bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compact dual‐band circularly polarized antenna for GPS/ETC operation on vehicles
Authors: Su Che‐Wei , Su Chih‐Ming , Wong Kin‐Lu
Published: February 2004

A new integration design of two circularly polarized (CP) antennas for global positioning system (GPS) and electronic toll collection system (ETC) is presented. A probe‐fed corner‐truncated square microstrip antenna, which is a resonant‐type structure, is used for GPS operation at 1575 MHz. For achieving broadband CP operation in the 5800 MHz band (5725–5875 MHz) for ETC operation, a monopole‐fed CP loop antenna, which is a traveling‐wave‐type structure, is applied. The two antennas are integrated in a compact configuration in the proposed design and are suitable for GPS and ETC operations on vehicles. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 40: 509–511, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20018
DC–12‐GHz 10‐dB gain shunt‐series shunt‐shunt wideband amplifiers by commercially available 0.35 μM SiGe HBT technology
Authors: Meng C. C. , Wu T. H. , Huang G. W.
Published: February 2004

The realization of wideband amplifiers with shunt‐series shunt‐shunt dual‐feedback configuration with commercially available 0.35‐μm SiGe BiCMOS technology is reported. The SiGe HBT used here has ft of 67 GHz and BVceo of 2.5 V. The experimental results show that power gain is 10 dB from DC to 12 GHz for a shunt‐series shunt‐shunt wideband amplifier, with the help of the emitter capacitive peaking technique. Input‐ and output‐return losses are better than 10 dB for the same frequency range. Noise figure increases from 8 to 12 dB for frequencies from 1 to 18 GHz. OP1dB and OIP3 are 0 dBm and 12 dBm at 1 GHz, respectively. Total current consumption is 11 mA at 3.3 V supply voltage. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 40: 518–520, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20021
An enhanced cavity model for microstrip antennas
Authors: Gan Yeow‐Beng , Chua Chee‐Parng , Li Le‐Wei
Published: February 2004

An enhanced cavity model for analyzing microstrip patch antenna is presented. The predicted resonant frequency and resonant resistance of the antenna are in good agreement with measured data. Theoretical results of the enhanced model are also compared with some commonly used models to determine their range of validity. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 40: 520–523, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20022
Looking for strengths in response to AIDS: individual, group and public authority roles in strategy
Authors: Curtis Donald
Published: February 2004

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a challenge not only to medical understanding but also to understanding about how society works or can be made to work. New treatment regimes have to be matched with new social organisation. Caring and coping present society‐wide challenges and to the need to reinvent key social institutions in order to respond effectively. Existing studies demonstrate the vulnerability of modern, large‐scale state institutions to loss of knowledge, skill and competence in the face of high attrition rates in their pay role staff. Equally, family and kinship as well as other civil society institutions or ‘traditional’ social structures may be so disrupted by the loss of carers and providers that they cease to generate adequate levels of well‐being and security. The role of key individuals in providing public leadership is recognised but the significance of personal networks in communicating effective messages and mores is more difficult to pin down. Associations and mass movements have emerged that play a vital role in changing social attitudes and behaviour, and social institutions are adapting to the challenge. It appears that diverse social responses are essential, but, I argue, public policy thinking has a ‘centralist’, hierarchical, bias that discourages' sensible thinking about plural, diverse, strategies. This article seeks to develop a way of thinking about strategy, around the idea of institutional competence, to take account of, and be responsive to, diverse social forms and initiatives. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermotropic liquid crystalline poly (hydrazone–ether)s containing thiadiazole moiety in the main chain
Authors: Al‐Muaikel Nayef S
Published: February 2004

A new homologous series of thermotropic liquid crystalline poly(hydrazone–ether)s based on the 1,3,4‐thiadiazole moiety in the main chain was synthesized by solution polycondensation of various diformyl‐α,ω‐diphenoxyalkanes with 2,5‐bis(mercaptoacetic hydrazide)‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole. The inherent viscosity of the polymers was prepared in the range of 0.39–0.76 dl g−1. The phase behaviour of these polymers was studied by differential scanning calorimetry, optical polarizing microscopy using a heated stage, and thermogravimetric analysis. Almost all the polymers exhibited thermotropic liquid crystalline properties. In most cases, the mesophase extends to 335 °C, where thermal decomposition prevents further observation. Methoxy substituents on the benzene ring of these polymers lower the transition temperature significantly. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Swelling and elasticity of hydrogels based on poly(ethylene oxide) macroinimer
Authors: Melekaslan Demet , Kasapoglu Fatmanur , Ito Koichi , Yagci Yusuf , Okay Oguz
Published: February 2004

A novel method for the preparation of hydrogels based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is presented. A PEO macroinimer possessing both polymerizable and radical generation sites was used to obtain hydrogels having dangling PEO chains. It was shown that PEO macroinimer acts during photopolymerization, both as a monomer and a crosslinker and thus, leads to the formation of hydrogels of various swelling capacities and moduli of elasticity. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Synthesis of polyglactin by melt/solid polycondensation of glycolic/L‐lactic acids
Authors: Moon Sung‐Il , Deguchi Kenji , Miyamoto Masatoshi , Kimura Yoshiharu
Published: February 2004

