bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Piracy, Prejudice and Profit: A Perspective from US–China Intellectual Property Rights Disputes1
Authors: Hu Li Hanson
Published: October 2006

Intellectual property scholars and US–China trade observers alike have spilled much ink on describing and explaining piracy and China's apparently “voracious appetite” for it. Unfortunately, such extensive discussions tend to oversimplify the complicated picture by exaggerating only particular aspects of the piracy problem. As a consequence, those discussions have created widespread misconceptions that confuse the public as to the truth of the piracy phenomenon in general, and Chinese piracy in particular. This article examines the US–China piracy debate in a wider context and challenges the three most common misconceptions about piracy: (1) stronger intellectual property rights protection is necessarily beneficial to economic development; (2) piracy is primarily a problem of lack of law; and (3) intellectual property businesses cannot profit from piracy. The analysis of this article dictates a more rational use of government regulation, as well as business strategies for the benefit of individual business and, ultimately, for society.
Differences in Bone Mineral Content and Density between Male and Female Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) during the Non‐reproductive Season
Authors: Zulauf‐Fischer I. , Liesegang A. , Haessig M. , Clauss M. , Hatt J.‐M.
Published: October 2006

It is known that female birds increase medullary mineral stores in long bones shortly before egg laying. Here, we present results from two groups of budgerigars, in both of which females had significantly higher bone mineral contents and densities, as measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography of the tibiotarsus, during a reproductively dormant period. The results could indicate that female birds can accumulate mineral stores outside of the breeding season.
NG‐NITRO‐l‐ARGININE METHYL ESTER POTENTIATES ANAPHYLACTIC VENOCONSTRICTION IN RAT PERFUSED LIVERS
Authors: Shibamoto Toshishige , Ishibashi Takaharu , Shimo Tomohiro , Cui Sen , Takano Hiromichi , Tsuchida Hideaki , Nishio Matomo , Kurata Yasutaka
Published: October 2006

The effects of the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (l‐NAME) on anaphylaxis‐induced venoconstriction were examined in rat isolated livers perfused with blood‐free solutions in order to clarify the role of NO in anaphylactic venoconstriction.

Rats were sensitized with ovalbumin (1 mg) and, 2 weeks later, livers were excised and perfused portally in a recirculating manner at a constant flow with Krebs’–Henseleit solution. The antigen (ovalbumin; 0.1 mg) was injected into the reservoir 10 min after pretreatment with l‐NAME (100 mmol/L) or d‐NAME (100 mmol/L) and changes in portal vein pressure (Ppv), hepatic vein pressure (Phv) and perfusate flow were monitored. In addition, concentrations of the stable metabolites of NO ( and ) were determined in the perfusate using an HPLC–Griess system.

The antigen caused hepatic venoconstriction, as evidenced by an increase in Ppv from a mean (SEM) baseline value of 7.7 ± 0.1 cmH2O to a peak of 21.4 ± 1.1 cmH2O at 3 min in d‐NAME‐pretreated livers. Pretreatment with l‐NAME augmented anaphylactic venoconstriction, as reflected by a higher Ppv (27.4 ± 0.8 cmH2O) after antigen than observed following d‐NAME pretreatment. The addition of l‐arginine, a precursor for the synthesis of NO, reversed the augmentation of anaphylactic venoconstricion by l‐NAME. This suggests that hepatic anaphylaxis increased the production of NO, which consequently attenuated anaphylactic venoconstriction. However, perfusate NOx levels did not increase significantly after antigen in livers pretreated with either l‐NAME or d‐NAME.

In conclusion, l‐NAME potentiates rat anaphylactic hepatic venoconstriction, suggesting that NO contributes to the attenuation of the venoconstriction. However, this functional evidence was not accompanied by corresponding changes in perfusate NOx concentrations.
Ischemic preconditioning enhances regenerative capacity of hepatocytes in long‐term ischemically damaged rat livers
Authors: Yamada Fumihiko , Saito Takuro , Abe Tsuyoshi , Tsuchiya Takao , Sato Yoshihiro , Kenjo Akira , Kimura Takashi , Gotoh Mitsukazu
Published: October 2006

Background and Aims:  Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) protects tissues against ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of IPC on protection and regeneration of hepatocytes after prolonged I/R injury.

Methods:  A rat model of segmental (70%) hepatic ischemia was used to determine the effect of 10‐min IPC preceding 40, 60, 90, or 120 min of liver ischemia. The effect was assessed by comparing cytolysis markers and necrotic areas of the liver, as well as the regenerative capacity of hepatocytes using the proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index (PCNA‐LI) and weight of the ischemic liver lobe. Protein kinase B/Akt (Akt) and caspase‐9 were investigated immunohistochemically to determine the effect of IPC on activation of survival and anti‐apoptotic signals.

Results:  In the model of 40 min I/R, which resulted in focal necrosis of the liver, IPC significantly protected against I/R injury by reducing the area of focal necrosis, level of PCNA‐LI and immunoreactivities to Akt and caspase‐9. In contrast, IPC did not prevent ischemic damage in the 90‐ and 120‐min ischemic model with massive liver necrosis. However, IPC enhanced the regenerative capacity of the remaining hepatocytes with higher levels of PCNA‐LI, number of Akt‐positive cells and mean weight of the liver lobe postoperatively than in the controls.

