bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Success of Urban Success Stories
Authors: Wolman Harold L. , Cook Ford Coit , Hill Edward
Published: October 2006

Arresting and reversing the condition of urban distress in America's cities represents one of the most challenging and perplexing problems confronting policy-makers. Indeed, urban distress in American cities has proved to be a stubborn and largely intractable phenomenon during the past two decades. Nevertheless, a number of cities that were experiencing distress at the beginning of the 1980s are now being acclaimed as 'urban success stories' or 'revitalised' cities. We evaluate the performance, between 1980 and 1990, of these supposedly 'revitalised' cities on objective indicators of the economic well-being of their residents and compare their performance to that other cities that were equally distressed in 1980. We conclude that with the exception of Atlanta, Baltimore and Boston, the purportedly 'revitalised' cities performed no better with respect to change in the economic well-being of their residents than did other cities that were equally distressed in 1980—and in many cases performed worse.
Modes of Regulation and the Urban Poor
Authors: Kennett Patricia
Published: October 2006

Within the framework of regulation theory, this paper attempts to link transformations in the social, economic and political spheres of older industrial nations, to the processes of exclusion occurring in western European cities. The focus is on housing as a central element of the post-war mode of development and homelessness as the most extreme form of social exclusion. This paper will concentrate on developments in Britain and Germany and will emphasise the divergent patterns of regulation which have emerged in both countries. It will attempt to identify the nature of a transition in the capitalist mode of regulation, and to highlight the development of housing and new forms of social stratification within an increasingly fragmented society.
Towards a Copenhagen Interpretation of Gentrification
Authors: Clark Eric
Published: October 2006

In the social sciences, and particularly in gentrification research, there seems to be a persistent fascination with, and an urge to pursue a course towards synthesising, integrating or uniting very different approaches into a single comprehensive explanation. One concept often raised in this context is complementarity (associated with Bohr's 'Copenhagen interpretation' of quantum mechanics), though usually in an unreflective and uncritical manner. The purposes of this paper are to outline the concept of complementarity; to clarify what we should be careful not to ascribe to the concept; and to provide a rough sketch of what a Copenhagen interpretation of gentrification would involve. It is argued that while it is a worthy task to strive for integration and synthesis in comprehensive thick descriptions, we will have to accept that the theoretical bases for our understanding of various aspects included in these studies may not be so easy to unite into one unambiguous and internally consistent theoretical construct.
Local Urban Restructuring as a Mirror of Globalisation Processes: Prague in the 1990s
Authors: Sýkora Luděk
Published: October 2006

This paper argues that Prague is rapidly becoming a standard Western city considerably shaped by forces of contemporary global capitalism. The impact of global forces on local urban restructuring in Prague is enabled by system transformations, which form the backbone of a government-directed transition to market economy. The system transformations, such as public management deregulation, privatisation processes and liberalisation of prices, have already set 'new rules of the game', have reallocated resources and power, and thus have created the necessary pre-conditions for the next phase of transition. Secondary transformations in the urban environment, such as the struggle for command over space, local labour market restructuring and the emergence of new consumption landscapes, have serious implications for geographically uneven development and the recomposition of urban form. Consequently, the time-space compression, which links Czechs with the Western world, has had highly differentiated impacts on various social groups. In conclusion it is argued that the contemporary transition should be viewed as internal transformations within the project of modernity, and the regulation theory approach is employed to shed light on links between transition in the Czech Republic and contemporary restructuring in the Western world.
Can Local Incentives Alter a Metropolitan City's Economic Development?
Authors: Wassmer Robert W.
Published: October 2006

Cities in the US and Europe have chosen increasingly to offer incentives designed to attract and retain local economic development. The increased use of local incentives has occurred with little or no empirical test of their effectiveness. This paper contains a statistical method that can be applied to any group of cities to measure the 'additive effect', or lack of it, that incentives exert on local economic development. Regression analysis applied to cities in the Detroit metropolitan area indicates that incentive efficacy depends on city-specific characteristics and how economic development is measured. Although there are situations where incentive offers exert an additive effect on local economic development, in a majority of situations this is not the outcome.
Partnership in Urban Regeneration in the UK: The Sheffield Central Area Study
Authors: Lawless Paul
Published: October 2006

