bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
X-ray laser gain in a plasma channel
Authors: PARASHAR J.
Published: July 2002

A preformed plasma channel of light ion species, with a small
percentage of high-Z atoms, can be produced by a laser prepulse. When an
intense short laser pulse propagates through the channel, high-Z atoms are
stripped of most of their electrons. After the passage of the pulse, recombination
of electrons with high-Z ions produces population inversion for the generation
of coherent X rays. However, the gain is strongly dependent on the radial
coordinate r. A paraxial-ray theory of X-ray amplification in such a situation
reveals that gain focusing and refraction guiding play an important role in
determining the gain and the spot size of the X-ray laser.
Whistler emission through transition radiation
by a modulated electron beam spiralling in a magnetoplasma
Authors: STARODUBTSEV M. , KRAFFT C.
Published: July 2002

Transition radiation from the zone of injection of a modulated
electron beam spiralling into a magnetoplasma has been identified as whistler
waves propagating quasiparallel to the external magnetic field. The characteristics
of the radiation are similar to the emission by localized sources, such
as loop antennas and electric dipoles: resonance-cone structures at low plasma
densities and energy flow along the external magnetic field at higher densities,
with a diverging radiation pattern and with whistler phase velocities inversely
proportional to the plasma frequency. These studies should contribute to a
wider understanding of the physical processes connected with the injection of
charges in a magnetoplasma – either from a gun on board a spacecraft or in a
plasma chamber – and thus allow the determination of appropriate radiator
characteristics in order to control, to some extent, plasma perturbations and
wave emission in the region of the injector.
A pilot study for monitoring the zoobenthic communities on the rocky shores of Abra de Bilbao (northern Spain)
Authors: Pagola-Carte S. , Saiz-Salinas J.I.
Published: July 2002

Biomass measurements (AFDW) of both subtidal and intertidal macrofauna of the ‘Abra de Bilbao’ embayment were used within a pilot study in a four step strategy of analysis, which consisted of: (1) representing communities; (2) discriminating sites or conditions; (3) determining levels of ‘stress’; and (4) linking to environmental variables. Univariate (number of species, diversity indices) as well as multivariate (clustering, MDS, SIMPER, BIO-ENV) techniques from the PRIMER package were employed. Several data aggregation levels were proposed in the analyses with the aim of selecting cost-effective procedures. The results suggested a good integration of environmental conditions by subtidal samples, which were close to constant on all different taxonomic aggregation levels. The abiotic parameter which best ‘explained’ the biotic pattern of subtidal samples in the investigated area was turbidity measured as total suspension solids and nephelometric units on the water surface. In conclusion, we recommend monitoring rocky substrates by using more extensive biomass sampling surveys of subtidal areas followed by a less time-consuming treatment of the samples (identification by high taxonomic categories or by trophic groups).
Reserve management strategy for the sand smelt from brackish lagoons in southern France
Authors: Tomasini J.A. , Collart D. , Quignard J.P.
Published: July 2002

Visceral fat content, liver weight and carcass weight changes in female sand smelt Atherina boyeri from three brackish lagoons of southern France were studied throughout the year 1993. Each of these three parameters showed a peak in autumn, the visceral fat content peak occurring earlier in the season. Moreover, when ovary weight was maximal, maturing and ripe fish exhibited a second liver weight peak in April, at the beginning of the reproductive season which extended from late February to late August. Reserves were stored in flesh, liver and the abdominal cavity after the end of reproduction and were utilized from late autumn to early summer to overwinter and reproduce. At the onset of the breeding season, visceral fat content and eviscerated weight in larger fish, which started reproducing earlier and stopped later than smaller ones, were relatively higher. From April onwards, as reproductive effort was at its highest, liver and ovary weights decreased. However, eviscerated weight in smaller fish and visceral fat content in larger ones rose slightly before they ceased breeding. It is suggested that the strategy, especially in younger fish, is to avoid complete exhaustion in reproduction. This reduces the risk of subsequent overwintering mortality and increases the chance of reproduction in the future.
Spectral patterns of the iridescence in the males of Sapphirina (Copepoda: Poecilostomatoida)
Authors: Chae Jinho , Nishida Shuhei
Published: July 2002

Spectral reflectivity and transmission of the iridescent cuticle of six species of male Sapphirina (Poecilostomatoida: Copepoda) were measured by microspectrophotometry. Sapphirina angusta and S. opalina showed two spectral peaks of reflection, one at about 420 nm and the other at wavelengths longer than 750 nm. Sapphirina auronitens and S. gastrica had dominant peaks at wavelengths longer than 500 nm. Sapphirina ovatolanceolata had peaks between 430 and 600 nm, while S. metallina had various peaks along a wide range of wavelengths. The peaks at the longer wavelength in S. angusta and S. opalina may be related to the red pigments in the subcuticular layer of the species, or a result of a second-order effect of the multilayer system. The spectra of transmitted light were complementary to those of reflected light, indicating that the iridescence is caused by the interference of light by the integumental multilayer structure. The present results are also consistent with the hypothesis that the iridescence has a role in increasing the contrast of males against the ambient light conditions in the daytime distributional depth of the species.
Annelid fauna of a Mediterranean lagoon (Gialova Lagoon, south-west Greece): community structure in a severely fluctuating environment
Authors: Arvanitidis C. , Koutsoubas D. , Dounas C. , Eleftheriou A.
Published: July 2002

