bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of the breed‐related glaucomas in pure‐bred dogs in North America
Authors: Gelatt Kirk N. , MacKay Edward O.
Published: February 2004

Objective To determine the prevalence of the breed‐related glaucomas in pure‐bred dogs presented to the veterinary medical teaching hospitals in North America that participate in the Veterinary Medical Data Base (VMDB).

Materials and methods In this retrospective study, age of first diagnosis, breed, and gender data for all breeds of dogs were collected from the VMDB with the clinical diagnosis of primary glaucoma (glaucoma‐NOS) at 5–10 year intervals from 1964 to 2002. The prevalence for each breed (affected dogs compared to all dogs of each breed), any changes over the 38 years, and any gender differences for these glaucomas were determined.

Results The prevalence of the primary breed‐related glaucomas has gradually increased from 0.29% (1964–1973); 0.46% (1974–1983); 0.76% (1984–1993); to 0.89% (1994–2002). Breeds that consistently featured among the highest 10 for glaucoma prevalence from four different periods (1964 to 2002) included American Cocker Spaniel, Basset Hound, Wire Fox Terrier, and Boston Terrier. During the last observation period (1994–2002), 22 different breeds had 1% or higher prevalence of the glaucomas. The highest prevalence of glaucomas in 1994–2002 by breed included: American Cocker Spaniel (5.52%); Basset Hound (5.44%); Chow Chow (4.70%); Shar‐Pei (4.40%); Boston Terrier (2.88%); Wire Fox Terrier (2.28%); Norwegian ElkHound (1.98%); Siberian Husky (1.88%); Cairn Terrier (1.82%); and Miniature Poodle (1.68%). A predominance of females with glaucoma occurred in the American Cocker Spaniel, Basset Hound, Cairn Terrier, Chow Chow, English Cocker Spaniel, Samoyed, and perhaps the Siberian Husky, and a predominance of males in the Australian Cattle dog and St Bernard. Age affected the time for first presentation of the glaucomas in the pure‐bred dog. In the majority of breeds the glaucomas were presented for initial diagnosis in dogs between 4 and 10 years of age.

Conclusion Breed‐related glaucomas in pure‐bred dogs are frequently presented to the veterinary medical teaching hospitals in North America. The prevalence of the breed‐related glaucomas in the dog appears similar to humans, and in some breeds exceeds that in humans. In many breeds the high prevalence of the glaucomas suggests a genetic basis.
Morphologic changes of the anterior corneal epithelium caused by third eyelid removal in dogs
Authors: Saito A. , Watanabe Y. , Kotani T.
Published: February 2004

Morphologic changes of corneal epithelium after third eyelid removal were observed in six normal Beagle dogs. The observation was conducted on the 17th, 35th and 72nd week after the removal. Morphologic changes were observed on corneal epithelium layers at 17 and 35 weeks post excision of the third eyelid but they were limited to minor changes including abnormal intercellular adhesion and further exfoliation of superficial cells at 72 weeks. The reduced BUT and evidence of vital positive staining correspond with these morphologic changes. Therefore, these changes are thought to be important findings from a morphologic view point in identifying pathologic symptoms of the cornea using clinical evaluation methods such as BUT and vital staining method. Grossly, no clinical indication of ocular disease was indicated by slit‐lamp biomicroscopic observation; however, the BUT shortage and positive finding of vital staining indicated that the corneal epithelium layers after third eyelid removal lacked the essential barrier function. Thus, it would seem appropriate to consider that such a condition of the ocular surface would worsen with excessive exposure of the ocular surface, palpebration disorders and other exogenous factors.
Multiple eyelid apocrine hidrocystomas in two Persian cats
Authors: Cantaloube Brice , Raymond‐Letron Isabelle , Regnier Alain
Published: February 2004

Two middle‐aged Persian cats were presented for evaluation of periocular masses. On examination, multiple pigmented nodules, 2–10 mm in diameter, were found in the periocular skin. Excisional biopsy revealed unilocular cystic lesions derived from apocrine sweat glands and resembling apocrine hidrocystomas of the eyelids described in humans. Immunostaining for Ki67 identified actively proliferating epithelial cells and demonstrated, for the first time, that these cystic lesions are adenomatous proliferative tumors (cystadenomas) rather than retention cysts. In both cases, additional lesions appeared within 6 to 9 months at affected and previously unaffected sites on the eyelids.
Diagnostic ultrasonography of equine lens and posterior segment abnormalities
Authors: Scotty N. C. , Cutler T. J. , Brooks D. E. , Ferrell E.
Published: February 2004

Purpose  To define the indications for equine ocular ultrasonography and to provide representative ultrasonographic images of lens and posterior segment diseases.

Methods  Retrospective study. Equine medical records dating from January 1983 to March 2001 were reviewed. All cases that: (1) had a lens and/or posterior segment abnormality; and (2) received a complete ophthalmic examination and ocular ultrasonography were included.

