bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Variance‐Reduction and Space‐Filling Approaches for the Design of Environmental Monitoring Networks
Authors: Nunes L. M. , Paralta E. , Cunha M. C. , Ribeiro L.
Published: August 2007

Abstract:  This article focuses on the design of groundwater monitoring networks to detect contamination with nitrates from agricultural origin. This is a problem that has been in the minds of the general public, scientists, governmental agencies, and legislators for some time now. If one looks at European statistics, despite still incomplete data, in 13% of the regions the 50 mg/l European water quality standard for drinking water (Drinking Water Directive, 98/83/EC) is exceeded in more than 25% of the monitoring stations. A compliance groundwater nitrate‐monitoring network is developed for a case study in the south of Portugal (Gabbro of Beja aquifer system), using both variance‐reduction and space‐filling approaches. In the first the variance of the error of estimation obtained by ordinary kriging is used, after building a covariance model, and the objective is to minimize the average kriging variance. In the second approach a criterion for the quality of spatial coverage is used, usually based on a metric. The objective here is also usually to minimize a function of the metric (criterion). The search for a solution is made in an iterative manner, by replacing one station, analyzing the result, and deciding whether to keep the solution or not. Due to the enormous number of possible combinations even for small networks, a structured search method, the simulated annealing method, is used to obtain the final network.
A Systems‐Based Approach for Supporting Discourse in Decision Making
Authors: Marashi Emad , Davis John P.
Published: August 2007

Abstract:  A systemic methodology has been applied to improve decision making with uncertainty. Process modeling has been used to provide the means for gaining a holistic view of the system, and to allow for the complexity to be managed through a hierarchically structured set of subsystems. The success of each process depends significantly on its ability to address issues that arise, which could be the subject of discourse and debate among participants. This debate and discussion has been modeled using the Issue‐Based Information System framework for argumentation. The uncertain propositions are combined using an extended aggregation rule in evidence theory. The resulting soft computation framework allows the evidence and arguments to be assembled and balanced. The overall framework is implemented in a software tool and applied to a case of climate change impacts on infrastructures to demonstrate how the favorability of each potential adaptation solution can be assessed with respect to system performance requirements.
Making Decisions on Innovation: Meetings or Networks?
Authors: Christiansen John K. , Varnes Claus J.
Published: August 2007

Within some streams of thinking in the management of innovation and product development, the crux is the manager's active engagement in the evaluation, selection and control of the various activities through gate and portfolio meetings in which information is presented and decisions are made that manage innovation projects at a distance. This traditional managerial perspective regards the meetings as (important) ‘obligatory passage points’ but cannot explain a number of observations that reveal few decisions being made at those meetings. A network process perspective on the management of innovation is derived as an alternative to the normative linear view. This alternative perspective makes it possible to explain how innovation projects actually consist of myriad actions, negotiations, and micro‐decisions in the effort to create strong networks, leaving few decisions for the official gate and portfolio meetings. Through the analysis of two cases, this paper demonstrates how project managers work to stabilize the network in order to involve numerous human and non‐human actors and to encourage more and more of them into joining the network. Successfully establishing stable networks and successfully filling the templates for their projects leaves little room – and requires little intervention – for decision makers at portfolio meetings, where approvals are sought rather than decisions made. This study explains how gate and portfolio management meetings are, in some instances, better viewed as checkpoints rather than as decision meetings, how decision making is displaced from the meetings, and how the use of gate and portfolio management systems have created a number of mandatory templates which must be dealt with by the project managers. These mandatory documents function as boundary objects between and among the different worlds of the actors involved and establish new obligatory passage points in the management process; thus boundary objects become transformed into obligatory passage points. Implications for managers and research are outlined, including methods of dealing with the management of product innovation projects when the focus shifts from planning, preparations and decision making toward the co‐creation of technology and markets and involves interessement of human and non‐human actors.
A Review of Employee Well‐Being and Innovativeness: An Opportunity for a Mutual Benefit
Authors: Huhtala Hannele , Parzefall Marjo‐Riitta
Published: August 2007

By drawing on the Job Demands and Resources Model, this review article develops a conceptual framework to advance theoretical understanding of the relationship between job‐related demands and resources, employee well‐being and innovativeness. In conditions characterized by too high levels of demands, employees may suffer from burnout. When job resources are high, they are likely to feel engaged with their work. Burnout in turn can be seen as an inhibitor of innovativeness, and work engagement as an antecedent to innovativeness, mediating the effects of resources and demands at work on innovativeness. We further argue that innovativeness can function as a resource or a demand, depending on how it is managed. In addition to understanding the dual role of innovativeness, the identification of job‐specific demands and resources is central to supporting employee well‐being and, subsequently, innovativeness. The implications of the proposed conceptual framework for academic researchers and managers are discussed.
Creative Management: A Predicted Development from Research into Creativity and Management
Authors: Xu Fangqi , Rickards Tudor
Published: August 2007

