bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 2: Expression and Role in Differentiation of Epidermal Keratinocyte⋆
Authors: Lian Xiaohua , Yang Tian
Published: February 2004

Abstract Plasminogen activator inhibitor 2 (PAI‐2) is an enzyme inhibitor which is involved in cell differentiation, tissue growth and regeneration. In this study, immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization and confocal laser scanning microscopy were used to investigate the expression and role of PAI‐2 in differentiation of keratinocytes in vitro. The result showed that in the mono‐layer differentiated keratinocytes induced by high calcium concentration, the expression of PAI‐2 and its mRNA increased significantly, accompanied by expression increase of the differentiation marker keratin 10; and in the multi‐layer differentiated keratinocytes induced by high calcium, PAI‐2 expressed strongly mainly in the keratinocytes of middle as well as upper stratified layers, while K10 expressed in the keratinocytes of all stratified layers. Furthermore, the changes of the parameters related to keratinocyte differentiation were detected after inhibition of PAI‐2 functions by its antibody, and the data showed that when treated by PAI‐2 antibody, involucrin in the keratinocytes envelope expressed increasingly with an altering distribution from part to the whole envelope area. Our results indicate that during differentiation of epidermal keratinocyte, PAI‐2 expresses mainly in the more differentiated keratinocytes and may protect the terminal differentiated keratinocytes from prematuration through inhibiting involucrin expression in cornified envelope.
Mechanisms of Calcium Elevation in the Micromeres of Sea Urchin Embryos
Authors: Yazaki Ikuko , Abe Michio , Santella Luigia , Koyama Yumiko
Published: February 2004

Abstract The micromeres, the first cells to be specified in sea urchin embryos, are generated by unequal cleavage at the fourth cell division. The micromeres differentiate autonomously to form spicules and dispatch signals to induce endomesoderm in the neighbouring macromeres cells in the embryo. Using a calcium indicator Fura‐2/AM and a mixture of dextran conjugated Oregon green‐BAPTA 488 and Rhodamine red, the intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) was studied in embryos at the 16‐cell stage. [Ca2+]i was characteristically elevated in the micromeres during furrowing at the 4th cleavage. Subsequently, Ca2+oscillated for about 10 min in the micromeres, resulting in episodic high levels of [Ca2+]i. High [Ca2+]i regions were associated with regional localizations of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), though not with ER accumulated at the vegetal pole of the micromeres during the 4th division. Pharmacological studies, using a blocker of IP3‐mediated Ca2+ release (Xestospongin), a store‐operated Ca2+ entry inhibitor (2 aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2‐APB)) and an inhibitor of stretch‐dependent ion channels (gadolinium), suggest that the high [Ca2+]i and oscillations in the micromeres are triggered by calcium influx caused by the activation of stretch‐dependent calcium channels, followed by the release of calcium ions from the endoplasmic reticulum. On the basis of these new findings, a possible mechanism for autonomous formation of the micromeres is discussed.
In vivo kinematics of mobile‐bearing knee arthroplasty in deep knee bending motion
Authors: Watanabe Tetsu , Yamazaki Takaharu , Sugamoto Kazuomi , Tomita Tetsuya , Hashimoto Hideo , Maeda Daisuke , Tamura Shinichi , Ochi Takahiro , Yoshikawa Hideki
Published: February 2004

The current study aimed to analyze kinematics during deep knee bending motion by subjects with fully congruent mobile‐bearing total knee arthroplasties allowing axial rotation and anteroposterior (AP) gliding. Twelve subjects were implanted with Dual Bearing Knee prostheses (DBK, slot type: Finsbury Orthopaedics, Surrey, UK). These implants include a mobile‐bearing insert that is fully congruent with the femoral component throughout flexion and allows axial rotation and limited AP translation. Sequential fluoroscopic images were taken in the sagittal plane during loaded knee bending motion. In vivo kinematics were analyzed using a two‐ to three‐dimensional registration technique, which uses computer‐assisted design models to reproduce the spatial position of femoral and tibial components from single‐view fluoroscopic images. The average femoral component demonstrated 13.4° external axial rotation for 0–120° flexion. On average, the medial condyle moved anteriorly 6.2 mm for 0–100° flexion, then posteriorly 4.0 mm for 100–120° flexion. On average, the lateral condyle moved anteriorly 1.0 mm for 0–40° flexion, then posteriorly 8.7 mm for 40–120° flexion. The typical subject exhibited a lateral pivot pattern from extension to 60° flexion and a central pivot pattern from 60° to 100° flexion, patterns that are not usually observed in normal knees. Subsequently from 100° to 120° flexion, a rollback pattern was reproduced in which bilateral condyles moved backward. © 2004 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Phytolith evidence for C4-dominated grassland since the early Holocene at Long Pocket, northeast Queensland, Australia
Authors: Thorn Vanessa C.
Published: February 2004