Results  Forty‐three cases (n = 64 eyes) out of 112 total cases of equine lens and/or posterior segment abnormalities qualified. The following conditions were identified ultrasonographically in order of decreasing frequency: cataracts, vitreal opacities, retinal detachment, lens luxation, endophthalmitis, microphthalmos, choroiditis, lens rupture, lenticonus, buphthalmos and phthisis bulbi. Ultrasonography often enabled diagnoses to be made in the presence of anterior opacities in both surgical (pre and/or postoperatively) and nonsurgical cases. Additional ocular conditions were identified in adults with cataracts more frequently than in foals with cataracts.

Conclusions  Cataracts were the most common lens abnormality identified in horses that received ocular ultrasound examination. Cataracts were commonly found in association with other ocular abnormalities. Ultrasonography was a practical and effective method of evaluating the lens and posterior segment, particularly in cases with anterior opacities. Ultrasonography also provided critical information with regard to the potential for surgical removal of cataracts and was a valuable component of postsurgical follow‐up.
Can leakage at the vesico‐urethral anastomosis be predicted after radical retropubic prostatectomy?
Authors: Ramsden A.R. , Chodak G.W.
Published: February 2004

OBJECTIVES

To determine if low‐risk patients can be identified in whom cystography is unnecessary to assess the integrity of the vesico‐urethral anastomosis after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP), and thus who can have early catheter removal.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In all, 275 RRPs by one surgeon were analysed retrospectively; the surgical technique, blood loss and comorbidity were recorded. Cystograms were taken 8 days after RRP to assess vesico‐urethral integrity before catheter removal.

RESULTS

Of the 275 patients, 75% and 89% had cystography before 8 and 10 days after RRP, respectively; 71% of patients had no leak on cystography and were catheter‐free at 8 days. Eighty‐four leaks were identified, of which 25 (9.6%) were moderate or large. Previous transurethral prostatectomy, ischaemic heart disease, blood loss, mucosal eversion and preservation of the prostatic urethra were significant risk factors for developing a leak and were used to create a nomogram to assess the relative risk of leakage. However, none of the variables assessed, either alone or combined, could be used to predict which leaks were clinically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Leakage cannot be reliably predicted at the vesico‐urethral anastomosis. Cystograms are necessary to identify clinically significant leaks at 8 days and should be taken if early catheter removal is being considered.
Renal damage in vesico‐ureteric reflux
Authors: Caione P. , Ciofetta G. , Collura G. , Morano S. , Capozza N.
Published: February 2004

OBJECTIVE

To detect the different extent of renal parenchymal involvement in primary vesico‐ureteric reflux (VUR), and to evaluate the relationship between VUR grade, patient age and different patterns of parenchymal damage.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This blinded retrospective study included 197 consecutive children (mean age 4.26 years, range 1 month to 13 years) with primary VUR detected by voiding cysto‐urethrography (VCUG), 99mTc‐dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA; 120 MBq/1.73 m2) renal scintigraphy, with scanning for 3 h after intravenous injection. An abnormal DMSA scan was classified into three subtypes: cortical defects as a single scar (SS), multiple cortical scarring (MS) and diffuse reduced uptake with small renal size. Renal absolute uptake (AU), and split‐kidney relative uptake were evaluated in refluxing and nonrefluxing renal units, and correlated with parenchymal damage and patient age. Student's t‐test and the chi‐square test were used for the statistical analysis.

RESULTS

In all, 282 refluxing and 112 nonrefluxing units were assessed. Renal damage was detected in 188 of 282 units with VUR (67%) and in 18 of 112 (16%) contralateral nonrefluxing kidneys. The mean AU was 18.7% in kidneys with VUR and 29% in nonrefluxing units (P < 0.001). The mean (sd) AU decreased from lower to higher grades of VUR, i.e. grade 0 VUR (group A), 28.97 (9.71); grade 1–3 (group B), 21.28 (8.33); grade 4–5 (group C), 14.78 (8.02). The differences were statistically significant (A vs B, B vs C, both P < 0.001). Renal damage was differently distributed in the three groups: 69 of 109 kidneys (63%) in group C (MS prevalent), 39 of 173 (22.5%) in group B (SS prevalent) and 17 of 112 (15.2%) in group A. There was no significant difference in the distribution of renal damage subtypes in patients aged < or > 2 years (SS 19.6% vs 17.9%, MS 29.6% vs 30.1%, small size 48.2% vs 46.3%). The VUR was severe (group C) in 65% of patients aged < 2 years and in 46% aged > 2 years (chi‐square, P= 0.016).

