bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recurrent ovarian cyst and mutation of the Gsα gene in ovarian cyst fluid cells: what is the link with McCune‐Albright syndrome?*
Authors: Pienkowski C , Lumbroso S , Bieth E , Sultan C , Rochiccioli P , Tauber M
Published: January 2008

Isolated peripheral precocious puberty due to recurrent ovarian cysts evokes a McCune‐Albright syndrome (MAS). This syndrome associates endocrine dysfunction such as precocious puberty, polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, and ‘’café‐au‐lait“ skin lesions. We report the case of a 3‐y‐old girl who presented with peripheral puberty with extremely elevated oestradiol level, low LH and FSH levels, and an ovarian cyst that quickly resolved. Skeletal X‐rays were normal and she had no café‐au‐lait spots. GnRH analogue treatment was ineffective. A second ovarian cyst appeared and was completely drained under ultrasonographic guidance. Molecular biological analysis performed on fluid cells revealed the Arg201→His mutation of the Gsa gene described in MAS. Percutaneous aspiration of simple ovarian cyst to detect‘’MAS” mutation is of interest in the diagnosis of recurrent ovarian cyst.
A spatially explicit model of leaf litter fall in hemlock–hardwood forests
Authors: Ferrari James B. , Sugita Shinya
Published: January 2008

A spatially explicit model of leaf litter fall was developed for hemlock–hardwood forests using litter-trap data from mapped forest plots and from isolated trees. The model assumes that litter declines exponentially with distance, as shown by the litter traps from isolated trees, and that a variable allometric equation describes the relationship of DBH to foliage biomass. Model parameters were estimated by a maximum likelihood method using field data from one mapped plot and then tested on a second plot. Predicted leaf fall of sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.), yellow birch (Betulaalleghaniensis Britton), basswood (Tiliaamericana L.), and eastern hemlock (Tsugacanadensis (L.) Carrière) was consistent with the leaf fall measured in 20 traps (r = 0.86, 0.77, 0.95, 0.92, respectively). Data from 100 paired litter traps show the similarity of litter fall at sites 2.7 m apart; trap contents in two successive autumns were also comparable. The model results show that hemlock has the narrowest leaf-fall shadow, while basswood has the broadest. The average radius within which 90% of the leaf litter fall to a trap originates is 17.1 m. A litter fall model can be used to predict nutrient inputs to the forest floor based on a stem map, and strengthens links between population and ecosystem ecology.
Modelling crown shape of Piceaabies: spacing effects
Authors: Deleuze Christine , Hervé Jean-Christophe , Colin Francis , Ribeyrolles Luc
Published: January 2008

A model of branch length increment and inclination was developed for Piceaabies (L.) Karst. to describe the dynamics of crown shape. Four trees belonging to the provenance Istebna, from Poland, were sampled in an experimental plot where density varied continuously from 200 to 10 000 stems/ha. Sampling along the density gradient enabled us to study the effect of spacing on tree morphology and development. The model of branch extension is based on height growth and on the year of elongation of the branch. A second model describes the change in branch inclination. Branch spread increased with between-tree spacing, whereas branch inclination was affected by crown contact; competition was then divided into two components: (i) direct mechanical contact and (ii) global resource depletion. The sample trees were young (26 years), so height growth was mainly linear and the effect of apical control could not be tested. This study provides a simple model of crown shape development that can be used in a more detailed process-based model. Simulations are presented based only on height growth. For wood quality purposes, the relationship between branch diameter and branch length is provided to give access to the knottiness of the stem. The limitations of the sample are discussed in view of a more general use of these models.
A new stochastic model for harvesting behavior with application to nonstationary forest growth and supply
Authors: Yoshimoto Atsushi
Published: January 2008

Stochastic modeling of harvesting behavior provides the structural insight to investigate when harvesting events will occur or how many such events will occur within a certain period of time. In this paper, a new stochastic model to predict harvesting behavior is proposed. This is derived from a generalization of Gentan probability theory, which was introduced in the early 1960s in Japan. Prediction of harvesting behavior is carried out by searching for felling probabilities of forest stands over different age-classes, where the tree diameter is assumed to be the only factor to affect a forest owners' harvesting decision. The proposed model is constructed to take a nonstationary growth function into account. Using a nonstationary growth function, the proposed stochastic model can become flexible enough to incorporate not only the tree diameter growth, but also forest stand volume growth and the present net worth growth to predict forest owners' harvesting behavior. Computational experiments show that incorporating a more realistic tree diameter growth process into the proposed stochastic model leads to lower felling probabilities and a longer harvesting time horizon.
Investigating parameters of growth equations
Authors: Shvets Vadim , Zeide Boris
Published: January 2008

Two differential forms of growth equations, called the power decline, or PD form, and the exponential decline, or ED form, generate classic growth equations (such as the logistic, Chapman–Richards, Korf) and many other integral forms. Having a full range of these integral solutions allows us to classify them, establish requirements to their parameters, and relate these parameters and initial values (starting age and tree size). Comparisons with data confirm theoretical results. Some applications of the results are discussed.
Patterns in vertical distribution of foliage in young coastal Douglas-fir
Authors: Maguire Douglas A. , Bennett William S.
Published: January 2008