The annelid community of a shallow Mediterranean lagoon (Gialova Lagoon, Ionian Sea) was studied on a seasonal basis. Out of the 39 species identified eight are reported for the first time from the central Mediterranean. The dominant species were the polychaetes Capitella capitata, Neodexiospira pseudocorrugata, Malacoceros fuliginosus, Perinereis cultrifera, Hediste diversicolor, Heteromastus filiformis and the oligochaete Limnodriloides maslinicensis. Uni- and multivariate methods were employed to study the community structure. The coenocline observed is strongly related to the degree of isolation; its main features (i.e. number of species, density, geometric abundance and size-classes) in space and time are presented and discussed in detail. The distribution pattern of the annelid community has been found to be governed by a different set of environmental factors in each season. Although this narrow lagoonal habitat suffers severe dystrophic episodes it manages to recover, demonstrating a seasonal community pattern.
Heat shock and stress response ofTaenia soliumandT. crassiceps(Cestoda)
Authors: VARGAS-PARADA L. , SOLÍS C. F. , LACLETTE J. P.
Published: July 2002

Heat shock and stress responses are documented for the first time in larval stages of the cestodesTaenia soliumandTaenia crassiceps. Radioactive metabolic labelling afterin vitroincubation of cysts at 43 °C, revealed the induction of heat shock proteins. InT. crassiceps, the major heat shock proteins were 80, 70 and 60 kDa. After prolonged incubation, a set of low molecular weight heat shock proteins (27, 31, 33 and 38 kDa), were also induced.In vitroincubation of cysts at 4 °C, induced the synthesis of stress proteins ranging from 31 to 80 kDa, indicating the parasite is also able to respond to cold shock.T. soliumcysts exposure to temperature stress also resulted in an increased synthesis of 2 major heat shock proteins of 80 and 70 kDa. Western blots using the excretory–secretory products ofT. soliumshowed that 2 heat shock proteins were recognized by antibodies in the sera of cysticercotic patients: one of 66 kDa and another migrating close to the run front. TheT. solium66 kDa protein was also recognized by specific antibodies directed to a 60 kDa bacterial heat shock protein, suggesting that it belongs to this family of proteins.
Two Encephalitozoon cuniculi strains of human origin are
infectious to rabbits
Authors: MATHIS A. , MICHEL M. , KUSTER H. , MÜLLER C. , WEBER R. , DEPLAZES P.
Published: July 2002

The microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi can infect
a wide variety of mammals including man. In this study, E. cuniculi
isolates of animal origin were compared with 6 isolates obtained from HIV-infected
patients. Based on results of Western blot analysis, random amplified polymorphic
DNA (RAPD) and the sequence of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS)
the isolates were classified into 3 groups with the repeated element 5′GTTT-3′
in the ITS being a reliable genetic marker. Five isolates from Swiss patients
were found to be homologous to isolates from Swiss rabbits (strain I).
The sixth isolate from a patient from Mexico differed by all methods and
could be attributed to E. cuniculi strain III that has been described
from 2 dogs from the USA. All of these isolates were distinguished from
isolates from blue foxes from Norway (strain II). Intraspecific nucleotide
divergence of the SSU rRNA gene of E. cuniculi belonging to the
3 strains was in the same low range (0·00–0·15%) as was found for
the corresponding sequence of 2 E. hellem isolates. Groups of
2 rabbits were infected by oral inoculation of 107E. cuniculi
spores (2 isolates from strain I of human and rabbit origin, 1 from strain
III) as shown by antibody responses and the re-isolation of the parasites
from brain material. The results provide further evidence that per oral
transmission of the parasite between various hosts is feasible.
Axenic cultivation and partial characterization of

Leishmania braziliensis amastigote-like stages
Authors: BALANCO J. M. F. , PRAL E. M. F. , da SILVA S. , BIJOVSKY A. T. , MORTARA R. A. , ALFIERI S. C.
Published: July 2002

Leishmania braziliensis strain M2903 was

adapted for growth and serially maintained as amastigotes at

34°C in modified

UM-54 medium, with growth curves exhibiting typical log and

stationary phases. In late passages, amastigote growth took

place in the absence of supplementary haemin and was unaffected

when the initial medium pH was adjusted between 5·4

and 6·3. In contrast to promastigotes, which were

elongated and exhibited very long free flagella endowed with the

paraflagellar rod (PFR), axenic amastigotes were rounded to

ovoid and displayed a short flagellum restricted to the pocket

area. The absence of PFR in axenic amastigotes was confirmed

in Western blots and confocal immunofluorescence

microscopy, by lack of reactivity with mAb 1B10. The antibody,

which specifically labelled the paraflagellar structure,

recognized a 70/72 kDa doublet in Trypanosoma

cruzi epimastigotes and two 70/74 kDa related proteins

in L. braziliensis

promastigotes. Surface 125I-labelling experiments

identified promastigote-specific components (>100,

74, 45/47 and 28 kDa) and at least 1, a 76 kDa polypeptide

was specific for the amastigote stage. While axenic

amastigotes were agglutinated by both peanut (PNA) and

Lens culinaris (LCA) agglutinins, respectively at 50

and 12·5 μg/ml, promastigotes

were not agglutinated by PNA and agglutinated in the

presence of LCA at concentrations of 100 μg/ml and

higher. Axenic amastigotes infected rat bone marrow-derived

macrophages and were avidly taken up by J774 cells, from

which numerous organisms, able to proliferate at 34°C in

UM-54 medium, could be recovered 48 h later.
Characterization of plant nematode genes: identifying
targets for a transgenic defence
Authors: LILLEY C. J. , URWIN P. E. , ATKINSON H. J.
Published: July 2002

