bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variability in ammonium nitrate formation and nitric acid depletion with altitude and location over California
Authors: Neuman J. A. , Nowak J. B. , Brock C. A. , Trainer M. , Fehsenfeld F. C. , Holloway J. S. , Hübler G. , Hudson P. K. , Murphy D. M. , Nicks D. K. , Orsini D. , Parrish D. D. , Ryerson T. B. , Sueper D. T. , Sullivan A. , Weber R.
Published: September 2003

Spatial variations in the partitioning of nitrate between gas phase nitric acid (HNO3) and particulate ammonium nitrate were observed using airborne measurements of trace gas mixing ratios, particle size distributions, and particle composition. During the Intercontinental Transport and Chemical Transformation experiment in April and May 2002 the NOAA WP‐3 aircraft flew up to 8 km altitude on 11 research flights from Monterey, California. The formation of semivolatile aerosols was studied by examining the enhancement of fine‐particulate ammonium nitrate and depletion of gas‐phase HNO3 over the San Joaquin Valley, Los Angeles Basin, and Mojave Desert. Gas‐phase particle precursors, HNO3 and ammonia (NH3), were converted to particulate ammonium nitrate at higher altitudes within the boundary layer. These particle layers were a consequence of lower ambient temperatures that caused a reduction of the dissociation constant for ammonium nitrate aerosol so that gas phase HNO3 was depleted and particle mass was formed. The resulting vertical gradients in particulate matter and HNO3 were observed in well‐mixed boundary layers where other directly emitted trace gases (CO) and secondary pollutants (O3) exhibited no vertical gradients. Hence the equilibrium between the gas and particle phases occurred faster than boundary layer mixing times and chemical rather than meteorological effects were responsible for the layers of enhanced particulate matter aloft. Coincident HNO3 depletion and ammonium nitrate formation was also observed downwind from regions characterized by large agricultural NH3 emissions in the Los Angeles Basin and San Joaquin Valley.
Molecular targets in immune‐mediated diseases: the case of tumour necrosis factor and rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Campbell Ian K , Roberts Lynden J , Wicks Ian P
Published: September 2003

Rheumatoid arthritis is a common autoimmune condition in which, for unknown reasons, synovial joints become the target of a sustained immune response. For many years, rheumatoid arthritis was in the ‘too hard basket’ in terms of understanding disease mechanisms and providing rational therapy. This has changed dramatically over the last 10 years and rheumatoid arthritis is now at the forefront of biotechnology. In this review, we outline one of the most exciting recent developments, namely antagonists of the cytokine TNF. The preclinical evaluation of TNF in animal models of rheumatoid arthritis, and subsequent clinical trials of TNF inhibitors in patients, provides insight into the ‘bench to bedside’ paradigm. We therefore briefly review rheumatoid arthritis, animal models of rheumatoid arthritis, the biology of TNF, the pivotal clinical trials of TNF antagonists and the emerging data on side‐effects. Tumour necrosis factor inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis represent the first attempt to achieve sustained blockade of a single cytokine in a human disease. Whilst this approach has been even more successful than might have been predicted, we suggest it is only the beginning of what has become a new therapeutic era.
Effects of real and imagined training on voluntary muscle activation during maximal isometric contractions
Authors: Herbert R.D. , Dean C. , Gandevia S.C.
Published: September 2003

In this study we directly tested the hypothesis that isometric strength training increases voluntary drive to muscles. In addition, it was attempted to replicate the findings of an earlier study that showed imagined training increases voluntary strength as much as actual training, as this finding provides key support for the hypothesis that training increases voluntary drive (Yue & Cole 1992). Fifty‐four subjects were randomly allocated to groups that performed 8 weeks of isometric training of the elbow flexor muscles, imagined isometric training, or a control task involving the lower limbs. Voluntary isometric strength and activation of the elbow flexor muscles were measured before and after training. Voluntary activation was measured with a sensitive form of twitch interpolation. Training, imagined training and control groups increased voluntary isometric elbow flexor strength by means of 17.8% (±3.1 SEM), 6.8% (±2.6) and 6.5% (±3.0), respectively. The training group increased in strength significantly more than imagined training and control groups (P = 0.01 for both comparisons), but the small difference between imagined training and control groups was not significant (P = 0.31). Prior to training, voluntary activation of all subjects was high (96.2 ± 0.5%). This did not change significantly with training and there were no significant differences between groups. These data challenge the hypothesis that training of the elbow flexor muscles increases isometric strength by inducing adaptations of the central nervous system, because they show that training does not increase voluntary activation and imagined training does not increase strength.
The effect of hyperglycaemia on regional cerebral glucose oxidation in humans studied with [1–11C]‐D‐glucose
Authors: Blomqvist G. , Grill V. , Ingvar M. , Widén L. , Stone‐Elander S.
Published: September 2003

