bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Opaque Surface Influences the Depth from the Pulfrich Phenomenon
Authors: Kham Keetaek
Published: December 2004

When a pendulum, swinging in a frontoparallel plane, is viewed with a neutral density filter before one eye, the pendulum bob appears to rotate in an elliptical path. This illusion, known as the Pulfrich phenomenon, was used to examine depth cue interaction in a natural environment. An opaque surface was placed behind the pendulum. This intervention put the ‘Pulfrich depth’ of the pendulum in conflict with the information provided by other depth cues, such as interposition, and observers reported that the ‘far’ part of the pendulum's Pulfrich trajectory appeared to be flat. This was not the case when the surface was transparent. If the opaque surface was placed farther behind the pendulum's physical path, the far trajectory became increasingly elliptical. These results suggest that the opaque surface influences the pendulum's depth qualitatively and quantitatively. That is, the depth order between the surface and the pendulum is determined by interposition, but the absolute depth of the pendulum's Pulfrich trajectory is constrained by the surface's depth.
Visualising Fragrances through Colours: The Mediating Role of Emotions
Authors: Schifferstein Hendrik N J , Tanudjaja Inge
Published: December 2004

To facilitate communication about fragrances, one can use the colours people tend to associate with their smells. We investigated to what extent odour–colour correspondences for fine fragrances can be accounted for by underlying emotional associations. Odour–colour matches and degree-of-fit judgments revealed that odours were matched to colours non-randomly. Matching colours differed mainly on blackness (brightness), and less on chromaticness (saturation) and hue. Furthermore, we found a consistent negative relationship between odour–colour degree-of-fit ratings and the difference between the odour scores and the colour scores on one of the emotion dimensions (pleasure). This suggests that emotional associations may partly underlie odour–colour correspondences.
Impossible Shadows and the Shadow Correspondence Problem
Authors: Mamassian Pascal
Published: December 2004

Shadows cast by objects contain potentially useful information about the location of these objects in the scene as well as their surface reflectance. However, before the visual system can use this information, it has to solve the shadow correspondence problem, that is to match the objects with their respective shadows. In the first experiment, it is shown that the estimate of the light source position is affected by a gradual luminance ramp added to the image. In the second experiment, it is shown that observers process impossible shadow images as if they ignored the local features of the objects. All together, the results suggest that the visual system solves the shadow correspondence problem by relying on a coarse representation of the scene.
Rapid Processing of Cast and Attached Shadows
Authors: Elder James H , Trithart Sherry , Pintilie Gregor , MacLean Donald
Published: December 2004

We used a visual-search method to investigate the role of shadows in the rapid discrimination of scene properties. Targets and distractors were light or dark 2-D crescents of identical shape and size, on a mid-grey background. From the dark stimuli, illusory 3-D shapes can be created by blurring one arc of the crescent. If the inner arc is blurred, the stimulus is perceived as a curved surface with attached shadow. If the outer arc is blurred, the stimulus is perceived as a flat surface casting a shadow. In a series of five experiments, we used this simple stimulus to map out the shadow properties that the human visual system can rapidly detect and discriminate. To subtract out 2-D image factors, we compared search performance for dark-shadow stimuli with performance for light-shadow stimuli which generally do not elicit strong 3-D percepts. We found that the human visual system is capable of rapid discrimination based upon a number of different shadow properties, including the type of the shadow (cast or attached), the direction of the shadow, and the displacement of the shadow. While it is clear that shadows are not simply discounted in rapid search, it is unclear at this stage whether rapid discrimination is acting upon shadows per se or upon representations of 3-D object shape and position elicited by perceived shadows.
Does Perceptual Belongingness Affect Lightness Constancy?
Authors: Soranzo Alessandro , Agostini Tiziano
Published: December 2004

The relation between perceptual belongingness and lightness perception has historically been studied in the contrast domain (Benary, 1924 Psychologische Forschung5 131–142). However, scientists have shown that two equal grey patches may differ in lightness when belonging to different reflecting surfaces. We extend this investigation to the constancy domain. In a CRT simulation of a bipartite field of illumination, we manipulated the arrangement of twelve patches: six squares and six diamonds. Patches of the same shape could be placed: (i) all within the same illumination field; or (ii) forming a row across the illumination fields. Furthermore, we manipulated proximity between the innermost patches and the illumination edge. The patches could be (i) touching (forming an X-junction); or (ii) not touching (not forming an X-junction). Observers were asked to perform a lightness match between two additional patches, one illuminated and the other in shadow. We found better lightness constancy when the patches of the same shape formed a row across the fields, with no effect of X-junctions. Since lightness constancy is improved by strengthening the belongingness across the illumination fields, we conclude that belongingness might help the visual system to aggregate the differently illuminated surfaces, and facilitate the scission process.
Advances in pollination techniques for large-scale seed production in Eucalyptusglobulus
Authors: Patterson Briony , Gore Peter , Potts Brad M. , Vaillancourt René E.
Published: December 2004