Total amount and vertical distribution of foliage represent important aspects of forest stand structure and its influence on dry matter productivity, forest microclimate, watershed properties, and habitat structure. Variation in foliage distribution was analyzed on trees and plots in a series of even-aged Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stands scheduled for management under a wide range of silvicultural regimes. Branch-level foliage mass and foliage area equations were developed from a sample of 138 branches. These equations were applied to 27 trees on which the diameter and height of all live primary branches were measured, allowing estimation of both the total amount of foliage and its vertical distribution. A β-distribution was fitted to data describing the vertical distribution of foliage on each tree, and the resulting parameter estimates were modelled as functions of tree height, diameter at breast height, crown length, and relative height in the stand. Foliage area distribution tended to be shifted downward relative to foliage mass because of the expected increase in specific leaf area with depth into the crown. Similarly, the relative foliage distribution in terms of both mass and area was shifted downward as the tree became more dominant, or as relative height in the stand increased. In contrast, foliage on trees of similar relative height was shifted upward in response to the lower stand densities imposed by precommercial thinning. On the stand level, relative vertical distribution of foliage in the canopy was more peaked than would be implied by assuming a constant leaf area/sapwood area ratio throughout the composite tree crowns. Between-stand variation in vertical foliage distribution was dictated by differences in stand top height, height to crown base, and number of trees per hectare.
Overstory mortality and canopy disturbances in longleaf pine ecosystems
Authors: Palik Brian J. , Pederson Neil
Published: January 2008

We studied longleaf pine (Pinuspalustris Mill.) ecosystems to determine causes and rates of overstory mortality, size of canopy disturbances, and the effects of disturbance on canopy structure. Further, we used redundancy analysis to relate variation in characteristics of mortality across a landscape to site and stand variables. We analyzed mortality that occurred from 1990 to 1994 in 70 second-growth plots that spanned a range of site conditions and stand structures, and in five large disturbances that occurred outside the random sample of plots. Half of pine mortality over 5 years in the 70 plots was from unknown causes. Lightning was the primary identifiable cause of mortality, followed by suppression and wind. Lightning mortality was most frequent on xeric sites, while windthrow was common on wet–mesic sites. Suppression mortality was frequent on wet–mesic sites and in higher density stands. Five-year mortality rates averaged 2.3 trees/ha, or 1.9% of original density. Most mortality consisted of single trees. Large disturbances (mostly from lightning) of 15–30 trees were rare, occurring once per 1000 ha in 5 years. Variation in amount of mortality and size of disturbance were unrelated to soil or stand structural characteristics. Low mortality rates from small-scale disturbances result in slow canopy turnover. These results indicate that large openings sufficient for natural regeneration of longleaf pine develop slowly in the absence of hurricanes. Silvicultural options for longleaf pine can be designed to mimic the canopy structure that results from natural canopy disturbances, which leave many live trees standing. Such options may be desirable if a goal of silviculture is to increase structural complexity in stands managed for timber.
HIGH-QUALITY INTRINSIC ZnO FILM FOR THE APPLICATION OF SOLAR CELL GROWN BY ICP-ASSISTED REACTIVE DC MAGNETRON SPUTTERING AT LOW TEMPERATURE
Authors: XU X. B. , HUANG S. M. , CHEN Y. W. , SUN Z. , HUANG S. Y.
Published: January 2008

Intrinsic zinc oxide (i- ZnO ) film was prepared for CuInSe 2 (CIS) solar cell application [L. Stolt and J. Hedstrom, Appl. Phys. Lett.62 (1993) 8; D. Rudmann, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Basel, Basel, (2004)] on glass substrate by inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-assisted DC magnetron sputtering and under a quite low temperature of 50°C. The sputtering was done in an Ar and O 2 gas mixture and a ceramic ZnO target was used. The microstructures of the film were investigated by X-ray diffractometer and scanning electron microscope. It was shown that all of the films had a c-axis preferred orientation perpendicular to the substrate. In our work, film with resistivity of 7 × 108Ω· cm and transmittance of about 80% in the visible range was prepared under the conditions of 4 mTorr working pressure and 50°C temperature.
PREPARING Ni–W ALLOY FILMS WITH LOW INTERNAL STRESS AND HIGH HARDNESS BY HEAT TREATING
Authors: LIU RUI , WANG HONG , YAO JIN-YUAN , LI XUE-PING , DING GUI-FU
Published: January 2008