Polyglactin was successfully synthesized by the melt/solid polycondensation of a mixture of glycolic acid (GA) and L‐lactic acid (LA) mostly at a GA to LA monomer ratio of 90/10. In the polymerization procedure, a solid polycondensate was first prepared by melt‐polycondensation at 150–190 °C, mechanically crushed into particles of various sizes (150–180, 180–210, 210–250, 250–300 and 300–355 µm), and subjected to solid‐state post‐polycondensation at 170 °C for 10–20 h. The polyglactin finally obtained was a colourless solid. Catalyst screening revealed that the single use of methanesulfonic acid gave the highest molecular weight of the product. Starting from the crushed melt‐polycondensate with a diameter range of 180–250 µm, the highest number‐average molecular weight of attained was 80 000 Da. This process can afford a facile route to large‐scale synthesis of polyglactin with high molecular weight. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Effects of tetramethylpolycarbonate‐block‐poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) copolymers containing various amounts of acrylonitrile on the interfacial properties of polycarbonate and poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) blends
Authors: Kim Y , Kim JH , Kim CK
Published: February 2004

Tetramethylpolycarbonate‐block‐poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (TMPC‐block‐SAN) block copolymers containing various amounts of acrylonitrile (AN) were examined as compatibilizers for blends of polycarbonate (PC) with poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN) copolymers. To explore the effects of block copolymers on the compatibility of PC/SAN blends, the average diameter of the dispersed particles in the blend was measured with an image analyzer, and the interfacial properties of the blends were analyzed with an imbedded fibre retraction technique and an asymmetric double‐cantilever beam fracture test. Reduction in the average diameter of dispersed particles and effective improvement in the interfacial properties was observed by adding TMPC‐block‐SAN copolymers as compatibilizer of PC/SAN blend. TMPC‐block‐SAN copolymer was effective as a compatibilizer when the difference in the AN content of SAN copolymer and that of SAN block in TMPC‐block‐SAN copolymer was less than about 10 wt%. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Statistical thermodynamics predictions of the solubility parameter
Authors: Utracki LA , Simha R
Published: February 2004

The Simha and Somcynsky (S‐S) lattice‐hole theory has been shown to represent accurately the pressure–volume–temperature (PVT) surface of chain molecular melts and their mixtures. The characteristic scaling parameters, P*, T* and V*, extracted from equation of state (eos) measurements, are known for a large number of polymers. On this basis it is possible to compute the configurational internal energy density and thus the solubility parameter δ as a function of temperature and pressure, δ = δ(T, P). In the first part of this paper it is shown that the theory leads to an energy approximately proportional to the first power of density, that is of the van der Waals type, as found for low molar mass fluids by Hildebrand. We continue with a computation of δ for a series of polymer melts at two levels of temperature, namely T = 25 °C and T = Tg + 300 K. Next, the results are compared with those listed in reference publications, all at ambient pressure. The theoretical values extrapolated from the melt to 25 °C were systematically higher than those listed. However, good correlation is obtained with the high‐temperature calculations for a large variety of polymers. Arguments for this low–high temperature correlation are presented in terms of corresponding levels of molecular mobility and packing in solution and in bulk. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Oligomer and random copolymer layer in relation to enhancement of interfacial adhesion at polystyrene/poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) interface
Authors: Kim Hyun‐Joong , Rafailovich Miriam , Sokolov Jonathan
Published: February 2004

This study examines the interfacial adhesion between poly(styrene) (PS) and poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN) interfaces reinforced with poly(styrene‐co‐vinyl phenol) (PS‐ran‐PSPh) random copolymers using an asymmetric double‐cantilever beam (ADCB) test. The effects of oligomer and copolymer composition on interfacial adhesion were investigated. The results showed that the interfacial adhesion of the PS/SAN interface was increased significantly after removing the residual oligomer from the SAN. The interfacial adhesion was also measured for five‐purified SAN materials in the range 17–31 wt%. The highest level of PS/SAN adhesion was observed for 17% AN (acrylonitrile) materials. In addition, the interfacial adhesion of a mixture of diblock and random copolymer was measured in order to investigate which is the most effective method. The results showed that mixture systems are more cost‐effective with higher adhesion, which is independent of temperature. Atomic force microscopy showed that a single craze ahead of the crack is a possible failure mode during PS/SAN interface fracture. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Effect of the thermal history of a rubber composite on the adhesion strength
Authors: Chung Kyung‐Ho , Im Wan‐Bin , Kaang Shinyoung , Yoon Tae‐Ho
Published: February 2004