Conclusions:  In a model of focal necrosis of the liver, IPC protected hepatocytes against I/R injury. In addition, in a model of massive necrosis, IPC maintained the regenerative capacity of the remaining hepatocytes by enhancing the survival signals.
Home respiratory muscle training in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: BATTAGLIA Elvia , FULGENZI Alessandro , BERNUCCI Stefano , GIARDINI Mario E. , FERRERO Maria E.
Published: October 2006

Objective and background:  The benefits of inspiratory muscle strength training in decreasing symptoms, disability or handicap of patients affected by COPD are not well established. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of the constant use of a new flow‐volumetric inspiratory exerciser, named Respivol™, in improving respiratory functional parameters in COPD patients.

Methods:  Twenty consecutive ambulatory patients affected by COPD were enrolled. Each patient was assessed, before and after 3 and 6 months inspiratory exercise with Respivol™, for the following clinical parameters: maximal inspiratory pressure, maximal expiratory pressure, dyspnoea grade, quality of life by a self‐administered St George questionnaire and a 6‐min walking test. After a brief progressive ambulatory training programme, inspiratory exercise with Respivol™ was performed at home for 6 months. All patients used Respivol™ together with medical treatment.

Results:  Maximal inspiratory pressure and maximal expiratory pressure values were significantly increased after 3 and 6 months of exercise. Dyspnoea grade was significantly reduced and the 6‐min walking test showed an increase in effort tolerance, after 6 months of home training. Quality of life assessment showed an improvement, associated with a decrease of respiratory disease symptoms.

Conclusions:  Inspiratory muscle strength training with Respivol™ seems to be efficient in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life in adults with COPD.
Microsatellite instability and novel mismatch repair gene mutations in northern Chinese population with Hereditary non‐polyposis colorectal cancer
Authors: SHENG Jian Qiu , CHAN Tsun Leung , CHAN Yee Wai , HUANG Ji Sheng , CHEN Ji Gui , ZHANG Ming Zhi , GUO Xiu Lan , MU Hong , CHAN Annie Sy , LI Shi Rong , YUEN Siu Tsan , LEUNG Suet Yi
Published: October 2006

OBJECTIVE:  Hereditary non‐polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) syndrome is the most common cause of hereditary colorectal cancer with an early age of onset. Microsatellite instability (MSI) and germline mutation in one of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes are found in the majority of HNPCC families and provide an opportunity for genetic diagnosis and prophylactic screening. The MMR gene mutation spectrum may vary across different populations and be influenced by founder mutations that prevail in specific ethnic groups. China is a big and ancient nation with enormous genetic diversity, which is especially notable between the northern and southern Chinese populations. A MMR gene mutation database for the southern Chinese population based in Hong Kong has been previously established. This study compares the MMR gene mutation spectrum and the MSI of HNPCC between the northern and southern Chinese populations.

METHODS:  Twenty‐five HNPCC families from northern China were systematically analyzed. The MSI analysis was performed using five loci in the USA National Cancer Institute (NCI) panel (D2S123, D5S346, BAT‐25, BAT‐26 and BAT‐40) by PCR from the tumor and normal tissue. MSH2, MSH6 and MLH1 were performed using immunohistochemical staining. Two founder mutations of MSH2 and MLH1 were examined by PCR base analyses using primers flanking the two deletion sites (c.1452_1455delAATG in MSH2 and 1.8 kb deletion involving exon 11 of MLH1).

RESULTS:  Of the 25 families collected, 19 met Bethesda guideline (BG) 1 and six met BG3. Twenty‐two (15.7%) were extra‐colonic cancers with gastric cancer (in seven patients) being the most common cancer type. Of the 25 tumors analyzed, 21 (84%) were high level microsatellite instability (MSI‐H) and four (16%) were microsatellite stable (MSS). Eighteen (86%) of the 21 MSI‐H tumors showed loss of either the MLH1 or the MSH2 protein. Three MSI‐H tumors and all four MSS tumors showed no loss of expression of the three MMR proteins. Out of the 21 patients with MSI‐H tumors, 12 (57%) showed pathogenic germline mutations in either MLH1 (n = 8) or MSH2 (n = 4). Overall, three novel mutations (in patients H22, H17 and H29) have been identified. One of them, c.503_4insA, caused a frameshift mutation in the MLH1 gene. The other two were found in the MSH2 gene, including a frameshift (c.899_890insAT) and a splice junction (IVS7‐1G→A, SA of Exon 8) mutation.

