bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling of Film
Cooling—Part II: Model for Use in Three-Dimensional Computational Fluid
Dynamics
Authors: Burdet André , Abhari Reza S. , Rose Martin G.
Published: April 2007

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has recently been used for the simulation of the aerothermodynamics of film cooling. The direct calculation of a single cooling hole requires substantial computational resources. A parametric study, for the optimization of the cooling system in real engines, is much too time consuming due to the large number of grid nodes required to cover all injection holes and plenum chambers. For these reasons, a hybrid approach is proposed, based on the modeling of the near film-cooling hole flow, tuned using experimental data, while computing directly the flow field in the blade-to-blade passage. A new injection film-cooling model is established, which can be embedded in a CFD code, to lower the central processing unit (CPU) cost and to reduce the simulation turnover time. The goal is to be able to simulate film-cooled turbine blades without having to explicitly mesh inside the holes and the plenum chamber. The stability, low CPU overhead level (1%) and accuracy of the proposed CFD-embedded film-cooling model are demonstrated in the ETHZ steady film-cooled flat-plate experiment presented in Part I (Bernsdorf, Rose, and Abhari, 2006, ASME J. Turbomach., 128, pp. 141–149) of this two-part paper. The prediction of film-cooling effectiveness using the CFD-embedded model is evaluated.
Effect of Jet Pulsing on Film Cooling—Part II: Heat Transfer Results
Authors: Coulthard Sarah M. , Volino Ralph J. , Flack Karen A.
Published: April 2007

Pulsed film cooling was studied experimentally to determine its effect on film-cooling effectiveness and heat transfer. The film-cooling jets were pulsed using solenoid valves in the supply air line. Cases with a single row of cylindrical film-cooling holes inclined at 35 deg to the surface of a flat plate were considered at blowing ratios of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 for a variety of pulsing frequencies and duty cycles. Temperature measurements were made using an infrared camera and thermocouples. The plate was equipped with constant flux surface heaters, and data were acquired for each flow condition with the plate both heated and unheated. The local film-cooling effectiveness, Stanton numbers, and heat flux ratios were calculated and compared to baseline cases with continuous blowing and no blowing. Stanton number signatures on the surface provided evidence of flow structures, including horseshoe vortices wrapping around the film-cooling jets and vortices within the jets. Pulsing tends to increase Stanton numbers, and the effect tends to increase with pulsing frequency and duty cycle. Some exceptions were observed, however, at the highest frequencies tested. Overall heat flux ratios also show that pulsing tends to have a detrimental effect with some exceptions at the highest frequencies. The best overall film cooling was achieved with continuous jets and a blowing ratio of 0.5. The present results may prove useful for understanding film-cooling behavior in engines, where mainflow unsteadiness causes film-cooling jet pulsation.
Film Effectiveness Performance of an Arrowhead-Shaped Film-Cooling Hole Geometry
Authors: Okita Yoji , Nishiura Masakazu
Published: April 2007

This paper presents the first experimental and numerical work of film effectiveness performance for a novel film-cooling method with an arrowhead-shaped hole geometry. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed hole geometry improves the film effectiveness on both suction and pressure surface of a generic turbine airfoil. Film effectiveness data for a row of the holes are compared to that of fan-shaped holes at the same inclination angle of 35 deg to the surface on a large-scale airfoil model at engine representative Reynolds number and Mach number in a high-speed tunnel with moderately elevated temperature mainstream flow. The film effectiveness data are collected using pressure-sensitive paint. Numerical results show that the coolant film with the proposed hole geometry remains well attached to the surface and diffuses in the lateral direction in comparison with the conventional laidback fan-shaped holes for coolant to mainstream blowing ratios of 0.6–3.5.
Unsteady Flow Physics and Performance of a One-and-1∕2-Stage Unshrouded High Work Turbine
Authors: Behr T. , Kalfas A. I. , Abhari R. S.
Published: April 2007

This paper presents an experimental study of the flow mechanisms of tip leakage across a blade of an unshrouded turbine rotor. It shows the design of a new one-and-1∕2-stage, unshrouded turbine configuration, which has been developed within the Turbomachinery Laboratory of ETH Zurich. This test case is a model of a high work (Δh∕u2=2.36) axial turbine. The experimental investigation comprises data from unsteady and steady probe measurements, which has been acquired around all the bladerows of the one-and-1∕2-stage, unshrouded turbine. A newly developed 2-sensor Fast Response Aerodynamic Probe (FRAP) technique has been used in the current measurement campaign. The paper contains a detailed analysis of the unsteady interaction between rotor and stator blade rows, with particular attention paid on the flow in the blade tip region. It has been found that the interaction of the rotor and the downstream stator has an influence on the development of the tip leakage vortex of the rotor. The vortex is modulated by the stator profiles and shows variation in size and relative position to the rotor trailing edge when it stretches around the stator leading edge. Thereby a deflection of the tip leakage vortex has been observed, which expresses in a varying circumferential distance between two neighboring vortices of ±20% of a rotor pitch. Furthermore, a significant influence of quasi-stationary secondary flow features of the upstream stator row on the secondary flow of the rotor has been detected. The geometry and flow field data of the one-and-1∕2-stage turbine will be available to the turbomachinery community for validation and improvement of numerical tools.
End-Wall Film Cooling Through Fan-Shaped Holes With Different Area Ratios
Authors: Barigozzi Giovanna , Franchini Giuseppe , Perdichizzi Antonio
Published: April 2007