The effectiveness of supplementary pollination techniques for large-scale production of elite Eucalyptus globulus seed was tested by using pollen fixed for a rare allozyme. We assayed the paternity of 1954 seedlings derived from 1089 flowers on 14 trees with no emasculation or style isolation. We first compared the success of pollinating the transversely cut style surface with direct stigma pollination. For flowers pollinated up to 6 days after operculum shed, style cutting resulted in a 15-fold increase in the number of seed with the marker allozyme (intended pollination) compared with stigma pollination. There was no difference between either pollination treatment and open pollination in 7–14-day-old flowers. We subsequently pollinated 13 trees using the cut-style technique that resulted in 86.9% of progeny having the marker allozyme. Microsatellite analysis showed that only 4.8% of the progeny were selfs. Thus, we show that it is possible to obtain seed with low level of contamination and little selfing, without the costly steps of flower emasculation, isolation and labelling, by simply cutting the style just before pollination and pollinating all suitable flowers on a tree on a weekly cycle. By this approach, elite full-sib families can be generated for deployment into plantations to exploit both additive and non-additive genetic effects.
Cassinia glossophylla Cass. is Ozothamnus leptophyllus (G.Forst.) Breitw. & J.M.Ward (Asteraceae)
Authors: Orchard A. E. , Wilson A. J. G.
Published: December 2004

Cassinia glossophylla Cass., mistakenly described as from Australia, is synonymous with the New Zealand species Ozothamnus leptophyllus (G.Forst.) Breitw. & J.M.Ward. The type specimen probably came from the Bay of Islands, a previously undocumented source of Sieber collections.
Patch use by the greater glider (Petauroides volans) in a fragmented forest ecosystem. II. Characteristics of den trees and preliminary data on den-use patterns
Authors: Lindenmayer D. B. , Pope M. L. , Cunningham R. B.
Published: December 2004

This paper presents the results of a study of the use of den trees by the greater glider (Petauroides volans) in five patches of remnant eucalypt forest embedded within an extensive radiata pine (Pinus radiata) plantation near Tumut in south-eastern Australia. Radio-tracking was used to identify 171 den trees occupied by 40 animals over 948 animal-tracking days between September 1997 and September 1998. All radio-tracked P. volans used multiple den trees. Males used significantly more den trees than females and a greater proportion of these were used for single visits. Males also used fewer new den trees over the study period in the smaller patches, although they still used more than females. In the larger patches, males and females used similar numbers of den trees.
Commonly used den trees tended to be situated in (or close to) core areas of an individual’s home range. Den tree sharing, either concurrently or independently, was predominantly between adult males and females, or between adults and their young. Trees most likely to be used by more than one individual had the same characteristics as trees that had the highest probability of use per se – that is, they were of large ‘average size’.
Diet of mammalian predators in braided river beds in the central South Island, New Zealand
Authors: Murphy Elaine C. , Keedwell Rachel J. , Brown Kerry P. , Westbrooke Ian
Published: December 2004

In New Zealand, five of the six endemic bird species that breed primarily in South Island braided river beds are classed as threatened. A major cause of decline for these species is predation by introduced mammals, and predator-trapping programs are undertaken in the braided rivers of the Mackenzie Basin to protect them. Trapping programs carried out between September 1997 and April 2001 provided the opportunity to investigate predator diet from the gut contents of 375 cats (Felis catus), 371 ferrets (Mustela furo) and 86 stoats (Mustela erminea). As a percentage frequency of occurrence of the main prey items, cat diet consisted of lagomorphs (present in 70% of guts), birds (in 47%), lizards (30%) and invertebrates (36%). Ferret diet consisted of lagomorphs (69%) and birds (28%). Stoat diet consisted of lagomorphs (50%), birds (51%), lizards (21%) and invertebrates (23%). The frequency of occurrence of birds in all three predators was higher in the spring/summer of 1997 – immediately after rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) was introduced – than in any other previous diet study on these braided rivers. This suggests that RHD did lead to increased predation pressure on birds, at least in the short term.
Use of infrared digital cameras to investigate aspects of the social behaviour of cryptic species
Authors: Claridge Andrew W. , Mifsud Greg , Dawson James , Saxon Michael J.
Published: December 2004

In this paper we report on the application of infrared digital cameras to investigate aspects of the breeding biology of the spotted-tailed quoll, an endangered marsupial carnivore. Technical details are provided about the cameras, which were deployed remotely at two ‘latrine’ sites used by the target species within Kosciuszko National Park in southern New South Wales, Australia. Examples of images captured by the cameras are presented, with notes on possible application of the same technology to better understand the social behaviour of rare and cryptic species.
Antibody buffering of a ligandin vivo
Authors: O'Hear Carol E. , Foote Jefferson
Published: December 2004