Preliminary phytolith analysis of ephemeral lake fill sediment at Long Pocket, near Toomba, northeast Queensland, Australia, indicates that a C4-dominated grassland with a minor woody component has been present in the region since ca. 8000 cal yr B.P. Based on the modern distribution of C4 and C3 native grasses in Australia, this suggests that mean summer temperatures of at least 14°C (ca. 10°C cooler than present) were maintained since the early Holocene. This interpretation is comparable with previous studies, which together imply that the establishment of C4-dominated grasses in central and northeast Australia occurred between the last glacial maximum (most likely after ca. 16,000 14C yr B.P.) and ca. 7200 14C yr B.P. (ca. 8000 cal yr B.P.). Taxonomic composition of the grassland appears relatively consistent since the early Holocene at Long Pocket and includes phytoliths comparable with those from modern Arundinoideae, Panicoideae, and Chloridoideae. Rare non-grass phytoliths are also present. A gradual decrease in abundance of saddle phytolith forms (attributed to Chloridoideae grasses) from the base of the record at ca. 6500–7000 cal yr B.P. suggests decreasing aridity throughout the Holocene. This trend could reflect a locally drawn out effect of the end of the postglacial arid period due to the well-drained basalt flow catchment maintaining a local arid habitat for the Chloridoideae grasses.
SHN‐1, a Shank homologue in C. elegans, affects defecation rhythm via the inositol‐1,4,5‐trisphosphate receptor
Authors: Jee Changhoon , Lee Jungsoo , Lee Jin Il , Lee Won Hae , Park Byung-Jae , Yu Jae-Ran , Park Eunhye , Kim Eunjoon , Ahnn Joohong
Published: February 2004

Protein localization in the postsynaptic density (PSD) of neurons is mediated by scaffolding proteins such as PSD‐95 and Shank, which ensure proper function of receptors at the membrane. The Shank family of scaffolding proteins contain PDZ (PSD‐95, Dlg, and ZO‐1) domains and have been implicated in the localizations of many receptor proteins including glutamate receptors in mammals. We have identified and characterized shn‐1, the only homologue of Shank in Caenorhabditis elegans. The shn‐1 gene shows approximately 40% identity over 1000 amino acids to rat Shanks. SHN‐1 protein is localized in various tissues including neurons, pharynx and intestine. RNAi suppression of SHN‐1 did not cause lethality or developmental abnormality. However, suppression of SHN‐1 in the itr‐1 (sa73) mutant, which has a defective inositol‐1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3) receptor, resulted in animals with altered defecation rhythm. Our data suggest a possible role of SHN‐1 in affecting function of IP3 receptors in C. elegans.
Overexpression of LaMDR2, a novel multidrug resistance ATP‐binding cassette transporter, causes 5‐fluorouracil resistance in Leishmania amazonensis1
Authors: Katakura Ken , Fujise Hiroshi , Takeda Keiichi , Kaneko Osamu , Torii Motomi , Suzuki Mamoru , Chang Kwang Poo , Hashiguchi Yoshihisa
Published: February 2004

The ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) proteins play an important role in drug resistance and detoxification in various organisms. Here we isolated LaMDR2, a new member of the multidrug resistance (MDR) subfamily of ABC proteins in Leishmania amazonensis. LaMDR2 exhibited 47% amino acid identity to its most closely related protein, LaMDR1, which was previously isolated from the same species. Promastigotes that overexpressed LaMDR2 showed significant resistance to 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU), but not to LaMDR1 substrates. Expression of LaMDR2 in the transfectants was relatively higher in the log phase than the stationary phase, and a lower accumulation of [3H]5‐FU was observed in the log‐phase cells. These results suggest that LaMDR2 is involved in extrusion of xenobiotics, but functionally different from LaMDR1.
The orientations of core antenna chlorophylls in photosystem II are optimized to maximize the quantum yield of photosynthesis
Authors: Vasil’ev Sergei , Shen Jian-Ren , Kamiya Nobuo , Bruce Doug
Published: February 2004

In photosystem II (PSII) the probability that energy absorbed by core antenna chlorophyll (Chl) is transferred to the reaction center (RC) is extremely high. Although close proximity between antenna Chl ensures a high transfer efficiency, relative pigment orientation can fractionally modify it. This level of refinement has often been assumed to be superfluous as so many subsequent processes limit the overall efficiency of photosynthesis. Nevertheless, did natural selection act on the most efficient step of energy conversion in PSII by optimizing the orientation of antenna Chl? Our Monte Carlo simulations sampled the orientation space of Chls in kinetic models for excitation energy transfer based on the X‐ray structures of PSII from Thermosynechococcus vulcanus and Synechocystis elongatus. Our results revealed that the orientations of key antenna Chls are optimized to maximize photosynthesis while the orientations of the two peripheral RC Chls (ChlZ) are not.
Chemical modification of glucose oxidase: possible formation of molten globule‐like intermediate structure
Authors: Hosseinkhani Saman , Ranjbar Bijan , Naderi-Manesh Hossein , Nemat-Gorgani Mohsen
Published: February 2004

Chemical modification of lysine residues in glucose oxidase was carried out using citraconic anhydride. Modification brought about changes in the kinetic properties of the enzyme as evident by substantial lowering of V
max and K
m. Enhancement of tryptophan fluorescence was observed with a dramatic change in its pH dependence due to modification. Near‐ and far‐UV circular dichroism spectra of the native and modified forms suggested formation of molten globule‐like structures, further supported by 8‐anilino‐1‐naphthalenesulfonic acid fluorescence which indicated higher exposure of hydrophobic residues as a result of chemical modification.
THE AVAILABILITY OF SOCIALLY MARKETED CONDOMS IN URBAN TANZANIA, 1997–99
Authors: AGHA SOHAIL , MEEKERS DOMINIQUE
Published: February 2004