In this paper, the internal stress and hardness of Ni – W alloy films with W contents in the range of 0–59 wt% were investigated. The amorphous Ni – W alloy films were electrodeposited with 59 wt% W content and the structure of crystalline alloy films was formed after heat treating. The experimental results showed that heat treating could prepare Ni – W alloy films with lower internal stress compared with low W content alloy films, and the heat treated alloy films still have high hardness. The internal stress and the hardness were about 230 MPa and 1000 Hv, respectively, when the heat treating temperature was 550°C. The relation of internal stress and hardness with the structure of alloy films is discussed.
INVESTIGATION ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF PRECIPITATED CHEMICALS FROM TE BUFFER ON SOLID SUBSTRATES
Authors: WANG HUABIN , ZHANG LIJUAN , ZHANG FENG , AN HONGJIE , CHEN SHIMOU , LI HAI , WANG PENG , WANG XINYANG , WANG YANG , YANG HAIJUN
Published: January 2008

Buffer is often involved in the biological studies on a surface with the scanning probe microscopy and the remnant of the salts of buffer may affect the correct interpretation of the experimental results. However, the knowledge on the performance of chemicals of buffer on a substrate is still very poor. TE solution (Tris– HCl , NaCl , and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)) is a widely used buffer in stocking biological molecules. Herein, we report the performance of the precipitated chemicals from TE solution on two typical substrates with several commonly used sample preparation methods. The results showed that the chemicals in TE solution could self-organize into parallel nanofilaments on hydrophobic highly oriented pyrolitic graphite (HOPG) surface by blotting the shortly incubated solution droplet from the substrate or by drying the diluted solution droplet naturally. In contrast, no such special structures were observed on hydrophilic mica using the same methods. By imaging in TE solutions, no special structures were found on either the HOPG or the mica. Moreover, the effects of the concentration of chemicals of TE buffer on the morphology of precipitated chemicals were also investigated.
SYNTHESIS, AND SURFACE-ACTIVE PROPERTIES OF PALM FATTY ACID AND 1(2-HYDROXYETHYL PIPERAZINE)-BASED ESTERAMIDE QUAT
Authors: MISHRA SHILPI , TYAGI V. K.
Published: January 2008

In this study, an attempt has been made to synthesize esteramide quat by esterification of palm fatty acids with 1(2-hydroxyethyl piperazine) followed by quaternization with dimethyl sulphate (DMS). The optimum reaction conditions for esterification of palm fatty acids and 1(2-hydroxyethyl piperazine) were found to be 170°C reaction temperature and 150 mmHg pressure. The obtained esteramide was subjected to quaternization with different molar ratios of DMS. The consequences revealed that esteramide to DMS ratio of 1 : 0.95 and duration of quaternization for 2 h yielded esteramide quat of maximum cationic content, i.e., 64.9%. The instrumental analysis, viz. FT-IR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR verified the esterification and subsequent quaternization of the obtained esteramide quat. Furthermore, the surface-active and performance properties of synthesized esteramide quat were also evaluated.
EFFECT OF FILTER COIL CURRENT ON PROPERTIES OF nc-TiC/a-C:H NANOCOMPOSITE FILM PREPARED BY DUAL PLASMA TECHNIQUE
Authors: WANG YAOHUI , ZHANG XU , WU XIANYING , ZHANG HUIXING , ZHANG XIAOJI
Published: January 2008

Nanocomposite nc-TiC / a-C : H films, with an unusual combination of superhardness and high elastic recovery, are prepared by using dual plasma technique. The effect of the filter coil current on the compositional and structural properties of the nc-TiC / a-C : H films has been investigated. It is found that the deposition rate and the composition of nc-TiC / a-C : H films could be changed by varying the filter coil current. Fortunately, by selecting the proper value of the filter coil current, 2.5 A, one can remarkably enhance the mechanical properties of the film, such as the superhardness (66.4 GPa), the high elastic modulus (510 GPa), and the high elastic recovery (83.3%).
DENDRITIC GROWTH OF THE BINARY SUCCINONITRILE-CAMPHOR SYSTEM
Authors: ÇADIRLI E. , KAYA H.
Published: January 2008

Succinonitrile (SCN)–2 wt% Camphor (CAMP) alloy was unidirectionally solidified with a constant temperature gradient (G = 3.01 K/mm ) at different growth rates (V = 6.5–113 μ m/s ) and with a constant growth rate (V = 6.5 μ m/s ) at different temperature gradients (G = 1.93 - 3.01 K/mm ). Microstructural parameters (primary dendrite arm spacings, λ1, secondary dendrite arm spacings, λ2, dendrite tip radius, R, and mushy zone depth, d) were measured as a function of growth rate and temperature gradient. The experimental results have been compared with theoretical models and previous experimental works. The stability constant (σ) for this alloy system was calculated and compared with similar experimental results.
A SECRET GARDEN OF MICRO BUTTERFLIES: PHENOMENON AND MECHANISM
Authors: LIU N. , HUANG W. M. , PHEE S. J.
Published: January 2008

Butterfly-shaped features (with sizes from about 6 to 90 μm) were found on the surface of a shape-memory polymer (SMP) after a process of 50% stretching, slightly polishing, and then heating for shape recovery. We identified the underline mechanism, which is evidenced by the switching of butterflies by 90° from the previous direction after stretching. The case discussed here demonstrates the feasibility of using SMPs for patterning up to nanoscale for different shapes.
THE SATURATED (3 × 3)-H/Cu(111) SYSTEM: A STRUCTURAL STUDY USING MEDIUM-ENERGY ION SCATTERING AND HELIUM ATOM SCATTERING
Authors: SHUTTLEWORTH I. G.
Published: January 2008

