bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New processes of governance: cases for deliberative decision‐making?
Authors: Benn Suzanne
Published: December 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the new forms of governance that are emerging to facilitate corporate sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology draws on multiple case study research, examining the research question through the lens of two case examples: a government/industry partner program, itself comprising multiple cases, and an industry consultative committee.

Findings

While these cases involve different motivations for collaborative decision‐making, they each involve inter‐organisational decision‐making. Such decision‐making requires the establishment of new processes of governance.

Research limitations/implications

More case examples need to be explored and subjected to more detailed discourse analysis.

Practical implications

Suggestions for new decision‐making models that could be usefully taken up by governments and corporations to address stakeholder disputes.

Originality/value

The paper makes suggestions for appropriate forms of governance by process if sustainability outcomes are to be achieved that are acceptable to a range of corporate stakeholders.
Multinational oil companies' CSR initiatives in Nigeria
Authors: Eweje Gabriel
Published: December 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the multinational oil companies' (MOCs) corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Nigeria. Its special focus is to investigate the scepticism of stakeholders in the producing communities about the long‐term effect and the beneficiaries of the oil companies' CSR/community development initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper employs a qualitative methodology, drawing on semi‐structured interviews conducted in Nigeria and London. The field work was carried out in Nigeria (Abuja, Lagos and Port‐Harcourt) and in London, UK. Visits were made to the head offices of the MOCs; Ministry of Petroleum and the Nigeria National Petroleum Commission; and the office of The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People in the Niger Delta. In London, Shell International Office was visited.

Findings

The study found that expectations of host communities in the Niger Delta for CSR/community development initiatives are greater. The communities above all want social development projects that provide hope of a stable and prosperous future. The companies, on the other hand, have embraced development initiatives primarily in order to demonstrate that they are socially responsible.

Practical implications

If the host communities do not feel that the CSR projects will create a sustainable economic development, they will keep agitating for change and create an hostile environment for multinational enterprises (MNEs).

Originality/value

This research adds to the literature on MNEs' CSR initiatives in developing countries and rationale for demands for social projects by host communities. It concludes that business has an obligation to help in solving problems of public concern.
Introduction: accessibility of electronic information resources for all
Authors: Schmetzke Axel
Published: December 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to introduce the themed section, “Accessibility”, of this special Library Hi Tech issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explains the philosophical underpinnings of the concept of disability and provides an overview of the contributed papers.

Findings

By necessity, article collections on online accessibility, such as this special issue, need to be selective.

Practical implications

Librarians are partially responsible for putting in place conditions that are either enabling or disabling to library users.

Originality/value

This paper introduces the theme of this special Library Hi Tech issue.
Web accessibility trends in university libraries and library schools
Authors: Comeaux David , Schmetzke Axel
Published: December 2007

Purpose

Only properly designed web sites are accessible to people with print disabilities. The purpose of this paper is to follow up on earlier investigations of this kind by looking at the web sites of all 56 ALA‐accredited library schools, and of the libraries on these campuses.

Design/methodology/approach

Bobby 3.1.1 was used to evaluate compliance with major accessible web design guidelines. In addition, key web pages were checked manually for the presence of skip‐navigation components, and the sites' re‐design status was ascertained. The results were presented in the form of basic descriptive statistics, including percentages of Bobby‐approved pages and the average number of barriers per page. Correlations of the current accessibility data with older data sets and with library school ratings were also calculated.

Findings

The results indicate that despite an increase in accessibility, only 50 to 60 per cent of the web sites were free of Bobby‐detectable errors. Canadian sites were more accessible than US sites. Contrary to previous findings, recently redesigned sites tended to be more accessible. Highly ranked sites also tended to have higher accessibility scores. US sites showed a random‐like up‐and‐down movement in accessibility status between 2002 and 2006.

Research limitations/implications

The collected data reflect compliance with only a subset of accessible design principles.

Practical implications

More education and continued advocacy is needed to increase web accessibility at libraries and library schools and to help establish library schools as models of program accessibility.

Originality/value

This is the only study that provides trend information about the accessibility of a broader set of library and library school web sites.
Accessibility of web‐based library databases: the vendors' perspectives in 2007
Authors: Byerley Suzanne L. , Beth Chambers Mary , Thohira Mariyam
Published: December 2007

Purpose

Web‐based research databases are common in today's libraries, but most librarians lack the ability to evaluate them for accessibility for persons with disabilities. Consequently, they rely upon resource providers to develop products that are ADA and Section 508 compliant. Are database vendors stepping up to the plate? As a follow‐up to a study reported in 2003, the purpose of this paper is to investigate accessibility of online databases from database vendors' perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

Researchers used a web‐based questionnaire to gather information from vendors of online databases concerning the accessibility of their products. The questions covered general information about product accessibility, compliance with Section 508 standards, and product accessibility/usability testing.