A proposal is made for the establishment of a conceptual domain of Creative Management by fusion of two related bodies of knowledge, that of management studies and creativity. Through an examination of examples from around the world, we show how Creative Management is appearing in embryonic form as a global possibility, emerging from and enriching the predominantly American contributions of earlier stages. We suggest that such a development will take management studies forward from its historical trajectory, through the global convergence of organizational theories and practices. The proposed synthesis of creativity and management indicates the possibilities of a new stage in management incorporating humanistic, socio‐technical and knowledge management components. Collectively, the conceptual shift is towards what we have labelled Toyotaoism, in acknowledgement of practices and theorizing developed from the integration of Western and Eastern belief systems and theories in action.
591. EUPOMATIA LAURINA
Authors: Rix Martyn , Endress Peter K.
Published: August 2007

Summary The evolutionary history, taxonomy, pollination biology and cultivation of Eupomatia laurina R. Br. (Eupomatiaceae) are discussed. The species is illustrated with a painting and line drawings.
592. TETRACENTRON SINENSE
Authors: Rix Martyn , Crane Peter
Published: August 2007

Summary The fossil history, cultivation and ecology of Tetracentron sinense Oliver (Tetracentraceae) are discussed. An illustration of leaves and fruits, a typical habitat, and dissections of the fruit are provided.
593. BETULA MEGRELICA
Authors: McAllister Hugh , Ashburner Kenneth
Published: August 2007

Summary Betula megrelica D. Sosn. (Betulaceae), a relict birch from the Caucasus in Georgia, is illustrated and described, and its relationship with B. medwediewii is discussed. Its similarity to the fossil species, B. islandica Denk, Grímsson & Kvacek, described from the mid‐Miocene in Iceland, is noted.
Learning Effects on Sperm Competition and Reproductive Fitness
Authors: Matthews R. Nicolle , Domjan Michael , Ramsey Mary , Crews David
Published: August 2007

Learning and other common psychological processes presumably evolved because they contribute to reproductive fitness, but reproductive outcomes are rarely measured in psychology experiments. We examined the effects of Pavlovian conditioning on reproductive fitness in a sperm-competition situation. Typically, two males mating with the same female in immediate succession sire similar numbers of offspring. In a study with domesticated quail (Coturnix japonica), we increased paternity success by presenting a Pavlovian signal that permitted one of two competing males to predict copulatory opportunity. Using microsatellite-based DNA fingerprinting, we found that signaled males sired 72% of the offspring when competing with control males, and this effect was independent of copulation order. In the absence of Pavlovian conditioning, rates of fertilization were not significantly different for two males that copulated with the same female. These findings demonstrate that Pavlovian conditioning contributes to reproductive fitness and suggest that individual past experience can bias genetic transmission and the evolutionary changes that result from sexual competition.
Seeing the World in Black and White
Authors: Sleeth-Keppler David
Published: August 2007

Three experiments examined the notion that rudimentary perceptual experiences can serve as powerful guides to judgments under uncertainty. The results show that exposure to certain perceptual contrast patterns can influence the direction of bias without conscious awareness. In Experiment 1a, perception of alternating black and white squares, which served as orientation markers in a lexical decision task, resulted in a reduction of the well-known anchoring bias. Similar results were obtained when alternating high- and low-pitch tones were the orientation markers (Experiment 1b). Results of a final experiment provide evidence that perceptual contrast experiences can affect judgment-relevant representations across modalities.
Looking at the Sunny Side of Life
Authors: Kisley Michael A. , Wood Stacey , Burrows Christina L.
Published: August 2007

Studies of the negativity bias have demonstrated that negative information has a stronger influence than positive information in a wide range of cognitive domains. At odds with this literature is extensive work now documenting emotional and motivational shifts that result in a positivity effect in older adults. It remains unclear, however, whether this age-related positivity effect results from increases in processing of positive information or from decreases in processing of negative information. Also unknown is the specific time course of development from a negative bias to an apparently positive one. The present study was designed to investigate the negativity bias across the life span using an event-related potential measure of responding to emotionally valenced images. The results suggest that neural reactivity to negative images declines linearly with age, but responding to positive images is surprisingly age invariant across most of the adult life span.
TRUTH IN GOVERNMENT AND THE POLITICIZATION OF PUBLIC SERVICE ADVICE
Authors: MULGAN RICHARD
Published: August 2007

Recent controversies over intelligence in Iraq, to give one example, have raised problems about the politicization of official advice from government, particularly what we are led to believe is factual or ‘objective’ advice. Objectivity is a contested value and the lines are often hard to draw between fact, spin and misrepresentation. Public servants are held to higher standards of objectivity than politicians, a fact on which politicians trade when they seek to attribute assessments of evidence to their officials. The growing openness of government documentation is placing pressure on departmental officials who wish to be both loyal to their political masters and honest in their factual assessments. These issues are discussed with reference to recent Australian experience (and also with reference to the UK Hutton Inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly.
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET PRACTICES AND TRANSPARENCY: AN INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON
Authors: BASTIDA FRANCISCO , BENITO BERNARDINO
Published: August 2007