CONCLUSIONS

VUR is commonly associated with renal damage. Age (< or > 2 years) did not significantly influence the kidney lesion subtype. Reduced parenchymal function (AU) progressively decreased with the severity of VUR. Focal MS, reduced size and relative uptake were significantly more common in severe VUR, leading to multifocal lesions and hypo‐dysplasia. Renal scarring was present in up to 15% of contralateral nonrefluxing kidneys. Severe VUR behaved differently from lesser VUR in the renal scan parenchymal uptake.
A comparison of the effects of tamsulosin and alfuzosin on neurally evoked increases in bladder neck and seminal vesicle pressure in rats
Authors: Giuliano F. , Bernabe J. , Droupy S. , Alexandre L. , Allard J.
Published: February 2004

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effects of the α1‐adrenoceptor antagonists alfuzosin and tamsulosin on the physiological events associated with ejaculation in the rat, because when these drugs are used for treating symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia in men they may affect ejaculation by impairing bladder neck closure and seminal vesicle contraction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In clinical trials the incidence of ejaculatory disorders in men is typically < 1% with alfuzosin and 4–18% with tamsulosin. The effects of tamsulosin and alfuzosin on bladder neck and seminal vesicle pressures (BNP and SVP) in the rat were analysed. Increases in BNP and SVP were induced in urethane‐anaesthetized Wistar rats by electrical stimulation (ES) of the hypogastric nerve (HN) before and after an intravenous injection with vehicle, 3 or 10 µg/kg of tamsulosin or alfuzosin (10 rats/group). The mean amplitude and area under the curve (AUC) of the BNP and SVP were expressed as the percentage of the response to ES of HN before the treatment.

RESULTS

The amplitude and AUC of the SVP were significantly decreased by both doses of tamsulosin, and marginally decreased by the same doses of alfuzosin. The amplitude of the BNP was significantly decreased by 3 and 10 µg/kg of tamsulosin and 10 µg/kg alfuzosin, and marginally decreased by 3 µg/kg alfuzosin. The AUC of the BNP was significantly decreased by both doses of tamsulosin, but barely affected by alfuzosin at the same doses.

CONCLUSION

Over the doses assessed, alfuzosin had significantly less deleterious effect on increases in BNP and SVP induced by ES of the HN than had tamsulosin.
Diagnosis of local recurrence after radical prostatectomy
Authors: Scattoni V. , Montorsi F. , Picchio M. , Roscigno M. , Salonia A. , Rigatti P. , Fazio F.
Published: February 2004

In the long‐term there is biochemical evidence of recurrent prostate carcinoma in ≈ 40% of patients after radical prostatectomy (RP). Detecting the site of recurrence (local vs distant) is critical for defining the optimum treatment. Pathological and clinical variables, e.g. Gleason score, involvement of seminal vesicles or lymph nodes, margin status at surgery, and especially the timing and pattern of prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) recurrence, may help to predict the site of relapse. Transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) of the prostatic fossa in association with TRUS‐guided needle biopsy is considered more sensitive than a digital rectal examination for detecting local recurrence, especially if PSA levels are low. Although it cannot detect minimal tumour mass at very low PSA levels (<1 ng/mL) TRUS biopsy is presently the most sensitive method for detecting local recurrence. Nevertheless, the conclusive role of biopsy of the vesico‐urethral anastomosis remains unclear. However, 111In‐capromab pendetide scintigraphy and [11C]‐choline tomography (which are better than conventional imaging for detecting metastatic tumour), have low detection rates for local disease and are considered complementary to TRUS in this setting. Patients with a high PSA after RP may be managed with external beam salvage radiotherapy. An initial PSA of < 1 ng/mL, Gleason score < 8 and radiation dose of 66–70 Gy seem to be key factors in determining success. Although a positive TRUS anastomotic biopsy may predict a better outcome after radiation therapy, the need to take a biopsy in the event of PSA failure remains under investigation. The value of salvage radiation to the prostatic bed for PSA‐only progression after RP remains in question.
Strategies for Knowledge Creation in Firms*
Authors: Un C. A. , Cuervo‐Cazurra Alvaro
Published: February 2004

We extend the knowledge‐based view by providing an explanation of how firms develop the capability to create knowledge. We take the view that firms are distributed knowledge systems composed of individuals who embody knowledge, and theoretically identify and empirically test the existence and effectiveness of two strategies – organization and project team – that promote their interactions to develop this capability. On the one hand, building on what we call the organization‐level innovation literature, we identify the organization strategy, which suggests investment in organization‐level integrative management practices to facilitate interactions to create knowledge among individuals situated in different parts of the system, independently of when a knowledge‐creation task is established and individuals are organized to create knowledge. On the other hand, building on what we call the team‐level innovation literature, we identify the project team strategy, which suggests investment in project team‐level integrative management practices to facilitate interactions to create knowledge among individuals once a knowledge‐creation task is defined and individuals are placed into teams to create knowledge. The two strategies are substitute approaches for the development of the capability, although the organization strategy appears to better predict outcomes of the capability. However, this approach might be more costly, so not all managers will choose to follow it.
Social Capital and Knowledge Integration in an ERP Project Team: The Importance of Bridging AND Bonding
Authors: Newell Sue , Tansley Carole , Huang Jimmy
Published: February 2004

