bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Integrated Communication Strategy for Health Service Managers
Authors: Irving Pauline , Tourish Dennis
Published: September 2004

Highlights the importance of communication as a management activity. In
particular, examines ways in which internal and external communication
strategies can be integrated. To this end, proposes a communication
strategy sequence which provides a robust methodology for gathering data
and informing decision making regarding communication needs. Details the
four key steps in the sequence and provides examples from work done in
Northern Ireland. Discusses the principles and practices of data
collection and emphasizes the importance of securing the commitment of
senior managers. Examines the costs and benefits of introducing
comprehensive communication programmes and points out organizational
advantages.
Developing an information system to support the pursuit of
decentralization
Authors: Ausse Joao , Omar Mayeh A. , Mamede Silvia , Calderaro Munguba Mecedo Marinila , Pinto Augusto , Sales Campos Jocileide
Published: September 2004

Discusses the national health information system in Brazil which,
until very recently, consisted of two main structures of health services
with a dichotomy between curative and preventive health care acting in a
vertical manner. The autonomy of health authorities and specialized
structures created numerous independent health information systems with
different methods of data collection. Although the issues of
decentralization and a unified health system had been agreed on in 1963,
they had not been implemented until the new health policy reform was
lunched in 1988. The reform was based on the strengthening of primary
health care at national level and accelerating decentralization of
health systems. However, in spite of strong political will the new
health managers at local level are lacking essential information, data
and instruments that only a decentralized health management information
system can provide. Based on a study conducted in the Ceara State of the
north east of Brazil, explores how the present health information system
can support the process of decentralization.
Characterization of PCB plated‐through‐hole reliability using statistical analysis
Authors: Tardibuono Mark J.
Published: September 2004

Various test methods are used to characterize PCB plated‐through‐hole reliability. One such method is the interconnect stress test. The results from this test are often used to qualify PCB materials and/or fabricators. This paper will discuss how certain statistical analysis techniques may be used to decipher the results, and predict capabilities of PCB materials and/or processes.
The origins and evolution of the PCB: a review
Authors: Petherbridge Kirstie , Evans Peter , Harrison David
Published: September 2004

Many people believe that Eisler invented the printed circuit board (PCB) in the mid‐1930s, but the origins actually lie nearly before 50 years this. If this is true then who invented the PCB? This review offers an alternative view of the history of the PCB including early developments and contributions from the world of art and printing, through innovations in science and engineering to the key developments of the modern electronics industry.
How were we all doing in 1999? A review of UK library statistics
Authors: Revill Don
Published: September 2004

Reviews the latest set of statistics on UK public, national, academic, special and school libraries. Deplores the general decline in financial support over the ten‐year period and the loss of facility represented by these reductions. Notes the consequent affect on usage figures. Suggests that dramatic efforts need to be made by public libraries with respect to Internet services and the provision of PCs generally. Proposes other useful additional data and analyses that might be produced and that, in particular, LISU should encourage the compilation and analysis of much more data on electronic services in academic libraries. Regrets the continuing poor coverage of school and workplace libraries.
Developing performance measures within a marketing frame of reference
Authors: Koontz Christine M. , Rockwood Persis E.
Published: September 2004

Measures of the library’s productivity assess whether the library is achieving the goals and objectives of its chosen missions. This paper illustrates the concept of placing performance measures within a marketing frame of reference that builds upon the main goal of satisfying user needs. Marketing mandates that all products or services must be developed based upon knowledge of the characteristics of the potential user market, and diverse environmental forces that affect service offerings. The satisfaction of user needs can in part be calculated by the ratio of service output to input, which provides critical data to use in adjusting the library’s marketing strategy, i.e. the library’s products and services, the price or cost of these to the user, where these will be delivered, and how the library’s products and services are communicated to the user. An example, utilizing the general information services department, illustrates a marketing strategy built upon performance measures.
An assessment of LIS curricula and the field of practice in the commercial sector
Authors: Blankson‐Hemans Liz , Jo Hibberd Betty
Published: September 2004

In two surveys of focussed segments of the field of practice and library and information science (LIS) faculty, skill requirements for today's LIS graduates in the commercial sector are explored. Findings indicate that while faculty understands the trends and issues in the industry and believe their programmes are addressing the requisite skills, practitioners remain to be convinced that graduates gain the required skills during course instruction. Additionally, changes made over the last eight years in LIS curricula to address these needs have not totally accomplished the objective of adequately preparing graduates for immediate absorption into the workforce. Three recommendations: more effective positioning of LIS courses to students, change in attitude toward a more business focussed perspective, and the need to offer more practical experience, are suggested as possible solutions to the problems.
IT diffusion in Sub‐Saharan Africa: implications for developing and managing digital libraries
Authors: Mutula Stephen
Published: September 2004