From an international perspective, a relationship between public sector transparency and better economic and social outcomes is something that is increasingly acknowledged. In terms of lack of transparency in budget reports both bureaucratic model and fiscal illusion theory have been argued as explanations. To assess transparency in budget practices we analyse to what extent a sample of 41 countries are meeting OECD requirements according to its Best Practices for Budget Transparency document (OBP). We find an average OBP fulfilment of 56.4 per cent. Transparency is negatively correlated with corruption and positively correlated with economic development. Countries receiving external financial and technical support meet fewer OBP recommendations than countries not receiving it. Considering the political framework, both progressive and conservative governments reach similar transparency levels. OECD members do not significantly fulfil more OBP suggestions than non‐members. In respect of 4 variables: transparency, corruption, democracy and development, four clusters of countries arise: top‐performing, low transparency‐developed, low transparency‐developing and worst‐performing.
MINISTERIAL ADVISERS, POLITICIZATION AND THE RETREAT FROM WESTMINSTER: THE CASE OF NEW ZEALAND
Authors: EICHBAUM CHRIS , SHAW RICHARD
Published: August 2007

Political advisers are an established third element in a number of Westminster‐styled jurisdictions, as they are in New Zealand’s institution of executive government. In this paper we report the initial findings of a research project focusing on the role and accountabilities of ministerial advisers in New Zealand. We locate these findings in the context of a growing body of international and comparative research on the role and accountabilities of non civil‐ or public‐service advisers within political executives and comment on the extent to which the findings affirm or refute the view that the ‘third element’ constitutes a threat to the continued application of Westminster principles and practices in New Zealand’s system of government – once described as more Westminster than Westminster. In doing so, we highlight deficiencies in standard conceptions of politicization and argue that there is a need to more clearly differentiate between its procedural and substantive dimensions.
IT’S WHERE YOU ARE THAT MATTERS: THE NETWORKING BEHAVIOUR OF ENGLISH LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICERS
Authors: WALKER RICHARD M. , O’TOOLE LAURENCE J. , MEIER KENNETH J.
Published: August 2007

Increased complexity in the world of public management has resulted in the growth of networks of actors who, operating interdependently, co‐produce public services. Much of the prior networking literature conflates structure (the network) with behaviour (networking). Based on this concern we analyse the managerial networking practices of over 1,000 officers in English local government. We find extensive networking activity amongst three groups of officers and show that corporate officers, chief officers and service managers develop logical patterns of interaction among network nodes and initiation that reflect their level of management. We conclude that where you are in the organizational hierarchy matters for networking behaviour and discuss the implications of these findings for future research.
EUROPEANIZATION IN MANAGING EU AFFAIRS: BETWEEN DIVERGENCE AND CONVERGENCE, A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ESTONIA, HUNGARY AND SLOVENIA
Authors: FINK‐HAFNER DANICA
Published: August 2007

Scholarly research into Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia has shown that the idiosyncrasies of the new EU countries (especially with respect to institutionalizing and centralizing the co‐ordination of core executives in managing EU affairs at home) persist. They are complemented by trends toward convergence (such as growing co‐ordination efforts and a common tendency: that of the prime minister to be the centre of co‐ordination). In this article external Europeanization pressures, national administrative traditions (the legacies of both pre‐communist and communist systems), and the patterns of party competition that cause variations in politico‐administrative relations, are tested as possible explanatory variables of differences seen in the three countries when managing EU affairs. While national administrative traditions play similar roles to those seen in old(er) member states by filtering the EU‘s impacts, the effect of patterns of party competition on politico‐administrative relations when managing EU affairs has been filtered by the accession states’ national priorities of integrating with the EU.
BENCHMARKING IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR: A CRITICAL CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Authors: TRIANTAFILLOU PETER
Published: August 2007

How can we critically address benchmarking? By conceptualizing benchmarking as a normalizing governing technology, a space is cleared for analysing some of the power relations brought into play in benchmarking activities. As a device of power, benchmarking depends upon the production of normalizing knowledge and the freedom or self‐governing capacities of those who are benchmarked. The fruitfulness of this conception is illustrated through an example from the Danish hospital system.
DO MEMBER STATES MAKE EUROPEAN POLICIES WORK? ANALYSING THE EU TRANSPOSITION DEFICIT
Authors: HAVERLAND MARKUS , ROMEIJN MARLEEN
Published: August 2007

This article seeks to systematically describe and explain variation in European Union policy implementation performance across member states and directives. The analyses rely on a new and original dataset comprising comparable information about transposition delay for practically all EU social directives in Germany, Greece, The Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. On the basis of nearly 300 observations, we could establish that only in 42.7 per cent of our cases did member states transpose in time; 17.5 per cent exceeded the deadline by more than two years. The analysis reveals modest variation between social policy areas, more profound cross‐country differences and strong cross‐area variations within some countries. The need for inter‐ministerial coordination and administrative inefficiency are strongly associated with transposition delay. Whether a directive is new or merely an amendment is unrelated to transposition delay. The same holds for the directive’s complexity and parliamentary involvement in the transposition process. The irrelevance of the latter factors may suggest that member states anticipate some potential challenges to transposition performance and act to mitigate them. Whether and why this is the case merits further research.
Marital Conflict and Children's Adjustment: The Mediating and Moderating Role of Children's Coping Strategies
Authors: Shelton Katherine H. , Harold Gordon T.
Published: August 2007