Findings

Nearly all of the companies who participated in the survey consider their products to be mostly accessible to users of assistive technologies and are committed to improving product accessibility in the future. At the same time, few companies promote accessibility in their marketing efforts. Most companies test their products for accessibility, but few conduct usability tests with actual persons with disabilities.

Research limitations/implications

This study covered a small sample of database vendors and relied on self‐reporting by representatives from database companies. Until usability testing becomes a standard practice, product testing by independent parties is necessary to complete the accessibility report cards for online library database providers.

Practical implications

Librarians must be proactive in encouraging vendors to continue to provide products that are accessible and user‐friendly for everybody including persons with disabilities.

Originality/value

This is the second known study that examines online database accessibility and usability based on database vendors' perspectives.
Utility of a faceted catalog for scholarly research
Authors: Olson Tod A.
Published: December 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether a faceted OPAC interface offers improvements to information discovery in scholarly research.

Design/methodology/approach

The 5.2 million records of an entire library catalog were loaded into a faceted navigation interface and an attractive search term suggestion tool. Humanities PhD students at the dissertation level and familiar with this collection were observed while using this interface to continue their research into the literature on their dissertation topic.

Findings

From a group of 12 subjects, nine reported finding materials that they had not found in their previous use of the traditional catalog interface.

Research limitations/implications

No attempt is made to isolate the effects of relevance ranking on discovery from those of faceted navigation or the search term suggestions. The differences between the circumstances of scholars who did and did not find previously undiscovered materials are not examined.

Practical implications

Faceted interface and search term suggestion in a library catalog may enable those scholars who are highly dependent on library materials to find materials that would remain hidden in a traditional library catalog.

Originality/value

This article considers whether faceted navigation increases the range of relevant materials that scholars discover, and is of interest to libraries which are considering adding faceted navigation and other features to their catalog interface.
Reduced temperature soldering of capacitors using Sn‐Bi plated Sn‐3.5%Ag
Authors: Jin Kim Mi , Zhou Y. (Norman) , Pil Jung Jae
Published: December 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to decrease the soldering temperature of capacitors using Sn‐Bi plated Sn‐3.5 wt%Ag solder.

Design/methodology/approach

Sn‐Bi layers were electroplated on Sn‐3.5 wt%Ag solder. As soldering examples, type 1608 capacitors electroplated with Sn, and printed circuit boards (PCBs) with a surface coating of electroless‐plated Ni/Au, were selected. Sn‐3.5Ag foil coupons plated with Sn‐95.7 wt%Bi were inserted as solder between the capacitors and the lands on the PCBs. The samples were reflowed at 220°C, which is below the normal reflow temperatures of around 240 ∼ 250°C used with Pb‐free solders. During heating, Bi in the plated layer diffuses into the Sn‐3.5Ag core solder resulting in a transient decrease in soldering temperature based on the concept of transient liquid phase bonding.

Findings

The joints made with the Sn‐95.7%Bi plated Sn‐3.5Ag solder at 220°C showed good appearance, and evidence of significant Bi segregation was absent in the microstructure. The shear strengths of the capacitor joints bonded with Sn‐95.7%Bi plated Sn‐3.5%Ag solder were approximately 5,000‐6,000 gf. After 1,000 thermal cycles between −40 and +125°C, the shear strengths of the joints decreased approximately 5‐10 percent from the strengths in the as‐reflowed state for all plated solders. This confirmed that the soldered joints were stable and not significantly degraded by thermal cycles.

Originality/value

Reduced temperature soldering using Sn‐Bi plated Sn‐3.5%Ag solder was applied to attach capacitors to PCBs. In a production application, the foil coupons could be replaced by pre‐solder on the PCB pads.
Australian companies using globalization to disrupt the ancient wine industry
Authors: Cox Juliet , Bridwell Larry
Published: December 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a strategic analysis of how globalization has enabled Australian companies to transform the wine industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The global wine industry is analyzed from two strategic management perspectives: Michael Porter's positioning concepts and the hypercompetitive framework of Richard D'Aveni with particular emphasis on the success of the Australian Yellow Tail brand.

Findings

The forces of globalization have caused significant changes in a historically stable industry. The success of the Yellow Tail brand demonstrates how a focused strategy with the right product, distribution and marketing can cause significant industry disruptions. Overall, the D'Aveni framework of hypercompetition seems to best describe the impact of Australian wine companies, although the generic strategies of Michael Porter may still be applicable when considering the French industry.

Research limitations/implications

The focus is on using two strategic frameworks; there are others which could have been included. The example of Australian wine companies has been used to illustrate the changes in the overall market, but studying other “new world” wine producers such as Chile or Argentina may also add insight.

Practical implications

The paper provides an example of how the academic frameworks of strategic management can be applied to different industries and shows that dynamic forces of globalization can emerge from any corner of the world and cause dramatic economic change.