This paper is a spin off of a keynote address that was delivered by the author at the IFLA‐Africa section workshop on “developing and managing digital libraries” that was held in Gaborone Botswana from 23‐27 February 2004. The author points out that libraries in Sub‐Saharan Africa like their counterparts in the rest of the world are continuing to experience a period of rapid change as they prepare to participate in the global information society. In this endeavour, the libraries face various challenges of economic, technological, content, and information literacy nature. In a global information society, there is need to democratize access to information using ICTs, provide adequate and relevant local content to users and equip them with requisite information literacy skills to efficiently find their way in a maze of information networks. This paper discusses the patterns of ICTs diffusion within libraries in Sub‐Saharan Africa and the implications for the development and management of digital libraries.
The benefits of archives, libraries and museums working together: a Danish case of shared databases
Authors: Hedegaard Ruth
Published: September 2004

In many countries, there is a growing interest in cooperation among archives, libraries and museums. For the sake of the interested user it is important to make it easier to obtain information from the different institutions, and so to make a crossover strategy to give people access to their cultural heritage. The goal is to provide people with the opportunity to search material in archives, libraries and museums simultaneously. Consequently, it is necessary to try to create minimum standards for cataloguing and description with the starting point in the standards already accepted internationally. In Denmark there have been some interesting projects the objective of which has been to make it possible to search for material in several institutions at the same time. NOKS is one of these projects, it is an abbreviation for Nordjyllands Kulturhistoriske Søgebase, which is a database with material about the cultural history of the North of Jutland. The project involved nine institutions. The records from the institutions have been put together in one database, which can be reached via the Internet address www.noks.dk. The database consists of 115,000 records, among them 8,000 photos, including different types of material, printed material, books, leaflets, newspaper clippings, archives, museum items, etc.
Channel power, conflict and conflict resolution in international fashion retailing
Authors: Moore Christopher M. , Birtwistle Grete , Burt Steve
Published: September 2004

Research that has considered the problems faced by internationalising retailers has tended to focus upon such dimensions as non‐conducive environmental conditions and inferior internal capability, rather than the conflicts that may arise from the partnerships that are formed in order to facilitate the internationalisation of retailer operations. This study seeks to re‐dress this research neglect and does so by focusing upon the fashion sector. The aim of this study is to identify the problems that may arise from fashion retailers’ international relationships. The paper reports the findings of an in‐depth study of the relationships of ten international fashion retailers. It is found that these relationships face significant tensions, specifically with respect to strategy non‐compliance, perceptual disagreements, and arguments concerning the demarcation of decision making responsibility. The paper concludes by identifying areas for future research consideration.
The marketing directions of two fashion retailers
Authors: Newman Andrew J. , Patel Darshika
Published: September 2004

Topshop and Gap are important fashion retail brands targeting young style‐conscious UK consumers. However, business performance differs widely with Topshop enjoying record sales whilst Gap has recorded losses at a five year high. This paper investigated these variations in performance from a strategic and holistic view of retailer brand image, and the adoption of quality marketing orientation. Answers were sought using key image attributes as a vehicle to understanding customers’ perceptions of the retailers under study. Survey data were collected from a sample of 300 typical customers who were set the task of ranking image attributes. Factor analysis of customer responses indicated that Gap customers were offered lifestyles in advertising that were out‐of‐step with the merchandise on the shelves. This reflected a failure on the part of retail management to satisfy the target market. Topshop customers displayed high levels of confidence in the merchandise proposition but stressed the importance of atmosphere and sales staff in overall assessments. This finding reinforces the view that sustainable retailer positioning pivots on a range of marketing activities as well as matching fashion consumers to styles. The research concludes with implications for strategic retail marketing, theory and practice.
Individual differences, motivations, and willingness to use a mass customization option for fashion products
Authors: Fiore Ann Marie , Lee Seung‐Eun , Kunz Grace
Published: September 2004

Mass customization entails the mass production of individually customized goods and services. Co‐design is a mass customization option where a product's design is based on the customer's selections from a range of design feature offerings. A model comprised of relationships between individual differences, motivations for using co‐design, and willingness to use co‐design was proposed and statistically supported using 521 university subjects from different regions of the USA and the analysis of moment structures (AMOS) statistic. As hypothesized, optimum stimulation level (OSL) predicted two clothing interest factors: experimenting with appearance (EA) and enhancement of individuality (EI). As proposed, OSL and EA predicted the two motivations, trying co‐design as an exciting experience and using co‐design to create a unique product, whereas EI only predicted using co‐design to create a unique product. Both motives were mediating variables between individual differences and willingness to use co‐design, but using co‐design to create a unique product had a stronger effect. Theoretical and marketing implications were discussed.
The impact of color in the e‐commerce marketing of fashions: an exploratory study
Authors: Nitse Philip S. , Parker Kevin R. , Krumwiede Dennis , Ottaway Thomas
Published: September 2004