The adsorption of atomic hydrogen on Cu (111) has been studied using the techniques of helium atom scattering (HAS) and medium-energy ion scattering (MEIS). Ion scattering investigations of the saturated (3 × 3)- H / Cu (111) system indicate that no reconstruction of the Cu substrate exists along the high symmetry directions of the surface. The HAS hydrogen cross-section for H / Cu (111) has been determined to be (12.5 ± 2.5 Å2). The symmetry of the HAS diffraction pattern shows that the (3 × 3)- H / Cu (111) system is formed of a single domain structure.
CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF CARBON STEEL WITH HMTA INHIBITOR IN PICKLING PROCESS
Authors: LIU D. , HUANG L. P.
Published: January 2008

In this investigation, attempts have been made to study the inhibitive effect of hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) on carbon steel in 10% HCl (mass%) by weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization, EIS, and AFM. Results indicate that inhibition efficiency (IE) of HMTA increases with the increase in pickling immersion time from 10 to 60 min, and IE also increases with the increase in temperature. At higher temperatures (80°C), the IE values are higher and almost independent of pickling time. HMTA can be adsorbed on the surface of metal and reduce the corrosion rate of metal. HMTA is a kind of mixed inhibitor and can retard both the anodic dissolution and cathodic hydrogen evolution reactions independently. IE increases with the concentration of HMTA. Electrochemistry measurement shows that adsorption follows the Langmuir isotherm and the value of free energies of adsorption (ΔG ads ) is < 0, so the adsorption process can occur automatically. AFM analyses show HMTA can affect the surface roughness and protect metal.
CHEMICAL BONDS AND ELECTRONIC STRUCTURES OF THE METHONIUM CATIONS ${\rm CH}_{6}^{2+}$ AND ${\rm CH}_{7}^{3+}$
Authors: LI HAI BEI , TIAN SHAN XI
Published: January 2008

Six isomers with C2v, D3h, C5v, D2d, Oh, and C4vsymmetries of [Formula: see text] and two isomers with C3vand C2vsymmetries of [Formula: see text] are investigated at the high ab initio level combined with the natural bond orbital and the atoms-in-molecules theorems. The hyperconjugative interaction and the electron topological analyses indicate that the multiple three-center two-electron (3c-2e) hyperbond is the common chemical-bonding basis for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] species. In contrast to the planar 3c-2e (triangle structure) and planar four-center four-electron (4c-4e) hyperbonds in [Formula: see text] isomeric species, the 3c-2e hyperbond in [Formula: see text] (C4v) is linear while the 4c-4e hyperbonds in [Formula: see text] (C5v, D2d, Oh) are unplanar. [Formula: see text] (C2v) and [Formula: see text] (C3v) as the global minima have many resonance structures predicted by the natural bond resonance theory, indicating the high possibility of the hydrogen scrambling which is similar to the scenario of [Formula: see text].
Towards Delivery and Dignity
Authors: Bryant Jacob
Published: January 2008

This article explores the rise of one of South Africa's largest and most sustained post-apartheid social movements, Abahlali baseMjondolo, Zulu for `the people who live in the shacks'. The Abahlali movement began with protests from Durban's Kennedy Road settlement against their local councillor, and has since grown into a densely networked, formal social movement. This article traces through an ethnographic account the decision to first protest at Kennedy Road and the process by which this protest spawned a larger movement.
Slum Upgrading in Nairobi within the Housing and Basic Services Market
Authors: Huchzermeyer Marie
Published: January 2008

This article addresses the high level of commercialization of shelter and basic services in Nairobi, and its implication for slum upgrading in Kenya. The article is based on a review of published and grey literature, and on qualitative interviews with slum residents as well as with landlords, tenants and stakeholders in Nairobi's multi-storey tenements. The Kenyan government's conceptualization of slum upgrading inserts benefits into a highly distorted market, preventing a balanced realization of the internationally recognized elements of the right to housing, and raising fears of displacement among slum residents. An analysis of the wider tenement market confirms these fears, and suggests that market distortions must be addressed in order for slum upgrading to succeed.
The Greatest Threat to Future Stability in Our Country Is the Greatest Strength of the Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement (SA) (Shackdwellers)1
Authors: Zikode S'bu
Published: January 2008

In these two talks a theory of a politics of the poor is elaborated. It is noted that the poor have effectively been excluded from substantive citizenship in post-apartheid South Africa resulting in a permanent crisis in the ordinary lives of the poor. It is argued that there are many responses to this crisis, some of which are dangerous and some of which hold out some hope. A politics of the poor is put forward as the concretization of the latter. It is stressed that a politics of the poor should be a non-representative politics. Both electoral party politics and NGO substitutionism are rejected in favour of the development of popular democratic counter-power where people live and work. Genuine solidarity, it is argued, should be negotiated on this terrain rather than simply declared from above on the NGO terrain. It is made clear that this is predicated on a recognition of the intellectual work done in poor communities.
Enduring Internal Rivalries: A New Framework for the Study of Civil War
Authors: Derouen Karl R. , Bercovitch Jacob
Published: January 2008

