bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Agonistics—Rituals of Conflict
Authors: Nieburg H.L.
Published: June 2007

"Agonistics" is a term used by ethologists to denote animal conflict behavior that is playful, symbolic, or ritualistic. The ethological literature shows a remarkable consensus about the social function of agonistic animal behav ior : it is political. Out of it come dominance/subordination patterns which constitute the complex authority and status structures of the group or pack. Through an intense agonistic phase, the young members discover, learn, and communicate their place in an ordered set of relationships. Such structures endure as the animals mature, accommodating themselves to the existing relationships and maintaining a set of behavior norms and culture patterns which perpetuate the group. Ritual action is the redressive, reconciling means of reaffirm ing loyalties, at times testing and changing them or offering new ones to replace the old, but is expressed in a muted display which changes attitudes and values without major and unlimited conflict, and without the necessity for total and simultaneous involvement by all members of the society. The potential for disruptive, revolutionary change by escalated violence and internal warfare is always present, unpredictable in its outcome, costly in its logistics, dangerous in the second ary conflicts which may be engendered; ritual controls and moderates these undesirable tendencies.
Local Political Leadership and Popular Discontent in the Ghetto
Authors: Rossi Peter H. , Berk Richard A.
Published: June 2007

Using unique sets of data from fifteen large American cities, this paper is an examination of some of the conditions under which objective circumstances surrounding city police and ghetto retail merchants are translated into the public issues of police brutality and exploitation by retailers. The findings of the investigation are based on the relations between three levels of community social organization within cities: city leaders, the general population, and the persons in occupations which in some sense link the two. Analysis of the data indicates that grass roots grievances with police and ghetto merchants have their foundations in the actual practices of these occupational groups. For the consumer to realize that merchants are engaging in unacceptable business prac tices, city leaders must publicly raise the issue of exploitation. Claims of police brutality appear to follow a more "populist" kind of model. Although elites certainly act to mold public opinion, the level of grievances with police and the salience of the public issue of police practices stems more directly from the experiences that citizens have with local law enforcement officers. The role of the police chief is thus seen as a crucial factor in public controversy about police practices.
Sources of Rebellion in Western Societies: Some Quantitative Evidence
Authors: Gurr Ted Robert
Published: June 2007

The extent, types, and causes of protest and rebel lion in twenty-one Western nations are statistically analyzed, using data on civil strife for 1961-65. Proportional measures of man-days and deaths in strife are combined in "magnitude of strife" scores. For more detailed comparisons, four com ponent strife scores are determined by distinguishing violent from nonviolent strife, and turmoil (riots, demonstrations) from rebellion (revolution, terrorism). The relative impor tance of three causes of strife is then examined: the extent of discontent, cultural justifications for strife, and the balance of social support between regimes and dissidents. Measures of these three causes, combined in multiple regression analyses, explain almost identical proportions of all forms of strife. The balance of social support is an important cause of variation in all forms of strife. Attitudes justifying strife are shown to be most important as causes of the least intense forms of strife. Most strikingly, discontent is found to be a negative cause of nonviolent protest but the strongest positive cause of rebel lion. These findings form the basis for an explanatory and predictive categorization of the Western nations according to their structural, cultural, and psychosocial potential for the several kinds of strife.
Innovations and Trends in the Study of American Politics
Authors: Goetcheus Vernon M. , Mansfield Harvey C.
Published: June 2007

Three significant trends or innovations in the recent literature of American politics and government are re viewed: the large and ever-growing number of studies of po litical socialization which have blossomed forth in the last half decade; the great increase in studies of Congress (par ticularly those focusing on congressional committees, roll-call voting behavior, and congressional leadership) as compared to those of the executive branch; and the application of quanti tative techniques in the comparative study of the policy out puts of American state governments. The substance of each of these distinct bodies of writing is surveyed and evaluated for its theoretical and methodological significance and for its contribution to the discipline's knowledge of the operations of the American political system.
From Analysis to Evaluation
Authors: Schick Allen
Published: June 2007

During the 1960's, program innovation and social analysis bloomed concurrently. Especially during the mid-years of that decade, many new social enterprises were spurred by the confident analyses of social scientists. The 1970's, however, have ushered in a period of program evaluation and public retrospection. The emphasis no longer is on building a record of program initiatives or on projecting the cost-effectiveness of prospective federal policies, but on looking backward to measure what has been accomplished by means of the activities already undertaken.

