bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF A NURSING-LED INTERMEDIATE CARE UNIT
Authors: Richardson Gerald , Griffiths Peter , Wilson-Barnett Jenifer , Spilsbury Karen , Batehup Lynn
Published: October 2003

Objective: The aim of this paper is to examine the costs of introducing a nursing-led ward program together with examining the impact this may have on patients' outcomes.

Methods: The study had a sample size of 177 patients with a mean age of 77, and randomized to either a treatment group (care on a nursing-led ward, n = 97) or a control group (standard care usually on a consultant-led acute ward, n = 80). Resource use data including length of stay, tests and investigations performed, and multidisciplinary involvement in care were collected.

Results: There were no significant differences in outcome between the two groups. The inpatient costs for the treatment group were significantly higher, due to the longer length of stay in this group. However, the postdischarge costs were significantly lower for the treatment group.

Conclusions: The provision of nursing-led intermediate care units has been proposed as a solution to inappropriate use of acute medical wards by patients who require additional nursing rather than medical care. Whether the treatment group is ultimately cost-additive is dependent on how long reductions in postdischarge resource use are maintained.
A FALLACY OF THE MULTIPLICATIVE QALY MODEL FOR LOW-QUALITY WEIGHTS IN STUDENTS AND PATIENTS JUDGING HYPOTHETICAL HEALTH STATES
Authors: Stalmeier Peep F. M. , Chapman Gretchen B. , de Boer Angela G. E. M. , van Lanschot Jan J. B.
Published: October 2003

Objectives: In quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) models, it is customary to weigh life-years with quality of life via multiplication. As a consequence, for positive health states a longer duration has more QALYs than a shorter duration (i.e., longer is better). However, we have found that for poor health states, many prefer to live only a limited amount of time (i.e., longer is worse). Such preferences are said to be maximum endurable time (MET). In the present contribution, the following questions are asked: a) How low does the utility have to be in order for a MET to arise? and b) Do MET preferences occur when patients judge hypothetical health states?

Methods and Results: We reanalyzed data from 176 students for the hypothetical health states of “living with migraines” and “living with metastasized cancer.” For utilities smaller than 0.7 (ranging from 0 to 1), the MET preference rate was larger than 50%. High MET preference rates were also found in two new studies on migraine and esophageal cancer patients, who evaluated hypothetical health states related to their disease.

Conclusions: We discuss the interpretation of the MET preferences and the preference reversal phenomenon. Standard QALY models imply that longer is better. However, we find that more often, longer is worse for poorly evaluated health states. Consider the following question: are 3 years with a weight of 0.3 equally as valuable as 1 year with a weight of 0.9? Our results suggest that the 3-year period may be less valuable because for poor health, many will prefer a 1-year over a 3-year period.
COST CONSEQUENCES OF SENTINEL LYMPH NODE BIOPSY IN THE TREATMENT OF BREAST CANCER
Authors: Chirikos Thomas N. , Berman Claudia G. , Luther Stephen L. , Clark Robert A.
Published: October 2003

Objectives: To assess whether sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), an alternative to axillary lymph node dissection in treating female breast cancer, affords any cost savings.

Methods: We profile cumulative treatment costs of 811 breast cancer patients, 555 of whom received SLNB. Univariate and multivariate statistical tests are used to appraise whether these cost profiles differ between SLNB and other patients.

Results: The statistical results are mixed. However, none supports the conjecture that SLNB necessarily lowers the cost of treating the average breast patient.

Conclusions: SLNB may be cost-effective, but longer term costs and outcomes must be estimated before firm conclusions can be reached.
EFFECT OF INCLUDING (VERSUS EXCLUDING) FATES WORSE THAN DEATH ON UTILITY MEASUREMENT
Authors: Franic Duska M. , Pathak Dev S.
Published: October 2003

Objectives: Most studies typically measure health preferences excluding health states perceived as worse than death. The objective of this study is to test the impact of including (versus excluding) health states perceived to be worse than death on utility measurementusing standard gamble (SG) and visual analogue scale (VAS) methods.

Methods: By means of a cross-sectional descriptive study design, women were asked to rate the utility of three hypothetical breast cancer health states: cure, treatment, and recurrence (n=119). Preference weights were estimated, allowing for negative utilities with death (perfect health) scaled at zero (1.0).

Results: Unpaired t-test analysis showed significantly greater change in SG and VAS weights for individuals perceiving cancer recurrence as worse than death than those perceiving death as least desirable state. Excluding negative utilities from the study resulted in significantly smaller changes in utility. Study results show that preference elicitation methods can be successfully adapted to acquire negative utilities.