During the later 1980s, support for public-private sector partnerships came to the fore in British urban policy. This paper explores one particular manifestation of partnership in an English provincial city, the Sheffield Central Area Study, within the context of growth coalition and regime theories. Analysis of agendas adopted by partners and questions of power, suggests that existing theories do not satisfactorily account for experience within partnerships. In particular, in the British context, conceptualisations of partnership need to embrace questions such as the relatively strong position of local government and its professionalised bureaucracy, and the commensurately weaker status of the business community in general and landowners in particular.
A New Look at the Determinants of the Intrametropolitan Distribution of Population and Employment
Authors: Levemier William , Cushing Brian
Published: October 2006

The intrametropolitan distribution of population and employment is a topic of considerable interest due to its implications for urban development. We develop an econometric model relating these distributions to a variety of factors. Using several unique explanatory variables and allowing for multiple suburban jurisdictions enable us to model better the spatial aspects of a metropolitan area. We find that housing cost and quality are the most important determinants of the population distribution, which is the most important determinant of the employment distribution; however, causation between population and employment runs both ways. Spatial factors, including transport infrastructure, play an important role in metropolitan development. The importance of various factors differs between manufacturing and non-manufacturing employment and between the white and non-white populations.
Reducing Inequality by Means of Neighbourhood Rehabilitation: An Israeli Experiment and its Lessons
Authors: Carmon Naomi , Baron Mira
Published: October 2006

Project Renewal, a national programme for social and physical rehabilitation of distressed neighbourhoods, was aimed at reducing inequalities in Israeli society. This study analyses the influence of Project Renewal on the status of its target neighbourhoods, by means of a before-and-after comparison of these areas with matched control neighbourhoods. An extensive analysis of the characteristics of veteran residents, in-migrants, and out-migrants ( 200 000 households) shows that improving service provision in poor areas is not sufficient to change their status. Renovated housing and improved social services are valuable, but a neighbourhood status and its attractiveness are determined more by its reputation as a place for higher-status households than by the services it offers. Adding new housing to the old neighbourhood, after improving its services, seems to be the required breakthrough, given that the new residents are moderately better-off than the veterans. The final discussion puts the results of this and former studies of Project Renewal in a general context of welfare policy.
Modelling Worker Residence Distribution in the Los Angeles Region
Authors: Song Shunfeng
Published: October 2006

This paper examines the spatial pattern of worker residences with three different density functions: monocentric, polycentric and dispersive. Analysis of the 1980 journey-to-work census data for the Los Angeles region reveals that the polycentric density function statistically explains the actual distribution better than the monocentric density function, but the dispersive density function fits best. These findings confirm a polycentric spatial pattern, and also imply that overall accessibility to employment opportunities is the primary determinant of residential location choices.
Ionic Mechanisms of Cardiac Cell Swelling Induced by Blocking Na+/K+ Pump As Revealed by Experiments and Simulation
Authors: Takeuchi Ayako , Tatsumi Shuji , Sarai Nobuaki , Terashima Keisuke , Matsuoka Satoshi , Noma Akinori
Published: October 2006