The objective of this study was to evaluate trends in the availability of socially marketed condoms in urban Tanzania, and to assess the effect of changes in the social marketing programme’s strategy for distributing condoms to retail outlets. Three retail outlet surveys conducted in urban Tanzania in 1996/97, 1998 and 1999 were analysed. Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) was used to determine changes in availability of condoms, after adjusting for differences in the composition of the samples. Consistent with the changes in the condom social marketing distribution system, the proportion of condom outlets that were supplied by wholesalers increased from 42% in 1997 to 60% in 1999. The increasing use of wholesalers allowed sales agents to devote more time to opening new outlets. Hence, the percentage of outlets that had been solicited to sell condoms by social marketing condom sales persons increased from 14% in 1997 to 25% in 1999. Following these changes in the distribution system, the percentage of outlets selling socially marketed condoms increased from 25% to 32% between 1997 and 1998, and stabilized at that level. More detailed examination showed that availability of socially marketed condoms increased significantly in most non-traditional outlets, and in all regions of the country. In conclusion, distribution survey data indicate that changes in the distribution system increased the role of wholesalers, and enabled sales teams to allocate more time to soliciting new condom outlets. Concurrent with these changes, the availability of socially marketed condoms in non-traditional retail outlets increased significantly. Regular monitoring of condom availability can ensure that any emerging supply problems are identified and remedied quickly.
PSYCHOSOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC DETERMINANTS OF REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN THE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY
Authors: HALKJÆR JYTTE , SØRENSEN THORKILD I. A.
Published: February 2004

Differences in the prevalence of obesity between adjacent regions are quite common, but usually unexplained. This study examined whether birth place, selective migration, intelligence or education – which are both inversely and possibly causally related to obesity – are determinants of such differences. This population-based case-control study (case-cohort design) took place in the greater Copenhagen area (region 1) and surrounding provincial areas of Zealand (region 2), Denmark. A total of 2948 men with a median age of 19 years from two draft board regions during 1966–1977 were examined. The odds ratio (OR) for being obese (defined as body mass index ≥31 kg/m2) was investigated using multiple logistic regression analyses. The OR for being obese in region 2 compared with region 1 was 1·74 (1·50–2·03). Adjustment for birth place, intelligence test score and educational level reduced the OR to 1·42 (1·10–1·82). The OR for being obese for those born in region 2 compared with region 1 was 1·71 (1·46–2·01). Adjustments for intelligence test score, educational level and examination region reduced this OR to 1·13 (0·87–1·46). Irrespective of birth place, men examined in region 2 had a higher OR for being obese than those examined in region 1; this effect was most pronounced for those born in region 2 and examined in either region 1 or 2, with an OR of 1·06 (0·71–1·57) and 1·87 (1·58–2·22) respectively. In conclusion, the regional differences in the prevalence of obesity could not be explained by birth place or later selective migration, but educational level and intelligence test score did explain some of the difference.
PATHWAYS OF THE DETERMINANTS OF UNFAVOURABLE BIRTH OUTCOMES IN KENYA
Authors: MAGADI MONICA , DIAMOND IAN , MADISE NYOVANI , SMITH PETER
Published: February 2004

This paper explores the pathways of the determinants of unfavourable birth outcomes, such as premature birth, the size of the baby at birth, and Caesarean section deliveries, in Kenya using graphical log-linear chain models. The results show that a number of factors that do not have direct associations with unfavourable birth outcomes contribute to these outcomes indirectly through intermediate factors. Marital status, the desirability of a pregnancy, the use of family planning and access to health facilities have no direct associations with poor birth outcomes, such as premature births and the small size of the baby at birth, but are linked to these outcomes through antenatal care. Antenatal care is identified as a central link between various sociodemographic or reproductive factors and birth outcomes.
INCREASING PRE-TERM AND LOW-BIRTH- WEIGHT RATES OVER TIME AND THEIR IMPACT ON INFANT MORTALITY IN SOUTH-EAST BRAZIL
Authors: GOLDANI MARCELO ZUBARAN , BARBIERI MARCO ANTONIO , RONA ROBERTO JORGE , DA SILVA ANTÔNIO AUGUSTO MOURA , BETTIOL HELOISA
Published: February 2004