A project team, set up to design and implement a large‐scope IT system, is essentially tasked with integrating distributed knowledge. This suggests that the social capital of members will be organizationally important. However, we suggest that in understanding the relationship between social capital and knowledge integration within a project team, it is necessary to distinguish between two forms of social capital – external bridging social capital and internal bonding social capital. We argue that for the effective mobilization of ‘weak’ social capital bridges for collective purposes, there is first a need to create ‘strong’ social capital bonds within the project team so that it becomes a cohesive social unit that will be able to effectively integrate knowledge that is acquired through members' bridging activity.
The Benefits and Pitfalls of Social Capital: Empirical Evidence from Two Organizations in the United Kingdom*
Authors: Edelman Linda F. , Bresnen Mike , Newell Sue , Scarbrough Harry , Swan Jacky
Published: February 2004

Recently, there has been a shift in the way management scholars view the firm, from traditional models that are based on ideas of opportunism and market failure to newer knowledge‐based theories that argue for a more socialized perspective. One of the key components of these theories is the notion of social capital. Social capital is the set of resources that accrue to an individual or group by virtue of their social connections. As such, it is a resource that is jointly owned. Most recent research adopts a more‐is‐better approach to social capital, suggesting that individuals with larger quantity of ties derive more positive benefits. However in this paper, we argue that using social capital has both benefits and drawbacks for organizations, and that these positive and negative aspects of social capital occur simultaneously. To substantiate our claim, we use data collected from sets of interviews with senior and middle managers in two organizations in the United Kingdom. Our findings indicate that while social capital has many beneficial effects with respect to information access and retrieval, community building, and underlying group norms, there are also a number of less‐beneficial aspects, which are under‐explored in the current empirical literature. Furthermore, we suggest that organizations must develop an understanding of the bridging and bonding elements of social capital, as these are critical for its implementation. Implications of the research findings and future research directions are discussed.
Maybe Bacon Had a Point: The Politics of Interpretation in Collective Sensemaking1
Authors: Marshall Nick , Rollinson Jeanette
Published: February 2004

Despite major contributions to theories of organizational knowledge from socially situated, practice‐based approaches, there remains a blind‐spot in this literature concerning power and politics. This paper makes some initial attempts to address this absence by thinking about how far alternative theories of power/knowledge can strengthen and extend practice‐based approaches to knowledge. The need for a detailed analytic of the multiple techniques, strategies, and expressions of power/knowledge in concrete social situations and the different ways in which they come together through specific episodes of enactment is highlighted. To illustrate this, we draw on an ethnographic study of an inter‐organizational collaboration in the telecommunications sector. This illustration focuses on struggles over meaning during a problem‐solving encounter during the later stages of a project for developing and implementing new software for telephone exchanges.
A Conceptual Model for Researching the Creation and Operation of Supply Networks1
Authors: Harland Christine , Zheng Jurong , Johnsen Thomas , Lamming Richard
Published: February 2004

This paper presents a conceptual model for the creation and operation of supply networks. Existing conceptual research relating to interorganizational relationships and networks is reviewed in terms of its relevance to understanding supply networks; this research is drawn from the fields of strategic management, channel management, industrial marketing and purchasing, organizational behaviour and supply‐chain management. The different perspectives each field has on networks are highlighted. Contributions made by each in assisting to understand supply networks are discussed and synthesized. Findings from an exploratory survey are used to structure the design of a conceptual model for analysing the processes involved in the creation and operation of supply networks. The authors identify nine different types of networking activities and discuss the nature of these activities in the context of supply. Four different types of contextual factors relating to supply networks are identified. The model is tested in eight in‐depth case studies and a validating survey of 58 focal firm networks. It is concluded that it provides a robust structure that enabled complex, cross‐case analysis of multi‐variable, multi‐disciplinary data from interorganization product/service supply networks, but that further testing by other researchers is required.
Network Parenting in International Service Development
Authors: Lewis Michael , Shulver Michael , Johnston Robert , Mattson Jan , Millet Bruce , Slack Nigel
Published: February 2004

This paper explores theoretical and practical aspects (i.e. resources allocated, activities undertaken, actors/decisions involved) of corporate ‘parenting’ in the development of international service networks. A review of the relevant corporate strategy, supply‐chain, networks and services management literature underpins a preliminary content (capability; market orientation) and process (top‐down; bottom‐up) typology of network parenting. This provides the structure for discussion of two telecommunications‐sector case studies. Analysis of the data acknowledges the influence of generic network mechanisms (e.g. weak and strong social ties) but the parenting typology also highlights other mechanisms, the effectiveness of which appears contingent on specific parenting roles. The paper details these roles (labelled: governing; training; curating; facilitating) and makes some preliminary comments on the role trajectories (e.g. governing ↔ training) observed. The paper concludes with a discussion of possible directions for future work.
A Grounded Theory Exposition of the Role of the Supervisory Board in China*
Authors: Xiao Jason Zezhong , Dahya Jay , Lin Zhijun
Published: February 2004