Although the Na+/K+ pump is one of the key mechanisms responsible for maintaining cell volume, we have observed experimentally that cell volume remained almost constant during 90 min exposure of guinea pig ventricular myocytes to ouabain. Simulation of this finding using a comprehensive cardiac cell model (Kyoto model incorporating Cl− and water fluxes) predicted roles for the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) and Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, in addition to low membrane permeabilities for Na+ and Cl−, in maintaining cell volume. PMCA might help maintain the [Ca2+] gradient across the membrane though compromised, and thereby promote reverse Na+/Ca2+ exchange stimulated by the increased [Na+]i as well as the membrane depolarization. Na+ extrusion via Na+/Ca2+ exchange delayed cell swelling during Na+/K+ pump block. Supporting these model predictions, we observed ventricular cell swelling after blocking Na+/Ca2+ exchange with KB-R7943 or SEA0400 in the presence of ouabain. When Cl− conductance via the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) was activated with isoproterenol during the ouabain treatment, cells showed an initial shrinkage to 94.2 ± 0.5%, followed by a marked swelling 52.0 ± 4.9 min after drug application. Concomitantly with the onset of swelling, a rapid jump of membrane potential was observed. These experimental observations could be reproduced well by the model simulations. Namely, the Cl− efflux via CFTR accompanied by a concomitant cation efflux caused the initial volume decrease. Then, the gradual membrane depolarization induced by the Na+/K+ pump block activated the window current of the L-type Ca2+ current, which increased [Ca2+]i. Finally, the activation of Ca2+-dependent cation conductance induced the jump of membrane potential, and the rapid accumulation of intracellular Na+ accompanied by the Cl− influx via CFTR, resulting in the cell swelling. The pivotal role of L-type Ca2+ channels predicted in the simulation was demonstrated in experiments, where blocking Ca2+ channels resulted in a much delayed cell swelling.
TB-infected deer are more closely related than non-infected deer
Authors: Blanchong Julie A , Scribner Kim T , Kravchenko Alexandra N , Winterstein Scott R
Published: October 2006

Identifying mechanisms of pathogen transmission is critical to controlling disease. Social organization should influence contacts among individuals and thus the distribution and spread of disease within a population. Molecular genetic markers can be used to elucidate mechanisms of disease transmission in wildlife populations without undertaking detailed observational studies to determine probable contact rates. Estimates of genealogical relationships within a bovine tuberculosis-infected white-tailed deer (
Odocoileus virginianus
) population indicated that infected deer were significantly more closely related than non-infected deer suggesting that contact within family groups was a significant mechanism of disease transmission. Results demonstrate that epidemiological models should incorporate aspects of host ecology likely to affect the probability of disease transmission.
Global phylogeographic limits of Hawaii's avian malaria
Authors: Beadell Jon S , Ishtiaq Farah , Covas Rita , Melo Martim , Warren Ben H , Atkinson Carter T , Bensch Staffan , Graves Gary R , Jhala Yadvendradev V , Peirce Mike A , Rahmani Asad R , Fonseca Dina M , Fleischer Robert C
Published: October 2006

The introduction of avian malaria (
Plasmodium relictum
) to Hawaii has provided a model system for studying the influence of exotic disease on naive host populations. Little is known, however, about the origin or the genetic variation of Hawaii's malaria and traditional classification methods have confounded attempts to place the parasite within a global ecological and evolutionary context. Using fragments of the parasite mitochondrial gene cytochrome
b
and the nuclear gene dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase obtained from a global survey of greater than 13 000 avian samples, we show that Hawaii's avian malaria, which can cause high mortality and is a major limiting factor for many species of native passerines, represents just one of the numerous lineages composing the morphological parasite species. The single parasite lineage detected in Hawaii exhibits a broad host distribution worldwide and is dominant on several other remote oceanic islands, including Bermuda and Moorea, French Polynesia. The rarity of this lineage in the continental New World and the restriction of closely related lineages to the Old World suggest limitations to the transmission of reproductively isolated parasite groups within the morphological species.
Climate change and outbreaks of amphibian chytridiomycosis in a montane area of Central Spain; is there a link?
Authors: Bosch Jaime , Carrascal Luís M , Durán Luis , Walker Susan , Fisher Matthew C
Published: October 2006

