bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Future of the Apparel and Textile Industries: Prospects and Choices for Public and Private Actors
Authors: Abernathy Frederick H , Volpe Anthony , Weil David
Published: November 2006

The expectation that Chinese apparel and textile exports will swamp the US and EU retail markets now that international quotas on those products have been eliminated has fueled much of the discussion of the future of these industries. Although imports from China have surged since the elimination of quotas on 1 January 2005, this conventional wisdom masks important choices that remain for public and private policies over time. In particular, two factors will continue to have major effects on the location of apparel and textile production going forward. First, public-policy choices will continue to influence sourcing location; in particular, as they relate to tariffs and regional trade polices as well as to policies affecting the linkages between countries. Second, the lean-retailing model that now prevails requires apparel suppliers to replenish basic and fashion basic products on a weekly basis. As that retailing model became dominant in the 1990s, so too did the advantage of sourcing these apparel items closer to the US market so that products could be manufactured and delivered more rapidly from a smaller finished-goods inventory. Even though costs remain a driving factor, we show that proximity advantages for certain classes of products will continue in a postquota world as retailers raise the bar ever higher on the responsiveness and flexibility required of their suppliers.
Searching for Aboriginal/Indigenous Self-Determination: Urban Citizenship in the Winnipeg Low-Cost-Housing Sector, Canada
Authors: Walker Ryan C
Published: November 2006

Theorists concerned with processes of urban citizenship have not accounted for their connections to a changing national citizenship regime and their internal dynamics, notably as they relate to evolving Aboriginal/indigenous rights. Using transformations in the low-cost-housing sector in Winnipeg, Canada as the empirical basis, I examine how changes in the trajectories of social and Aboriginal citizenship have intersected at the urban scale. This is done by combining document and policy analyses with data from thirty-seven semistructured personal interviews with Aboriginal and nonAboriginal housing actors. Following changes to federally driven social-housing policy in 1993, housing stakeholders in Winnipeg self-organised to engage all sectors of society in processes of urban citizenship around low-cost-housing goals. Aboriginal citizenship pursuits have not been interwoven with the pursuit of these social goals. There is a role for the federal government in ensuring the coupling of Aboriginal with urban social citizenship.
Adjustment in India's Textile and Apparel Industry: Reworking Historical Legacies in a Post-MFA World
Authors: Tewari Meenu
Published: November 2006

India, a late integrator in the global market for clothing, has followed a path to integration that is quite different from the experience of some of its major competitors. Unlike China, Mexico, Eastern Europe, and other South Asian countries, India's recent surge in clothing exports has occurred despite the lack of major foreign direct investment in textile and apparel production, the lack of entry into preferential regional trade agreements with buyer countries, or the lack of any significant direct role of global buyers. Arguing that changes in domestic policy and in the structure of domestic demand throughout the 1980s and 1990s played an important role in triggering new growth in India's textiles and apparel exports, and in reshaping the capabilities of local firms, I examine three features of India's recent integration into global clothing markets: the striking emergence of design as a source of comparative advantage in Indian apparel, the growing importance of outward-bound investment by Indian clothing firms in recent years, and the powerful new role that retail is playing in organizing the Indian domestic market, driven in part by surging consumer demand from entirely new mid-market youth segments associated with the country's information technology–business process outsourcing boom.
Surviving at the Margins? Deindustrialisation, the Creative Industries, and Upgrading in London's Garment Sector
Authors: Evans Yara , Smith Adrian
Published: November 2006

In this paper we examine trajectories of change in London's garment industry set within the contexts of deindustrialisation, increasing competitive pressures, and discursive shifts in public policy towards the ‘creative industries’. We emphasise the diversity of firm-level strategies that have been implemented to cope with increasing competitive pressures, liberalisation, and outsourcing in the industry. We identify a dominant trajectory of factory closure, job loss, and deindustrialisation as firms are unable to compete on the basis of the kinds of contracting requirements of buyers and retailers in a high-cost location such as London. We also identify a range of strategies that firms continuing to operate in London have adopted, including the development of new functions in the supply chain, repositioning in relation to specific market niches, coordinating the relocation of production offshore, upgrading towards more design-intensive, small-batch production, and spreading risk across a range of activities. While some of these strategies connect to wider public policy discourses concerning the creative industries in London, they also suggest the need for a broader framing of firm-level trajectories set within the context of the power of major buyers and retailers. Consequently, in the paper we raise concerns over the extent to which creative industries can contribute to enhancing social inclusion and economic development.
Material — Illumination Ambiguities and the Perception of Solid Objects
Authors: Pont Sylvia C , te Pas Susan F
Published: November 2006