The present paper reports on the aerothermal performance of a nozzle vane cascade, with film-cooled end walls. The coolant is injected through four rows of cylindrical holes with conical expanded exits. Two end-wall geometries with different area ratios have been compared. Tests have been carried out at low speed (M=0.2), with coolant to mainstream mass flow ratio varied in the range 0.5–2.5%. Secondary flow assessment has been performed through three-dimensional (3D) aerodynamic measurements, by means of a miniaturized five-hole probe. Adiabatic effectiveness distributions have been determined by using the wide-band thermochromic liquid crystals technique. For both configurations and for all the blowing conditions, the coolant share among the four rows has been determined. The aerothermal performances of the cooled vane have been analyzed on the basis of secondary flow effects and laterally averaged effectiveness distributions; this analysis was carried out for different coolant mass flow ratios. It was found that the smaller area ratio provides better results in terms of 3D losses and secondary flow effects; the reason is that the higher momentum of the coolant flow is going to better reduce the secondary flow development. The increase of the fan-shaped hole area ratio gives rise to a better coolant lateral spreading, but appreciable improvements of the adiabatic effectiveness were detected only in some regions and for large injection rates.
A- AND V-UNCERTAINTY: AN EXPLORATION ABOUT UNCERTAINTY MODELING FROM A KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE
Authors: BARONI PIETRO , GUIDA GIOVANNI , GIACOMIN MASSIMILIANO
Published: April 2007

This paper presents a concrete experience of Knowledge Engineering, which, starting from a specific problem which occurred during the development of ASTRA, a knowledge-based system for preventive diagnosis of power transformers, turned out to provide significant insights concerning modeling of uncertain knowledge. In particular, it was observed that there are (at least) two conceptually distinct types of uncertainty affecting knowledge, namely uncertainty about applicability (A-uncertainty, for short) and uncertainty about validity (V-uncertainty, for short), which are different in nature and play different roles in uncertain reasoning. The concepts of A- and V-uncertainty are applicable in any context where uncertainty affecting domain knowledge can be ascribed to two kinds of sources: on the one hand, the existence of exceptions, on the other hand, deep-rooted doubts about the foundations themselves of the relevant domain knowledge. The introduction of these concepts allows one to define articulated uncertainty models, supporting the representation of the reasoning mechanisms used by experts in domains where both such uncertainty sources are present. This general claim was confirmed by the experience developed with ASTRA, where the explicit representation and management of A- and V-uncertainty enabled the correct treatment of some critical diagnostic cases.
THE MULTIAGENT TECHNOLOGY AND PARADIGM WITHIN SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY
Authors: AMIGONI FRANCESCO , SCHIAFFONATI VIOLA
Published: April 2007

Scientific practice has been rapidly evolving in the last years under the pressure of developments in computer science and technology. In this paper we present some of the results of our research activity at the boundary between computer science and philosophy of science started in 1997 under Marco Somalvico's impulse and guidance. In particular, we discuss two roles that multiagent systems can play in scientific discovery. From the one hand, they can support scientific practice; from the other hand, they can represent scientific results. The theoretical framework presented in this paper is exemplified in concrete by illustrating specific implemented systems, both taken from the literature and developed by ourselves.
E-MODELLING: FOUNDATIONS AND CASES FOR APPLYING AI TO LIFE SCIENCES
Authors: GINI GIUSEPPINA , BENFENATI EMILIO
Published: April 2007

Life sciences, and biology in particular, are heavily impacted by the development of methods for data collection and data analysis. Taking advantage of the availability of data, modeling biological effects is becoming more and more popular and relevant in life sciences, due to the diffuse and wide use of information technology (IT) tools. IT is increasing the availability of models, the horizon and complexity of modeling activities, reaching new targets, and boosting "virtuality". Modeling, as any inductive activity, originates from two needs: to predict future outcomes using previous experience, and to explain observations, or in other terms to infer knowledge.

