré exemplifies what is now widely regarded in France as the golden era of la chanson française during the 1950s and 1960s. This article examines how one singer-songwriter attempted to deal in his own, highly idiosyncratic way with the contraints of working within the record industry, and focuses on the development of his ambivalent relationship with the record label owner and producer, Eddie Barclay. Although sympathetic to Ferré's cause, Barclay also adopted a pragmatic approach, particularly where questions of censorship were concerned, as he attempted to balance commercial necessity, legal requirements as well as the creative demands of the artist. The discussion also explores how Ferré has contributed to contemporary intellectual debates relating to the significance of popular music within a French context. Ferré showed marked resistance to North American influence and middle-of-the-road pop music, particularly la chanson yéyé, but he was by no means not-influenced by the arrival of rock in France.
The colophon of the Eadwig Gospels
Authors: Gameson Richard
Published: October 2003

‘Eaduuius surnamed Basan’ is one of the small number of late Anglo-Saxon
scribes to be known by name, and he is unquestionably the most important.
Eadwig Ü the Old English name represented by the Latin ‘Eaduuius’–identified
himself in a colophon to the small but exquisite gospelbook,
Hanover, Kestner-Museum, WM XXIa, 36 (see pl. V); and his distinctive hand
has been recognized in a further three gospelbooks or lectionaries, three
psalters, and three or four charters. It is on this corpus of material that our knowledge of him rests. The colophon does not, unfortunately, contain much
information and it is highly formulaic; it is all the more important, therefore, to
interpret its words judiciously. Before we turn to the text, however, it will be
helpful to rehearse the salient points of Eadwig's career, in so far as they are
known.
The music in Swedish preschools
Authors: Lundin Anna , Sandberg Anette
Published: October 2003

This article is a field investigation of the musical memories of preschool teachers and child minders, their experiences and interest in working with music in preschools. It is part of a larger international research project at Mälardalens University, Sweden. The original component of analysis is adults' memories of play. (Sandberg, 2001.) Participants also interpreted their own musical memories and defined music. Under the umbrella entity, WRP (Women's Researchers in Play and Disability) participating project partners were from the USA, Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan and Sweden. Participants reported their memories using an instruction sheet, a drawing sheet and a questionnaire.
Usage 1: Kaleidoscope: A final report on the worldwide Langscape Project
Authors: Peters Pam
Published: October 2003

Pam Peters of Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia, provides the second part of a two-part concluding review of a project which is an important contribution to the creation of her prospective international English style guide (to be published by Cambridge University Press).
‘I learn English since ten years’: The global English debate and the German university classroom
Authors: Erling Elizabeth J.
Published: October 2003

A report on German university students learning and working in English.

WHEN A student produces a sentences like “I learn English since ten years” it can be
assumed that they haven't had a very good English teacher, that they may not, in fact, be
very good in English despite the amount of time they've spent learning the language.
However, some of my students may indeed produce a sentence like this. In the English Department
of the Freie Universität in Berlin, I teach students who have already studied English for
at least ten years by the time they enter university. And in order to study in our department,
the students must pass a proficiency-level entrance exam. These students then have English as
one of their major subjects, so their knowledge of the language is fairly sophisticated and their
contact with the language regular.
Teaching English in Taiwan: issues of inequality and low motivation
Authors: Yeh Aiden
Published: October 2003

A discussion of the impact of parental demand on the terms of employment of imported native-speaking and local non-native-speaking teachers in private language schools.

As more and more parents realize the importance
of learning the language at an early
stage, the teaching of English as a Foreign Language
(EFL) to young learners has become a
lucrative adventure for Taiwanese entrepreneurs.
Taiwanese students and parents alike
represent a stable and growing market, at least
for now. The demand for both Native Speaking
(NS) and Non-Native Speaking (NNS) teachers
is also on the rise and can certainly be attributed
to the flourishing EFL industry in Taiwan.
However, there is a distinctively huge difference
in the pay and reward policies and practices
for the two kinds of teacher. This article
touches on relatively sensitive issues concerning
NS/NNS as EFL teachers and as members of
staff.
World English, Euro-English, Nordic English?
Authors: McArthur Tom
Published: October 2003

