bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ATF3 expression precedes death of spinal motoneurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis‐SOD1 transgenic mice and correlates with c‐Jun phosphorylation, CHOP expression, somato‐dendritic ubiquitination and Golgi fragmentation
Authors: Vlug Angela S. , Teuling Eva , Haasdijk Elize D. , French Pim , Hoogenraad Casper C. , Jaarsma Dick
Published: October 2005

To obtain insight into the morphological and molecular correlates of motoneuron degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) mice that express G93A mutant superoxide dismutase (SOD)1 (G93A mice), we have mapped and characterized ‘sick’ motoneurons labelled by the ‘stress transcription factors’ ATF3 and phospho‐c‐Jun. Immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization showed that a subset of motoneurons express ATF3 from a relatively early phase of disease before the onset of active caspase 3 expression and motoneuron loss. The highest number of ATF3‐expressing motoneurons occurred at symptom onset. The onset of ATF3 expression correlated with the appearance of ubiquitinated neurites. Confocal double‐labelling immunofluorescence showed that all ATF3‐positive motoneurons were immunoreactive for phosphorylated c‐Jun. Furthermore, the majority of ATF3 and phospho‐c‐Jun‐positive motoneurons were also immunoreactive for CHOP (GADD153) and showed Golgi fragmentation. A subset of ATF3 and phosphorylated c‐Jun‐immunoreactive motoneurons showed an abnormal appearance characterized by a number of distinctive features, including an eccentric flattened nucleus, perikaryal accumulation of ubiquitin immunoreactivity, juxta‐nuclear accumulation of the Golgi apparatus and the endoplasmic reticulum, and intense Hsp70 immunoreactivity. These abnormal cells were not immunoreactive for active caspase 3. We conclude that motoneurons in ALS‐SOD1 mice prior to their death and disappearance experience a prolonged sick phase, characterized by the gradual accumulation of ubiquitinated material first in the neurites and subsequently the cell body.
The spatial filtering properties of local edge detectors and brisk–sustained retinal ganglion cells
Authors: Zeck Günther M. , Xiao Quan , Masland Richard H.
Published: October 2005

We compared image computation in the rabbit retina by two different cell types: the so‐called ‘local edge detecting’ ganglion cells and the well‐known brisk–sustained ganglion cells. From both anatomical and physiological evidence, these cells are present in nearly equal numbers and thus overlap to sample the same regions of visual space. We recorded simultaneously from overlapping cells on a dense microelectrode array. The results were analysed using an anatomically realistic simulation of the retina's processing levels. The ‘local edge detecting’ cell was found to be tuned to higher spatial frequencies and to have a narrower spatial frequency bandpass than the brisk–sustained cells. Simulation revealed that this is due primarily to the ‘zero‐crossing’ detector implied by the definition of the local edge detector. The outputs of the simulations in response to complex images were analysed quantitatively. The results showed the population of local edge detectors to transmit a sparser code than the brisk–sustained cells.
Distinct properties of two major excitatory inputs to hippocampal pyramidal cells: a computational study
Authors: Káli Szabolcs , Freund Tamás F.
Published: October 2005

The two main sources of excitatory input to CA1 pyramidal cells, the Schaffer collaterals (SC) and the perforant path (PP), target different regions of the dendritic tree. This spatial segregation may have important consequences for the way in which different inputs affect the activity of principal neurons. We constructed detailed biophysical models of CA1 pyramidal cells, incorporating a variety of active conductances, and investigated the ability of synapses located in different dendritic segments to elicit a somatic voltage response. Synaptic efficacy as seen by the soma was strongly dependent on the site of the synapse, with PP inputs being more severely attenuated than SC inputs. Variability within SC inputs, but not between SC inputs and PP inputs, could be eliminated by appropriate scaling of synaptic efficacy. The spatial and temporal summation of multiple synaptic inputs was also investigated. While summation of SC inputs was linear up to the somatic spike threshold, PP inputs summed in a strongly sublinear fashion, with the somatic response remaining subthreshold even following the simultaneous activation of a large number of synapses and during stimulation with high‐frequency trains. Finally, the relative impact of different pathways on somatic activity could be effectively altered by modulating the kinetic properties of dendritic transient K+ channels, corresponding to the activation of ascending modulatory neurotransmitter systems. In this case, the efficacy of the PP was enhanced by the dendritic generation and limited spread of action potentials. Strong PP activation could also evoke dendritic Ca++ spikes, which often triggered a somatic burst.
Income Distribution in East Asian Developing Countries: recent trends
Authors: Zin Ragayah Haji Mat
Published: October 2005

This paper updates estimates of the trends in income distribution in the eight countries of the developing East and Southeast Asian region. In the last update by Krongkaew (1994), inequality was found to be increasing in the newly industrialising economies of Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, while in the ASEAN−4 (with the exception of Thailand) it was declining. Since then, the region has undergone the East Asian financial crisis of 1997–98. Recent data indicate that income distribution in Hong Kong and Taiwan continues to improve. Income inequality in South Korea declined until 1993 but began to increase slowly until the crisis sharply widened the disparity. The evidence for Singapore is mixed, with one set of estimates showing a dip in inequality while another indicates a widening of income disparity during the crisis. The crisis had the immediate impact of improving income distribution in all the ASEAN–4 countries, mainly because of reductions in the income shares of the top income groups. Later data show that inequality has since risen in all of them, except for Malaysia (for which no recent data are available).
Innovating in higher education: contexts for change in learning technology
Authors: Hannan Andrew
Published: October 2005