Conclusions: Changes in utility were greater when negative preferences were permitted. Addressing negative preference scores could significantly affect quality adjusted life year estimates in economic analyses.
EMPIRICAL CHARACTERISTIC FUNCTION IN TIME SERIES ESTIMATION
Authors: Knight John L. , Yu Jun
Published: October 2003

Because the empirical characteristic function (ECF) is the
Fourier transform of the empirical distribution function, it
retains all the information in the sample but can overcome
difficulties arising from the likelihood. This paper discusses
an estimation method via the ECF for strictly stationary processes.
Under some regularity conditions, the resulting estimators are
shown to be consistent and asymptotically normal. The method
is applied to estimate the stable autoregressive moving average
(ARMA) models. For the general stable ARMA model for which the
maximum likelihood approach is not feasible, Monte Carlo evidence
shows that the ECF method is a viable estimation method for
all the parameters of interest. For the Gaussian ARMA model,
a particular stable ARMA model, the optimal weight functions
and estimating equations are given. Monte Carlo studies highlight
the finite sample performances of the ECF method relative to
the exact and conditional maximum likelihood methods.
NONPARAMETRIC ESTIMATION OF VOLATILITY FUNCTIONS: THE LOCAL
EXPONENTIAL ESTIMATOR
Authors: Ziegelmann Flavio A.
Published: October 2003

Kernel smoothing techniques free the traditional parametric
estimators of volatility from the constraints related to their
specific models. In this paper the nonparametric local exponential
estimator is applied to estimate conditional volatility functions,
ensuring its nonnegativity. Its asymptotic properties are
established and compared with those for the local linear estimator.
It theoretically enables us to determine when the exponential
is expected to be superior to the linear estimator. A very strong
and novel result is achieved: the exponential estimator is
asymptotically fully adaptive to unknown conditional mean
functions. Also, our simulation study shows superior performance
of the exponential estimator.
HETEROSKEDASTICITY-AUTOCORRELATION ROBUST TESTING USING
BANDWIDTH EQUAL TO SAMPLE SIZE
Authors: Kiefer Nicholas M. , Vogelsang Timothy J.
Published: October 2003

Asymptotic theory for heteroskedasticity autocorrelation
consistent (HAC) covariance matrix estimators requires the
truncation lag, or bandwidth, to increase more slowly than the
sample size. This paper considers an alternative approach covering
the case with the asymptotic covariance matrix estimated by
kernel methods with truncation lag equal to sample size. Although
such estimators are inconsistent, valid tests (asymptotically
pivotal) for regression parameters can be constructed. The limiting
distributions explicitly capture the truncation lag and choice
of kernel. A local asymptotic power analysis shows that the
Bartlett kernel delivers the highest power within a group of
popular kernels. Finite sample simulations suggest that, regardless
of the kernel chosen, the null asymptotic approximation of the
new tests is often more accurate than that for conventional
HAC estimators and asymptotics. Finite sample results on power
show that the new approach is competitive.
Species composition and reproductive phenology of bats in a tropical landscape at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico
Authors: ESTRADA ALEJANDRO , COATES-ESTRADA ROSAMOND
Published: October 2003

The structure, composition and reproductive phenology of a bat assemblage were investigated in the tropical region of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. A 90-km2 landscape, originally occupied by rain forest, consisted of forest fragments and natural corridors of vegetation surrounded by pasturelands. Artificial strips of vegetation also were present as live fences. Bats were sampled with mist nets set at ground level in 52 forest fragments, three corridors, nine shaded plantations, six unshaded plantations and three live fences. We sampled each site twice, each time for a 5-h period for two consecutive nights. Bats were captured and released and the species identity and reproductive condition of adult females were recorded. Annual fruiting phenology and fruit production was measured with fruit traps in a forest site in three 500 × 20-m transects. We captured 4799 bats of 39 species. At forest sites we recorded 97% of the species and captured 44% of the bats. In corridors we captured 76% of the species and 16% of the total individuals. In the plantations we captured 71% of the species and 32% of the individuals. In the live fences we captured 32% of the species and 8% of the individuals. Three species, Pteronotus parnelli, Carollia brevicauda and Glossophaga soricina, accounted for 52% of all bat captures. Fruit-eating species and fruit-eating insectivores accounted for 65% of captures. Fleshy fruits were available year-round, but a seasonal pattern was evident. Presence of lactating females seemed to be associated, in general, with rainfall and fruiting seasonality, but individual species displayed different patterns ranging from aseasonal polyoestry to seasonal bimodal polyoestry, seasonal polyoestry and seasonal monoestry. Despite extensive fragmentation of the original rain forest, a species-rich bat assemblage still exists in the landscape studied. Short distances among remaining forest fragments and man-made habitats seem to facilitate persistence and reproductive connectivity among members of this bat assemblage.
A synthesis of the demography of African acacias
Authors: MIDGLEY J. J. , BOND W. J.
Published: October 2003