The effect of hyperglycaemia on regional cerebral glucose utilization was studied in five healthy males fasted over‐night using positron emission tomography. Selectively labelled glucose, [1–11C]‐D‐glucose, was used as a tracer. After correction for the small loss of [11C]CO2 from the tissue, this tracer measures the rate of glucose oxidation rather than the total rate of glucose metabolism. Each subject was investigated twice: during normoglycaemia (plasma glucose 5.3 ± 0.3 μmol mL−1) and at the end of a 2‐h period of hyperglycaemia (plasma glucose 13.8 ± 0.7 μmol mL−1). Assuming unchanged rate constant for loss of labelled CO2 at normo‐ and hyperglycaemia the oxidative metabolic rate of glucose was found to be slightly larger at combined hyperglycaemia and hypersulinemia (0.30 ± 0.01 mmol mL−1 min−1) than at normal glucose and insulin levels (0.25 ± 0.01 mmol mL−1 min−1). This suggests that the process of glucose phosphorylation might not be fully saturated in the human brain or, alternatively, that the glycogen deposition increases during short‐term hyperglycaemia. The relative increase of oxidative metabolic rate was considerably larger (≈50%) in white matter than in the brain as a whole (20%). The brain glucose content was found to increase non‐linearly with increasing plasma glucose. Together with data from previous studies these results suggest that the free glucose in the human brain is close to zero when the plasma glucose is below 2 μmol mL−1.
Muscle contraction as a Markov process I: energetics of the process
Authors: Schutt C. E. , Lindberg U.
Published: September 2003

Force generation during muscle contraction can be understood in terms of cyclical length changes in segments of actin thin filaments moving through the three‐dimensional lattice of myosin thick filaments. Recent anomalies discovered in connection with analysis of myosin step sizes in in vitro motility assays and with skinned fibres can be rationalized by assuming that ATP hydrolysis on actin accompanies these length changes. The paradoxically rapid regeneration of tension in quick release experiments, as well as classical energetic relationships, such as Hill's force–velocity curve, the Fenn effect, and the unexplained enthalpy of shortening, can be given mutually self‐consistent explanations with this model. When muscle is viewed as a Markov process, the vectorial process of chemomechanical transduction can be understood in terms of lattice dependent transitions, wherein the phosphate release steps of the myosin and actin ATPases depend only on occurrence of allosteric changes in neighbouring molecules. Tropomyosin has a central role in coordinating the steady progression of these cooperative transitions along actin filaments and in gearing up the system in response to higher imposed loads.
Effect of Two Thermal Regimes on the Muscle Growth Dynamics of Sea Bass Larvae, Dicentrarchus labrax L.
Authors: Ayala Mª. D. , López Albors O. , García Alcázar A. , Abellán E. , Latorre R. , Vázquez J. Mª. , Ramírez Zarzosa G. , Martínez F. , Gil F.
Published: September 2003

Muscle growth was studied in larvae of sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax L., reared at two temperatures: real ambient temperature (≅15°C during vitelline phase and increased gradually) and 19°C from fertilization until the end of larval development. Muscle cellularity, body length and body weight were measured.

Early temperature influenced larval development and so, pre‐larval phase finished earlier at 19°C than at ambient temperature (4 and 6 days, respectively). Temperature also affected muscle growth such that at hatching and at mouth opening hypertrophy of muscle fibres was greater at 19°C (P < 0.05), whereas hyperplasia was similar in both groups. After 25 days, the cross‐sectional area of the white muscle was greater at 19°C (P < 0.05), which was mainly associated with a higher proliferation of new white muscle fibres. At this stage the body length was also higher at 19°C. Metamorphosis finished earlier in fish reared at 19°C (52 days) than at natural temperature (82 days). At this developmental stage body length and cross‐sectional area of the myotome were similar in both groups. However, muscle cellularity differed between groups. Thus, hypertrophy of muscle fibres was higher in fish reared at ambient temperature (P < 0.05), whereas proliferation of new muscle fibres was higher at 19°C (P > 0.05).
Ultrastructure of the Ducts of the Reproductive Tract of Males ofMelipona bicolor bicolorLepeletier (Hymenoptera, Apinae, Meliponini)
Authors: Dallacqua R. P. , Da Cruz‐Landim C.
Published: September 2003

The present paper describes the ultrastructural features of seminal vesicle, post‐vesicular vas deferens and ejaculatory duct ofMelipona bicolor bicolorfrom newly emerged and mature males. Although the results do not show very consistent morphological signs of secretory activity by the epithelium of these organs, lipidic droplets and lamellar granules present in mature males’ seminal vesicles and the vacuoles present in post‐vesicular vas deferens are probably secretion. Besides, the spermatozoa in the lumen are immersed in a material of characteristic structure, which must be produced in superior regions of the reproductive system of immature males, not studied here. The presence of sperm cells, apparently in cytoplasm vesicles of seminal vesicle and post‐vesicular vas deferens, suggests spermiophagy by their epithelium.
The Enhanced Expression of c‐Jun Immunoreactivity in the Adrenalectomized Gerbil Hippocampus
Authors: Lee I. S. , Nam Y. S. , Lee C. H. , Chung D. W. , Lee H. S.
Published: September 2003