The enduring rivalry (ER) framework was developed for studying the long-term dynamics of serious conflicts between pairs of states. Here, the logic and structure of that framework is applied to civil wars. Many civil wars are very long and recur often. A new way of thinking of about these long and seemingly interminable internal conflicts emphasizes a dyadic perspective and enduring internal rivalry (EIR). Within this framework, the article demonstrates empirically that EIRs are different from other wars. This study offers a definition and an initial dataset of EIRs. Working from the Uppsala Conflict Termination Dataset, we find that about 76% of all civil war years from 1946 to 2004 took place in the context of EIRs. Several statistical models are tested to demonstrate the empirical validity of the EIR construct, while controlling for state capacity, democracy, type of termination, military coups, war intensity, and duration of war. The logit results provide evidence that civil wars involving EIRs are more likely to recur, and the hazard analysis results reveal that EIRs are followed by shorter peace spells. The early phases of EIRs are followed by relatively shorter peace spells, thus indicating a `locking in' period that scholars have identified in international rivalries. Military victories lead to longer peace, but few EIRs are terminated with military outcomes. The hazard models employed here employ repeat-event techniques, since many civil wars exhibit patterns of recurrence. Implications of these results for conflict management are offered.
Peace and Development: Towards a New Synthesis
Authors: Barnett Jon
Published: January 2008

This article develops a theory of peace as freedom that explains some important relationships between peace and development. It does this by critically examining and then synthesizing Johan Galtung's theory of peace as the absence of violence and Amartya Sen's theory of development as freedom. Galtung's theory of peace is clear on the meaning and causes of direct violence, but vague on the details of structural violence. Sen's theory helps overcome many of the problems associated with structural violence, although its focus on agents and the state tends to downplay the importance of larger-scale political and economic processes. In the theory of peace as freedom, peace is defined as, and in praxis is enlarged through, the equitable distribution of economic opportunities, political freedoms, social opportunities, transparency guarantees, protective security and freedom from direct violence. The institutions required for peace as freedom are considered, and it is suggested that the pluralist state is the best model for providing and maintaining peace as freedom. Some implications of this theory for existing and future analyses of the causes of violent conflict are discussed.
Ambiguity in Transboundary Environmental Dispute Resolution: The Israeli—Jordanian Water Agreement*
Authors: Fischhendler Itay
Published: January 2008

Cooperation over transboundary environmental resources, water in particular, has been analyzed from various perspectives. Each study identifies the problems of cooperation differently and suggests different mechanisms to enhance it. Yet, the role of ambiguity, particularly significant in treaty design to resolve environmental disputes, has thus far been overlooked. Such a focus is warranted, since many international agreements regulating the use of natural resources are ambiguous in their schedule of resource delivery during crisis events or in their cost-sharing arrangements and may even include contradictory resource-allocation principles while remaining vague on how to settle the contradictions. This study aims to examine why, when, and how ambiguity is applied in agreements pertaining to natural resources, and water in particular. The Israeli—Jordanian peace agreement, which includes an annex on water-use regulation, is used as a case study. It was found that, under asymmetric power relations, when both sovereignty costs and uncertainty are high, several types of deliberate ambiguity were intentionally incorporated into the treaty. Some ambiguities allowed each side to present the treaty differently at home, thereby defusing domestic opposition, while others provided leeway to adjust the resource allocation during a future crisis without the need to renegotiate the treaty.
The Discovery of Islands and the Stories of Settlement
Authors: Tau Te Maire
Published: January 2008

This article is a response to a paper presented to the New Zealand Historical Association in 1991 by J. G. A. Pocock, who suggests that Pakeha (European) settlers are now becoming tangata whenua (people of the land) in the same way that Maori did. The principal idea examined is what an `indigenous' identity means once historical claims have been settled by Maori against the Crown, and whether there is any merit in the term `indigenous'. The article then examines the logic behind the idea of `original occupation' and the assumed rights associated with this concept.
Unsettling Recolonization: Labourism, Keynesianism and Australasia From the 1890s to tHe 1950S
Authors: McAloon Jim
Published: January 2008

This paper addresses the now entrenched historiography of the Australian Settlement and New Zealand variations thereof. Against the central premise of this historiography, that a particular regime of domestic insulation and external orientation to the British market constrained development and persisted unchanged until the neo-liberal restructuring of the 1980s, it is argued here that the political economy of the beginning of the 20th century was profoundly destabilized by the Depression. As a result, a new, Keynesian regime was established in New Zealand from the late 1930s and in Australia a few years later. The entrenchment of this regime depended upon adoption by remade conservative parties by the end of the 1940s.
Empowerment/Sexism: Figuring Female Sexual Agency in Contemporary Advertising
Authors: Gill Rosalind
Published: January 2008

This article argues that there has been a significant shift in advertising representations of women in recent years, such that rather than being presented as passive objects of the male gaze, young women in adverts are now frequently depicted as active, independent and sexually powerful. This analysis examines contemporary constructions of female sexual agency in advertisements examining three recognizable `figures': the young, heterosexually desiring `midriff', the vengeful woman set on punishing her partner or ex-partner for his transgressions, and the `hot lesbian', almost always entwined with her beautiful Other or double. Using recent examples of adverts, the article asks how this apparent `agency' and `empowerment' should be understood.