This study investigates the possible effects of pre-term births and low birth weight on infant mortality rates (IMRs) over a 15-year period in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, based on surveys carried out in 1978/79 and 1994. The 1978/79 survey included 6750 births over a 12-month period and the 1994 survey 2846 births over a 4-month period. Infant deaths were retrieved monthly from the city register. Infant mortality rate decreased from 36·6 to 16·9 deaths per 1000 over 15 years. The decrease in IMR was larger in the 2500–2999 g group than in any other group. The observed falls in IMR were attributable to decreases in birth-weight-specific mortality rates. Likewise, there was a general decrease in IMR in mild, moderate and severe pre-term births. The incidence rate ratio of infant mortality between surveys was 0·46 (95% CI 0·34–0·63); it increased to 0·57 (95% CI 0·35–0·75) when adjusted for birth weight and other factors in the model and rose to 0·69 (95% CI 0·49–0·97) when adjusted for length of gestation and other variables. The increase in pre-term births and low birth weight may have had, at most, a marginal effect on the IMR. Progress in the care of newborns may have decreased the mortality risk, but even mild pre-term birth still has an impact on infant mortality. There is room for further improvement in IMR by tackling the high rates of pre-term birth.
EVIDENCE OF PHENOTYPIC AND SOCIAL ASSORTATIVE MATING FOR ANTHROPOMETRIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS IN COUPLES FROM THE BASQUE COUNTRY (SPAIN)
Authors: SALCES I. , REBATO E. , SUSANNE C.
Published: February 2004

This study examined 28 anthropometrical and physiological traits in 107 married couples living in the province of Biscay (Basque Country, Spain). The aim was to verify the existence of a phenotypic and/or social preference when choosing a mate. For this, correlations between pairs of spouses were estimated by maximum likelihood, and a model of familial transmission (path analysis) was applied in order to test if social homogamy between mates existed. The results provide significant evidence of phenotypic as well as social homogamy in several of the studied traits. Even if an assortment existed when choosing a mate for bony traits such as height, the effect of cohabitation cannot be discounted as the main causal factor for the high phenotypic resemblance observed between spouses for body composition traits. In addition, with the social homogeneity of the studied sample, significant evidence of the existence of social homogamy between mates was only found for 20% of the studied variables.
HUSBAND INVOLVEMENT IN THE TREATMENT OF CHILD ILLNESS IN GUATEMALA
Authors: CARTER MARION
Published: February 2004

The aim of this study is to test prevailing assumptions that Guatemalan men are authoritative or aloof husbands and, in turn, are either problematic or irrelevant to child health. Based on survey data collected in 1994–95 about 959 children, this research examines whether, how and why husbands were involved in recent episodes of young children’s illness and sheds light on the potential effect of husband involvement on treatment. A relatively high percentage of women reported that they asked for advice or assistance from their husbands regarding child illness, and, contrary to popular notions, the multivariate analyses suggest that husbands' involvement was not driven by their household authority. Rather, key determinants of whether husbands gave advice or assistance included characteristics of the illness and child and the availability of sources of social support, while key determinants of what kind of support husbands gave (namely whether they gave/bought medicines, recommended a provider visit, or gave other advice or assistance) largely related to characteristics of the illness and child, as well as the availability of biomedical health care providers in the community and ethnicity.
OBESITY AND THE RATE OF TIME PREFERENCE: IS THERE A CONNECTION?
Authors: KOMLOS JOHN , SMITH PATRICIA K. , BOGIN BARRY
Published: February 2004

It is hypothesized that recent trends in US and worldwide obesity are, in part, related to an increase in the marginal rate of time preference, where time preference refers to the rate at which people are willing to trade current benefit for future benefit. The higher the rate of time preference, the larger is the factor by which individuals discount the future health risks associated with current consumption. Data from the United States, as well as international evidence, suggest that a relationship between these two variables is plausible. The authors encourage researchers to explore the possible link between obesity and time preference, as important insights are likely to result.
CONSANGUINITY, CASTE AND DEAF-MUTISM IN PUNJAB, 1921
Authors: BITTLES A. H. , SULLIVAN S. G. , ZHIVOTOVSKY L. A.
Published: February 2004

The effects of religion, population sub-division and geography on the prevalence of deaf-mutism were investigated using information collected in the 1921 Census of Punjab. The total sample size was 9·36 million, and comprised data on thirteen Hindu castes, seventeen Muslim biraderis and two Sikh castes. A two-way analysis of variance comparing males in Hindu castes in which consanguineous marriage was prohibited, with males in Muslim biraderis which favoured first cousin marriage, indicated major differences with respect to the patterns of deaf-mutism within each religion. In the Muslim population 9·1% of the relative variation in the prevalence of deaf-mutism was inter-biraderi, 36·8% between geographical regions, and 48·8% an interaction between biraderi and region, whereas among Hindus 46·8% of the observed variation was inter-caste, 12·8% inter-region and 33·6% due to caste–region interaction. From a wider disease perspective the results obtained with the Hindu community indicate the significant genetic differentiation associated with caste endogamy. As the overwhelming majority of Hindu marriages continue to be within-caste, it can be predicted that similar levels of inter-caste differences in disease frequency currently exist. By comparison, the lower level of inter-biraderi variation among Muslims is probably indicative of the dissolution of pre-existing caste boundaries and the resultant gene pool mixing that followed the large-scale conversion of Hindus to Islam during Muslim rule in North India from the 13th to the 19th centuries.
Anthropogenic factors affecting wild dog Lycaon pictus
reintroductions: a case study in Zimbabwe
Authors: Davies Harriet T. , du Toit Johan T.
Published: February 2004