Amphibian species are declining at an alarming rate on a global scale in large part owing to an infectious disease caused by the chytridiomycete fungus,
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
. This disease of amphibians has recently emerged within Europe, but knowledge of its effects on amphibian assemblages remains poor. Importantly, little is known about the environmental envelope that is associated with chytridiomycosis in Europe and the potential for climate change to drive future disease dynamics. Here, we use long-term observations on amphibian population dynamics in the Peñalara Natural Park, Spain, to investigate the link between climate change and chytridiomycosis. Our analysis shows a significant association between change in local climatic variables and the occurrence of chytridiomycosis within this region. Specifically, we show that rising temperature is linked to the occurrence of chytrid-related disease, consistent with the chytrid-thermal-optimum hypothesis. We show that these local variables are driven by general circulation patterns, principally the North Atlantic Oscillation. Given that
B. dendrobatidis
is known to be broadly distributed across Europe, there is now an urgent need to assess the generality of our finding and determine whether climate-driven epidemics may be expected to impact on amphibian species across the wider region.
The arginine regulon of Escherichia coli: whole-system transcriptome analysis discovers new genes and provides an integrated view of arginine regulation
Authors: Caldara Marina , Charlier Daniel , Cunin Raymond
Published: October 2006

Analysis of the response to arginine of theEscherichia coliK-12 transcriptome by microarray hybridization and real-time quantitative PCR provides the first coherent quantitative picture of the ArgR-mediated repression of arginine biosynthesis and uptake genes. Transcriptional repression was shown to be the major control mechanism of the biosynthetic genes, leaving only limited room for additional transcriptional or post-transcriptional regulation. Theartgenes, encoding the specific arginine uptake system, are subject to ArgR-mediated repression, with strong repression ofartJ, encoding the periplasmic binding protein of the system. ThehisJQMPgenes of the histidine transporter (part of the lysine-arginine-ornithine uptake system) were discovered to be a part of the arginine regulon. Analysis of their control region with reporter gene fusions and electrophoretic mobility shift in the presence of pure ArgR repressor showed the involvement in repression of the ArgR protein and an ARG box 120 bp upstream ofhisJ. No repression of the genes of the third uptake system, arginine-ornithine, was observed. Finally, comparison of the time course of arginine repression of gene transcription with the evolution of the specific activities of the cognate enzymes showed that while full genetic repression was achieved 2 min after arginine addition, enzyme concentrations were diluted at the rate of cell division. This emphasizes the importance of feedback inhibition of the first enzymic step in the pathway in controlling the metabolic flow through biosynthesis in the period following the onset of repression.
Contribution of the SirA regulon to biofilm formation in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium
Authors: Teplitski Max , Al-Agely Ali , Ahmer Brian M. M.
Published: October 2006

Orthologues of the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. typhimurium) BarA/SirA two-component system are important for biofilm formation and virulence in many γ-Proteobacteria. In S. typhimurium, SirA activates the csrB and csrC carbon storage regulatory RNAs and the virulence gene regulators hilA and hilC. The regulatory RNAs antagonize the activity of the CsrA protein, allowing translation of those same virulence genes, and inhibiting the translation of flagellar genes. In this report, it was determined that SirA and the Csr system also control the fim operon that encodes type 1 fimbriae. sirA orthologues in other bacterial species, and the fim operon of S. typhimurium, are known to play a role in biofilm formation; therefore, all members of the S. typhimurium sirA regulon were tested for in vitro biofilm production. A sirA mutant, a csrB csrC double mutant, and a fimI mutant, were all defective in biofilm formation. Conversely, inactivation of flhDC increased biofilm formation. Therefore, SirA activates csrB, csrC and the fim operon to promote biofilm formation. In turn, csrB and csrC promote the translation of the fim operon, while at the same time inhibiting the translation of flagella, which are inhibitory to biofilm formation.
The NapF protein of the Escherichia coli periplasmic nitrate reductase system: demonstration of a cytoplasmic location and interaction with the catalytic subunit, NapA
Authors: Nilavongse Arjaree , Brondijk T. Harma C. , Overton Tim W. , Richardson David J. , Leach Emily R. , Cole Jeffrey A.
Published: October 2006