This paper draws on three research projects (undertaken in 1997–99, 2002 and 2004–05) that have examined innovation in learning and teaching methods in UK higher education. The first two of these focused on such matters as departmental and institutional cultures and the factors that have either enabled or inhibited change. The third has begun to monitor the impact of the process of establishing Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The prospects for introducing innovations in teaching and learning in higher education are considered in relation to these wider contexts in terms of policies, structures and cultures.
Computers on wheels: an alternative to ‘each one has one’
Authors: Grant Michael M. , Ross Steven M. , Wang Weiping , Potter Allison
Published: October 2005

Four fifth‐grade classrooms embarked on a modified ubiquitous computing initiative in the fall of 2003. Two 15‐computer wireless laptop carts were shared among the four classrooms in an effort to integrate technology across the curriculum and affect change in student learning and teacher pedagogy. This initiative—in contrast to other one‐to‐one programmemess and stationary labs—offers public schools alternatives to budget constraints and instructional‐space overhead. Results indicate positive teacher technology competence and confidence, as well as instructional strategies that were student‐centred made meaningful uses of technology. Teacher technological knowledge and efficacy, pedagogical knowledge, and a supportive school community seem to be strong indicators for impacting technology integration in this context.
Urban Circulation and the Everyday Politics of African Urban Youth: The Case of Douala, Cameroon
Authors: SIMONE ABDOUMALIQ
Published: October 2005

Institutions across many cities in Africa lack sufficient authority to instil any overarching matrix of definitions and spatial framework capable of holding residents in stable articulations with infrastructure, territory and urban resources of all kinds. The resultant dispersion of ways of operating in cities does not necessarily mean that regularities are impossible to attain. Rather, an increasingly generalized practice of converting bodies, infrastructure and urban objects into mutltiplex and unstable uses can give rise to particular forms of sociality which in turn cultivate a certain flexibility in how highly volatile urban situations are appropriated and lived. By examining various modalities of circulation — through disparate spatial and symbolic economies — engaged in by youth in various situations and quarters in Douala, Cameroon, this article attempts to explore the elaboration of specific urban political practices. These practices are aimed at countering marginalization and reappropriating the city as a platform for more diverse engagements with a larger world.

Dans de nombreuses grandes villes d’Afrique, les institutions manquent de l’autorité suffisante pour faire naître une enveloppe de définitions et un cadre spatial capables d’assurer aux habitants des articulations stables avec une infrastructure, un territoire et des ressources urbaines de toutes sortes. Il en résulte une dispersion des modes opératoires dans les villes, ce qui n’interdit pas forcément toute forme de régularité. Au contraire, la conversion généralisée d’organismes, infrastructures et objets urbains en usages composites et instables fait naître des formes spécifiques de socialité qui elles‐mêmes nourrissent une certaine flexibilité dans la manière dont les habitants s’approprient et vivent des situations urbaines très volatiles. En étudiant plusieurs modalités de circulation‐via des économies symboliques et spatiales disparates — adoptées par les jeunes dans des situations et des quartiers variés de Douala (Cameroun), cet article tente d’explorer l’élaboration de pratiques politiques urbaines spécifiques. Ces dernières visent à combattre la marginalisation et à se réapproprier la ville en tant que scène d’engagements plus diversifiés avec un monde plus vaste.
Winning, then Losing, the Battle with Globalization: Vietnamese Petty Traders in Slovakia
Authors: WILLIAMS ALLAN M. , BALÁŽ VLADIMIR
Published: October 2005

This article addresses the remarkable growth of Vietnamese market trading in Central and Eastern Europe, notably Slovakia, in the early 1990s, and its subsequent decline. The literature on ethnic entrepreneurship and cross‐border petty trading provides partial insights into this phenomenon, but fails to explain the levels of concentration of the Vietnamese in market trading, or the rapid changes in this sector. We therefore conceptualize them as being at the nexus of shifting flows of capital, goods and people, and draw on the notion of transnational spaces.

L’article aborde le commerce du Vietnam en Europe centrale et de l’Est, notamment en Slovaquie, lequel a connu un remarquable essor au début des années 1990 suivi d’un déclin. Les travaux sur l’esprit d’entreprise ethnique et le petit commerce transfrontalier n’offrent qu’un éclairage partiel de ce phénomène, sans expliquer les niveaux de concentration des Vietnamiens dans le commerce ni les rapides transformations de ce secteur. L’article les conceptualise donc comme le cœur des flux changeants de capitaux, marchandises et populations en s’inspirant de la notion d’espaces transnationaux.
Coping with Urban Poverty: Changing Citizenship in Europe?
Authors: ABRAHAMSON PETER
Published: October 2005

The so‐called European Social Model consists of four distinctly different poverty regimes with diverse consequences for men and women. According to current political rhetoric these policy regimes are changing significantly everywhere, hence transforming the opportunities and challenges for men and women. This article discusses whether, and to what extent, the perceived changes have affected low‐income mothers in European urban settings. The data are drawn primarily from qualitative interviews with mothers of young children (under school age) in low‐income neighbourhoods in three middle‐size cities: Hochstätt in Mannheim (Germany), Le Breil in Nantes (France), and Tang Hall in York (UK). In each neighbourhood 20 mothers were interviewed during 1998 and 1999. For all four welfare regimes within the European Union, mothers and fathers have traditionally had very different roles within the family and varying opportunities to participate in the labour market. According to recent policy formulations this situation is changing. However, the changes are not reflected in the everyday life of poor citizens. Rather, the interviews revealed that business was as usual.