The appearance of objects depends on their material, shape, and on the illumination conditions. Conversely, object appearance provides us with cues about the illumination and the material. This so-called inverse problem is basically underdetermined and therefore we expect that material and illumination perception are confounded. To gain insight into the relevant mechanisms, we rendered a set of artificial spheres for vastly different canonical light fields and reflectance functions. We used four physics-based bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDFs) representing glossy, pitted, velvety, and matte material. The six illumination conditions were collimated illumination from four directions, hemispherical diffuse illumination, and fully diffuse (Ganzfeld) illumination. In three sub-experiments we presented pairs of stimuli and asked human observers to judge whether the material was the same, whether the illumination was the same, and for a subset in which either the illumination or the material was the same to judge which of the two was constant. We found that observers made many errors in all sub-experiments. In experiment 2 the illumination direction was chosen at random. Using an interactive interface, we asked human observers to match the illumination direction of a sphere of one of the four materials with that of a Lambertian sphere. We found systematical material-dependent deviations from veridical performance. Theoretical analysis of the radiance patterns suggests that judgments were based mainly on the position of the shadow edge. In conclusion, we found no evidence for ‘material constancy’ for perception of smooth rendered spheres despite vast quantitative and qualitative differences in illumination and in BRDF between the stimuli. Although human observers demonstrated some ‘illumination constancy’, they made systematic errors depending on the material reflectance, suggesting that they used mainly the location of the shadow edge. Our results suggest that material perception and light-field perception are basically confounded.
Viewpoint and Orientation Influence Picture Recognition in the Blind
Authors: Heller Morton A , Kennedy John M , Clark Ashley , McCarthy Melissa , Borgert Amber , Wemple Lindsay , Fulkerson Erin , Kaffel Nicole , Duncan Amy , Riddle Tara
Published: November 2006

In the first three experiments, subjects felt solid geometrical forms and matched raised-line pictures to the objects. Performance was best in experiment 1 for top views, with shorter response latencies than for side views, front views, or 3-D views with foreshortening. In a second experiment with blind participants, matching accuracy was not significantly affected by prior visual experience, but speed advantages were found for top views, with 3-D views also yielding better matching accuracy than side views. There were no performance advantages for pictures of objects with a constant cross section in the vertical axis. The early-blind participants had lower performance for side and frontal views. The objects were rotated to oblique orientations in experiment 3. Early-blind subjects performed worse than the other subjects given object rotation. Visual experience with pictures of objects at many angles could facilitate identification at oblique orientations. In experiment 5 with blindfolded sighted subjects, tangible pictures were used as targets and as choices. The results yielded superior overall performance for 3-D views (mean, M = 74% correct) and much lower matching accuracy for top views as targets ( M = 58% correct). Performance was highest when the target and matching viewpoint were identical, but 3-D views ( M = 96% correct) were still far better than top views. The accuracy advantage of the top views also disappeared when more complex objects were tested in experiment 6. Alternative theoretical implications of the results are discussed.
The Crossed-Hands Deficit in Tactile Temporal-Order Judgments: The Effect of Training
Authors: Craig James C , Belser Adrienne N
Published: November 2006

Several recent studies have shown that judgments of temporal order for tactile stimuli presented to the two hands are greatly affected by crossing the hands. The size of the threshold for judging temporal order may be up to four times larger with the hands crossed as compared to the hands uncrossed. The results from these recent studies suggest that with crossed hands, contrary to many situations involving the integration of tactile and proprioceptive information, subjects have difficulty in adjusting their perception of tactile inputs to correspond with the spatial positions of the hands. In the present study we examined the effect of training in judging temporal order on the size of this crossed-hands deficit—the difference in the thresholds for temporal-order judgments when the hands are crossed and uncrossed. All training procedures produced significant declines in the size of the deficit. With training, the difference between crossed-hands and uncrossed-hands temporal-order thresholds dropped from several hundred milliseconds to as little as 19 ms. A group of percussionists with experience in playing with crossed hands showed the same crossed-hands effects as non-musicians. The results were consistent in showing that the crossed-hands deficit was never completely eliminated but was greatly reduced with training. The implication is that subjects are able to adjust to the crossed-hands posture with modest amounts of training. The results are discussed in terms of the explanations that have been offered for the crossed-hands deficit.
Recognition of Biological Motion from Blurred Natural Scenes
Authors: Kuhlmann Simone , Lappe Markus
Published: November 2006

Biological-motion perception can be regarded as a template-matching process. We are concerned with the visual cues in this template. Biological-motion perception is usually studied with point-light displays similar to the point-light displays invented by Johansson (1973 Perception & Psychophysics14 201 – 211). These stimuli are in some ways abstract. In order to use more natural stimuli, we recorded movies of different actions in natural scenes. By blurring the scenes we modified the visual cues, particularly the local form and motion information. Observers were asked to identify the action portrayed. Our results demonstrate that templates for biological-motion recognition combine global form and motion cues. Reductions of local form and local motion information by blurring can be compensated by global form change and global motion. Local motion information is also used for segmentation.
Oppel – Kundt Illusion in Three-Dimensional Space
Authors: Deręgowski Jan B , McGeorge Peter
Published: November 2006