In this study, the geometry of the tyre cord adhesion test (TCAT) was used to evaluate the adhesion strength between rubber and fibre. The activation energy (ΔE) of rubber compound used in this study was 72.43 kJ mol−1 and the difference of cure state between the inside and outside regions of the TCAT specimen with curing time was elucidated using the value of ΔE. The difference in cure state between the inside and outside regions of the TCAT specimen corresponded to the effect of 5.06 min of curing time. The cure state of the inside region of the TCAT specimen greatly affected the final adhesion strength and the results were confirmed by additional experiments. It was concluded that optimum adhesion between rubber and cord could not be obtained in a TCAT specimen unless the additional curing time to reach the optimum cure state of the inside region of the TCAT specimen was taken into account. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Synthesis and characterization of block comb‐like copolymers P(A‐MPEO)‐block‐PSt
Authors: Li Yu‐Gang , Shi Peng‐Jie , Zhou Yunshen , Pan Cai‐Yuan
Published: February 2004

Amphiphilic block comb‐shaped copolymers, poly[poly(ethylene oxide) methyl ether acrylate]‐block‐polystyrene [P(A‐MPEO)‐block‐PSt] with PSt as a handle, were successfully synthesized via a macromonomer technique. The reaction of MPEO with acryloyl chloride yielded a macromonomer, A‐MPEO. The macroinitiator PSt capped with the dithiobenzoate group (PSt‐SC(S)Ph) was prepared by reversible addition–fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization of styrene in the presence of benzyl dithiobenzoate, and used as macroinitiator in the controlled radical block copolymerization of A‐MPEO at room temperature under 60Co irradiation. After the unreacted macromonomer A‐MPEO had been removed by washing with hot saturated saline water, block comb‐shaped copolymers were obtained. Their structure was characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The phase transition and self‐assembling behaviour were investigated by atomic force microscope and differential scanning calorimetry. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Optimal Representative Blocks for the Efficient Tracking of a Moving Object
Authors: Kim SangJoo , Kim WanCheol , Lee JangMyung
Published: February 2004

Optimal representative blocks are proposed for an efficient tracking of a moving object and it is verified experimentally by using a mobile robot with a pan‐tilt camera. The key idea comes from the fact that when the image size of a moving object is shrunk in an image frame according to the distance between the camera of mobile robot and the moving object, the tracking performance of a moving object can be improved by shrinking the size of representative blocks according to the object image size. Motion estimation using edge detection (ED) and block‐matching algorithm (BMA) are often used in the case of moving object tracking by vision sensors. However, these methods often miss the real‐time vision data since these schemes suffer from the heavy computational load. To overcome this problem and to improve the tracking performance, the optimal representative block that can reduce a lot of data to be computed is defined and optimized by changing the size of the representative block according to the size of object in the image frame. The proposed algorithm is verified experimentally by using a mobile robot with a two degree‐of‐freedom active camera. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A New Immune Genetic Algorithm and Its Application in Redundant Manipulator Path Planning
Authors: Luo Xiaoping , Wei Wei
Published: February 2004

In this paper, first the immune system is analyzed in a relatively deeper and all‐sided point of view reflecting the fresh research in biology. Second, based on the previous statements, a new optimization method, the immune genetic algorithm (IGA), is presented by simulating the behavior of the biological immune system and is proved to converge to the global optimum with probability 1. Third, a new method on the multi‐object optimization that is transformed into a single‐object one is proposed based on the joints' best compliance in the redundant robot path planning using IGA. Last, the experiment results show that the method of this article behaves more successfully. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ultrasonographic measurement of fetal nasal bone in a low‐risk population at 19–22 gestational weeks
Authors: Gámez F. , Ferreiro P. , Salmeán J. M.
Published: February 2004

Objective

To determine the potential value of sonographic measurement of fetal nasal bone at 19–22 weeks' gestation in screening for trisomy 21 in a low‐risk population.

Methods

The fetal nasal bone was measured in a mid‐sagittal view in 2035 fetuses at 19–22 weeks' gestation. A reference range was constructed and the measurements in fetuses with trisomy 21 were compared to the normal group.

Results

The fetal profile was successfully examined in 1913/2035 (94%) fetuses. The mean nasal bone length increased linearly with gestation from 6.2 mm at 19 weeks to 6.8 mm at 22 weeks. Nasal bone hypoplasia, defined by absence of the bone or a measurement below the 2.5th centile, was observed in 34/1899 (1.8%) chromosomally normal fetuses (1.8%), in 5/5 fetuses with trisomy 21 and in 0/9 fetuses with other chromosomal defects.