Ledit Modèle social européen se compose de quatre régimes de pauvreté distinctifs ayant des incidences diverses sur les hommes et les femmes. D’après le discours politique actuel, ces politiques changent partout considérablement, transformant les opportunités et défis que connaissent les hommes et les femmes. L’article étudie si, et dans quelle mesure, les évolutions perçues ont affecté les mères ayant de faibles revenus dans les cadres urbains européens. Les données émanent principalement d’entretiens qualitatifs avec des mères de jeunes enfants (en âge pré‐scolaire) habitant des quartiers économiquement faibles de trois villes moyennes: Hochstätt à Mannheim (Allemagne), Le Breil à Nantes (France) et Tang Hall à York (R‐U). Vingt mères de chaque quartier ont été interrogées courant 1998–:9. Selon les quatre régimes d’aide sociale relevant de l’Union européenne, les mères et les pères ont eu des rôles très différents au sein de la famille et des possibilités diverses de participer au marché du travail. D’après les dernières formules politiques, cette situation évolue. Pourtant, les changements sont invisibles dans la vie quotidienne des citoyens pauvres. Au contraire, les entretiens ont révélé que tout était comme avant.
The Socio‐spatial Conditions of the Open City: A Theoretical Sketch
Authors: IPSEN DETLEV
Published: October 2005

Without additional immigration of several million people over the next few decades, the demographic development of most European countries will lead to a considerable population decrease. Because such a reduction is neither desirable nor realistically possible, cities in particular will be the target of increasing immigration, and hence will undergo qualitative change. Today, there are large ethnic and cultural minorities in many German cities and suburbs; in the future, whole cities will become international, and suburbs will become ethnic‐cultural communities. This article presents a theory for the discussion on how such a change can be managed productively. The concept of the ‘open city’ is understood as both a risk and an opportunity. This article pleads for a socio‐culturally segregated division of urban space for the prevention of discrimination to be possible. The multitude of separate cultures must be supplemented by a ‘hyper‐culture’ in order to integrate the urban culture as a whole.

Sans l’apport de l’immigration de plusieurs millions de personnes au cours des prochaines décennies, l’évolution démographique de la plupart des pays d’Europe aboutira à une nette chute de population. Comme une telle diminution n’est ni souhaitable ni une réalité envisageable, les villes notamment vont être la cible d’une immigration croissante, donc subir des changements qualitatifs. Aujourd’hui, il existe d’importantes minorités ethniques et culturelles dans de nombreuses villes et banlieues allemandes: à l’avenir, la totalité des villes deviendront internationales et les banlieues se feront communautés ethno‐culturelles. Cet article présente une théorie comme base de discussion sur la manière de gérer ce changement de façon productive. Le concept de ‘ville ouverte’ est perçu à la fois comme un risque et une opportunité. L’article plaide pour une division socio‐culturelle de l’espace urbain comme moyen de prévention de la discrimination. La multitude de cultures distinctes doit être complétée d’une ‘hyper‐culture’ afin d’intégrer en bloc la culture urbaine.
Spaces of Difference: Reflections from Toronto on Multiculturalism, Bourgeois Urbanism and the Possibility of Radical Urban Politics
Authors: GOONEWARDENA KANISHKA , KIPFER STEFAN
Published: October 2005

What explains the lack of what Mike Davis famously called ‘magical urbanism’— referring to the increasingly influential and potentially radical role played by Latino immigrants in US politics — in such diverse Canadian cities as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver? This article points out how the Canadian legacy of multiculturalism constitutes one key cause of the failure of left urban politics in Canada to produce yet anything approaching the promise of ‘magical urbanism’ south of the border, especially by underlining how this bulwark of liberal ideology lends itself so readily to some resilient variations of bourgeois urbanism — including the commodification of difference, most recently under the auspices of Richard Florida's ‘creative class’. Against the pluralism of the food court and the shopping mall, both in its official multicultural and seemingly oppositional ‘hybrid’ forms, are radical approaches to difference in the city still possible — in Canada or elsewhere? The authors argue that the concepts of ‘maximal’ and ‘produced’ (vis‐à‐vis ‘minimal’ and ‘induced’) difference and the politics of ‘the right to the city’ elaborated by Henri Lefebvre — in conjunction with the reflections on subaltern experiences of difference by critics such as Himani Bannerji and Ambalavanar Sivanandan — indeed provide a starting point for radical urban politics.