Although acacias are ecologically and economically important, their demography is poorly known. In part this is because few field experiments have been undertaken. Also, a bewildering diversity of factors have been suggested to determine their demography. These factors include disease, fire, large and small browsers and grazers, climatic variation, competition with grass, seed predation and anthropogenic impacts. This synthesis concentrates on the life-history period from seed to adult plant and indicates that important hurdles have been demonstrated for some species in some habitats. Seed and seedling limitation have not been clearly demonstrated, nor has the value of dispersal been quantified. In contrast, the impacts of herbivores and fire in affecting the escape or release of resprouts has been repeatedly demonstrated. Whether fire and herbivory merely slow down the rate of promotion through size-classes or actually prevent it, needs further work. We note that very little comparative work amongst Acacia species has taken place. Most studies have concentrated on single aspects of their life history (especially seed predation), and have not been analysed in relation to population growth. Few field experiments, especially concerning seedling biology, have been performed. We conclude with some suggestions of a framework for interpreting acacia demography.
A structural gradient in cerrado vegetation of Brazil: changes in woody plant density, species richness, life history and plant composition
Authors: Ferreira Ribeiro Luci , Tabarelli Marcelo
Published: October 2003

Four structural types of cerrado vegetation were examined to test the following hypotheses: (1) there are predictable changes in woody plant density, species richness and life-history strategies from one structural type to another; and (2) plant species composition in the less-rich structural types represent particular and impoverished subsets of those found in the richer ones. The study was conducted at Fazenda Palmares (5°33′S, 42°37′W) Piauí State, Brazil. A 47% decrease in woody plant density between cerradão (forest) and the least-dense type of cerrado sensu stricto (scrub) was associated with a 40% decrease in species richness. The percentage of lower-layer species was reduced by 29% in the least dense type of cerrado sensu stricto compared to cerradão. The proportion of species that flower and fruit during the rainy season was also reduced by one third. Species were not distributed as impoverished subsets along the cerradão–cerrado sensu stricto gradient. It is argued that the reduction in woody plant density and richness

is partly due to factors limiting the occurrence of species with particular life-history strategies. The species composition of structural types is affected by the ‘mass effect’ and also by surrounding biotas, which provide species that colonize particular types of cerrado vegetation. Both these processes reduce the likelihood that the species composition in the poorer structural types are simple subsets of those present in the richer types.
Growth of young armoured catfish Megalechis thoracata in neotropical swamps and a rain-forest creek as revealed by daily micro-increments in otoliths
Authors: Mol J. H. , Ponton D.
Published: October 2003

The otolith micro-increment technique was applied to assess the growth trajectory of early stages of the neotropical catfish Megalechis thoracata in Kaw Swamp, a coastal swamp in French Guiana, and two contrasting habitats in Suriname: the coastal Lelydorp Swamp with standing water and a rain-forest creek with running water, the Maykaboeka Creek. Daily deposition of increments on the lapilli was validated for the first 35 d after hatching and the innermost increments were deposited from hatching onwards. The natural habitats of M. thoracata in French Guiana and Suriname showed considerable variation in physico-chemical characteristics of the water, density of food organisms and fish fauna. Instantaneous growth rates and size-at-age differed significantly among two vegetation types in Kaw Swamp (3.5% d-1 and 4.1% d-1), Lelydorp Swamp (3.0% d-1) and Maykaboeka Creek (2.5% d-1). Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between instantaneous growth rates and environmental parameters differed significantly from 0 only for water temperature. Hatch date analysis revealed an extended spawning season from January to June in the rain-forest creek.
Aptitude for learning a foreign language
Authors: Sparks Richard , Ganschow Leonore
Published: October 2003

What has happened with the construct of foreign language aptitude since 1990, at which time symposium participants from around the world agreed that the "Time has come to rethink the notion of what constitutes aptitude to learn foreign languages?" To answer this question, we begin with a review of studies on foreign language aptitude and its measurement prior to 1990. We then describe research and thinking in the 1990s in several areas, including affective variables; language learning strategies; learning styles as contributors to aptitude; and aptitude as a cognitive construct affected by language variables. Next, we review research on individual differences in language learners and the importance of phonological/orthographic processing for foreign language learning. Finally, we suggest new directions for research in foreign language aptitude.
EXPECTED MAKESPAN MINIMIZATION ON IDENTICAL MACHINES IN TWO
INTERCONNECTED QUEUES
Authors: Javidi Tara , Song Nah-Oak , Teneketzis Demosthenis
Published: October 2003

We study the scheduling of jobs in a system of two interconnected
service stations, called Q1 and Q2,
on m(m ≥ 2) identical machines available in parallel,
so that every machine can process any jobs in Q1 or
Q2. Preemption is allowed. Under certain conditions
on the arrival, service, and interconnection processes, we determine a
scheduling policy that minimizes the expected makespan.
ON IDENTITIES FOR A RANDOM WALK IN AN ORTHANT WITH ABSORBING
BOUNDARY
Authors: Klein Haneveld Leendert A.
Published: October 2003

For a left-continuous random walk in an orthant with absorbing
boundary, the generating function of the transition probabilities
is determined by a well-known functional equation. We give a
simple probabilistic derivation of this functional equation,
which simultaneously proves the hitting point identity and
Wald's exponential identity for the absorption time.
Going, going, gone: the acquisition of the verb ‘go’
Authors: THEAKSTON ANNA L. , LIEVEN ELENA V. M. , PINE JULIAN M. , ROWLAND CAROLINE F.
Published: October 2003