The difference between analysis and evaluation is tied to the policy-making context within which social science operates. The uses of analysis are most in demand when underutilized slack resources are available, when there is a great deal of confidence in the efficacy of public action, and when policy-makers want to forge new program initiatives. When these conditions change, the dominant tone of both social science and public policy shifts to evaluation. The drainage of resources, confidence, and the will to innovate thus account for the recent rise of evaluation.
The Federal Government and Social Science Policy
Authors: Riecken Henry W.
Published: June 2007

The United States government does not have a social science policy, but the interaction between government agencies and the large body of American social scientists produces emphases and directions. Both social scientists and government agencies are loosely organized in a pluralistic and flexible fashion without central control despite several administrative attempts to supply it. Federal support for social science is largely centered in four agencies which provide two-thirds of the funds, although the diversity of agency support provides considerable flexibility. Social scientists have found it advantageous to ally themselves with physical scientists in seeking support, with one result being the encouragement of empirically oriented research rather than humanistic research or politically controversial subjects. Three non-governmental organizations play special roles in social science policy; through study committees and advisory groups they provide emphases and development of uses of social science. Three recent reports from these organizations have made a number of policy recommendations, including: greater representation of social science at high levels of science policy-making; more use of collected data, but without infringing on individual privacy; development of social indicators; improvement of education in social science; increased international collaboration among social scientists; development of applied-behavioral-science schools; inclusion of behavioral science studies in curricula of professional schools. The principal emphasis of the recommendations is bringing social science into closer conjunction with the practical affairs of the society.
The Federal Government as a Source of Data
Authors: Taeuber Conrad
Published: June 2007

The federal government is the source of a large volume of statistics which becomes available for analysis by social scientists. Developments have been made in recent years in the timeliness of the release of the data. The growing use of electronic computers has led to the development of new ways of making data available for further analysis. Available statistics tend to become used even though there is not the continuing critical review which would be desirable to assure that statistics at all times reflect the situation in the real world which they are intended to describe. There are needs for coördination and for the development of ways by which data from different sources can be used without violating the confidentiality of the individual data. Methodological problems in relation to sample surveys have received considerable attention. The development of improved methodology is a promising field for collaboration between federal statistical agencies and the social science community.
Military Capabilities and American Foreign Policy
Authors: Allison Graham T.
Published: June 2007

Can the availability of a rapid response capability lead the United States to intervene militarily in situations where, without those ready forces, the U.S. government would decide that military intervention was not required? Secretary of Defense McNamara said no; Senator Richard Russell said yes. After examining the basic approaches to weapons selection that led McNamara and Russell to opposite conclusions, this article reviews recent instances—Dienbien— phu, Laos, Korea, the Bay of Pigs, and Vietnam—in which the presence or absence of a ready military option may have affected decisions about the use of force. A conclusion about who had the better part of the argument provides a base for drawing some implications concerning the full costs and benefits of military capabilities and the responsibilities of the secretary of defense.
The Governance of the Military
Authors: Hyman Sidney
Published: June 2007

First, this paper traces the root sources of the crisis of legitimacy now gripping both the civil and military components in the governance of the American military establishment. Then it shows how our national reactions to revolutionary changes in post-World War II military technology and in world politics shattered the long-standing 1789 constitional formula for a controlled military impulse. Next it focuses on certain aspects of the legitimacy crisis. Constitutional assumptions underlying amateur-expert relations in military governance have been unhinged by the tendency of the civil order to subordinate its own judgment of an "emergency need" to the judgment of the professional military experts. Further, old constitutional fiscal controls over the military establishment have been shattered by the Congress, and Congress has allowed its own constitutional power to "declare war" to be swallowed up by the grants to the president or his assumption of a unilateral discretionary power to "make war." Finally, it examines some remedies for the crisis of legitimacy, focusing not only on congressional reform, but on the role of the electorate and the indispensable need for a president to place himself under a self-denying ordinance.
Contemporary Professionalism and Future Military Leadership
Authors: Deagle Edwin A.
Published: June 2007

Once again the military establishment faces adjustment to peacetime. The process this time will be unusual, for several reasons. There is some evidence that the international environment is changing, and a large military force structure will not be needed. Domestic pressures to reduce defense budgets are stronger than they have been in the past. The situation facing the services may resemble the end of World War I. However, the officer corps is different. It is made up of men who have served in a large bureaucracy for the past thirty years—not the austere peacetime military forces that traditionally operated before the cold war. Bureaucratic management skills may run at cross purposes with military professional standards of competence and integrity, as a recent army study indicates. It may be that not only budgetary and political factors dictate a small military establishment in the future, but also the rebuilding of military professionalism as well.
The Development of the Black Bar
Authors: Leonard Walter J.
Published: June 2007