This paper reports the findings of an investigation, through a series of interviews, into the role of the supervisory board (SB) in Chinese listed companies. The interviews were conducted and analysed using the grounded theory methodology. It is found that the SB performs one of four roles under the Chinese corporate environment: an honoured guest, a friendly advisor, a censored watchdog or an independent watchdog. The role of the SB is dependent on a variety of factors: SB characteristics, power relations between the Board of Directors and the SB, shareholding structure, the influence of the Communist Party of China and government, the role of independent directors and the requirements of the corporate law.
An Empirical Investigation of Corporate Citizenship in Australia and Turkey *
Authors: Küskü Fatma , Zarkada‐Fraser Anna
Published: February 2004

This paper describes a study of corporate citizenship practices and its relationship to dimensions of internal and external corporate culture, customer loyalty and organizational commitment. Empirical data was collected from a cross‐industry sample in Turkey and Australia using a questionnaire form developed and validated for other cultures. It was shown that Australian and Turkish firms' practices differed significantly on a number of important variables, but also that it is possible to compare corporate citizenship practices in a way that is not culture‐specific.
Japanese Retailing Through the 1990s: Retailer Performance in a Decade of Slow Growth
Authors: Dawson John , Larke Roy
Published: February 2004

The development of Japanese retailing through the 1990s is used to illustrate the applicability of a Europe‐based growth model in a recessionary market. Through the 1990s the Japanese economy suffered low growth and periods of recession, after strong growth through the 1980s. Retail sales in the 1990s increased only slightly whilst floor‐space developments begun in the 1980s and the result of retailer expansion strategies generated increased retail capacity. Large retailers pursued strategies of opening more stores in order to generate sales, but this proved disastrous and resulted in lower productivity, high levels of debt, low levels of innovation and consequential need to restructure. General merchandise and department‐store retailers were slow to see the need to restructure and innovate. In contrast, three groups of retailers obtained competitive advantages from the recession, namely retailers who responded quickly to emergent market segments, foreign retailers and e‐retailers. The strategic responses to recession and the reasons behind these responses are illustrated and suggestions made on how the experiences of the 1990s will affect development in the early 2000s. Implications of the retailers' behaviour are indicated for retailer strategies, the restructuring of the sector and for research on strategy and structural change.
Translating Local Knowledge at Organizational Peripheries*
Authors: Yanow Dvora
Published: February 2004

This article theorizes about the kinds of knowing present in organizations that share both a structural similarity in the organization of work and work practices – a ‘double periphery’ in which a community of practitioners acts across both a horizontal, geographic periphery and a vertical, hierarchical periphery – and a common mode of practice – translating across these peripheral borders. In principle, these workers develop knowledge in interaction with clients and customers that could be valuable to the organization, were it but to learn from them. Instead, the ‘local knowledge’ they learn in acting across these peripheries is discounted, if not disparaged, by more centrally‐located managers and executives. The article theorizes about the nature of translating local knowledge concerning organizational practices and about the structural character of local versus ‘expert’ knowledge.
Introduction: Knowledge Construction and Creation in Organizations*
Authors: Tsoukas Haridimos , Mylonopoulos Nikos
Published: February 2004

While adopting a knowledge‐based perspective on organizations has been valuable, since, among other things, it enables us to see links between organizational learning and a firm's competitive advantage through the development of idiosyncratic capabilities, it has nonetheless tended to treat organizational knowledge as ‘given’, exploring how it is related to other ‘given’ variables. The focus of this special issue is to unpack the notion of organizational knowledge by exploring the processes and practices through which knowledge is constructed and created in organizations. A constructivist perspective assumes that ‘knowledge’ presupposes work and seeks to explore how what comes to be considered as organizational knowledge is established and validated (or fails to do so). By seeing organizational knowledge as work we can further probe into how knowledge is shaped by organizational strategies and incentives and, more radically, how power and politics influence the struggle between competing bodies of knowledge in organizations.
Modeling the Life Cycle of a Structure Using Fuzzy Processes
Authors: Möller Bernd , Graf Wolfgang , Nguyen Song Ha
Published: February 2004

Abstract:  The life cycle of a structure and the changes that occur during its service life are modeled in this investigation as a fuzzy process. The fuzzy processes are represented by a fuzzy bunch of functions dependent on a deterministic parameter. The numerical evaluation of these functions may then be performed using α‐level optimization. To analyze the uncertain changes in a structure during its life cycle the time axis is discretized. All uncertain input parameters are given as fuzzy processes or fuzzy values, and are thus known at each point in time. The uncertain result parameters are computed at each point in time with the aid of α‐level optimization under consideration of all relevant nonlinearities. Modeling of the time‐dependent changes in the structural parameters as a fuzzy process is demonstrated by way of examples.
Evaluation of Uncertainties Associated with Geocoding Techniques
Authors: Karimi Hassan A. , Durcik Matej , Rasdorf William
Published: February 2004

