bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vesicular neurotransmitter transporters in Huntington's disease: Initial observations and comparison with traditional synaptic markers
Authors: Suzuki Masahiko , Desmond Timothy J. , Albin Roger L. , Frey Kirk A.
Published: September 2002

Markers of identified neuronal populations have previously suggested selective degeneration of projection neurons in Huntington's disease (HD) striatum. Interpretations are, however, limited by effects of compensatory regulation and atrophy. Studies of the vesicular monoamine transporter type‐2 (VMAT2) and of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) in experimental animals indicate that they are robust markers of presynaptic integrity and are not subject to regulation. We measured dopamine and acetylcholine vesicular transporters to characterize the selectivity of degeneration in HD striatum. Brains were obtained at autopsy from four HD patients and five controls. Autoradiography was used to quantify radioligand binding to VMAT2, VAChT, the dopamine plasmalemmal transporter (DAT), benzodiazepine (BZ) binding sites, and D2‐type dopamine receptors. The activity of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) was determined as an additional marker of cholinergic neurons. Autoradiograms were analyzed by video‐assisted densitometry and assessment of atrophy was made from regional structural areas in the coronal projection. Striatal VMAT2, DAT, and VAChT concentrations were unchanged or increased, while D2 and BZ binding and ChAT activity were decreased in HD. After atrophy correction, all striatal binding sites were decreased. However, the decrease in ChAT activity was 3‐fold greater than that of VAChT binding. In addition to degeneration of striatal projection neurons, there are losses of extrinsic nigrostriatal projections and of striatal cholinergic interneurons in HD on the basis of vesicular transporter measures. There is also markedly reduced expression of ChAT by surviving cholinergic striatal interneurons. Synapse 41:329–336, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reduced dopamine D1 receptor binding in the ventral striatum of cigarette smokers
Authors: Dagher Alain , Bleicher Catherine , Aston John A.D. , Gunn Roger N. , Clarke Paul B.S. , Cumming Paul
Published: September 2002

Several drugs of abuse, including nicotine, are thought to exert their reinforcing effects through actions on the mesolimbic dopamine system. Animal and human studies suggest that chronic administration of addictive drugs may lead to impaired dopamine neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens. We measured D1 receptor density in 11 smokers and 18 nonsmokers using positron emission tomography and the D1 receptor ligand [11C]SCH 23390. Ten of the smokers were scanned twice, once after overnight abstinence from cigarettes, and once while smoking at their usual rate, to account for possible acute effects of cigarette smoking on D1 receptor binding. In addition, eight control subjects were scanned twice to assess the reproducibility of the method. We used compartmental modeling to measure [11C]SCH 23390 binding potential, a measure of D1 receptor density. There were no differences in binding between abstinent and nonabstinent scans in smokers or in the two scans in controls. However, there was a significant reduction in [11C]SCH 23390 binding potential in smokers compared to nonsmokers in the striatum, most prominently in the ventral striatum. This suggests that there is a reduction in dopamine D1 receptor density in the ventral striatum of human cigarette smokers relative to nonsmokers, which implies that the postsynaptic mesolimbic dopamine system may be chronically underactive in smokers, either as an antecedent or consequence of addiction to cigarettes. Such a hypodopaminergic state may play an important role in sustaining nicotine‐seeking behavior. Alternatively, an inherited reduction in dopamine receptors in the striatum may be associated with an increased risk of addictive behavior. Synapse 42:48–53, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Vampires, Pasteur and reactive oxygen species
Authors: Oliveira Pedro L. , Oliveira Marcus F.
Published: September 2002

Several species of parasites show a reduction of their respiratory activity along their developmental cycles after they start to feed on vertebrate blood, relying on anaerobic degradation of carbohydrates to achieve their energy requirements. Usually, these parasites choose not to breathe despite of living in an environment of high oxygen availability such as vertebrate blood. Absence of the ‘Pasteur effect’ in most of these parasites has been well documented. Interestingly, together with the switch from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism in these parasites, there is clear evidence pointing to an increase in their antioxidant defences. As the respiratory chain in mitochondria is a major site of production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), we propose here that the arrest of respiration constitutes an adaptation to avoid the toxic effects of ROS. This situation would be especially critical for blood‐feeding parasites because ROS produced in mitochondria would interact with pro‐oxidant products of blood digestion, such as haem and/or iron, and increase the oxidative damage to the parasite's cells.
Supramolecular organization of photosystem I and light‐harvesting complex I in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Authors: Germano Marta , Yakushevska Alevtyna E , Keegstra Wilko , van Gorkom Hans J , Dekker Jan P , Boekema Egbert J
Published: September 2002

We report a structural characterization by electron microscopy and image analysis of a supramolecular complex consisting of photosystem I and light‐harvesting complex I from the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The complex is a monomer, has longest dimensions of 21.3 and 18.2 nm in projection, and is significantly larger than the corresponding complex in spinach. Comparison with photosystem I complexes from other organisms suggests that the complex contains about 14 light‐harvesting proteins, two or three of which bind at the side of the PSI‐H subunit. We suggest that special light‐harvesting I proteins play a role in the binding of phosphorylated light‐harvesting complex II in state 2.
Prolonged stimulation of presynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the rat interpeduncular nucleus has differential effects on transmitter release
Authors: Covernton Patrick O.J. , Lester Robin A.J.
Published: September 2002