Originality/value

This paper will be of interest to those studying the global dimensions of strategic management and its practical implications.
Physicians' attitudes towards knowledge transfer and sharing
Authors: Jabr Naeema H.
Published: December 2007

Purpose

The role of medical and health organizations within their communities has been altered to include knowledge services as a basic issue facing the current era of complexities as related to health. Knowledge transfer (KT) can provide the right vehicle for transferring the needed knowledge through different means suitable to each group of receivers, including patients. This study aims to identify the management of activities that help in facilitating KT (the environment), the groups or individuals with when the respondents are communicating, the frequency and type of communications that respondents share with others, the effective forms of communications they use, and the knowledge and learning instruments which are used to transfer and share knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

The study focuses on how health organizations in the Sultanate of Oman view their corporate knowledge and utilize it to improve practices and subsequently reinforce quality standards, while sustaining the image of learning organizations. Based on that, the study attempts to gain a comprehensive picture of the process of KT to show how physicians at two hospitals look at the knowledge of its participants and to discover how participants are willing to share, transfer and receive knowledge.

Findings

The results indicate that junior physicians suffered from work overload and senior ones had negative attitudes and were unwilling to share knowledge. In addition, social activities at both places were not strong enough to encourage the communication process among physicians to share insights and reduce medical errors.

Originality/value

The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the process of KT in two hospitals.
Analysis of the mission statements of AACSB‐accredited schools
Authors: Orwig Bob , Zachary Finney R.
Published: December 2007

Purpose

Research indicates that high‐performing firms share common components among their mission statements. The present study aims to begin a search for a similar correlation among academic schools of business.

Design/methodology/approach

Content and statistical analyses are used to analyze mission statements gathered from nearly all AACSB‐accredited business schools.

Findings

Mission statements for AACSB‐accredited schools are less than a page but not extremely short nor memorable. They address multiple stakeholders and usually do not include vision statements, goals or objectives. They often do not reference quality or the AACSB.

Research limitations/implications

The sample was AACSB schools. As such, one should be circumspect in generalizing to other areas of business.

Practical implications

This paper shows deans and other interested stakeholders what an average mission statement for an AACSB school looks like. It also suggests that mission statements do not effectively identify individual universities. In general, mission statements are found to be longer than expected.

Originality/value

Business school deans need to be aware of the mission statements among their competitors in order to make better decisions in writing their own statements. Also, the research lays useful groundwork for those who want to discuss more controversial issues, such as the following: do mission statements differentiate the schools or is each school mission statement so similar to the others that there is little or no value in its expression?
Is V/P a distinct anomaly?
Authors: Xu Le (Emily)
Published: December 2007

Purpose

Frankel and Lee (1998) report significant abnormal security returns to a trading strategy based on the ratio of the intrinsic value to the market value of common equity (V/P). However, they measure the intrinsic value estimates based on the residual income model using several fundamental variables that have been documented to be associated with subsequent abnormal stock returns. The purpose of this paper is to test whether combining all these individual anomalies to V/P has generated additional predictive power, and whether the abnormal returns related to V/P are due to thepredictive ability of the residual income model or to that of the components used in constructing V/P.

Design/methodology/approach

Two methods are used in this study to examine V/P's incremental effect. First, all the component variables of V/P are included in the same regression with V/P to test whether the coefficient of V/P remains significant. Second, an alternative ex ante transformation of the same component variables is developed and a test is conducted to see whether the trading profits based on V/P and the ex ante transformation differ.

Findings

Overall, the paper finds that V/P does not provide additional explanatory power for subsequent abnormal returns over its component variables, especially analyst forecasts of earnings. The results imply that the source of the delayed security returns related to V/P is the biases in investors' expectations regarding the constituent anomaly variables.

Originality/value

This paper shows that V/P is not a distinct market anomaly. This finding is important to various stock market participants.
Temptations of turnout and modernisation
Authors: Pieters Wolter , van Haren Robert
Published: December 2007

Purpose

The aim of the research described was to identify reasons for differences between discourses on electronic voting in the UK and The Netherlands, from a qualitative point of view.

Design/methodology/approach

From both countries, eight e‐voting experts were interviewed on their expectations, risk estimations, cooperation and learning experiences. The design was based on the theory of strategic niche management. A qualitative analysis of the data was performed to refine the main variables and identify connections.

Findings

The results show that differences in these variables can partly explain the variations in the embedding of e‐voting in the two countries, from a qualitative point of view. Key differences include the goals of introducing e‐voting, concerns in relation to verifiability and authenticity, the role of the Electoral Commissions and a focus on learning versus a focus on phased introduction.

Research limitations/implications

The current study was limited to two countries. More empirical data can reveal other relevant subvariables, and contribute to a framework that can improve our understanding of the challenges of electronic voting.

Originality/value

This study shows the context‐dependent character of discussions on information security. It can be informative for actors involved in e‐voting in the UK and The Netherlands, and other countries using or considering electronic voting.
Ethics, technology development and uncertainty: an outline for any future ethics of technology
Authors: Sollie Paul
Published: December 2007

Purpose

This conceptual paper aims to examine theoretical issues in the proactive ethical assessment of technology development, with a focus on uncertainty. Although uncertainty is a fundamental feature of complex technologies, its importance has not yet been fully recognized within the field of ethics. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to study uncertainty in technology development and its consequences for ethics.