This prospective, longitudinal study examined the role of children's coping strategies in the link between interparental conflict and children's psychological adjustment. Using a sample of 100 parents and children aged 11–14 years, this study investigated children's venting of negative emotion, social support seeking, and problem solving strategies as mediators and moderators of the relationship between marital conflict and child adjustment. Venting negative emotion mediated the long‐term effects of marital conflict on children's psychological adjustment. This coping response also moderated the relationship between marital conflict and children's anxiety‐depression. The role of non‐constructive coping strategies as a mechanism through which marital conflict affects children's psychological well‐being is discussed, together with the need for research to identify intervention strategies aimed at improving children's coping efficacy in the context of interparental conflict.
Interictal Executive Dysfunction in Migraineurs Without Aura: Relationship With Duration and Intensity of Attacks
Authors: Camarda C , Monastero R , Pipia C , Recca D , Camarda R
Published: August 2007

Subjects with migraine are at increased risk of subcortical white matter lesions (WML). Reports of cognitive testing in adults with migraine have yielded inconsistent results. We performed a cross-sectional study to assess whether migraine without aura (MwA) is associated with impairment in executive functioning, a typical cognitive correlate of subcortical WML. Forty-five subjects with MwA and 90 controls, matched for age and education, underwent a cognitive battery of tests evaluating executive functions. The following migraine characteristics were collected: age at onset and length of migraine history, and frequency, duration and intensity of attacks. Subjects with MwA performed significantly lower than controls in tests evaluating complex, multifactorial executive functions. After multiple adjustments, the duration and intensity of migraine attacks significantly predicted cognitive disturbances. In the interictal phase of MwA there is evidence of mild executive dysfunction. The cumulative effects of repeated migraine attacks on prefronto-cerebellar loop probably account for our results.
Headaches After Acoustic Neuroma Surgery
Authors: Rimaaja T , Haanpää M , Blomstedt G , Färkkilä M
Published: August 2007

Headache and depression were studied in patients who had undergone operation for acoustic neuroma. A questionnaire with headache and Beck Depression Inventory scale were sent to 228 patients, of whom 192 (84%) responded. Preoperative headache was reported by 61 (32%) of the respondents (47 migraine and nine tension-type headache) and 122 (64%) respondents had postoperative headache (15 new migraine and four new tension-type headache). The new postoperative headache was chronic (≥3 months) in 86% and continued at the time of the survey in 55% and presented typically as severe short-lasting attacks provoked by physical stress, bending or coughing. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were effective in most cases. Depression (usually mild) occurred in 24% of the respondents, being significantly more common in prolonged postoperative headache patients. The operation doubled the prevalence of headache (from 32% to 64%). Headache after acoustic neuroma operation appears to be a specific subgroup of postcraniotomy headache.
Identification of a domain in the δ subunit (S238‐V264) of the α4β3δ GABAAreceptor that confers high agonist sensitivity
Authors: You Haitao , Dunn Susan M. J.
Published: August 2007

We have expressed the α4β3δ and α4β3γ2L subtypes of the rat GABAAreceptor inXenopusoocytes and have investigated their agonist activation properties. GABA was a more potent agonist of the α4β3δ receptor (EC50 ≈ 1.4 μmol/L) than of the α4β3γ2L subtype (EC50 ≈ 27.6 μmol/L). Other GABAAreceptor agonists (muscimol, 4,5,6,7‐tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4‐c]pyridin‐3‐ol, imidazole‐4‐amino acid) displayed similar subtype selectivity. The structural determinants underlying these differences have been investigated by co‐expressing chimeric δ/γ2L subunits with α4 and β3 subunits. A stretch of amino acids in the δ subunit, S238‐V264, is shown to play an important role in determining both agonist potency and the efficacies of full or partial agonists. This segment includes transmembrane domain 1 and the short intracellular loop that leads to the second transmembrane domain. The effects of the competitive antagonists, bicuculline and SR95531, and the channel blocker, picrotoxin, were not significantly affected by the incorporation of chimeric subunits. As the δ and γ2L subunits have not been previously implicated directly in agonist binding, we suggest that the effects are likely to arise from changes in the transduction mechanisms that link agonist binding to channel activation.
Modulation of amyloid‐β‐induced and age‐associated changes in rat hippocampus by eicosapentaenoic acid
Authors: Minogue Aedín M. , Lynch Aileen M. , Loane David J. , Herron Caroline E. , Lynch Marina A.
Published: August 2007