Clearance is the practical limit on drug action. Here we propose a means of slowing clearance, thereby extending drug lifetimein vivoby “antibody buffering.” In this process, a drug and an anti-drug antibody are coadministered. Most of the drug is bound to the antibody, preventing the drug from acting, but also preventing its elimination. A dynamic free drug pool is established by reversible dissociation from the antibody. The free drug is active and can be eliminated, but the free pool is constantly replenished by reequilibration from the antibody-drug complex, giving a long effective lifetime. Here we explore antibody buffering experimentally by using a model compound, 2-phenyloxazol-5-one-γ-aminobutyrate (Ox), as a drug proxy. We show that antibody buffering can extend by an order of magnitude the plasma lifetime of Ox in rats, and that the steady-state Ox level depends on the molecular properties of the antibody used to buffer the Ox. In addition, the anti-Ox antibody can be recharged with drugin vivoto extend Ox lifetime without additional antibody administration, making this technique even more suitable for possible clinical application.
Activated macrophages are an adaptive element of the colonic epithelial progenitor niche necessary for regenerative responses to injury
Authors: Pull Sarah L. , Doherty Jason M. , Mills Jason C. , Gordon Jeffrey I. , Stappenbeck Thaddeus S.
Published: December 2004

We have identified cellular and molecular features of the stem cell niche required for marked amplification of mouse colonic epithelial progenitors (ColEPs) that occurs in response to wounding of the epithelium with dextran sodium sulfate. This regenerative response in areas adjacent to breaches in the epithelial barrier depends on the gut microbiota because ColEP proliferation is markedly diminished in germ-free animals. Analysis of conventionally raised C57BL/6 (B6) knockout mice lacking the Toll-like receptor signal transduction pathway component Myd88 and wild-type animals transplanted withMyd88-/-bone marrow, revealed that Myd88-mediated signaling through mesenchymal cells is also required for the ColEP response. Studies of B6Csf1op/op(lacking macrophages) mice,Rag1-/-mice, and wild-type mice treated with neutrophil-specific Gr1 mAbs, disclosed that macrophages but not lymphocytes or neutrophils are necessary. GeneChip analysis of laser-capture-microdissected mesenchymal cells coupled with immunohistochemical and electron microscopic studies showed that, during the regenerative response, macrophages in the pericryptal stem cell niche express genes associated with their activation and extend processes to directly contact ColEPs near the crypt base. GeneChip analysis also identified a number of potential molecular mediators of regeneration expressed in the pericryptal progenitor niche, including secreted factors that stimulate epithelial proliferation and proteins involved in extracellular matrix and basement membrane function, stability, and growth factor binding. Together, these studies indicate that the colonic epithelial progenitor niche is a dynamic structure in which macrophages function as mobile “cellular transceivers” that coordinate inputs from luminal microbes and injured epithelium and transmit regenerative signals to neighboring ColEPs.
Endothelial-specific expression of caveolin-1 impairs microvascular permeability and angiogenesis
Authors: Bauer Philip M. , Yu Jun , Chen Yan , Hickey Reed , Bernatchez Pascal N. , Looft-Wilson Robin , Huang Yan , Giordano Frank , Stan Radu V. , Sessa William C.
Published: December 2004

The functions of caveolae and/or caveolins in intact animals are beginning to be explored. Here, by using endothelial cell-specific transgenesis of the caveolin-1 (Cav-1) gene in mice, we show the critical role of Cav-1 in several postnatal vascular paradigms. First, increasing levels of Cav-1 do not increase caveolae number in the endothelium
in vivo
. Second, despite a lack of quantitative changes in organelle number, endothelial-specific expression of Cav-1 impairs endothelial nitric oxide synthase activation, endothelial barrier function, and angiogenic responses to exogenous VEGF and tissue ischemia. In addition, VEGF-mediated phosphorylation of Akt and its substrate, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, were significantly reduced in VEGF-treated Cav-1 transgenic mice, compared with WT littermates. The inhibitory effect of Cav-1 expression on the Akt-endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway was specific because VEGF-stimulated phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK1/2) was elevated in the Cav-1 transgenics, compared with littermates. These data strongly support the idea that,
in vivo
, Cav-1 may modulate signaling pathways independent of its essential role in caveolae biogenesis.
Functional Analysis of Cytoplasmic Dynein Heavy Chain inCaenorhabditis eleganswith Fast-acting Temperature-sensitive Mutations
Authors: Schmidt Diane J. , Rose Debra J. , Saxton William M. , Strome Susan
Published: December 2004