A three-dimensional form of the Oppel – Kundt illusion was examined. Subjects viewed arrays consisting of two parallel rows of lights. For one group the rows consisted of equal numbers of lights (2, 3, or 4), while for a second group the row nearest the subject always had the greater number of lights. Subjects viewed these arrays from two vantage points, one directly in front of the array and the other displaced laterally. For each array subjects adjusted the extent of the far array until they felt the two rows were the same length. Both the nature of the array and the viewpoint had a significant influence on the perceived length of the far row. The size of the near row was overestimated significantly more when the array was viewed from the central position and also when the number of lights in the near row exceeded that of the far row. These results confirm that a lateral viewing position decreases the perspective effect and indicate that the Oppel – Kundt illusion can occur with three-dimensional stimuli.
Salt priming improves establishment of Distichlis spicata under saline conditions
Authors: Sargeant M. , Sale P. , Tang C.
Published: November 2006

Salt priming as a tool to establish Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene cv. Yensen-4a (NyPa Forage) plants into saline conditions was investigated in sand culture. Plants were pre-treated with 3 levels of salinity (0, 2, and 4 g NaCl/kg sand) for 36 days and then transplanted into 4 salinity treatments of 0, 2, 4, and 8 g NaCl/kg sand. Soil electrical conductivity (EC), Na and Cl concentrations in the sand, growth initiation, tiller formation, dry matter production, and salt excretion and uptake were measured. Plants pre-treated with 4 g NaCl/kg sand produced 6-fold more dry matter than plants pre-treated with 0 and 2 g NaCl/kg sand when transplanted into sand containing 2 g NaCl/kg. Survival and tiller formation were also higher with plants that had been pre-treated with 4 g NaCl/kg sand compared with plants pre-treated with 0 and 2 g NaCl/kg, when transplanted into 2 and 4 g NaCl/kg sand. The results suggest that salt priming improves establishment of Distichlis spicata when transplanted into low to moderate salinity conditions.
Prevalence and typing of human papilloma virus (HPV) among female sex workers and outpatient women in southern Thailand
Authors: Chandeying Verapol , Garland Suzanne M. , Tabrizi Sepehr N.
Published: November 2006

Background: Thai sex workers (SW) have high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs); however, detection and treatment is often complicated by accessibility to sensitive and accurate diagnostic tests. Self-sampling of women combined with molecular amplification techniques could help in accurate diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of such women. Detection of persistent high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) in such populations could also be beneficial in identifying women who may need more frequent follow-up for cervical cytology screening. The current study aimed to examine the prevalence of HPV in this population and compare this with the lower-risk outpatient women (OPW) in Thailand. Methods: Four hundred and thirty OPW and 524 Thai SW were sampled by a self-administered tampon collection. Cells were extracted from tampons and, subsequently, women underwent routine vaginal examination for detection of other STIs. Detection of HPV was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the L1 consensus primers, followed by L1 consensus probe using an in-house PCR-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All positive samples were typed using PCR-ELISA and type-specific oligonucleotide probes. Results: Overall, HPV was detected in 20/430 (4.6%) and 120/524 (22.9%) in OPW and SW respectively. Over 98% of samples produced a β-globin signal, indicating adequately collected samples. Human papilloma virus typing probes detected HPV16 or 18 in 14% and 26% of the positive samples from OPW and SW respectively. HPV31, 33, 35 or 39 were detected in 19% and 12% and HPV45, 51 or 52 in 9.5% and 4% of positive OPW and SW patients respectively. Low risk HPV6 or 11 were detected in 1% and 4.9% of OPW and SW respectively. Conclusion: There was a significantly higher HPV prevalence in Thai SW than OPW, with the majority (21%) of positive samples containing the oncogenic HPV16 or 18 DNA. The results indicate that PCR could serve as a rapid and easy method for identification of women who require more frequent screening for cervical cancer.
The role of contact efficacy in evaluating sexual health promotion—evidence-based outreach work within a public sex environment
Authors: Frankis Jamie S. , Flowers Paul
Published: November 2006

Background: This paper explores the role of contact efficacy in evidence-based health promotion by evaluating a public sex environment (PSE) based sexual health outreach program. The service operated in situ from a dedicated mobile unit to promote sexual health among PSE users. Methods: A cross-sectional survey (response rate 56%) measured socio-demographics, sexual health behaviours and outreach-service use among men sampled within the PSE (n = 216). Results: Most participants were aware of the service and two-thirds had contacted them. Men who had not completed hepatitis A vaccination (odds ratio (OR) = 2.02), who had ever received money for sex (OR = 2.07) or who reported a diagnosed mental health disorder(s) (OR = 2.38) were significantly more likely to have contacted the service. Although 89% of service users perceived the intervention positively, only 26% felt it had contributed to sexual behaviour changes. Conclusions: The ‘mobile-unit’ outreach model contacted a large proportion of PSE users, specifically men who had greater health needs. We advocate the adoption of this outreach model over traditional PSE-based outreach approaches. Contact efficacy evaluation is useful to assess ongoing health interventions. However, caution must be exerted when interpreting certain contact efficacy results. Since causality may not always be inferred, triangulation with other evaluative methodologies is recommended.
Prevalence and risk factors for lifetime exposure to Pap smear abnormalities in the Australian community
Authors: Posner T. Natasha , Boyle Frances M. , Purdie David M. , Dunne Michael P. , Najman Jake M.
Published: November 2006