The age‐related deficit in long‐term potentiation (LTP) in the dentate gyrus is positively correlated with hippocampal concentration of the pro‐inflammatory cytokine, interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β). Previous evidence also indicates that the inhibition of LTP induced by intracerebroventricular injection of amyloid‐β1–40 (Aβ) is accompanied by increased hippocampal IL‐1β concentration and IL‐1β‐stimulated signalling, specifically activation of the stress‐activated protein kinase, c‐jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK). We considered that the underlying age‐related neuroinflammation may render older rats more susceptible to Aβ administration and, to investigate this, young, middle‐aged and aged rats were injected intracerebroventricularly with Aβ or vehicle. Hippocampal IL‐1β concentration, JNK phosphorylation, expression of the putative Aβ receptor, Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and the microglial cell surface marker, CD40 were assessed. We report that Aβ inhibited LTP in a concentration‐dependent manner in young rats and that this was accompanied by concentration‐dependent increases in hippocampal IL‐1β and expression of phosphorylated JNK, RAGE and CD40. While 20 μmol/L Aβ exerted no significant effect on LTP in young rats, it inhibited LTP in middle‐aged and aged rats and the increased vulnerability of aged rats was associated with increased IL‐1β concentration. Treatment of rats with eicosapentaenoic acid attenuated the inhibitory effect of 60 μmol/L Aβ on LTP in young rats and the effect of 20 μmol/L Aβ in middle‐aged and aged rats. We present evidence which indicates that the effect of eicosapentaenoic acid may be linked with its ability to stimulate activation of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma.
The professional development of nursing through different aspects of the caring practices of nurses: nursing the patient person in a geriatric assessment unit
Authors: Clarke Judith A.
Published: August 2007

The caring component of nursing practice has become an increasingly visible activity of nursing. Consequently, a growing amount of research has explored the role caring plays in nurse practice. Research often explores the activities of caring or its moral agenda, rather than motivation. This study broadens the discussion about nurses and caring practice by examining nurses approaches to different aspects of the caring practices of nurses for the aged in a Geriatric Assessment Unit (GAU). Data collection involved semi‐structured interviews and participant observation within the GAU. Four categories of themes emerged as different aspects of the caring practices of nurses. Three fit within the professional development of nursing: physical caring, negotiative caring and relational caring. A fourth, motivated caring, however, provides an additional aspect of caring located within and beyond professional development.
Dimensions of health‐related lifestyle in young adulthood: results from a national population survey
Authors: Stefansdottir Ingibjorg Katrin , Vilhjalmsson Runar
Published: August 2007

Aim:  This study assessed the underlying structure of health‐related behaviours among young adults in Iceland. A number of individual behaviours were considered, including both positive and negative health‐related behaviours. A central question was whether distinct underlying health‐related lifestyles can be identified in this age group.

Method:  The study was based on the data from a national health survey entitled ‘Health and Living Conditions in Iceland’. The original survey comprised a random sample of 18–75 year olds drawn from the National Register (response rate 69%). The current study used a subsample from the survey, consisting of young adults, age: 18–24 (N = 348). A total of 37 variables pertaining to health‐related behaviour were analysed. The 37 variables were factor‐analysed using principal component (PC) factor analysis.

Results:  The PC analysis yielded four underlying health lifestyle dimensions: (i) physical activity; (ii) unhealthy diet; (iii) substance use; and (iv) healthy diet. The four factors explained 35.3% of the total item variance. The mean Cronbach's alpha for the four factors was 0.69. Correlations between factors were generally weak.

Conclusion:  Distinct health‐related lifestyle dimensions underlie the numerous health‐related behaviours that young adults engage in. The analysis of positive and negative lifestyle dimensions helps identify vulnerable young adults disproportionally involved in unfavourable patterns of health‐related behaviour. Weak factor correlations and high unexplained item variance suggests that individual health‐related behaviours need consideration, albeit within a larger framework acknowledging interconnected and sometimes inconsistent behaviours.
Feeding ecology of Xenoturbella bocki (phylum Xenoturbellida) revealed by genetic barcoding
Authors: BOURLAT SARAH J. , NAKANO HIROAKI , ÅKERMAN MARIE , TELFORD MAXIMILIAN J. , THORNDYKE MICHAEL C. , OBST MATTHIAS
Published: August 2007

The benthic marine worm Xenoturbella is frequently contaminated with molluscan DNA, which had earlier caused confusion resulting in a suggested bivalve relationship. In order to find the source of the contaminant, we have used molluscan sequences derived from Xenoturbella and compared them to barcodes obtained from several individuals of the nonmicroscopic molluscs sharing the same environment as Xenoturbella. Using cytochrome oxidase 1, we found the contaminating sequences to be 98% similar to the bivalve Ennucula tenuis. Using the highly variable D1–D2 region of the large ribosomal subunit in Xenoturbella, we found three distinct species of contaminating molluscs, one of which is 99% similar to the bivalve Abra nitida, one of the most abundant bivalves in the Gullmarsfjord where Xenoturbella was found, and another 99% similar to the bivalve Nucula sulcata. These data clearly show that Xenoturbella only contains molluscan DNA originating from bivalves living in the same environment, refuting former hypotheses of a bivalve relationship. In addition, these data suggest that Xenoturbella feeds specifically on bivalve prey from multiple species, possibly in the form of eggs and larvae.
The phenol red thread test for lacrimal volume – does it matter if the eyes are open or closed?
Authors: Doughty Michael J. , Whyte Julie , Li Wendy
Published: August 2007

Object:  To assess the results from using a commercially available phenol red thread (PRT) test with the eyes being kept open (as recommended by the company) vs a closed eye protocol (as used by some investigators).

Methods:  A single PRT (Zone‐Quick) test was carried out on 97 young adults (average age 21 years, range: 17–36) for 15 s with either the eyes open or closed. The right eye was assessed with 52 subjects undertaking the open eye test first, with the test being repeated 1 h later in the same indoor environment (temperature 21oC and 40% humidity).