Cytoplasmic dynein, a minus-end–directed microtubule motor, has been implicated in many cellular and developmental processes. Identification of specific cellular processes that rely directly on dynein would be facilitated by a means to induce specific and rapid inhibition of its function. We have identified conditional variants of a Caenorhabditis elegans dynein heavy chain (DHC-1) that lose function within a minute of a modest temperature upshift. Mutant embryos generated at elevated temperature show defects in centrosome separation, pronuclear migration, rotation of the centrosome/nucleus complex, bipolar spindle assembly, anaphase chromosome segregation, and cytokinesis. Our analyses of mutant embryos generated at permissive temperature and then upshifted quickly just before events of interest indicate that DHC-1 is required specifically for rotation of the centrosome/nucleus complex, for chromosome congression to a well ordered metaphase plate, and for timely initiation of anaphase. Our results do not support the view that DHC-1 is required for anaphase B separation of spindle poles and chromosomes. A P-loop mutation identified in two independent dominant temperature-sensitive alleles of dhc-1, when engineered into the DHC1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, conferred a dominant temperature-sensitive dynein loss-of-function phenotype. This suggests that temperature-sensitive mutations can be created for time-resolved function analyses of dyneins and perhaps other P-loop proteins in a variety of model systems.
Dynamics of GBF1, a Brefeldin A-Sensitive Arf1 Exchange Factor at the Golgi
Authors: Niu Ting-Kuang , Pfeifer Andrea C. , Lippincott-Schwartz Jennifer , Jackson Catherine L.
Published: December 2004

Trafficking through the Golgi apparatus requires members of the Arf family of GTPases, whose activation is regulated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). Once activated, Arf-GTP recruits effectors such as coat complexes and lipid-modifying enzymes to specific membrane sites, creating a domain competent for cargo concentration and transport. GBF1 is a peripherally associated Arf GEF involved in both endoplasmic reticulum–Golgi and intra-Golgi transport. The mechanism of GBF1 binding to membranes is unknown. As a first step to understanding the mechanism of membrane association, we constructed a yellow fluorescent protein-tagged version of GBF1 and performed fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis to determine its residence time on Golgi membranes. We find that GBF1 molecules are not stably associated with the Golgi but rather cycle rapidly on and off membranes. The drug brefeldin A (BFA), an uncompetitive inhibitor of the exchange reaction that binds to an Arf–GDP–Arf GEF complex, stabilizes GBF1 on Golgi membranes. Using an in vivo assay to monitor Arf1-GTP levels, we show that GBF1 exchange activity on Arf1 is inhibited by BFA in mammalian cells. These results suggest that an Arf1–GBF1–BFA complex is formed and has a longer residence time on Golgi membranes than GBF1 or Arf1 alone.
Optoacoustic, Noninvasive, Real-Time, Continuous Monitoring of Cerebral Blood Oxygenation: An In Vivo Study in Sheep
Authors: Petrov Yuriy Y. , Prough Donald S. , Deyo Donald J. , Klasing Manfred , Motamedi Massoud , Esenaliev Rinat O.
Published: December 2004

Background

Current, invasive cerebral oxygenation monitors require either retrograde jugular venous bulb cannulation or intraparenchymal probe insertion. There is no accurate, noninvasive, continuous monitor of cerebral blood oxygenation.

Methods

The authors designed, built, and tested novel optoacoustic instrumentation that continuously measures blood oxygenation in the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) in vivo in 12 anesthetized sheep. In this technique, laser pulses generate acoustic signals, the amplitudes and slopes of which are proportional to oxyhemoglobin saturation in the SSS. Optoacoustic signals from the SSS measured through the scalp and cranium were compared with directly measured oxyhemoglobin saturation in blood withdrawn from the cannulated SSS.

Results

In the first experiments (feasibility), FIO2 changes produced rapid corresponding changes in optoacoustic signals and arterial oxygen saturation. In the second experiments (validation), the authors correlated oxyhemoglobin saturation in the SSS with optoacoustic signals and developed quantifying algorithms. In eight of nine validation experiments, the authors quantified optoacoustic signals by subtracting the temporal profile at low FIO2 (0.08-0.1) from profiles at higher FIO2 and integrating those signals in the range from 3 to 5 micros. In each validation experiment, optoacoustic signals showed tight temporal association and good linear correlation with measured oxyhemoglobin saturation (r2 0.75 to 0.99 for eight individual experiments).

Conclusions

The optoacoustic system detects signals induced in the SSS and optoacoustic signals from the SSS linearly correlate with oxyhemoglobin saturation. The data suggest that the optoacoustic technique merits clinical evaluation.
Effect of Propofol on Carotid Body Chemosensitivity and Cholinergic Chemotransduction
Authors: Jonsson Malin M. , Lindahl Sten G. E. , Eriksson Lars I.
Published: December 2004

Background

Propofol decreases the acute hypoxic ventilatory response in humans and depresses in vivo carotid body chemosensitivity. The mechanisms behind this impaired oxygen sensing and signaling are not understood. Cholinergic transmission is involved in oxygen signaling, and because general anesthetics such as propofol have affinity to neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, the authors hypothesized that propofol depresses carotid body chemosensitivity and cholinergic signaling.

Methods

An isolated rabbit carotid body preparation was used. Chemoreceptor activity was recorded from the whole carotid sinus nerve. The effect of propofol on carotid body chemosensitivity was tested at three different degrees of PO2 reduction. Nicotine-induced chemoreceptor response was evaluated using bolus doses of nicotine given before and after propofol 10-500 microM. The contribution of the gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor complex was tested by addition of gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor antagonists.