Current control of plant parasitic nematodes often relies on highly toxic and environmentally harmful nematicides. As
their use becomes increasingly restricted there is an urgent need to develop crop varieties with resistance to nematodes.
The limitations surrounding conventional plant breeding ensure there is a clear opportunity for transgenic resistance to
lessen current dependence on chemical control. The increasing use of molecular biology techniques in the field of plant
nematology is now providing useful information for the design of novel defences to meet the new needs. Plant responses
to parasitism are being investigated at the molecular level and nematode gene products that could be targets for a direct
anti-nematode defence are being characterized. The potential of an anti-feedant approach to nematode control has been
demonstrated. It is based on the transgenic expression of proteinase inhibitors. The rational development of this strategy
involves characterization of nematode proteinase genes and optimization of inhibitors by protein engineering. Durability
of the resistance can be enhanced by stacking transgenes directed at different nematode targets.
Variation of transient gene expression within single
lineages of Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: LAURENT J.-P. , SWINDLE J.
Published: July 2002

The biodiversity of Trypanosoma cruzi is one of the main factors complicating the understanding of its molecular
epidemiology. As an alternative to classical genetic methods, investigators have used DNA-mediated transformation
techniques to study this diversity. Recently, transient expression data were shown to correlate with the genetic data. This
led investigators to speculate on a potential speciation within clonal populations of Trypanosoma cruzi. To further test the
phylogenetic significance of transient expression analysis in Trypanosoma cruzi, multiple plasmids were used to drive the
expression of a reporter gene in different parasite populations. In our study, population specific expression of the reporter
gene was observed but the variability revealed by these transient expression assays was very large and did not follow the
grouping of Trypanosoma cruzi populations in 2 lineages. In this report, we discuss some of the limitations of transient
assays on such a diverse parasite.
The neuropeptide F (NPF) encoding gene from the
cestode, Moniezia expansa
Authors: MAIR G. R. , HALTON D. W. , SHAW C. , MAULE A. G.
Published: July 2002

Neuropeptide F (NPF) is an abundantly expressed neuropeptide in platyhelminth nervous systems, and exhibits a
moderate, myogenic effect on muscle preparations of parasitic flatworms. NPF displays structural similarities to peptides
from molluscs and vertebrate members of the neuropeptide Y (NPY)-superfamily of peptides. NPY is one of the most
abundant and highly conserved neuropeptides within vertebrates and similarities between the gene organization of NPY,
pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY), suggest a common evolutionary origin of this peptide
family. Dual localization analyses coupled with confocal scanning laser microscopy revealed a close spatial relationship
between NPF-containing nerves and muscle fibres in M. expansa. Molecular cloning techniques identified the M. expansa
NPF (mxNPF) precursor and characterized the isolated transcript which encodes an open reading frame of 57 amino
acids. The transcript possesses a 17 amino acid signal peptide and the mature NPF sequence (39 amino acids) followed
by a carboxyterminal glycyl extension. Sequence analysis of genomic DNA identified a product which possessed a 54 base
pair intron with consensus sequences for 5′ and 3′ splice sites. The M. expansa npf gene possesses a phase 2 intron within
the penultimate arginyl residue, a characteristic feature of NPY superfamily peptide-genes. The intron–exon organization
of the npf gene, coupled with the abundant expression of NPF within the nervous systems of flatworms, suggests an early
evolutionary origin for this peptide transmitter family within the nervous systems of basal bilaterian metazoans.
Changes of mate occur in Schistosoma mansoni
Authors: PICA-MATTOCCIA L. , MORONI R. , TCHUEM TCHUENTÉ L. A. , SOUTHGATE V. R. , CIOLI D.
Published: July 2002

Male and female schistosomes are generally assumed to form stable monogamous pairs for the whole span of their long
existence in the mammalian host. Recent evidence from mixed infections has shown that Schistosoma mansoni males can
displace S. intercalatum males from their homologous partners, but no information exists about the existence of similar
phenomena within a single schistosome species. Here, we determine whether male S. mansoni can displace males of the
same species from pre-formed pairs in vivo. The availability of clear-cut genetic markers of drug resistance in schistosomes
was exploited to show that hycanthone sensitive S. mansoni males can displace homospecific hycanthone resistant males
from pre-formed pairs and vice versa. The frequency of changes is dependent on the magnitude of the excess single males
competing with paired worms. The possible mechanics and the biological significance of mate changing are discussed.
Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging and
neuropsychological functions in dementia of the Alzheimer type
Authors: PANTEL J. , SCHRÖDER J. , SCHAD L. R. , FRIEDLINGER M. , KNOPP M. V. , SCHMITT R. , GEISSLER M. , BLÜML S. , ESSIG M. , SAUER H.
Published: July 2002

Background. The aim of the present study was to investigate neuropsychological functions in
dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) with respect to morphological changes that were revealed
by quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods. Twenty patients with DAT (NINCDS-ADRDA criteria) and 10 healthy age and sex
matched controls were included. The neuropsychological function was evaluated on a test
battery covering the severity of dementia, verbal and visual memory, concentration and
attention, language skills and general intelligence as well as activities of daily living. 3D MRI
sequences were acquired using a 1.5 T Siemens MAGNETOM. Whole brain volume, total
intracranial volume (TIV), volume of the frontal and temporal lobes and volumes of the
amygdalahippocampus complex (AHC) were assessed using the newly developed software NMRWin.