Recent in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that glucocorticoids have a profound influence on the survival of hippocampal neurones, and that the depletion of glucocorticoids as a result of adrenalectomy (ADX) reduces nerve growth factor levels in the hippocampus. It is also believed that ADX is associated with the seizure susceptibility of the Mongolian gerbil. In the present study, the choronological changes of c‐jun immunoreactivity were investigated after ADX in the hippocampal formations in the seizure‐prone gerbil model. In the sham hippocampus, c‐jun immunoreactivity was not observed in the neurones of the hippocampus proper and dentate gyrus. C‐jun immunoreactive neurones appeared 3 h after ADX in the neurones of the CA1 area and dentate gyrus, and these immunoreactivities peaked 24 h after ADX and then gradually decreased. These results suggest that, in the adrenalectomized gerbil, c‐jun may be expressed in the neurones of the hippocampus in compensation for glucocorticoid deficit. The result of enhanced c‐jun expression of the hippocampal formation provides anatomical support for the hypothesis that c‐jun may play a role in the reduction of seizure activity.
The role of FcγRIIa as an inflammatory mediator in rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Tan Sardjono Caroline , Mottram Patricia L , Hogarth P Mark
Published: September 2003

Despite their essential role in host protection, immunoglobulins are also involved in autoimmune processes where antibodies recognize the host's own tissue, triggering inflammatory responses that result in extensive tissue damage. A complex interaction of genetic predisposition, together with environment factors, is thought to trigger immune dysfunction. Although recent studies have dissected the essential role of Fc receptors in autoimmune antibody mediated processes, the uniquely human FcγRIIa has not been studied in detail. This Fc receptor is of particular interest, as it is the most abundantly expressed Fc receptor in humans and is implicated in immune complex disease. Investigation of its role has been hampered to date due to lack of suitable animal models. This review examines the evidence for the direct role of this receptor in diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Past, present and future drug treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Mottram Patricia L
Published: September 2003

Historically, treatment of complex autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus has aimed to relieve symptoms, and in severe cases, use broad‐spectrum immunosuppressive treatments in attempts to induce permanent remission. Recent research into the causes of chronic autoimmune inflammatory activation have not only explored the mechanism of action of known therapies, but also provided a number of new targets for therapy, by identifying the cells, cytokines and signalling pathways activated during autoimmune antibody mediated processes. This review briefly outlines progress in the understanding of the autoimmune nature of rheumatoid diseases and the expansion of treatment options, from broad to specific immunotherapies for these closely related diseases.
Differential roles of VLA‐4(CD49d/CD29) and LFA‐1(CD11a/CD18) integrins and E‐ and P‐selectin during developing and established active or adoptively transferred adjuvant arthritis in the rat
Authors: Issekutz Andrew C , Nakazato Satoru , Issekutz Thomas B
Published: September 2003

The role of the integrins VLA‐4 and LFA‐1 and of the selectin adhesion molecules in autoimmune arthritis was investigated. Adjuvant arthritis was induced in Lewis rats by active immunization (s.c.) with Mycobacterium butyricum or by adoptive transfer of immune T cells. With active adjuvant arthritis, Lewis rats develop maximal polyarticular joint inflammation and migration of radiolabelled (111In and 51Cr) blood neutrophils and monocytes to the joints 14 days post Mycobacterium butyricum immunization. Using blocking monoclonal antibodies we osbserved that at this stage monocyte recruitment was dependent (85%) on P‐selectin plus VLA‐4 (α4B1) and neutrophil recruitment depended (> 80%) on P‐selectin plus LFA‐1 (CD11a/CD18). E‐selectin played a minimal role in inflammatory cell recruitment to the already inflamed joint. In contrast, during the development of active adjuvant arthritis, blockade of P‐selectin beginning at day 5 post‐immunization had no effect on subsequent arthritis. However, E‐selectin blockade at this stage reduced arthritic scores by 70% (P < 0.01) and combined E‐selectin plus VLA‐4 blockade prevented development of arthritis. Either treatment nearly abolished neutrophil and monocyte recruitment to joints at day 14 and prevented cartilage damage. VLA‐4 blockade alone was less effective. Adoptive T‐cell transfer of adjuvant arthritis to naive rats employed spleen/lymph node lymphocytes from Mycobacterium butyricum immunized rats stimulated with Concanavalin A in vitro (48 h). E‐selectin ± P‐selectin blockade had no effect on the development of adoptive arthritis. However, VLA‐4 integrin blockade inhibited adoptive arthritis severity by 55% (P < 0.01). LFA‐1 blockade had no effect. In adoptive adjuvant arthritis, inhibition of arthritis clinically and by histology was essentially complete (> 90%) when E‐ and P‐selectin blockade was combined with VLA‐4 blockade. Thus, in the development of actively induced arthritis E‐selectin plays an important role, likely mediating early antigen reactive T‐cell recruitment to joints. In contrast, VLA‐4 and multiple selectin mechanisms are involved in arthritis induction by ex vivo restimulated arthritogenic T cells. Furthermore, in actively induced adjuvant arthritis, P‐ and E‐selectin and VLA‐4 are differently important in the initiation of arthritis, and at the time of fully developed joint inflammation.
Orbital inflammation in a patient with extrascleral spread of choroidal malignant melanoma
Authors: Goh Alvin Sf , Francis Ian C , Kappagoda Medduma B , Filipic Marijan
Published: September 2003