Results

Propofol reduced carotid body chemosensitivity; the magnitude of depression was dependent on the reduction in PO2. Furthermore, propofol caused a concentration-dependent (10-500 microM) depression of nicotine-induced chemoreceptor response, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (propofol) of 40 microM. Bicuculline in combination with propofol did not have any additional effect, whereas addition of picrotoxin gave a slightly more pronounced inhibition.

Conclusions

It is concluded that propofol impairs carotid body chemosensitivity, the magnitude of depression being dependent on the severity of PO2 reduction, and that propofol causes a concentration-dependent block of cholinergic chemotransduction via the carotid sinus nerve, whereas it seems unlikely that an activation of the gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor complex is involved in this interaction.
Rapacuronium Preferentially Antagonizes the Function of M2 versus M3 Muscarinic Receptors in Guinea Pig Airway Smooth Muscle
Authors: Jooste Edmund , Zhang Yi , Emala Charles W.
Published: December 2004

Background

Rapacuronium, a nondepolarizing muscle relaxant that was proposed as a replacement for succinylcholine for rapid intubation, was withdrawn from clinical use as a result of fatal bronchospasm, but the mechanism of this effect is not known. Preferential antagonism of presynaptic M2 muscarinic receptors versus postsynpatic M3 muscarinic receptors can facilitate bronchoconstriction. The authors questioned whether rapacuronium preferentially antagonized M2 versus M3 muscarinic receptors in intact airway.

Methods

Guinea pig tracheal rings were suspended in organ baths and muscle relaxants' antagonism of prejunctional M2 muscarinic autoreceptors was evaluated by augmentation of muscle contraction elicited by electrical field stimulation. Muscle relaxants' antagonism of postjunctional M3 muscarinic receptors was assessed by attenuation of muscle contraction elicited by acetylcholine.

Results

Rapacuronium displayed a 50-fold higher affinity for antagonism of the M2 versus M3 muscarinic receptor. Moreover, its affinity for the M2 but not the M3 receptor was within concentrations achieved clinically. In addition, rapacuronium caused an increase in baseline tone of airway smooth muscle that was antagonized by atropine but not by previous depletion of nonadrenergic noncholinergic neurotransmitters or by inhibitors of histamine receptors, tachykinin receptors, leukotriene receptors, or calcium channels.

Conclusion

These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that rapacuronium may precipitate bronchoconstriction by selective antagonism of the M2 muscarinic receptor on parasympathetic nerves, enhancing acetylcholine release to act upon unopposed M3 muscarinic receptors on airway muscle. An additional mechanism of rapacuronium-induced bronchoconstriction is suggested by increases in baseline muscle tension.
On wave propagation in an inhomogeneous non–stationary medium with an inhomogeneous non-stationary flow
Authors: Gorman Arthur D.
Published: December 2004

An approximate wave equation that models scalar wave propagation in a moving
fluid whose ambient properties and flow are inhomogeneous both in space and time
is considered. Asymptotic solutions for both non–caustic and caustic regions and
some Hamiltonian properties of the equation in both non–caustic and caustic regions
are developed.
The Influence of Industrial and Spatial Structure onCanada‐U.S. Regional Trade
Authors: Brown W. Mark , Anderson William P.
Published: December 2004

Data on trade flows between states and provinces in the year 1992 are analyzed in order to explore the regional structure of Canada–U.S.trade. An index of integration based on the these data shows significant variation in levels of interdependence across pairs of regions on opposite sides of the border. Most of this variation appears to stem from patterns of intermediate goods trade. Further analysis is conducted to distinguish between pairs of regions with similar industrial structures which are highly integrated due to intra‐industry trade and pairs with complementary industrial structures that are highly integrated due to inter‐industry trade. The friction of distance appears to play a major role in distinguishing between these two types of relationships. Specifically, trade can be quite strong between regions with similar industrial structures, but this trade tends to be limited to regions in close geographic proximity. As the distance between regions increases, trade based on different but complementary industrial structures becomes increasingly dominant.
High Tech in the Deep South: Biomedical Firm Clusters inMetropolitan Atlanta
Authors: Walcott Susan M.
Published: December 2004

The relation between biomedical firms and their metropolitan region location in Atlanta, Georgia is examined as an empirical test of both innovative milieu agglomeration theory and place specific strategies for life science companies in the Deep South. This sectoral analysis utilizes questionnaires and targeted interviews to highlight the economic development role of real estate in suburban employment and residence sites (SEARS) and the intra‐metropolitan directional migration of firms. Clustering of related industries is fostered by a shortage of appropriately configured laboratory and office space at the intermediate stage of the business growth cycle, encouraging information sharing and cooperative behavior via proximity by necessity. Lack of a key networking individual or mediating organization critically retards development of this potential growth engine.
Innovation Prone and Innovation Averse Societies: Economic Performance in Europe
Authors: Rodríguez‐Pose Andrěs
Published: December 2004