Abstract:  Spatial databases contain geocoded data. Geocoded data play a major role in numerous engineering applications such as transportation and environmental studies where geospatial information systems (GIS) are used for spatial modeling and analysis as they contain spatial information (e.g., latitude and longitude) about objects. The information that a GIS produces is impacted by the quality of the geocoded data (e.g., coordinates) stored in its database. To make appropriate and reasonable decisions using geocoded data, it is important to understand the sources of uncertainty in geocoding. There are two major sources of uncertainty in geocoding, one related to the database that is used as a reference data set to geocode objects and one related to the interpolation technique used. Factors such as completeness, correctness, consistency, currency, and accuracy of the data in the reference database contribute to the uncertainty of the former whereas the specific logic and assumptions used in an interpolation technique contribute to the latter. The primary purpose of this article is to understand uncertainties associated with interpolation techniques used for geocoding. In doing so, three geocoding algorithms were used and tested and the results were compared with the data collected by the Global Positioning System (GPS). The result of the overall comparison indicated no significant differences between the three algorithms.
A Neuro‐Fuzzy Logic for ATIS Stand‐Alone Control Systems: Structure, Calibration, and Analyses
Authors: Hawas Yaser E.
Published: February 2004

Abstract:  An Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) stand‐alone operation scheme is formulated as a bi‐level optimization problem. The scheme logic attempts to optimize the network overall travel time by adjusting the path proportions while guessing the signal phase split decisions. An approximate simulation‐based optimization algorithm is devised as an example of the logic operating this scheme. The logic is then replicated by a fuzzy‐logic control system. Neural nets are utilized to develop the knowledge base of the fuzzy system and to calibrate the fuzzy set parameters. The neural nets utilize data replicates generated by the approximate simulation‐based optimization algorithm. The calibration and effectiveness results of the fuzzy control system are presented.
Genetic Algorithm for Optimization of Infrastructure Investment Under Time‐Resource Constraints
Authors: Hsieh Ting‐Ya , Liu Hsin‐Lung
Published: February 2004

Abstract: This work shows the infrastructure investment decision is essentially a 0‐1, nonlinear, multiobjective knapsack problem. It argues that, without making substantial simplification on some of the practical considerations, a conventional mathematical optimization approach may not be suitable for solving the problem. Further, the use of explicit heuristics may sometimes be unwieldy dependent on the system parameters. An innovative approach based on the concept of genetic algorithms is proposed in the work to tackle the nonlinearity in the decision problem. Based on the experimental results, the proposed approach is capable of producing good quality results. The key success feature of the proposed approach resides in the unique and innovative modeling of system parameters by genetic coding in the algorithms.
Generating Future Land‐Use and Transportation Plans for High‐Growth Cities Using a Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Balling Richard , Powell Brent , Saito Mitsuro
Published: February 2004

Abstract:  An elitist genetic algorithm was used to find a diverse non‐dominated set of optimal future zoning and street plans for two high‐growth cities in the United States of America. Plans were judged with regard to housing capacity, employment capacity, greenspace, traffic congestion, and change from the status quo. A multiobjective fitness function was used. The genetic algorithm offers the possibility of efficiently searching over tens of thousands of plans for a trade‐off set of non‐dominated plans. The trade‐off set ranged from a minimum change plan, where undeveloped farmland was rezoned as commercial or residential land, to a minimum traffic congestion plan where commercial and residential usage were spread throughout the cities rather than concentrated in one or two areas. The algorithm is general enough to be applied to other cities and metropolitan regions.
Neural Network for Rapid Depth Evaluation of Shallow Cracks in Asphalt Pavements
Authors: Mei X. , Gunaratne M. , Lu J. J. , Dietrich B.
Published: February 2004

Abstract:  Rapid and nondestructive evaluation of pavement crack depths is a major challenge in pavement maintenance and rehabilitation. This article presents a computer‐based methodology with which one can estimate the actual depths of shallow, surface‐initiated fatigue cracks in asphalt pavements based on rapid measurement of their surface characteristics. It is shown that the complex overall relationship among crack depths, surface geometrical properties of cracks, pavement properties, and traffic characteristics can be learnt effectively by a neural network (NN). The learning task is facilitated by a database that includes relevant traffic and pavement characteristics of Florida's state highway network. In addition, the specific data used for the NN model development also contained laser‐scanned microscopic surface geometrical properties of cracks in 95 pavement sections and pavement core samples scattered within five counties of Florida. Relatively advanced training algorithms were investigated in addition to the Standard Backpropagation algorithm to determine the optimal NN architecture. In terms of optimizing the NN training process, the “early stopping method” was found to be effective. The crack depth evaluation model was validated based on an unused portion of the database and fresh core samples. The results indicate the promise of NN usage in nondestructive estimation of shallow crack depths based on crack‐surface geometry and pavement and traffic characteristics.
The Wind of the Hundred Days: How Washington Mismanaged Globalization
Authors: Csaplar Wilfrid W.
Published: February 2004

Book Reviewed

by Michael J. Greenwood and John M. McDowell   Kalamazoo, Michigan: W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 1999, pp. xii, 295.