An elderly woman presented with fever, dehydration, orbital inflammation, total external and internal ophthalmoplegia and blindness, resembling the clinical appearance at presentation of severe orbital inflammatory disease or mucormycosis. Orbital computed tomography scanning demonstrated a retrobulbar orbital mass. Subsequent B‐scan ultrasound examination confirmed the orbital mass but also demonstrated a mass within the eye. At lateral orbitotomy, extrascleral spread of an entirely necrotic intraocular melanoma was demonstrated. As computed tomography scanning may not be able to delineate an entirely necrotic intraocular malignant melanoma, B‐scan ultrasonography should be considered in patients with orbital inflammation, especially in the presence of a retrobulbar mass.
The genetics of keratoconus
Authors: Edwards Matthew , McGhee Charles NJ , Dean Simon
Published: September 2003

Keratoconus is a relatively common, bilateral, non‐ inflammatory corneal ectasia. The aetiology of this condition is probably multifactorial, or it represents the final common pathway for a variety of different pathological processes. Although a familial history is present only in a minority of cases, one of the major aetiological factors is certainly genetic. This is evidenced by: the condition's familial inheritance; its discordance between monozygotic and dizygotic twins; and its association with other known genetic disorders such as Down's and Marfan's syndromes. In the keratoconic cornea, a possible genetic predisposition to increased sensitivity to apoptotic mediators by keratocytes has also been hypothesized. Differences in prevalence between ethnic groups have been identified. Recent advances in computerized topographic diagnostic techniques for keratoconus, including forme fruste keratoconus, enables higher accuracy in delineating abnormal from normal, and helps define study populations for genetic linkage studies. However, genetic heterogeneity and the phenotypic diversity of keratoconus means that genetic analysis continues to be a complex process. None the less, it is foreseeable that over the next decade, improved diagnostic techniques, in combination with molecular genetics, may reveal conclusive data on the precise nature of the genetic inheritance of keratoconus in specific populations. This review considers the evidence that suggests keratoconus is primarily an inherited condition, and examines research strategies aimed at unveiling the genetic predisposition, and the enigma of environmental influences on its phenotypic expression.
Comparison of three tests using the frequency doubling illusion to diagnose glaucoma
Authors: Maddess Ted , Severt William L , Stange Gert
Published: September 2003

Purpose: The introduction of the FDT perimeter prompted the comparison of three tests employing frequency doubling (FD) stimuli. These measures compared different visual field locations and contrast ranges. Frequency of seeing curves were examined for the method most similar to FDT.

Methods: For 146 eyes the following were obtained: (i) contrast matches to two suprathreshold FD stimuli (normal subjects, ocular hypertensve suspects, primary open angle glaucoma subjects); (ii) two alternative forced choice (2AFC) thresholds for horizontally versus vertically orientated FD gratings; and (iii) contrast thresholds determined by method of adjustment (MOA) for five different stimulus types.

Results: A model based on the worst of the MOA hemifield thresholds performed best. The suprathreshold contrast matching tests performed worst. Frequency of seeing curves were fitted for the 146 eyes of the 2AFC tests. Although the MOA thresholds were higher than the 2AFC thresholds (for normals mean ± SE, 8.47 ± 0.43 dL, P < 0.0000), the best diagnostic concordance was at lower limens (75% or 80% correct) of the fitted frequency of seeing curves.

Conclusions: There was good diagnostic concordance between the MOA and 2AFC methods although the thresholds were 1.8‐fold different on a log‐scale. This suggests that the same neural mechanism mediates both thresholds for rapidly flickering, spatially coarse, patterns.
Pterygium in Australia: a cost of illness study
Authors: Wlodarczyk John , Whyte Patti , Cockrum Paul , Taylor Hugh
Published: September 2003

Purpose: The aim of this report was to describe the number of Australians affected by pterygium in recent years, treatment options, number of treatment encounters and costs of treatment.

Method: A review of published literature was conducted to identify the prevalence of pterygium in Australian populations. Costs of primary care were based on national general practitioner (GP) survey data. Costs of surgical intervention were based on Health Insurance Commission claims data and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Hospital Morbidity Data.

Results: Pterygium occurs in 1.1% of Australians. It is more prevalent in populations with higher exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and older men (occurring in 12% of males over 60 years). The estimated annual number of GP contacts was 58 900. Forty per cent of primary care contacts for pterygium were referred to an ophthalmologist and topical medication was prescribed by GPs in 32% of contacts. The estimated annual cost of GP visits, specialist visits and topical medication was AUD$3.2 m. There were 6997 claims for pterygium removal in 1999/2000 with 3192 conjunctival autografts. Rates of pterygium removal were highest in Queensland with 56 per 100 000 population. The annual costs of surgical intervention were estimated at AUD$4.8 m.