In 1997 a pack of African wild dogs Lycaon
pictus was reintroduced to Matusadona National Park in
north-western Zimbabwe. Here we use this case study to consider
anthropogenic factors likely to affect the success of wild dog
reintroductions in southern Africa. Potential wild dog–human conflict was
investigated using a questionnaire, administered to communal farmers near
the Park, that recorded the incidence of livestock predation, snaring,
traditional uses and attitudes of local people towards wild dogs. Predation
on livestock was negligible, with wild dogs being responsible for <2% of
goat losses to wild predators. Twenty-four different traditional uses for
wild dogs and their body parts were described by 54% of survey respondents.
Less than 25% of survey respondents were aware of the reintroduction, and
only 20% felt positive about it. Recommendations for future wild dog
reintroductions include before-and-after public relations and education
programmes in neighbouring communities, monitoring to determine actual
causes and rates of post-release wild dog mortality and vaccination against
canid diseases.
Religious Tolerance—The Pacemaker for Cultural Rights
Authors: Habermas Jürgen
Published: February 2004

Religious toleration first became legally enshrined in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Religious toleration led to the practice of more general inter-subjective recognition of members of democratic states which took precedence over differences of conviction and practice. After considering the extent to which a democracy may defend itself against the enemies of democracy and to which it should be prepared to tolerate civil disobedience, the article analyses the contemporary dialectic between the notion of civil inclusion and multiculturalism. Religious toleration is seen as the pacemaker for modern multiculturalism, in which the claims of minorities to civic inclusion are recognized so long as members of all groups understand themselves to be citizens of one and the same political community.
How Popper [Might Have] Solved the Problem of Induction
Authors: Musgrave Alan
Published: February 2004

Popper famously claimed that he had solved the problem of induction, but few agree. This paper explains what Popper's solution was, and defends it. The problem is posed by Hume's argument that any evidence-transcending belief is unreasonable because (1) induction is invalid and (2) it is only reasonable to believe what you can justify. Popper avoids Hume's shocking conclusion by rejecting (2), while accepting (1). The most common objection is that Popper must smuggle in induction somewhere. But this objection smuggles in precisely the justificationist assumption (2) that Popper, as here undestood, rejects.
Ethics and the Tractatus: A Resolute Failure
Authors: Cahill Kevin
Published: February 2004

The paper assumes for its starting point the basic correctness of the so-called “resolute” reading of Wittgenstein's Tractatus, a reading first developed by Cora Diamond and James Conant. The main part of the paper concerns the consequences this interpretation will have for our understanding of Wittgenstein's well-known remark in a letter to a prospective publisher that the point or aim of his book was an ethical one. I first give a sketch of what, given the committments of the resolute reading, the ethical point of the book will be, and then argue that given these committments and Wittgenstein's own philosophical biases at the time he wrote the Tractatus, the book cannot serve the ethical purpose for which it was written.
Property and its Enemies
Authors: de Jasay Anthony
Published: February 2004

Ownership is a relation with characteristics that force society to function more effectively and that make property a target of much hostility. Among the intellectual enemies of property, Locke is arguably the most influential. His “enough and as good left for others” condition, that he believed to be easily satisfied, was a failed attempt morally to justify property. Instead, it succeeded in undermining its legitimacy. Hume identified the existence of a convention,—in today's language, a Nash-equilibrium—which, being wholly voluntary and ageless, has attractive moral qualities besides ensuring the “stability of possession”. A recent attack against the “myth of property” by Murphy and Nagel is guided by an erroneous understanding of the nature of conventions.
The Logical Function of ‘That’, or Truth, Propositions and Sentences
Authors: Harrison Jonathan
Published: February 2004

(i) It is propositions, not sentences, that are true or false. It is true ‘Dogs bark’ does not make sense. It is true that dogs bark does. (ii) and (iii) Davidson wrong about ‘that’. (iv) The difference between ‘implies’ and ‘if ... then ...’. (v), (vi), (vii) and (viii) Russell, not Quine, right about the subject matter of logic. (ix) The objectual and substitutional interpretations of quantifiers compatible. (x), (xi), (xii), (xiii), (xiv), (xv) and (xvi) Implications for well-known theories of truth; truth correspondence. (xvii), (xviii) and (xix) and (xx) Implications for the principle of bivalence, the law of excluded middle, and the principle of non-contradiction. (xxi) Recapitulation. (xxii) ‘That’ and entailment. (xxiii) Propositions not entities, subsistent or otherwise.
The ‘Mental State’ Theory of Intentions
Authors: Scheer Richard
Published: February 2004

This theory regards intentions as mental states, e.g., attitudes, which, typically, have causal power. But we do not speak of our intentions as having such powers. Instead, we speak of a person's resolve, determination, or his anxiety, eagerness, and so forth, as the ‘powers’ that move us. Of course, one desires for various reasons to carry out his various intentions but that desire is not a component of the intentions. An intention is, roughly, the course of action that one has adopted, so it has no such components.