This study investigated different accounts of early argument structure acquisition and verb paradigm building through the detailed examination of the acquisition of the verb Go. Data from 11 children followed longitudinally between the ages of 2;0 and 3;0 were examined. Children's uses of the different forms of Go were compared with respect to syntactic structure and the semantics encoded. The data are compatible with the suggestion that the children were not operating with a single verb representation that differentiated between different forms of Go but rather that their knowledge of the relationship between the different forms of Go varied depending on the structure produced and the meaning encoded. However, a good predictor of the children's use of different forms of Go in particular structures and to express particular meanings was the frequency of use of those structures and meanings with particular forms of Go in the input. The implications of these findings for theories of syntactic category formation and abstract rule-based descriptions of grammar are discussed.
Combinatorial descriptions of homotopy groups of certain spaces
Authors: WU J.
Published: October 2003

We give a combinatorial description of the homotopy groups of the suspension of
a K(π, 1) and of wedges of 2-spheres. In particular, all of the homotopy groups of
the 2-sphere are given as the centres of certain combinatorially described groups.
The Matsumoto–Yor independence property for GIG and Gamma
laws, revisited
Authors: WESOŁOWSKI JACEK
Published: October 2003

Matsumoto and Yor have recently discovered an interesting invariance property
of a product of the generalized inverse Gaussian and gamma distributions. In this
paper we obtain: (1) a complete regression version of its converse; (2) a converse
to the matrix variate Matsumoto–Yor property which extends an earlier result. Of
independent interest is a functional equation for matrix valued functions, which has
been solved in the course of investigation of the second problem.
Section determinants of unitary operators and the operator-valued
Riccati differential equation
Authors: OTTE PETER
Published: October 2003

A special initial value problem for the operator-valued Riccati differential equation
(RDE) is used for studying section determinants of unitary operators. A solvability
criterion for this initial value problem is derived by providing an a-priori estimate of
the solution. Alternatively, the same estimate is derived by a method that is based
entirely upon linear algebra.
Social Practice, Interdisciplinary Perspective
Authors: Shevtsova Maria
Published: October 2003

The structuration and definition of disciplines – an eighteenth- and nineteenth-century project – gave way, in the second half of the twentieth century in the European and American academies, to their destructuration, although certainly not everywhere, nor to unanimous approval. For all the resistance that it has encountered, however, this movement towards the dissolution of disciplinary boundaries has taken root. It can be traced back to the 1960s, a period whose economic growth and economic optimism freed up mental space, allowing energies to focus on political and sociocultural injustices and inequalities and thereby fermenting that ‘cultural revolution’ for which the 1960s are now most remembered in the affluent ‘western’ world. ‘Cultural’ here embraces, as it did at the time, the anthropological notion of culture as belief, knowledge, morals, customs and, among others, symbolic representation, thus also theatre and performance.
Gendered Spaces in the Taipucam Festival, Singapore
Authors: SANKARAN CHITRA
Published: October 2003

The Hindu festival of Taipucam celebrated in honour of the male god Murugan is one of the public festivals that Hindus in Singapore celebrate with a great deal of aplomb and ceremony. It takes on the hue of a carnival and is a major tourist attraction. At the centre of the festival is the male kavadi bearer. Beside him walks the docile woman carrying her pot of milk. In the Taipucam festival procession, there is clearly apparent an empowered male versus a subsidiary female space, which appears determinate and confined, marking a tentative emergence of a subversive ‘feminist’ space that attempts to grasp at a measure of empowerment for women.
Introduction: Diaspora, Performance, and National Affiliations in North America
Authors: KRUGER LOREN
Published: October 2003

Although current theories of diaspora argue for a break between an older irrevocable migration from one nation to another and a new transnational movement between host country and birthplace, research on nineteenth- as well as twentieth-century North America demonstrates that earlier migration also had a transnational dimension. The cultural consequences of this two-way traffic include syncretic performance forms, institutions, and audiences, whose legitimacy depended on engagement with but not total assimilation in local conventions and on the mobilization of touristic nostalgia in, say, Cantonese opera in California or Bavarian-American musicals in New York, to appeal to nativist and immigrant consumers. Today, syncretic theatre of diaspora is complicated on the one hand by a theatre of diasporic residence, in which immigrants dramatize inherited conflicts in the host country, such as Québécois separatism in Canada, along with problems of migrants, among them South Asians, and on the other by a theatre of non-residence, touring companies bringing theatre from the home country, say India, to ‘non-resident Indians’ and local audiences in the United States.
The Production and Consumption of Chinese Theatre in Nineteenth-Century California
Authors: LEI DAPHNE
Published: October 2003

The history of the earliest documented Chinese opera performances in California (1852) and their successors during the following decades reveal how Chinese theatre in the diaspora was produced and consumed by Chinese immigrants, European visitors and Americans. On the one hand, a familiar repertoire eased the nostalgia and reinforced the national consciousness of Chinese immigrants, while on the other, the ethnocentric reading and writing of Chinese theatre helped establish an eternal frontier in the ‘old West’ to protect American national identity in late nineteenth-century California's periods of economic and political turmoil. Finally, the exoticism of California's Chinese theatre in America contributed to a European sense of American cultural uniqueness. Chinese opera performances played a crucial role in the invention of Californian identity.
Potential Performance Levels of a Combined Galileo/GPS Navigation System
Authors: Ochieng W. Y. , Sauer K. , Cross P. A. , Sheridan K. F. , Iliffe J. , Lannelongue S. , Ammour N. , Petit K.
Published: October 2003