In this paper we analyze criteria, problems, possibilities and advancements which indicate that the time for e-modeling in biology and other life sciences is ripe. To do this, we take as example a particular field of biological sciences, the computational toxicity (CT) of chemicals, and its usual QSAR (Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships) approach. The open possibilities are evaluated, including a reshaping of the interface between toxicology, chemistry and computer science. The epistemological problem about "what models are" is approached in a pragmatic sense.
COMBINING AUDIO AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE WITH A MOBILE ROBOT
Authors: MENEGATTI EMANUELE , CAVASIN MANUEL , PAGELLO ENRICO , MUMOLO ENZO , NOLICH MASSIMILIANO
Published: April 2007

This paper presents a Distributed Perception System for application of intelligent surveillance. The system prototype presented in this paper is composed of a static acoustic agent and a static vision agent cooperating with a mobile vision agent mounted on a mobile robot. The audio and video sensors distributed in the environment are used as a single sensor to reveal and track the presence of a person in the surveilled environment. The robot extends the capabilities of the system by adding a mobile sensor (in this work an omnidirectional camera). The mobile omnidirectional camera can be used to have a closer look of the scene or to inspect portions of the environment not covered by the fix sensory agents. In this paper, the hardware and the software architecture of the system and of its sensors are presented. Experiments on the integration of the audio localization data and on the video localization data are reported.
EMULATION OF HUMAN FEELINGS AND BEHAVIORS IN AN ANIMATED ARTWORK
Authors: CASSINIS RICCARDO , MORELLI LAURA MARIA , NISSAN EPHRAIM
Published: April 2007

The behavior of an animated artwork, survivor — a classroom chair which walks, with a dynamics which some viewers find haunting — reflects an attempt to emulate (and suggest to viewers) some feelings and behaviors that are typical of survivors of landmine blasts, learning to use crutches. The artwork itself is intended for sensitizing viewers to the horror experienced by those who survive, and those who do not. The behavior of such a survivor is affected by several factors: some are due to the objective difficulty of using prosthetic legs, and some are due to emotional factors, e.g., fear, "shame" of being in such situation, and pain. The mechanical structure, strongly conditioned by artistic requirements, was combined with a control system that exhibits appropriate behaviors. Behavioral control, a technique developed for the control of mobile robots, was used in survivor, and implemented over a modified version of the traditional Brooks' subsumption architecture. This technique makes it possible to emulate normal locomotion behaviors such as the need of avoiding obstacles and typical animal feelings such as curiosity, hunger, fatigue and fear. We describe the mechanics and viewers' response, and formalize aesthetic response. We briefly survey computer modelling of emotions, robotic art, and biomimetic locomotion in robotics.
HIV and Lactation
Authors: Downs Jane Helen , Cooper Peter A.
Published: April 2007

It is well established that more than 90% of children with HIV acquired it through mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). It is estimated that 750,000 children worldwide become infected with HIV every year, and most of these are in sub-Saharan Africa. Routes of MTCT include: transplacental during pregnancy, during birth, through breast milk and bleeding nipples. The percent risk of MTCT varies with each of the aforementioned routes. In the absence of specific interventions, the rate of MTCT is approximately 15–20% and, with prolonged breastfeeding (>6 months), the rates double to 35–40%. Although the use of breast milk substitutes (BMS) may appear to be the obvious choice to reduce the risk of MTCT via breast milk and bleeding nipples, this option may prove to be deleterious for infants born to mothers in limited resource settings. In such settings, the high risk of infant mortality is due to severe diarrhea and malnutrition, related to unsafe BMS feeding and suboptimal breastfeeding (that is, failure to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months of life). According to a recent WHO report (2006), it is estimated that globally as many as 1.45 million lives (children under 2 years of age) are lost per annum due to suboptimal breastfeeding in developing countries, versus the estimated 242,000 infant deaths related to maternal MTCT. The WHO guidelines for infant feeding in HIV are an important framework of principles that governments, policymakers and health workers need to consider when compiling prevention of MTCT policies and protocols. Both developed and developing countries have communities which do and do not have access to safe water and electricity; hence the policies need to address the needs of different communities. The WHO guidelines advise, ‘when replacement feeding is acceptable, feasible, affordable, sustainable and safe, avoidance of all breastfeeding by HIV-infected mothers is acceptable’. Vertically acquired HIV infection has been virtually eliminated in developed countries through the appropriate use of antiretroviral therapy, the use and timing of elective cesarean section, and support for the avoidance of breastfeeding, resulting in a MTCT rate reduction to less than 1–2%.
Nutritional Interventions in HIV-Infected Breastfeeding Women
Authors: Mehta Saurabh , Finkelstein Julia L. , Fawzi Wafaie W.
Published: April 2007

Breastfeeding is the international gold standard for infant feeding, as it is known to reduce the risk of infant morbidity and mortality and foster improvements in child growth and development. However, in the context of HIV, breastfeeding significantly increases the risk of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, and this risk is proportional to the duration of breastfeeding. As a result, the World Health Organization recommends avoidance of breastfeeding among HIV-infected mothers when replacement feeding is acceptable, feasible, affordable, sustainable, and safe. Unfortunately, the adoption of formula feeding is not widespread in developing regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, partly due to its high cost and partly due to the social stigma associated with not breastfeeding. Further, in settings where access to adequate hygienic conditions is limited, formula feeding may lead to increased infant morbidity and mortality. Consequently, breastfeeding continues to account for a substantial proportion of pediatric HIV infections in developing regions of the world. Some observational studies examining the role of nutritional status in vertical HIV transmission found that low serum levels of vitamin A were associated with higher risk of MTCT. However, in two trials in Malawi and South Africa, vitamin A had no significant effect on MTCT, while trials in Tanzania and Zimbabwe found that maternal vitamin A supplementation significantly increased the risk of MTCT of HIV. In Tanzania, maternal multivitamin (vitamins B, C, and E) supplementation reduced the risk of HIV transmission via breastfeeding among women who were nutritionally and immunologically compromised, and had additional health benefits such as a decreased incidence of fetal loss and a reduced rate of maternal disease progression. Overall, there is no evidence to support vitamin A supplementation for HIV-infected pregnant mothers. However, multivitamin supplementation including vitamins B, C, and E is strongly recommended. Further research is warranted to investigate the role of other nutrients in vertical HIV transmission via breastfeeding and overall maternal and infant health among HIV-infected breastfeeding women and their children. In settings where alternatives to breastfeeding are not viable, exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for 6 months for children born to HIV-infected women together with rapid weaning and replacement feeding that is optimal for infant health.
Inflammation in Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Rodrigues Eduardo B.
Published: April 2007