This article seeks to trace a certain pattern which exists, or appears to exist, within the history of black lawyers in America. Their story is relatively short, for American black lawyers have been part of our times for only 129 years. However, black lawyers in America, insofar as they constitute a "black bar," should not be considered exclusively as a group, generating certain patterns. Whatever the term "black bar" may mean, it can be defined adequately only in terms of every individual black lawyer. There have been periods in American history when there were too few black lawyers for any sort of group to be assembled at all. Because so distinct and limited a minority can have no significant power or influence, it is encouraging that the sheer numerical characteristic of black lawyers has increased. In 1844 there was one; in 1973 there are more than four thousand. But however many more are needed, and however influential the "black bar" may become, it is perhaps to our benefit that we are forced to consider certain individuals, isolated though they often were, as the total representation of the black legal profession. Those men and women served to maintain a tradition throughout some very bad times. Today, they serve to remind us that black lawyers, however constituted, defined, or studied, are nothing if not individuals, men and women of distinctive color, creed, and characteristic, and ultimately their own men and women, not those of any of their associations.
Decision: The Human Predicament
Authors: Shackle G.L.S.
Published: June 2007

If choice is originative, it can be effective, it can give a thrust to the course of things intended to secure its ends. In order to secure its ends, choice must apply a knowledge of what will be the consequence of what. But the sequel of an action chosen by one man will be shaped by circumstance, and its circumstances will include the actions chosen now and actions to be chosen in time to come by other men. If, therefore, choice is effective, it is unpredictable and thus defeats, in some degree, the power of choice itself to secure exact ends. This is the human predicament. Information is necessarily about fragments of the cosmos and of history. At any time a man has some collection of pieces of information, fitted into various systems of thought or accepted stereotypes of experience. He cannot know, except in regard to the most immediate physical effects, whether his information is all that exists which bears on his choice of action. If there are gaps, the filling of these gaps by inventive thought with one or another set of suppositions can radically affect the implications of even his well-founded information. He must select among contrary suggestions. What the decision-maker wants is access to hope. The greater the possible loss or misfortune, the more exhilarating may be the success which is then brought within imaginative reach. Decision is not, in its ultimate nature, calculation, but origination.
Freedom, Symbols and Communication
Authors: Aranguren José Luis L.
Published: June 2007

The starting point is the consideration of the human being as a symbolic animal: a being who works, behaves, understands and transforms the world making use of symbols. Symbols are signs with a meaning. The total system of verbal signs is language. With it, reality is not only statically shaped, but also structured for action. The fully human action is at the same time symbolic—literary, in the broad sense of the word—and directly transforming the world. There is a continuity between ordinary language, subliterature and literature. The function of this symbolic system is very visible today in television, radio, movies and mass media. It seems that present information is perfect for every man. Is it really so? Drawbacks in the way of transmitting information are studied, as are the symbolic strategies for social action favoring freedom. A strategy for community, but not mass, communication and individualized, but not individualistic, communication is the impending task concerning social action through the information media.
Methodological Premises of Social Forecasting
Authors: Emery Frederick E.
Published: June 2007

The forecasting of social futures has to contend with emergent novelty, as one phase in development is replaced by another and as social processes of diverse nature first come to interact. To this problem of emergent novelty the social forecaster must add the difficulties which arise because: (1) the social systems are much more complex than the aspects studied by the separate social sciences and (2) the sharing of parts between different subsystems is so great that their subordination to newly emerging processes can be very difficult to detect. At least three strategies have evolved to cope with these difficulties. Two have proven of limited value. All fall short of the kind of methodology which can be identified as necessary.
Between Urgency and Strategy
Authors: Franco Marina
Published: June 2007

The political activities of Argentine exiles in Paris during the period of terrorism in Argentina (1976—1983) centered upon opposition to the military regime and solidarity with the victims of repression in Argentina through the systematic denunciation of the regime's violation of human rights. The form that these political activities took was the product not only of the urgency of the situation but also of the logics of the receiving society and the rejecting society and the political situation of the exiles. Consideration of these three factors is essential to any understanding of the logic of exiled political actors.
The COSPA: A Political Experience of the Argentine Exile in Mexico
Authors: Yankelevich Pablo
Published: June 2007

The Argentine exiles who arrived in Mexico in the 1970s, primarily left-leaning Peronists and supporters of the Montoneros, established a broad solidarity network that provided substantial support for new arrivals in the country. The harmony of these beginnings was, however, short-lived. The Montoneros' declaration of war on the Martínez de Perón government in 1975 divided the exile community. The Comité de Solidaridad con el Pueblo Argentino (COSPA), founded in 1976, had a strong militant tone from the beginning and became a dogmatic appendage of the Montoneros' political project. The “independent” sector of the community, critical of the armed organizations and committed to a plurality of opinions, produced the Comisión Argentina de Solidaridad (CAS) in the following year. With the failure of the Montoneros' military counteroffensive and the death of dozens of militants, the CAS became the main exile organization, a mosaic that reproduced the various perspectives that nourished the Argentine exile community.
Moderated Multiple Regression, Spurious Interaction Effects, and IRT
Authors: Kang Sun-Mee , Waller Niels G.
Published: June 2007