Conclusions: The direct medical costs of pterygium in Australia are AUD$8.3 m annually. This is likely to be an underestimate of total cost because indirect costs such as loss of work time could not be measured. More data are needed on the long‐term benefits of pterygium intervention.
Frequency of sustained glaucomatous‐type visual field loss and associated optic nerve cupping in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
Authors: Sponsel William Eric , Shoemaker John , Trigo Yolanda , Mensah Josepha , Rugwani Rajiv , Garrett Brian
Published: September 2003

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of persisting glaucomatous‐type visual field loss in a Midwestern American adult population, in association with four grades of disc cupping.

Methods: On two separate occasions (1988–1990 and 1993–1995) 2955 predominantly Caucasian adults aged 43–84 provided medical history, underwent applanation tonometry, slit‐lamp examination, quantitative suprathreshold perimetry and stereoscopic disc analysis as part of the National Institutes of Health‐sponsored Beaver Dam Eye Study. Those demonstrating evidence of glaucomatous‐type visual field loss at both visits were the subject of the present analysis. Among these individuals, associations were determined for four categories of optic disc cupping (vertical cup/disc < 0.5, > 0.5, > 0.6, > 0.8), intraocular pressure, blood pressure, cardiovascular pathology and prior glaucoma diagnosis.

Results: Of the 2955 subjects assessed, 120 (4%; 57 women, 63 men) demonstrated glaucomatous‐type visual field defects at each visit. Fifty‐five of these 120 (2% of the tested population) also exhibited some degree of disc cupping in a related eye at both visits. Among these 2%, positive associations relating the extent of field loss, cupping and intraocular pressure were confirmed, but the majority in each cupping category had normal eye pressures. Only seven of the 120 were aware of the presence or suspicion of eye disease prior to the screening.

Conclusions: A majority of those found to have visual field loss and optic nerve cupping persisting together in the same eye after 3–5 years had normal pressures in each eye at both visits. Despite good access to medical care, very few who demonstrated persisting cupping and field loss (even among those with elevated eye pressure) were aware of their ocular condition through prior contact with an eye care professional.
Uveitis in Herpes zoster ophthalmicus
Authors: Thean Janice HJ , Hall Anthony JH , Stawell Richard J
Published: September 2003

Background: Herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) is a common condition occurring mostly in healthy people. Approximately 50% of HZO patients develop ocular complications, with iridocyclitis occurring in about 43%. This study aimed to identify the clinical features of uveitis secondary to HZO.

Method: A retrospective case study was performed of consecutive patients with HZO and secondary uveitis seen in the past 10 years at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear hospital as well as those seen in the private clinics of two ocular immunology consultants. The information collected included the time relationship between onset of rash and uveitis, duration and treatment of the uveitis, and rate and nature of ocular complications.

Results: Thirty‐four patients fulfilled the enrolment criteria. The age range was from 24 to 83 years with an average age of 62.5 years. Of these, 28 patients (82%) were immunocompetent and six patients (18%) had underlying immunosuppression from various causes. Twenty‐three patients had a uniphasic episode of uveitis and 11 patients (32%) had a chronic relapsing course of uveitis. The duration of the uveitis was variable, ranging from 1 week to 3 years, with 68% of episodes resolving within 2 months. Nineteen patients (56%) developed secondary glaucoma. Five of these patients (26%) required trabeculectomies to control their intraocular pressures. Three patients (9%) had bilateral ocular involvement and five patients (15%) had a reduction in final Snellen visual acuity of more than two lines.

Conclusion: In this study, most patients were immunocompetent individuals. The course of the uveitis was generally uniphasic in nature and of a relatively short duration. There was a high incidence of secondary glaucoma with 15% of all patients requiring surgical intervention. The visual loss in the five patients was not directly related to the uveitis and secondary glaucoma but to other complications associated with HZO.
Multifocal chorioretinal atrophy associated with Herpes zoster ophthalmicus
Authors: McKelvie Penelope A , Francis Ian C , Watson Stephanie , Nuovo Gerard
Published: September 2003

A 73‐year‐old woman developed multiple depigmented lesions in the fundus 4–6 months after an episode of acute Herpes zoster ophthalmicus. Post‐mortem examination of the globe 15 years after this acute episode confirmed multiple old chorioretinal scars probably due to vasculitis of the short posterior ciliary arteries and branches. Patchy old infarcts were also noted in the iris.
Bowel carcinoma metastatic to the retina
Authors: Hutchison Bruce M , McAllister Ian L , Barry Chris J
Published: September 2003

The case is presented of metastatic carcinoma to the retina in a 63‐year‐old woman with known disseminated large bowel carcinoma. The clinical appearance and angiographic features are discussed.
Fatigue limit estimated using finite lives
Authors: LORÉN S.
Published: September 2003

For metallic material one is interested in estimating the fatigue limit although it is impossible to test if a specimen has infinite life. In this paper two models are compared. One model estimates the fatigue limit and another estimates the endurance limit. The model which estimates the endurance limit is a model which only uses the information that a specimen has broken or not broken at a certain stress level. The model which estimates the fatigue limit also uses the information about when the specimen is broken, i.e., after how many cycles the specimen breaks. The two models are compared, both on real and simulated staircase tests. It is shown that it is possible to estimate the distribution of the fatigue limit although the fatigue limit itself is impossible to observe. When the two models give very different estimates it indicates that the chosen run‐out level is too low.
A fracture mechanics analysis on the fatigue behaviour of cruciform joints of duplex stainless steel
Authors: INFANTE V. , BRANCO C. M. , MARTINS R.
Published: September 2003