A discussion of the kinds of English emerging in the world at large and in the European Union. In recent years, the world's Anglophone media, in the company of a range of other observers, have routinely been calling English ‘the world's lingua franca’. As a result, the phrase is now something of a cliché. We're all ‘global’ now, and need to use the first truly universal language, whether we are business people, politicians, teachers, tourists, or terrorists.
‘An engaging scholarly spirit’: Allen Walker Read
Authors: Hartmann Reinhard
Published: October 2003

The renowned American linguist and lexicographer Allen Walker Read, who was born on June 2, 1906, died in October 2002. A universally respected academic lexicographer, he was impressive in his display of knowledge and his readiness to build bridges between the United Kingdom and the United States.
Symposium on explanations and social ontology 1: rational choice theory and social explanation
Authors: Ferejohn John
Published: October 2003

In the Common Mind, Pettit argues that rational choice theory cannot provide genuine causal accounts of action. A genuine causal explanation of intentional action must track how people actually deliberate to arrive at action. And, deliberation is necessarily enculturated or situated “. . . we take human agents to reason their way to action, using the concepts that are available to them in the currency of their culture” (p. 220). When deciding how to act, “. . . people find their way to action in response to properties that they register in the options before them, properties that are valued in common with others and that can be invoked to provide at least some justification of their choices” (p. 272). That people seek to make justified decisions implies that, at times, their own goals or objectives will be modified in deliberation. Something that rational choice theory cannot allow.
FACTORS INFLUENCING HEALTH INSURERS' DECISIONS TO COVER NEW GENETIC
TECHNOLOGIES
Authors: Schoonmaker Michele M. , Bernhardt Barbara A. , Holtzman Neil A.
Published: October 2003

Objective: To examine the relative importance of factors
influencing health insurers' coverage of new genetic technologies.

Methods: A national survey in which the decision makers for
private health insurers were asked whether they would cover cystic fibrosis
(CF) carrier screening, testing for genetic susceptibility to breast cancer
(BRCA test), and medical costs of a clinical trial of gene therapy for CF
under a variety of conditions.

Results: Respondents' coverage of the two tests and of
medical costs of clinical trials was low at the time of the study
(4%–15.5% of insurers.) Their coverage of CF carrier screening and BRCA
testing would be increased significantly if the group tested was restricted to
those at high risk, if detection rates were higher and costs lower, and if
testing was endorsed by a national professional group or consensus conference.
Coverage of the medical costs of a trial of CF gene therapy would be
significantly more likely if the trial was restricted to children or adults
with severe CF, safety and effectiveness was proven, and therapy could be
administered in a regional hospital or an outpatient setting rather than in a
research hospital.

Conclusions: Health insurers play a critical role in the diffusion
of new genetic technologies. The validity of genetic tests and the safety and
effectiveness of new therapies are primary factors influencing health
insurers' coverage. Lower costs and approval of professional groups are
other factors associated with increased coverage.
INTRODUCTION: MASS SCREENING, HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT, AND HEALTH POLICY IN SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Authors: Oortwijn Wija , Banta H. David , Cranovsky Richard
Published: October 2003

Objective: The series of papers in this issue was developed to examine the use of health technology assessment in policies toward prevention—specifically toward mass screening—in European countries. The papers actually examined three screening strategies: mammography screening for breast cancer, prostate-specific antigen screening for prostate cancer, and routine ultrasound in normal pregnancy.

Methods: Papers were sought from the member states of the European Union, plus Switzerland. Ultimately, nine acceptable papers were received, and were reviewed, revised, and edited.

Results: Screening is an accepted strategy in many countries for reducing the burden of disease through early detection and intervention. In part, this is because of successful screening programs that have been evaluated and implemented in many countries. At the same time, unevaluated and even useless and harmful screening programs—unjustified medically or economically—are widespread. Health technology assessment could help assure that only effective and cost-effective screening programs are implemented.

Conclusion: The main conclusion is that screening is an important preventive strategy. Any screening program, however, should be carefully assessed before implementation.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT IN THE UNITED STATES
Authors: Eisenberg John M. , Zarin Deborah
Published: October 2003

Governments may perform health technology assessment (HTA) in their roles as a regulator in the public interest, as a source of information for decision makers in the public and private sectors, and/or as a purchaser or provider of healthcare services. The U.S. government's roles in the health sector as a regulator, source of information, and purchaser and provider of services are influenced both by characteristics of that sector and by its stakeholders' effectiveness in influencing national health policy debates.
CLINICAL AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF DONEPEZIL, RIVASTIGMINE, AND GALANTAMINE FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
Authors: Clegg Andrew , Bryant Jackie , Nicholson Tricia , McIntyre Linda , De Broe Sofie , Gerard Karen , Waugh Norman
Published: October 2003