Results:  The mean ( ± S.D.) PRT value for the open eye protocol was marginally higher (at 20.5 ± 7.0 mm) than for the closed eye (19.7 ± 5.9 mm), but the overall outcome from the two protocols could range from being 18 mm greater in the open eye to 15 mm greater in the closed eye. Overall, the difference was not statistically different, neither were any substantial differences noted according to age, gender, iris colour, prior contact lens wear or according to which protocol was used first (p  0.2).

Conclusion:  These studies indicate that there can be a small difference in single PRT test data according to whether the eyes are kept open or closed, and it would be useful if the protocol used was clearly stated.
Recovery of vision and pupil responses in optic neuritis and multiple sclerosis
Authors: Moro S. I. , Rodriguez‐Carmona M. L. , Frost E. C. , Plant G. T. , Barbur J. L.
Published: August 2007

The recovery of visual performance and pupil responses were investigated in patients with demyelinating optic neuritis (ON) and multiple sclerosis (MS). The pupil constriction amplitude and the time delay (latency) of the pupil response were measured in 14 patients with a history of unilateral ON in response to either achromatic (luminance) or chromatic (isoluminant) stimulus modulation. Five of these subjects were diagnosed later with MS. In addition, we measured detection thresholds for achromatic stimuli using standard visual field perimetry and chromatic thresholds using a new colour assessment and diagnosis (CAD) test that isolates the use of colour signals. The results show that, despite significant improvements in visual function following the acute phase (as assessed using visual acuity and fields), significant pupil response deficits remain. The findings also demonstrate that accurate measurements of pupil responses and chromatic thresholds can reveal deficits that remain undetected with more conventional techniques. These preliminary findings suggest that the techniques described here can provide useful information about remitting and relapsing demyelinative phases, often observed during MS and ON.
Case Report: 49, XXXXY syndrome and high myopia
Authors: Qureshi Farhan , Thurairajan Geetha
Published: August 2007

49, XXXXY karyotype syndrome has been thought of as a variant of Klinefelter's syndrome. It has an incidence of between 1/85 000 to 1/100 000 live births. Typical clinical features include coarse faces, skeletal abnormalities, hypogenitalism and severe learning difficulties. Common ocular features include hypertelorism, epicanthic folds and up‐slanting palpebral apertures. Here we report a case of high myopia and its successful correction leading to a positive personality change in one such patient. We advocate full ophthalmic examination, under anaesthesia if necessary, and a trial of refractive correction, even in children thought unlikely to tolerate such.
Technical Note: Method for estimating volume of subretinal fluid in cases of localized retinal detachment by OCT ophthalmoscopy
Authors: Nakajima Hideto , Mizota Atsushi , Tanaka Minoru
Published: August 2007

The volume of the subretinal fluid can be used to assess the condition of different types of retinal and macular disorders. The purpose of this report is to introduce a method to measure the volume of the subretinal fluid with the images of the optical coherence tomography (OCT) Ophthalmoscope in three cases of central serous chorioretinopathy and one case of retinal pigment epithelial detachment. We used the topography‐mode program of the OCT Ophthalmoscope and measured the average height of the retinal detachment. By multiplying the size of the area of the retinal detachment and the average height of the retinal detachment, the volume of subretinal fluid could be determined. Examples are given to show the results of volume measurement of subretinal fluid in cases of localized retinal detachments.
THE FIRING OF A POTTERY KILN OF A ROMANO‐BRITISH TYPE AT BOSTON, LINCS.
Authors: MAYES P.
Published: August 2007

The kiln‐firing experiment described here* (and introduced by Mr. B. R. Hartley in the preceding note) was carried out by members of the Boston Archaeological Extra‐Mural Group of Nottingham University. The specialist scientific measurements detailed in the appendices were carried out by Dr. J. P. Roberts, Dr. D. White, and Dr. A. White of Leeds University and by the Oxford Archaeological Research Laboratory.
FRAGMENTATION ANALYSIS OF ANIMAL BONE SAMPLES FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
Authors: WATSON J. P. N.
Published: August 2007

ABSTRACTS

Frequency distributions of the lengths of the bone fragments are plotted for a number of archaeological sites. Down to a certain critical length, the distributions prove to be very similar for all the sites. Below this length, failure to recover fragments during excavation becomes the predominant factor and the frequencies decline. Distributions of diagnostic bones of sheep/goat, pig and cattle are plotted separately and the preferential recovery of the bones of larger animals is demonstrated. A method is suggested for using data from water‐sieved sites to estimate and correct the effect of this preferential recovery on the figures for the relative proportions of different species at unsieved sites.
MOSSBAUER EFFECT STUDIES IN THE FINE ARTS
Authors: KEISCH B.
Published: August 2007

ABSTRACTS

The use of Mossbauer effect spectrometry as a tool to study iron‐bearing materials in works of art is introduced. A large range of pigments containing iron has now been surveyed. In addition, some interesting conclusions concerning the distinction between two types of terracotta is presented. The method, which can be applied completely non‐destructively, has great potential for purposes of identification and authentication.
PARTICLE SIZE AND PHOSPHATE ANALYSIS‐EVIDENCE FOR THE EVOLUTION OF A TELL
Authors: DAVIDSON D. A.
Published: August 2007