Conclusion

At 19–22 weeks' gestation, nasal bone hypoplasia is observed in a high proportion of trisomy 21 fetuses and in less than 2% of chromosomally normal fetuses. Copyright © 2003 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Doppler application in the delivery timing of the preterm growth‐restricted fetus: another step in the right direction
Authors: Baschat A. A.
Published: February 2004

This article provides an opinion on a study of relationships between umbilical artery (UA) Doppler, ductus venosus (DV) Doppler, fetal heart rate variation, and perinatal outcome in preterm, intrauterine growth‐restricted (IUGR) fetuses published in the same issue of this journal by Bilardo and coworkers. Recent evidence on venous Doppler surveillance in preterm IUGR fetuses was also reviewed and discussed in the context of the study with a special emphasis on delivery timing. A search was conducted through MEDLINE and eight articles with similar inclusion criteria and reporting format of outcomes were identified. Numbers for perinatal mortality, intraventricular hemorrhage, respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) were extracted for cases where Doppler status was recorded in an identical format. Proportional distribution of outcomes was compared for fetuses with normal DV Doppler velocimetry, absent or reversed UA end‐diastolic velocity (UA A/REDV), elevated DV Doppler index (abnormal DV) and absence or reversal of atrial velocity in the DV (DV‐RAV). A total of 320 fetuses with normal and 202 with elevated DV Doppler indices were extracted. Of these fetuses, 101 with UA A/REDV only and 34 with DV‐RAV were identified. Perinatal mortality was 5.6% (16/282) with normal DV, 11.9% (12/101) with UA A/REDV, 38.8% (64/165) with abnormal DV and 41.2% (7/17) with DV‐RAV. With the exception of NEC, all complications were significantly more frequent with abnormal DV. With normal venous Doppler neonatal deaths account for most of the perinatal mortality, while with abnormal DV stillbirths and neonatal mortality are similar contributors to the significantly increased perinatal mortality. In conclusion, UA Doppler is a placental function test that provides important diagnostic and prognostic information in preterm IUGR. DV Doppler effectively identifies those preterm IUGR fetuses that are at high risk for adverse outcome (particularly stillbirth) at least 1 week before delivery, independent of the UA waveform. Relationships between perinatal outcome, arterial and venous Doppler status and gestational age require ongoing observational research effort. Randomized management trials are necessary to verify that delivery timing based on venous Doppler will impact on outcome in preterm IUGR. Copyright © 2004 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lower respiratory tract infections in cats: 21 cases (1995–2000)
Authors: Foster S.F. , Martin P. , Allan G.S. , Barrs V.R. , Malik R.
Published: February 2004

Twenty-one lower respiratory tract infections diagnosed in cats at University of Sydney Veterinary Centre between 1995 and 2000 were identified retrospectively. Patient records were analysed to determine historical, clinical, clinicopathologic and radiographic features of lower respiratory tract infections. Response to therapy was also assessed. Infectious agents identified were Mycoplasma spp., Pasteurella spp., Bordetella bronchiseptica, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas sp., Mycobacterium thermoresistible, Cryptococcus neoformans, Toxoplasma gondii, Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Eucoleus aerophilus. The study provides a detailed retrospective analysis of infectious lower respiratory tract disease in this population of cats.
Neurofibromin is actively transported to the nucleus
Authors: Vandenbroucke Ina , Van Oostveldt Patrick , Coene Elisabeth , De Paepe Anne , Messiaen Ludwine
Published: February 2004

Mutations in the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) tumor suppressor gene predispose individuals to a variety of benign and malignant tumors. Many tumor suppressors ‘shuttle’ between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, thus regulating their function. By expressing different NF1 constructs in COS‐7 cells (encompassing exons 28–49 and fused to the green fluorescent protein), we identified a functional nuclear localization signal (NLS) in exon 43. Mutation of the NLS completely abolishes the nuclear entry of the NF1‐derivative fusion protein. A highly expressed splice variant that lacks this NLS controls the localization and hence the function of neurofibromin. The localization of neurofibromin in the nucleus may provide novel clues to unknown functions for NF1.
In vivo fragment complementation of a (β/α)8 barrel protein: generation of variability by recombination
Authors: Soberón Xavier , Fuentes-Gallego Patricia , Saab-Rincón Gloria
Published: February 2004

The high representation of the TIM barrel as a scaffold for enzymatic proteins makes it an interesting model for protein engineering. Based on previous reports of folding mechanisms of TIM barrels that suggest an independent folding unit formed by six (β/α) subunits, we interrupted the gene of phosphoribosylanthranilate isomerase (PRAI) from Escherichia coli at three different positions to yield fragments with different combinations of (β/α) subunits. When these constructions were expressed as polycistrons in a TrpF‐E. coli strain, complementation of the function only occurred with fragments β1‐α4 and β5‐α8, demonstrating that (β/α)4 subunits are stable enough to survive in vivo conditions and to assemble to yield a functional enzyme. The expression of these fragments in a separated plasmid/phagemid system to complement the function gave a slower complementation in the TrpF‐E. coli strain; this was overcome by introducing extra secondary elements to the structure that reinforce their interaction.
RNA interfering approach for clarifying the PPARγ pathway using lentiviral vector expressing short hairpin RNA
Authors: Katayama Kazufumi , Wada Koichiro , Miyoshi Hiroyuki , Ohashi Kozo , Tachibana Masashi , Furuki Rie , Mizuguchi Hiroyuki , Hayakawa Takao , Nakajima Atsushi , Kadowaki Takashi , Tsutsumi Yasuo , Nakagawa Shinsaku , Kamisaki Yoshinori , Mayumi Tadanori
Published: February 2004

Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPARγ) plays a central role in adipocyte differentiation and insulin sensitivity. Although PPARγ also appears to regulate diverse cellular processes in other cell types such as lymphocytes, the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we established a lentivirus‐mediated short hairpin RNA expression system and identified a potent short hairpin RNA which suppresses PPARγ expression, resulting in marked inhibition of preadipocyte‐to‐adipocyte differentiation in 3T3‐L1 cells. Our PPARγ‐knockdown method will serve to clarify the PPARγ pathway in various cell types in vivo and in vitro, and will facilitate the development of therapeutic applications for a variety of diseases.
Activation of the WT1 tumor suppressor gene promoter by Pea3
Authors: Discenza Maria Teresa , Vaz Darryl , Hassell John A. , Pelletier Jerry
Published: February 2004

Gene array profiling of RNA from cells engineered to express a dominant‐negative version of the ETS family member transcription factor Pea3 (polyomavirus enhancer activator 3) identified WT1 as a candidate downstream gene. Given the co‐expression of WT1 and Pea3 in developing kidney and breast tissue undergoing mesenchymal to epithelial transitions, we further characterized this potential gene hierarchy. Analysis of the human WT1 promoter revealed several potential binding sites for Pea3. Pea3 transactivated the WT1 promoter in transient transfection assays and bound to specific sites within the WT1 promoter in vitro. Our results position Pea3 upstream of WT1 and define a gene hierarchy important for mesenchymal–epithelial transitions.
Citizenship, Exclusion and Older People
Authors: CRAIG GARY
Published: February 2004

Debates about the meaning of citizenship have grown since the election of the first New Labour government. These debates have tended to focus on the government's assertion of the central role of work in defining the status of citizen, a stance which has increasingly been criticised for devaluing unpaid work such as caring or volunteering. However, the position of those beyond labour market age – older people – has rarely been examined in relation to how citizenship might be defined. At the same time, the concept of social exclusion, heavily utilised by New Labour to characterise those at the margins of society, has at best an ambiguous relevance to older people. This article, based on an exploration of the social, financial and other impacts of additional benefit income for older people, examines how these two concepts might be understood in relation to the position of older people and sketches out what some of the defining characteristics of citizenship might be for them.
National Health Insurance and Health-Based Drug Policy: An Examination of Policy Linkages in the USA and Canada
Authors: BENOIT ELLEN
Published: February 2004

For more than 50 years the United States and Canada maintained illegal-drug policies that followed the same course: a long period of punitive prohibition followed by moderation and an emphasis on drug abuse as a public health problem. Then in the 1980s, the USA reverted to a punitive model while Canada increased its commitment to a health-based approach. Why this divergence after following the same path for so long? In this paper I argue that one factor was Canada's adoption of national health insurance, which guaranteed universal access to health care, including addiction treatment. As the country's most popular policy it was protected against budget cuts during a period of welfare-state retrenchment in the 1980s. In the USA, on the other hand, public health insurance was limited to the elderly and the poor, and addiction treatment services were isolated and stigmatized. Thus the public health side of drug policy was poorly positioned to resist welfare cutbacks and ascendant criminal-justice interests. The experiences of the USA and Canada have implications for policy reformers and for the study of how institutional interests cross policy domains.
Tackling Inequalities in Health in England: Remedying Health Disadvantages, Narrowing Health Gaps or Reducing Health Gradients?
Authors: GRAHAM HILARY
Published: February 2004

Socioeconomic inequalities in health have moved up the policy agenda of older industrial societies. The paper turns the spotlight on this development by exploring how the goal has been represented in England's national policy documents. Rather than one approach, there appears to be a range of understandings of what it means to tackle health inequalities. These understandings can be placed on a continuum, which runs from improving the health of poor groups, through closing the health gaps between those in the poorest circumstances and better-off groups, to addressing the association between socioeconomic position and health across the population. The paper points to common ground between the three approaches to tackling health inequalities, but also to important differences in the moral arguments and causal models on which they rest, and therefore in their policy goals and anticipated policy impacts.
Working Outside the Box: Community Currencies, Time Banks and Social Inclusion
Authors: SEYFANG GILL
Published: February 2004

A conceptual framework is developed for analysing UK social policy with respect to work, employment, inclusion and income. A range of possibilities for ‘productive engagement in work’ (PEW) outside the home are identified, ranging from formal employment, through informal employment, working for local community currencies, to unpaid voluntary work, each attracting particular policy responses, according to the hegemonic discourse of social exclusion, namely a liberal individualistic model which sees insertion into the labour market as the solution to exclusion. A new initiative is examined which is increasingly being adopted by local authorities in their efforts to tackle social exclusion and build social capital, namely ‘time banks’: a type of community currency which rewards people in time credits for the work they put into their neighbourhoods. Time banks are found to occupy a space in between what is already known about informal employment, LETS (Local Exchange Trading Schemes) and volunteering, raising a number of issues for policy makers and practitioners. While time banks may be promoted within the UK government's social inclusion remit as a means of increasing job-readiness through volunteering, they have wider and deeper implications. They represent a response to a radical social democratic understanding of social exclusion and hence exert a collective effort to redefine what is considered ‘valuable work’, and thus present an alternative to hegemonic paradigms of work and welfare; their greatest potential is as a radical tool for collective social capital building, resulting in more effective social, economic and political citizenship, and hence social inclusion. Policy recommendations are made to enable time banks to flourish and provide a powerful tool for achieving social inclusion objectives.
From Controlling to Constructive: Youth Unemployment Policy in Australia and The Netherlands
Authors: MEIJERS FRANS , TE RIELE KITTY
Published: February 2004