Although it is commonly accepted that investing in technology and research and development (R&D) is a basic catalyst for the genesis of economic activity, there is less consensus on the spatial significance and returns of the R&D effort for regional and local economies. It is often argued that innovation resulting from allocating local resources to R&D is likely to spill over to other areas, especially in the framework of open national economies. Hence, the incentive to free‐ride increases at the subnational level. This paper shows, however, that in the Western European regional context, regions with higher resources devoted to R&D tend to grow at a greater pace than the remaining spaces. Nevertheless, the passage from R&D to innovation and growth is not achieved in a similar way across Europe. Local social conditions play an important role in the formation of what can be defined as ‘innovation prone’ and ‘innovation averse’ societies. Innovation prone regions are those featured by a weak social filter, which facilitates the transformation of innovation into growth. Conversely, regions burdened by rigid labor markets, shortage of skills, outward migration of able individuals, and an aging of the workforce are less prone to assimilate innovation and to transform it into economic activity. They make up the innovation averse societies in Europe.
Investment in Infrastructure as Determinant of Metropolitan Productivity
Authors: Lobo Josě , Rantisi Norma M.
Published: December 2004

Utilizing newly assembled data on per capita metropolitan investments from the Census of Governments ‐ Finance Statistics, this paper assesses the effects of local (i.e., non‐state and non‐federal) government investments in public capital on metropolitan factor productivity. Differences in productivity across metropolitan areas are modeled as a Hicks‐neutral production function shifter, and the analysis covers 261 metropolitan areas of the United States for the period 1977 to 1992. These findings indicate that there is no significant relationship between levels of public capital investments and the levels of metropolitan productivity for the periods 1977, 1982, 1987, and 1992; however, a positive and significant relationship is found between the growth rate of local government investments in public capital and the growth rate of metropolitan productivity for the fifteen‐year period.
A Review of the Policy and Management Instruments Project for Municipalities in the Netherlands
Authors: Van Helden G. Jan
Published: December 2004

A nationwide project has made many Dutch municipalities familiar with the application of various business‐like concepts, such as output budgeting and responsibility accounting. After a description of the contents and implementation process of this project, the paper presents a critical review of its underlying principles. The presumed division of roles between politicians and managers is criticized. Moreover, it will be argued that the output‐oriented planning and control framework should be replaced by a plural approach which takes into account differences in municipal activities and in their scale. The paper ends with a comparison between the Dutch project and current international trends in managerialism in the public sector.
Courts, crime and litigation in the Isle of Man, 1580–1700
Authors: Dickinson J. R. , Sharpe J. A.
Published: December 2004

This article consists of a survey of the court system and legal records of the Isle of Man in the early modern period. It breaks new ground in studying the massive archives of a unique legal system. The archives reveal both qualitative details of how the Manx legal system functioned and quantitative details of patterns of litigation. Levels of litigation were high, but were far lower in the late seventeenth than in the late sixteenth century. Investigation of these courts is at a very early stage, but they will clearly form the basis for an innovative case study in early modern litigation.
Art, death and taxes: the taxation of works of art in Britain, 1796–1914
Authors: Mandler Peter
Published: December 2004

Based primarily on an extensive survey of death duty papers in the Public Record Office, this article shows how works of art were taxed - or not - over the course of the long nineteenth century. It sheds light on the theory and practice of capital taxation, and the special treatment accorded works of art, especially when attached to landed estates. It also shows how towards the end of the period government negotiated the countervailing pressures both to professionalize the valuation and assessment of works of art and to protect the ‘national heritage’ in art from sale and export.
British Trade Unions and Economic and Monetary Union
Authors: Whyman Philip
Published: December 2004

British labor movement attitudes toward European integration and,most recently, toward participation in economic and monetary union (EMU) have evolved from hostility to firm support. This article analyzes the contradictions in the trade union desire for a European social model (ESM) within a neoliberal EMU framework and indicates the need for a modification of the current trade union strategy.
Renewed Interest in Work‐sharing? Assessing Recent Developments in Germany
Authors: Blyton Paul , Trinczek Rainer
Published: December 2004

In the 1990s, attention has again been directed at prospects for work‐sharing in response to threatened job losses. Various work‐sharing agreements have been signed, especially in Germany, and most notably at Volkswagen. The Volkswagen agreements are considered, together with worker reactions and the prospects for the wider adoption of work‐sharing.
Characteristics of workplaces with financial participation: evidence from the Workplace Industrial Relations Survey
Authors: Pendleton Andrew
Published: December 2004

This article assesses the theory and evidence for the adoption and use of financial participation. It reports finding of a comparison of the characteristics of workplaces with profit sharing, employee share schemes and those with no schemes at all, using data from WIRS3
Does economic transformation undermine union collectivism? The case of East German textile workers
Authors: Frege Carola M.
Published: December 2004