Comment expliquer, dans des villes canadiennes aussi différentes que Toronto, Montréal ou Vancouver, l’absence de ce que Mike Davis a appelé‘l’urbanisme magique’ en parlant du rôle de plus en plus influent, voire radical, des immigrants latinoaméricain dans la politique des États‐unis? L’héritage canadien du multiculturalisme explique d’abord pourquoi la politique urbaine de gauche n’a encore rien pu produire au Canada qui s’approcherait de la promesse d’un ‘urbanisme magique’ comme au sud de la frontière. L’article souligne notamment comment ce rempart d’idéologie libérale se prête si facilement à quelques variantes résistantes d’urbanisme bourgeois, dont la banalisation de la différence, tout récemment sous les auspices de la ‘classe créative’ de Richard Florida. Face au pluralisme de l’aire de restauration et du centre commercial, tous deux sous des formes ‘hybrides’ multiculturelles et aparemment contradictoires, des approches radicales de la différence dans la ville sont‐elles encore possibles, au Canada ou ailleurs? Les concepts de différence ‘maximale’ et ‘produite’ (par opposition à‘minimale’ et ‘induite’) et la politique du ‘droit à la ville’ conçue par Henri Lefebvre — alliés aux réflexions sur des expériences de différence subalternes émanant de critiques tels que Himani Bannerji et Ambalavanar Sivanandan — offrent indubitablement un point de départ pour une politique urbaine radicale.
THE PROVENANCE AND PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY OF BRONZE AGE AND IRON AGE POTTERY FROM TELL MISHRIFEH/QATNA (SYRIA)*
Authors: MARITAN L. , MAZZOLI C. , MICHIELIN V. , BONACOSSI D. MORANDI , LUCIANI M. , MOLIN G.
Published: October 2005

This work deals with the archaeometric study of the Bronze Age and Iron Age pottery from Tell Mishrifeh/Qatna (central‐western Syria), where the complete cycle of ceramic production is well documented. Petrographic, chemical and diffractometric analyses were carried out on both potsherds and a clayey material found in a separation basin within the area of the workshops. Petrographic groups were defined and maximum firing temperatures and redox firing conditions were estimated, providing constraints on identifying the production technology and its evolution with time. The studied potsherds turned out to be locally produced, with only a few cases of possible similarities with those described for other localities along the Orontes Valley, and in a couple of cases with evidence of pottery exchange.
GLASS BY DESIGN? RAW MATERIALS, RECIPES AND COMPOSITIONAL DATA*
Authors: JACKSON C. M. , BOOTH C. A. , SMEDLEY J. W.
Published: October 2005

Compositional analyses of ancient and historic glasses have often been interpreted in terms of the use of specific raw materials in glass manufacture. However, the known inhomogeneity of many glass‐making raw materials and the insolubilities of some compounds make any explanation of compositional data problematic. This paper looks at three glass‐making alkalis with a view to understanding how the compositions of these raw materials are carried through to the final glass. The chemistry and variability of the raw materials are discussed, as is their contribution to the final glass composition. In addition, the choices and decisions made by glassmakers are acknowledged in the final glass compositions. This combination of factors addresses the complexity of predicting the use of specific raw materials from the finished glass composition.
ROMAN AND MEDIEVAL GLASS FROM THE ITALIAN AREA: BULK CHARACTERIZATION AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES*
Authors: SILVESTRI A. , MOLIN G. , SALVIULO G.
Published: October 2005

Compositional investigations were performed on 81 Roman and medieval glass fragments (first to 14th centuries ad) from four Italian archaeological sites. The samples were soda–lime–silica in composition, with natron as flux for the Roman and early medieval glass samples, and with plant ash as flux for the late medieval ones. The varying colours are due to the differing FeO, Fe

2

O

3

, MnO and Sb

2

O

3

contents. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified six compositional groups related to age, which were compared with those found in the literature. In this way, technological continuity from the Roman to the early medieval period and the appearance of plant ash technology in the ninth century, 200 years in advance of the period previously believed, are demonstrated.
MICROSTRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF EARLY WESTERN GREEK INCUSE COINS*
Authors: GIOVANNELLI G. , NATALI S. , BOZZINI B. , SICILIANO A. , SARCINELLI G. , VITALE R.
Published: October 2005

In this research, we studied the compositional, crystallographic and microstructural properties of a series of incuse silver didrachmae stemming from the Achaean colonies of Metapontum and Caulonia. In this paper, we address the following points: (i) the metal sources, (ii) the fabrication process and (iii) degradation phenomena, such as incrustation and embrittlement. In this investigation, we employed energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X‐ray diffractometry, and scanning electron and optical microscopies. The patina is mainly composed of chlorargirite. The coins consist of a silver‐rich alloy containing ∼ 1% of Au and Cu. Metallographic and local compositional analyses revealed a complex scenario of inclusions. In one instance, unalloyed copper grains, two‐phase copper/bismuth globuli and high‐bismuth filaments were observed. In other cases, globular Cu