Book Reviewed

by Jagdish Bhagwati   Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2000, 383 pp.
Measuring Highway Bypass Impacts on Small Town Business Districts
Authors: Rogers Cynthia L. , Marshment Richard
Published: February 2004

The literature is inconclusive about the economic impact of highway bypasses on small town business districts. Locally imposed sales tax data can be used to construct cross‐sectional, time series data for towns too small to be analyzed using U.S. Census data. With these data we examine bypass impacts using standard difference‐in‐difference methods and supplement the analysis with quasi‐experimental analysis. The case study investigates the 1993 bypass of Stonewall, Oklahoma, a town of approximately 530 people. The analysis indicates the bypass highway had no significant effect on the already declining small town business district. The approach demonstrated in this paper can be used to assess the impacts of a wide range of policy treatments at the sub‐county level.
Backfitting Random Varying‐Coefficient Models with Time‐Dependent Smoothing Covariates
Authors: Wu Hulin , Liang Hua
Published: February 2004

Abstract. In this paper, we propose a random varying‐coefficient model for longitudinal data. This model is different from the standard varying‐coefficient model in the sense that the time‐varying coefficients are assumed to be subject‐specific, and can be considered as realizations of stochastic processes. This modelling strategy allows us to employ powerful mixed‐effects modelling techniques to efficiently incorporate the within‐subject and between‐subject variations in the estimators of time‐varying coefficients. Thus, the subject‐specific feature of longitudinal data is effectively considered in the proposed model. A backfitting algorithm is proposed to estimate the coefficient functions. Simulation studies show that the proposed estimation methods are more efficient in finite‐sample performance compared with the standard local least squares method. An application to an AIDS clinical study is presented to illustrate the proposed methodologies.
Consistency of the NPML Estimator in the Right‐Censored Transformation Model
Authors: Slud E. V. , Vonta F.
Published: February 2004

Abstract. This paper studies the representation and large‐sample consistency for non‐parametric maximum likelihood estimators (NPMLEs) of an unknown baseline continuous cumulative‐hazard‐type function and parameter of group survival difference, based on right‐censored two‐sample survival data with marginal survival function assumed to follow a transformation model, a slight generalization of the class of frailty survival regression models. The paper's main theoretical results are existence and unique a.s. limit, characterized variationally, for large data samples of the NPMLE of baseline nuisance function in an appropriately defined neighbourhood of the true function when the group difference parameter is fixed, leading to consistency of the NPMLE when the difference parameter is fixed at a consistent estimator of its true value. The joint NPMLE is also shown to be consistent. An algorithm for computing it numerically, based directly on likelihood equations in place of the expectation‐maximization (EM) algorithm, is illustrated with real data.
An Exact Corrected Log‐Likelihood Function for Cox's Proportional Hazards Model under Measurement Error and Some Extensions
Authors: Augustin Thomas
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  This paper studies Cox's proportional hazards model under covariate measurement error. Nakamura's [Biometrika 77 (1990) 127] methodology of corrected log‐likelihood will be applied to the so‐called Breslow likelihood, which is, in the absence of measurement error, equivalent to partial likelihood. For a general error model with possibly heteroscedastic and non‐normal additive measurement error, corrected estimators of the regression parameter as well as of the baseline hazard rate are obtained. The estimators proposed by Nakamura [Biometrics 48 (1992) 829], Kong et al. [Scand. J. Statist. 25 (1998) 573] and Kong & Gu [Statistica Sinica 9 (1999) 953] are re‐established in the special cases considered there. This sheds new light on these estimators and justifies them as exact corrected score estimators. Finally, the method will be extended to some variants of the Cox model.
On Estimation and Tests of Time‐Varying Effects in the Proportional Hazards Model
Authors: Scheike Thomas H. , Martinussen Torben
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  Cox's proportional hazards model is routinely used in many applied fields, some times, however, with too little emphasis on the fit of the model. In this paper, we suggest some new tests for investigating whether or not covariate effects vary with time. These tests are a natural and integrated part of an extended version of the Cox model. An important new feature of the suggested test is that time constancy for a specific covariate is examined in a model, where some effects of other covariates are allowed to vary with time and some are constant; thus making successive testing of time‐dependency possible. The proposed techniques are illustrated with the well‐known Mayo liver disease data, and a small simulation study investigates the finite sample properties of the tests.
Root n consistent and optimal density estimators for moving average processes
Authors: Schick Anton , Wefelmeyer Wolfgang
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  The marginal density of a first order moving average process can be written as a convolution of two innovation densities. Saavedra & Cao [Can. J. Statist. (2000), 28, 799] propose to estimate the marginal density by plugging in kernel density estimators for the innovation densities, based on estimated innovations. They obtain that for an appropriate choice of bandwidth the variance of their estimator decreases at the rate 1/n. Their estimator can be interpreted as a specific U‐statistic. We suggest a slightly simplified U‐statistic as estimator of the marginal density, prove that it is asymptotically normal at the same rate, and describe the asymptotic variance explicitly. We show that the estimator is asymptotically efficient if no structural assumptions are made on the innovation density. For innovation densities known to have mean zero or to be symmetric, we describe improvements of our estimator which are again asymptotically efficient.
On Testing Dependence between Time to Failure and Cause of Failure via Conditional Probabilities
Authors: Dewan Isha , Deshpande J. V. , Kulathinal S. B.
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  Dependence structures between the failure time and the cause of failure are expressed in terms of the monotonicity properties of the conditional probabilities involving the cause of failure and the failure time. These properties of the conditional probabilities are used for testing four types of departures from the independence of the failure time and the cause of failure and tests based on U‐statistics are proposed. In the process, a concept of concordance and discordance between a continuous and a binary variable is introduced to propose a statistical test. The proposed tests are applied to two illustrative applications.
Parameter Orthogonality and Bias Adjustment for Estimating Functions
Authors: Jørgensen Bent , Knudsen Sven Jesper
Published: February 2004