There are other characteristics of intentions which the mental state idea of intentions does not share. Intentions do not have the temporal characteristics that mental states have, or share the curious context dependency that intentions have. And since, according to the theory, mental states operate causally, it would not be possible for a person to commit himself to a course of action as we ordinarily do when we make a promise or sign an agreement or contract.
The myth of religious experience
Authors: ZANGWILL NICK
Published: February 2004

I argue that people do not and cannot have religious experiences that are perceptual experiences with theological content and that provide some justification for the belief in God. I discuss William Alston's resourceful defence of this idea. My strategy is to say that religious perception would either have to be by means of one of the ordinary five senses or else by means of some special sixth religious sense. In either case insoluble epistemological problems arise. The problem is with perceiving God as God, which we need to do if reasons to believe in God are to be generated. To do so, we would have to perceive the instantiation of His essential properties – being all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good. But perceiving the instantiation of these properties of God, even by some special sixth religious sense, is impossible. Hence, God cannot be perceived either by the ordinary five senses or by a sixth religious sense. Religious perceptual experiences are a myth.
A morally unsurpassable God must create the best
Authors: WIELENBERG ERIK J.
Published: February 2004

I present a novel argument for the position that a morally unsurpassable God must create the best world that He has the power to create. I show that grace-based considerations of the sort proposed by Robert Adams neither refute my argument nor establish that a morally unsurpassable God need not create the best. I conclude with a discussion of the implications of my argument for the ‘no-best-world’ response to the problem of evil.
Religious luck and religious virtue
Authors: KATZOFF CHARLOTTE
Published: February 2004

Following Linda Zagzebski's discussion of the paradoxical implications of moral luck for Christian morality, I explore the role of religious luck in two accounts of divine election – that of Paul the Apostle and that of the sixteenth-century Jewish thinker, Rabbi Judah Loeb of Prague. On both accounts, special religious status is conferred unrelated to the deserts of the beneficiary. What sense does it make to ascribe religious worth to someone if it simply came his way? Both accounts appeal to the notion of religious virtue to answer this question. On Rabbi Judah's account, like ethical virtues, religious virtues inhere within the essence of their bearer and thus belong to him necessarily; on Paul's they are accidental, a matter of luck. Thus Paul's account, more than Rabbi Judah's, suffers from the paradox troubling Zagzebski.
Information Capabilities of Integrated Bridge Systems
Authors: Belev Blagovest Chanev
Published: February 2004

Clod Shannon's fundamental works in the field of Theory of Information are well known and used in many different fields of science and practice. The Theory provides good criteria to evaluate equipment, systems, different effects and situations from the point of view of the necessary information. This article uses the Theory to attempt to create an information model for a “Ship-Danger to Navigation” system, which can evaluate an Integrated Bridge System in critical situations.
Robust Trajectory Planning for Target Following Vision-based Autonomous Land Vehicle Guidance
Authors: Ku Ching-Heng , Tsai Wen-Hsiang
Published: February 2004

We propose a robust trajectory planning method for vision-based autonomous land vehicle (ALV) guidance by target following using a visual field model. The proposed trajectory planning method aims to guide the ALV to achieve the goal that the targeted person will always appear in the image. It is found in this study that the goal can be achieved if three visual contact constraints in the visual field model are satisfied. The first constraint postulates that the target has appeared in the image. The second constraint asks that the vehicle head at the next position points straight towards to the target's current position. The third constraint sets bounds between the next position of the ALV and the current position of the target. A formula for the trajectory of the vehicle that satisfies the second visual contact constraint is derived. The steps for generating a speed and a turn angle of the ALV for real-time navigation are described as a trajectory-planning algorithm. Finally, the approach is tested on a real ALV and successful navigation sessions confirm the feasibility and the robustness of the approach.
Modelling and Simulation for Safe and Efficient Navigation in Narrow Waterways
Authors: Ince A. N. , Topuz E.
Published: February 2004

This paper outlines the design of a Vessel Traffic Management and Information System (VTMIS) for the Turkish Straits and taking this as an example shows how modelling and simulation may aid safe and efficient navigation of vessels through waterways which are narrow and winding with changing currents and are therefore difficult to navigate and prone to accidents. Ship Handling and Vessel Traffic Flow simulation models and Hyrographic Prediction model are described and the simulation trials conducted under different traffic and environment conditions are discussed to show the role that these prediction and simulation programmes can play in preventing marine casualities in different waterways, which may result in loss of human lifes and property and contamination of the environment.
The Changes in Maritime Navigation and the Competences of Navigators
Authors: Kopacz Z. , Morgaś W. , Urbański J.
Published: February 2004

The issues in this paper are a continuation of those presented previously by the authors in The Journal. In this paper we discuss the changes in maritime navigation and their consequences. We show the changes taking place in the ship's navigation process and in development of Maritime Navigation Safety and Efficiency System (MNSES). The relations between these two processes are examined. As the result, a probable scope of the competencies required by future navigators is proposed.
GMDSS False Alerts: A Persistent Problem for the Safety of Navigation at Sea
Authors: Tzannatos E. S.
Published: February 2004