2

S (chalcocite) inclusions were noticed. The presence of SiO

2

and iron oxide inclusions is ubiquitous in these samples. Distorted twin lines and strain lines can be detected, denoting work‐hardening of recrystallized flans. Grain polygonalization can occasionally be noticed, hinting at secondary recrystallization processes. The irregularly shaped iron oxide particles often act as crack initiation sites. Fracture facets are generally intergranular. On some areas, intergranular decohesion is also observed. Open cracks sometimes contain AgCl. The strain lines that can be noticed on the fracture surfaces indicate work‐hardening and residual microstructural deformation. Information regarding inclusions and the presence of significant amounts of gold can be tentatively used to address provenancing and fabrication issues.
THE ANALYSIS OF DYESTUFFS FROM FIRST‐ TO SECOND‐CENTURY TEXTILE ARTEFACTS FOUND IN THE MARTRES‐DE‐VEYRE (FRANCE) EXCAVATIONS*
Authors: NOWIK W. , DESROSIERS S. , SUROWIEC I. , TROJANOWICZ M.
Published: October 2005

A series of Gallo‐Roman clothes and miscellaneous textile fragments from the first and second centuries from the Martres‐de‐Veyre necropolis (Puy‐de‐Dôme, France) was investigated. The objects studied were excavated between 1851 and 1923, during successive rounds of archaeological work. Since that time, they have been conserved in the Barguin Museum at Clermont‐Ferrand. The target of our research was dye identification, as it gives very interesting and useful information regarding the ancient technology. This approach has until now not been considered to be relevant and, unfortunately, is not systematic. The analysis was carried out by high‐performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (HPLC–PDA). The small samples (threads up to 0.6 mg, less than 1 cm long) of coloured textile fibres were submitted to this technique. In one case, X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis was applied. According to the analysis, the dyeing sources proposed are the Rubiaceae family for red, a luteolin ‘base’ for yellow, ellagitannins for brown and indigo for blue colours. Several samples did not seem to contain any dye. We point out possible factors for the partial dye source determination: instrumental limits, sample size, low dyestuff content in analysed samples and the dyes’ decomposition during ageing. Some improvements of dye analysis in archaeological samples by separation techniques based on recent analytical instrumentation and combined approaches are proposed.
THE CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHY AND GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF AN ALLUVIAL GEOARCHIVE: COMPARATIVE OSL AND AMS14C DATING FROM GREECE*
Authors: FUCHS M. , WAGNER G. A.
Published: October 2005

The Basin of Phlious in southern Greece is known for its thick colluvial and alluvial deposits from the Holocene. It offers a good opportunity to reconstruct the history of Holocene soil erosion and its interaction with historical farming activities. In this study, we present new results based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating from the Basin of Phlious. The comparison between OSL and14C AMS ages shows good agreement, and demonstrates the need for the detection of insufficiently bleached OSL samples in order to obtain accurate results. The discovery of a Neolithic site, buried under thick alluvial deposits, confirms the hitherto postulated Neolithic human impact on the landscape.
Micromechanical Hardness of Strontium Tartrate Trihydrate Crystals
Authors: Arora S. K. , Patel Vipul , Kothari Anjana , Chudasama Bhupendra
Published: October 2005

The effect of load variation on the microhardness and microcracks of SrC4H4O6·3H2O (STT) single crystals has been studied. The crystals are grown by using a controlled chemical reaction in silica hydrogel medium. We confirm the applicability of Hays and Kendall's law. There is some anisotropy in the hardness observed on different faces. We show different types of cracking in the crystal during loading. Fracture toughness, brittleness index, and yield strength of the grown crystals have also been determined using the fracture mechanism.
Gas Release and Foam Formation During Melting and Fining of Glass
Authors: Beerkens Ruud G. C. , van der Schaaf John
Published: October 2005

A method for the prediction of gas evolution from a glass melt during fining processes has been described. This procedure is based on the assumption of thermodynamic equilibrium conditions between the species in the glass melt and co‐existing gas phases. The method has been applied to estimate (a) the onset temperature of fining and (b) the evolution of different gases from glass melts. Both are strongly dependent on water concentration in the melt, the temperature, and the content of fining agent (sulfates). Expressions for foam bubble lifetimes have been presented, and a combination of these equations with gas evolution rates has been used in a foam formation model. This model calculates the number of bubble layers on top of glass melts during secondary foaming (foam formation during fining). A key parameter for foam stability and the foam layer thickness is the mobility of the surfaces of the lamellae of the bubbles in the foam layers. The water content in the melt, sulfate concentration levels, heating rates, furnace atmospheres, and bubble sizes govern the glass melt foaming behavior.
Did the 1918–19 Influenza Pandemic Originate in China?
Authors: Langford Christopher
Published: October 2005

This article seeks to establish whether China, like most other countries, experienced an influenza outbreak in 1918–19 and to gauge its extent and severity. It evaluates the suggestion that the 1918–19 influenza virus originated in China and was carried to France by Chinese migrant workers during World War I. The investigation covers statistical and other materials for Hong Kong and Shanghai, nonstatistical materials for elsewhere in China, and British archival records relating to the recruitment and transportation to France of Chinese workers. Influenza was widespread in China in 1918–19, but, although severe in some parts, it was mild in many places compared with elsewhere in the world. The most plausible explanation is that the 1918–19 influenza virus, or a closely related precursor, had originated in China, so that many Chinese had prior exposure and hence some immunity. It is thus conceivable that Chinese workers en route to France would have carried the virus with them, leading to the pandemic.
Intended and Ideal Family Size in the United States, 1970–2002
Authors: Hagewen Kellie J. , Morgan S. Philip
Published: October 2005