This paper presents the results of a research project that investigated the potential benefits
of a combined Galileo/GPS navigation system. The research addressed in detail the two key
required navigation performance (RNP) parameters of accuracy and integrity. The project
was supported by Alcatel Space and was a contribution to the Galileo definition studies
(supported by the European Community under the GALA project). The results show
significant improvements in both accuracy and integrity (achievable through RAIM) when
a combined constellation is used rather than Galileo alone.
GMDSS Operability: The Operator-Equipment Interface
Authors: Tzannatos Ernestos
Published: October 2003

In this paper, the operability of the GMDSS is studied to identify those aspects that are hindering its successful use. Particular emphasis is placed upon the operator-equipment interface within the working environment of the ship's bridge. The results of a relevant survey, based on the opinion of recently G.O. certified navigation officers, indicate that – despite the automation in GMDSS and the resulting reduction of the human factor – there is a definite need to improve the knowledge-based proficiency of the operator. The current design of the system, and the increasing workload on the ship's bridge, constitute the main drawbacks to operability and dictate the requirement for improved knowledge and hence improved certification and refresher training for operators.
Estimation of European Airspace Capacity from a Model of Controller Workload
Authors: Majumdar Arnab , Ochieng Washington , Polak John
Published: October 2003

This paper deals with the modelling of airspace capacity in Europe by first considering the factors that affect controller workload and then using a model, aided by the appropriate analytical techniques, to make an estimate of airspace capacity. The results show that capacity can be estimated based on the combination of different types of air traffic movement in a sector. The model has been used to provide airspace capacity estimates and utilisation measures for ATC sectors in Europe.
The Rise of British Sea Power
Authors: Barnett Correlli
Published: October 2003

The distinguished historian and author Correlli Barnett was invited to address members of the Royal Institute of Navigation at their Annual General Meeting held in the Royal Geographic Society on 23 October 2002. The full text of the address is reproduced. © 2003 Corelli Barnett.
Trends in the legal status of indigenous species
Authors: Knegtering E. , Windt H.J. van der , Uiterkamp A.J.M. Schoot
Published: October 2003

Which species will be intentionally preserved depends on societal perspectives regarding nature and species, but these have been little studied. In this study, it was hypothesized that in species-specific conservation, aesthetical perspectives, notably the appreciation of species characteristics as embodied in taxa, are important. However, this importance is changing due to variation in ecological (in particular, knowledge of species’ populations) and ethical perspectives (in particular regarding specific human-species relationships). The hypothesis was approached by assessing the relative involvement of different taxa in species-specific legislation on wild animals in the Netherlands over the period 1857–1995. Three objectives in this legislation were defined namely, ‘control’, ‘use’ and ‘protection’, based on purposes and potential levels of legally allowable taking. Over time, the number of species protected increased, whereas the numbers subject to ‘use’ and ‘control’ reached a peak and decreased again. The taxa included birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fishes, bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods, insects, crustaceans and asteroids. Persistent differences were found in the relative involvement of taxa in the objectives as well as in the relative extent to which taxa were affected by long-term trends in numbers of species subject to the objectives. The results also show that species of one-and-the-same taxon were not regarded equally over time. It is concluded that the long-term changes in species’ legal status probably resulted from the combined effects of both the appreciation of species characteristics embodied in taxa and, in particular, changes in ethical perspectives regarding human-species relationships.
The safe minimum standard of conservation and endangered species: a review
Authors: Berrens Robert P.
Published: October 2003

The safe minimum standard (SMS) approach is a collective choice process that prescribes protecting a minimum level of a renewable natural resource unless the social costs of doing so are somehow excessive or intolerably high. Arguments for the SMS are typically invoked in settings involving considerable uncertainty and potentially irreversible losses. However, the SMS is most commonly viewed as existing only on the periphery of thought in traditional environmental and resource economics. The specific objectives are: (1) to define the SMS approach generally and examine theoretical support, particularly for its application in endangered species decision settings; (2) to examine the relationship between an SMS approach and benefit-cost analysis (BCA); (3) to examine the relationship between an SMS approach and non-market valuation; (4) to compare an SMS approach to alternative definitions of sustainability; and (5) to review the general consistency of the SMS approach with the USA's Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended. Recent attention on this pragmatic policy approach has been something far greater than cursory, with advances and detailed discussions on theoretical considerations, philosophical underpinnings and case study applications. While the SMS emerges as a fairly coarse policy instrument, its pragmatic value is seen in complex environmental policy applications, such as endangered species protection.
Sex, drugs and animal parts: will Viagra save threatened species?
Authors: von Hippel Frank A. , von Hippel William
Published: October 2003