Two Monte Carlo studies were conducted to explore the Type I error rates in moderated multiple regression (MMR) of observed scores and estimated latent trait scores from a two-parameter logistic item response theory (IRT) model. The results of both studies showed that MMR Type I error rates were substantially higher than the nominal alpha levels when scale scores were composed of summed binary item responses (e.g., true/false, yes/no, disagree/agree items). Performing the regression analyses on estimated trait scores (Θ̂) from a two-parameter logistic model improved the error detection rates considerably. That is, the Type I error rates for spurious interaction effects were similar to the nominal alpha levels under most conditions. These findings suggest that IRT provides a viable means of controlling an important source of spurious interactions in data sets that are well characterized by IRT models.
An Integrated Approach to the Analysis of Binary Choice Data
Authors: Cermak W. , Lieberman J. , Benson Harold P.
Published: June 2007

An integrated package of statistics is described for measuring the relationship between binary dominance data, such as choices, and predictor variables that measure the objects or stimuli. The degree of fit between predictors and choices is defined, and procedures for determining the maximum possible fit and minimum acceptable fit are described. The statistics are applied, for illustrative purposes, to a practical data set.
Communication Apprehension: An Assessment of Australian and United States Data
Authors: Hansford B.C. , Hattie J.A.
Published: June 2007

This study assessed the claims of unidimensionality for a measure of oral communication apprehension (Personal Report of Communication Apprehension). Eighteen independent samples, drawn from Australian and United States sources were used; and comparisons were made between the samples. Although similarities were found among the data sets with respect to internal consistency, frequency distributions, and item-total correlations, the claim of unidimensionality in the measure was rejected. It was also found that there were no overall differences between Australian and United States samples, no sex differences, and no age differences.
Can Geographically Weighted Regressions Improve Regional Analysis and Policy Making?
Authors: Ali Kamar , Partridge Mark D. , Olfert M. Rose
Published: June 2007

Policy design in a regional context requires explicit recognition of spatial heterogeneity in community characteristics as well as in the heterogeneity of how these characteristics impact the target variables. By providing only a “global” measure for the entire space, standard approaches such as ordinary least squares or (most) spatial econometric models tend to compromise spatial heterogeneity in favor of average estimates and efficiency. More assessment is needed of whether the gains of simplicity and statistical efficiency offset the losses from ignoring spatial heterogeneity. Using data for about 1,900 rural Canadian communities as a backdrop, the authors address this issue using a geographically weighted regression approach. The authors find that for about two-thirds of the variables, standard approaches would have significantly understated the spatial differences in the impact of selected variables. Standard analysis would not have uncovered this information, suggesting that subsequent policy inferences would be poorly suited to many local settings.
Exploring the Perceptions of Domestic Violence Service Providers in Rural Localities
Authors: Eastman Brenda J. , Bunch Shelia G. , Williams A. Hamilton , Carawan Lena W.
Published: June 2007

This exploratory study uses a nonprobability purposive sample to investigate the perceptions of domestic violence service providers in rural regions of North Carolina and Virginia. Investigators gathered data incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data were retrieved through the development and distribution of a self-administered survey targeting service provider perceptions about the general public, consumers of services, self-perceptions, and perceptions related to inter- and intra-agency issues. Qualitative data were collected to provide further elaboration on the topic through the use of a focus group composed of rural service providers. The focus group was facilitated by the investigators. Findings identified deficits in public knowledge, agency resources, and community resources, and professional development as being the most problematic issues. Victims were perceived as having to face multiple issues and barriers when seeking services. Implications of these findings are discussed as well as the need for continued research efforts.
Finally Informing the Electorate? How the Internet Got People Thinking about Presidential Politics in 2004
Authors: Dalrymple Kajsa E. , Scheufele Dietram A.
Published: June 2007

Recent research has suggested that traditional and online news sources may differ with respect to their ability to inform audiences. In particular, there is tentative evidence that the hyperlink structure of online newspapers, for example, can promote a more in-depth understanding of political issues than traditional news media. The authors analyze data from the 2004 American National Election Studies (ANES) to test some of these relationships empirically. Specifically, the influence of traditional and Internet news sources on both differentiated and integrated political knowledge structures among citizens are examined. The findings reveal that users of online newspapers have higher levels of both integrated and differentiated knowledge, even after controlling for print newspaper and television use. Print newspaper use is only related to factual political knowledge, and television news use is unrelated to any of the measures of knowledge about the presidential campaign.
Public–Private Partnerships in a Texas Municipality
Authors: Ewoh Andrew I. E.
Published: June 2007