Youth unemployment is an issue that has increasingly troubled western countries since the 1970s. This paper provides data on youth unemployment in Australia and the Netherlands, and discusses government policy in both countries. The rate of youth unemployment was similar in both countries in the mid 1980s, but since then it has declined dramatically in the Netherlands, while changing little in Australia. Youth unemployment policy in Australia has been driven by the concept of obligation, while in the Netherlands youth unemployment policy has been organised around the principle of a guarantee for youth. The Dutch labour market programme offers more continuity and coherence than the rather ad hoc Australian programmes. However, the paper argues that youth labour market policy in both countries is of a controlling nature, and does not serve marginalised youth. Moreover, policy in neither country meets OECD criteria for effective labour market programs. The paper concludes with the description of a Dutch program which, to a large extent, does meet the OECD criteria, and demonstrates that a more constructive approach to youth unemployment is possible.
Putting the Voluntary Sector in its Place: Geographical Perspectives on Voluntary Activity and Social Welfare in Glasgow
Authors: MILLIGAN CHRISTINE , FYFE NICHOLAS R.
Published: February 2004

The growing political and social significance of the voluntary sector in contemporary welfare reform is reflected in a wide body of research that has emerged in the political and social policy literature since the mid-1980s. While this work adds considerably to our understanding of the changing role of the voluntary welfare sector, these accounts are largely aspatial. Yet, geographical perspectives offer important insights into the development of the voluntary sector at both micro-and macro-levels. The purpose of this paper is thus twofold: first we wish to draw attention to what it is that geographers do that may be of interest to those working in the field of social policy; and second, we illustrate why such perspectives are important. Drawing on recently completed work in Glasgow, we demonstrate how geographical approaches can contribute to a greater understanding of the uneven development of the voluntary sector across space and how voluntary organisations become embedded in particular places. By unravelling some of the complex webs of inter-relationships that operate across the geographical and political spaces that extend from national to local we reveal some unique insights into those factors that act to facilitate or constrain the development of voluntary activity across the city with implications for access, service delivery and policy development. Hence, we maintain, that geographical approaches to voluntarism are important for social policy as such approaches argue that where events occur matter to both their form and outcome.
Social Policy Digest Goes Online
Authors: Bennett Fran , Jones Ken
Published: February 2004

Readers will be aware that one of the Journal of Social Policy's regular features, the Social Policy Digest, is being relaunched as a web-based publication.
Male–female conflict and genitalia: failure to confirm predictions in insects and spiders
Authors: Eberhard William G.
Published: February 2004

Some recent models suggest a new role for evolutionary arms races between males and females in sexual selection. Female resistance to males is proposed to be driven by the direct advantage to the female of avoiding male‐imposed reductions in the number of offspring she can produce, rather than by the indirect advantage of selecting among possible sires for her offspring, as in some traditional models of sexual selection by female choice. This article uses the massive but hitherto under‐utilized taxonomic literature on genitalic evolution to test, in a two‐step process, whether such new models of arms races between males and females have been responsible for rapid divergent evolution of male genitalia. The test revolves around the prediction that‘new arms races’are less likely to occur in species in which females are largely or completely protected from unwanted sexual attentions from males (e.g. species which mate in leks or in male swarms, in which males attract females from a distance, or in which females initiate contact by attracting males from a distance).

The multiple possible mechanical functions of male genitalia are summarized, and functions of male genitalic structures in 43 species in 21 families of Diptera are compiled. Functions associated with intromission and insemination (e.g. seizing and positioning the female appropriately, pushing past possible barriers within the female, orienting within the female to achieve sperm transfer), which are unlikely to be involved in new arms races when females are protected, are shown to be common (> 50% of documented cases). This information is then used to generate the new arms race prediction: differences in genitalic form among congeneric species in which females are protected should be less common than differences among congeneric species in which females are vulnerable to harassment by males. This prediction was tested using a sample of 361 genera of insects and spiders. The prediction clearly failed, even when the data were adjusted to take into account several possible biases. Comparative analyses within particular taxonomic groups also failed to show the predicted trends, as did less extensive data on other non‐genitalic male display traits. Arms races, as defined in some recent models, seem to have been less important in male‐female coevolution of genitalic structures than has been suggested. By elimination, alternative interpretations, such as traditional female choice, which do not predict associations between female protection from harassment and rapid divergent evolution, are strengthened.
Positive change following trauma and adversity: A review
Authors: Linley P. Alex , Joseph Stephen
Published: February 2004