As the number of Internet purchases of fashion items increases, the problem of inaccurate color representation on the Web becomes more significant. Color inaccuracy has many negative consequences for marketers, including loss of sales, increased returns and complaints, and customer defections. This research reports the findings of a survey conducted as part of an initial investigation into consumer opinions about fashion merchandise purchasing over the Internet. Results indicate that companies are losing customers and sales as a result of having colors on e‐commerce sites that do not accurately represent the actual colors of the products being sold. Increased dissatisfaction on the part of consumers leads to greater costs in both customer service and reverse logistics. Further, a majority of the respondents indicated that they would not make additional purchases from an e‐tailer if they received items in colors different than they expected. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research.
Taiwanese Consumers’ Perceptions of Product Information Cues
Authors: Lin Li‐Wen , Sternquist Brenda
Published: September 2004

Reports on a study in which 265 consumers were asked to assign price and
quality estimates to women’s sweaters. Uses a 4 x 3 factorial design
which incorporates four country cues – the USA, Italy, Japan and Taiwan
– and three groups relating to store prestige, which were manipulated.
Found that country of origin significantly influenced Taiwanese consumer
perceptions of sweater quality. The sweater labelled “Made in
Japan” received the highest evaluation and the sweater labelled “Made in
Taiwan” the lowest. The cue of store prestige was not significantly
related to price estimates and quality evaluations of sweaters. Neither
of origin nor store prestige was found to have an effect on price
estimates.
Cracking the code
Authors: Bazley Steve
Published: September 2004

Describes new ideas in codes and technology related to the pressure to find safe, clean alternatives to traditional systems for coding and product marking on films, foils and other materials for the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Anticorrosive spinel‐type pigments of the second generation
Authors: Kalendová A.
Published: September 2004

The spinels are non‐toxic anticorrosive pigments suitable for both solvent‐type and water‐dilutable coating compositions. Their efficiency in the coatings is comparable to that of the phosphate‐based pigments. The high‐temperature synthesis procedure running in the solid state allows the preparation of spinels containing Ca, Zn, Mg, and Fe cations.
Fanatical consumers: towards a framework for research
Authors: Redden James , Steiner Carol J.
Published: September 2004

Lays the groundwork for a conceptual framework that might be used to study fanatical consumers and consumption. We review literature on fanatics produced by psychologists, sociologists, cultural theorists, political scientists, theologists and marketers and then place their multidisciplinary insights into a consumption context. We identify two familiar features of fanatics – intensity and intolerance – but suggest a third feature – incoherence among thinking, behaviour and goals caused by intensity and/or intolerance might be the conceptual key to understanding fanatical consumers, measuring their fanaticism and interpreting their consumption experiences.
Spot the difference: consumer responses towards counterfeits
Authors: Hoon Ang Swee , Sim Cheng Peng , Lim Elison A.C. , Kuan Tambyah Siok
Published: September 2004

Examines consumers’ motivation for buying counterfeits or pirated goods. The findings indicated that, compared to those who did not buy pirated music CDs, those who bought the counterfeits viewed such purchases as less risky, and trusted stores that sell counterfeits more. They did not see counterfeits as too unfair to singers or the music industry, thought they benefit the society more, and did not see people who buy them as unethical. We also investigated the influence of social, personality, and demographic factors on consumers’ attitude towards piracy. We found that the more value‐conscious and less normatively susceptible one was, and the less integrity one had, the more favorable was one’s attitude towards piracy. Demographic characteristics were also significant in influencing attitude. Males and those from lower income groups held more favorable attitudes. Finally, attitude towards piracy was significant in influencing purchase intention.
Older markets and the new marketing paradigm
Authors: Wolfe David B.
Published: September 2004

Highlights the general inattention to human development in marketing research and practice, especially in research and marketing concerned with older consumers. Describes a new approach to marketing based on human development.
Using database marketing techniques to enhance your one‐to‐one marketing initiatives
Authors: Kahan Ron
Published: September 2004

Asserts that there are two approaches to successful database marketing: cognitive and behavioral analysis. In this way, marketers can garner a clear understanding of what customers and prospects “look like”. Reviews the processes involved in database marketing. Suggests to marketers the best processes to adopt. Describes the advantages of the mathematical computation RFM (recency, frequency, and monetary value) in consumer behavioral analysis. Provides a description of how the system can be implemented by practitioners.
Quality assuring a therapy service
Authors: Jayne Higginbottom Mandy , Hurst Keith
Published: September 2004