The paper presents the results of an experimental and numerical study on the fatigue behaviour of cruciform load carrying joints made from the duplex stainless steel and failing from the weld root through the weld metal. Fatigue crack growth (FCG) data, obtained in specimens of the weld metal, are presented, as well as threshold data, both obtained for R= 0 and 0.5. The influence of stress ratio is discussed, and the FCGR results are compared with data for low carbon structural steels. S–N data were obtained in the joints, both for R= 0.05 and 0.5, and the fatigue cracking mechanisms were analysed in detail with the SEM. It was found that the cracks propagated very early in the lifetime of the joints, under mixed mode conditions (I + II), but the mode I component was found to be predominant over mode II. The geometries of the cracks were defined in detail from measurements taken in the fracture surfaces. A 2D FE analysis was carried out for the mixed mode inclined cracks obtained at the weld root, and the J‐integral formulations were obtained as a function of crack length and crack propagation angle. The values of the crack propagation angle, θi, were obtained for the Jmax conditions, and it was found that, in the fatigue tests, the cracks propagated in directions very close to the predicted directions of maximum J. KI and KII formulations were obtained, and the KI data were compared with the formulations given in the PD6493 (BS7910) document, and some differences were found. A more general formulation for K under mixed mode conditions was derived. The derived K solutions were applied to predict the fatigue lives of the joints under crack propagation, and an extremely good agreement was found with the experimental results obtained in the fatigue tests.
Multiple mechanisms controlling fatigue crack growth
Authors: SADANANDA K. , VASUDEVAN A. K.
Published: September 2003

Recognizing that fatigue is a two‐parameter problem requiring two load parameters to define cyclic loads unambiguously, a unified approach has been developed to account for crack growth behaviour in terms of ΔKandKmax. Since both driving forces govern the crack growth rate, any analysis based on either ΔKorKmaxwill provide only partial information about the fatigue behavior of materials. It is shown thatΔK–Kmaxplots and the associated crack growth trajectory maps reflect the basic mechanisms that contribute to crack growth in a material. These plots also provide a convenient basis to recognize the changes in the micromechanisms that can occur as a function of load ratio or crack growth rate, or both. Taking examples from the literature, crack growth trajectory maps are provided showing such changes in the governing mechanisms of crack growth. It is shown that theΔK–Kmaxapproach is not an alternative to crack closure models, but it reflects the intrinsic material behaviour that must be understood before reliable crack prediction models can be developed.
Locating a geography of nursing: space, place and the progress of geographical thought
Authors: Andrews Gavin J.
Published: September 2003

Although traditionally, nursing research has paid little attention to geographical approaches, recent years have witnessed some initial research interest in the dynamic between nursing, space and place. Such research potentially represents the foundations of what may be termed a ‘geography of nursing’. Although, to date, some novel and valuable perspectives have been gained into the spatial features of nursing, no consideration has been given to the theoretical development of, and basis for, a geography of nursing. Furthermore, no consideration has been given to philosophical heritage; the treatment of space and place in human geography and the insights that this may provide for the new field of research. In this context, this paper provides an historical review of geographical research and traces the evolution of how space and place have been conceptualized and operationalized by it. The paper outlines the emergence of a health geography subdiscipline and its own changing and diverse perspectives. In the final section, the central themes of the current geography of nursing are considered and, reflecting back on the theoretical concerns of contemporary human geography, the paper outlines some philosophies and theories on which future geography of nursing could be based. From a disciplinary perspective, one potential role of the geography of nursing is argued to be the maintenance of the relationship between health geography and mainstream health service and medical concerns, but in a place‐sensitive, patient‐sensitive and qualitative form.
The need for accurate perception and informed judgement in determining the appropriate use of the nursing resource: hearing the patient's voice
Authors: Niven C. A. , Scott P. A.
Published: September 2003

From the perspectives of both an espoused core underlying value of nursing, and of public policy, the patient's voice should be central to our understanding of patient/client need, appropriate care and intervention. However, accessing and hearing the patient's voice is fraught with difficulty. Edwards (2001) reminds us that our raison d’être as nurses is human vulnerability; a vulnerability sometimes brought into sharp focus because of illness or disease. However, when people are at their most vulnerable, they are often least able to identify, or indeed to express, their need – beyond the completely obvious. This paper provides a short descriptive record of one patient's experience of nursing care. This description is placed within the context of moral arguments about the nature of nursing and the impact this may have on decision‐making regarding the appropriate distribution of nursing time. One of our most acute deficits in knowledge, regarding nursing in the UK and Ireland, is a lack of knowledge of the day‐to‐day activities judgements, decisions and interventions of staff nurses at the sharp edge of patient care delivery. We also have little understanding of how, or indeed whether, staff nurses identify or articulate these activities, judgements, decisions and interventions as having a moral dimension that is rooted in respect for the needs and perceptions of the individual patient. Recent empirical work suggests that a substantial proportion of nursing time is spent in prioritizing and delegating care. We have little idea of the impact of prioritization and delegation on the quality of patient care, as perceived by the recipients of that care, our patients. It is urgent that these deficits in our knowledge and understanding are addressed. This is the case both from the perspective of providing high standards of patient care and from the point of view of linking perceptions of the moral dimension of nursing practice, organizational structure, manpower planning, nursing decisions and interventions, to patient outcomes.
An Empirical Analysis of Entrant and Incumbent Bidding in Road Construction Auctions
Authors: De Silva Dakshina G. , Dunne Timothy , Kosmopoulou Georgia
Published: September 2003