Design/methodology/approach

Going on the insight of various scientific disciplines, the concept of uncertainty will be scrutinised and a typology of uncertainty is proposed and introduced to ethical theory. The method used is theoretical and conceptual analysis.

Findings

The analysis results in questions with regard to the collection of information about the object of assessment (i.e. complex technologies and their development) and the framework of assessment (i.e. ethical theory and its practical aim of guiding the assessment of technology development). Moreover, based on the insights of the analysis of uncertainty, it is argued that substantive ethical theories prove to be inapt for the ethical assessment of complex technology development and therefore require a concomitant procedural approach. The paper concludes with requirements for any future ethics of technology under uncertainty.

Originality/value

The value of the paper consists in establishing the need of researching and incorporating uncertainty in ethics. The results are consequently of practical and theoretical interest for anyone working in the field of ethics and technology.
Pathway of Cytosolic Starch Synthesis in the Model Glaucophyte
Cyanophora paradoxa
Authors: Plancke Charlotte , Colleoni Christophe , Deschamps Philippe , Dauvillée David , Nakamura Yasunori , Haebel Sophie , Ritte Gehrardt , Steup Martin , Buléon Alain , Putaux Jean-Luc , Dupeyre Danielle , d'Hulst Christophe , Ral Jean-Philippe , Löffelhardt Wolfgang , Ball Steven G.
Published: December 2007

The nature of the cytoplasmic pathway of starch biosynthesis was investigated in the model glaucophyte
Cyanophora paradoxa
. The storage polysaccharide granules are shown to be composed of both amylose and amylopectin fractions, with a chain length distribution and crystalline organization similar to those of green algae and land plant starch. A preliminary characterization of the starch pathway demonstrates that
Cyanophora paradoxa
contains several UDP-glucose-utilizing soluble starch synthase activities related to those of the Rhodophyceae. In addition,
Cyanophora paradoxa
synthesizes amylose with a granule-bound starch synthase displaying a preference for UDP-glucose. A debranching enzyme of isoamylase specificity and multiple starch phosphorylases also are evidenced in the model glaucophyte. The picture emerging from our biochemical and molecular characterizations consists of the presence of a UDP-glucose-based pathway similar to that recently proposed for the red algae, the cryptophytes, and the alveolates. The correlative presence of isoamylase and starch among photosynthetic eukaryotes is discussed.
Outer Membrane Components of the Tad (Tight Adherence) Secreton ofAggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans
Authors: Clock Sarah A. , Planet Paul J. , Perez Brenda A. , Figurski David H.
Published: December 2007

Prokaryotic secretion relies on proteins that are widely conserved, including NTPases and secretins, and on proteins that are system specific. The Tad secretion system inAggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitansis dedicated to the assembly and export of Flp pili, which are needed for tight adherence. Consistent with predictions that RcpA forms the multimeric outer membrane secretion channel (secretin) of the Flp pilus biogenesis apparatus, we observed the RcpA protein in multimers that were stable in the presence of detergent and found thatrcpAand its closely related homologs form a novel and distinct subfamily within a well-supported gene phylogeny of the entire secretin gene superfamily. We also found thatrcpA-like genes were always linked toAggregatibacter rcpB- orCaulobacter cpaD-like genes. Using antisera, we determined the localization and gross abundances of conserved (RcpA and TadC) and unique (RcpB, RcpC, and TadD) Tad proteins. The three Rcp proteins (RcpA, RcpB, and RcpC) and TadD, a putative lipoprotein, localized to the bacterial outer membrane. RcpA, RcpC, and TadD were also found in the inner membrane, while TadC localized exclusively to the inner membrane. The RcpA secretin was necessary for wild-type abundances of RcpB and RcpC, and TadC was required for normal levels of all three Rcp proteins. TadC abundance defects were observed inrcpAandrcpCmutants. TadD production was essential for wild-type RcpA and RcpB abundances, and RcpA did not multimerize or localize to the outer membrane without the expression of TadD. These data indicate that membrane proteins TadC and TadD may influence the assembly, transport, and/or function of individual outer membrane Rcp proteins.
Reduced Apo-Fumarate Nitrate Reductase Regulator (ApoFNR) as the Major Form of FNR in Aerobically Growing
Escherichia coli
Authors: Reinhart F. , Achebach S. , Koch T. , Unden G.
Published: December 2007