Results. Apart from TIV all morphometric parameters differed significantly between the
diagnostic groups. AHC volumes discriminated best between the groups, with only a small overlap.
AHC atrophy exceeded generalized atrophy. These findings were confirmed when the data were
reanalysed after dividing the DAT patients into a mildly and moderately affected group. The
severity of dementia was significantly correlated with the volumes of the AHC and the volumes
of the temporal lobes bilaterally, but not with the whole brain volume and the volumes of the
frontal lobes.

Conclusions. These results underline the important role of the temporal substructures for
aetiology and progression of DAT. They indicate that the volume of the AHC can be
monitored by MRI and may be used to follow up the disease process.
The risk for psychiatric disorders in relatives of schizophrenic
and control probands: a comparison of three independent studies
Authors: KENDLER KENNETH S. , GARDNER CHARLES O.
Published: July 2002

Background. Although replication is the heart of
science, psychiatric geneticists rarely have the opportunity to
replicate findings, especially more than once.

Methods. This article reviews results from three
independent family studies of schizophrenia on which one of us
conducted diagnostic reviews: the Danish Adoption Study (DAS), the
Iowa 500 non-500 family study (IFS), and the Roscommon Family Study
(RFS). We utilized DSM-III or DSM-III-R criteria and meta-analysis
techniques.

Results. The odds ratios (OR) in personally interviewed,
first degree biological relatives of schizophrenic and matched control
probands for schizophrenia, other non-affective psychoses (ONAP),
schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), unipolar affective illness
(UPAI), bipolar affective illness (BPAI), and anxiety disorders were
homogeneous across studies. For alcoholism, ORs were significantly
heterogeneous. Schizophrenia, SPD and ONAP strongly aggregated in
relatives of schizophrenic probands with decreasing common OR
estimates of 16·2, 5·0 and 4·0, respectively. The
common OR for anxiety disorders was 1·1, indicating no familial
co-aggregation. For UPAI and BPAI, the common ORs exceeded unity
(1·3 and 1·9, respectively), although only the former
was statistically significant.

Conclusions. Schizophrenia strongly aggregates in families
and shares familial factors with SPD and ONAP but not anxiety
disorders. The familial factors of aetiological importance for
schizophrenia and affective illness may be weakly related. With the
exception of alcoholism, the patterns of psychiatric disorders in
relatives of schizophrenic and control probands in these three studies
were sufficiently similar that, despite their methodological
differences, they can probably be viewed as replications of one
another.
Psychological influences on the perception of immune function
Authors: PETRIE K. J. , BOOTH R. J. , ELDER H. , CAMERON L. D.
Published: July 2002

Background. Perception of deficiencies in immunity are
common in a number of patient complaints.
However, little is known about the way in which individuals form perceptions
about the competence
of their immune system. In two studies we examined the relationship between
subjects' perceptions
of their immune functioning, physical symptoms, mood and measures of immunity.

Methods. In Study 1, 20 healthy volunteers completed global
ratings of their immune system
functioning, as well as mood and symptom reports, twice a week for 5 weeks.
At the same time,
blood samples were taken to assess serum IgA, IgG, and IgM antibodies.
In Study 2, another sample
of 58 subjects completed the same measures weekly for 5 weeks and their
blood was tested for
concentrations of CD3, CD4, CD8, and CD16 lymphocytes.

Results. We found perceptions of immune functioning to be unrelated
to the concentrations of
serum antibodies or blood lymphocytes. Immune perceptions were strongly
related to mood and in
particular, feelings of fatigue and vigour. The experience of recent physical
symptoms, while not as
strong as mood variables, was also important in perceptions of immune functioning.

Conclusions. Mood seems to be an important determinant in the
perception of immune function,
and complaints about immune dysfunction in clinical situation should be
investigated with this
possibility in mind.
Prevalence of reported suicidal behaviour in the general population and mental health-care staff
Authors: RAMBERG INGA-LILL , WASSERMAN DANUTA
Published: July 2002

Background. Higher rates of suicidal behaviour have been reported among staff in mental health care than in the general population. However, no studies of these two groups have been carried out simultaneously, using the same methods. This study aims to investigate whether they differ in terms of age- and sex-standardized prevalence of suicidal behaviour.

Methods. Identical questions about suicidal behaviour were addressed in the same year to a random sample of the general population and to mental health-care staff in Stockholm. Life weariness among the latter was also investigated.

Results. Age- and sex-standardized past year prevalences of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts were found to be similar among mental health-care staff and the general population. Lifetime prevalence of both suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts was significantly higher among mental health-care staff than among the general population. Psychologists/social workers have a higher probability of: lifetime thoughts of life is not worth living; death wishes; and, suicidal thoughts, than nurses/assistant nurses.