CONCLUSIONS:  The results suggest a distinctly different mutation spectrum of MMR genes between northern and southern Chinese populations and call for a systematic, nationwide study to facilitate the design of a MMR gene mutation detection strategy tailored for individual populations in China.
Locomotor activity correlates with modifications of hippocampal mossy fibre synaptic transmission
Authors: Kobayashi Katsunori , Ikeda Yumiko , Suzuki Hidenori
Published: October 2006

The hippocampus has long been implicated in memory formation. Although accumulating evidence suggests involvement of the hippocampus in other brain functions including locomotor regulation and emotional processes, cellular and synaptic bases underlying these functions remain largely unknown. We here report that environmental manipulations in mice unveiled the association of locomotor activity with the hippocampal mossy fibre (MF) synaptic transmission. Electrophysiological recordings of synaptic responses were made using hippocampal slices prepared from mice whose behaviour had been analysed. Environmental enrichment induced parallel decreases in open‐field locomotor activity and MF synaptic facilitation. Facilitation induced by paired‐pulse stimulation at relatively long intervals (≥200 ms) was selectively reduced while the basal synaptic efficacy and high‐frequency transmission were unaffected. Social isolation caused a change in behaviour in an elevated plus‐maze, but neither the open‐field activity nor the MF synaptic transmission was significantly altered. Effects of dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential for locomotor regulation, on the MF synapse were also examined using these mice. Environmental manipulations did not cause significant changes in potentiation of the MF synaptic transmission induced by dopamine. However, analysis of behavioural and electrophysiological results in individual subjects revealed that locomotor activity negatively correlates with magnitude of the dopamine‐induced potentiation. These results suggest that the MF synapse plays important roles in the regulation of locomotor activity. We propose that the MF synapse can serve as the synaptic model for certain forms of locomotor regulation, with potential importance for investigation of the pathophysiology of psychiatric diseases using animal models.
Effects of nitric oxide‐active drugs on the discharge of subthalamic neurons: microiontophoretic evidence in the rat
Authors: Sardo Pierangelo , Carletti Fabio , D'Agostino Stefania , Rizzo Valerio , Ferraro Giuseppe
Published: October 2006

The presence of nitric oxide (NO) synthase and of soluble guanylyl cyclase, the main NO‐activated metabolic pathway, has been demonstrated in many cells of the subthalamic nucleus. In this study, the effects induced on the firing of 96 subthalamic neurons by microiontophoretically administering drugs modifying NO neurotransmission were explored in anaesthetized rats. Recorded neurons were classified into regularly and irregularly discharging on the basis of their firing pattern. Nω‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME; a NO synthase inhibitor), 3‐morpholino‐sydnonimin‐hydrocloride (SIN‐1; a NO donor), S‐nitroso‐glutathione (SNOG; another NO donor) and 8‐Br‐cGMP (a cell‐permeable analogue of cGMP, the main second‐messenger of NO neurotransmission) were iontophoretically applied while performing single‐unit extracellular recordings. The activity of most neurons was influenced in a statistically significant way: in particular, both current‐related inhibitory L‐NAME‐induced effects (20/39 tested cells) and excitatory effects of SIN‐1 (25/41 tested neurons), SNOG (19/32 tested cells) and 8‐Br‐cGMP (13/19 tested neurons) were demonstrated. Neither statistically significant differences between the responses of regularly and irregularly discharging cells, nor specific topographical clustering of responding neurons, were demonstrated. Neurons administered drugs oppositely modulating the NO neurotransmission often displayed responses to only one treatment. We hypothesize that NO neurotransmission could exert a modulatory influence upon subthalamic neurons, with a prevalent excitatory effect. However, in the light of the presence of some responses of opposite sign to the same drug displayed by different subthalamic neurons, more complex effects of NO neurotransmission could be suggested, probably due to interactions with other classical neurotransmitter systems.
Haemoglobin A1c is not a surrogate for glucose and insulin measures for investigating the early life and childhood determinants of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes in healthy children. An analysis from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)
Authors: Shultis W. A. , Leary S. D. , Ness A. R. , Scott J. , Martin R. M. , Whincup P. H. , Smith G Davey ,   the ALSPAC Study Team
Published: October 2006

Aims  Research into early life and childhood determinants of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes are complicated by requirements for fasting blood samples and glucose tolerance tests. We investigated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), a marker of glycaemia measured in non‐fasting blood, as an alternative.

Methods  HbA1c was measured in 1645 children aged 9–11 years without diabetes from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Thirty‐nine children had two HbA1c measurements. Data on parental, child and potential confounding factors were collected prospectively from questionnaires, medical records and direct examination. Data from a shortened 30‐min oral glucose tolerance test were available for 431 children at age 8 years. Body composition was measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry.

Results  Mean (sd) HbA1c was 4.91(0.29)%. HbA1c increased with age and was higher in boys compared with girls, non‐white compared with white children, and in children with anaemia. Mean difference between repeated HbA1c measurements was 0.01%. HbA1c was weakly positively associated with fasting glucose (β = 0.066%/mmol/l, P = 0.05), but was not associated with 30‐min glucose, fasting or 30‐min insulin, or homeostasis model assessment‐insulin resistance. HbA1c was weakly inversely associated with weight sd score (β =−0.02%/unit, P = 0.004), body mass index sd score (β = −0.02%/unit, P = 0.002), and total body fat (β = −0.003%/kg, P = 0.06) and lean mass (β = −0.011%/kg, P = 0.01), but was not associated with birthweight or breastfeeding.