Alterations in nicotinic acetylcholine (nAChR) receptor number can be induced by chronic exposure to nicotine possibly by stabilization of the desensitized state(s) of the receptor. Since within the central nervous system (CNS), many nAChRs are localized presynaptically, we have investigated the physiological consequences of prolonged nicotine applications on spontaneous transmitter release. In the presence of glutamate receptor antagonists, bicuculline‐sensitive spontaneous GABA inhibitory synaptic currents (IPSCs) could be readily resolved in whole‐cell recordings from neurons in the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) maintained as brain slices. Nicotine (300 nM) caused a marked enhancement in the frequency of spontaneous events. During a 15 min exposure to nicotine, the time course of changes in IPSC frequency could be divided into two groups. In most neurons, there was a fast increase in event frequency followed by a decline to a lower steady‐state level that remained above baseline. In the remaining neurons, the effect of nicotine was more slowly developing and outlasted the application. Interestingly, the rapid effect was associated with a shift to higher amplitude events, whereas, no change in the IPSC amplitude histogram was observed during the slow onset effect. These data show that prolonged stimulation of presynaptic nicotinic receptors can have different outcomes that could potentially contribute to the diverse effects of nicotine on central information processing.
Chronic non‐malignant pain patients and health economic consequences
Authors: Thomsen Annemarie Bondegaard , Sørensen Jan , Sjøgren Per , Eriksen Jørgen
Published: September 2002

A prospective cohort study on chronic non‐malignant pain patients was performed to describe health consequences and changes in use of health care resources and social transfers following multidisciplinary pain treatment. Patients, referred to a Danish Multidisciplinary Pain Center (MPC), were evaluated during four periods: six months prior to referral, waiting list period, intervention, nine months follow‐up. Outcome measures: pain intensity (VAS), The Medical Outcomes Study 36‐Item Short‐Form Health Survey (SF‐36), The Psychological General Well‐Being Index (PGWB), The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD). Use of health care resources and social transfers were retrieved from public registers. Statistically significant improvements were obtained in pain intensity, SF‐36 bodily pain, PGWB index and subscores vitality, and general health at discharge and follow‐up. Intervention costs amounted to EUR 1102 (SD 721). Health care costs were not significantly reduced, but significant reductions in social transfers were seen.
Palliative radiotherapy in the treatment of skeletal metastases
Authors: Saarto Tiina , Janes Rita , Tenhunen Mikko , Kouri Mauri
Published: September 2002

Two‐third of patients with metastatic cancer suffer from pain. Pain originating from skeletal metastases is the most common form of cancer pain. Bone pain, often exacerbated by pressure or movement, limits the patient's autonomy and social life. Pathological fracture and spinal cord compression are additional complications caused by bone metastases.

Radiotherapy is effective in treating bone pain not adequately controlled by analgesics. Seventy percent of patients benefit from radiotherapy. Single and multifraction regimens are equally effective in relieving pain. Retreatment is needed somewhat more often following single fraction therapy. Most patients benefit from retreatment irrespectively of previous fractionation schedule. Hemibody irradiation and radioisotopes, e.g., strontium‐89 and samarium‐153 are used in treating scattered painful bone metastases.

Radiotherapy is used for preventing pathological fracture by treating osteolytic lesions especially in the weight‐bearing bones such as the spinal column and long bones. Radiotherapy is the treatment of choice in spinal cord compression, which is the most serious complication caused by bone secondaries.

Radiotherapy provides efficient, well‐tolerated and cost‐effective palliative care.
Elevated serum markers of collagen degradation in patients with mild to moderate dilated cardiomyopathy
Authors: Schwartzkopff Bodo , Fassbach Michael , Pelzer Beate , Brehm Michael , Strauer Bodo E.
Published: September 2002

Background and aims

Left ventricular (LV) dilation and myocardial remodelling are hallmarks of heart failure in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Interstitial collagen is essential for LV integrity and function while degradation of collagen by collagenases, especially matrix‐metalloproteinases (MMPs), are suggested to contribute to ventricular dilation. In the present study, serological markers of collagen metabolism were investigated.

Methods and results

Serum levels of MMP‐1 and its inhibitor (TIMP‐1), the markers for collagen degradation type I (collagen carboxyterminal telopeptide (ICTP)) and synthesis (carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP)) were quantified by ELISA and RIA of 43 patients with DCM and 47 age‐matched control subjects. Free MMP‐1 serum concentration was significantly increased in the DCM group (5.29±0.83 vs. 2.22±0.29 ng/ml; P‐0.01) as well as the free TIMP‐1 concentration (206.54±12.65 vs. 181.44±8.55 ng/ml; P‐0.05). The free MMP‐1/TIMP‐1‐ratio was higher in DCM than in the control group (0.030±0.005 vs. 0.012±0.001; P‐0.01). ICTP was significantly increased (7.60±1.21 vs. 3.44±0.19 μg/l; P<0.001). PICP was not significantly increased (125.29±8.93 μg/l vs. 113.11±5.47 μg/l; P‐n.s.). Free MMP‐1 and MMP‐1/TIMP‐1‐ratio correlated with LV end diastolic diameter [cm/m2 body surface area (BSA)] (r‐0.28; P‐0.03 and r‐0.34; P‐0.01, respectively) as well as with cardiac index (CI) (r‐−0.32; P‐0.04 and r‐−0.33; P‐0.04, respectively) in patients with DCM.