Objectives: Systematic review of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine for people suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Methods: Sixteen electronic databases (including MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and Embase) and bibliographies of related papers were searched for published/unpublished English language studies, and experts and pharmaceutical companies were consulted for additional information. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and economic studies were selected. Clinical effectiveness was assessed on measurement scales assessing progression of Alzheimer's disease on the person's global health, cognition, functional ability, behavior and mood, and quality of life. Cost-effectiveness was presented as incremental cost per year spent in a nonsevere state (by Mini Mental Health State Examination) or quality-adjusted life-year.

Results: Twelve of 15 RCTs included were judged to be of good quality. Although donepezil had beneficial effects in Alzheimer's patients on global health and cognition, rivastigmine on global health, and galantamine on global health, cognition, and functional scales, these improvements were small and may not be clinically significant. Measures of quality of life and behavior and mood were rarely assessed. Adverse effects were usually mild and transient. Cost-effectiveness base case estimates ranged from £2,415 savings to £49,476 additional cost (1997 prices) per unit of effect for donepezil and a small savings for rivastigmine. Estimates were not considered robust or generalizable.

Conclusions: Donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine appear to have some clinical effect for people with Alzheimer's disease, although the extent to which these translate into real differences in everyday life remains unclear. Due to the nature of current economic studies, cost-effectiveness remains uncertain and the impact on different care sectors has been inadequately investigated. Further research is needed to establish the actual benefits of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEls) for people with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers, the relationship of these changes to clinical management, and careful prospective evaluation of resource and budgetary consequences.
STATUS AND POTENTIAL OF GENE THERAPY IN CLINICAL MEDICINE
Authors: Lyngstadaas Anita
Published: October 2003

Objective: Somatic gene therapy is a new method in the rapidly expanding field of molecular medicine. Due to recent encouraging results and the promising prospect for some disease groups, Norwegian health authorities wanted to assess somatic therapy with evidence-based standards for strategic use. This article presents the results of this assessment, discussed in the context of the policy-making process in Norway, including ethical and legislational considerations.

Methods: Clinical gene therapy protocols, ongoing or completed with published results, where available, were identified through a systematic survey of descriptive protocols and publications. Preclinical literature was also reviewed.

Results: Gene therapy is dominated by preclinical and clinical research. Most of the gene therapy protocols identified are in early phases (phases I and II) with only a few patients in each study. Of the protocols included in the assessment, only three phase III studies are represented. Except for the use of soluble antisense oligonucleotides against cytomegalovirus eye infection, gene therapy is presently not an established treatment modality. Promising results have been observed in treatment of cancer and cardiovascular diseases and, most recently, in inherited severe combined immunodeficiency and hemophilia. Several interesting principles addressing a large panel of conditions are currently being developed and tested.

Conclusions: Gene therapy is developing into an important medical concept that needs to be included within the Norwegian healthcare system. It is recommended that the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Social Affairs fund a national program to boost infrastructure in selected scientific groups both in preclinical and clinical research. The national procedures regulating approval of gene therapy trials should be made more efficient while at the same time allowing for proper control and ethical considerations. It is emphasized that gene therapy trials should be carefully monitored for side effects.
THE ACCURACY OF SELF-REPORTED HEALTHCARE RESOURCE UTILIZATION IN HEALTH ECONOMIC STUDIES
Authors: Petrou Stavros , Murray Lynne , Cooper Peter , Davidson Leslie L.
Published: October 2003

Objective: Individuals' recollections of the number and type of health service encounters are frequently required for health economic studies. We sought to establish whether the accuracy of self-reported healthcare resource utilization is a function of the duration of the recall period and the saliency of the health service encounter.

Methods: Patient recollections of a range of community services (general practitioner visits, community midwifery visits) and hospital services (accident and emergency attendances, hospital outpatient attendances, inpatient admissions) over 4-month and 8-month time periods were obtained from women participating in a randomized controlled trial. Comparisons were made with healthcare resource utilization data extracted from medical records. Where significant differences were identified between the self-reported and medically recorded data, a multivariate linear regression model was constructed to identify the factors associated with underreporting and overreporting of healthcare resource utilization.