Conclusions  HbA1c is not a good marker of fasting or post‐load glucose and insulin measures in healthy children, and is not a viable alternative to these measures for investigating the determinants of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes in children.
Relative accuracy and predictive ability of direct valuation methods, price to aggregate earnings method and a hybrid approach
Authors: Courteau Lucie , Kao Jennifer L. , O’Keefe Terry , Richardson Gordon D.
Published: October 2006

In this paper, we assess the relative performance of the direct valuation method and industry multiplier models using 41 435 firm‐quarter Value Line observations over an 11 year (1990–2000) period. Results from both pricing‐error and return‐prediction analyses indicate that direct valuation yields lower percentage pricing errors and greater return prediction ability than the forward price to aggregated forecasted earnings multiplier model. However, a simple hybrid combination of these two methods leads to more accurate intrinsic value estimates, compared to either method used in isolation. It would appear that fundamental analysis could benefit from using one approach as a check on the other.
Labor Supervision and Institutional Conditions: Evidence from Bicol Rice Farms
Authors: DeSilva Sanjaya , Evenson Robert E. , Kimhi Ayal
Published: October 2006

This article analyzes labor supervision activities reported in a survey of rice farmers in the Bicol region of the Philippines. We present a theoretical model that relates supervision intensity to institutional conditions. We estimate a supervision intensity equation and control for the decision to hire labor, the decision to supervise hired labor, and the type of the labor contract. The empirical estimates use different village‐level spatial and demographic indicators as proxies for institutional conditions. The results are consistent with the prediction of the theoretical model that supervision increases with weaker institutional conditions.
Information Exchange and Distributional Implications of Price Discrimination with Internet Marketing in Agriculture
Authors: Just David R. , Just Richard E.
Published: October 2006

A price discrimination model is proposed to explain why firms provide extraneous information on Internet sites selling agricultural inputs. Whether an informative site is offered depends on price discrimination potential, which depends on how much farmers reveal heterogeneity by Internet behavior. Price discrimination is greater if information benefits are negatively correlated with farm size (or other characteristics), explaining why extraneous (not product‐related) information is offered on Internet sales sites. Price discrimination adversely affects some farmers but may be beneficial on average because it generates free information. Outcomes depend on whether Internet users are aware of price differentials on the basis of clickstream information.
On Monoculture and the Structure of Crop Rotations
Authors: Hennessy David A.
Published: October 2006

An issue when seeking to identify rotation choice is persistence in yield‐enhancement and input‐saving carry‐over effects. Focusing on carry‐over length and the monoculture decision, we use quasi‐convexity of choice functions to develop price‐independent and price‐dependent principles concerning rotation structure. Iowa corn‐soybean rotation data suggest corn has one‐year memory. For corn, soybeans in the prior year is yield increasing (16.5 bu./ac.) and nitrogen saving (51 lb./ac.). The hypothesis that soybean has two‐year memory cannot be rejected. Corn in the prior year (two years) increases yield by 7 bu./ac. (11.6 bu./ac.). We simulate to find price and practice subsidy levels that support different rotations.
Anti‐Corporate Farming Laws and Industry Structure: The Case of Cattle Feeding
Authors: Schroeter John R. , Azzam Azzeddine M. , Aiken J. David
Published: October 2006

Nine midwestern states have laws that restrict the involvement of publicly held corporations in agriculture. Opponents argue that the laws' direct efforts to regulate ownership structure may have an adverse indirect impact on size structure. Restricting corporate involvement might stifle the emergence and growth of efficient, large‐scale establishments if corporations have advantages over other organizational forms in meeting capital requirements. Since 1982, Nebraska has had an anti‐corporate farming law that prohibits corporate ownership of feedlots. We test whether the implementation of the Nebraska law had an impact on the stochastic process governing the evolution of the state's feedlot size distribution.
Discrete Approximations to Continuum Optimal Flow Problems
Authors: Lippert Ross A.
Published: October 2006

Problems in partial differential equations with inequality constraints can be used to describe a continuum analog to various optimal flow/cut problems. While general concepts from convex optimization (like duality) carry over into continuum problems, the application of ideas and algorithms from linear programming and network flow problems is challenging. The capacity constraints are nonlinear (but convex).

In this article, we investigate a discretized version of the planar maximum flow problem that preserves the nonlinear capacity constraints of the continuum problem. The resulting finite‐dimensional problem can be cast as a second‐order cone programming problem or a quadratically constrained program. Good numerical results can be obtained using commercial solvers. These results are in agreement with the continuum theory of a “challenge” problem posed by Strang.
Surfaces Associated with Sigma Models
Authors: Grundland A. M. , Šnobl L.
Published: October 2006

We present a unified method of construction of surfaces associated with Grassmannian sigma models, expressed in terms of an orthogonal projector. This description leads to compact formulae for structural equations of two‐dimensional surfaces immersed in thesu(N) algebra. In the special case of thesigma model, we obtain constant negative Gaussian curvature surfaces. As a consequence, this leads us to an explicit relation between thesigma model and the sine‐Gordon equation.
On Interfaces and Oscillatory Solutions of Higher‐Order Semilinear Parabolic Equations with Non‐Lipschitz Nonlinearities
Authors: Galaktionov V. A.
Published: October 2006