Conclusion

Serum markers of collagen degradation are elevated and might be valuable markers for progression of LV dilation in patients with DCM.
THE CHANGING MEANING OF “DWELLING-HOUSE”
Authors: Morgan Jill
Published: September 2002

This article analyses Uratemp Ventures Ltd v Collins [2001] UKHL 43, [2001] 3 W.L.R. 806 in which, for the first time, the House of Lords considered the meaning of the word “dwelling” (an essential ingredient of security under the Rent Act 1977 and the Housing Acts of 1985 and 198) and overturned the previously accepted proposition that premises cannot be a dwelling unless cooking facilities are provided. The implications of the decision are considered not only in the context of the private rented sector but also in relation to secure tenancies granted by local authorities and certain other public landlords.
WILFUL MISCONDUCT—THE HOUSE OF LORDS’ DECISION IN PORTER V. MAGILL
Authors: Williams Rebecca
Published: September 2002

The House of Lords has now ruled in favour of the Local Government Finance auditor in the well-known “homes for votes” saga involving Dame Shirley Porter and Mr. Weeks, leader and deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Westminster City Council: Porter v. Magill [2001] UKHL 67, [2002] 2 W.L.R. 37. It will be remembered that the auditor found Dame Shirley and Mr. Weeks jointly and severally by their wilful misconduct to have caused the Council to lose approximately £31 million, for which they were liable under the Local Government Finance Act 1982, s. 20. His decision was upheld by the Divisional Court but reversed by the Court of Appeal (Kennedy and Schiemann L.JJ., Robert Walker L.J. dissenting): [2000] 2 W.L.R. 1420. Two sets of issues arose for decision by the House of Lords: procedural issues relating to the conduct of the auditor’s enquiry (on which the leading speech was delivered by Lord Hope) and substantive issues relating to the findings of the auditor and the lower courts (dealt with by Lord Bingham). Three of these issues are of particular interest.
NEGLIGENCE: CANADA REMAKES THE ANNS TEST
Authors: Pitel Stephen G.A.
Published: September 2002

Mary Cooper was one of thousands of investors who advanced funds to Eron Mortgage Corporation, a licensed British Columbia mortgage broker specialising in large syndicated loans. When Eron went out of business it owed the investors over $180 million more than it was able to pay. Unable to recover from Eron, the investors turned their attention to Robert Hobart, the statutory official in charge of regulating mortgage brokers. The investors alleged that Eron had used their money for unauthorised purposes such as funding interest payments on non-performing mortgages. They further alleged that Hobart had been aware of these problems, all serious violations of statute, but that he had delayed in suspending Eron’s licence and had failed to notify investors that he was investigating Eron. Cooper therefore sought to bring a class action on behalf of the investors against Hobart and the provincial government.
UNINTENTIONAL PARENTHOOD: THE CASE OF THE RELUCTANT MOTHER
Authors: Bainham Andrew
Published: September 2002

A Question which is increasingly asked is whether there is a right to be a parent. The recent decision of the House of Lords in Re B (Adoption: Natural Parent) [2002] 1 F.L.R. 196 may provoke some debate about whether there is a right not to be one.
Freedom of Religion Under the European Convention on Human Rights. By Carolyn Evans. [Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2001. xxiv and 222 pp. Hardback £40.00. ISBN 0–19–924364–6.]
Authors: Strong S.I.
Published: September 2002

OXFORD University Press has initiated a new series on the European Convention on Human Rights and, in light of recent world events, could not have found a more timely first instalment than Evans’s book on freedom of religion. However, the choice of topics is sound even when one sets aside the current interest in the interplay between law and religion. First, as noted in the general editor’s preface, there is a “considerable body of literature” on the Convention, “including many works providing an overview of the Strasbourg system and its jurisprudence. Less common are studies like Dr. Evans’s book concerned with the interpretation and application of individual provisions” (p. vii). Second, “[i]t is particularly apt that the present volume should appear at a time when, as a result of the Human Rights Act 1998, courts in the United Kingdom are for the first time being called upon to take account of the European Convention. In a multicultural society religious freedom is plainly fundamental and lawyers, judges and others with responsibilities in this area will find Dr. Evans’s book extremely useful” (pp. viii–viii).
MORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF TOLERANCE TO ATMOSPHERIC STRESS IN TWO SENSITIVE AND TWO TOLERANT TEA CLONES IN SOUTH AFRICA
Authors: Olyslaegers G. , Nijs I. , Roebben J. , Kockelbergh F. , Vanassche F. , Lakers M. , Verbelen J.-P. , Samson R. , Lemeur R. , Impens I.
Published: September 2002