Results: The study revealed a tendency to underreport community service utilization, which appears to be exacerbated when the recall period is extended. A number of sociodemographic and clinical factors significantly associated with this tendency to underreport community service utilization were identified. The self-reporting of hospital service utilization over varying periods of recall was found to be more accurate.

Conclusion: It is important that economic analysts establish optimal methods for estimating resource utilization quantities within health economic analytical designs. In particular, greater emphasis should be placed on extracting information on community service utilization from medical records or routine health service information systems.
CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH-QUALITY GUIDELINES
Authors: Burgers Jako S. , Cluzeau Françoise A. , Hanna Steven E. , Hunt Claire , Grol Richard
Published: October 2003

Objectives: To identify predictors of high-quality clinical practice guidelines.

Methods: A total of 86 guidelines from 11 countries were assessed by four independent appraisers per guideline using the AGREE instrument (23 items). Six aspects of guideline development were considered to explain the variation in quality scores: care level (primary/secondary care), scope (diagnosis/treatment), type of guideline (new/update), year of publication, type of agency (governmental/professional), and whether the guideline was produced within a structured and coordinated program.

Results: Guidelines produced within a guideline program and by governmental agencies had higher scores than their counterparts. Differences in the applicability of the guidelines could not be explained by the variables studied.

Conclusions: To ensure high quality, clinical guidelines should be produced within a structured and coordinated program. Professional organizations or specialist societies that aim to develop guidelines may adopt quality criteria from leading guideline agencies.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT: THE CONTRIBUTION OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Authors: Leys Mark
Published: October 2003

The pragmatism in health care has made health technology assessment (HTA) restrict its scope to a particular set of problems, c.q. methods. The “multidisciplinary and comprehensive nature” of HTA, as the concept is presented in certain definitions, is lacking. Health care is also dominated by a positivistic-rationalistic approach of evaluation. In contrast, social studies of evaluations learn that a major difference has to be made between scientific research on (potential) impact of a technology and valuing these effects. In this contribution, we will discuss how the positivistic scientific bias of current HTA practice can be made up with other research traditions. More specifically, we focus on the question of how social scientists and particularly how qualitative research can contribute to HTA, complementary to positivistic studies of evidence and efficacy.
THE U.S. HEALTH DATA PRIVACY DEBATE
Authors: Freeman Phyllis , Robbins Anthony
Published: October 2003

After 25 years of debate about privacy of automated personal health data,
the U.S. Congress has set a deadline of August 1999 for enacting health
information privacy legislation. The urgency to establish national policy in
the United States re-emerges with implementation of a 1996 law mandating a
unique identifier for each participant in the U.S. medical care system and the
use of a uniform electronic data set for all health information transmitted in
financial and administrative transactions. The impact of electronic data
storage and transmittal on privacy, health outcomes, and medical care is
unclear. A three-step analytic scheme can clarify the issues in the policy
debate and for future assessment. The first step is intended to elicit, for
the first time, a precise, accurate, and reproducible description of personal
health data transactions and chains of transactions, independent of the policy
preferences of any interested party. The second step allows the reader to
analyze these transactions according to who benefits first and foremost from
each. This scrutiny clarifies the reasons why parties to the debate tend to
disagree. The third step characterizes how Congress is likely to perceive the
policy process and consider its options before enacting any particular set of
compromises. Understanding the policy deliberations and potential effects of
evolving information technologies and new national privacy rules should aid
assessment of results.
IDENTIFICATION AND DICHOTOMIZATION OF LONG- AND SHORT-RUN
RELATIONS OF COINTEGRATED VECTOR AUTOREGRESSIVE MODELS
Authors: Hsiao Cheng
Published: October 2003

We show that the usual rank condition is necessary and sufficient
to identify a vector autoregressive process whether the variables
are I(0) or I(d) for d = 1,2,....
We then use this rank condition to demonstrate the interdependence
between the identification of short-run and long-run relations of
cointegrated process. We find that both the short-run and long-run
relations can be identified without the existence of prior
information to identify either relation. But if there exists
a set of prior restrictions to identify the short-run relation,
then this same set of restrictions is sufficient to identify
the corresponding long-run relation. On the other hand, it is
in general not possible to identify the long-run relations without
information on the complete structure. The relationship between
the identification of a vector autoregressive process and a
Cowles Commission dynamic simultaneous equations model is also
clarified.
A UNIFIED APPROACH TO THE MEASUREMENT ERROR PROBLEM IN TIME
SERIES MODELS
Authors: Tanaka Katsuto
Published: October 2003