Cross‐nationally, observed fertility is well below mean levels of reported ideal family size and also usually well below survey respondents' fertility desires and intentions. The United States is an exception. In this article we: (1) discuss the importance of fertility ideals and intentions for understanding observed fertility levels, (2) propose a model that can account for variable attitude‐behavior consistency, and (3) use this model as a framework to examine trends in American women's fertility ideals, intentions, and actual fertility. Our study uses data from the General Social Surveys and the Current Population Surveys. We ask whether preferences and intentions for moderate family sizes have eroded with time. The answer is remarkably clear: the dominant American ideals and intentions are for two or three children, and these preferences have persisted across the last three decades. The unusual aggregate correspondence between fertility intentions and behavior in the United States is explained by an apparent offsetting of factors that increase/decrease fertility relative to intentions.
Explaining Asia's “Missing Women”: A New Look at the Data
Authors: Gupta Monica Das
Published: October 2005

The fact that millions of females are “missing” in East Asia and South Asia has been attributed to cultural factors that support strong son preference in these countries. A widely disseminated paper by Emily Oster argues that a large part of this phenomenon can be attributed to excessively masculine sex ratios at birth resulting from maternal infection with hepatitis B. If her thesis is true, current policies to address this problem would need to be reframed to include biological factors in addition to cultural factors. The data show, however, that whether or not females “go missing” is determined by the existing sex composition of the family into which they are conceived. Girls with no older sisters have similar chances of survival as boys. However, girls conceived in families that already have a daughter experience steeply higher probabilities of being aborted or of dying in early childhood. This indicates that cultural factors still provide the overwhelming explanation for the “missing” females.
Estimates of Regional and Global Life Expectancy, 1800–2001
Authors: Riley James C.
Published: October 2005

Historians and demographers have gone to considerable trouble to reconstruct life expectancy in the past in individual countries. This overview collects information from a large body of that work and links estimates for historical populations to those provided by the United Nations, the World Bank, and other sources for 1950–2001. The result is a picture of regional and global life expectancy at birth for selected years from 1800 to 2001. The bibliography of more than 700 sources is published separately on the web.
Changes in the Quantum of Russian Fertility During the 1980s and Early 1990s
Authors: Barkalov Nicholas B.
Published: October 2005

To investigate whether Russia's dramatic fertility changes pre‐ and post‐Soviet times were due primarily to tempo effects, as has been argued recently, or to quantum effects, this study standardizes for factors that distort conventional fertility indexes. A time series spanning 1978–93 of period parity‐progression ratios for the Russian Federation is constructed applying the PADTFR technique, which takes into account age, parity, and time elapsed since the birth of the previous child, to data from the Russian micro census of February 1994 (2.8 million maternity histories). Both the fertility rise of the 1980s and the fertility fall of the early 1990s are found to be primarily due to changes in the probability of a second birth. The impact of tempo on the conventional TFR is significant, but of relatively minor magnitude in comparison to changes in the quantum of fertility. The social and economic context in which the fertility change took place is described.
Cultivating Men's Interest in Family Planning in Rural El Salvador
Authors: Lundgren Rebecka I. , Gribble James N. , Greene Margaret E. , Emrick Gail E. , de Monroy Margarita
Published: October 2005

A pilot project in rural El Salvador tested the integration of family planning into a water and sanitation program as a strategy for increasing male involvement in family planning decisionmaking and use. The organizations involved posited that integrating family planning into a resource management and community development project would facilitate male involvement by diffusing information, by referring men and women to services, and by expanding method choice to include the new Standard Days Method through networks established around issues men cared about and were already involved in. This article examines data from a community‐based household survey to assess the impact of the intervention and finds significant changes in contraceptive knowledge, attitudes, and behavior from baseline to endline. Because the differences between baseline and endline are greater than the differences between participants and nonparticipants at endline, the study demonstrates the power of informal networks for spreading information.
Evaluating Abortion‐care Programs: Old Challenges, New Directions
Authors: Benson Janie
Published: October 2005

The evaluation of abortion‐care programs and policies has been largely neglected by both national governments and international organizations. This article provides a conceptual framework for evaluating the intermediate outcomes of a safe abortion program, including laws and policies, women's care‐seeking behavior, and the quality of, access to, and use of services. The methodological challenges in evaluating these outcomes are described. For each outcome, key indicators for measuring progress in program implementation are offered, along with country examples of successful evaluation approaches. The article concludes with recommendations for improvements in infrastructure, resource availability, and political commitment to support evaluation of safe abortion programs.
The India Local Initiatives Program: A Model for Expanding Reproductive and Child Health Services
Authors: Paxman John M. , Sayeed Abu , Buxbaum Ann , Huber Sallie Craig , Stover Charles
Published: October 2005