Background: This study examined the prevalence, correlates and consequences of abnormal Pap smears in a population-based survey of sexuality and health in the Australian community. Methods: Cross-sectional telephone survey of 908 women aged 18–59 years randomly selected from the Commonwealth electoral roll. Results: Most women (91%) reported having had at least one Pap smear test, a figure directly comparable with national estimates. Being single (prevalence ratio (PR) 4.61; 95% CI 2.09–10.17) and not having had sexual intercourse (PR 5.31, 95% CI 3.11–9.07) were strong predictors of never having been tested. One in four women (26%) who reported being screened also reported having had an abnormal Pap smear result, of whom 66% said they had further testing and 52% some form of treatment. A minority (19%) reported negative effects of treatment on their sex lives. Having been diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV) (PR 2.87, 95% CI 1.84–4.48), and to a lesser degree, having had a greater number of male sexual partners (PR 1.38, 95% CI 1.01–1.89), and experiencing sexual problems in the last year (PR 0.99, 95% CI 0.99–1.88) were independently associated with reporting of abnormal Pap smear results. Conclusions: Approximately one in four women self report lifetime exposure to Pap smear abnormalities. It is important that women are well prepared for this common experience. A causal association between multiple sexual partners and risk of acquiring HPV infection is supported by these data.
Cysteine 138 mutation in HIV-1 Nef from patients with delayed disease progression
Authors: Tolstrup Martin , Laursen Alex L. , Gerstoft Jan , Pedersen Finn S. , Ostergaard Lars , Duch Mogens
Published: November 2006

Background: The nef gene from HIV-1 has been shown to be an important pathogenic factor when considering development of AIDS. Detection of nef variants with an effect on immune modulation is important to understand HIV-1 pathogenesis and has possible impact on treatment strategies. Methods: The nef gene of HIV-1 isolates from patients in a long-term non-progressor (LTNP) cohort and a slow-progressor (SP) cohort (n = 11) was analysed and compared with isolates from a control patient group of progressors (n = 18). Most of the patients with delayed disease progression had extensive medical records, providing an insight into the LTNP disease profile and allowing for the stratification of patients based on their CD4 cell decline. Results: In sequences from nine patients, most of the functional domains of HIV-1 Nef appeared intact, and no major deletions were observed to possibly account for an effect on the delayed disease status. However, the results demonstrate a high incidence of a single amino acid polymorphism (cysteine 138) in HIV-1 Nef. The allelic frequency of cysteine 138 between the delayed disease progression group and the progressor group was found to be statistically significant (P = 0.0139). The phylogeny of isolates was investigated and the variants harbouring the cysteine 138 mutation clustered independently. Conclusion: The present study describes a viral genetic polymorphism related to AIDS disease progression. The polymorphism (cysteine 138) has previously been reported to confer decreased viral replication (Premkumar DR, et al. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 1996; 12(4): 337–45). A sequence database search for comparative mutations revealed a high frequency of cysteine 138 in patients with reported SP AIDS.
Antibiotic consumption and chlamydia prevalence in international studies
Authors: Ginige Samitha , Chen Marcus Y. , Hocking Jane S. , Read Tim R. H. , Fairley Christopher K.
Published: November 2006

Background: To determine whether there is an ecological association between antibiotic use and chlamydia prevalence. Methods: A systematic review was undertaken of international studies on chlamydia prevalence among women aged 15–25 years published between 2000 and 2005. Preference was given to studies using nucleic acid testing and representative population-based sampling methods. Data were obtained on per capita antibiotic consumption according to the defined daily dose. Results: For the 12 countries for which both antibiotic consumption and relevant prevalence data for chlamydia were available, a non-significant negative correlation was found between total antibiotic consumption per capita and chlamydia prevalence among younger women according to country (rs = –0.242, P = 0.449). When an outlier (from the Netherlands) was excluded, the correlation was significant (rs = –0.615, P = 0.044). Combined use of tetracyclines and macrolides was also associated with lower chlamydia prevalence (rs = –0.697, P = 0.017). Conclusions: It is possible that antibiotics used for other reasons may have unexpectedly reduced the prevalence of chlamydia.
The cost effectiveness of screening for genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection in Australia
Authors: Walleser Silke , Salkeld Glenn , Donovan Basil
Published: November 2006