Quality assurance, one of the main themes in The New: NHS Modern, Dependable and detailed later in A First Class Service: Quality in the New NHS, is explored in this article. The main thrust of both White Papers, notably clinical governance, is applied to a team of physiotherapists and occupational therapists who provide services to a general medical directorate in a large teaching hospital. A SWOT analysis reveals characteristics of the Donabedian and Maxwell models of quality assurance/assessment in therapy services. Consequently, a combined matrix of the two models described by Maxwell is used to develop a therapy quality assurance strategy.
Successfully implementing total quality management tools within healthcare: what are the key actions?
Authors: Jackson Sue
Published: September 2004

This article recognises that many total quality management initiatives fail and that the failures are often due to a lack of knowledge, skills and expertise, particularly in relation to the organisation’s leaders/managers. In contrast however, success is more likely if the implementation approach is well planned, executed, assessed and reviewed. There are five key steps that need to be contained within the implementation plan some of which include setting up a steering committee, agreeing the norms, values and behaviours for the organisation and determining indicators associated with success. Furthermore, a number of actions need to be effected within those five key steps. In essence it was concluded that without careful planning the programme for implementing total quality management was likely to fail resulting in an opposite effect on the quality of healthcare delivery to the one that was intended.
Developing a culture of quality within the United Kingdom healthcare system
Authors: Stahr Henry
Published: September 2004

It is established that there are three levels of quality, technical, generic and systemic with systemic being the preferred goal for Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust (SRHT). In an effort to achieve their goal SRHT embarked on using the EFQM Excellence Model to provide one overarching framework for all their quality initiatives. The article explains SRHT’s approach to implementation and integration in addition to providing a flavour of the outcomes observed from the journey so far. In essence, many benefits were realised, some aspired to, some unexpected and all worthwhile and welcomed. However, even after seven years the organisation still does not have full deployment, which confirms that efforts to assure excellence need to be relentless if there is to be a sustainable culture change that puts quality at the heart of day‐to‐day decision making.
Definitional and contextual issues in organizational and group memories
Authors: Ackerman Mark S.
Published: September 2004

Describes how organizations looking to augment their memories through information technologies can employ an organizational memory system. Organizational and group memories can include a wide variety of materials, including documents, rationales for decisions, formal descriptions of procedures, and so on. Discusses findings from case studies of six organizations using or attempting to use the Answer Garden, a type of organizational memory system. Examines two major issues in the implementation of such systems: the gap between the idealized definition of organizational memory and the constrained realities of organizational life; and the effects of reducing contextual information in computer‐based memory. Suggests some avenues for managing these issues as well as for further technical and organizational research.
Why we do not have to worry about speaking the language of the computer
Authors: Dreyfus Hubert L.
Published: September 2004

Proposes that while it is not unfeasible that we will be able to communicate directly with computers in ordinary language, it is highly unlikely that this will ever be achieved. As Heidegger pointed out, language is not normally used for the exchange of information but calls to attention some aspect of the world the language users already share. Without this experience of the world, computers are unable to place language in context. Moreover, humans continue to develop and experience, so the context for language is ever changing. This is the challenge for artificial intelligence researchers. Also discusses the practical consequences of this fundamental problem, current solutions and their social implications and dangers.
Insistent emplacement: Heidegger on the technologies of informing
Authors: Brown Steven D. , Lightfoot Geoffrey M.
Published: September 2004

Explores how the work of Martin Heidegger may be read alongside our contemporary understandings of information technology. It begins by considering the view of information as degraded knowledge, a position refuted by Heidegger’s account of truth as correctness. Information is thereafter treated as a form of availability, grounded in the relation between humans and equipment, which is characterised by its insistence. A differentiation between various forms of equipment is made by way of Heidegger’s later writings on technics, leading to a discussion of information technology in the shadow of enframing, or emplacement. The central place of “anxiety” in our relationship to new technologies is underscored, and offered up as a way of thinking beyond the escalation of calculative ordering.
Cyberspace and Heidegger’s pragmatics
Authors: Coyne Richard
Published: September 2004

This article focuses on some of the implications of Heidegger’s pragmatism for information technology analysis and critique. I survey Heidegger’s transformation of Enlightenment notions such as identity, proximity, community, disembodiment, pattern, representation and utopia to the phenomenological concepts of Dasein, care, being‐with, corporality, praxis, disclosure and the not‐yet. Each of these concepts return us to the issue of practice.
Accomplishing career development tasks: are there gender‐related differences?
Authors: Amos‐Wilson Pauline
Published: September 2004

Discusses issues associated with the achievement of career development tasks by women. The career development tasks considered from studies of adult developmental psychology, and are therefore concerned with underlying processes, not specific activities in organizations. Based on a study of the career development and aspirations of 50 women, it considers whether the successful achievement of such tasks is non‐gender specific, and whether models derived from the study of the experience of men are relevant. Also considers the relationship to motherhood of career commitment and ambitions as important aspects of how women achieve career development. Concludes that not only do biology and socialization play a part in women’s approach to careers but also that the quality of the vision or “dream” about their future that women create for themselves is important. Points out that much more research is required in this field.
Get that job ‐ interviews
Authors: Jean Hill Susan
Published: September 2004