GMDSS alerting was introduced in order to automate the call for search and rescue of a ship in distress, through the utilization of the most modern terrestrial and celestial communication systems. However, the GMDSS suffers from the inefficiencies associated with equipment design, operator competence and, most importantly, with those relevant to the equipment–operator interface. The GMDSS inefficiencies are frequently manifested in the form of false alerts, which apart from using resources, degrade the overall effectiveness of the SAR operation. In this paper, the GMDSS post-full-implementation record of false alerts received by the Greek MRCC is presented and analyzed. The observed persistence of high incidence of false alerts dictates the need for the proposal of further measures to combat false alerts, to promote the intended mission of the system and to generally improve the safety of navigation at sea.
Radar Inaccuracies and Mid-Air Collision Risk: Part 1 A Dynamic Methodology
Authors: Brooker Peter
Published: February 2004

Air traffic controllers use a radar separation minimum when keeping aircraft safely apart. The choice of minimum needs to ensure, to a very high degree of confidence, that radar inaccuracies are not putting the aircraft into a risk of collision – controllers can of course be required to use larger minima for operational reasons. A particular separation minimum necessarily feeds back into requirements on radar design criteria, data processing and performance. The estimation of the radar separation minimum is significantly improved by the use of a new methodology. Previous derivations were a major step forward, but were ‘static’, in that they did not attempt to take properly into account how controllers use separation minima dynamically. An analysis on the use of separation minima in en route airspace by controllers concludes that they are generally likely to use the radar minimum to pass aircraft, rather than to use the minimum in a ‘strategic’ sense (e.g. ‘in trail’ separation). The new ‘Event Model’ methodology recognises that collisions cannot happen instantly: the aircraft pair concerned must move from a safe configuration to a hazardous one. Collisions are therefore events caused by flawed flight paths, dependent on both the initial positions of aircraft and their subsequent movements and velocities.
Radar Inaccuracies and Mid-Air Collision Risk: Part 2 En Route Radar Separation Minima
Authors: Brooker Peter
Published: February 2004

A review of safety targets for en route ATC radar separation suggests that the existing target level of safety (TLS) is over-cautious. If risk budgeting principles are followed consistently, a ‘radar TLS’ of 1·0×10−9 fatal aircraft accidents per flying hour is appropriate. This rate is consistent with Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) guidance on system failure conditions leading to catastrophic accidents. Dynamic and static calculations using published data are compared. The new methodology shows where there are problems with the traditional static calculations, and how to improve the estimation. A further improvement introduces a simple robust model of the controller's decision processes. The focus is not on describing what controllers would generally do, but on setting criteria based on what they could not reasonably be expected to do. This additional ingredient into the calculation adds realism and ensures that attention is focused on hazardous correlated errors. Focused data collection would be an essential component of new risk estimates. The key information required would be on radar performance and the nature and frequency of use of radar separation, including the relative velocities for proximate events at closest point of approach and the frequency of correlated gross errors (through a conditional probability factor). If this factor is not properly taken into account, then the data collection and analysis could be inefficient.
Sub-Metre Accuracy for Stand Alone GPS Positioning in Hydrographic Surveying
Authors: Saka M. H. , Kavzoglu T. , Ozsamli C. , Alkan R. M.
Published: February 2004

The accuracy that can be achieved by a single GPS receiver in stand-alone mode is around 10 metres with SA switched off; this is not adequate for most hydrographic studies. This study aims to improve this level of accuracy using a single geodetic receiver in stand-alone mode by applying a phase smoothing algorithm. The algorithm described in this study requires that the measurements be started from a known point for initialisation. The test site selected for the study is Halic bay, Istanbul. After GPS data were collected on a geodetic point for initialisation, the receiver was moved to a hydrographic vessel and trial measurements were performed along several survey profiles. The position of the vessel was calculated at every epoch using the carrier phase smoothing algorithm. In order to analyse the accuracy of the results, a second receiver collected data on another known point on the seashore during the whole session. The position of the vessel was accurately determined using a kinematic positioning method considering the data collected by both receivers. The results produced show that an accuracy of less than a metre can be achieved using the approach considered in this study.
Development of an Integrated Low-Cost GPS/Rate Gyro System for Attitude Determination
Authors: Wang Chaochao , Lachapelle Gérard , Elizabeth Cannon M.
Published: February 2004

The use of low-cost GPS receivers and antennas for attitude determination can significantly reduce the overall hardware system cost. Compared to the use of high performance GPS receivers, the carrier phase measurements from low-cost equipment are subject to additional carrier phase measurement errors, such as multipath, antenna phase centre variation and noise. These error sources, together with more frequent cycle slip occurrences, severely deteriorate attitude determination availability, reliability and accuracy performance. This paper presents the investigation of a low-cost GPS/gyro integration system for attitude determination. By employing the dead reckoning sensor type, the ambiguity search region can be specifically defined as a small cube to enhance the ambiguity resolution process. A Kalman filter is implemented to fuse the rate gyro data with GPS carrier phase measurements. The quality control system based on innovation sequences is used to identify cycle slip occurrences and incorrect inter-antenna vector solutions. The availability of the integrated system also improves with respect to the GPS standalone system since the attitude parameters can be estimated using the angular rate measurements from rate gyros during GPS outages. The low-cost hardware used to design and test the integrated system consists of CMC Allstar receivers with the OEM AT575-70 antennas and Murata ENV-05D-52 piezoelectric vibrating rate gyroscopes. Tests in the urban area demonstrated that the introduction of rate gyros in a GPS-based attitude determination system not only effectively decreased the noise level in the estimated attitude parameters but coasted the attitude output during GPS outages and also significantly improved the system reliability.
GNSS-based Road User Charging
Authors: Vrhovski Drazen , Moore Terry , Bennett Lloyd
Published: February 2004