Background: In Australia, there is no published study on the cost effectiveness of screening for chlamydia. The aim of this study was to examine the cost effectiveness of a hypothetical screening programme for chlamydia based on annual opportunistic testing of all women 25 years of age or younger consulting a general practitioner, compared with no screening. Methods: A decision–analytic modelling approach was used to determine the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of screening compared with no screening over 25 years. The analysis measured Australian health-care costs and benefits were assessed in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Results: The analysis resulted in a cost per QALY of $2968 for screening. One-way sensitivity analyses on all variables, and multi-way sensitivity analyses on some variables, showed a wide range for the cost effectiveness, from dominance (where screening is effective and saves money overall) to an ICER of $67 715 per QALY. Conclusions: The results indicate that annual opportunistic screening for chlamydia in women under 25 is a potentially worthwhile undertaking. However, the analysis also highlights uncertainties around the natural history of chlamydia and the effectiveness of chlamydia screening. Given these uncertainties, the need for further primary data collection in these areas becomes apparent.
Delayed diagnosis of HIV: missed opportunities and triggers for testing in the Australian Capital Territory
Authors: McDonald Elizabeth A. , Currie Marian J. , Bowden Francis J.
Published: November 2006

Background: To determine (i) the rate of delayed HIV diagnosis; (ii) the missed opportunities for HIV diagnosis; and (iii) to identify who initiates HIV testing and what triggers them to do so. Methods: An analysis of the case records of all HIV-positive patients who attended Canberra Sexual Health Centre (CSHC) between 1985 and 2005 was conducted. Results: During the study period, 319/355 CSHC patients diagnosed with HIV had sufficient data to allow analysis regarding the timeliness of their diagnosis. Of these, 52 (16.3%) received a delayed diagnosis. The rate of delayed diagnosis was 9.7% (95% CI 5.1–15.3) in the 1980s and 25.6% (95% CI 13–42.1) between 2000 and 2004. There were no statistically significant differences in sociodemographic or behavioural characteristics between patients with delayed and timely HIV diagnoses. To determine who initiated testing, and if there were missed opportunities for testing, the records of CSHC patients diagnosed with HIV between 1995 and 2005 were examined. Of the 115 people diagnosed in this period, only 71 had documentation concerning missed opportunities for testing. Forty-one of these (58%) had been in contact with a health professional while infected, but before their diagnosis of HIV and 39/41 (95%) had a significant risk factor in their history that could have initiated an HIV test. Clinicians initiated testing for 43.5% of the patients, 11.3% were identified through contact tracing and only 28.7% were self referred for testing. Conclusions: Late diagnosis of HIV is common in the Australian Capital Territory and may have increased over time. Clinicians need to be aware of the sometimes-subtle manifestations of early and late HIV infection and have a lower threshold for HIV antibody testing.
Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection among 'high risk' young people in New South Wales
Authors: Kang Melissa , Rochford Arlie , Johnston Victoria , Jackson Julie , Freedman Ellie , Brown Katherine , Mindel Adrian
Published: November 2006

International research on homeless adolescents has found that incidence and prevalence of sexually transmissible infections is relatively high. This study reports on a chlamydia prevalence survey conducted among high-risk young people (14–25 years) in New South Wales. The participants were recruited from youth health centres, which target homeless and high-risk youth. Of 333 clients (42.6% male), 84.1% were sexually active and mean number of sexual partners over the preceding 3 months was 1.4. Among sexually active participants, 24.6% claimed to use condoms always and 25% never. Sixteen of 274 available urine samples tested positive for Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Further research is warranted to better define high-risk groups and clarify the nature of associations between various factors impacting on sexual health. Most importantly, research is now called for into effective strategies for engaging and attracting young people to screening, treatment and contact tracing.
A chlamydia prevalence survey of young women living in Melbourne, Victoria
Authors: Hocking Jane S. , Willis Jessika , Tabrizi Sepehr , Fairley Christopher K. , Garland Suzanne M. , Hellard Margaret
Published: November 2006

Background:
To estimate the population-based chlamydia prevalence among women aged 18 to 35 years living in Melbourne, Victoria, and to assess the feasibility of using mailed urine specimens to test women.
Methods:
A simple random sample of 11 001 households in Melbourne was selected from the telephone directory. Participants completed telephone interviews and provided urine specimens through the mail for chlamydia testing. Urines were tested using polymerase chain reaction.
Results:
11 001 households were contacted, with 1532 households identified as including eligible women; telephone interviews were completed, with 979 women giving a response rate of 64%. Six hundred and fifty-seven women provided a urine specimen with a response rate of 43%. Among sexually active women aged 18–24 years, the chlamydia prevalence was 3.7% (95% CI: 1.2%, 8.4%) and 0.2% (95% CI: 0.0%, 1.1%) among 25–35 year olds. Chlamydia prevalence increased significantly with an increasing number of male sexual partners.
Conclusions:
This is the first study of its kind in Australia and shows that chlamydia prevalence increases with an increasing number of male sexual partners in the last 12 months. Mailed urine specimens are feasible for conducting population-based chlamydia-prevalence surveys but it is difficult to obtain high response rates with this methodology. Public health resources should now be directed towards investigating how to reach young women at increased risk of infection, ensuring that they are tested for chlamydia.
Comparison of self-reported and test-identified chlamydial infections among young adults in the United States of America
Authors: Iritani Bonita J. , Ford Carol A. , Miller William C. , Hallfors Denise Dion , Halpern Carolyn Tucker
Published: November 2006