The measurement error problem that we consider in this paper
is concerned with the situation where time series data of various
kinds—short memory, long memory, and random walk
processes—are contaminated by white noise. We suggest
a unified approach to testing for the existence of such noise.
It is found that the power of our test crucially depends on
the underlying process.
ROBUST INFERENCE FOR THE MEAN IN THE PRESENCE OF SERIAL
CORRELATION AND HEAVY-TAILED DISTRIBUTIONS
Authors: McElroy Tucker , Politis Dimitris N.
Published: October 2003

The problem of statistical inference for the mean of a time
series with possibly heavy tails is considered. We first show
that the self-normalized sample mean has a well-defined asymptotic
distribution. Subsampling theory is then used to develop
asymptotically correct confidence intervals for the mean
without knowledge (or explicit estimation) either of
the dependence characteristics, or of the tail index. Using
a symmetrization technique, we also construct a distribution
estimator that combines robustness and accuracy: it is higher-order
accurate in the regular case, while remaining consistent in
the heavy tailed case. Some finite-sample simulations confirm
the practicality of the proposed methods.
Local wind damage in Barito Ulu, Central Kalimantan: a rare but essential event in a lowland dipterocarp forest?
Authors: PROCTOR J. , BREARLEY F.Q. , DUNLOP H. , PROCTOR K. , SUPRAMONO  , TAYLOR D.
Published: October 2003

The importance of disturbances for the dynamics of tropical forests has been described by Whitmore & Burslem
(1998). Among the phenomena which they classify as large scale disturbances are those caused by wind. The most
extensive of these occur within the hurricane (cyclone) belt (10-20° from the equator) but outside this belt large
blowdowns of trees are known to occur, perhaps most spectacularly in the Brazilian Amazon (Nelson et al. 1994).
There is evidence that rare wind storms influence the dipterocarp rain forests of Peninsular Malaysia, 2-6°N. One
famous storm in November 1880 which devastated hundreds of square kilometres of forests in Kelantan, north-east
Malaya, was probably an aberrant cyclone (Wyatt-Smith 1954). Smaller windstorms which have blown down several
hectares of forests have been reported from Malaysia including Borneo (Ashton 1993) but their frequency and extent
have not been well documented (Whitmore & Burslem 1998). At Barito Ulu, Central Kalimantan, one such storm
occurred recently and the fortuitous combination of a well patrolled trail system and the localization of the storm has
allowed a detailed assessment of the forest damage.
From forest to farmland: diversity of geometrid moths along two habitat gradients on Borneo
Authors: BECK JAN , SCHULZE CHRISTIAN H. , LINSENMAIR K. EDUARD , FIEDLER KONRAD
Published: October 2003

Geometrid moths were collected on Mt. Kinabalu (Sabah, Malaysia) along two habitat gradients, ranging from primary rain forest to cultivated areas. During 135 nights' trapping in 1997, 4585 individuals representing 500 species were attracted by light. Primary forest samples and those from old-grown regenerated forest exhibited high diversity (Fisher's α = 75–128), while agricultural areas as well as most secondary forests had a significantly lower diversity (α = 34–61). One 15-y-old secondary forest with a rich undergrowth vegetation also housed a diverse geometrid community (α = 89). In three paired samples, diversity of geometrid moths in the canopy was equal to or lower than in the understorey. Of six habitat variables tested, only undergrowth plant species diversity emerged as a significant predictor of geometrid diversity. The NESS index, in combination with multi-dimensional scaling, was used to investigate patterns of between-habitat diversity. Of two dimensions extracted, one represented the degree of habitat disturbance, while the other separated the two study areas. Geometrid samples of strongly disturbed habitats did not converge between sites, indicating that apart from the degree of human interference the regional species pool was also important in determining similarity among local communities.
Tree allometry and crown shape of four tree species in Atlantic rain forest, south-east Brazil
Authors: Alves Luciana F. , Santos Flavio A. M.
Published: October 2003