Many species of plants and animals are used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat impotence (typically erectile dysfunction [ED]; Bensky & Gamble 1993). Some of these taxa are overharvested for their medicinal uses and are now threatened. Efforts to conserve many of these taxa have failed because the market forces driving their commercial collection or poaching remain in place. Shortly after Viagra appeared on the market in 1998, we suggested that Viagra has the potential to eliminate demand for animal sexual potency products (von Hippel & von Hippel 1998). We suggested that the East Asian market in animal potency products could soon fall victim to Viagra's success because Viagra is less expensive than many of these animal products (Viagra costs US$ 8–10 per pill in the countries in which it is legalized) and Viagra's effectiveness is demonstrated (Giuliano et al. 1997; Morales et al. 1998; Sadovsky et al. 2001) rather than hoped for.
Using FMEA models and ontologies to build diagnostic models
Authors: LEE BURTON H.
Published: October 2003

Product design and diagnosis are, today, worlds apart. Despite
strong areas of overlap at the ontological level, traditional
design process theory and practice does not recognize diagnosis
as a part of the modeling process chain; neither do diagnosis
knowledge engineering processes reference design modeling tasks
as a source of knowledge acquisition. This paper presents the
DAEDALUS knowledge engineering framework as a methodology
for integrating design and diagnosis tasks, models, and modeling
environments around a common Domain Ontology and Product Models
Library. The approach organizes domain knowledge around the
execution of a set of tasks in an enterprise product engineering
task workflow. Each task employs a Task Application which uses
a customized subset of the Domain Ontology—the Task
Ontology—to construct a graphical Product Model. The Ontology
is used to populate the models with relevant concepts (variables)
and relations (relationships), thus serving as a concept
dictionary-style mechanism for knowledge sharing and reuse across
the different Task Applications. For inferencing, each task
employs a local Problem-solving Method (PSM), and a Model-PSM
Mapping, which operate on the local Product Model to produce
reasoning outcomes. The use of a common Domain Ontology across
tasks and models facilitates semantic consistency of variables
and relations in constructing Bayesian networks for design and
diagnosis.

The approach is motivated by inefficiencies encountered in
cleanly exchanging and integrating design FMEA and diagnosis
models. Demonstration software under development is intended
to illustrate how the DAEDALUS framework can be applied
to knowledge sharing and exchange between Bayesian network-based
design FMEA and diagnosis modeling tasks. Anticipated limitations
of the DAEDALUS methodology are discussed, as is its
relationship to Tomiyama's Knowledge Intensive Engineering
Framework (KIEF). DAEDALUS is grounded in formal knowledge
engineering principles and methodologies established during
the past decade. Finally, the framework is presented as one
possible approach for improved integration of generalized design
and diagnostic modeling and knowledge exchange.
‘Prisoners’ Dilemmas': The Potemkin Villages of International Law?
Authors: MÉGRET FRÉDÉRIC , PINTO FREDERICK
Published: October 2003

The outbreak of the ‘war against terrorism’ has provoked a deluge of images. It is uncommon for lawyers to think of the impact of the media on the production of law, yet a specific set of images has had a considerable impact on how legal issues surrounding the use of violence have been framed. The article seeks to explore this novel area by focusing on international humanitarian law and how it deals with the recurring question of prisoners. Some of the distortions the media community imposes on the law are uncovered, but the law's inherent malleability to such distortions is also underlined.
The Yerodia Ruling of the International Court of Justice and the 1993/1999 Belgian Law on Universal Jurisdiction
Authors: WINANTS ALAIN
Published: October 2003

The 1993/1999 Belgian Law on Universal Jurisdiction allows for prosecution before Belgian domestic courts regardless of the nationality of perpetrators or victims, the place where the breaches were committed, or the presence on Belgian territory of the alleged perpetrators. Is universal jurisdiction contrary to international law? Is universal jurisdiction in absentia permitted under Belgian law and under international law? What is the relationship between universal jurisdiction, as exercised by a national court, and the Statute of the International Criminal Court? This article provides an overview of the Belgian legislation and its future with regard to international law and the Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The Mox Plant Case–Provisional Measures in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
Authors: FORSTER MALCOLM J. C.
Published: October 2003

On 3 December 2001, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) issued an Order in response to Ireland's request for the prescription of provisional measures in accordance with Article 290 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In its request, Ireland alleged violation by the United Kingdom of numerous provisions of UNCLOS. The scope of provisional measures requested by Ireland included, among others, the immediate suspension by the United Kingdom of the authorization of the Sellafield Mox Plant and a guarantee of no movement of radioactive substances or materials or wastes that are in any way related to the plant into or out of the waters of the Irish Sea. This article reviews the background to the dispute between Ireland and the United Kingdom over the operation of the Sellafield Mox Plant. It focuses on the various jurisdictional challenges raised before ITLOS and critically assesses the conclusions reached by the Tribunal in its Order.
P fimbriae and aerobactin as intestinal colonization factors for Escherichia coli in Pakistani infants
Authors: NOWROUZIAN F. , WOLD A. E. , ADLERBERTH I.
Published: October 2003