Examines the interview process step by step. Looks at personal preparation and presentation, protocol, interview situations and content. Finally, lists key points to be aware of and things to avoid during an interview.
The internationalization of MARC ‐ part III: some MARC formats based on UKMARC
Authors: Kokabi Mortaza
Published: September 2004

Surveys the evolution and development of various MARC formats out of UKMARC. Describes the formats for Australia, Thailand, Italy and Singapore and indicates their main points of difference and local requirements.
Sharing metadata: enabling online information provision
Authors: Darzentas Jenny
Published: September 2004

New teaching and new educational methods, in particular online learning, are now reality. In this context, libraries will increasingly be the mediators to digital as well as physical objects. Explores the question of metadata and collaborative cataloguing activities and how these might impact on the libraries of the future.
A coordination analysis of the creative design process
Authors: Simatupang Togar M. , Victoria Sandroto Indah , Hari Lubis S.B.
Published: September 2004

The creative design process is often characterised by high task uncertainty and tight dependency on other functions both within a firm and with external parties. Coordination thus plays a key role in integrating different functions related to the design process in attaining a common objective of delivering products to end customers. This paper examines coordination mechanisms and their determinants in the creative design process of a fashion firm. It is argued that coordination mechanisms are driven by a set of three determinants, namely responsibility interdependence, uncertainty, and conflict. Findings from the case study are presented and areas for future research are provided.
Marketing one‐to‐one and its dependence on knowledge discovery in databases
Authors: Pitta Dennis A.
Published: September 2004

One‐to‐one marketing has received increased attention by academics and practitioners. In essence, one‐to‐one marketing reconfigures the familiar four Ps into one element: the relationship. It represents the ultimate expression of target marketing ‐ a market of one ‐ or at least one at a time. It is safe to say that the concept has been refined and its potential has been highlighted. Still unresolved is the means by which organizations can implement one‐to‐one marketing. A promising solution is the application of the information technology data mining technique. Data mining allows organizations to find patterns within their internal customer data. As a result, data mining is often called Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD). Whatever patterns are uncovered can lead to identification of likely target segments. Armed with such information, organizations can refine their targets and develop their technology to achieve true one‐to‐one marketing. While a promising technique, data mining must be developed and applied intelligently by managers. In addition, managers must realize that marketing 1:1 requires the combined skills of a multi‐disciplinary team.
Leveraging Human Capital
Authors: Baker Marc , Barker Mike , Thorne Jon , Dutnell Martin
Published: September 2004

This paper introduces some of the elements of Knowledge Management and outlines the approaches RM Consulting ‐ the internal consultancy of the Royal Mail and the Post Office ‐ is taking to support the development of knowledge enablers within the organization. A Knowledge Management approach is described which focuses on people (including the organizational structure), processes and technology. The initial Knowledge Management focus of the organization is aimed principally on explicit knowledge, and the establishment of tools which help to capture internal information. The long‐term challenge is to capture the knowledge of the organization in such a way that all of its employees can maximize the value they provide to the organization’s stakeholders.
Knowledge Management: An Emerging Discipline
Authors: Shariq Syed Z.
Published: September 2004

Society is entering into an era where the future essentially will be determined by people’s ability to wisely use knowledge, a precious global resource that is the embodiment of human intellectual capital and technology. As people begin to expand their understanding of knowledge as an essential asset, they are realizing that in many ways the future is limited only by imagination and the ability to leverage the human mind. As knowledge increasingly becomes the key strategic resource of the future the need to develop comprehensive understanding of knowledge processes for the creation, transfer and deployment of this unique asset are becoming critical. Educational institutions and training organizations and businesses and knowledge‐based organizations in the public sector are in need of an integrative discipline for studying, researching and learning about the knowledge assets ‐ human intellectual capital and technology. An international society of knowledge professionals is proposed which can provide the necessary focus for fostering collaboration among the best minds and organizations on study, research and learning dedicated to the underlying disciplines and their integrative evolution into the emergence of Knowledge Management as a new discipline.
Developing a Robust Model of the Virtual Corporate University
Authors: Sandelands Eric
Published: September 2004

The corporate virtual university model outlined in this paper embraces the workplace learning paradigm, but not in an exclusive sense. It seeks to understand the roles of academic and professional institutions as external forces in developing rigorous models of virtual corporate universities that meet the learning needs of individuals and organizations. This approach is enhanced by our ability to support knowledge creation and disseminate knowledge using electronic communications infrastructure.
CEOs Visualizing Knowledge Management
Authors: Newman Victor
Published: September 2004