The last few years have seen a rapid growth of applications based on positioning information provided by satellite positioning systems. In transport management and control, satellite positioning has proven to be the most promising means for spatial location data collection. With the GPS modernisation programme well underway, and the recent developments of the Galileo project, even more GNSS-based applications are to be expected in the future. One such GNSS-based application is the use of position and velocity information as the prime input to a road user charging (RUC) scheme. However, navigation in urban environments raises a number of problems. Most important are the difficulties related to signal obstruction by features such as tall buildings, urban canyons, bridges and trees, as well as the effects of multipath caused by signal reflections from buildings and other vehicles. Given the inevitable limitations of road trials, the use of simulation modelling to assess the present and future satellite positioning systems' performance to support urban RUC seems indispensable. The main objective of the research undertaken at the University of Nottingham Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy (IESSG), and the Nottingham Centre for Infrastructure (NCI), was to develop a tool to simulate GPS for Satellite Positioning-based Road User Charging (SPRUC). In this regard, an existing GPS simulator was modified to rectify one of its major weaknesses, namely the inability to address properly the change in non-static GPS measurements with respect to changes in built environment. For this purpose, state-of-the-art Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software was used to complement the simulator, and consequently a seamless interface between the two software has been developed. Finally, in order to provide a prime input to the simulator, field tests have been undertaken and significant amounts of GPS data were collected. Statistics were also derived for positioning accuracy and signal availability so that the results from the simulation modelling can be validated against those from the undertaken road trials.
Incorporation of Neural Network State Estimator for GPS Attitude Determination
Authors: Jwo Dah-Jing , Pai Chun-Fan
Published: February 2004

The Global Positioning System (GPS) can be employed as a free attitude determination interferometer when carrier phase measurements are utilized. Conventional approaches for the baseline vectors are essentially based on the least-squares or Kalman filtering methods. The raw attitude solutions are inherently noisy if the solutions of baseline vectors are obtained based on the least-squares method. The Kalman filter attempts to minimize the error variance of the estimation errors and will provide the optimal result while it is required that the complete a priori knowledge of both the process noise and measurement noise covariance matrices are available. In this article, a neural network state estimator, which replaces the Kalman filter, will be incorporated into the attitude determination mechanism for estimating the attitude angles from the noisy raw attitude solutions. Employing the neural network estimator improves robustness compared to the Kalman filtering method when uncertainty in noise statistical knowledge exists. Simulation is conducted and a comparative evaluation based on the neural network estimator and Kalman filter is provided.
Gesundheitsbewertung vs. Arbeitszufriedenheit: Der Zusammenhang von Indikatoren des subjektiven Wohlbefindens mit selbstberichteten Fehlzeiten
Authors: Sczesny Sabine , Thau Stefan
Published: February 2004

Zusammenfassung. In der vorliegenden Studie wird ausgehend von der Annahme, dass Personen bestrebt sind, für sich Wohlbefinden zu erzielen bzw. aufrechtzuerhalten, Fehlen als ein Mittel zu diesem Ziel hin konzeptualisiert. Es wird der Frage nachgegangen, welcher der beiden Indikatoren des subjektiven Wohlbefindens - allgemeine Gesundheitsbewertung vs. Arbeitszufriedenheit - für die Erklärung von Fehlzeiten von höherer Relevanz ist. Es wird erwartet, dass der kontextungebundene Indikator psychischen und körperlichen Wohlbefindens stark mit Fehlzeiten zusammenhängt, während der arbeitspezifische Indikator in keiner Beziehung zu den selbstberichteten Fehlzeiten steht. 1 410 Beschäftigte einer Telekommunikationsfirma wurden befragt. Die Ergebnisse hierarchischer Regressionsanalysen bestätigen die vermuteten Zusammenhänge und geben korrelative Hinweise für den postulierten Mechanismus.
Differenzielle Zusammenhänge von Arbeitsbelastungen und Ressourcen mit Dimensionen des Burnout
Authors: Neubach Barbara , Schmidt Klaus-Helmut
Published: February 2004

Zusammenfassung. In Anlehnung an das Burnout-Modell von Leiter (1993) wird untersucht, ob Arbeitsbelastungen bzw. Ressourcen und die Burnout-Dimensionen emotionale Erschöpfung und Depersonalisation unterschiedlich korreliert sind und ob die Zusammenhänge durch eine Mediatorfunktion der emotionalen Erschöpfung vermittelt werden. In einer Stichprobe von 310 Mitarbeitern der stationären Altenpflege fand sich der von Leiter postulierte Mediatoreffekt: Arbeitsbelastungen zeigten einen direkten Zusammenhang zu emotionaler Erschöpfung und einen indirekten - über die emotionale Erschöpfung vermittelten - zu “Depersonalisation“. Dagegen standen Ressourcen ausschließlich in direktem Zusammenhang mit beiden Burnout-Dimensionen.