ABSTRACTS

Soil samples were collected from a deep sounding through the centre of a tell, 11 m in height, at Sitagroi in north‐eastern Greece. These samples were analysed for particle size and total phosphate in order to elucidate the formation of the tell. The phosphate results, though very varied, indicated that the tell evolved entirely as a result of occupation of the site. It is proposed that the main process of accumulation was from house collapse and that local alluvium was used for house construction. A similarity is shown between local alluvium, a remnant of a house wall and most of the samples from the deep sounding. Pearson type 1 curves are fitted to the particle size data and this permits a grouping of soil samples. Some of the divisions between the groups coincide not only with occupation phase changes but also with localized lower phosphate contents. Two periods of site abandonment are suggested.
FURTHER STATISTICAL METHODS FOR THE CALIBRATION OF FLOATING TREE‐RING CHRONOLOGIES
Authors: CLARK R. M. , SOWRAY A.
Published: August 2007

ABSTRACTS

This paper describes the application of some further statistical methods for the calibration of floating treering chronologies to data pertaining to the Neolithic settlement at Auvernier. The more general statistical approach utilizes the information contained in the successive time‐derivatives as well as the absolute values of the bristlecone pine calibration curve, by fitting polynomial or piecewise polynomial curves, thereby producing better estimates, in general, of the absolute dates of the floating chronologies. Presentation of results in terms of joint confidence regions enables the relevant stratigraphic evidence to be included in the analysis by simple graphical means. In addition, the paper offers a new approach, using only floating tree‐ring chronologies, to the testing of Libby's principle of simultaneity.
ARCHAEOMAGNETIC TILT CORRECTION ON BRICKS
Authors: ABRAHAMSEN N.
Published: August 2007

ABSTRACTS

Fired bricks are used in archaeomagnetic work to determine the Inclination I of the earth's magnetic field at the time of firing. However, in addition to the usual mean error of between ± 1/2° and ± 2° due mainly to inexact levelling of the bricks during the firing, there is a systematic error in the measured mean value of the Inclination that may amount to 2° or 3° at high magnetic latitudes (I˜ 80°), while at lower magnetic latitudes (I< 60°) it is usually less than 1/2°. A method of correction based on the measured statistical spread of the bricks is suggested.
INTENSITY OF THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD IN THE UKRAINE AND MOLDAVIA DURING THE PAST 6000 YEARS
Authors: RUSAKOV O. M. , ZAGNIY G. F.
Published: August 2007

ABSTRACTS

Archaeomagnetic intensity measurements are reported for 200 leaked clay samples taken from bricks, pottery kilns, furnaces and hearths, etc.
ANALYSIS OF WEATHERED GLASS FROM YORK MINSTER
Authors: NEWTON R. G. , HEDGES R. E. M.
Published: August 2007

ABSTRACTSS

Non‐destructive analyses are reported of a twelfth century stained glass panel from York Minster. The main conclusion from the results is that the observed differences in severity of corrosion between various glasses may be explained by variations in the proportions of potassium and calcium.
BRISTLECONE PINE AND ANCIENT EGYPT: A RE‐APPRAISAL
Authors: CLARK R. M.
Published: August 2007

Previous comparisons of the radiocarbon dates of tree‐ring‐dated bristlecone pine samples and historicallydated samples from Egyptian archaeological sites have led to conflicting conclusions regarding the validity of the bristlecone pine calibration of radiocarbon dates. However, the new statistical analysis presented in this paper shows that the bristlecone pine calibration of the radiocarbon time‐scale is not incompatible with the given Egyptian historical chronology in the period 3000–300 B.C. (calendar years). This analysis is the first to allow for possible additional variability in the radiocarbon dates of short‐lived samples (due to short‐term fluctuations in the atmospheric carbon‐14 level), and to examine the effect on the analysis of any changes in the precision ascribed to the historical dates of the samples. Furthermore, the paper examines the reasons for the conflicting conclusions obtained in previous analyses, and uses the differences in the paired radiocarbon dates on the Egyptian samples to investigate the overall repeatability of these radiocarbon measurements.
ALPHA‐RECOIL TRACKS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CERAMIC DATING
Authors: GARRISON E. G. , McGIMSEY C. R. , ZINKE O. H.
Published: August 2007

Among the manifestations of radioactive decay which can be etched to optical visibility on the surface of mica are tracks from nuclei recoiling from alpha emission, called ‘alpha‐recoil tracks’. If, beforeetching, the mica is heated to temperatures of the order of 600°C, all evidence of these tracks is annealed from muscovite mica in a few minutes. Alpha activity observed on mica from pot sherds, from stones surrounding fire places, from fire pits, and fired daub may constitute an alpha‐recoil track clock which started at the moment of the last firing of the artifacts.
THERMOLUMINESCENCE AND STYLE IN THE AUTHENTICATION OF CERAMIC SCULPTURE FROM OAXACA, MEXICO
Authors: SHAPLIN P. D.
Published: August 2007