Tea (Camellia sinensis) clones (PC113 and SFS204) sensitive to very dry air and clones (PC114 and SFS150) that are tolerant, were studied at two tea estates (Tshivhase and Grenshoek) in the Northern Province of the Republic of South Africa. Among the morphological leaf traits studied, stomatal density, pore diameter and pore depth were not linked consistently to stress tolerance. Cuticle thickness was not a good indicator of stress tolerance because genetic differences between clones were confounded by the clonal response of wax production to stress. In contrast, measured leaf conductance to water vapour transport was larger and leaf water potential was lower in sensitive clones, but only with more severe atmospheric stress (Grenshoek). Also the ratio of the calculated maximum stomatal conductance in old and young leaves was higher in sensitive clones, suggesting that the loss of a larger fraction of the total stem flow by old leaves enhanced the stress experienced by the young leaves. However, this indicator was valid only under the more stressful microclimate of Grenshoek. The results indicate that even promising criteria for stress tolerance should be tested by exposure to stress during selection.
OUTPUT:INPUT RATIOS AND APPARENT BALANCES OF N, P AND K INPUTS IN A RICE-WHEAT SYSTEM IN NORTH-WEST INDIA
Authors: Yadav R. L. , Tomar S. S. , Sharma U. C.
Published: September 2002

Output:input ratios and apparent balances for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were measured in a rice-wheat system at Modipuram (29.4°N, 77.46°E, 237 m asl), India, under two planting densities (P1 = 200×200 mm for rice, 230 mm row spacing for wheat, and P2 = 200×100 mm for rice, 150 mm row spacing for wheat), and two levels of fertilizer NPK (100% F = recommended levels of fertilizer N, P and K for each crop, i.e. 120 kg N, 26 kg P and 33 kg K ha−1, and 150% F = 150% of the recommended levels) with and without 5 t ha−1 farmyard manure (M) to each crop. After two cycles of the rice-wheat rotation at a fixed site, N and K balances were negative for all treatments, but P balance was negative only in plots treated with P1 + 100% F treatment. The largest yield in the system, 15.7 t ha−1, was obtained in plots receiving P2 planting density with 150% F + M treatment, and the smallest (13 t ha−1) in plots of P1 planting density with 100% F treatment. In plots with the largest yield, total removal of NPK was 659 kg ha−1 (310 kg N, 62 kg P and 287 kg K ha−1), and in plots with the smallest yield, NPK removal was 411 kg ha−1 (188 kg N, 34 kg P and 189 kg K ha−1). At these nutrient uptakes, output:input ratios were 0.74 for N, 0.57 for P and 1.80 for K in plots receiving P2 + 150% F + M treatment, and 0.78 for N, 0.65 for P and 2.86 for K in plots receiving P1 + 100% F treatment.
Physiological responses of lactating cows under grazing and indoor feeding conditions in the tropics
Authors: PRASANPANICH S. , SIWICHAI S. , TUNSARINGKARN K. , THWAITES C. J. , VAJRABUKKA C.
Published: September 2002

The study reported examined the physiological changes between two groups of 6 Friesian-cross cows in mid-lactation; one group grazed outdoors without shade, the second group was housed indoors in an open-sided barn and fed cut-and-carry forage from the grazing area. All cows were machine-milked at 05.00 and 15.30 h daily. At 14.00 h dry bulb temperatures averaged 29·5 °C outdoors and 29·0 °C indoors whilst black globe temperatures were 36·2 and 29·5 °C respectively. Relative humidity averaged 76% outdoors and 72% indoors, and the temperature-humidity indices were 79·1 and 78·3, respectively. Cows in the outdoor group had higher rectal temperatures (40·4 v. 39·0 °C; P<0·01), respiratory rates (87·9 v. 62·9 breaths/min; P<0·01) and skin temperatures (41·2 v. 38·2 °C; P<0·01) than those indoors, but lower haematocrit (26·2 v. 34·9%; P<0·01) and haemoglobin levels (10·4 v. 13·2 g/100 ml; P<0·01). Cows in the outdoor group had a higher sweating rate than those indoors (559·7 v. 68·6 g/(m2×h); P<0·01), largely due to a high radiant heat load (as indicated by slightly higher black globe readings). The results of the current study show that the barn used in this study was effective in protecting cows from solar heat. Further field studies to determine the effectiveness of lower cost strategies to reduce heat stress, including showers and shade that can be accessed by grazing cows, are needed.
THE PROVISION OF FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES IN THE CARIBBEAN
Authors: ACHANFUO YEBOAH DAVID
Published: September 2002

This article examines the provision of family planning services in selected countries in the Caribbean. The potential impact of the funding shortfall resulting from the phasing out of funding by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), and the strategies being adopted by the selected countries to cope with this, are considered. Stratified random sampling methods were employed to select eight Caribbean countries and a pre-designed questionnaire was administered to the agency responsible for family planning services in each country. The sample was stratified geographically to include countries from different parts of the Caribbean. The questionnaire was designed to collect information on the services provided, the name of the agency responsible for the provision of services and, where possible, the number of users of each type of service in 1998 and 1997. Vast disparities were found in the provision of family planning services in different Caribbean countries, in terms of the groups involved, the services available in each country, as well as methods of data collection and compilation. Anguilla and Bermuda were found to provide only limited family planning services, while Barbados, Jamaica and Grenada provide much more sophisticated services. A salient finding was the innovative approaches that various countries in the region have adopted to fund family planning programmes in anticipation of the phasing out of IPPF funding. The standpoint taken in the study is that countries such as Anguilla and Bermuda must strive to improve their provision of family planning services, and that they could learn from Barbados, Grenada and Jamaica, which provide much more comprehensive services. It is also concluded that, unless alternative funding sources are identified and accessed, the provision of family planning services in the Caribbean is likely to decline in the future.
St Oswald of Worcester at Evesham Abbey: Cult and Concealment
Authors: COX DAVID
Published: September 2002