Purpose: To summarize the current information regarding the role of immune and inflammatory response in the pathogenesis of dry age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Methods: A Pubmed search was conducted of the period January 1999 to 2005. Relevant information in the literature on the role of inflammation in early dry ARMD was reviewed. Results: Some important evidence for inflammation in early ARMD consists in the isolation of immunoglobulins, complement proteins, cytokines and activated microglia, in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells and drusen. Pivotal mechanisms in early ARMD include the accumulation of debris and proteins along the RPE surface, followed by immune-complex deposition and complement activation. In contrast, the role of other plasma enzymes such as kallikrein-kinin-bradykinin, the Hageman factor, peptides and coagulation proteins in drusen formation and ARMD has yet to be determined. Conclusion: A clear role for inflammatory mediators and cells has been established in recent years. Future studies should elucidate further mechanisms in ARMD development.
Topical Bromfenac Sodium for Long-Term Management of Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis
Authors: Uchio Eiichi , Itoh Yuki , Kadonosono Kazuaki
Published: April 2007

Background/Aims: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of long-term management of patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) with bromfenac sodium eye drops in combination with corticosteroids and anti-allergic eye drops. Methods: Twenty-two patients with VKC were randomly assigned to receive two test eye drops, either bromfenac sodium 0.1% (group A) or placebo eye drops (normal saline; group B) for a mean observation period of 20.9 months. Topical corticosteroids and mast cell stabilizers were continued during the observation period. Results: The mean 2-year recurrence rate was 90.9% in group A and 11.3% in group B, with a significant difference. No serious side effect was observed in group A. Conclusion: These results suggest that bromfenac sodium eye drops can be used as baseline local treatment in patients with VKC.
Retinal Blood Flow Autoregulation after Dynamic Exercise in Healthy Young Subjects
Authors: Iester Michele , Torre Pier Giacomo , Bricola Graziano , Bagnis Alessandro , Calabria Giovanni
Published: April 2007

Purpose: To evaluate the retinal blood flow before and after the increase in systemic blood pressure to assess the autoregulation in healthy young subjects. Methods: Twenty eyes of 20 healthy volunteers were examined. The retinal blood flow was assessed by a Heidelberg retina flowmeter (HRF), while the systemic pressure was assessed by a portable electronic sphygmomanometer. Furthermore intraocular pressure (IOP) was always measured by a Goldmann tonometer immediately after HRF assessments. All measurements of physiological and flow parameters were performed with the subjects seated at rest and then immediately after stair climbing. Results: The IOP decreased significantly after dynamic exercise, while the heart rate and the systemic artery pressure increased significantly. At the baseline, the mean retinal blood flow was 276.8 ± 80.7 arbitrary units (AU) in the superotemporal area, 243.4 ± 63.68 AU in the superonasal area, 258.2 ± 67.37 AU in the inferotemporal area and 243.9 ± 72.24 AU in the inferonasal area. After dynamic exercise the mean retinal blood flow was 249.8 ± 86.78 AU in the superotemporal area, 248.7 ± 63.87 AU in the superonasal area, 245.4 ± 83.85 AU in the inferotemporal area and 228.8 ± 62.53 AU in the inferonasal area. No significant change in retinal blood flow was found. Conclusion: Our data support the hypothesis that in normal subjects autoregulation is sufficient to compensate the increase in blood pressure and maintain a stable retinal blood flow after exercise.
Intraocular Extension of Conjunctival Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Zhe , Li Bin , Shi Jitong , Xu Xiaolin , Li Liaoqing , Gao Fei
Published: April 2007

Conjunctival squamous carcinoma, which is regarded as a low-grade malignancy, usually originates at the limbus. Most cases remain superficial to the sclera. Intraocular invasion is rarely reported. We describe a woman misdiagnosed as conjunctivitis and pterygium before a clinical diagnosis of conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma. The diagnosis was made by histopathological examination of the biopsy specimen. Examination revealed an elevated mass on the nasal limbus extending intraocularly. White flaky mass occupied approximately 3/7 space of the anterior chamber. Exenteration was performed for control of local lesion. Histopathologic analysis confirmed that intraocular involvement occurs through the emissary vessels near the area of limbus. The case highlights the need for accurate diagnosis and prompt intervention. A brief review of the clinical and histopathologic features of conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma is also presented.
Clinical, Psychological and Personality Features Related to Age of Onset of Anorexia Nervosa
Authors: Abbate-Daga G. , Pierò A. , Rigardetto R. , Gandione M. , Gramaglia C. , Fassino S.
Published: April 2007