Drawing on accounts of the incorporation or recuperation of feminist ideas in advertising, the article takes a critical approach to these representations, examining their exclusions, their constructions of gender relations and heteronormativity, and the way power is figured within them. A feminist poststructuralist approach is used to interrogate the way in which `sexual agency' becomes a form of regulation in these adverts that requires the re-moulding of feminine subjectivity to fit the current postfeminist, neoliberal moment in which young women should not only be beautiful but sexy, sexually knowledgeable/practised and always `up for it'.

The article makes an original contribution to debates about representations of gender in advertising, to poststructuralist analyses about the contemporary operation of power, and to writing about female `sexual agency' by suggesting that `voice' or `agency' may not be the solution to the `missing discourse of female desire' but may in fact be a technology of discipline and regulation.
Tracing a Matrix of Gender: An Analysis of the Feminine in Hospital-Based Treatment for Eating Disorders
Authors: Malson Helen , Ryan Victoria
Published: January 2008

Numerous studies have elucidated how a multiplicity of contemporary western cultural ideas and values that constitute `normal' femininity are enmeshed in and central to the discursive production and regulation of girls' and women's `eating disordered' subjectivities, bodies and body management practices. In this article, we seek to build on that work by exploring how discursive constructions of `the feminine' are articulated in nurses' accounts of nursing in-patients diagnosed with `eating disorders'. We have used a feminist post-structuralist, discourse analytic, interview-based methodology to explore how gender and gender power-relations are articulated not only in constructions of `eating disorders' and of those diagnosed as `eating disordered', but also in constructions of nurses and their relationships with (and to) patients. Our analysis illustrates how `the feminine' persistently appears and reappears as a multiplicity of binarized gendered subject positions that constitute, delimit and regulate `pathology', patients and nurses, suturing nurses and patients into a matrix of dichotomously structured femininities and a complex circulation of gender power-relations.
Evolution of Signaling in a Multi-Robot System: Categorization and Communication
Authors: Ampatzis Christos , Tuci Elio , Trianni Vito , Dorigo Marco
Published: January 2008

Communication is of central importance in collective robotics, as it is integral to the switch from solitary to social behavior. In this article, we study emergent communication behaviors that are not predetermined by the experimenter, but are shaped by artificial evolution, together with the rest of the behavioral repertoire of the robots. In particular, we describe a set of experiments in which artificial evolution is used as a means to engineer robot neuro-controllers capable of guiding groups of robots in a categorization task by producing appropriate actions. The categorization is a result of how robots' sensory inputs unfold in time, and, more specifically, of the integration over time of sensory input. In spite of the absence of explicit selective pressure (coded into the fitness function), which would favor signaling over non-signaling groups, communicative behavior emerges. Post-evaluation analyses illustrate the adaptive function of the evolved signals and show that these signals are tightly linked to the behavioral repertoire of the agents. Signals evolve because communication enhances group performance, revealing a “hidden” benefit for social behavior. This benefit is related to obtaining robust and fast decision-making mechanisms. More generally, we show how processes requiring the categorization of noisy dynamical information might be improved by social interactions mediated by communication. In a further series of experiments, we successfully download evolved controllers onto real s-bots. We discuss the challenges involved in porting neuro-controllers displaying time-based decision-making processes onto real robots. Finally, the beneficial effect of communication is shown to transfer to the case of a real robot, and the robustness of the behavior against inter-robot differences is discussed.
Being There
Authors: Freadman Anne
Published: January 2008

This article studies three pieces from Colette's early journalism which describe events or behaviours of popular culture. Her focus is on `being in the crowd'. The events are identified as genres, and the study draws on genre theory to consider the issue of what it is to take up or participate in conventional forms. From there, it raises two further questions: the nature of cultural knowledge, and what it is to observe, then to describe, what is going on for the participants.
Crowdsourcing as a Model for Problem Solving
Authors: Brabham Daren C.
Published: January 2008

Crowdsourcing is an online, distributed problem-solving and production model that has emerged in recent years. Notable examples of the model include Threadless, iStockphoto, InnoCentive, the Goldcorp Challenge, and user-generated advertising contests. This article provides an introduction to crowdsourcing, both its theoretical grounding and exemplar cases, taking care to distinguish crowdsourcing from open source production. This article also explores the possibilities for the model, its potential to exploit a crowd of innovators, and its potential for use beyond forprofit sectors. Finally, this article proposes an agenda for research into crowdsourcing.
Being Real in the Mobile Reel
Authors: Hjorth Larissa
Published: January 2008