Under anoxic conditions, the
Escherichia coli
oxygen sensor FNR (fumarate nitrate reductase regulator) is in the active state and contains a [4Fe-4S] cluster. Oxygen converts [4Fe-4S]FNR to inactive [2Fe-2S]FNR. After prolonged exposure to air in vitro, apoFNR lacking a Fe-S cluster is formed. ApoFNR can be differentiated from Fe-S-containing forms by the accessibility of the five Cys thiol residues, four of which serve as ligands for the Fe-S cluster. The presence of apoFNR in aerobically and anaerobically grown
E. coli
was analyzed in situ using thiol reagents. In anaerobically and aerobically grown cells, the membrane-permeable monobromobimane labeled one to two and four Cys residues, respectively; the same labeling pattern was found with impermeable thiol reagents after cell permeabilization. Alkylation of FNR in aerobic bacteria and counting the labeled residues by mass spectrometry showed a form of FNR with five accessible Cys residues, corresponding to apoFNR with all Cys residues in the thiol state. Therefore, aerobically growing cells contain apoFNR, whereas a significant amount of Fe-S-containing FNR was not detected under these conditions. Exposure of anaerobic bacteria to oxygen caused conversion of Fe-S-containing FNR to apoFNR within 6 min. ApoFNR from aerobic bacteria contained no disulfide, in contrast to apoFNR formed in vitro by air inactivation, and all Cys residues were in the thiol form.
Binding Site Determinants for the LysR-Type Transcriptional Regulator PcaQ in the Legume Endosymbiont
Sinorhizobium meliloti
Authors: MacLean Allyson M. , Anstey Michelle I. , Finan Turlough M.
Published: December 2007

LysR-type transcriptional regulators represent one of the largest groups of prokaryotic regulators described to date. In the gram-negative legume endosymbiont
Sinorhizobium meliloti
, enzymes involved in the protocatechuate branch of the β-ketoadipate pathway are encoded within the
pcaDCHGB
operon, which is subject to regulation by the LysR-type protein PcaQ. In this work, purified PcaQ was shown to bind strongly (equilibrium dissociation constant, 0.54 nM) to a region at positions −78 to −45 upstream of the
pcaD
transcriptional start site. Within this region, we defined a PcaQ binding site with dyad symmetry that is required for regulation of
pcaD
expression in vivo and for binding of PcaQ in vitro. We also demonstrated that PcaQ participates in negative autoregulation by monitoring expression of
pcaQ
via a transcriptional fusion to
lacZ
. Although
pcaQ
homologues are present in many α-proteobacteria, this work describes the first reported purification of this regulator, as well as characterization of its binding site, which is conserved in
Agrobacterium tumefaciens
,
Rhizobium leguminosarum
,
Rhizobium etli
, and
Mesorhizobium loti
.
RpoS Expression and the General Stress Response in
Azotobacter vinelandii
during Carbon and Nitrogen Diauxic Shifts
Authors: Sandercock James R. , Page William J.
Published: December 2007

The general stress response mediated by the sigma factor RpoS is important for survival of bacteria in adverse environments. A mutant unable to produce RpoS was constructed using the diazotrophic bacterium
Azotobacter vinelandii
strain UW. Under nondesiccating, solid-medium growth conditions the wild type was culturable for 16.5 years, while the
rpoS
mutant remained viable for only 10 months. The
rpoS
mutant exhibited reduced survival compared to the wild type following hydrogen peroxide stress, and stationary phase cells were killed rapidly by 15 mM H
2
O
2
. Three catalases (Kat1, Kat2, and Kat3) were expressed in the wild type under the conditions used. Kat2 was expressed in exponential phase during shake flask growth and could be induced under highly aerated conditions in all growth phases, suggesting that there was induction by reactive oxygen intermediates. Kat3 was possibly an isoform of Kat2. In contrast, Kat1 was expressed in an RpoS-dependent manner during the mid-exponential to late stationary phases. RpoS expression did not occur exclusively in stationary phase but was influenced by changes in carbon and nitrogen source availability. There was 26- to 28-fold induction of the RpoS protein during acetate-to-glucose and ammonium-to-N
2
diauxic shifts. Following recovery of growth on the alternative carbon or nitrogen source, RpoS protein concentrations declined rapidly to a basal level. However,
rpoS
mRNA levels did not correlate directly to RpoS levels, suggesting that there was posttranscriptional regulation. Evidence obtained using the RpoS-dependent reporter Kat1 suggested that there is regulation of the RNAP:RpoS holoenzyme at the level of complex formation or activity.
STATE SUM CONSTRUCTION OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL OPEN-CLOSED TOPOLOGICAL QUANTUM FIELD THEORIES
Authors: LAUDA AARON D. , PFEIFFER HENDRYK
Published: December 2007

We present a state sum construction of two-dimensional extended Topological Quantum Field Theories (TQFTs), so-called open-closed TQFTs, which generalizes the state sum of Fukuma–Hosono–Kawai from triangulations of conventional two-dimensional cobordisms to those of open-closed cobordisms, i.e. smooth compact oriented 2-manifolds with corners that have a particular global structure. This construction reveals the topological interpretation of the associative algebra on which the state sum is based, as the vector space that the TQFT assigns to the unit interval. Extending the notion of a two-dimensional TQFT from cobordisms to suitable manifolds with corners therefore makes the relationship between the global description of the TQFT in terms of a functor into the category of vector spaces and the local description in terms of a state sum fully transparent. We also illustrate the state sum construction of an open-closed TQFT with a finite set of D-branes using the example of the groupoid algebra of a finite groupoid.
Temporal changes in cardiac force- and flow-generation capacity, loading conditions, and mechanical efficiency in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
Authors: Yeih Dong-Feng , Lin Lian-Yu , Yeh Hung-I , Lai Yu-Jun , Chiang Fu-Tien , Tseng Chuen-Den , Chu Shu-Hsun , Tseng Yung-Zu
Published: December 2007