Empirical studies (n = 39) that documented positive change following trauma and adversity (e.g., posttraumatic growth, stress‐related growth, perceived benefit, thriving; collectively described as adversarial growth) were reviewed. The review indicated that cognitive appraisal variables (threat, harm, and controllability), problem‐focused, acceptance and positive reinterpretation coping, optimism, religion, cognitive processing, and positive affect were consistently associated with adversarial growth. The review revealed inconsistent associations between adversarial growth, sociodemographic variables (gender, age, education, and income), and psychological distress variables (e.g., depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder). However, the evidence showed that people who reported and maintained adversarial growth over time were less distressed subsequently. Methodological limitations and recommended future directions in adversarial growth research are discussed, and the implications of adversarial growth for clinical practice are briefly considered.
Perceived coping ability mediates the relationship between PTSD severity and heart rate recovery in veterans
Authors: Kibler Jeffrey L. , Lyons Judith A.
Published: February 2004

Most psychophysiological studies of PTSD have not assessed physiological recovery, correlational relationships between PTSD severity and physiological measures within clinical populations, or mediation by cognitive appraisal. Relationships of PTSD severity to psychophysiological reactivity (to acoustic startle), habituation, and recovery were assessed in 29 combat veterans, and mediation by cognitive appraisal (perceived threat and coping ability) was assessed in a subset (n = 16) of participants. Heart rate (HR) recovery was linearly related to PTSD severity. Perceived ability to cope with the lab task, but not perceived threat inherent in the task, mediated the HR recovery—PTSD association. Potential implications of delayed HR recovery for functioning, treatment outcome, and health‐risk in PTSD are presented. Cognitive appraisal may represent an important target for treatments.
The accumulative effect of trauma exposure on short‐term and delayed verbal memory in a treatment‐seeking sample of female rape victims
Authors: Nixon Reginald D. V. , Nishith Pallavi , Resick Patricia A.
Published: February 2004

The accumulative effect of prior high‐magnitude trauma exposure on memory was examined in 73 rape victims, 92% of whom had current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants were administered the Logical Memory component of the Wechsler Memory Scale, the Quick Test to obtain an estimate of intelligence, and were assessed for prior traumatic experiences. Prior exposure to high‐magnitude stressors (e.g., child rape, being kidnapped) was significantly correlated with poorer performance on the memory tasks. Regression analyses controlling for estimated IQ and psychopathology severity demonstrated that magnitude of prior trauma exposure predicted performance on the memory task, suggesting that in the current sample, deficits in verbal memory may be related (in part) to the degree of accumulative stress experienced over the lifetime.
Attention, learning, and memory in posttraumatic stress disorder
Authors: Neylan Thomas C. , Lenoci Maryanne , Rothlind Johannes , Metzler Thomas J. , Schuff Norbert , Du An‐Tao , Franklin Kristin W. , Weiss Daniel S. , Weiner Michael W. , Marmar Charles R.
Published: February 2004

This study compared attention and declarative memory in a sample of combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, n = 24) previously reported to have reduced concentrations of the hippocampal neuronal marker N‐acetyl aspartate (NAA), but similar hippocampal volume compared to veteran normal comparison participants (n = 23). Healthy, well‐educated males with combatrelated PTSD without current depression or recent alcohol/drug abuse did not perform differently on tests of attention, learning, and memory compared to normal comparison participants. Further, hippocampal volume, NAA, or NAA/Creatine ratios did not significantly correlate with any of the cognitive measures when adjustments for multiple comparisons were made. In this study, reduced hippocampal NAA did not appear to be associated with impaired declarative memory.
Relationships of dissociation and childhood abuse and neglect with heart rate in delinquent adolescents
Authors: Koopman Cheryl , Carrion Victor , Butler Lisa D. , Sudhakar Shiv , Palmer Laura , Steiner Hans
Published: February 2004

This study examined the relationship of dissociative symptoms, abuse and neglect, and gender to mean heart rate (HR) in two types of interviews. Participants were 25 female and 16 male delinquent adolescents. Dissociative symptoms and abuse and neglect were assessed by structured interviews. Participants were randomized to one of two conditions, to describe either their most stressful life experience or their free association thoughts. Greater dissociative symptoms were associated with lower mean HR, whereas abuse and neglect, being a girl, and participating in the free association task were associated with higher mean HR. The finding that high levels of dissociative symptoms may be related to a suppression of autonomic physiological responses to stress support Bremner's conceptualization (J. D. Bremner, 1999) that dissociative symptoms comprise one of two subtypes of the acute stress response, differing physiologically as well as subjectively from a predominantly hyperarousal or intrusive symptom response.
Auroral disturbances during the January 10, 1997 magnetic storm
Authors: Lyons L. R. , Zesta E. , Samson J. C. , Reeves G. D.
Published: February 2004