The India Local Initiatives Program adapted a model used in Indonesia and Bangladesh to implement the government's reproductive and child health strategy. From 1999 to 2003, three Indian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) provided services for 784,000 people in four northern states. The program established health committees in 620 villages, recruited and trained 1,850 community health volunteers, and added 232 sites to extend government services. Using three strategies—demand creation, increased access to services, and local capacity building—the NGOs increased contraceptive‐use rates by 78 percent, on average; child immunizations by 67 percent; and antenatal care by 78 percent among the populations served. Community resources—such as local health personnel, community‐supplied clinic sites, and community drug funds—added 40 cents to every dollar provided by donors. This model proved to be a suitable platform upon which to build health‐care service delivery and create behavioral change, and the NGOs quickly found ways to sustain and expand services.
Field Experiences Integrating Family Planning into Programs to Prevent Mother‐to‐Child Transmission of HIV
Authors: Rutenberg Naomi , Baek Carolyn
Published: October 2005

This article reviews field experiences with provision of family planning services in prevention of mother‐to‐child transmission (PMTCT) programs in ten countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Family planning is a standard component of most antenatal care and maternal–child health programs within which PMTCT programs are offered. Yet PMTCT sites often miss opportunities to provide HIV‐positive clients with family planning counseling. Demand for family planning among HIV‐positive women varies depending on the extent of communities' openness about HIV/AIDS, fertility norms, and knowledge of PMTCT programs. In Kenya and Zambia, no differences were observed in use of contraceptives between HIV‐positive and HIV‐negative women in the study communities, but HIV‐positive women have more affirmative attitudes about condoms and use them significantly more frequently than do their HIV‐negative counterparts. In the Dominican Republic, India, and Thailand, where HIV prevalence is low and sterilization rates are high, HIV‐positive women are offered sterilization, which most women accept. This article draws out the policy implications of these findings and recommends that policies be based on respect for women's right to informed reproductive choice in the context of HIV/AIDS.
Separation of a cholesterol‐enriched microdomain involved in T‐cell signal transduction
Authors: Shimada Yukiko , Inomata Mitsushi , Suzuki Hidenori , Hayashi Masami , Abdul Waheed A. , Ohno‐Iwashita Yoshiko
Published: October 2005

We isolated a cholesterol‐enriched membrane subpopulation from the so‐called lipid raft fractions of Jurkat T‐cells by taking advantage of its selective binding to a cholesterol‐binding probe, BCθ. The BCθ‐bound membrane subpopulation has a much higher cholesterol/phospholipid (C/P) molar ratio (≈ 1.0) than the BCθ‐unbound population in raft fractions (≈ 0.3). It contains not only the raft markers GM1 and flotillin, but also some T‐cell receptor (TCR) signalling molecules, including Lck, Fyn and LAT. In addition, Csk and PAG, inhibitory molecules of the TCR signalling cascade, are also contained in the BCθ‐bound membranes. On the other hand, CD3ε, CD3ζ and Zap70 are localized in the BCθ‐unbound membranes, segregated from other TCR signalling molecules under nonstimulated conditions. However, upon stimulation of TCR, portions of CD3ε, CD3ζ and Zap70 are recruited to the BCθ‐bound membranes. The Triton X‐100 concentration used for lipid raft preparation affects neither the C/P ratio nor protein composition of the BCθ‐bound membranes. These results show that our method is useful for isolating a particular cholesterol‐rich membrane domain of T‐cells, which could be a core domain controlling the TCR signalling cascade.
Uptake of bilirubin into HepG2 cells assayed by thermal lens spectroscopy
Authors: Passamonti Sabina , Terdoslavich Michela , Margon Alja , Cocolo Alessandra , Medic Nevenka , Micali Fulvio , Decorti Giuliana , Franko Mladen
Published: October 2005

Bilitranslocase is a carrier protein localized at the basolateral domain of the hepatocyte plasma membrane. It transports various organic anions, including bromosulfophthalein and anthocyanins. Functional studies in subcellular fractions enriched in plasma membrane revealed a high‐affinity binding site for bilirubin, associated with bilitranslocase. The aim of this work was to test whether the liver uptake of bilirubin depends on the activity of bilitranslocase. To this purpose, an assay of bilirubin uptake into HepG2 cell cultures was set up. The transport assay medium contained bilirubin at a concentration of ≈ 50 nm in the absence of albumin. To analyse the relative changes in bilirubin concentration in the medium throughout the uptake experiment, a highly sensitive thermal lens spectrometry method was used. The mechanism of bilirubin uptake into HepG2 cells was investigated by using inhibitors such as anti‐sequence bilitranslocase antibodies, the protein‐modifying reagent phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride and diverse organic anions, including nicotinic acid, taurocholate and digoxin. To validate the assay further, both bromosulfophthalein and indocyanine green uptake in HepG2 cells was also characterized. The results obtained show that bilitranslocase is a carrier with specificity for both bilirubin and bromosulfophthalein, but not for indocyanine green.
Mammalian initiator apoptotic caspases
Authors: Ho Po‐ki , Hawkins Christine J.
Published: October 2005