The carriage rate of a range of virulence genes was compared between resident and transient Escherichia coli strains obtained from the rectal flora of 22 home-delivered Pakistani infants 0–6 months old. Genes for the following virulence factors were assessed using multiplex PCR: P, type 1 and S fimbriae, three P fimbrial adhesin varieties, Dr haemagglutinin, K1 and K5 capsule, haemolysin and aerobactin. The E. coli strains examined here differed from those previously obtained from hosts in Western Europe in a lower prevalence of genes for P, S and type 1 fimbriae, K1 capsule and haemolysin. Nevertheless, genes for P fimbriae, the class II variety of papG adhesin, and aerobactin were significantly more common among resident than transient strains, as previously observed in a Swedish study. The results suggest that P fimbriae and aerobactin, previously implicated as virulence factors for urinary tract infection, might contribute to persistence of E. coli in the normal intestinal microflora.
Carriage of intestinal spirochaetes by humans: epidemiological data from Western Australia
Authors: BROOKE C. J. , CLAIR A. N. , MIKOSZA A. S. J. , RILEY T. V. , HAMPSON D. J.
Published: October 2003

The purpose of this study was to investigate carriage of intestinal spirochaetes by selected population groups in Western Australia. Stool specimens from 293 rural patients with gastrointestinal disorders, and from 227 healthy migrants from developing countries were cultured. Spirochaete isolates were identified using PCR, and typed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Brachyspira aalborgi was not isolated. Brachyspira pilosicoli was recovered from 15 rural patients, all Aboriginal. Prevalence was 9·9% in 151 Aboriginals and 0% in 142 non-Aboriginals. Carriage of B. pilosicoli amongst migrants was 10·6% (24/227). Carriage was significantly increased in Aboriginal children aged 2–5 years (P = 0·0027) and in migrant individuals from the Middle East and Africa (P = 0·0034). Carriage was significantly associated with detection of faecal protozoa in both Aboriginals (P = 0·0021) and migrants (P = 0·012). PFGE results indicated that the B. pilosicoli strains were genetically diverse.
Serological divergence of Dobrava and Saaremaa hantaviruses: evidence for two distinct serotypes
Authors: BRUS SJÖLANDER K. , GOLOVLJOVA I. , VASILENKO V. , PLYUSNIN A. , LUNDKVIST Å.
Published: October 2003

In order to investigate the serological relationship of Dobrava hantavirus (DOBV, originating from Slovenia) and the Dobrava-like Saaremaa virus (SAAV, recently discovered in Estonia) we analysed 37 human serum samples, 24 from Estonia and 13 from the Balkans, by focus reduction neutralization test (FRNT). Most of the Estonian sera (19), including all sera from Saaremaa island (12), reacted with higher FRNT end-point titres to the local SAAV; the majority of them (15 and 11, respectively), with at least fourfold or higher titres to SAAV than to DOBV. In contrast, out of the 13 sera collected in Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Greece, only one reacted more strongly with SAAV (with a twofold higher titre), while 10 of these sera reacted more strongly with the local DOBV (9/10 with fourfold or higher titres). These results indicate that DOBV and SAAV define unique hantavirus serotypes.
Natural aerosol transmission of foot-and-mouth disease virus to pigs: minimal infectious dose for strain O1 Lausanne
Authors: ALEXANDERSEN S. , BROTHERHOOD I. , DONALDSON A. I.
Published: October 2003

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) can spread by a variety of mechanisms, including, under certain circumstances, by the wind. Simulation models have been developed to predict the risk of airborne spread of FMDV and have played an important part in decision making during emergencies. The minimal infectious dose of FMDV for different species by inhalation is an important determinant of airborne spread. Whereas the doses for cattle and sheep have been quantified, those for pigs are not known. The objective of the study was to obtain that data in order to enhance the capability of simulation models. Under experimental conditions, forty pigs were exposed individually to naturally generated aerosols of FMDV, strain O1 Lausanne. The results indicated that doses under 100 TCID50 failed to infect pigs but doses of approximately 300 TCID50 caused short-term sub-clinical infection. The calculations suggested that a dose of more than 800 TCID50 is required to cause infection and typical disease.
Antibodies in crevicular fluid: an epidemiological tool for investigation of waterborne disease
Authors: GAMMIE A. , MORRIS R. , WYN-JONES A. P.
Published: October 2003

A significant challenge in the epidemiological investigation of recreational waterborne disease is the establishment of a definite association between exposure to a contaminated water and infection. An increase in specific antibodies as a result of infection is a potent measure of disease exposure and its determination would enhance epidemiological studies of waterborne diseases. We report on the automated detection of HAV antibodies in crevicular fluid and its use in a field study. The method is easy to use, non-invasive, could be applied to volunteers of all ages and is comparable in sensitivity to serological procedures. Application to an epidemiological study of water recreationalists demonstrated that surfers were three times more likely to be immune to hepatitis A virus than either wind-surfers or a control group without recreational water contact.
The changing epidemiological pattern of hepatitis A in England and Wales
Authors: MORRIS M. C. , GAY N. J. , HESKETH L. M. , MORGAN-CAPNER P. , MILLER E.
Published: October 2003