Convergence has become part of burgeoning mobile media. Whether we like it or not the mobile phone has become a vehicle for multimedia par excellence. Epitomising contemporary convergence by way of its smorgasbord of applications and multimedia possibilities, it seems almost impossible to get such a device just for voice calling without all the `extras'. But is mobile media a new emerging art form? Is it new media? Or is it a domestic technology? And in an age of convergent media can we distinguish the different media histories? As a symbol of convergent global media, mobile phone practices are also marked by divergence. This divergence is particularly the case in terms of the increasingly tenacious role of the local in informing and adapting the global. The history of the mobile phone as a communication device inflects the localized practices of mobile multimedia, fusing communication with new media discourses. This article will discuss the rise of mobile communication studies and the role of locality, then turn to one of the centres for mobile innovation, Seoul, to discuss the role of mobile media as a domestic new media.
Depleted uranium, state crime and the politics of knowing
Authors: White Rob
Published: January 2008

This article explores the use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions and armour in war, and its impact on environments, humans and other animals. Specifically, the concern is to describe the use of depleted uranium weapons in the Gulf (over two wars, within the space of sixteen years), and to trace the health and environmental implications of this use. The article then analyses the use of depleted uranium from the point of view of state crime, in relation to the issues of legitimacy and denial. This is followed by consideration of the relevance of such issues for a 21st-century critical criminology. The politics of knowing—when `knowledge' is uncertain—is highlighted in discussion of the complexities of denial/affirmation surrounding the use of DU for war purposes.
Preparing for prison?
Authors: Hirschfield Paul J.
Published: January 2008

American schools increasingly define and manage the problem of student discipline through a prism of crime control. Most theoretical explanations fail to situate school criminalization in a broader structural context, to fully explain its spatio-temporal variations, and to specify the processes and subjectivities that mediate between structural and legal forces and the behavior of school actors. A multilevel structural model of school criminalization is developed which posits that a troubled domestic economy, the mass unemployment and incarceration of disadvantaged minorities, and resulting fiscal crises in urban public education have shifted school disciplinary policies and practices and staff perceptions of poor students of color in a manner that promotes greater punishment and exclusion of students perceived to be on a criminal justice `track'.
Digital photography: communication, identity, memory
Authors: van Dijck José
Published: January 2008

Taking photographs seems no longer primarily an act of memory intended to safeguard a family's pictorial heritage, but is increasingly becoming a tool for an individual's identity formation and communication. Digital cameras, cameraphones, photoblogs and other multipurpose devices are used to promote the use of images as the preferred idiom of a new generation of users. The aim of this article is to explore how technical changes (digitization) combined with growing insights in cognitive science and socio-cultural transformations have affected personal photography. The increased manipulation of photographic images may suit the individual's need for continuous self-remodelling and instant communication and bonding. However, that same manipulability may also lessen our grip on our images' future repurposing and reframing. Memory is not eradicated from digital multipurpose tools. Instead, the function of memory reappears in the networked, distributed nature of digital photographs, as most images are sent over the internet and stored in virtual space.
The killing of children by children as a symptom of national crisis
Authors: Smith David , Sueda Kiyoko
Published: January 2008

In this article, we describe and analyse the public and political responses to two notorious cases of the killing of children by children, one in Merseyside, England and one in Kobe, Japan. We discuss the ways in which the cases were presented as symptomatic of wider social problems, and how in both Britain and Japan they acted as a catalyst for changes in the juvenile criminal justice system. The article describes and attempts to explain both similarities and differences in the reactions to the killings in Britain and Japan, arguing that while the differences may be more obvious the similarities may be more instructive, and setting the description in the context of penological arguments about globalization and the emergence of a postmodern penality. We conclude that neither country is as unique in its responses to juvenile crime as is sometimes claimed, and that despite `postmodern' anxieties and scepticism in both countries, a `modernist' welfare approach to the reintegration of the killers remained feasible in both Britain and Japan.
Community penalties and Home Office research
Authors: Raynor Peter
Published: January 2008

This article discusses recent research on community penalties in the UK, and in particular the contribution of the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics division (of which the relevant section is now known as RDS-NOMS following its recent relocation as part of the National Offender Management Service). Current statements of methodological preference are discussed in the light of the history of evaluative research in this field, and it is suggested that a perceived need for information management may be leading to an unhelpful narrowing of methodological choices. This approach risks neglecting features of community sentences which require investigation, and at worst could encourage a drift back towards a belief that `nothing works'.
Adsorption of Textile Dyes Using Agave Americana (L.) Fibres: Equilibrium and Kinetics Modelling
Authors: Hamissa Aïcha Menyar Ben , Brouers François , Mahjoub Borhane , Seffen Mongi
Published: January 2008

This study was carried out to examine the potential of Agave americana fibres (AAF) for the treatment of wastewater contaminated with dyes. The batch mode adsorption of two dyes, viz. Sumfixe Supra Red (SSR) and Alpacelle Lumiere Brown (ALB), by AAF was investigated at different pH values, temperatures and initial dye concentrations. The highest dye adsorption capacities at 30°C were attained at pH 2.0 for SSR and at pH 2.5 for ALB. In both cases, an increase in temperature increased the velocity of the reaction. The maximum amounts of dyes desorbed were at basic pH values.