Background: Many studies rely on respondent reports of prior diagnosed sexually transmissible infections (STIs), but these self reports are likely to under-estimate infection prevalence. The extent of bias from using self-reported STI data, and whether bias varies by sex and race, is largely unknown. This gap is addressed using a large, nationally representative sample. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of Wave III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Participants were 18–26 years old (n = 12 359). Estimates of the prevalence of chlamydial infection based on self-reported diagnoses in the past year were compared with actual prevalence based on nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) at the time of data collection. Ratios of test-identified prevalence to self-reported diagnosis prevalence were calculated by sex and race/ethnicity groups. Larger ratios indicate greater extent of self reports under-estimating infection prevalence. Results: About 4.2% of the sample had a current NAAT-identified chlamydial infection, but only 3.0% reported having been diagnosed with chlamydia in the past year, yielding a ratio of 1.43. The ratio of test-identified infection prevalence to prevalence identified from self-reported diagnoses was larger among men than women (2.07 versus 1.14, P < 0.05). Among men, the ratio was larger among non-Hispanic blacks (2.40) compared with non-Hispanic whites (1.07, P < 0.05). Conclusions: Use of self-reported diagnoses under-estimates chlamydial infection prevalence, particularly among men, and among non-Hispanic black men. Reliance on self-reported STIs may consequently lead to biased conclusions, particularly for these groups. Use of biological testing for STIs in research studies is recommended.
Sexually transmissible infections among illegal female sex workers in Israel
Authors: Cwikel Julie G. , Lazer Tal , Press Fernanda , Lazer Simcha
Published: November 2006

Due to the mobile and clandestine nature of those who enter a country illegally, female sex workers (FSWs) who are working without papers or work permits often have no access to sexual health care. This study reports on the sexually transmissible infection (STI) prevalence among a sample of 43 sex workers working illegally. Brothel workers from republics of the Former Soviet Union (FSU), working in two locales in Israel were tested for the presence of eight pathogens and the presence of pathology by Pap smear. Of these brothel workers, 48.8% had at least one positive STI result, 14% had two STIs and one woman had three STIs. There were no cases of HIV, gonorrhoea or malignancy detected; high rates of ureaplasma (26.8%) and chlamydia were found (16.7%). Four cases of hepatitis C (9%) and three cases of hepatitis B (7%) and mycoplasma (7%) were detected. There was no relationship between reported symptoms and the detection of STIs. The level of STIs is high among this population of FSWs and it is imperative to develop more accessible health services for these women.
Bioluminescence imaging of Smad signaling in living mice shows correlation with excitotoxic neurodegeneration
Authors: Luo Jian , Lin Amy H. , Masliah Eliezer , Wyss-Coray Tony
Published: November 2006

The TGF-β signaling pathway is a key organizer of injury and immune responses, and recent studies suggest it fulfills critical roles in CNS function and maintenance. TGF-β receptor activation results in phosphorylation of Smad proteins, which subsequently translocate to the nucleus to regulate gene transcription by binding to Smad binding elements (SBE). Using SBE-luciferase reporter mice, we recently discovered that the brain has the highest Smad baseline activity of any major organ in the mouse, and we now demonstrate that this signal is primarily localized to pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus.
In vivo
excitatory stimulation with kainic acid (KA) resulted in an increase in luciferase activity and phosphorylated Smad2 (Smad2P), and nuclear translocation of Smad2P in hippocampal CA3 neurons correlated significantly with luciferase activity. Although this activation was most prominent at 24 h after KA administration in neurons, Smad2P immunoreactivity gradually increased in astrocytes and microglial cells at 3 and 5 days, consistent with reactive gliosis. Bioluminescence measured over the skull in living mice peaked at 12–72 h and correlated with the extent of microglial activation and pathological markers of neurodegeneration 5 days after injury. Treatment with the glutamate receptor antagonist MK-801 strongly reduced bioluminescence and pathology. These results show that Smad2 signaling is a sensitive marker of neuronal activation and CNS injury that can be used to monitor KA-induced neuronal degeneration. This and related mouse models may provide valuable tools to study mechanisms and treatments for neurodegeneration.
Ribosomal tethering and clustering as mechanisms for translation initiation
Authors: Chappell Stephen A. , Edelman Gerald M. , Mauro Vincent P.
Published: November 2006