Sera from an age-stratified sample of 4188 individuals, submitted for diagnostic purposes to 15 public health laboratories in England and Wales in 1996, were tested for hepatitis A antibody. The serological profiles were consistent with declining incidence in the past. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the serological profiles of Ashford, Leeds and Preston public health laboratories with those from sera collected during a previous study in the same laboratories in 1986/7. A comparison of equivalent 10 year birth cohorts revealed that significant hepatitis A seroconversion had only continued in Ashford. However, it is probable that most seroconversions are due to vaccination and immigration rather than continuing viral transmission. Further population-based surveys collecting more in-depth social and demographic data are needed to confirm the main factors influencing hepatitis A seroprevalence and to explain the regional differences.
Escherichia coli O157 infection associated with a petting zoo
Authors: HEUVELINK A. E. , VAN HEERWAARDEN C. , ZWARTKRUIS-NAHUIS J. T. M. , VAN OOSTEROM R. , EDINK K. , VAN DUYNHOVEN Y. T. H. P. , DE BOER E.
Published: October 2003

A young child was admitted to hospital with haemolytic-uraemic syndrome caused by infection with a Shiga toxin 2-producing strain of Escherichia coli (STEC) O157. Five days before he became ill, the child had visited a small petting zoo. STEC O157 strains were isolated from faecal samples from goats and sheep housed on the farm. The human and the animal isolates were indistinguishable by molecular subtyping. The petting zoo voluntarily closed temporarily to prevent further cases of infection. Two out of 11 other, randomly selected petting zoos (including one deer park) visited subsequently, tested positive. Furthermore, during the study period there was one more notification of STEC O157 infection possibly linked with a farm visit. Although STEC O157 was indeed found in the petting zoo associated with this patient, transmission through animal contact could not be confirmed because the human isolate was not available for subtyping. The case study and the results of the other on-farm investigations highlight the risk of acquiring severe zoonotic infections during visits to petting zoos.
Use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis for detecting differences in Staphylococcus aureus strain populations between dairy herds with different cattle importation practices
Authors: MIDDLETON J. R. , FOX L. K. , GAY J. M. , TYLER J. W. , BESSER T. E.
Published: October 2003

The hypothesis tested was that dairy herds which import cattle for replacement or expansion have a higher prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus mastitis and a greater number of new Staphylococcus aureus strains enter their herds than closed herds. Fifteen commercial dairy herds were divided into four groups based on cattle importation practices. Composite foremilk samples were collected at 4-monthly intervals for 1 year from all lactating cattle. Additionally, foremilk samples were collected from cattle at parturition and skin swabs were taken from the udder of primiparous heifers. All samples were cultured for Staphylococcus aureus and isolates were strain-typed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Herds that purchased replacement heifers had a higher prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus mastitis than herds that purchased lactating cattle for expansion (P = 0.02). Herds that purchased replacement heifers had more total strains of Staphylococcus aureus (P = 0.01) and more new strains (P = 0.04) enter the herd than closed herds.
Mumps outbreak in vaccinated children in Gipuzkoa (Basque Country), Spain
Authors: MONTES M. , CILLA G. , ARTIEDA J. , VICENTE D. , BASTERRETXEA M.
Published: October 2003

A mumps outbreak occurred in a group of vaccinated children aged 3–4 years in San Sebastián (Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain) in 2000 during the same period as a revaccination campaign against measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) was performed. The clinical cases were confirmed by viral culture, detection of viral RNA and/or specific IgM. Eighty-eight percent of the children had been vaccinated with the Rubini strain and the remainder with the Jeryl–Lynn strain. The attack rate was 47·9% (35 cases in 73 school-attending children of this age). The outbreak was caused by an H genotype strain of mumps virus which was circulating at the same time as a D genotype strain that caused sporadic cases. By sequencing the small hydrophobic (SH) gene, the strains of the clinical cases were identified as wild-type mumps virus with heterologous genotypes in comparison to the vaccine strains used in our area.
Epidemiological consequences of a pathogen having both virulent and avirulent modes of transmission: the case of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus
Authors: WHITE P. J. , NORMAN R. A. , HUDSON P. J.
Published: October 2003

A number of pathogens cause chronic infection in survivors of acute disease and this is believed to be a common means of persistence, including for highly virulent agents. We present a model in which transmission from chronically infected hosts causes chronic infection in naive individuals, without causing acute disease – indeed ‘protecting’ against it. Thus the pathogen obtains the benefit of virulence (high transmission rate), but mitigates against the cost (high host mortality). Recent findings suggest that rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV), a highly contagious and virulent pathogen, may also utilize this alternative, ‘avirulent’, mode of transmission. The model may resolve the paradox of how RHDV can be highly prevalent in some populations, in the absence of mortality. Differences in host demography determine whether avirulent transmission prevents large-scale mortality (as in most UK populations) or not. Other pathogens may exhibit similar behaviour and the implications for emerging diseases in general are discussed.