In the twelfth or thirteenth century the monks of Evesham Abbey, an ancient Benedictine foundation in Worcester diocese, seem to have altered their domestic chronicle so as to conceal the decisive role of Oswald, bishop of Worcester, in the tenth-century reform of their house; after c. 1100 the abbey was anxious to suppress evidence of Evesham's early dependence on the church of Worcester lest the post-Conquest bishops should use it in the papal courts to refute Evesham's current case for exemption. Privately, however, the monks continued to honour St Oswald and their relic of his arm; he had become a political embarrassment, but in heaven he remained their spiritual friend.
The Colonial State And Business: The Policy Environment in Malaya in the Inter-War Years
Authors: Leng Loh Wei
Published: September 2002

The focus of the article is on the policy perspectives of the colonial state in Malaya vis-à-vis business, Western and Chinese. It touches on the policy outlook of the periods preceding the inter-war years before exploring various related topics (the question of industrial development, tariff policy, private sector initiatives) with a view to ascertaining the relationship between state and business.
The Problem of Insulation
Authors: Wong Wai-hung
Published: September 2002

Insulation is a noticeable phenomenon in the case of most non-Pyrrhonian sceptics about human knowledge. A sceptic is experiencing insulation when his scepticism does not have any effect on his common sense beliefs, and his common sense beliefs do not have any effect on his scepticism. I try to show why this is a puzzling phenomenon, and how it can be explained. It is puzzling because insulation seems to require blindness to one's own epistemic irresponsibility and irrationality, while the sceptic presumably cares a lot about being epistemically responsible and rational. Insulation can be explained by means of a notion of philosophical detachment: to be detached from one's own beliefs about the world is to take an other-personal position towards those beliefs, treating them as if they are another person's beliefs. It is because of this that the sceptic's scepticism is insulated from his scepticism because he cannot be detached from his beliefs about the world when he is engaging in everyday, practical activities. I conclude the paper with a brief discussion of the generality of the problem of insulation.
The American Welfare State at Twilight
Authors: STOESZ DAVID
Published: September 2002

The triumph of George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election is further
evidence of the waning viability of the American welfare state. Since
1980 various strains of conservatism have vied for control of domestic
policy through the Republican party, the most recent variant being ‘compassionate
conservatism’. Democrats have responded by disavowing their
liberal heritage and moving toward the centre. This reflects the replacement
of a ‘social model’ with an ‘economic model’ for social policy. The
Left can be rejuvenated by adopting three themes for domestic policy:
mobility, empowerment and restructuring. These are consistent with the
‘third way’ in social policy, as centrists have advocated in the United
States and the United Kingdom.
The dangers of US interventionism
Authors: Dobson Alan P.
Published: September 2002

Both policy articles about US post-Cold War foreign policy and the recent rhetoric of US policymakers appears to be slipping back into the language of the ‘arrogance of power’, against which Senator Fulbright warned America in the 1960s. In what follows, the USA's style of foreign policy; its criteria for intervention; its invasion of Panama; its capabilities; its intervention in Bosnia; and the impact of contending theories about changes in the international sphere will be examined with a view to casting some light on how the USA has responded to the world outside its boundaries after the Cold War. Finally, in the light of Senator Fulbright's criticisms of US interventionism in the recent past, the essay draws towards its conclusion by specifically addressing the key questions of the whens, whys and wherefores of US intervention into and exits from international crises. It explores some of the problems posed by continuity and change in the struggle to adjust US foreign policy to a non-Cold War world and examines the wisdom of enthusiastic calls for the US to spread democracy abroad.
Seed bank and seed rain in a seasonal semi-deciduous forest in south-eastern Brazil
Authors: Grombone-Guaratini Maria Tereza , Rodrigues Ricardo Ribeiro
Published: September 2002

To examine the influence of seasonality on the abundance and composition of species in the community, we studied the seed rain and the seed bank in a seasonal, semi-deciduous forest in south-eastern Brazil. Soil samples (depth 3 cm, 0.25 m2) were collected within a 1-ha plot in the dry seasons of 1996 and 1997 and the rainy season of 1997 (84 samples per collection). Thirty-five seed traps (0.25 m2 each) were placed randomly in the forest from March 1997 to February 1998. The greatest density of seeds in the soil occurred in samples collected during the rainy season, the period which coincides with the main fruiting period in this forest. The Sørensen similarity index values for the seed bank composition among the three periods were high (> 0.50). The fallout of propagules was strongly seasonal, with more than half of the annual total number of seeds being caught in the two months around the end of the dry season and beginning of the rainy season. The mean density of seeds in the soil bank was nearly 86% lower than the seed rain density. There was no clear evidence of seasonal effects on species density and richness in this forest.
People and land: rural population developments and property structures in the Low Countries, c. 1300–c. 1600
Authors: VAN BAVEL BAS J. P.
Published: September 2002