This article examines the public–private partnerships' (PPPs') processes, governance structures, financing, and promotion strategies through tax increment reinvestment zones' (TIRZs') provision in various projects and their impacts in the City of Houston, Texas. In conclusion, the analysis delineates the policy implication of using PPPs or TIRZs as a government reinvention tool in public service delivery in the 21st century and recommends how to implement successful partnerships.
Impact of a spirometry expert system on general practitioners' decision making
Authors: Poels P. J. P. , Schermer T. R. J. , Schellekens D. P. A. , Akkermans R. P. , de Vries Robbé P. F. , Kaplan A. , Bottema B. J. A. M. , van Weel C.
Published: June 2007

The present study assessed the impact of computerised spirometry interpretation expert support on the diagnostic achievements of general practitioners (GPs), and on GPs' decision making in diagnosing chronic respiratory disease.

A cluster-randomised controlled trial was performed in 78 GPs who each completed 10 standardised paper case descriptions. Intervention consisted of support for GPs' spirometry interpretation either by an expert system (expert support group) or by sham information (control group). Agreement of GPs' diagnoses was compared with an expert panel judgement, which served as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were: additional diagnostic test rates; width of differential diagnosis; certainty of diagnosis; estimated severity of disease; referral rate; and medication or nonmedication changes. Effects were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

There were no differences between the expert support and control groups in the agreement between GPs and expert panel diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR (95% CI) 1.08 (0.70–1.66)), asthma (1.13 (0.70–1.80)), and absence of respiratory disease (1.32 (0.61–2.86)). A higher rate of additional diagnostic tests was observed in the expert support group (2.5 (1.17–5.35)).

Computerised spirometry expert support had no detectable benefit on general practitioners' diagnostic achievements and the decision-making process when diagnosing chronic respiratory disease.
Recombinant human DNase nebulisation in children with cystic fibrosis: before bedtime or after waking up?
Authors: van der Giessen L. J. , Gosselink R. , Hop W. C. J. , Tiddens H. A. W. M.
Published: June 2007

The present study focused on patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), who were on maintenance therapy with recombinant human deoxyribonuclease (rhDNase), with the aim of comparing efficacy and possible side effects of nebulisation of rhDNase when taken before bedtime with efficacy and side effects when taken after waking up.

A randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, crossover study group was used. The inclusion criteria were as follows: 1) CF, 2) stable clinical condition and 3) rhDNase maintenance therapy. Patients in group I inhaled rhDNase before bedtime and a placebo after waking up in weeks 1–2. The protocol was reversed during weeks 3–4. Group II patients performed the reverse of this sequence. Patients continued with their daily routine sputum expectoration. The primary end-point was classified as the maximal instantaneous forced flow when 25% of the forced vital capacity remained to be exhaled (MEF25%). Pulmonary functions tests were performed on days 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28. At 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks arterial oxygen saturation and cough frequency were measured during the night.

A total of 24 patients completed the study. The mean (range) age of the patients was 13 (6–19) yrs. MEF25%, taken to be the primary end-point, did not show a significant difference between nebulisation of rhDNase before bedtime compared with when taken after waking up. Nocturnal cough, oxygen saturation, and other secondary end-points were not significantly different between the two study periods.

In conclusion, the present study found that it is equally effective and safe to nebulise recombinant human deoxyribonuclease before bedtime compared with when performed after waking up in children with cystic fibrosis, who are on maintenance treatment with recombinant human deoxyribonuclease.
Identification and expression profile of a putative basement membrane protein gene in the midgut of Helicoverpa armigera
Authors: Wang Jia-Lin , Jiang Xiao-Juan , Wang Qian , Hou Li-Jing , Xu Da-Wei , Wang Jin-Xing , Zhao Xiao-Fan
Published: June 2007

Background

The midgut undergoes histolysis and remodeling during the larval to adult transition in holometabolous insects, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are not well understood.

Results

Using Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH), we identified a 531 bp cDNA predicted to encode a 176 amino acid protein, which we call hmg176. Northern and western blot analysis suggested that high levels of hmg176 are expressed in the midgut during molting, but not during metamorphosis. HMG176 protein was detected by immunofluorescence within the membrane of fat bodies and the basement membrane of the midgut of both molting and feeding larvae, but not in metamorphically committed larvae. In situ hybridization revealed that hmg176 transcripts mainly localized to the columnar cells of the midgut. Interestingly, a non-steroidal ecdysone agonist, RH-2485, significantly upregulated expression of hmg176.