The allometry of crown shape and trunk diameter with tree height were analysed for four tree species in a tropical lowland rain forest, southeast Brazil. The dimensional relationships of a subcanopy species (Garcinia gardneriana) were contrasted with those of two canopy (Chrysophyllum flexuosum and Swartzia simplex) and one emergent species (Sloanea guianensis). For all trees ≥ 1 cm dbh, we recorded dbh, total height, branching height, crown area, crown width and crown length. Observed allometric relationships indicated interspecific variation in trunk diameter and crown shape with height. All species conformed to the elastic similarity model, except the emergent one that showed thicker trunks and a scaling exponent conforming to the constant stress model. The general allometric function used to describe the overall relationship (all sizes combined) did not specify exceptional variation in crown shape between species of contrasting adult stature (emergent vs. subcanopy species). However, when allometric relationships through ontogeny were considered, different strategies of growth, maintenance and expansion of crown became evident. Crown shapes were much more variable in canopy and emergent species than in the subcanopy one, suggesting that larger-statured species might be more flexible in the relative allocation of energy to height, diameter, and crown growth than smaller-statured ones. Notwithstanding, it is suggested that it is not possible adequately to predict allometric relationships only by adult stature/canopy position. Allometric variation may be also related to size-dependent changes in demographic traits and/or different responses to light availability among tree species.
Avian diversity and distribution in French Guiana: patterns across a large forest landscape
Authors: Thiollay Jean-Marc
Published: October 2003

This study is the first to compare bird communities across different sites within the same large continuous neotropical primary forest area. The objectives were to document bird distribution patterns, the spatial variability of specific abundances and the between-site turnover in species compositions. I censused 268 forest-interior species, 39 raptors and 135 natural-gap species in 20 widely spaced, c. 2000-ha sites in the interior of French Guiana, divided into three main zones. At least 59% of species had a very low abundance index and/or rate of occurrence among sites and only 1% were widespread dominants. Beta diversity was an important determinant of regional species richness. There was an average 29% species turnover between sites and 7% between regions, as well as a lack of nested-subset structure among communities and a random occurrence of pairs of similar congeners. At the country scale, only one species had a truly restricted geographical range, independent of habitat availability, but at a local scale, many species had uneven distributional gaps (36% present at < 50% of sites with suitable habitat). Among sites, abundance or incidence variability had no definite pattern. Frequency of occurrence in suitable patches decreased with increasing natural fragmentation of habitats. There were significant relationships between habitat selection and abundance or frequency of occurrence but not with diet or body size. Few species exhibited consistent geographical trends along the north-south gradient of decreasing rainfall. Guianan endemics tended to be widespread within the country. Several seasonal movements and inter-annual population fluctuations were documented. Rarity had different forms, but no general ecological correlates. Nearly half of rare species were associated with various types of forest gaps or edges, and were consequently more abundant outside the forest zone, i.e. in grasslands or clearings. Local occurrences and abundances seem to be the result of highly species-specific factors, and hence any general determinant of community structure may be obscured by specific reactions in such species-rich, heterogeneous and complex tropical rain-forest communities.
Effects of anthropogenic environmental changes on amphibian diversity in the rain forests of eastern Madagascar
Authors: Vallan Denis
Published: October 2003

Madagascar has one of the world's highest rates of human population increase, which is coupled with an increase of resource exploitation, particularly food and firewood. Forests are cleared and converted to rice fields or plantations (mainly Eucalyptus or pine). How does deforestation affect the amphibian diversity of the original biotope, the rain forest? To answer this question, the amphibian fauna of intact rain forests was compared with that of secondary forests, Eucalyptus plantations and rice fields. The main consequence of rain forest disturbance was loss of amphibian species. Compared with an intact forest, species richness in secondary forests, Eucalyptus plantations and rice fields were 54%, 46% and 12%, respectively. Species number and individual density increased with increasing structural complexity of the habitat and the presence of water bodies. The reproductive strategy of the species could be decisive for the presence or absence of single species in different habitats. With increasing degradation the percentage of species spawning in water increased. Correspondingly, Hyperoliidae and Raninae were characteristic of degraded habitats, whereas Microhylidae and Mantellinae were representative of natural habitats.
Species richness and habitat diversification of bryophytes in submontane rain forest and fallows of Bolivia
Authors: Acebey Amparo , Gradstein S. Rob , Krömer Thorsten
Published: October 2003