This paper explores differences in the bidding patterns of entrants and incumbents in road construction auctions. We find that entrants bid more aggressively and win auctions with significantly lower bids than incumbents. The differences in their bidding patterns are consistent with a model of auctions in which the distribution of an entrant's costs exhibits greater dispersion than that of an incumbent's and relations of stochastic dominance in the distributions do not persist for the entire range of estimated costs. We also find that more efficient firms bid, on average, more aggressively and firms with greater backlogs bid less aggressively.
Debt, Operating Margin, and Investment In Workplace Safety
Authors: Filer Randall K. , Golbe Devra L.
Published: September 2003

We investigate how a firm's financial performance affects workplace safety. We provide empirical estimates of the relationship between a firm's financial condition and its investment in workplace safety using plant‐level proxies for safety performance from OSHA records for thirteen large U.S. industries for the period 1972‐87. Our results suggest that, at the lowest levels of operating margins, firms with higher operating margins have safer workplaces. Firms with more debt also have safer workplaces, but only when operating margins are relatively low. These results are consistent with a number of theoretical models in which financial factors influence operating decisions.
Audit Committee Independence and Disclosure: choice for financially distressed firms
Authors: Carcello Joseph V. , Neal Terry L.
Published: September 2003

This study examines the relation between audit committee independence and disclosure choice for financially distressed US firms. The tenor of both the financial statement notes and Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) is considered. For firms experiencing financial distress, there is a significant positive relation between the percentage of affiliated directors on the audit committee and the optimism of the going‐concern discussion in both the notes and the MD&A. These results add to the growing body of literature documenting a relation between audit committee independence and financial reporting quality.
Information Costs and the Role of the Independent Corporate Director
Authors: Nowak M. J. , McCabe M.
Published: September 2003

This study examines the perceptions of directors in Australian public listed companies about their access to information for their role as directors. We focus on information costs and information asymmetry. Directors’ perceptions of the relationship between the composition of Boards, the perceived roles of Boards and the information requirements to fulfil those roles were explored in interviews with 45 directors from public listed companies. Implicit in Agency Theory is the assumption that independent directors have free access to the information required to fulfil their role in monitoring and control. We found, however, demonstrable evidence of information asymmetry. The central finding was that directors perceive that the CEO and Executive have the controlling power over information. The provision of appropriate information for Board decisions is perceived to hinge on the “integrity” of the CEO and Executive. This emphasis on integrity and “good companies” does appear consistent with the Stewardship Theory of governance. It raises as a question for future research the possible alternative relationships between Boards and management. The directors interviewed discussed a range of strategies they used to keep themselves informed and made observations of additions to information that they believed should be available as a matter of course.
An Exploratory Study on Interlocking Directorates in Listed Firms in Singapore
Authors: Ong Chin‐Huat , Wan David , Ong Kee‐Sing
Published: September 2003

Interlocking directorates is not a recent phenomenon in Singapore. In any country where a substantial proportion of commercial and industrial activities are undertaken by corporations, the importance of the role played by board interlocks should not be ignored. This study examines the structure of interlocking directorates among 295 listed companies in Singapore. The objective is to explore whether firm size, financial connections, debt and corporate performance affect board interlocks. Using ten independent variables, we found that market capitalisation, board size, total assets, return on assets, return on sales, profit before tax and nature of the company (financial or non‐financial) are significantly correlated with board interlocks. This lends support to the Bank Control Theory and Resource Dependency Theory. The findings are consistent with those of the United States and Australia.
Innovate or Die: Is that a Fact?
Authors: Getz Isaac , Robinson Alan G.
Published: September 2003

‘Innovate or die’. This mantra has been repeated so many times – by the media, governments, business leaders, business professors, consultants and management gurus – that people have come to assume it is actually true. This article explores why have business leaders been so prone to fall for such a naïve message, and shows how it has caused them to overlook the true sources of long‐term high performance.
The Impact of Technological Opportunities and Innovative Capabilities on Firms’ Output Innovation
Authors: Oltra María J. , Flor Marisa
Published: September 2003