We study local properties of solutions and their asymptotic extinction behavior for the fourth‐order semilinear parabolic equation of diffusion–absorption type
image

where p < 1, so that the absorption term is not Lipschitz continuous at u= 0. The Cauchy problem with bounded compactly supported initial data possesses solutions with finite interfaces, and we describe their oscillatory, sign changing properties for . For p∈ (0, 1), we also study positive solutions of the free‐boundary problem with zero contact angle and zero‐flux conditions. Finally, we describe families {fk} of similarity extinction patterns uS(x, t) = (T−t)1/(1−p)f(y), where y=x/(T−t)1/4, that vanish in finite time, as t→T−∈ (0, ∞). Similar local and asymptotic properties are indicated for the sixth‐order equation with source

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Ontology‐Based Metadata
Authors: Schuurman Nadine , Leszczynski Agnieszka
Published: October 2006

It is even more remarkable to some of us that up to this point, there has been no thoroughgoing discussion by GIS practitioners and theorists about the epistemology of their subject, the ontology of their objects, and the political commitments embedded in their practices.

(Pickles 1997, p. 364)

Metadata are an extant mechanism for conveying ontological information about semantic data. Metadata have the advantage of being institutionally and structurally ensconced in GIS. At present, however, they lack fields to express information beyond the technical and geometric domain. This paper describes a framework for the creation of extended metadata for non‐spatial attributes, with the goal of incorporating ontological context. We use an informatics interpretation of ontology which refers to the total universe of discourse associated with a given attribute (database field). In other words, an ontology is the possible range of meaning offered by an encoded field. Current ontology research in GIScience has focused on data structuring and modelling. Implementation of these schemes demands restructuring of existing relational database models. An alternative is to extend current metadata schemes (e.g. ISO 19115) to include context‐based and tacit information about semantic attributes. Such ontology‐based extended metadata permits data selection and interoperability decisions that are ultimately more defensible. We have developed eight preliminary fields to add to existing metadata frameworks that will enable ontological context to travel with the data. This paper illustrates a preliminary implementation based on the integration of non‐commensurate cadastral data. The results illustrate the value of ontology‐based metadata in highlighting descriptive and substantive differences between similar classification systems. Recognition of semantic heterogeneity is the basis for creating defensible data linkages between multiple datasets. The development of ontology‐based metadata is profoundly different from the current trend to incorporate ontological context at the model level in GIScience. It is pragmatic, however, in that it presents a vehicle for incorporating use‐context with data in a manner that is accessible; requires little re‐engineering; and is intuitively understood by GIS users. Moreover, ontology‐based metadata are a mechanism for addressing Pickles’ (1997) concern about the ontology of spatial objects in GIS.
The Implications of Including Women's Daily Lives in a Feminist GIScience
Authors: Gilbert Melissa R , Masucci Michele
Published: October 2006

In this paper, we argue that a feminist geographical analysis that examines women as active agents in their daily lives, pays attention to the multiplicity of women's experiences in relational space, and values knowledge for transformative purposes, provides insights as to how GIScience might develop in the near future. We draw upon our research with two different community organizations in North Philadelphia to show how a feminist geographical analysis can shape the conceptualization of a community GIS. We argue that collaborative work with community organizations based on “a view from below” necessitates alternative institutional arrangements while providing rich data to better understand the intersection of daily life and information and communication technologies (ICT) as experienced, in the particular case of our work, by poor women. Our research illustrates that understanding ICT frameworks from the perspective of women and in the context of their daily lives has important implications for GIScience.
RESPONSE‐DEPENDENCE THEORY AND EMPIRICAL CLAIMS FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Authors: MILLER STEVEN I.
Published: October 2006

Abstract: The analysis here is an attempt to show how the current epistemological theory of response‐dependence (R‐D) may be relevant to understanding putative ontological claims of the empirical social sciences. To this end I argue that the constitutive features of human response, central to R‐D theory, can be made explicit for social science. I conclude that for the empirical social sciences the implication of combining R‐D and certain forms of statistical analyses leads to the possibility of an events‐based ontology.
RELIABILISM AND SAFETY
Authors: BECKER KELLY
Published: October 2006

Abstract:Duncan Pritchard has recently highlighted the problem of veritic epistemic luck and claimed that a safety‐based account of knowledge succeeds in eliminating veritic luck where virtue‐based accounts and process reliabilism fail. He then claims that if one accepts a safety‐based account, there is no longer a motivation for retaining a commitment to reliabilism. In this article, I delineate several distinct safety principles, and I argue that those that eliminate veritic luck do so only if at least implicitly committed to reliabilism.
ABSTRACTION, IDEALIZATION, AND OPPRESSION
Authors: SCHWARTZMAN LISA H.
Published: October 2006

Abstract:Feminists, critical race scholars, and other social‐justice theorists sometimes object to “abstraction” in liberal normative theory. Arguing that oppression affects individual agents in powerful yet subtle ways, they contend that allegedly abstract theories often reinforce oppressive power structures. Here I critically examine and ultimately reject Onora O'Neill's “abstraction without idealization” as a solution to this problem. Because O'Neill defines abstraction as simply the “bracketing of certain predicates,” her methodology fails to guide decisions about what to bracket and what to include in the theory. Moreover, it may not be possible to abstract without also relying on some particular ideals. While abstraction is unavoidable, I conclude that it must be employed with greater attention to sociopolitical hierarchies and by using ideals that do not collude with structures of oppression. I discuss the work of Susan Babbitt and Elizabeth Anderson as examples of how nonoppressive ideals might be incorporated into normative theory.
PHILOSOPHERS, THEIR CONTEXT, AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES
Authors: JONES WARD E.
Published: October 2006