Oaxacan urns, the most characteristic esthetic expression of Zapotec culture in ancient Mesoamerica, are an important potential source of information for archaeologists and art historians, but relatively few exist with specific archaeological context and many are suspect as forgeries. This paper reports the thermoluminescent authenticity determinations of over one hundred Oaxacan urns as a first step toward confirmining a sequence previously determined by stylistic analysis. We tested a collection of 117 urns on loan to the St Louis Art Museum, mostly acquired after 1960, and another group of 6 from the Peabody Museum, Harvard, acquired before 1930. Our hypothesis that more recent collections would contain fewer forgeries was confirmed and a number of stylistic criteria for determining authenticity are critically examined in the light of the results.
THERMOLUMINESCENCE DATING: RADIOACTIVITY IN QUARTZ
Authors: SUTTON S. R. , ZIMMERMAN D. W.
Published: August 2007

Alpha activities measured for four quartz extracts indicate that, in some samples, the alpha dose‐rate to the quartz due to radioactivity within the quartz can be significant. Uranium mapping of the quartz by neutroninduced fission tracks shows that the radioactivity is not homogeneously distributed.
MAYAN OBSIDIAN: SOURCE CORRELATION FOR SOUTHERN BELIZE ARTIFACTS
Authors: STROSS F. H. , BOWMAN H. R. , MICHEL H. V. , ASARO F. , HAMMOND N.
Published: August 2007

High‐precision neutron activation measurements have been made on mesoamerican obsidian from Ixtepeque and El Chayal which are thought to be the major sources of volcanic glass artifacts in pre‐Columbian times. These results are compared with measurements on obsidian artifacts from Lubaantun, Wild Cane Cay, Frenchman's Cay and Moho Cay.
QUANTITATIVE RESULTS OF XRF ANALYSIS OF ANCIENT COINS BY MONOCHROMATIC X‐RAY EXCITATION
Authors: AVALDI L. , CONFALONIERI L. , MILAZZO M. , PALTRINIERI E. , TESTI R. , WINSEMANN‐FALGHERA E.
Published: August 2007

The analysis by XRF applied to old coins is improved by use of monochromatic X‐ray excitation of variable energy. In addition the effects of relief and irregular shape are eliminated. A method of absolute quantitative analysis without any reference standard has been set up. Results of the analysis of 52 early Greek and 4 late Roman empire gold coins are reported.
METALLOGRAPHIC STUDY OF IRON ARTEFACTS FROM THE EASTERN TRANSVAAL, SOUTH AFRICA
Authors: GORDON R. B. , VAN DER MERWE N. J.
Published: August 2007

The microstructures of two adzes, two hoes and a spear point from Iron Age settlement sites in the Kruger National Park have been examined. Electron microprobe analyses of the slag inclusions were also made. Some of the objects are made of high carbon steel while others have a highly variable carbon content. All appear to have been forged at relatively low temperature and then annealed at a low temperature near 700°C. None have been hardened by quenching and tempering. Some of the objects contain only traces of included slag while others have large slag inclusions. The slag compositions are quite different from those of medieval bloomery slags and are representative of African iron smelting practice in their high content of CaO, K2 O and Na2O. On the basis of the titanium content of the included slag, two of the objects are identified as made of the ore from Rooiwater and one from Phalaborwa ore.
A TECHNOLOGICAL STUDY OF CHINESE PORCELAIN OF THE YUAN DYNASTY
Authors: TITE M. S. , FREESTONE I. C. , BIMSON M.
Published: August 2007

Optical and scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis and X‐ray diffraction are used to determine the composition and microstructure of the bodies and glazes of Chinese porcelain of the Yuan dynasty from Jingdezhen, as well as samples of porcelain‐stone and glaze‐stone from the same region. The original mineralogical compositions of the porcelain bodies and glazes are estimated. The results indicate that the yingqing porcelain bodies were made using a kaolinised porcelain‐stone whereas the underglaze blue porcelain bodies were prepared by the addition of kaolin to a kaolinite‐free porcelain‐stone. In both cases, the glazes were made by mixing ‘glaze‐ash’ (i.e. lime) with the porcelain stone used to make the bodies.
A NOTE ON A LESS WELL KNOWN EPOXIDE RESIN
Authors: NICHOLSON P. T. , PATTERSON H. L.
Published: August 2007

This short paper describes the potential of a relatively new epoxide based resin, Petropoxy 154, for ceramic thin sectioning. It can be used for all stages of the thin sectioning process and has given good results on a wide variety of ceramic types. Its greatest advantages over other methods include its low viscosity, its short cure time, its high bonding strength, and its long shelf life.
AMBER FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: ANALYSIS BY NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY
Authors: LAMBERT J. B. , FRYE J. S. , POINAR G. O.
Published: August 2007

The carbon‐13 NMR spectra of amber from several mining sites in the Dominican Republic show considerable variation. In certain cases the differences are sufficiently distinct to serve as a reliable indicator of provenance. The gradations within the resonances of unsaturated carbons may reflect the relative ages of the samples, because fossilization and diagenesis can remove this functionality.