Caspases are a conserved family of cysteine proteases. They play diverse roles in inflammatory responses and apoptotic pathways. Among the caspases is a subgroup whose primary function is to initiate apoptosis. Within their long prodomains, caspases‐2, ‐9 and ‐12 contain a caspase activation and recruitment domain while caspases‐8 and ‐10 bear death effector domains. Activation follows the recruitment of the procaspase molecule via the prodomain to a high molecular mass complex. Despite sharing some common features, other aspects of the biochemistry, substrate specificity, regulation and signaling mechanisms differ between initiator apoptotic caspases. Defects in expression or activity of these caspases are related to certain pathological conditions including neurodegenerative disorders, autoimmune diseases and cancer.
Molecular gas in irradiated protoplanetary discs
Authors: Greaves J. S.
Published: October 2005

Gas discs around young stars typically disappear after a few Myr and it has been suggested that the discs are internally photoevaporated, but the stellar ultraviolet and X-ray radiation appears insufficient for this mechanism to work. Archival data are used to search for any relation between X-ray luminosity and gas in the disc (traced by 13CO molecules) for isolated young stars in Taurus. A significant correlation is found in that more irradiation increases the amount of 13CO, rather than dispersing the disc. Since high dust masses and accretion rates do not boost the X-ray luminosities, feeding of the radiation by the disc can be ruled out. It is more plausible that energetic photons are releasing molecules that would otherwise be frozen onto dust grains. In this case, estimates of disc mass using a canonical CO:H2 ratio are unrealistic. However, the mass released in CO molecules could contribute to building a belt of icy comets similar to the Sun's Kuiper Belt.
Oscillations of rotating bodies: a self-adjoint formalism applied to dynamic tides and tidal capture
Authors: Papaloizou J. C. B. , Ivanov P. B.
Published: October 2005

We consider the excitation of the inertial modes of a uniformly rotating fully convective body due to a close encounter with another object. This could lead to a tidal capture or orbital circularization depending on whether the initial orbit is unbound or highly eccentric. We develop a general self-adjoint formalism for the response problem and thus solve it taking into account the inertial modes with m= 2 for a full polytrope with n= 1.5. We are accordingly able to show in this case that the excitation of inertial modes dominates the response for large impact parameters and thus cannot be neglected in calculations of tidal energy and angular momentum exchange or orbital circularization from large eccentricity.
Manipulating Processing Difficulty of Reading Comprehension Questions: The Feasibility of Verbal Item Generation
Authors: Gorin Joanna S.
Published: October 2005

Based on a previously validated cognitive processing model of reading comprehension, this study experimentally examines potential generative components of text‐based multiple‐choice reading comprehension test questions. Previous research (Embretson & Wetzel, 1987; Gorin & Embretson, 2005; Sheehan & Ginther, 2001) shows text encoding and decision processes account for significant proportions of variance in item difficulties. In the current study, Linear Logistic Latent Trait Model (LLTM; Fischer, 1973) parameter estimates of experimentally manipulated items are examined to further verify the impact of encoding and decision processes on item difficulty. Results show that manipulation of some passage features, such as increased use of negative wording, significantly increases item difficulty in some cases, whereas others, such as altering the order of information presentation in a passage, did not significantly affect item difficulty, but did affect reaction time. These results suggest that reliable changes in difficulty and response time through algorithmic manipulation of certain task features is feasible. However, non‐significant results for several manipulations highlight potential challenges to item generation in establishing direct links between theoretically relevant item features and individual item processing. Further examination of these relationships will be informative to item writers as well as test developers interested in the feasibility of item generation as an assessment tool.
Assessing Fit of Unidimensional Item Response Theory Models Using a Bayesian Approach
Authors: Sinharay Sandip
Published: October 2005

Even though Bayesian estimation has recently become quite popular in item response theory (IRT), there is a lack of works on model checking from a Bayesian perspective. This paper applies the posterior predictive model checking (PPMC) method (Guttman, 1967;Rubin, 1984), a popular Bayesian model checking tool, to a number of real applications of unidimensional IRT models. The applications demonstrate how to exploit the flexibility of the posterior predictive checks to meet the need of the researcher. This paper also examines practical consequences of misfit, an area often ignored in educational measurement literature while assessing model fit.
Supporting Negotiations in the Early Stage of Large-Scale Mechanical
System Design
Authors: Ge Ping , Lu Stephen C.-Y. , Bukkapatnam Satish T.S.
Published: October 2005

The development of large-scale mechanical systems involves interactive negotiations among nontechnical and technical design stakeholders. Usually, two types of negotiations exist: (i) those between the nontechnical stakeholders and technical stakeholders with responsibilities for the overall system, such as chief system design engineers and project managers; and (ii) those within the design engineering groups who are responsible for design tasks at different system hierarchical levels, i.e., system, subsystem, and component. This paper addresses the interactive negotiations among the design engineering groups. A direct synthesis (DS) method was developed to support the negotiations by combining adaptive and interactive modeling system based surrogate modeling with a set-based “zoom-in” approach. A vehicle frontal structural system design example is used to demonstrate how to apply the DS method in industrial practice. The preliminary results show that DS has the potential to support the fast synthesis of robust design alternatives that satisfy performance requirements at the system, subsystem, and component level.