Diabetes mellitus may result in impaired cardiac contractility, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the temporal alterations in cardiac force- and flow-generation capacity and loading conditions as well as mechanical efficiency in the evolution of systolic dysfunction in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Adult male Wistar rats were randomized into control and STZ-induced diabetic groups. Invasive hemodynamic studies were done at 8, 16, and 22 wk post-STZ injection. Maximal systolic elastance (Emax) and maximum theoretical flow (Qmax) were assessed by curve-fitting techniques, and ventriculoarterial coupling and mechanical efficiency were assessed by a single-beat estimation technique. In contrast to early occurring and persistently depressed Emax, Qmax progressively increased with time but was decreased at 22 wk post-STZ injection, which temporally correlated with the changes in cardiac output. The favorable loading conditions enhanced stroke volume and Qmax, whereas ventriculoarterial uncoupling attenuated the cardiac mechanical efficiency in diabetic animals. The changes in Emax and Qmax are discordant during the progression of contractile dysfunction in the diabetic heart. In conclusion, our study showed that depressed Qmax and cardiac mechanical efficiency, occurring preceding overt systolic heart failure, are two major determinants of deteriorating cardiac performance in diabetic rats.
Deficiency of M2muscarinic acetylcholine receptors increases susceptibility of ventricular function to chronic adrenergic stress
Authors: LaCroix Carly , Freeling Jessica , Giles Alese , Wess Jürgen , Li Yi-Fan
Published: December 2007

Suppressed parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) function has been found in a variety of cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, heart failure, and diabetes. However, whether impaired PSNS function plays a significant role in ventricular dysfunction remains to be investigated. Cardiac regulation by the PSNS is primarily mediated by the M2muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M2-AChR). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that lack of M2-AChR-mediated PSNS function may adversely impact cardiac ventricular function. Using M2-AChR knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice, we found that the basal levels of heart rate and left ventricular function were similar in M2-AChR KO and WT mice. A bolus injection of isoproterenol (Iso) induced a greater increase in heart rate in M2-AChR KO mice than in WT mice. However, the responses of change in pressure over time (dP/d t) to Iso were similar in the two groups. After chronic infusion with Iso for 1 wk, the baseline values of left ventricular function were increased to similar extents in M2-AChR KO and WT mice. However, the M2-AChR KO mice exhibited impaired ventricular function, indicated as attenuated dP/d t and increased end-diastolic pressure, during an increase in cardiac afterload induced by a bolus injection of phenylephrine. Furthermore, chronic Iso infusion significantly increased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in the heart in M2-AChR KO mice. In primary culture of mixed neonatal rat cardiac fibroblast and cardiomyocytes, cotreatment with muscarinic agonist bethanechol reversed phenylephrine-induced increase in MMP-9 activation. These data suggest that M2-AChR may mediate an inhibitory regulation on MMP function. The overall results from this study suggest that M2-AChR-mediated PSNS function may provide cardiac protection. Lack of this protective mechanism will increase the susceptibility of the heart to cardiac stresses.
Age-related decrease in 15-lipoxygenase contributes to reduced vasorelaxation in rabbit aorta
Authors: Tang Xin , Aggarwal Nitin , Holmes Blythe B. , Kuhn Hartmut , Campbell William B.
Published: December 2007

Rabbit 15-lipoxygenase-1 (15-LO-1) oxygenates arachidonic acid (AA) into 15-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid, which is then converted to the vasodilatory 15-hydroxy-11,12-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (HEETA) and 11,12,15-trihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (THETA). We studied the age-dependent expression of the 15-LO-1 in rabbit aorta and its effects on the synthesis of THETA, HEETA, and vasoactivity. Aortas of 1-wk-old rabbits express greater amounts of 15-LO-1 mRNA and protein compared with aortas of 4-, 8-, or 16-wk-old rabbits. The synthesis of THETA and HEETA in the rabbit aorta was also reduced with age. THETA synthesis was maximal in 1-wk-old aortas but decreased in aortas of 4- (42%), 8- (4%), and 16-wk-old (1%) rabbits. Similarly, THETA and HEETA synthesis decreased with age in mesenteric arteries from 1-, 4-, 8-, and 16-wk-old rabbits. The maximum vasorelaxation response to acetylcholine (10−6M) in the presence of indomethacin and nitro-l-arginine decreased in the order of 1 wk (64.5 ± 6.9%), 4 wk (52.6 ± 8.9%), 8 wk (53.0 ± 9.4%), and 16 wk (33.3 ± 6.6%). Similarly, the maximum relaxation to AA (3 × 10−4M) decreased with age in the order of 1 wk (60.4 ± 8.9%), 4 wk (56.3 ± 5.8%), 8 wk (41.8 ± 12.3%), and 16 wk (28.9 ± 1.6%). In contrast, the vasorelaxation to sodium nitroprusside was not significantly altered by age. These data indicate that aortic 15-LO-1 expression and activity are downregulated with aging in rabbits. This decrease is paralleled by the reduced synthesis of vasoactive THETA and HEETA and aortic relaxations to acetylcholine and AA.
Judicial Settlement of Armed Conflicts in International Law: Reflecting the 2005 International Court of Justice Decision in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Mollel Andrew
Published: December 2007