Abstract: It has at various times been said, both before and since the fall of apartheid, that philosophers in South Africa are neglecting to do certain sorts of work. Behind this accusation lies a general claim that philosophers have responsibilities to their contexts. This essay is dedicated to (i) defending this claim against objections, and (ii) offering a positive argument for there being moral pressure on philosophers to increase understanding. My aim is not to accuse any philosopher or community of philosophers of neglect. It is rather to defend an understanding of both philosophy and ethical responsibilities that makes room for philosophers to have moral responsibilities. Whether or not it has ever in fact been appropriate to accuse philosophers in South Africa, or indeed anywhere else, of neglect, philosophers do indeed have responsibilities to their contexts.
Reforming Social Welfare in Germany: An Applied General Equilibrium Analysis
Authors: Boeters Stefan , Gürtzgen Nicole , Schnabel Reinhold
Published: October 2006

In this paper, the effects of social assistance reform proposals are discussed for the case of Germany using a computable general equilibrium model that incorporates a discrete choice model of labour supply. This allows us to identify general equilibrium effects of the reforms on wages and unemployment. The simulation results show that general equilibrium wage reactions mitigate labour supply effects and that unemployment in fact decreases. Wage reactions are thus sufficiently strong to prevent additional labour supply from translating into higher unemployment. The simulations indicate that major cuts in welfare payments are necessary to produce substantial employment effects.
Third-Degree Price Discrimination in the Presence of Subsidies
Authors: Felder Stefan
Published: October 2006

According to a classical result, a move from uniform pricing to third-degree price discrimination only improves welfare if total output increases. In this paper I show that the classical result fails in the presence of subsidies. This finding appears to be relevant for the pharmaceutical sector where a consumer pays a fraction of the actual drug price due to health insurance coverage.
Portfolio Choice in the Presence of Non-Tradable Income: An Experimental Analysis
Authors: Klos Alexander , Weber Martin
Published: October 2006

This paper reports the results of an experiment on portfolio choice in the presence of non-tradable income. The non-tradable income part could either be riskless or risky (background risk). In many cases, we observe behavior that is qualitatively consistent with the predictions of normative theory. However, correlations between financial and non-tradable wealth are neglected. The computation of aggregated risk profiles helps subjects to partly overcome the deviations from normative theory due to neglect of correlations.
Germany’s New Insider Law: The Empirical Evidence after the First Year
Authors: Stotz Olaf
Published: October 2006

This paper investigates insider trading activities in German stocks during the first year following implementation of the new Insider Law on 1 July 2002. It can be observed that insiders act as contrarian investors. They buy stocks after prices have fallen and sell stocks after prices have risen. In general, insider trades are very profitable. A typical stock purchased by an insider yields an abnormal return of almost 3 per cent during the 25 days following the transaction. In contrast, a typical stock that has been sold by insiders achieves an abnormal return of nearly -3 per cent over the same time period. Outsiders who copy the transactions of insiders can achieve nearly the same abnormal returns. Abnormal returns remain substantial even after transaction costs. The results suggest that prices of stocks in which insiders trade do not seem to be semi-strong efficient.
Moral Hazard and Bargaining Power
Authors: Demougin Dominique , Helm Carsten
Published: October 2006

We introduce bargaining power in a moral hazard framework where parties are risk-neutral and the agent is financially constrained. We show that the same contract emerges if the concept of bargaining power is analyzed in either of the following three frameworks: in a standard principal-agent (P-A) framework by varying the agent’s outside opportunity, in an alternating offer game, and in a generalized Nash-bargaining game. However, for sufficiently low levels of the agent’s bargaining power, increasing it marginally does affect the equilibrium in the Nash-bargaining game, but not in the P-A model and in the alternating offer game.
Isolated sixth nerve palsy secondary to spontaneous intracranial hypotension
Authors: Khemka S. , Mearza A. A.
Published: October 2006

We report the case of a 43‐year‐old gentleman who presented with an isolated left sixth nerve palsy in association with postural headache. Magnetic resonance imaging showed dural enhancement with downward displacement of the brainstem. This, in association with the signs, symptoms and findings on lumbar puncture, confirmed the diagnosis of spontaneous intracranial hypotension. Treatment was successful with epidural blood patching. The case is discussed and the relevant literature reviewed.
Implications of the functional anatomy of the hand and forearm of Ailurus fulgens (Carnivora, Ailuridae) for the evolution of the ‘false‐thumb’ in pandas
Authors: Antón Mauricio , Salesa Manuel J. , Pastor Juan F. , Peigné Stéphane , Morales Jorge
Published: October 2006