Population developments in the western European countryside not only show strong fluctuations during the later Middle Ages, but they also exhibit sharp regional differences. By investigating and comparing developments in three parts of the Low Countries this study tries to shed more light on the causes underlying these regional diversities. In this connection, particular attention will be paid to differences in the social distribution of landownership. Examination of the data at regional level indicates that property structures were indeed an important factor in late-medieval population trends. Later sections of the article investigate the various factors which shaped the interrelationships between population growth, density and property structures, thus contributing to a clearer comprehension of the different demographic histories of the three regions and a better understanding of regional diversities in late-medieval population developments in general.
Holonic and multi-agent systems in industry
Authors: BRENNAN ROBERT W.
Published: September 2002

The concept of holonic systems has its roots in the desire to understand the structure of natural systems (e.g. living organisms and social organisations) and in particular their ability to behave in a stable yet flexible manner in the face of change. It is not surprising that the lessons learned from these natural systems could help with the design and control of complex man-made systems. However, a key issue is, how can one translate holonic concepts to real industrial environments? For example, one of the key holonic concepts, the holon, can be described as a self-contained autonomous and cooperative entity; when deciding how to implement holons, software agents appear to be the logical choice. In this paper, we summarise the presentations and discussions from a workshop held at the
recent International Conference on Autonomous Agents that focused on this issue and brought together researchers from both the holonic systems and the multi-agents systems communities.
The acquisition of compound vs. phrasal stress: the role of prosodic constituents
Authors: VOGEL IRENE , RAIMY ERIC
Published: September 2002

This paper investigates the acquisition of compound vs. phrasal stress (hót dog vs. hot dóg) in English. This has previously been shown to be acquired quite late, in contrast to recent research showing that infants both perceive and prefer rhythmic patterns in their own language. Subjects (40 children in four groups the averages ages of which are 5;4, 7;2, 9;3 and 11;6 and 10 adults) were shown pairs of pictures representing a compound word and the corresponding phrase. They heard a prerecorded tape with the names of the items, and were asked to indicate which one they heard. In addition to 9 real compounds and corresponding phrases, 9 novel compounds were presented (rédcup = invented type of flower vs. red cúp). A gradual increase in overall correct scores until age twelve was found along with a significant effect of real vs. novel compounds (p < 0·001), and an overwhelming tendency for the younger children to prefer compounds regardless of stress. We conclude that the results are due to the slow development of the ability to use prosodic information to override a strong lexical bias.
Between-word junctures in early multi-word speech
Authors: NEWTON CAROLINE , WELLS BILL
Published: September 2002

Most children aged 1;6 to 2;0 begin to use utterances of two words or more. It is therefore important for child phonologists to consider the development of phonetic and phonological phenomena that characterize connected speech. The longitudinal case study reported here investigated three juncture types – assimilation, elision and liaison – in the speech of a typically-developing child between the ages of 2;4 and 3;4. Attempts at production of these adult juncture types occurred from the onset of two-word utterances. However, for some juncture types, the child still had to perfect the intergestural relationships and gestural articulations that the adult between-word junctures demand. This process of phonetic development was largely accomplished by the age of 3;4. With one exception, between-word junctures appear not to be the result of learned phonological rules or processes. The exception is liaison involving /r/, which did not occur until the child was three years old.
Negative commands in Spanish-speaking children: no need for recourse to Relativized Minimality (a reply to Grinstead, 2000)
Authors: MUELLER GATHERCOLE VIRGINIA C. , SEBASTIÁN EUGENIA , SOTO PILAR
Published: September 2002

In a recent commentary, Grinstead (2000) argues against Bates & Goodman's
(1999) claims that the development of grammar is contingent on developments in the lexicon, and that, therefore, there is no need for an independent
grammar domain. Citing data on the acquisition of negative commands in
Catalan and Spanish, Grinstead argues that beyond grammatical elements
that are linked with lexical items, there must also exist independently a
computational component, which includes grammatical constraints. He
argues further that these constraints are observed from the beginning of
acquisition. The purpose of this note is, first, to challenge the evidence
Grinstead brings to bear in support of this position and, second, to argue
further that the acquisition of negative commands in Spanish is better
understood in terms of item-based learning combined with low functional
load.
Sentence processing studies and linguistic literacy
Authors: KAIL MICHÈLE
Published: September 2002

Among the various processes that characterize the development of literacy
competence presented by Ravid & Tolchinsky in their paper, two are
particularly relevant for studies of language development focusing on
crosslinguistic sentence processing: (1) the continuity vs. discontinuity
between the differential access to oral and written codes within the same
language and between languages; (2) the representational status of the
conscious access to language provided by the development of literacy, which
renders variability more accessible and controllable. In this short note, I shall
deal only with the first of these.
Questions about constructions
Authors: MILLER JIM
Published: September 2002

Ravid & Tolchinsky are to be applauded for proposing literacy as a central
topic in first language acquisition. A synthesis of research in spoken
language, in literacy and literacy practices and the lines of enquiry represented in MacWhinney (1999) has interesting consequences for theories of
first language acquisition, not least the nativist ones. This response focuses
on constructions but a brief list of controversial points in R&T's paper will
be useful.
On the blocks of [Sfr ] over a field of characteristic three
Authors: FAYERS MATTHEW
Published: September 2002