Conclusion

These observations suggest that hmg176 encodes a larval-specific protein that may participate in sustaining larval midgut during larval development, possibly in response to ecdysteroid in vivo. This study will enlighten our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of tissue histolysis during metamorphosis.
HIF-2α downregulation in the absence of functional VHL is not sufficient for renal cell differentiation
Authors: Hughes Michael D , Kapllani Erilda , Alexander Ashlynn E , Burk Robert D , Schoenfeld Alan R
Published: June 2007

Background

Mutational inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene has been linked to hereditary as well as sporadic clear cell renal carcinomas. The product of the VHL gene, pVHL, acts to target hypoxia-inducible factor alpha (HIF-α) subunits for ubiquitination and subsequent degradation. Using an RNA interference approach to lower levels of HIF-2α in two different renal cell lines that lack functional pVHL, we have tested the contribution of HIF-2α toward cellular pVHL activities.

Results

Knockdown of HIF-2α resulted in cell cycle arrest of renal cells that were grown on collagen I, indicating that this pVHL function is dependent on HIF-2α regulation. However, cellular morphological changes and downregulation of integrins α5 and β1, which were seen upon pVHL replacement, were not faithfully phenocopied by HIF-2α reduction. Moreover, fibronectin deposition and expression of renal cell differentiation markers were observed in cells containing replaced pVHL, but not in HIF-2α knockdown cells, indicating that these pVHL functions may occur independently of HIF-2α downregulation.

Conclusion

These results indicate that HIF-2α regulation is not sufficient for pVHL-induced renal cell differentiation. We hypothesize that in addition to HIF-2α dysregulation, abrogation of additional pVHL functions is required for the initiation of renal carcinogenesis.
Common Genotypes of Hepatitis B virus prevalent in Injecting drug abusers (addicts) of North West Frontier Province of Pakistan
Authors: Alam Muhammad Masroor , Zaidi Sohail Zahoor , Shaukat Shehzad , Sharif Salmaan , Angez Mehar , Naeem Asif , Saleha Shamim , Butt Javed Aslam , Malik Salman Akbar
Published: June 2007

Background

The epidemiological significance of Hepatitis B virus genotypes has been well established and becoming an essential concern day by day however, much little is known about the mixed infection with more than one Hepatitis B virus genotypes and their clinical relevance.

Methods

Intravenous drug abusers are considered as a major risk group for the acquisition and transmission of blood borne infections like hepatitis B, however, in Pakistan, no such data has ever been reported about the epidemiology of HBV and its genotypes in Injecting Drug Users. 250 individuals were analyzed for hepatitis B virus genotypes after prior screening with serological assay for the detection of HBsAg.

Results

56 (22.4%) individuals were found positive on ELSIA for HBsAg. The genotype distribution was found to be as: genotype D, 62.5%; genotype A, 8.92% while 28.57% individuals were found to be infected with a mixture of genotype A and D.

Conclusion

There is an urgent need of the time to develop public health care policies with special emphasis towards the control of HBV transmission through high risk groups especially Injecting Drug Users.
Consistency of the Neighbor-Net Algorithm
Authors: Bryant David , Moulton Vincent , Spillner Andreas
Published: June 2007

Background

Neighbor-Net is a novel method for phylogenetic analysis that is currently being widely used in areas such as virology, bacteriology, and plant evolution. Given an input distance matrix, Neighbor-Net produces a phylogenetic network, a generalization of an evolutionary or phylogenetic tree which allows the graphical representation of conflicting phylogenetic signals.

Results

In general, any network construction method should not depict more conflict than is found in the data, and, when the data is fitted well by a tree, the method should return a network that is close to this tree. In this paper we provide a formal proof that Neighbor-Net satisfies both of these requirements so that, in particular, Neighbor-Net is statistically consistent on circular distances.
In-cylinder charge stratification and fuel-air mixing in a new, low-emission two-stroke engine
Authors: Bakshi S , Anand T N C , Ravikrishna R V
Published: June 2007

A new air-assisted injection system-based two-stroke engine has been developed at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore over the past few years and shows the potential to meet emission norms such as Euro II and Euro III and yet deliver satisfactory performance. The 70 cc engine works on the direct mixture injection principle with scavenging performed by air alone instead of an air-fuel mixture. A small 20 cc pump driven off the engine is used for mixture preparation prior to in-cylinder injection of the mixture. In the present study, the mixture injection and subsequent charge stratification process inside the engine cylinder is modelled. A three-dimensional compressible flow code with a standard k-ε turbulence model with wall functions is developed and used for this modelling. To account for the moving boundary or piston in the engine cylinder domain, a non-stationary and deforming grid is used in this region with stationary cells in the ports and connecting ducts. A flux conservation scheme is used in the domain interface to allow the in-cylinder moving mesh to slide past the fixed port meshes. The initial conditions for flow parameters are taken from the output of a three-dimensional scavenging simulation. The state of the inlet charge is obtained from a separate modelling of the air-assisted injection system of this engine. The simulation results show that a large, near-stoichiometric region is present at most operating conditions in the cylinder head plane. The state of the in-cylinder charge at the onset of ignition is studied, leading to a good understanding of the mixing process. In addition, the sensitivity of two critical parameters in the mixing and stratification is investigated. The suggested parameters substantially enhance the flammable proportion at the onset of combustion. The predicted pressure-crank angle history from a combustion simulation supports this recommendation.
Effect of hot exhaust gas recirculation on the performance and emissions of an advanced injection low pilot-ignited natural gas engine
Authors: Qi Y , Srinivasan K K , Krishnan S R , Yang H , Midkiff K C
Published: June 2007