Abstract. We consider an extended notion of parameter orthogonality for estimating functions, called nuisance parameter insensitivity, which allows a unified treatment of nuisance parameters for a wide range of methods, including Liang and Zeger's generalized estimating equations. Nuisance parameter insensitivity has several important properties in common with conventional parameter orthogonality, such as the nuisance parameter causing no loss of efficiency for estimating the interest parameter, and a simplified estimation algorithm. We also consider bias adjustment for profile estimating functions, and apply the results to restricted maximum likelihood estimation of dispersion parameters in generalized estimating equations.
Interpreting DNA Mixtures with Related Contributors in Subdivided Populations
Authors: Fung Wing K. , Hu Yue‐Qing
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  In this paper, we study the statistical interpretation of forensic DNA mixtures with related contributors in subdivided populations. Compact general formulae for match probabilities are obtained for two situations: a relative of one tested person is an unknown contributor of a DNA mixture; and two related unknowns are contributors. The effect of kinship and population structure is illustrated using a real case example.
Statistical Inference for Transformation Inhomogeneous Point Processes
Authors: Nielsen Linda Stougaard , Vedel Jensen Eva B.
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  Statistical inference for exponential inhomogeneous Markov point processes by transformation is discussed. It is argued that the inhomogeneity parameter can be estimated, using a partial likelihood based on an inhomogeneous Poisson point process. The inhomogeneity parameter can thereby be estimated without taking the interaction into account, which simplifies the statistical analysis considerably. Data analysis and simulation experiments support the results.
Statistical Inference in Context Specific Interaction Models for Contingency Tables
Authors: Højsgaard Søren
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  Context specific interaction models is a class of interaction models for contingency tables in which interaction terms are allowed to vanish in specific contexts given by the levels of sets of variables. Such restrictions can entail conditional independencies which only hold for some values of the conditioning variables and allows also for irrelevance of some variables in specific contexts. A Markov property is established and so is an iterative proportional scaling algorithm for maximum likelihood estimation. Decomposition of the estimation problem is treated and model selection is discussed.
Terror, Terrorism, Terrorists
Authors: Tilly Charles
Published: February 2004

The terms terror, terrorism, and terrorist do not identify causally coherent and distinct social phenomena but strategies that recur across a wide variety of actors and political situations. Social scientists who reify the terms confuse themselves and render a disservice to public discussion. The U.S. government's own catalogs of terrorist events actually support both claims
The Geometry of Terrorism
Authors: Black Donald
Published: February 2004

Terrorism in its purest form is self-help by organized civilians who covertly inflict mass violence on other civilians. Pure sociology explains terrorism with its social geometry—its multidimensional location and direction in social space. Here I build on the work of Senechal de la Roche (1996) and propose the following geometrical model: Pure terrorism arises intercollectively and upwardly across long distances in multidimensional space. Yet because social distance historically corresponded to physical distance, terrorism often lacked the physical geometry necessary for its occurrence: physical closeness to civilians socially distant enough to attract terrorism. New technology has made physical distance increasingly irrelevant, however, and terrorism has proliferated. But technology also shrinks the social universe and sows the seeds of terrorism's destruction.
Explaining Terrorism: The Contribution of Collective Action Theory
Authors: Oberschall Anthony
Published: February 2004

Terrorism is an extreme, violent response to a failed political process engaging political regimes and ethnic and ideological adversaries over fundamental governance issues. Applying the theory of collective action, the author explains the dynamic of violence escalation and persistence. Recent Islamist terrorism stems from the conviction that a theocracy is the only answer to the multiple problems of Middle Eastern and Muslim countries. Checks on terrorism result both from external social control and from the internal contradictions of theocratic states.
International Terrorism and the World-System
Authors: Bergesen Albert J. , Lizardo Omar
Published: February 2004

Theories of international terrorism are reviewed. It then is noted that waves of terrorism appear in semiperipheral zones of the world-system during pulsations of globalization when the dominant state is in decline. Finally, how these and other factors might combine to suggest a model of terrorism's role in the cyclical undulations of the world-system is suggested.