In this study, we analyse the effect that external sources of knowledge and absorptive capacity exert on a firm's output innovation. In addition, we examine the moderating influence of absorptive capacity on the effect that technological opportunities have on output innovation. Empirical research was carried out on a sample of 91 Spanish firms from the ceramic tile industry. Absorptive capacity is operationalized by ‘systematic or continuous R&D’ and output innovation by ‘percentage of sales from new products’. Technological opportunities are divided into several industry and non‐industry related variables. Our results show the positive effect that both the industry's technological opportunities and a systematic approach to R&D exert on output innovation. Moreover, firms with a systematic approach to R&D usually achieve higher innovation output than firms which do not follow this approach. The innovation results of this second group decrease as a result of embedded technology acquisition.
Creativity – A Volatile Key of Success? Creativity in New Drug Development
Authors: Sundgren Mats , Styhre Alexander
Published: September 2003

This paper presents a study of successful and creative projects in the pharmaceutical industry. Creativity is here defined as the ability to bring forth a new product within a specific domain of knowledge, namely in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and oncological medicine. The paper, being based on interviews with 18 of the most leading pre‐clinical, clinical and pharmaceutical researchers at former AB Hässle and ICI Pharmaceutical Division, suggests that if creativity is to be managed as an organizational resource, there are at least nine facets that need to be considered. These nine facets range from the most practical aspects to issues of project culture and human faculties such as curiosity and joy. The paper concludes that there is such a thing as creativity management but also claims that creativity is complicated to manage as an organizational resource, since it is based on both tight control and clear objectives at the same time, as there must be space for experimentation, discussions and what could be called non‐linear thinking.
Innovation Activities by Small and Medium‐sized Manufacturing Enterprises in Tanzania
Authors: Mahemba Christopher M. , Bruijn Erik J. De
Published: September 2003

The primary aim of this research is to explore innovation activities and ascertain the relationships between these activities and growth performance of SMEs in the Tanzanian manufacturing sector. The applied model has been derived from international studies of innovation. A survey of SMEs combined with in‐depth case studies was made to study innovation practices of SMEs in the Tanzanian manufacturing sector. The results of this survey are used to compare the situation with findings of previous research. An increased level of applied change is associated with innovating SMEs, and a positive relationship between innovativeness in the SMEs with growth performance could be established. Based on the comparison of the results, recommendations are made for stimulating innovation.
Spiritual Formation for Ordained Ministry: An Ecumenical Approach
Authors: Keely Barbara Anne
Published: September 2003

Abstract. Seminaries have a responsibility to engage students in reflecting upon the spiritual life, as well as providing opportunities to deepen their own spiritual journeys. It also is important that they consider the intentional ways that their understandings and experiences of the spiritual life influence their leadership in the Church. Spiritual formation of seminarians provides particular challenges to faculty of liberal, ecumenical seminaries. This article describes a course designed to address these issues and argues that spiritual formation can be effectively integrated into the curricula of liberal, ecumenical seminaries.
To Win the Peace: The Food and Agriculture Organization, Sir John Boyd Orr, and the World Food Board Proposals
Authors: Staples Amy L. S.
Published: September 2003

Sir John Boyd Orr, who became the first director‐general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN) in 1945, sought a peace centered on the idea of achieving “freedom from want.” This idea led to the World Food Board proposals he developed and presented to the international community in 1946. However, his plan for a massive international campaign to boost global agricultural productivity as well as an ambitious commodity storage program to stabilize world prices were largely rejected by the U.S. State Department and the British Foreign Office. Orr's vision of the postwar world—of how to win the peace—differed markedly from their own, which was based on the ideas of free trade and military strength aimed at the emerging Soviet bloc. This article raises questions about alternatives to the Cold War as well as the role of the new UN's specialized agencies in developing the postwar world.
Teaching Peace: The Challenge of Gendered Assumptions
Authors: Moylan Prudence A.
Published: September 2003

Two teaching stories form the crux of this article. In fall 1999 at Loyola's Rome Center in Italy I taught a newly created course titled Peacemaking in the 20th Century. In creating the course I chose Teaching about International Conflict and Peace, edited by Merry M. Merryfield and Richard C. Remy, because of the seven chapters on 20th‐century peacemaking tools and the chart of such tools by Chadwick Alger that included feminism as number 20 of 21 tools.1 This was a thin edge that allowed me to justify including Betty Reardon's Sexism and the War System as another one of the texts.2 The students were so resistant to Reardon's argument—a story I will get to in a moment—that when I revised the course to teach it in Chicago in fall 2001, I decided to use Birgit Brock‐Utne's Feminist Perspectives on Peace and Peace Education.3 Though student challenges to Brock‐Utne's argument were less adamant, there was still great resistance to some of her research conclusions on the socialization of boys and girls. So here are the two stories that provoked my reflection on the challenge of gendered assumptions in teaching peace history.
How Investors Interpret Past Fund Returns
Authors: Lynch Anthony W. , Musto David K.
Published: September 2003

The literature documents a convex relation between past returns and fund flows of mutual funds. We show this to be consistent with fund incentives, because funds discard exactly those strategies which underperform. Past returns tell less about the future performance of funds which discard, so flows are less sensitive to them when they are poor. Our model predicts that strategy changes only occur after bad performance, and that bad performers who change strategy have dollar flow and future performance that are less sensitive to current performance than those that do not. Empirical tests support both predictions.