The development of the advanced injection low pilot-ignited natural gas (ALPING) combustion concept that employs very small diesel pilots (1–5 per cent by energy) to compression ignite a premixed natural gas-air mixture to achieve very low NO x (0.2 g/kWh) and high efficiencies (about 41 per cent) has been described in a previous work. However, at part loads the ALPING combustion mode suffers from higher HC emissions (mostly unburned methane) and poor engine stability. To resolve this problem, tests were carried out employing various levels of hot EGR (0–26 per cent) at different loads on a single-cylinder research engine at a constant speed of 1700 r/min. Experimental results compared with baseline ALPING mode (0 per cent EGR) for quarter load operation are presented in the current paper. The results show that, at 60° BTDC injection timing, the application of hot EGR reduced HC emissions by up to 70 per cent without any significant NO x emissions penalty. The fuel conversion efficiencies were improved by 8 percentage points, while COVi.m.e.p. and CO emissions decreased 20 percentage points and 40 per cent, respectively. To identify the upper limits of hot EGR substitution, engine knock tests, which were conducted to identify audible knock limits, are also presented for a representative case (half load). The progress made by this project better positions ALPING combustion as a potentially viable approach to meet the regulatory and economic challenges of the future.
A New Synthesis Route for MWW Analogues Using Octyltrimethylammonium Cations as Structure-directing Agents under Alkali-free Conditions
Authors: Liu Na , Liu Yueming , Yue Chaochao , Chen Li , Wu Haihong , Li Xiaohong , He Mingyuan , Wu Peng
Published: June 2007

Crystalline zeolites with the MWW topology are readily synthesized under hydrothermal conditions using long-chain quaternary ammonium cation like octyltrimethylammonium from high silica gels free of alkali metal ions, which implies a new route for preparing MWW-type metallosilicates.
Preparation of Novel Polysaccharide Nanoparticles by the Self-assembly of Amphiphilic Pectins and Their Protein-encapsulation Ability
Authors: Kida Toshiyuki , Inoue Keiichiro , Akagi Takami , Akashi Mitsuru
Published: June 2007

Novel polysaccharide-based nanoparticles were successfully prepared by the self-assembly of amphiphilic pectins, which were easily synthesized by the reaction of pectins with l-phenylalanine ethyl ester, and these nanoparticles were able to retain entrapped ovalbumin for one week without any significant leakage.
Ultrasonic-mediated Preparation of Mesoporous Crystalline CdS Nanoparticle
Authors: Sathish M , Viswanath R P
Published: June 2007

Cubic mesoporous CdS crystalline nanoparticles (4–6 nm) have been prepared by template-free ultrasonic-mediated precipitation, employing simple inorganic precursors at room temperature. The N2 adsorption–desorption isotherm reveals that the as-prepared CdS nanoparticle has an average pore size of ≈5.4 nm.
The Establishment of a Colony of Specified-Pathogen-Free Guinea-Pigs
Authors: Owen Dawn G. , Porter G.
Published: June 2007

Summary

A method for the establishment of a colony of specified-pathogen-free guinea-pigs is described. Details are given of a milk-substitute diet and a technique for hand-rearing young guinea-pigs on diets sterilised by γ-irradiation.
Intensive Breeding of Rats 1. Crossfostering
Authors: Lane-Petter W. , Lane-Petter Marjorie E. , Bowtell C. Wendy
Published: June 2007

The sex ratio of CFE rats as born is approximately 1:1, but the demand is usually for many more males than females. Litter size as born is variable, with resulting variation in weight for age at weaning and subsequently. The average litter size born is lower than that which the dams are capable of rearing. By a system of crossfostering pups at about two days of age, and killing surplus female pups at this age, litter size may be standardized, the sex ratio of animals raised can be adjusted to the demand, and larger litters can be reared.
Vitamin B12 deficiency in captive monkeys and its effect on the nervous system and the blood
Authors: Oxnard C. E. , Smith W. Thomas , Torres I.
Published: June 2007