An analysis of corticolous bryophyte diversity on whole trees in primary
rain forest and 4-15-y-old fallows at 500-650 m in the Alto Beni, Bolivia, showed a significantly
decreased diversity of bryophyte families and moss species in the fallows. However, liverwort
diversity was scarcely lower in the fallows, except in the very young (4 y old) ones.
Fallows had a significantly higher percentage of smooth mat species (72%), which may
reflect the warmer, drier microclimate in the fallows. About half of the bryophyte species
of the rain forest had re-established in the 10-15-y-old fallows. The majority of these are ecological generalists and sun epiphytes; a small minority are shade epiphytes. Re-establishment of ecological specialists is slower than that of generalists. Species richness in the primary forest is highest in the canopy; in the fallows it is highest in the understorey due to striking shifts of species and specialized growth types (rough mats, fans, tails) towards lower heights on the trees in the fallows. These shifts correspond well with measured changes in air temperature and air humidity in the fallows as compared with the forest.
Gap formation and forest regeneration in a Micronesian mangrove forest
Authors: Pinzón Zuleika S. , Ewel Katherine C. , Putz Francis E.
Published: October 2003

Gaps created by the death of one or more contiguous trees are common in mangrove forests but are poorly understood. In Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia, where mangrove wood is harvested for local use, most natural gaps were < 50 m2, whereas most logging gaps were > 100 m2. Interior zones, where access is facilitated by roads, were the most heavily exploited. Although the forests contained 11 species, two species were primarily responsible for gap formation. Natural gaps were caused mainly by broken stems and large branches of Sonneratia alba trees, whereas logging gaps were created primarily by harvesting Rhizophora apiculata trees. Most natural gaps were formed by the fall of more than one tree or branch. Seedling densities were higher in logging gaps than in natural gaps and higher in gaps than under intact canopy. Bruguiera gymnorrhiza was the most common seedling species in gaps and under intact canopy. Relative rates of growth in height were faster in gaps than under intact canopy for R. apiculata and B. gymnorrhiza seedlings. Current harvesting practices on the island do not seem to be altering species richness, although R. apiculata may become less common as gaps are increasingly captured by B. gymnorrhiza.
13. LINGUISTIC PRESCRIPTION: FAMILIAR PRACTICES AND NEW PERSPECTIVES
Authors: Finegan Edward
Published: October 2003

A law student inquires whether a correction of sneaked to snuck suggests misinformation and misguided rigidity. This chapter reports an answer to that question in the context of better information about current legal usage and a perennial tendency to linguistic prescription. It also explores attitudes to current borrowings from English into Japanese and French and distinguishes between language as a vehicle of communication and as a symbol of cultural values. Finally, the chapter indicates the schizophrenic character of linguistic judgments about prescription and description and concludes with a characterization of current guidelines for nonsexist language use as sensible prescription.
EXACT DISTRIBUTIONS IN A JUMP-DIFFUSION STORAGE MODEL
Authors: Perry David , Stadje Wolfgang
Published: October 2003

We consider a reflected independent superposition of a Brownian
motion and a compound Poisson process with positive and negative
jumps, which can be interpreted as a model for the content process
of a storage system with different types of customers under heavy
traffic. The distributions of the duration of a busy cycle and the
maximum content during a cycle are determined in closed form.
FAST SIMULATION OF A QUEUE FED BY A SUPERPOSITION OF MANY
(HEAVY-TAILED) SOURCES
Authors: Boots Nam Kyoo , Mandjes Michel
Published: October 2003

We consider a queue fed by a large number, say n,
on–off sources with generally distributed on- and off-times.
The queueing resources are scaled by n: The buffer
is B ≡ nb and the link rate is C
≡ nc. The model is versatile. It allows one to model
both long-range-dependent traffic (by using heavy-tailed
on-periods) and short-range-dependent traffic (by using
light-tailed on-periods). A crucial performance metric in this model
is the steady state buffer overflow probability.

This probability decays exponentially in n. Therefore,
if n grows large, naive simulation is too time-consuming
and fast simulation techniques have to be used. Due to the exponential
decay (in n), importance sampling with an exponential change of
measure goes through, irrespective of the on-times being heavy or light
tailed. An asymptotically optimal change of measure is found by using
large deviations arguments. Notably, the change of measure is not
constant during the simulation run, which is different from
many other studies (usually relying on large buffer asymptotics).

Numerical examples show that our procedure improves considerably
over naive simulation. We present accelerations, we discuss
the influence of the shape of the distributions on the overflow
probability, and we describe the limitations of our technique.