An opportunity exists to develop useful and authentic Knowledge Management strategies for competitive advantage through facilitating organizational decision‐makers within their world, in terms of their reality and purposes instead of adapting existing thinking to this area and calling it Knowledge Management. For Knowledge Management to survive as something more than another fad, it may be timely to consult the individuals involved in leading the creation and delivery of new customer values about their requirements instead of imposing a functionally‐driven agenda based on old products.
Intellectual Capital Management Strategy: The Foundation of Successful New Business Generation
Authors: Nickerson Jack A. , Silverman Brian S.
Published: September 2004

This paper describes a process that integrates business, technology and intellectual capital strategy to identify and exploit business opportunities. It then discusses how business, technology and intellectual capital strategy are linked. The authors introduce a competitive strategy process (or model) which they call Strategy Integration Analysis (SIA). Two examples of the application of SIA by two different technology‐based firms are provided which emphasize the intellectual capital and technology aspects.
Markets and the Knowledge Economy: Is Anything Broken? Can Government Fix It?
Authors: Wurzburg Gregory
Published: September 2004

Current financial accounting and reporting systems provide too little information on the kinds of intellectual assets that would appear to be important in a knowledge economy. But there has been little progress in changing financial information, or improving non‐financial information. Government could play a role in guiding reporting of new information that would allow investors to make better informed decisions.
Report on the Second Comparative Study of Knowledge Creation Conference
Authors: Rumizen Melissie C.
Published: September 2004

The Second Comparative Study of Knowledge Creation Conference was held in St. Gallen, Switzerland, in June 1998. The conference focused on the development of ideas, concepts and perspectives that advance the theory and practice of knowledge creation. Three conference presentations are highlighted in this review.
There’s a new set of definitions in town
Authors: Gupta Sanjeev
Published: September 2004

Chronicles the International Swaps and Dealers Association’s (ISDA’s) compliance with the new credit derivative definitions. Adumbrates that the objectives are: to promote more transparency and liquidity in the market; provide objective assessment; and offers a range of choice for three things which are highlighted and discussed. Examines the definitions in depth giving lucid explanations. Concludes that the credit derivatives market has a strong base for future growth.
Fair value accounting and the future of financial instruments
Authors: Jackson Patricia , Lodge David
Published: September 2004

Discusses the recently published draft standard from the Bank of England that covers most controversial banking regulatory areas. States that there may well be advantages in a fair value approach for banks but disclosure of fair values would probably be preferable. Looks at the S&L crisis in the USA and how legislation worked in its case. Elaborates on Denmark’s comprehensive fair value approach that suggests that adjustments in this system do increase earnings and value of capital volatility. Pinpoints bond market problems and liabilities valuation. Contends that there would be advantages in adopting disclosure of fair values.
Making risk management stick
Authors: McCuaig Bruce
Published: September 2004

Advances ongoing risk management and opens with a short example of how one senior operating executive stated there were no risks to his business unit. Claims that managers cannot be blamed for lack of knowledge in this area, as it is only lately that new approaches, to use powerful tools in assessing risk and control, are emerging. Further discusses in depth these, and the other ways to define, prioritize and align, end result objectives. Demonstrates that much closer links must exist among an organization’s assurance providers to enable modern methods to prevail.
The uncertain but exciting future for banking
Authors: Davies Howard
Published: September 2004

Provides an overview of the directions, including wrong turnings, in which European and global banking is heading. Based on the viewpoint of Howard Davies, the head of the UK regulatory body the Financial Services Authority, covers issues such as greater regulation, Internet services and erosion of margins. Concludes that this is an exciting time to be in banking and those who succeed will have learnt to cope with today’s speed of change and technology development.
Implementing option adjusted transfer pricing
Authors: van Amson Peter
Published: September 2004

Provides a practical guide to option adjusted transfer pricing. Describes the basic elements of the finances and accounting required to make this practical. Presents basic examples of funds transfer pricing. Considers the risks involved.
Mock as screen and optic
Authors: Jarvis Simon
Published: September 2004

As its unique approach to the question of generational differences, this essay takes the relationship looks at poetry and modernity; that is, what happens when a style [such as the mock heroic, or the poetically inflated] starts to feel its age, yet doesn't die; and how its readers cope with its resurrections. Moving nimbly from Nigel Slater to Alexander Pope and back, the essay abandons the usual and reduced conception of 'mock' ‐ that it describes trivial happenings but in an elevated language ‐ and instead looks for a better conception, suggesting instead that mock is ubiquitous, both in literature and the everyday, as a broad and all‐pervasive style of thinking and feeling.
Generation. Generate
Authors: Clarke Norma
Published: September 2004