Monkeys fed vegetarian diets develop neurological and haematological abnormalities; paralysis can occur though the neural lesions (cerebral degeneration, posterior and lateral column degeneration of the spinal cord, segmental and wallerian degeneration of the peripheral nerves) are usually not evident during life. It is clearly important that the diet given to captive animals should contain an adequate amount of vitamin B12, and that newly captive monkeys should not be used for research purposes unless shown to have normal serum levels of the vitamin.
The effects of age and anaesthetic on the blood picture of the cuts, Galea musteloides
Authors: Watson P. F. , Hawkey Christine M.
Published: June 2007

Blood samples from 25 adult and 6 immature cuis were examined. There were slight differences in red cell parameters (RBC, Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH, & MCHC) between cuis and guinea-pigs. The total white cell count of cuis was much lower. The neutrophils of the cuis, as of the guinea-pig, had eosinophilic granules and were therefore termed pseudoeosinophils. Kurloff bodies were not present in mononuclear cells. There were more platelets in cuis blood compared with guinea-pig blood. The choice of anaesthetic did not influence any of the red cell parameters of the cuis, but may have affected the relative numbers of pseudoeosinophils, the platelet count and the percentage of reticulocytes. Immature animals had a lower erythrocyte count, a higher MCH and fewer platelets than adults.
Measurement of digestible and metabolizable energy of diets for rats
Authors: Rolls B. A. , Hegde S. N. , Coates Marie E.
Published: June 2007

A balance method for the measurement of digestible and metabolizable energy in rats is described. Experimentally determined metabolizable energies of 2 diets for rats were closer to those values for metabolizable energy calculated from tabulated values for pigs rather than chickens. Some drawbacks in the use of tables of energy values to predict the energy of diets are discussed.
An improved method for the production of experimental congestive heart failure in the guinea-pig
Authors: Ling E. T. , de Bold A. J.
Published: June 2007

The method involves supravalvular aortic constriction, and a simple, efficient, aortic constrictor has been developed which gives highly predictable results. Mortality due to causes directly related to the surgical procedure was low.
An outbreak of rabbit enteritis: pathological and microbiological findings and possible therapeutic regime
Authors: Nikkels R. J. , Mullink J. W. M. A. , van Vliet J. C. J.
Published: June 2007

Mortality, averaging about 30% of young born throughout the year, was severest at 5-10 weeks of age, from just before weaning until about 4 weeks after, especially in large litters of 10-11 young. The organism most characteristically associated with enteritis was Escherichia coli. Preliminary experiments suggested that restriction of food decreases the death rate from enteritis among young rabbits.
Cost Assessment of the Possibility of Using Three Types of Wind Turbine in Turkey
Authors: Vardar Ali , Çeti̇n Bahattin
Published: June 2007

Turkey's some region has a vast open land. Therefore, it has great potential of using solar and wind energy sources for domestic and industrial use. This research is going to propose and assess about the wind power cost per kWh of electricity produced using three types of wind electric conversion systems at 14 locations in Turkey. Wind during curves were developed and utilized to calculate the cost per kWh of electricity generated from three chosen wind turbines. According to the research findings, Bozcaada is the most advantageous station from the point of view of economical and production of wind power.
An Investigation on the Economic Analysis of Wind Turbines
Authors: Onat Cem , Canbazoğlu Suat
Published: June 2007

Wind energy, one of the renewable energy sources, has now become a global power generation industry competing with other sources of energy generation. While the interest and investments for wind energy recycling systems are gradually increasing worldwide, both the scientific studies and commercial activities in this field in Turkey are expanding everyday. In this study, some economic subjects related with the energy obtained by wind turbines have examined and the effects of blade number and attack angle on annual maximum energy production obtained from the wind turbines having 4415 NACA and LS- 1 blade profiles, which are planned to erect in Malatya city, Turkey, have analyzed.
Footbridge Pedestrian Vibration Limits Background to Response Calculation
Authors: Barker Chris
Published: June 2007

The UK Highways Agency has commissioned two companion studies for the review of the dynamic sensitivity of footbridges. As part of their contribution to this work, Flint & Neill Partnership have undertaken a fairly extensive theoretical review of the combined subjects of pedestrian loading, response prediction and user perception of bridge motion. The results of this study form the basis for a new approach to the assessment of the dynamic responses of footbridges [1][2][3][4][5].

This paper presents of some of the background to the design strategy developed for the prediction of vertical responses. The material presented serves two purposes (a) it gives some useful background in order to assist practicing engineers to better understand a few of the many important theoretical issues, and (b) it provides an example of a simple analysis algorithm (able to be implemented in a spreadsheet) that, in many cases, will enable engineers to calculate pedestrian dynamic responses with the same precision as that of a full time history analysis.
Pedestrian Bridges Utilizing High Strength Concrete
Authors: Strasky Jiri
Published: June 2007

Possibilities of structures utilizing high strength concrete are shown on examples of proposed pedestrian bridges. These structures are discussed from the point of view of their architectural and structural solution. Also a process of their erection is described.