Conclusions. Reports on lifetime prevalence of suicidal behaviour may be biased in populations that are not reminded of these problems in everyday life. Data on past year prevalence of suicidal behaviour show clearly the similarity between the general population and the mental health-care staff.
Conceptuality in question: teaching and pure cognition in Yogācāra-Madhyamaka
Authors: RAM-PRASAD C.
Published: July 2002

For Yogācāra-Madhyamaka, enlightenment is free of the mistaken
conceptual construction of subject and objects of desire. The Buddha's awakening
was a state purified of concepts, without desire and suffering. But, subsequently, he
compassionately taught of awakening, and teaching is conceptual. Can
enlightenment be both cognitively pure and concept-utilizing? To secure cognitive
purity while teaching, the philosophers argue that the enlightened person is
cleansed of desire for subject and objects, rather than strictly free of concepts of
subject and objects. To secure teaching after the attainment of pure cognition, they
allow conceptuality, so long as it is free of desire.
Polytheism, pantheism, and the ontological argument
Authors: HARWOOD R.
Published: July 2002

I show that if the ontological argument is sound, it proves that a
number of maximally great beings must exist. I show that maximal greatness does
not imply uniqueness, that such beings can be omnipotent and yet not restrict each
other's power, and that each must have its own separate stream of consciousness. I
also show that attempts to unify the beings by unifying the streams of consciousness
leads to a form of pantheism.
Takesi Sibata, Sociolinguistics in Japanese
contexts. Ed. by Tetsuya Kunihiro, Fumio Inoue, &
Daniel Long. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 1999. Pp. xvi, 489.
Hb DM 248.00.
Authors: Ide Sachiko
Published: July 2002

The assumptions made by readers of Language in
Society and other English-language academic publications,
when they begin to read, are so widely shared that they
are seldom reflected on or made explicit. These assumptions
have to do with European traditions of scholarship; and
over time, they have made their way around the world because
of the unquestioned belief in their universal applicability.
But other approaches do exist, although most are never
featured in publications in Western languages. I commented
on this situation long ago, but it persists to this day:
“The work done by Japanese sociolinguists is virtually
unknown to non-Japanese readers. The reason is probably
that this work has developed independently of the Western
disciplines. The fact that Japanese researchers have worked
independently of the Western tradition has inevitably resulted
in unique assumptions, orientations or approaches when
viewed from an international perspective”.
M. Ishtiaq, Language shifts among the scheduled
tribes in India: A geographical study. (MLBD Series
in Linguistics.) Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, Pp. xii, 183.
Rs 450. $32.00.
Authors: Breton Roland J.-L.
Published: July 2002

This book, by a geographer, is a rather complete
study of the linguistic behavior of an important population
group, the so-called Scheduled Tribes of India, numbering
68 million people in 1991, and more than 90 million today,
i.e. as much as the population of Germany – but a
population split into distinct units, spread in various
patches of territory all over India, where they speak more
than 60 indigenous languages. Spatially and culturally
divided, they have also long been socially marginalized,
and despite many official schemes of development, they
are still undergoing a very important process of deculturation.
The most noticeable manifestation of this process –
the language shift that is the subject of this book –
had, at the period of the author's fieldwork, already
affected nearly 60% of this population and is leading to
the gradual disappearance of local languages in many places.
Brain feedback and adaptive resonance in speech perception
Authors: Grossberg Stephen
Published: July 2002

The brain contains ubiquitous reciprocal bottom-up and top-down intercortical and thalamocortical pathways. These resonating feedback pathways may be essential for stable learning of speech and language codes and for context-sensitive selection and completion of noisy speech sounds and word groupings. Context-sensitive speech data, notably interword backward effects in time, have been quantitatively modeled using these concepts but not with purely feedforward models.
It is time to inhibit Pavlovian conditioning
Authors: Limber John
Published: July 2002

Despite a promising introduction, Domjan et al.'s target article fails to capitalize on the concept of information intrinsic to control theory. The authors limit their application of feed-forward models to simple nondynamic cases. Their applications to social behavior are stimulus-occasioned responses. Agents might as well be dogfood! The notion of “conditioning” is generalized without warrant to explain virtually any acquired predictive capability.
Pavlovian perceptions and primate realities
Authors: Poirier Frank E. , Field Michelle
Published: July 2002

The extent to which Pavlovian feed-forward mechanisms operate in primates is debatable. Monkeys and apes are long-lived, usually gregarious, and intelligent animals reliant on learned behavior. Learning occurs during play, mother-infant interactions, and grooming. We address these situations, and are hesitant to accept Domjan et al.'s reliance on Pavlovian conditioning as a major operant in primates.
Time course of dreaming and sleep organization
Authors: Salzarulo Piero
Published: July 2002

The complexity and mysteriousness of mental processes during sleep rule out thinking only in term of generators. How could we know exactly what mental sleep experience (MSE) is produced and when? To refer to REM versus NREM as separate time windows for MSE seems insufficient. We propose that in each cycle NREM and REM interact to allow mentation to reach a certain degree of complexity and consolidation in memory. Each successive cycle within a sleep episode should contribute to these processes with a different weight according to the time of night and distance from sleep onset. This view would avoid assuming too great a separation between REM and NREM functions and attributing psychological functions only to a single state.