Eukaryotic mRNAs often recruit ribosomal subunits some distance upstream of the initiation codon; however, the mechanisms by which they reach the initiation codon remain to be fully elucidated. Although scanning is a widely accepted model, evidence for alternative mechanisms has accumulated. We previously suggested that this process may involve tethering of ribosomal complexes to the mRNA, in which the intervening mRNA is bypassed, or clustering, in which the initiation codon is reached by dynamic binding and release of ribosomal subunits at internal sites. The present studies tested the feasibility of these ideas by using model mRNAs and revealed that translation efficiency varied with the distance between the site of ribosomal recruitment and the initiation codon. The present studies also showed that translation could initiate efficiently at AUG codons located upstream of an internal site. These observations are consistent with ribosomal tethering at the cap structure and clustering at internal sites.
Sustained high-titer antibody responses induced by conjugating a malarial vaccine candidate to outer-membrane protein complex
Authors: Wu Yimin , Przysiecki Craig , Flanagan Elizabeth , Bello-Irizarry Sheila N. , Ionescu Roxana , Muratova Olga , Dobrescu Gelu , Lambert Lynn , Keister David , Rippeon Yvette , Long Carole A. , Shi Li , Caulfield Michael , Shaw Alan , Saul Allan , Shiver John , Miller Louis H.
Published: November 2006

The development of protein subunit vaccines to combat some of the world's deadliest pathogens such as a malaria parasite,Plasmodium falciparum, is stalled, due in part to the inability to induce and sustain high-titer antibody responses. Here, we show the induction of persistent, high-titer antibody responses to recombinant Pfs25H, a human malarial transmission-blocking protein vaccine candidate, after chemical conjugation to the outer-membrane protein complex (OMPC) ofNeisseria meningitidisserogroup B and adsorption to aluminum hydroxyphosphate. In mice, the Pfs25H-OMPC conjugate vaccine was >1,000 times more potent in generating anti-Pfs25H ELISA reactivity than a similar 0.5-μg dose of Pfs25H alone in Montanide ISA720, a water-in-oil adjuvant. The immune enhancement requires covalent conjugation between Pfs25H and the OMPC, given that physically mixed Pfs25H and OMPC on aluminum hydroxyphosphate failed to induce greater activity than the nonconjugated Pfs25H on aluminum hydroxyphosphate. The conjugate vaccine Pfs25H-OMPC also was highly immunogenic in rabbits and rhesus monkeys. In rhesus monkeys, the antibody responses were sustained over 18 months, at which time another vaccination with nonconjugated Pfs25H induced strong anamnestic responses. The vaccine-induced anti-Pfs25-specific antibodies in all animal species blocked the transmission of parasites to mosquitoes. Protein antigen conjugation to OMPC or other protein carrier may have general application to a spectrum of protein subunit vaccines to increase immunogenicity without the need for potentially reactogenic adjuvants.
H2AX chromatin structures and their response to DNA damage revealed by 4Pi microscopy
Authors: Bewersdorf Jörg , Bennett Brian T. , Knight Kendall L.
Published: November 2006

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) caused by cellular exposure to genotoxic agents or produced by inherent metabolic processes initiate a rapid and highly coordinated series of molecular events resulting in DNA damage signaling and repair. Phosphorylation of histone H2AX to form γ-H2AX is one of the earliest of these events and is important for coordination of signaling and repair activities. An intriguing aspect of H2AX phosphorylation is that γ-H2AX spreads a limited distance up to 1–2 Mbp from the site of a DNA break in mammalian cells. However, neither the distribution of H2AX throughout the genome nor the mechanism that defines the boundary of γ-H2AX spreading have yet been described. Here, we report the identification of previously undescribed H2AX chromatin structures by successfully applying 4Pi microscopy to visualize endogenous nuclear proteins. Our observations suggest that H2AX is not distributed randomly throughout bulk chromatin, rather it exists in distinct clusters that themselves are uniformly distributed within the nuclear volume. These data support a model in which the size and distribution of H2AX clusters define the boundaries of γ-H2AX spreading and also may provide a platform for the immediate and robust response observed after DNA damage.
Planning and Social Diversity: Residential Segregation in American New Towns
Authors: Kato Yuki
Published: November 2006

This is a comparative case study of residential segregation in three US 'new towns'. New towns are distinct from older suburban and other master-planned communities in four regards: larger size, mixed use of land, existence of a master developer and phased planning. The study investigates whether the three new towns, which are considered highly successful in the field of urban planning, have broken the older patterns of racial diversity and residential segregation. Based on 2000 Census data, it is found that these new towns are much less segregated overall than their surrounding metropolitan areas and suburbs, although each community indicates different patterns of racial diversity and integration. By contrasting each community's planning visions and practices with the levels of racial diversity and segregation, the paper explores the contributions of urban planning to residential integration.
Addressing Europe's Urban Challenges: Lessons from the EU URBAN Community Initiative
Authors: Carpenter Juliet
Published: November 2006