The periplasmic nitrate reductase ofEscherichia coliis important during anaerobic growth in low-nitrate environments. Thenapoperon encoding this nitrate reductase comprises seven genes including a gene,napF, that encodes a putative cytoplasmic iron–sulphur protein of uncertain subcellular location and function. In this study, N-terminal sequence analysis, cell fractionation coupled with immunoblotting and construction of LacZ and PhoA fusion proteins were used together to establish that NapF is located in theE. colicytoplasm. A bacterial two-hybrid protein–protein interaction system was used to demonstrate that NapF interacted in the cytoplasm with the terminal oxidoreductase NapA, but that it did not self-associate or interact with other electron-transport components of the Nap system, NapC, NapG or NapH, or with another cytoplasmic component, NapD. NapF, purified as a His6-tagged protein, exhibited spectral properties characteristic of an iron–sulphur protein. This protein was able to pull down NapA from soluble extracts ofE. coli. A growth-based assay for NapF function in intact cell cultures was developed and applied to assess the effect of mutation of a number of conserved amino acids. It emerged that neither a highly conserved N-terminal double-arginine motif, nor a conserved proline motif, is essential for NapF-dependent growth. The combined data indicate that NapF plays one or more currently unidentified roles in the post-translational modification of NapA prior to the export of folded NapA via the twin-arginine translocation pathway into the periplasm.
Identification of critical amino acid residues in the plague biofilm Hms proteins
Authors: Forman Stanislav , Bobrov Alexander G. , Kirillina Olga , Craig Susannah K. , Abney Jennifer , Fetherston Jacqueline D. , Perry Robert D.
Published: October 2006

Yersinia pestisbiofilm formation causes massive adsorption of haemin or Congo redin vitroas well as colonization and eventual blockage of the flea proventriculusin vivo. This blockage allows effective transmission of plague from some fleas, like the oriental rat flea, to mammals. Four Hms proteins, HmsH, HmsF, HmsR and HmsS, are essential for biofilm formation, with HmsT and HmsP acting as positive and negative regulators, respectively. HmsH has aβ-barrel structure with a large periplasmic domain while HmsF possesses polysaccharide deacetylase and COG1649 domains. HmsR is a putative glycosyltransferase while HmsS has no recognized domains. In this study, specific amino acids within conserved domains or within regions of high similarity in HmsH, HmsF, HmsR and HmsS proteins were selected for site-directed mutagenesis. Some but not all of the substitutions in HmsS and within the periplasmic domain of HmsH were critical for protein function. Substitutions within the glycosyltransferase domain of HmsR and the deacetylase domain of HmsF abolished biofilm formation inY. pestis. Surprisingly, substitution of highly conserved residues within COG1649 did not affect HmsF function.
Ad‐optimal designed population pharmacokinetic study of oral itraconazole in adult cystic fibrosis patients
Authors: Hennig Stefanie , Waterhouse Timothy H. , Bell Scott C. , France Megan , Wainwright Claire E. , Miller Hugh , Charles Bruce G. , Duffull Stephen B.
Published: October 2006

What is already known about this subject

• Itraconazole is a triazole antifungal used in the treatment of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

• The pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of this drug and its active metabolite have been described before, mostly in healthy volunteers.

• However, only sparse information from case reports were available of the PK properties of this drug in CF patients at the start of our study.

What this study adds

• This study reports for the first time the population pharmacokinetic properties of itraconazole and a known active metabolite, hydroxy‐itraconazole in adult patients with CF.

• As a result, this study offers new dosing approaches and their pharmacoeconomic impact as well as a PK model for therapeutic drug monitoring of this drug in this patient group.

• Furthermore, it is an example of a successfuld‐optimal design application in a clinical setting.

Aim

The primary objective of the study was to estimate the population pharmacokinetic parameters for itraconazole and hydroxy‐itraconazole, in particular, the relative oral bioavailability of the capsule compared with solution in adult cystic fibrosis patients, in order to develop new dosing guidelines. A secondary objective was to evaluate the performance of a population optimal design.