[Nielsen]
An embodied theory in search of a body: Challenges for a dynamic systems model of infant perseveration
Authors: Munakata Yoke , Sahni Sarah Devi , Yerys Benjamin E.
Published: July 2002

In this commentary, we question (1) how embodied Thelen et al.'s model is relative to their aims, and (2) how embodied the behavior of children is in particular response systems, relative to how much dynamic systems theory emphasizes this idea. We close with corrections to mischaracterizations of an alternative, neural network perspective on infant behavior.
Neural construction: Two and a half cheers for Quartz & Sejnowski!
Authors: Purves Dale
Published: July 2002

A wealth of evidence supports the idea that the circuitry of
the developing nervous system is gradually elaborated under the
instructive influence of neural activity. Some care must be taken,
however, not to handicap the acceptance of this useful perspective
with too onerous a theoretical superstructure.
Filling-in as a within-level propagation may be an illusion
Authors: Bachmann Talis
Published: July 2002

“Finding out” about the visual world as
approached from the organismic level may well include the
“filling-in” type of perceptual completion if
considered in terms of underlying neurophysiological mechanisms.
But “filling in” can be interpreted not only as a result
of within-level propagating of neural activity, but as a byproduct of
the process that is necessary for modulating preconscious information
about physically present objects or events so as to generate conscious
quality in attending to them.
Are locus equations sufficient or necessary for obstruent perception?
Authors: Jongman Allard
Published: July 2002

Two issues are addressed in this commentary: the universality
and the “psychological reality” of locus equations as cues
to place of articulation. Preliminary data collected in our laboratory
suggest that locus equations do not reliably distinguish place of
articulation for fricatives. Additionally, perception studies show
that listeners can identify place of articulation based on much less
temporal information than that required for deriving locus
equations.
Concepts are not beliefs, but having concepts is having beliefs
Authors: Xu Fei , Tenenbaum Joshua B. , Sorrentino Cristina M.
Published: July 2002

We applaud Millikan's psychologically plausible version
of the causal theory of reference. Her proposal offers a significant
clarification of the much-debated relation between concepts and
beliefs, and suggests positive directions for future empirical studies
of conceptual development. However, Millikan's revision of the
causal theory may leave us with no generally satisfying account of
concept individuation in the mind.
Is attention required in a model of saccade generation?
Authors: Crundall David , Underwood Geoffrey
Published: July 2002

Removing attention from the saccade generation system should also remove the paradoxical loops that can occur with attention terminology. At least one such loop is still apparent in the current model, however. The benefits of an attention-free approach are assessed through comparison with a recent theory of attention (Logan 1996).
Isomorphisms and subjective colors
Authors: Lockhead Gregory R. , Huettel Scott A.
Published: July 2002

Palmer describes a “subjective barrier” that limits knowledge of others' experience. We discuss how this barrier extends to all knowledge, becoming less distinct as theoretical constructs are strengthened. We provide evidence for isomorphic experience, among individuals with similar physiologies, by showing that perceived relations between colors are as similar when viewing pigments as when viewing subjective colors caused by flickering bars.
The neuron doctrine in psychiatry
Authors: Perring Christian
Published: July 2002

Gold & Stoljar's target article is important because
it shows the limitations of neurobiological theories of the mind more
powerfully than previous philosophical criticisms, especially those
that focus on the subjective nature of experience and those that use
considerations from philosophy of language to argue for the holism of
the mental. They use less controversial assumptions and clearer
arguments, the conclusions of which are applicable to the whole of
neuroscience. Their conclusions can be applied to psychiatry to argue
that, contrary to many researchers' assumptions, the approaches
to both understanding and treating mental disorders must be
interdisciplinary.
On logarithmically small errors in the lattice point problem
Authors: SKRIGANOV M. M. , STARKOV A. N.
Published: July 2002

In the present paper we give an improvement of a previous result of the paper [M. M. Skriganov. Ergodic theory on $SL(n)$, diophantine approximations and anomalies in the lattice point problem. Inv. Math.132(1), (1998), 1–72, Theorem 2.2] on logarithmically small errors in the lattice point problem for polyhedra. This improvement is based on an analysis of hidden symmetries of the problem generated by the Weyl group for $SL(n,\mathbb{B})$. Let $UP$ denote a rotation of a given compact polyhedron $P\subset\mathbb{B}^n$ by an orthogonal matrix $U\in SO(n)$, $tUP$ a dilation of $UP$ by a parameter $t>0$ and $N(tUP)$ the number of integer points $\gamma\in\mathbb{Z}^n$ which fall into the polyhedron $tUP$. We show that for almost all rotations $U$ (in the sense of the Haar measure on $SO(n)$) the following asymptotic formula
\[
N(t\UP)=t^n{\rm vol} P+ O((\log t)^{n-1+\varepsilon}),\quad t\to\infty,
\]
holds with arbitrarily small $\varepsilon>0$.
Homoclinic orbits to invariant sets of quasi-integrable exact maps
Authors: BERNARD PATRICK
Published: July 2002