Both the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) possess a ‘false‐thumb’, actually an enlarged radial sesamoid bone, which contributes to the gripping action of the hand. These species are not closely related, however, as one is an ursid and the other an ailurid, so the fact that they share this adaptation implies a remarkable convergence. We studied the functional anatomy of this structure in the red panda, comparing it with existing descriptions of the grasping mechanism in both pandas. Previous interpretations of the radial sesamoid in Ailurus as a rod‐like structure without direct articulation to the wrist bones are inaccurate. There are various important differences between the red panda and the giant panda. In the former, the lesser development of the radial sesamoid, its connection with the flexor retinaculum, the presence of an insertion of the muscle abductor pollicis longus in the first metacarpal, which enhances its supinatory action, and the presence of a muscle flexor brevis digitorum manus point to thin‐branch climbing features serving as an exaptation to the more recent role of the red panda hand in the manipulation of bamboo.
Signal quality in a three‐channel ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring system
Authors: Walamies Markku A
Published: October 2006

Background:  Ambulatory electrocardiographic recordings are not infrequently hampered by technical artefacts. Verification of good original signal level and an adequate number of ECG channels should enhance the quality.

Methods:  Data from all three‐channel (mV5, mV1, III) recordings in Peijas hospital during one‐calendar year were prospectively collected. A total of 255 recordings (24 h n = 239, and 48 h n = 16) made for 247 patients were analysed. Relative signal strength number (integer scale 5–0) was registered during hook‐up. Final quality of recordings were afterwards evaluated with a three‐point semi‐quantitative scale by an experienced physician.

Results:  The signal strength number was adequate (3) in all 241 available cases. Distribution of signal strength did not significantly vary between ECG channels. The overall quality of recordings was ‘good’ in three‐fourth of the cases and only were they seldom ‘poor’. Signal strength and quality ratings were not significantly interrelated. The quality was, as expected, better in 24 h recording than in 48 recordings, and it was also better in channel III than in channel mV5.

Conclusions:  The original signal strength level (impedance) is not a crucial fact in ambulatory electrocardiographic recordings as long as it is within (specified) acceptable limits. In terms of quality, a third (inferior) ECG channel is recommendable.
Early recovery from post‐traumatic acute respiratory distress syndrome
Authors: Reske Andreas , Seiwerts Matthias , Reske Alexander , Gottschaldt Udo , Schreiter Dierk
Published: October 2006

Background  To present and discuss the rationale and possible benefits of timely alveolar recruitment in early post‐traumatic acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Methods  A 17‐year‐old patient who had sustained blunt thoracic trauma presented with severe hypoxaemia on admission and whole body computed tomography showed pulmonary contusion and substantial bilateral atelectasis. Oxygenation and lung mechanics did not improve with low tidal volume ventilation using high positive end‐expiratory pressures (PEEPs). Therefore we applied an alveolar recruitment manoeuvre 7 h after admission. After alveolar recruitment, PEEP was titrated to the lowest level which prevented alveolar derecruitment.

Results  Oxygenation and lung compliance improved rapidly and aeration of the entire lung was confirmed by computed tomography 27 h after the recruitment manoeuvre. The patient recovered completely and was discharged after 17 days.

Conclusion  Although robust evidence is still lacking, several lines of evidence suggest potential benefits of timely alveolar recruitment. Patients with early post‐traumatic respiratory failure seem to most readily respond to alveolar recruitment manoeuvres and could thus benefit from the gain in functional lung volume and oxygenation. Moreover the probability of ventilator associated complications may be reduced.
SOUTHERN ASIA'S OLDEST INCENDIARY MISSILE?*
Authors: ALI T. , CONINGHAM R. , CONNAN J. , GETHING I. , ADAM P. , DESSORT D. , HERON C.
Published: October 2006

A small burnt ball was recovered in 1995 from the basal fills of a ditch surrounding the Bala Hisar, or High Fort, of Charsadda, Pakistan. Associated by Sir Mortimer Wheeler with the siege of the ancient site by Alexander the Great in 327 bce, the ditch forms part of the city's defensive circuit. Using geochemical and microscopic techniques (X‐ray diffraction, micro‐FTIR, SEM and GC–MS) the ball is identified as an artificial composite of mineral (mostly barite) and flammable resinous organic matter originating from conifers from the Podocarpaceae, Araucariaceae and Cupressaceae. The physical and chemical nature of the find suggests that the ball was ignited in a fire, although whether this was a deliberate or accidental occurrence is impossible to establish. The analytical data, combined with the archaeological context of the find, leads us to evaluate whether the find represents southern Asia's earliest incendiary missile.
APPLICATION OF LEAD ISOTOPE ANALYSIS TO A WIDE RANGE OF LATE BRONZE AGE EGYPTIAN MATERIALS*
Authors: SHORTLAND A. J.
Published: October 2006

Lead isotope analysis was applied to Egyptian materials from the Late Bronze Age in order to investigate the relationship between these different materials, many of which have lead as a significant component. The galena kohls analysed can be provenanced to Gebel Zeit, a large mining site known to have been active during the period. However, the source of lead metal is different and seems to be outside Egypt, along with the source of copper. Lead‐based pigments such as lead antimonate that were used in glass and glazes seem mostly to come from Egypt, although they may well contain a component of ‘Mesopotamian’ lead. In the Predynastic period, galena from many sources is being exploited for use as kohl. However, by the Middle Kingdom (2055–1650 bc), extraction has concentrated on one source, Gebel Zeit, perhaps reflecting increasingly centralized control and/or the use of large‐scale exploitation. It therefore appears that a complex pattern of trade in lead‐based materials was evident, with lead metal and galena being separate commodities from separate sources and treated as such.
Keynes's Principles of Writing (Innovative) Economics*
Authors: O'DONNELL ROD
Published: October 2006