There is a widespread hypothesis that union members in East Germany are strongly individualistic, passive and instrumental with regard to their collective interest representation. This article examines the extent to which East German union members can be thus characterised and reveals that people were difficult to classify as pure ‘individualists’ or pure ‘collectivists’.
Conceptualising Union Responses to Contracting Out Municipal Services, 1979–97
Authors: Foster Deborah , Scott Peter
Published: December 2004

Competitive tendering between 1979–97 has forced municipal trade unions to reconsider their roles, organisation, and the constituencies they address. Union responses to these dilemmas are categorised into three central themes. Results contribute to refining debates both on intra‐union relations and models of union development.
Industrial relations in Civil Service agencies: transition or transformation?
Authors: Corby Susan
Published: December 2004

Change in four Civil Service agencies is examined here, from their launch in 1988 to the general election in 1997. The extent of that change, judged on five indicators, is found to vary. In three agencies there was transformation but in one agency, where industrial relations remained con‐sensual, there was not.
Employment equality programmes in South Africa: current trends
Authors: Bowmaker‐Falconer Angus , Horwitz Frank M. , Jain Harish , Taggar Simon
Published: December 2004

Using data from a longitudinal survey the authors critically evaluate how equal opportunity programmes in South Africa have led to changes in internal labour markets of medium and large organisations. The article identifies factors associated with superior performance in this area, examines proposed legislation, and makes recommendations for public policy regarding regulation of employment equity.
Transforming union women: the role of women trade union officials in union renewal
Authors: Kirton Gill , Healy Geraldine
Published: December 2004

The article investigates the nature of the increasing involvement of women in the decision‐making structures of the fifth largest UK union through a study of senior women union officials. It is argued that senior union women, operating within a feminist paradigm, balance both transformational and status quo objectives in working towards union survival and renewal.
Why statutory union recognition is bad labour policy:the North American experience
Authors: Adams Roy J
Published: December 2004

The proposed British legislation is modelled on that of the United States which has been a clear failure in its stated goal of encouraging the practice and procedure of collective bargaining (Adams, 1993). It has instead perpetuated a culture of labour‐management animosity that many other nations have 113been able, to their benefit, to overcome (Adams, 1995c).
‘An assembly line in the head’: work and employee relations in the call centre
Authors: Taylor Phil , Bain Peter
Published: December 2004

To date, academic studies of the call centre ‘sector’ remain limited in scope. Here the authors attempt to remedy that omission by analysing the recent and spectacular growth of call centres in the UK, drawing on a wide variety of sources, including two extensive surveys of developments in Scotland during 1997.
Safety representatives and committees in the NHS: a healthy situation?
Authors: James Phil , Kyprianou Anna
Published: December 2004

This article uses a survey of RCN safety representatives to examine the operation of the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977. The survey’s findings indicate that while NHS employers have become more supportive of such representatives, many are still failing to comply with their statutory obligations.
The management strategies of public service employers in Europe
Authors: Bach Stephen , Della Rocca Giuseppe
Published: December 2004

This article examines the reform of public services management in Europe drawing on material from Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. It considers the limitations of interpreting changing public service employment relations in terms of a convergence towards the new public management and outlines an alternative interpretation of these reforms.
Prospects for union growth in the UK voluntary sector: the impact of the Employment Relations Act 1999
Authors: Cunningham Ian
Published: December 2004

The article argues that despite the imminent introduction of the Employment Relations Act 1999, unions face a difficult environment in which to achieve recognition deals in the voluntary sector. However, it also highlights how some large charities are re‐evaluating their position on employee representation in response to government legislation and that unions can use these developments to encourage further growth.
Union militancy and left‐wing leadership on London Underground
Authors: Darlington Ralph
Published: December 2004

The article provides evidence from case study research into trade union organisation and activity on the London Under‐ground during the 1990s. It explores the extent to which left‐wing political leadership influenced the collectivisation and mobilisation of workers in an adversarial direction, and whether or not this militant trade unionism was self‐defeating compared with a more moderate approach.
Accounting for the trend in trade union recognition in Ireland
Authors: Roche William K.
Published: December 2004

Considerable controversy surrounds the issue of union recognition in Irish industrial relations. Academic commentators have sought to identify and explain the trend in recognition since the 1980s. Their arguments are examined and tested. No secular rise in non‐recognition is evident, and ‘individualisation’ and ‘union substitution’ are shown to add little to explaining the trend. No evidence is found that the trend reflects Irish employers pursuing union suppression and US‐employers pursuing union substitution. The significant development is a sharp rise in non‐recognition among new US employers. Their anti‐union animus does not, however, appear to be coupled with any distinctive or generalised union avoidance strategy.
The Limits of Statutory Trade Union Recognition
Authors: Brown William , Deakin Simon , Hudson Maria , Pratten Cliff
Published: December 2004

The paper assesses the prospects for Britain's new statutory trade union recognition procedure in the light of empirical evidence concerning union derecognition practice in the 1990s. It draws on 15 cases of union derecognition across a broad spread of employment, matched with comparable cases where recognition was retained. Inter alia it was found that a move towards more cooperative workplace arrangements, associated with a ‘partnership’ model of industrial relations, was common to employers in both categories. Against this background, we argue that it is far from clear that the current legislative strategy, in focusing on statutory recognition, is the best way of promoting partnership at work.
Pragmatism and Compliance: Employer Responses to the Working Time Regulations
Authors: Goss David , Adam‐Smith Derek
Published: December 2004