The resonant tori of an integrable system are destroyed by a perturbation. If the Hamiltonian is convex, they give rise to hyperbolic lower-dimensional invariant tori or to Aubry–Mather invariant sets. Bolotin has proved the existence of homoclinic orbits to the hyperbolic tori but not to the Aubry–Mather invariant sets. We solve this problem and obtain, for each resonant frequency, the existence of an invariant set with homoclinic orbits.
Ball-avoiding theorems
Authors: SZÁSZ DOMOKOS
Published: July 2002

Consider a nice hyperbolic dynamical system (singularities not excluded). Statements about the topological smallness of the subset of orbits, which avoid an open subset of the phase space (for every moment of time, or just for a not too small subset of times), play a key role in showing hyperbolicity or ergodicity of semi-dispersive billiards, especially, of hard-ball systems. As well as surveying the characteristic results, called ball-avoiding theorems, and giving an idea of the methods of their proofs, their applications are also illustrated. Furthermore, we also discuss analogous questions (which had arisen, for instance, in number theory), when the Hausdorff dimension is taken instead of the topological one. The answers strongly depend on the notion of dimension which is used. Finally, ball-avoiding subsets are naturally related to repellers extensively studied by physicists. For the interested reader we also sketch some analytical and rigorous results about repellers and escape times.
Entropy of $C^\ast$-dynamical systems defined by bitstreams
Authors: GOLODETS V. YA. , ST&\Oslash;RMER ERLING
Published: July 2002

We study automorphisms of the CAR-algebra obtained from binary shifts. We consider cases when the $C^\ast$-dynamical system is asymptotically abelian, is proximally asymptotically abelian, is an entropic $K$-system or has completely positive entropy. The entropy is computed in several cases.
On the mixing of Axiom A attracting flows and a conjecture of Ruelle
Authors: POLLICOTT MARK
Published: July 2002

In this paper we show that the recent work of Dolgopiat and earlier work of the author give a rich class of examples of Axiom A attracting flows which mix exponentially fast. As an immediate corollary we have a proof of a conjecture of Ruelle.
Subshifts on an infinite alphabet
Authors: BRESSAUD XAVIER
Published: July 2002

We study transfer operators over general subshifts of sequences of an infinite alphabet. We introduce a family of Banach spaces of functions satisfying a regularity condition and a decreasing condition. Under some assumptions on the transfer operator, we prove its continuity and quasi-compactness on these spaces. Under additional assumptions—existence of a conformal measure and topological mixing—we prove that its peripheral spectrum is reduced to one and that this eigenvalue is simple. We describe the consequences of these results in terms of existence and properties of invariant measures absolutely continuous with respect to the conformal measure. We also give some examples of contexts in which this setting can be used—expansive maps of the interval, statistical mechanics.
Home, hearth and table: a centennial
review of the nutritional circumstances of
older people living alone
Authors: LYON PHIL , COLQUHOUN ANNE
Published: July 2002

Survey evidence on the living conditions of older people has a long and
creditable history in Britain. Booth's work alerted policy makers to the often
dire circumstances of older people, and accounts of their housing, diet,
domestic arrangements and general quality of life stiffened resolve to ensure an
adequate minimum standard of living in old age. At the start of what has been
termed the welfare state, there were two important studies of old age in the
works of Rowntree and Sheldon. In their depiction of the lives of independent
elderly people, they provided a useful mid-century benchmark on progress.

The question of income and support infrastructure recurs over the decades
and, in many ways, these concerns are central to the question of adequate diets
with implications for health and wellbeing. The possibility, or otherwise, of
being able to afford, buy and prepare food which is of appropriate nutritional
and social quality, is fundamental to an independent life in old age. Using food
as a focus for review, this article maps what has been said about the
circumstances of independent elderly people and what has been done to
support them in the community. It is concluded that while considerable
progress has been made over the century, their relative position remains
problematic. This is especially the case for those living on their own in old age
and with a reliance on the basic state pension.
Arnold Toynbee (1889–1975): Prophecy and
Civilization
Authors: NAVARI CORNELIA
Published: July 2002

Toynbee's theory of international relations was embedded in a species of grand
narrative which plotted the rise and fall of all known civilizations. Both the end of
nationalism and the rise of the universal state, central elements of his theory, were
presented as aspects of a universal historical process evident in all previous social
orders. The coming fate of Western civilization was but the most recent example of
recurrence. It was also didactic: he saw his great Study of History as laying the
foundations for the creation of a viable world order. Beginning with a cyclical view of
history which emphasized decline, and in which the universal state was an aspect of
decline, he eventually concluded that Western Civilization might evade the law of
recurrence. Toynbee claimed to have detected laws of history; he also claimed to have
understood what was unique about Western Civilization such that it might break the
historical chain. It was not as optimistic, but it belongs generally to the tradition of
liberal progressivism of which Fukuyama's recent excursion is the latest expression.
X-ray conversion with PHEBUS laser
Authors: BABONNEAU D. , BONNET L. , JACQUEMOT S. , BOCHER J.L. , BOUTIN J.Y. , JADAUD J.P. , VILETTE B.
Published: July 2002