Background: To investigate the relationship between age of onset and clinical and personality features of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). Sampling andMethod: We assessed 250 outpatients with AN with the Temperament and Character Inventory, the Eating Disorder Inventory 2, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Body Shape Questionnaire. The patients were subdivided into 3 groups: early (n = 73), intermediate (n = 96) and late onset (n = 81), based on age of onset of symptoms. Results: The early-onset group shows higher body dissatisfaction, maturity fear, impulsivity and asceticism than the other 2 groups. This group shows a greater character fragility, as described in particular by a lower self-directedness, than the other 2 groups. Conclusions: Even several years after the onset of the disorder, early-onset subjects affected by AN seem characterized by a more disturbed personality, with a higher body dissatisfaction than late-onset subjects affected by AN and a pursuit of thinness based on an ascetic drive.
The Anti-Apoptotic Activity of Albumin for Endothelium Is Mediated by a Partially Cryptic Protein Domain and Reduced by Inhibitors of G-Coupled Protein and PI-3 Kinase, but Is Independent of Radical Scavenging or Bound Lipid
Authors: Bolitho Christine , Bayl Penelope , Hou Jing Y. , Lynch Garry , Hassel Alexander J. , Wall Alexandra J. , Zoellner Hans
Published: April 2007

Increased vascular disease occurs with low albumin (human serum albumin, HSA), possibly reflecting specific inhibition of endothelial apoptosis reported for tissue culture. Despite the reported specificity for endothelial protection by HSA, the high but physiological concentrations needed appear more consistent with non-specific low-affinity interactions. We reconcile this contradiction by demonstrating protection is mediated by a partially cryptic HSA protein domain, which becomes more exposed and active following cyanogen bromide fragmentation (p < 0.001). Also, although others reported HSA radical scavenging and bound lipids as important for inhibiting apoptosis in non-endothelial cell types, we demonstrate the protective effect for endothelium is unaffected when HSA radical scavenging is blocked by alkylation, or following delipidation. Further probing the mechanism responsible, we found that the G-coupled protein inhibitors pertussis toxin and suramin reduced protection of endothelium by HSA (p < 0.005), while the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein had no effect. Consistent with a role for phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K) was inhibition by both wortmannin and LY294002 (p < 0.05), as well as phosphorylation of Akt, while MAP kinase inhibitors had no effect. We conclude the active site in HSA inhibiting endothelial apoptosis is partially cryptic, and acts via a G-coupled protein PI3K-dependent mechanism.
Kidney Function and Sarcopenia in the United States General Population: NHANES III
Authors: Foley Robert N. , Wang Changchun , Ishani Areef , Collins Allan J. , Murray Anne M.
Published: April 2007

Background/Aims: It is not known whether sarcopenia is associated with levels of kidney function in community-dwelling adults. Methods: Subjects were adult Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants in whom bioimpedance was performed (n = 13,770). Class I sarcopenia was defined as a skeletal mass index of 1–2 standard deviations below and class II sarcopenia as <2 standard deviations below young adult values. Results: A monotonic association existed between increasing sarcopenia prevalence and declining glomerular filtration rate: ≧90 ml/min/1.73 m2, 22.8% class I, 3.8% class II sarcopenia; 60–89 ml/min/1.73 m2, 33.6% class I, 5.3% class II sarcopenia, and <60 ml/min/1.73 m2, 50.7% class I, 9.4% class II sarcopenia (p < 0.0001). This association dissipated when adjustment was made for older age and more comorbidity. Multivariate associations (p < 0.05) of sarcopenia and chronic kidney disease included: older age; low income-to-poverty ratio; overweight; lack of exercise; low carbohydrate, fat and protein intake; hypercalcemia; low 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3; higher diastolic blood pressure, and insulin resistance. Conclusion: Sarcopenia is common in community-dwelling adults with chronic kidney disease. Although causality cannot be assumed, several associations may be susceptible to intervention.
Regional Governance of Global Climate Change: The North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Authors: Betsill Michele M.
Published: April 2007

Over the past decade the governance of global climate change has evolved into a complex, multi-level process involving actors and initiatives at multiple levels of social organization from the global to the local in both the public and private spheres. This article analyzes the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) as one component of this multilevel governance system. Specifically, it evaluates the CEC as a site of regional climate governance based on three potential advantages of governance through regional organizations: a small number of actors, opportunities for issue linkage, and linkage between national and global governance systems. On each count I find that the benefits of a CEC-based climate governance system are limited and argue for greater consideration of how such a system would interact with other forms of climate governance in North America.
Toward Carbon Governance: Challenges across Scales in the United States
Authors: Dilling Lisa
Published: April 2007