Urban issues have moved up the European Union's policy agenda over the past 10 years. Since the launch of the URBAN I Community Initiative (CI) in 1994, urban issues within regional policy have increasingly featured in EU policy documents. This paper presents the findings of the ex-post evaluation of the URBAN CI that was implemented from 1994 to 1999, funded by the European Commission. It shows that while URBAN-style area-based initiatives were already taking place in some member-states, in the majority of countries the URBAN CI presented an innovative way of addressing area-based urban challenges, effectively leading the way for a sea-change in thinking on urban regeneration in many member-states, both in terms of content and process. The paper concludes with some reflections on the implications of the findings for addressing urban deprivation through area-based initiatives.
Local Employment Impact of Growth Centres: Evidence from India
Authors: Sridhar Kala Seetharam
Published: November 2006

Evidence regarding non-tax incentives is sparse. To promote industrialisation in the backward areas of the country, growth centres providing infrastructure incentives to enable the states to attract industries, were set up by India in 1988. The impact of GCs on unemployment is examined, accounting for the simultaneity of GC status. The findings are that the change in population of a district and its growth potential are significant in determining actual GC status. The impact of demographic and socioeconomic factors on changes in a district's unemployment, is studied. The novel finding for a developing country is that it is not demand for labour, but the supply of labour, represented by population, that is the constraint in reducing the unemployment rate.
Historical Lessons on ID Technology and the Consequences of an Unchecked Trajectory
Authors: Michael Katina , Michael M. G.
Published: November 2006

This paper traces the use of identification techniques throughout the ages and focuses on the growing importance of citizen identification by governments. The paper uses a historical approach beginning with manual techniques such as tattoos, through to more recent automatic identification (auto‐ID) techniques such as smart cards and biometrics. The findings indicate that identification techniques born for one purpose have gradually found their way into alternate applications, and in some instances have been misused altogether. There is also strong evidence to suggest that governments are moving away from localized identification schemes to more global systems based on universal lifetime identifiers.
INTRAGENERATIONAL MOBILITY IN SUCCESSOR STATES OF THE USSR
Authors: Titma Mikk , Roots Ave
Published: November 2006

After the collapse of the USSR, the post-Soviet states chose different strategies to build up their economy and society. In our research, we use data of young adults in five countries that represent these strategies. Baltic countries, Estonia and Latvia, are the examples of ‘bottom up’ shock therapy which opened opportunities to everybody and therefore everybody was engaged. Belarus is an example of a country with a still ongoing command economy with very few changes to the market in the late 1990s. The Russian region, Sverdlovsk, and the Ukraine region, Kharkov, are examples of ‘top-down’ privatisation and still shrinking economy in the late 1990s. We hypothesize that different paths of transition influenced intragenerational mobility patterns for young adults. We estimate the impact of respondents’ gender, education, income, economic sector and the characteristics of parental background on intragenerational mobility. We found that Belarus differed from other regions, as young adults there were the least mobile, and the chosen factors had very little explanatory power in the analysis of intragenerational mobility. In the Baltic countries, intragenerational mobility was well explained by typical factors of mobility in a market society. Seven years of transition to the market is too short a time to make statements about long-term trends, but we can still investigate three major strategies to the market and predictability of intragenerational mobility.
THE IMPACT OF WELFARE AND LABOUR MARKET INSTITUTIONS ON INFORMAL RECRUITMENT IN EUROPEAN YOUTH LABOUR MARKETS
Authors: Harsløf Ivan
Published: November 2006

Youth labour markets where informal recruitment practices predominate are likely to amplify existing inequalities among young job seekers. Whereas most literature on informal recruitment focuses on characteristics of individual job seekers and the nature of the jobs they obtain, this article suggests to relate this important issue to overarching dynamics of welfare and labour market institutions. Analyses of survey data among young people with a history of longer-term unemployment in eight European countries suggest that comprehensive welfare state arrangements may substitute for the importance of personal network resources in the job search process. Thus the welfare state may intervene by providing active measures to facilitate the job-matching process and by providing economic means to make young people less dependent on their social network. The level of youth unemployment also seems to be related to the extent of informal recruitment, which is found to be more widespread in the countries with high rates of youth unemployment.
SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THE RISK OF BECOMING LESS EDUCATED
Authors: Powell Justin J.W.
Published: November 2006

With educational expansion and rising standards, ever more students are being transferred into special education. These programs serve children and youth with ‘special educational needs’ (SEN), a heterogeneous group with social, ethnic, linguistic, physical, and intellectual disadvantages. An increasing proportion of students at risk of leaving secondary school without qualifications participate in special education. While most European countries aim to replace segregated schools and separate classes with school integration and inclusive education, cross-national comparisons of special education's diverse student bodies show considerable disparities in rates of SEN classification, provided learning opportunities, and educational attainments. Analyses of European special education demographics and organizations emphasize institutional instead of individual explanations. Findings from Germany and the United States further demonstrate that which students bear the greatest risk of becoming less educated depends principally on the institutionalization of special education systems and on definitions of ‘special educational needs’.