Norma Clarke describes her family's recent history in the shadow of what was Bankside power station on the south side of the Thames, where her father worked as a turbine operator for the Central Electricity Generating Board. The building is now Tate Modern. Her essay suggests the many kinds of generation of electricity, of lost forms of work, of violent changes of life, of family transformations and educational shifts. As she concludes, 'Bankside, "the brick Cathedral" my father tended with love and passion, became, by a really colossal effort of imagination and will, an art gallery.'
All mouth and no trousers: linguistic embarrassments
Authors: Denise Riley
Published: September 2004

This piece broods about generational differences as registered in the ease, or not, with which altered ways of public talk about private sexual behaviour get handled, and especially given the British journalistic mixture of prurience with babyishness. It suggests that to feel embarrassed isn't simply to be understood as a reprehensible mark of aging, but is a distinctively linguistic emotion which rises when you find yourself ruthlessly shepherded in the direction of saying what you don't want to say. So there is sound sense in attending to your own embarrassment, rather than being silently embarrassed by it as if it simply demarcated age from youth.
Post‐aesthetic ethics: a critical discussion of Theodor Adorno's theory of artistic non‐identity
Authors: Holmes Michelle
Published: September 2004

Thought in the area of post‐Kantian ethics has largely concentrated upon moves within poststructuralism to break with the subject of consciousness by recourse to an arbitrary flux of perspectival fragments of knowledge. Against these relativising tendencies stand the responses of Theodor Adorno and Jacques Lacan to this crisis in ethical thought. Both theorists make claims for a new 'categorical imperative' based upon a deconstructive critique of the transcendental subject which, nevertheless, insists upon the preservation of an alternative notion of subjectivity grounded in genuine individual experience. For Adorno, Auschwitz issues in the demand for a morality in which reason is mediated by the somatic experience of suffering. For Lacan, universal morality must be grounded in the reconfiguration of desire which instantiates a mediating split in subjective judgement. Michelle Holmes's aim is to lay groundwork for a dialogue between the ethics of Adorno, formulated through his aesthetic theory, and Lacan, formulated through his theories of desire. While Adorno's socio‐historical critiques of artistic and cultural production within modern capitalism and Lacan's psychoanalytic critiques of subjectivity may appear to place them within opposing fields of inquiry, it is her contention that this apparent incompatibility is reflective of a wider split within the humanities and social sciences which obscures the mutuality of their interests.
The politics of risk and trust in mental health
Authors: Wilkinson John
Published: September 2004

This essay provides a critical account of Risk Society theory through analysis of an article by ŽIžek on human genetics research, using this as a basis for distinguishing a range of meanings of 'risk' and describing their interplay within the mental health domain. The paper argues that mental health policy in the UK has been distorted through a preoccupation with a supposedly scientific practice of risk assessment which uncannily reflects popular and tabloid prejudice. It is argued that Risk Society theory does not, as its proponents claim, supersede the politics of inclusion and exclusion, so much as overlay and disguise them. The importance of Risk Society theory in the development of Third Way politics would invite a similarly critical view of a range of contemporary British social policy.
Visceral schistosomiasis of domestic animals in India: humoral immune status of infected cattle, sheep and goats against major polypeptide antigens of Schistosoma indicum and S. spindale
Authors: Singh A. , Singh A. , Chaudhri S. S.
Published: September 2004

Polypeptide profiles of Schistosoma indicum and S. spindale adult worm homogenates were obtained by sodium dodecyl sulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Humoral immune status of infected cattle, sheep and goats against Schistosoma indicum and S. spindale Ags was determined by immunoblot analysis and by indirect ELISA using four major polypeptides of approximate molecular masses 45 kDa, 40 kDa, 28 kDa and 15 kDa electro‐eluted from the gel slices. Cattle sera samples had higher levels of antibodies against Si/s40 and Si/s28 than against Si/s45 antigen. Reasons have been discussed for the absence of detectable levels of anti‐Si/s28, ‐Si/s45 and ‐Si/s40 antibodies in a significant number of sera samples from S. indicum egg‐positive sheep.
Cytokine gene polymorphisms in Taiwan
Authors: Trejaut J.A. , Tsai Z.‐U. , Lee H.‐L. , Chen Z.‐X. , Lin M.
Published: September 2004