Public and private sector actors increasingly recognize the need for action to address climate change. With the introduction of “carbon sinks” into the policy dialogue, the notion of managing human activities to mitigate climate change has extended beyond energy systems and emissions of carbon dioxide to include management of the carbon cycle itself, through manipulation of the terrestrial and oceanic realms. The number of decision makers involved and scope of managing the carbon cycle deliberately for climate purposes raises enormous challenges to governance including identifying appropriate mechanisms where they do not yet exist and adding additional criteria onto existing mechanisms that are already affecting the carbon cycle. In this paper, I define effective carbon governance as limiting the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This paper outlines a number of challenges to effective carbon governance at multiple scales using the example of land use in the United States and elsewhere.
Regional Renewable Energy Policy: A Process of Coalition Building
Authors: Mander Sarah L.
Published: April 2007

In 2003, the UK Government adopted a target to reduce carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2050, a longer term commitment than is required under the Kyoto Protocol. Given that increasing low carbon generating capacity is essential to achieve the required carbon reductions, renewable energy policies are a central element of overall climate change policy. To facilitate the building of renewable capacity, greater responsibility has been placed upon the English regions, with the advent of regional sustainable energy strategies, though there remain many profound tensions between the liberalized UK energy system and the adoption of a more strategic approach to renewable energy at the regional scale. This paper uses a ‘discourse analysis’ framework to explore wind energy policy in the North West of England from the perspective of competing coalitions. In the light of this assessment, it is concluded that the implementation of national energy policy at regional and sub-regional scales can be considered as a process of coalition building, where Government is reliant on building partnership between state and non-state actors to achieve its objectives.
Harnessing Community Energies: Explaining and Evaluating Community-Based Localism in Renewable Energy Policy in the UK
Authors: Walker Gordon , Hunter Sue , Devine-Wright Patrick , Evans Bob , Fay Helen
Published: April 2007

In the UK a new theme has emerged in policy discourse and the investment of public resources around the concept of community renewable energy. A series of central government funded programs have been established with the aim of supporting and subsidizing community-based projects at a local level, an approach to renewable energy development previously the domain of alternative technology activists working outside of the mainstream. Drawing upon policy analysis and interviews undertaken with key actors, we argue that this new theme of government policy has emerged through a coalescence of largely instrumental policy drivers and does not represent a broader paradigmatic shift in the underlying norms and goals of policy. We consider the different ways the community label has been used and argue that while it has provided a ºexible space that activities, interests and objectives of various forms can occupy, its functional malleability also means that the communitarian expectations of participatory involvement are not being widely pursued or realized. Implications are considered for how, in the context of the governance of climate change, the outcomes of public investment in community renewable energy should be evaluated.
The Scope of Action for Local Climate Policy: The Case of Norway
Authors: Aall Carlo , Groven Kyrre , Lindseth Gard
Published: April 2007

One of the key features of the post-Rio era has been how global environmental governance is mediated between local, national and global levels of government. In this article, we draw on experiences from local climate policy planning in Norway in order to discuss the ways in which climate change enters into a municipal policy setting. Based on the Norwegian case, supplemented with knowledge gained from an international literature review, we present a typology of six different categories of local climate policy. We highlight that local actors can both play the role as a structure for the implementation of national or international climate objectives, as well as that of being policy actors taking independent policy initiatives. We emphasize how the relationship between national and local authorities is a crucial factor if climate policy as a specific local responsibility should be further strengthened.
Historical Memory and the End of Communism
Authors: Kubik Jan
Published: April 2007

In critiquing a recent book by Charity Scribner, Requiem for Communism, this article addresses fundamental questions about collective memories of Communism and the Soviet bloc: Why and how is “the past” remembered selectively? What happens when forgotten events are brought back to the fore of collective consciousness? What are the actual mechanisms of remembering? Who are the often invisible gatekeepers that direct the paths of our memories? Who are the influential rulers of memory attempting to shape our mnemonic repertoire? Scribner's book indirectly touches on these issues, though not in a fully satisfactory way, especially with regard to working-class life under Communism. Although the book does have some strong points, it too often fails to take account of how people in the region (as opposed to leftist intellectuals in the West who “knew” Communism vicariously) experienced manual labor during the Communist era and how they remember it now.
Choosing Peace: Hanoi and the Geneva Agreement on Vietnam, 1954–1955
Authors: Asselin Pierre
Published: April 2007

Based largely on new documentary evidence from Vietnam, this article examines North Vietnamese policymaking immediately after the signing of the 1954 Geneva accords. The article demonstrates that leaders in Hanoi sought to abide by the accord on Vietnam because they genuinely believed that implementation would produce national reunification peacefully and in accordance with the interests of the “socialist revolution.” To that end, they instructed all operatives and supporters in both halves of Vietnam to undertake no activity that might sabotage and otherwise undermine the Geneva accord or provoke or justify non-compliance by the enemy. This stance disappointed revolutionaries in the South, who considered the French, the Americans, and their indigenous “lackeys” incapable of respecting the Geneva agreement.
UN Sanctions and Judicial Review
Authors: Lavranos Nikolaos
Published: April 2007