Analysis of Working Time Regulations data reveals three patterns of response that help to explain the lack of employers' post‐implementation protest: coincidence with current practice; easy ‘escape’ options; and non‐compliance. Whether this represents a failure of health and safety legislation or a pragmatic response to labour market conditions is discussed.
Changing Pay Systems, Occupational Concentration and the Gender Pay Gap: Evidence from Australia and the UK
Authors: Grimshaw Damian , Whitehouse Gillian , Zetlin Di
Published: December 2004

While aggregate level pay equity comparisons between Australia and the UK confirm expectations based on their different wage distributions and regulatory systems, observation of trends and occupational level analysis reveal additional complexity. Our analysis suggests the need for a multi‐faceted approach to closing the average gender pay gap.
Reframing employment relations: the case for neo‐pluralism
Authors: Ackers Peter
Published: December 2004

Industrial Relations can no longer stumble along, gathering empirical data, without reframing its underlying theoretical assumptions. The ‘new problem of order’ focuses on links between employment and society. Recent social science and public policy concepts develop the Durkheimian assumptions of IR Pluralism. Neo‐pluralism offers a more credible IR paradigm than Kelly’s Marxism.
Partnership versus organising: alternative futures for British trade unionism
Authors: Heery Edmund
Published: December 2004

This paper describes, analyses and offers an evaluation of two current proposals for the revival of British trade unions. These are the pursuit of partnership with employers and the attempt to recreate membership and collective organisation by application of the ‘organising model’. The paper draws on a comprehensive review of debate and research on each proposal as it has unfolded in recent years and concludes by considering whether or not these seeming alternatives can form part of a concerted attempt to revive the fortunes of the British labour movement.
Partnership and multi‐unionism in the Health Service
Authors: Heaton Norma , Mason Bob , Morgan Joe
Published: December 2004

This paper explores the development and implementation of ‘workplace social partnerships’ in two NHS Trusts. Empirically, we argue that inter‐ and intra‐union relations can both facilitate and constrain management decision making and the implementation of policy; conceptually, we highlight the inconsistencies in the parties’ perspectives on ‘workplace partnership’.
Worker representation in health and safety: options for regulatory reform
Authors: James Phil , Walters David
Published: December 2004

Worker representation in health and safety in Britain has received statutory support since the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977. Subsequent developments have, however, acted to undermine the effectiveness of these regulations. The paper consequently discusses a range of reforms that could be introduced to strengthen the present regulatory regime.
Consultants, lawyers, and the ‘union free’ movement in the USA since the 1970s
Authors: Logan John
Published: December 2004

This paper provides a qualitative analysis of the services that the anti–union consultants and law firms have provided to American employers during the past three decades and an account of the campaign tactics of several ‘superstars’ of the union–free movement. It describes a multi–million dollar industry that has helped employers to circumvent the intent of federal labour law through a vast array of union–busting tactics, implemented before the union arrives and continuing until after it is defeated: tactics that are designed, at every juncture, to undermine employees’ free choice of bargaining representatives.
Employer opposition and union avoidance in the UK
Authors: Dundon Tony
Published: December 2004

This paper presents empirical evidence about the shape and pattern of non–union employer strategies to remain union free. The data are collected from seven case studies across different industrial sectors and organisational sizes in Britain. Following a brief critique of typologies of union avoidance, the evidence suggests the ‘configuration’ of anti–union approaches involves an uneven and at times contradictory interaction of context–specific variables. Three mutually inclusive factors that influence employer behaviour are identified: structural, ideological and cultural dimensions. It is argued that these represent a deeper understanding of employer hostility towards unions than existing employment relationship classifications. The utility of non–union typologies and the prospects for union mobilisation are considered in the light of these findings.
Emotional Intelligence in the Collection of Debt
Authors: Bachman John , Stein Steven , Campbell K. , Sitarenios Gill
Published: December 2004

Two studies are reported which compare more and less successful account officers (debt collectors) in terms of their emotional intelligence, measured using the BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory. The findings support the view that higher levels of emotional intelligence lead to enhanced job performance. Implications for selection are considered in the conclusion.
Assessing Leadership: A View from the Dark Side
Authors: Hogan Robert , Hogan Joyce
Published: December 2004

This article concerns leadership effectiveness studied from the reverse angle. We review the literature on managerial derailment and propose a taxonomy of derailment factors. We then describe an inventory designed to assess these factors, provide some evidence regarding the psychometric features of the inventory, and some evidence regarding its validity. We suggest that the base rate for managerial incompetence in any organization is quite high, and we propose our inventory is a useful device for management development – because it focuses on dysfunctional dispositions known to be associated with failure as a manager.