In [16] and [17], Tan looks at the principal blocks of the symmetric groups
[Sfr ]9, [Sfr ]10, [Sfr ]11, [Sfr ]12 over a field of characteristic three, and highlights the contrast
with blocks of small abelian defect. Here we continue by determining the Ext-quivers
of the blocks of [Sfr ]13 over the same field; this in particular provides examples of a
[4:1]-pair and a [3:2]-pair with non-abelian defect.
Cesaro means and Dirichlet spaces of holomorphic functions
Authors: TWOMEY J. B.
Published: September 2002

We establish convergence results involving the nth Cesaro mean σβn(θ) of order β of f(eiθ) = [sum ]aneinθ where the coefficients (an) satisfy a Dirichlet-type condition
[sum ]nα[mid ]an[mid ]2 < ∞
for a fixed α in (0, 1]. When α = 1, for example, we prove that
[sum ][mid ]σβn(θ)−f(eiθ)
[mid ]2 < ∞ for every β > −½ at almost all points θ in
[−π,π]. We also
derive weighted convergence results of this type outside exceptional sets of capacity
zero, and show by examples that these results are, in a certain sense, sharp with
respect to the size of the exceptional sets.
An outbreak of gastroenteritis in Osaka, Japan due to Escherichia coli serogroup O166[ratio ]H15 that had a coding gene for enteroaggregative E. coli heat-stable enterotoxin 1 (EAST1)
Authors: ZHOU Z. , OGASAWARA J. , NISHIKAWA Y. , SETO Y. , HELANDER A. , HASE A. , IRITANI N. , NAKAMURA H. , ARIKAWA K. , KAI A. , KAMATA Y. , HOSHI H. , HARUKI K.
Published: September 2002

In an outbreak of gastroenteritis on 23 July 1996, in Osaka, Japan, 54 of 91 persons who had attended a meeting the previous day became ill. Escherichia coli O166[ratio ]H15 was isolated from stool specimens of patients (29/33, 88%). Laboratory tests for other bacterial pathogens and viruses were negative. The E. coli O166 organisms did not adhere to HEp-2 cells in a localized, diffuse, or enteroaggregative manner. The organisms did not express known enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) colonization factors. In polymerase chain reaction tests, the bacteria did not have coding genes for shigatoxin of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), heat-labile, or heat-stable enterotoxin of ETEC, attachment and effacement (eaeA) of EPEC, or invasion (invE) of enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC). Consequently, they could not be assigned to any of the recognized diarrhoeagenic groups of E. coli: EPEC, ETEC, EHEC, EIEC, enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC), or diffusely adhering E. coli. However, the organisms possessed the EAggEC heat-stable enterotoxin (EAST1) gene. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an outbreak caused by E. coli that did not have well-characterized virulence genes other than EAST1. The isolates showed the same DNA banding pattern in pulsed-field gel electrophoresis after digestion with the restriction enzymes XbaI or NotI. Three O166[ratio ]H15 strains isolated from two sporadic cases and another outbreak during 1997–8 were distinct, indicating that multiple clones have spread already. We propose that diarrhoeal specimens should be examined for E. coli possessing the EAST1 gene.
Michael B. Broe and Janet B. Pierrehumbert (eds.) (2000). Papers in laboratory phonology V: acquisition and the lexicon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp. xiii+400.
Authors: Flemming Edward
Published: September 2002

Acquisition and the lexicon collects revised versions of nineteen primary papers
and four commentaries presented at the 5th Conference on Laboratory
Phonology, held at Northwestern University in July 1996. It is not possible to
do justice to each paper in a collection this large and diverse, so individual
papers will be discussed as they relate to three themes that emerge from the
book as a whole: (i) the relationship between phonology and speech processing – this volume contains more papers on speech processing than its
predecessors in the Laboratory Phonology series, which brings to the forefront
questions about the relationship between phonological theory and theories of
speech processing; (ii) the phonetics–phonology divide – a number of the
phonology papers question the common assumption that phonetics and phonology are separate components of grammar; (iii) frequency effects – results are
presented showing effects of the frequency of words and other phonological
units in a striking variety of domains.
Heart failure in an elderly population
Authors: Carmichael DN , Lye Michael
Published: September 2002

Heart failure has been defined in many ways and definitions change over time.
The multiplicity of definitions reflect the paucity of our understanding of the primary
underlying physiology of heart failure and the many diseases for which heart failure
is the common end-point. Fundamentally, heart failure represents a failure of the
heart to meet the body’s requirement for blood supply for whatever reason.
It is thus a clinical syndrome with characteristic features – not a single
disease in its own right. The syndrome includes symptoms and signs of organ underperfusion,
fluid retention and neuroendocrine activation. The syndrome arises from a range of
possible causes of which ischaemic heart disease is the commonest. From the point
of view of a clinician, the underlying pathology will determine treatment options
and prognosis. The extensive range of possible aetiologies present a diagnostic challenge
both to correctly identify the syndrome amongst all other causes of dyspnoea and
to identify the aetiology, allowing optimization of treatment.
Reply: State, Dictators and Single Parties – Where are the Fascist Regimes?
Authors: Pinto António Costa
Published: September 2002