A time-resolved X-ray conversion efficiency campaign
was conducted at CEA/Limeil–Valenton on the PHEBUS
laser, with Au planar targets. The calibrated diagnostic
DEMIXART has measured X-ray emissions driven by shaped
laser pulses. The results have been analyzed with the
“physicist” 1D1/2 hydrodynamical code CHIVAS,
where improved transport coefficients have been implemented.
The influence of the degeneracy and solid/liquid corrections
on various parameters is shown. Other significant effects
due to focal spot shapes and lateral conduction are quantified
with the FCI2 hydroradiative code of CEA/DRIF.
Principles of superposition for controlling pinch motions by means of
robot fingers with soft tips
Authors: Arimoto S. , Tahara K. , Yamaguchi M. , Nguyen P.T.A. , Han M.-Y.
Published: July 2002

This paper analyzes
the dynamics and control of pinch motions generated by a
pair of two multi-degrees-of-freedom robot fingers with soft and deformable
tips pinching a rigid object. It is shown firstly that
passivity analysis leads to an effective design of a feedback
control signal that realizes dynamic stable pinching (grasping), even if
extra terms of Lagrange's multipliers arise from holonomic constraints of
tight area-contacts between soft finger-tips and surfaces of the rigid
object and exert torques and forces on the dynamics. It
is shown secondly that a principle of superposition is applicable
to the design of additional feedback signals for controlling both
the posture (rotational angle) and position (some of task coordinates
of the mass center) of the object provided that the
number of degrees of freedom of each finger is specified
for satisfying a condition of stationary resolution of controlled position
state variables. The details of feedback signals are presented in
the case of a special setup consisting of two robot
fingers with two degrees of freedom.
Explicit force control for underwater vehicle-manipulator systems
Authors: Antonelli Gianluca , Sarkar Nilanjan , Chiaverini Stefano
Published: July 2002

In this paper two explicit force control schemes for underwater vehicle-manipulator systems are presented. The schemes take into account several factors such as uncertainty in the model knowledge, presence of hydrodynamic effects, kinematic redundancy of the system, and poor performance of vehicle's actuation system. The possible occurrence of loss of contact due to vehicle's movement
during the task is also considered, and the adoption of an adaptive motion control scheme is investigated to take advantage of dynamic compensation. The proposed control schemes have extensively been tested in numerical simulation runs; the results obtained in a case study are reported to illustrate their performance.
Two-year tree growth patterns investigated from monthly girth records using dendrometer bands in a wet evergreen forest in India
Authors: Pélissier Raphaël , Pascal Jean-pierre
Published: July 2002

With the aim of characterizing tree growth patterns, this paper re-examines the growth data of 100 selected trees belonging to 24 species that were recorded monthly in a 0.2-ha plot of a wet evergreen forest in the Western Ghats of India during the period 1980–82 using dendrometer bands. The mean growth profile, combining all of the selected trees, showed: (a) a significantly lower annual growth rate during the second year of survey which seemed to be negatively related to monsoon precipitation; (b) significant intra-annual growth variation clearly related to the regular alternation between a period of heavy rain and a quite long dry season of the monsoon climatic regime. Analysis of the variability of the individual smoothed growth profiles representing the 2-y trend of the growth data showed that: (a) the mean growth rate depended on a combination of an intrinsic endogenous variable (the structural class grouping species according to their maximum size), a tree size variable (tree diameter at breast height, dbh) and a neighbourhood variable (the number of taller neighbours in a 10-m radius); (b) the sudden change in growth rate from one year to the other was not predictable using these variables. The amplitude of the seasonal variations, investigated from the detrended growth profiles, appeared to be dependent on a combination of tree dbh and the number of taller neighbours in a 10-m radius. A co-inertia analysis of the smoothed and the detrended growth profiles indicated that the trees with fast growth also exhibited high seasonal variation. It is suggested that fast growing trees are those with favourable crown positions, which are consequently subject to high transpiration rates due to radiation and wind exposure.
Volume 17, Part 6, November 2001, pages 911-917, Fruit dispersal of two dipterocarp species in a Malaysian rain forest
Authors: Osada Noriyuki , Takeda Hiroshi , Furukawa Akio , Awang Muhamad
Published: July 2002

During the redrawing of Figure 1 some of the bars within Exp. 1 were omitted, plus the incorrect species name was introduced on two of the graphs. The publishers would like to apologise to the authors and their readers for these errors. The corrected figure appears below.
BATHTUB FUNCTIONS AND BURN-IN
Authors: Block Henry W. , Jong Yi-Kuan , Savits Thomas H.
Published: July 2002

Components which have bathtub shapes are reasonable
candidates for burn-in in the sense that if these components
are exposed to standard or elevated operating conditions
for a short period of time, they tend to improve. In this
paper we study the principle which states that burn-in
should occur at or before the point at which a bathtub-shaped
failure function starts increasing. To this end we develop
three sign change results which characterize bathtub-shaped
failure rates. These results are used to show that if a
failure rate function is bathtub-shaped, then various other
related functions have bathtub or upside-down bathtub shape.
Finally, we give a framework for determining when the above
principle holds.
Collapsible probability measures and concentration functions
on Lie groups
Authors: DANI S. G. , SHAH RIDDHI
Published: July 2002

Given a locally compact group G and a probability measure
μ on G it is of interest
to know, in various situations, whether there exist divergent sequences
{gn} such that
{gn
μg−1n
is relatively compact (see for example [DM3] and
[DS]); this phenomenon
may be viewed as ‘collapsing’ of the measure. It is the
purpose of this note to prove
Theorem 1 below and give certain applications to the asymptotic behaviour
of
concentration functions.