Abstract:  Cytokine gene polymorphisms may affect their transcription, influence their level of production, and may be implicated in inducing susceptibility or resistance to diseases. Cytokine single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to determine allelic and genotypic frequencies in the Minnan, the Hakka, and in four indigenous tribes: the Ami, the Tsou, the Atayal, and the Tao (or Yami). The following cytokine gene polymorphisms were analyzed: interleukin‐1α (IL‐1α) (T/C −889), IL‐1β (C/T −511, T/C +3962), IL‐1R (C/T Pst‐I 1970), IL‐1Rα (T/C Mspa1‐I 1100), IL‐2 (T/G −330, G/T +166), IL‐4 (T/G −1098, T/C −590, T/C −33), IL‐4Rα (G/A +1902), IL‐6 (G/C −174, G/A nt565), IL‐10 (G/A −1082, C/T −819, C/A −592), IL‐12 (C/A −1188), interferon‐γ (A/T UTR 5644), transforming growth factor‐β (C/T codon 10, G/C codon 25), and TNF‐α (G/A −308, G/A −238). Little differences were observed between the Minnan and the Hakka. On the other hand, the Minnan and Hakka showed significant differences with the indigenous people.
Developmental delay and unstable state of the testes in the rdw rat with congenital hypothyroidism
Authors: Sakai Yasuhiro , Yamashina Shohei , Furudate Sen‐ichi
Published: September 2004

From the present study of the rdw rat, it is clear that the thyroid hormone is essential for the development and maintenance of the testes. In previous studies, the thyroid hormone has few serious effects on the testes except during the neonatal stage when the thyroid hormone receptor is mainly present. However, there is little knowledge concerning the prolonged effect of thyroid hormone deficiency throughout the rat's life span. In the present study, a morphological analysis was performed on the testes of rdw rats with congenital hypothyroidism. The rdw testes required a longer time to develop into the normal adult structure. Moreover, the developed, normal structure began to degenerate after full maturation. Specific characteristics of the rdw testes include: (i) a prolonged proliferation of Sertoli cells during postnatal development; (ii) a developmental delay in the appearance of spermatocytes and spermatid; (iii) direct contact with each other for both spermatocytes and spermatids, without Sertoli cell cytoplasm completely intervening between adjacent germ cells; (iv) subsequent apoptosis of germ cells after maturation; (v) reduction in the height of the seminiferous epithelium; and (vi) lower testosterone levels in the rdw rats, especially during old age. Thus, we conclude that the thyroid hormone plays an important role in developing and maintaining normal function of testes.
A gene encoding, prespore‐cell‐inducing factor in Dictyostelium discoideum
Authors: Kawata Takefumi , Nakagawa Manabu , Shimada Nao , Fujii Shigeru , Oohata Akiko A.
Published: September 2004

Two factors that exist in conditioned medium (CM) of Dictyostelium discoideum induce amoebae to differentiate into prespore cells when they are incubated at a very low cell density in submerged monolayer culture. Previously, we purified one of them, a glycoprotein factor with an apparent molecular mass of 106 kDa, and we named it ψ factor (psi, prespore‐inducing factor). Based on the partial amino acid sequence of the purified ψ factor, we have isolated the corresponding cDNA clone, which is expressed maximally at the loose mound stage. The cDNA encodes a novel protein and the predicted molecular mass of the mature secreted protein is 60 kDa. Knockout mutant strains of the ψ factor gene, psiA–, were created by targeted integration. Although these mutant strains appear to develop normally, CM from these mutants showed reduced prespore‐cell‐inducing activity. Rescuing the mutant strains by expression of ψ factor under control of a constitutive promoter causes overproduction of ψ factor protein and CM from such cells showed a 20‐fold higher level of prespore‐cell‐inducing activity than that from wild‐type cells. Further, CM from parental cells induced prespore cell division, while that from psiA null strains showed no cell division inducing activity. Our results indicate that ψ factor protein is a novel type of growth factor that does not belong to any of the families of growth factor so far identified in animals.
Kawasaki disease with severe cardiac sequelae: Lessons from recent New Zealand experience
Authors: Wilson N , Heaton P , Calder L , Nicholson R , Stables S , Gavin R
Published: September 2004

Objectives:  To review recent cases of Kawasaki disease (KD) with significant cardiac sequelae in New Zealand. It is known that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) reduces the risk of coronary artery aneurysm formation if given within 8−10 days of onset of KD.

Methods:  Retrospective review of medical course, criteria for KD, laboratory and cardiac findings for six children identified with KD and significant coronary artery sequelae.

Results:  There was delay in diagnosis of KD in three of the six children. Three cases were atypical by extremes of age (2 months, 10 years, 14 years). By definition all six children had significant coronary artery involvement. One patient had a thrombus detected in a coronary aneurysm 3 weeks after KD. One patient underwent coronary artery bypass grafting for unstable angina 2 years after KD. One patient developed coronary artery aneurysms after an initial ‘toxic shock’ type illness evolving to KD. Three patients died, one due to rupture of a coronary artery aneurysm, two from rapid early coronary artery obstruction occurring at three and 4 months after initial KD.

Conclusions:  Kawasaki disease remains an important cause of mortality and morbidity for children. Diagnostic delay beyond 8 days reduces the chances of successful IVIG therapy in KD. Current studies supported by the Paediatric Surveillance Unit should establish the epidemiology of KD in New Zealand.