This article analyses the way UN sanctions are implemented in the European legal order. As a basis for the analysis, the European Court of First Instance's (CFI) rulings in the Yusuf/Kadi/Ayadi 1 cases and the European Court of Human Rights's (ECrtHR) judgment in the Bosphorus 2 case are applied. The main critique of the author is that the CFI misconstrued the hierarchy of norms within the Community legal order when it argued that the EC/EU (European Community/European Union) is bound by UN Security Council resolutions in the same way as the Member States. Moreover, the conclusion drawn from this by the CFI that UN law enjoys supremacy over primary EC law is also rejected by the author. Finally, it appears that European courts are unwilling to provide judicial review against UN sanctions, which results in a lacuna concerning fundamental rights protection for affected individuals and organisations.
Third State Obligations under the ICESCR: A Case Study of EU Sugar Policy
Authors: Vandenhole Wouter
Published: April 2007

Obligations incumbent on other states than the domestic state party under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) are contested. By way of case study, the third state obligation to respect under the ICESCR is identified and clarified through a human rights assessment of the EU sugar regime. It is submitted that the European Union (EU) member states, all of which are states parties to the ICESCR, are in violation of their third state obligation to respect the right to an adequate standard of living of small sugar producers in the South by support for or condonation of the regime of sugar subsidies for surplus production and export dumping to the South.
The Role of Endocannabinoid System Blockade in the Treatment of the Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Kakafika Anna I. , Mikhailidis Dimitri P. , Karagiannis Asterios , Athyros Vasilios G.
Published: April 2007

This review considers the use of the first selective blocker of the cannabinoid receptor type 1, rimonabant, to reduce weight and improve cardiovascular disease risk factors in obese patients with metabolic syndrome or multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors. In 4 large trials—Rimonabant in Obesity (RIO)–Lipids, RIO‐Europe, RIO–North America, and RIO‐Diabetes—after 1 to 2 years of treatment, rimonabant (20 mg/day) led to a significantly greater weight loss and reduction in waist circumference compared with placebo. Treatment with rimonabant was also associated with other favorable changes, including better glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus, improved lipid profile, reduced blood pressure, increased adiponectin levels, fall in high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein concentrations, and an overall decrease in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome. Initial experience with rimonabant shows that it is generally well tolerated with the most common side effect of mild nausea. Rimonabant may be a useful adjunct to lifestyle and behavior modification in the treatment of obese subjects with metabolic syndrome or multiple cardiometabolic risk factors.
The Effect of Multiple Doses of Peginterferon alfa‐2b on the Steady‐State Pharmacokinetics of Methadone in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Undergoing Methadone Maintenance Therapy
Authors: Gupta Samir K. , Sellers Edward , Somoza Eugene , Angles Luis , Kolz Karen , Cutler David L.
Published: April 2007

This multicenter, open‐label study evaluated the effects of multiple doses of peginterferon alfa‐2b on the steady‐state pharmacokinetics of methadone in 20 adults with hepatitis C virus infection who were enrolled in a methadone maintenance program. All subjects received peginterferon alfa‐2b 1.5 μg/kg/wk for 4 weeks and maintained their normal methadone regimen. Serial blood samples were collected immediately before the first and after the fourth peginterferon alfa‐2b dose (day 23). At day 23, exposure to the active methadone R‐enantiomer increased by approximately 15% following administration of peginterferon alfa‐2b, with 90% confidence intervals just outside the bioequivalence criteria (range, 80%–125%). Similar increases in exposure (Cmax, AUC0–24, and AUClast) were observed with S‐methadone and total methadone. Peginterferon alfa‐2b was well tolerated. Peginterferon alfa‐2b is associated with minor increases in exposure to methadone in individuals with hepatitis C virus infection; however, these increases are unlikely to be clinically meaningful and are not associated with any safety concerns.
Governance, Power, and Mandated Collaboration in an Interorganizational Network
Authors: Rodríguez Charo , Langley Ann , Béland François , Denis Jean-Louis
Published: April 2007

This article explores the challenges of mandated collaboration among public health care organizations. This in-depth longitudinal multiple case study examines the interests and values of various organizational actors in three collaborative initiatives, focusing on the mobilization of power within the governance frameworks available to them. The authors elaborate on three alternate readings of the processes examined: The managerialist views poor interorganizational collaboration as a failure to adequately manage the process; the symbolic focuses on the value of collaborative initiatives even in the absence of instrumental results; and the third examines the systemic web of power relationships reproduced over time.
Public Administration Reform in Eastern Europe: A Research Note and a Look at Bulgaria
Authors: Ellison Brian A.
Published: April 2007