In recent years, discourse and rhetoric in economics have received increasing discussion among economists. This paper contributes to the general debate by investigating the hitherto neglected topic of Keynes's views on the writing of economics, especially the writing of innovative or ground‐breaking works. Five underlying principles are distilled from the ideas he presented in the 1920s and 1930s in essays on other economists and in reflections on his own experiences. These principles are replete with implications for all writing, reading and conversation in economics, regardless of time, place, type or participant.
Glass Ceiling or Sticky Floor? Exploring the Australian Gender Pay Gap
Authors: KEE HIAU JOO
Published: October 2006

Using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, this paper analyses the gender wage gaps across the wage distribution in both the public and private sectors in Australia. Quantile regression techniques are used to control for various characteristics at different points of the wage distributions. Counterfactual decomposition analysis, adjusted for the quantile regression framework, is used to examine if the gap is attributed to gender differences in characteristics, or to the differing returns between genders. The main finding is that a strong glass ceiling effect is detected only in the private sector. A second finding is that the acceleration in the gender gap across the distribution does not vanish even after account is taken of an extensive set of statistical controls. This suggests that the observed wage gap is a result of differences in returns to genders. By focusing only on the mean gender wage gap, substantial variations of the gap will be hidden.
Insurance and Monopoly Power in a Mixed Private/Public Hospital System*
Authors: WRIGHT DONALD J.
Published: October 2006

Consumers, when ill, often have the choice of being treated for free in a public hospital or at a positive price in a private hospital. To compensate for the positive price, private hospitals offer a higher quality treatment. Private hospitals and doctors also have a degree of monopoly power in their pricing. In this setting, it is shown that the introduction of an insurance premium subsidy does not affect the number of consumers treated in the private hospital, rather the private hospital and the doctor respond to the subsidy by increasing the prices they charge and the quality of the private hospital experience.
The Economic Payoffs from Marine Reserves: Resource Rents in a Stochastic Environment*
Authors: GRAFTON R. QUENTIN , KOMPAS TOM , VAN HA PHAM
Published: October 2006

In this paper we analysed the economic payoffs from marine reserves using a stochastic optimal control model, with a jump‐diffusion process. The results show that even if the reserve and harvested populations face the same negative shocks, harvesting is optimal, the population is persistent and there is no uncertainty over current stock size, a reserve can increase resource rents. Using fishery data we demonstrate that the payoffs from a reserve, and also optimum reserve size, increase the larger is the magnitude of the negative shock, the greater its frequency and the larger its relative impact on the harvested population.
Neuroprotective action of donepezil mediated by neuronal nicotinic receptors
Authors: AKAIKE Akinori , KATSUKI Hiroshi , KUME Toshiaki , TAKADA‐TAKATORI Yuki
Published: October 2006

AChE inhibitors used in the treatment in Alzheimer’s disease such as donepezil are effective in preventing glutamate neurotoxicity. In primary cultures of the cortical neurons, donepezil prevents glutamate neurotoxicity when the drug is applied 8–24 hr prior to glutamate exposure. Neuroprotective effect of donepezil is antagonized by mecamylamine, dihydro‐β‐erythoridine and metyllcaconitine. Prolonged (more than 4 days) exposure of the cultures to donepezil induces an increase in the nicotine‐induced Ca2+ influx and number of neurons expressing α4 and α7 subunits of nicotinic receptors. Donepezil also prevents apoptotic neuronal death induced by glutamate. Inhibitors for non‐receptor type tyrosine kinase, Fyn and janus‐activated kinase 2, suppress the neuroprotective effect of donepezil. Neuroprotective effect of donepezil is also suppressed by a phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) inhibitor. Phosphorylation level of Akt, an effector of PI3K, and the expression level of Bcl‐2 increase with donepezil. These results suggest that donepezil prevents glutamate neurotoxicity through α4‐ and α7‐nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), followed by activation of PI3‐Akt pathway but independent from activation of ion channels associated with nAChRs. α4‐ and α7‐nAChRs may play an important role in promoting survival of cortical neurons under oxidative stress caused by excitotoxicity.
Menstrual Migraine: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Impact
Authors: Loder Elizabeth W.
Published: October 2006

The incidence of migraine varies over the course of the menstrual cycle. In the general population, approximately 60% of women with migraine report an increased frequency of headache during menses. The estrogen withdrawal that occurs just prior to the onset of menses and that leads to loss of serotonergic tone is thought to be the trigger for headaches that arise at this time of the menstrual cycle. The ability of triptans, specific serotonin receptor agonists, to prevent menstrual migraine is consistent with this hypothesis. Moreover, compared with headaches that occur during other times in the cycle, menstrual migraines are more severe in most women and may be of longer duration, as well as more resistant to treatment in a subset of women.