The duty of states to settle their disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law is emphasized in a number of important provisions enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and state practices. Adjudication is one among a range of existing means of pacific settlement of disputes. This article analyzes the role of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in pacific settlement of international disputes. It critically examines judicial settlement of armed conflicts, taking the ICJ decision in the Case Concerning Armed Activities in the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo v. Uganda) as a focal point. The main argument of the author is that while the adjudicatory role of the ICJ as the principal judicial organ of the UN is a crucial method in the pacific settlement of international disputes, it is unlikely to suit armed conflicts situations. Jurisdictional limitations of the ICJ in adjudication of armed conflicts situations is pointed out. The article points to the preclusion of the Court from adjudicating the other cases brought by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) against Rwanda and Burundi as an illustration of such limitations. It, however, stresses that the very outcome of the 2005 ICJ decision in the Democratic Republic of Congo v. Uganda case is another clear example of such shortcomings. Without getting into detailed discussions of theories of compliance with international law, the article further discusses the question of compliance with the current ICJ decision in the light of previous state practices. Since there are no established enforcement mechanisms in the international system akin to those in national legal systems, the question whether decisions of international judicial bodies (the ICJ in this case) are complied with remains at the mercy of condemned states. In the final analyses, the author points to the current weaknesses and limitations of the international legal system as a whole in the administration of justice.
The Nature of Social Human Rights Treaties and Standard-Setting WTO Treaties: A Question of Hierarchy?
Authors: Haugen Hans Morten
Published: December 2007

Social human rights are not held to belong to the category of jus cogens norms. At the same time these human rights protect vital matters, such as the right to adequate food, which obviously has a relationship to the right to life. On the other hand, the annexes to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement, which are binding on all WTO member States, has implied a shift from the old General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) to the WTO, from pure contractual treaties to more standard-setting treaties. The article seeks to analyse if the obligations erga omnes and the concept of 'multilateral obligations' are applicable to distinguish between human rights treaties on the one hand and WTO agreements on the other. The background of the analysis is also the work of the International Law Commission (ILC) Study Group on fragmentation of international law, finalised in 2006. The article finds that there is still uncertainty regarding the exact meaning of the term 'multilateral obligations'. Hence, other concepts such as 'absolute obligations' might be preferred in order to characterise human rights treaties, and hence implicitly acknowledge that treaties that protect vital matters may prevail over other treaties, based on the interests which are to be protected.
Die hellenistische Katalogdichtung des Phanokles über homosexuelle Liebesbeziehungen. Untersuchungen zur tendenziellen Gestaltung und zum literarischen Nachleben
Authors: Gärtner Thomas
Published: December 2007

This paper is concerned with the fragments of the early Hellenistic catalogue poem by Phanokles. It falls into three sections: The first enquires into the general tendency of Phanokles' work, as far as is permitted by the fragmentary transmission, especially in comparison with another similar catalogue-like poem contained in POxy. 3723. The following two sections concentrate on the literary reception of Phanokles, i.e. the Orpheus segment, first in Hellenistic epitaphs on Orpheus (section 2) and then in the Orpheus passage of Ovid's Metamorphoses (section 3). It concludes that the tendency of Phanokles' catalogue elegy is aetiological and scientific rather than personal and subjective (section 1) and that the intertextual allusions to Phanokles made by Damagetos (section 2) and Ovid (section 3) are polemical rather than affirmative. Especially Ovid seems to make light of the formal technique of catalogue adopted by Phanokles from his archaic model Hesiod.
Getting Ahead: Decapitation as Political Metaphor in Silius Italicus' Punica
Authors: Marks Raymond
Published: December 2007

In Silius Italicus' Punica the Second Punic War is cast as a conflict fought over and between heads, and the decapitations in the epic thereby become ways of measuring the different trajectories and ultimate outcomes for each side in the war: the symbolic decapitation of Rome on the occasion of Paulus' death at Cannae in book 10 marks the low-ebb in the city's fortunes while the many decapitations perpetrated by Romans after Cannae reflect Carthage's own slide toward final defeat, an event that entails her symbolic decapitation too. Read in relation to this epic-wide program, Hannibal's abiding enmity toward Jupiter, the god of Rome's head, the Capitolium, gains greater clarity and purpose, as do his identification with Lucan's Pompey and Carthage's with Virgil's Priam toward the end of the epic. This concluding development is also succinctly recapitulated in the epic's final two lines, where an allusion to the final two lines of Bellum Civile 8 invites us to contrast Rome and Jupiter with Lucan's decapitated Pompey and to compare Carthage and Hannibal with him.
Traces of the Hymn in the epinikion
Authors: Bremer Jan Maarten
Published: December 2007