It is well known that intense and frequent auroral‐zone disturbances, often attributed to substorms, occur during magnetic storms. We examine observations during the January 10, 1997 main phase and find that observed auroral‐zone activity was dominated by a combination of global auroral and current enhancements, which are a direct response to solar wind dynamic pressure enhancements, and poleward boundary intensifications, which are localized in longitude and have an auroral signature that moves equatorward from the magnetic separatrix. Poleward and azimuthally expanding regions of auroral activity which accompany substorms are found to contribute significantly less to the observed activity. This suggests that poleward boundary intensifications and dynamic pressure responses may be an important cause of disturbances during periods of enhanced convection such as magnetic storms and convection bays.
Evidence for Rossby wave control of tropical instability waves in the Pacific Ocean
Authors: Lawrence S. P. , Angell J. P.
Published: February 2004

Tropical instability waves north and south of the equator play an important role in the transport of mass and heat in the tropical Pacific ocean. Using data from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite and the Tropical Atmosphere‐Ocean buoy array, we present important observational evidence that Rossby waves modify the phase of tropical instability waves, supporting a recent hypothesis on interactions between these waves. A marked increase in the correlation coefficient between the northern and southern instability wave fields when Rossby waves are present indicates an increased phase correspondence between the fields. There is also an associated amplification of the southern instability wave field. A comparison with buoy data indicates that the satellite is able to determine the phase of instability waves accurately. This application of satellite and in situ data marks a new approach in the identification and analysis of coupling mechanisms between important dynamical processes in the equatorial Pacific.
Structure in polar mesospheric clouds seen from a geostationary spacecraft
Authors: Gadsden M.
Published: February 2004

Polar mesospheric clouds seen from space not infrequently show two layers, sometimes more, or a thickening of the layer if not downright separation into layers. This is often seen in images of polar mesospheric clouds obtained from spacecraft in geostationary orbit. Examples are shown here from the so‐called VIS data of the European geostationary meteorological satellite, Meteosat 5, and it is argued that these structures could well result from a single, thin, layer of cloud which is tilted over some of its extent, perhaps because of the presence of waves in the layer.
Long term modulation of low altitude proton radiation belt by the Earth's atmosphere
Authors: Miyoshi Yoshizumi , Morioka Akira , Misawa Hiroaki
Published: February 2004

To evaluate the atmospheric effect on low altitude proton variation, we calculated the long‐term variation of the lifetimes of low altitude protons which mirror at the geomagnetic equator using empirical models of the atmosphere, the ionosphere, and the geomagnetic field. The calculated results showed that the proton lifetime variation is anti‐correlated with the F10.7 solar cycle. The comparison between the estimated and the observed proton fluxes during 20 years showed good agreement at the altitude of the lower drift shell. Our results showed positively that solar cycle variations of the upper atmosphere and the ionosphere had a significant influence on the changes of the low altitude energetic proton flux.
Some features of the equatorial anomaly revealed by ionospheric tomography
Authors: Andreeva E. S. , Franke S. J. , Yeh K. C. , Kunitsyn V. E.
Published: February 2004

The equatorial anomaly in ionization density has been imaged using the computerized ionospheric tomography technique applied to data from a low‐latitude ionospheric tomography network. Examples of images representative of typical conditions during equinox and low solar flux are presented and shown to exhibit some characteristic features which have not been observed directly previously. The EA core, comprising the highest density region of the EA, is shown to exhibit a characteristic structure and asymmetry. These characteristics are quantified using measures of the ionospheric slab thickness and altitude, and they are discussed in light of the fountain mechanism which is responsible for formation of the EA.
Slip styles in a Spring‐Slider Model with a laboratory‐derived constitutive law for serpentinite
Authors: Reinen Linda A.
Published: February 2004

A spring‐slider model with a laboratory‐derived constitutive law for serpentinite generates seismic slip, aseismic slip, or a combination of both. Such behavior is observed on oceanic ridge‐transform systems and portions of the San Andreas Fault, and may be due to the presence of serpentinite. The constitutive law combines two sets of equations: a rate‐dependent flow equation which dominates at low velocities, and a rate‐ and state‐dependent set of equations which dominate at high velocities. The combined model produces transient behavior with maximum slip velocities well in excess of the loading velocity. Metastable slip prior to the onset of high‐speed slip is produced in many simulations and may be analogous to the slow precursors observed for some oceanic ridge‐transform earthquakes. This precursory slip results from the double‐valued nature of the steady‐state curve of the two‐mechanism model in which the state‐variable equations are rate weakening.
A geodetic sign of the critical point of stress‐strain state at a plate boundary
Authors: Igarashi George
Published: February 2004

I found a curious oscillating behavior in secular variations of relative ground level in the Tokai district, central Japan. The period of the oscillation is becoming shorter acceleratedly with time, which thereby predicts the existence of a “critical point” in near future. The data variations can successfully be expressed by the general equation describing the near‐critical‐point behavior based on the discrete scale invariance theory. The critical point may be interpreted as the occurrence of the maximum‐sized fracture, i.e., the biggest earthquake in a given tectonic environment. The time predicted is 2004.7 ± 1.7 year.