This reply to Professor David D. Roberts' comments must begin with a methodological note. My critic quite correctly states that several of the points discussed in my article have little ‘explanatory value’. Within the history and social sciences disciplines typologies and classifications are of inestimable utility, as Roberts will almost certainly point out to his students. However, they cannot be confused with explanatory models. For this latter purpose there exist models of causality and other analytical instruments for use by those who believe that history is a discipline that is much closer to the social sciences than it is to literature – which is in itself a belief that remains far from consensual. The typologies applied to modern political regimes are, fundamentally, descriptive ideal-types that tell us little about why these regimes were institutionalised and consolidated. Put briefly, these typologies serve more to explain the how rather than the why. It just so happens that why fascism ascended to power does not explain very many of the characteristics of its use of power once it was consolidated.
The Economic Consequences of the First World War
Authors: Wixforth Harald
Published: September 2002

Arthur Turner, The Cost of War: British Policy on French War Debts, 1918–1932 (Brighton: Sussex Academic Press, 1998), 272pp., £45.00 (hb), ISBN 1-898723-37-0.

Patricia Clavin, The Great Depression in Europe, 1929–1939 (Basingstoke: Macmillan/Palgrave 2000) 244pp., £13.99 (pb), ISBN 0-333-60681-7.

Karl Mayer, Zwischen Krise und Krieg. Frankreich in der Außenpolitik der United States zwischen Wirtschaftskrise und Zweitem Weltkrieg (Stuttgart: Steiner, 1999), 275pp., DM 84.00, ISBN 3-515-07373-6.

Christoph Buchheim and Redvers Garside, eds., After the Slump. Industry and Politics in 1930s Britain and Germany (New York and Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2000), 235pp., DM 69.00. ISBN 3-631-34912-2.

Philipp Heyde, Das Ende der Reparationen. Deutschland, Frankreich und der Youngplan 1929–1932. Paderborn: Schöningh, 1998), 506 pp., DM 134.00 ISBN 3-506-77507-3.

Monika Rosengarten, Die Internationale Handelskammer. Wirtschaftspolitische Empfehlungen in der Zeit der Weltwirtschaftskrise 1929–1939 (Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2001), 360 pp., DM 148.00, ISBN 3-428-10411-0.
France, Germany and Europe
Authors: Wesseling H. L.
Published: September 2002

In 1999, a book appeared in Paris with the rather alarming title De la prochaine guerre avec l'Allemagne (‘On the future war with Germany’). It had not been written by some sensationalist science-fiction writer, but by none other than Philippe Delmas, a former aid to Roland Dumas, who was twice minister of Foreign Affairs under the Mitterrand administration.
Advances in forecasting systems at the Antarctic Meteorological Centre, Casey
Authors: Adams Neil
Published: September 2002

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has been providing weather services for Australian Antarctic expeditions since the first expedition of 1947 and the forecasting services have been gradually evolving over the decades. However, with the advent of high bandwidth communications into Antarctica in the early 1990s there has been, for the first time, access to high‐resolution satellite imagery, numerical model data and global observational datasets. Over the past seven years locally designed and developed forecast systems have matured and now provide the Antarctic forecaster with a comprehensive suite of systems to assist in the timely and accurate provision of aviation, marine and terrestrial forecasts. The ease with which these data may be manipulated, displayed and interpreted is expected to have a positive impact on the quality of forecasts provided to the Antarctic user. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society.
A backward analysis for
constraint logic programs
Authors: KING ANDY , LU LUNJIN
Published: September 2002

One recurring problem in program development is that of understanding how to re-use code
developed by a third party. In the context of (constraint) logic programming, part of this
problem reduces to figuring out how to query a program. If the logic program does not
come with any documentation, then the programmer is forced to either experiment with
queries in an ad hoc fashion or trace the control-flow of the program (backward) to infer the
modes in which a predicate must be called so as to avoid an instantiation error. This paper
presents an abstract interpretation scheme that automates the latter technique. The analysis
presented in this paper can infer moding properties which if satisfied by the initial query,
come with the guarantee that the program and query can never generate any moding or
instantiation errors. Other applications of the analysis are discussed. The paper explains how
abstract domains with certain computational properties (they condense) can be used to trace
control-flow backward (right-to-left) to infer useful properties of initial queries. A correctness
argument is presented and an implementation is reported.
Peculiarities of retaliation in WTO dispute settlement
Authors: ANDERSON KYM
Published: September 2002

The dispute resolution procedures of the World Trade Organization allow sanctions to be imposed when a country is unwilling to bring a WTO-inconsistent trade measure into conformity. Apart from the fact that the procedure for triggering the retaliation process has ambiguities that need to be removed, the retaliation itself has some undesirable economic features. This paper looks at why compensation is not preferred to retaliation and then examines five economic features of the temporary trade retaliation that WTO may permit under certain conditions. Both efficiency and equity concerns are raised. The paper concludes with some suggestions for reforming this part of WTO dispute resolution during the review of the Dispute Settlement Understanding that is due to be completed by May 2003.