E.L. Bundy's (1962) approach to Pindar's victory odes might lead to the assumption that the poet's praise is always and exclusively addressed to the human laudandus and his polis. Readers of Currie's recent monograph (2005) might even be led one step further: does Pindar insinuate that the laudandus receives heroic status and becomes immortal? In this paper it is argued in the first place that in many, if not all, epinicians praise of the gods comes in first place, praise of the gods being the foundation and the echo-chamber of the praise directed at the victorious athlete. A second point is that in a significant number of passages the athlete is reminded by the epinician poet that he is just a mortal, and that his present and passing felicity, obtained by hard effort, is a far cry from the easy and everlasting happiness of the immortal gods.
The Magic Wand in Making Constitutions Endure in Africa: Anything (Lessons) to Learn from East Africa?
Authors: Maina Peter Chris , Maina Peter Chris
Published: December 2007

Most African countries got their flag independence in the 1960s. Soon thereafter, one after the other, the new states began falling into the hands of new military strongmen. Those lucky fell under one-party dictatorships. Democracy and rule of law became alien to the continent. Using the case study of East Africa, this paper asks what should be done to improve the situation in the continent. Many in the continent thought that the introduction of a multiparty political system in the 1990s would improve the situation. It did not happen. The same military juntas had traded military fatigues with designer suits and got themselves “elected” into the same offices they got in by force in the first place. Constitutions in Africa are not worth the paper they are written on. They are amended just like any other inferior law. This paper attempts to propose what could be done to make constitutions in Africa endure time and become more stable. It is being proposed that Africa needs to respect the main tenets of constitutionalism. These are rule of law, independence of judiciary and clear separation of powers in the state. These principles should be complemented by development of a culture of peace, respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, equal access of all citizens to the natural wealth and resources of the country, and limited leadership. As a model for constitutionalism, the East African region has nothing to offer to the continent.
Wysiwyg
Authors: Ruard Ganzevoort R.
Published: December 2007

Working in a social constructionist framework, the author describes practical theology as a multi-conversational discipline. In each conversation (with systematic and biblical theology, with other academic disciplines, and with the church and society) specific demands are placed on discourse, governed by specific criteria for truth claims. In these conversations, two levels of discourse are distinguished. First order discourse consists of ordinary religious language (and action), second order discourse is the academic discussion of this language. In both discourses social constructions can be found, analyzed and critiqued, but the referential and performative criteria differ. Finally it is claimed that the theological and normative dimension of practical theology is not something added to empirical investigations, but present in the material researched.
Opus and sermo: The Relationship between Alchemy and Prophecy (12th-14th Centuries)
Authors: Crisciani Chiara
Published: December 2007

The subject of this paper is the relationship between alchemy and prophecy in the Latin culture of the period between the initial diffusion of alchemy in the West in the 12th century and the 14th century. This is a preliminary survey, which provides the necessary background for a better understanding of the so-called 'explosion' of the kind of prophetic and visionary alchemy that took place in the 15th century. Alchemy, which is knowledge of hidden things and an art of transformation toward perfection, is here tentatively interpreted and analysed as a form of 'concrete prophecy'.
"Paradoxes, Absurdities, and Madness": Conflict over Alchemy, Magic and Medicine in the Works of Andreas Libavius and Heinrich Khunrath
Authors: Forshaw Peter
Published: December 2007

Both Andreas Libavius and Heinrich Khunrath graduated from Basel Medical Academy in 1588, though the theses they defended reveal antithetical approaches to medicine, despite their shared interests in iatrochemistry and transmutational alchemy. Libavius argued in favour of Galenic allopathy while Khunrath promoted the contrasting homeopathic approach of Paracelsus and the utility of the occult doctrine of Signatures for medical purposes. This article considers these differences in the two graduates' theses, both as intimations of their subsequent divergent notions of the boundaries of alchemy and its relations with medicine and magic, and also as evidence of the surprisingly unstable academic status of Paracelsian philosophy in Basel, its main publishing centre, at the end of the sixteenth century.
Integrity of Mission in the Light of the Gospel: Bearing Witness of the Spirit Among Africa's Gospel Bearers
Authors: Mwaura Philomena Njeri
Published: December 2007

This paper addresses the theme "Integrity of Mission in the Light of the Gospel; Bearing Witness of the Spirit," focusing on what this integrity of Christian mission in Africa implies. It poses the questions: What is Mission? What is the Content and Context of Mission in Africa? What does Integrity mean? How does the Church in Africa embody Integrity of Mission?