The ability of the administrative state to effectively and reliably deliver public goods and services is perhaps a key variable that can be used to distinguish successful and unsuccessful societies. The purpose of this research note is to assess the extant literature on the transition and public administration reform in Eastern Europe, relate it to the current state of affairs in Bulgaria, and offer some directions for future research.
Politically Driven Regulations and Enforcement: Monitoring Kurd and Fundamentalist Broadcasts in Turkey
Authors: Demir Tansu , Ben-Zadok Efraim
Published: April 2007

This article examines the policy of monitoring private broadcast contents in Turkey from 1993 to 2002. In general, the policy aimed to regulate the growing number of private stations that operated almost free of government control and to protect the public from the negative effects of private broadcasts. Implementation nonetheless attempted to prevent and reduce Kurd separatist and Muslim fundamentalist broadcasts. These broadcasts were often found in violation of national unity and the secular constitutional order of the state. The article sheds light on specific bureaucratic mechanisms that enabled politically driven regulation and enforcement in monitoring broadcast contents.
Woodrow Wilson's Ideas About Local Government Reform: A Regime Perspective on the New Push for Citizen Engagement in Public Administration
Authors: Cook Brian J.
Published: April 2007

New scholarship promoting direct citizen engagement in public administration is grounded in a rejection of the theory and ethos of the administrative state, including the presumptively conventional views of Woodrow Wilson. Yet Wilson's ideas in this regard were hardly conventional. As part of his sweeping prescriptive vision for a national administrative system in the United States, Wilson promoted cities as the exclusive locus of direct citizen engagement in administration. Scholars and practitioners of the new participatory governance who attend to Wilson's ideas can acquire a valuable regime-level perspective on redefining the role of the public in public management and governance.
Revisiting the Stanford Prison Experiment: Could Participant Self-Selection Have Led to the Cruelty?
Authors: Carnahan Thomas , McFarland Sam
Published: April 2007

The authors investigated whether students who selectively volunteer for a study of prison life possess dispositions associated with behaving abusively. Students were recruited for a psychological study of prison life using a virtually identical newspaper ad as used in the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE; Haney, Banks & Zimbardo, 1973) or for a psychological study, an identical ad minus the words of prison life . Volunteers for the prison study scored significantly higher on measures of the abuse-related dispositions of aggressiveness, authoritarianism, Machiavellianism, narcissism, and social dominance and lower on empathy and altruism, two qualities inversely related to aggressive abuse. Although implications for the SPE remain a matter of conjecture, an interpretation in terms of person-situation interactionism rather than a strict situationist account is indicated by these findings. Implications for interpreting the abusiveness of American military guards at Abu Ghraib Prison also are discussed.
Goal-Discrepant Situations Prime Goal-Directed Actions if Goals Are Temporarily or Chronically Accessible
Authors: Custers Ruud , Aarts Henk
Published: April 2007

This research tested the hypothesis that perception of goal-discrepant situations automatically (i.e., without conscious intent) facilitates access to representations of instrumental actions if goal representations are mentally accessible. Employing a probe-recognition paradigm, Experiment 1 established that sentences describing situations that are discrepant with the goal of “looking well-groomed” (e.g., having dirty shoes) automatically increased the accessibility of representations of appropriate instrumental actions (e.g., polishing) in comparison to control situations, but only when participants frequently pursued the goal. Experiments 2a and 2b suggest that this effect was due to chronic accessibility of the goal representation and demonstrate that the same effects occur if the accessibility of the goal is temporarily enhanced (by subliminal priming) for people that nonfrequently pursue the goal.
Thinking Straight While Seeing Red
Authors: Moons Wesley G. , Mackie Diane M.
Published: April 2007

Because angry people apparently rely on heuristic cues when making judgments, anger has been claimed to trigger superficial, nonanalytic information processing. In three studies, the authors found that induced anger promoted analytic processing. Experiment 1 showed that angry participants were more likely to discriminate between weak and strong arguments than participants in neutral moods. Experiment 2 demonstrated that anger overrode dispositional preferences not to process, causing even those low in need for cognition to process analytically. Experiment 3 reconciled these findings with previous work by showing that angry people used accessible, valid, and relevant heuristics but otherwise processed analytically, as indicated by attitude change and elaboration data. Together, these experiments showed that angry people can have both the capacity and motivation to process and that their selective use of heuristics reflects the cue's perceived validity and not the failure to process analytically.
Interfering With Inferential, But Not Associative, Processes Underlying Spontaneous Trait Inference
Authors: Crawford Matthew T. , Skowronski John J. , Stiff Chris , Scherer Cory R.
Published: April 2007

Three studies explore mental processes underlying spontaneous trait inferences about self-informants and the spontaneous trait transference characterizing third-party informants. Process differences are suggested in that instructions prompting a nontrait inference (truth or lie?) reduce self-informant trait-savings effects and lower self-informant trait judgments. For third-party informants, such instructions have no effect on these outcome variables. Results of a third study are inconsistent with cognitive load as an explanation for these effects. Taken together, these results indicate that inferences, and not merely associations, spontaneously form when processing information about self-informants. The results also show that the inferences and judgments that occur in spontaneous trait transference are not caused by the misidentification of third-party informants as self-informants.