To compare our results with studies on other biomaterials, the adsorption isotherms and kinetic data were analysed employing the usual models (Freundlich, Langmuir and Temkin isotherms and first- and second-order kinetics). Conventional analysis indicated that the kinetics of the processes were closer to pseudo-second order rather than first order. The data were also modelled with a new method of analysis based on the statistical theory of complex systems and the heterogeneity of the sorption energy (energy landscape). This enabled the adsorption process to be characterised in terms of a greater number of physical parameters.
Petroleum Wastewater Purification by Biomass Adsorption: Dynamics and Performance of a Fixed Bed Column
Authors: Santos Elba Gomes dos , de Alsina Odelsia L. Sánchez , da Silva Flávio L. Honorato
Published: January 2008

The effect of operational variables on the adsorption of organic pollutants in a fixed bed of biomass was studied. Dispersions of commercial gasoline in water were used as synthetic effluents to simulate petroleum effluent contaminated by organic products. Coconut mesocarp and sugar cane bagasse in the natural form were used as biomass adsorbents. The influence of input gasoline concentration, operational flow rate and fixed bed depth of biomass on the dynamic behaviour of the fixed bed column was investigated. The bed performance was evaluated by means of a 23 factorial design plus star configuration with three experiments in the central point and the average exit gasoline concentration as the response variable. In general, the coconut mesocarp gave better results than the sugarcane bagasse. Depending on the operational conditions, it was possible to obtain effluents which were virtually free from organic contaminants.
Increased molecular damage and heterogeneity as the basis of aging
Authors: Rattan Suresh I.S.
Published: January 2008

Aging at the molecular level is characterized by the progressive accumulation of molecular damage. The sources of damage act randomly through environmental and metabolically generated free radicals, through spontaneous errors in biochemical reactions, and through nutritional components. However, damage to a macromolecule may depend on its structure, localization and interactions with other macromolecules. Damage to the maintenance and repair pathways comprising homeodynamic machinery leads to age-related failure of homeodynamics, increased molecular heterogeneity, altered cellular functioning, reduced stress tolerance, diseases and ultimate death. Novel approaches for testing and developing effective means of intervention, prevention and modulation of aging involve means to minimize the occurrence and accumulation of molecular damage. Mild stress-induced hormesis by physical, biological and nutritional methods, including hormetins, represents a promising strategy for achieving healthy aging and for preventing age-related diseases.
Cellular responses to reactive oxygen species-induced DNA damage and aging
Authors: Bertram Catharina , Hass Ralf
Published: January 2008

Oxidative stress in cells and tissues can occur during pathophysiological developments, e.g., during inflammatory and allergic diseases or during ischemic or toxic and hyperglycemic conditions via the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, ROS can be generated by radiation (UV, X-rays) and pharmacologically, e.g., by anthracyclins as chemotherapeutic compounds for treatment of a variety of tumors to induce ‘stress or aberrant signaling-inducing senescence’ (STASIS). Although STASIS is distinguished from intracellular replicative senescence, a variety of cellular mechanisms appear similar in both aging pathways. It is generally accepted that oxidative stress and ROS eventually cause DNA damage, whereby insufficient cellular repair mechanisms may contribute to premature aging and apoptosis. Conversely, ROS-induced imbalances of the signaling pathways for metabolic protein turnover may also result in opposite effects to recruit malfunctioning aberrant proteins and compounds that trigger tumorigenic processes. Consequently, DNA damage plays a role in the development of carcinogenesis, but is also associated with an aging process in cells and organisms.
Smurf1 directly targets hPEM-2, a GEF for Cdc42, via a novel combination of protein interaction modules in the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway
Authors: Yamaguchi Kei , Ohara Osamu , Ando Akikazu , Nagase Takahiro
Published: January 2008

Smurf1, a member of HECT-type E3 ubiquitin ligases, regulates cell polarity and protrusive activity by inducing ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation of the small GTPase RhoA. We report here that hPEM-2, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the small GTPase Cdc42, is a novel target of Smurf1. Pulse-chase labeling and a ubiquitination experiment using MG132, a proteasomal inhibitor, indicate that Smurf1 induces proteasomal degradation of hPEM-2 in cells. GST pull-down assays with heterologously expressed firefly luciferase-fusion proteins that include partial sequences of hPEM-2 reveal that part of the PH domain (residues 318–343) of hPEM-2 is sufficient for binding to Smurf1. In contrast, the hPEM-2 binding domain in Smurf1 was mapped to the C2 domain. Although it has been reported that the binding activities of some C2 domains to target proteins are regulated by Ca2+, Smurf1 interacts with hPEM-2 in a Ca2+-independent manner. Our discovery that hPEM-2 is, in addition to RhoA, a target protein of Smurf1 suggests that Smurf1 plays a crucial role in the spatio-temporal regulation of Rho GTPase family members.