Methods

The blood sampling times for the population study were optimized previously using POPT v.2.0. The design was based on the administration of solution and capsules to 30 patients in a cross‐over study. Prior information suggested that itraconazole is generally well described by a two‐compartment disposition model with either linear or saturable elimination. The pharmacokinetics of itraconazole and the metabolite were modelled simultaneously using NONMEM. Dosing schedules were simulated to assess their ability to achieve a trough target concentration of 0.5 mg ml−1.

Results

Out of 241 blood samples, 94% were taken within the defined optimal sampling windows. A two‐compartment model with first order absorption and elimination best described itraconazole kinetics, with first order metabolism to the hydroxy‐metabolite. For itraconazole the absorption rate constants (between‐subject variability) for capsule and solution were 0.0315 h−1(91.9%) and 0.125 h−1(106.3%), respectively, and the relative bioavailability of the capsule was 0.82 (62.3%) (confidence interval 0.36, 1.97), compared with the solution. There was no evidence of nonlinearity. Simulations from the final model showed that a dosing schedule of 500 mg twice daily for both formulations provided the highest chance of target success.

Conclusion

The optimal design performed well and the pharmacokinetics of itraconazole and hydroxy‐itraconazole were described adequately by the model. The relative bioavailability for itraconazole capsules was 82% compared with the solution.
Holocene global warming and the origin of the Neotropical Gran Sabana in the Venezuelan Guayana
Authors: Rull Valentí
Published: October 2006

Aim  The assumedly anomalous occurrence of savannas and forest–savanna mosaics in the Gran Sabana – a neotropical region under a climate more suitable for tropical rain forests – has been attributed to a variety of historical, climatic, and anthropogenic factors. This paper describes a previously undocumented shift in vegetation and climate that occurred during the early Holocene, and evaluates its significance for the understanding of the origin of the Gran Sabana vegetation.

Location  A treeless savanna locality of the Gran Sabana (4°30′–6°45′ N and 60°34′–62°50′ W), in the Venezuelan Guayana of northern South America, at the headwaters of the Caroní river, one of the major tributaries of the Orinoco river.

Methods  Pollen and charcoal analysis of a previously dated peat section spanning from about the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary until the present.

Results  Mesothermic cloud forests dominated by Catostemma (Bombacaceae) occupied the site around the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary. During the early Holocene, a progressive but relatively rapid trend towards savanna vegetation occurred, and eventually the former cloud forests were replaced by a treeless savanna. Some time after the establishment of savannas, a marked increase in charcoal particles indicates the occurrence of the first local fires.

Main conclusions  The occurrence of cloud forests at the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary contradicts the historical hypothesis according to which the Gran Sabana is a relict of the hypothetical widespread savannas that have been assumed to have dominated the region during the last glaciation. The first local fires recorded in the Holocene were on savanna vegetation, which is against the hypothesis of fire as the triggering factor for the establishment of these savannas. Climate change, in the form of global warming and a persistently drier climate, emerges as the most probable cause for the forest–savanna turnover.
Assessing health worker performance in malaria case management of underfives at health facilities in a rural Tanzanian district
Authors: Eriksen J. , Tomson G. , Mujinja P. , Warsame M. Y. , Jahn A. , Gustafsson L. L.
Published: October 2006

Objective  To study the quality of malaria case management of underfives at health facilities in a rural district, 2 years after the Tanzanian malaria treatment policy change in 2001.

Methods  Consultations of 117 sick underfives by 12 health workers at 8 health facilities in Mkuranga District, Tanzania were observed using checklists for history taking, counselling and prescription. Diagnoses and treatment were recorded. Exit interviews were performed with all mothers/guardians and blood samples taken from the underfives for the detection of malaria parasites and antimalarial drugs. Quality of care was measured using indicators adopted from the integrated management of childhood illnesses multi‐country evaluation.

Results  Quality of care measured by indicator scores averaged 31% of what was considered optimal. The poorest results were for history taking. Nevertheless, 89% of febrile children were treated with antimalarials, in line with national guidelines for fever treatment. Of these, 61% had a parasitaemia ≥2000/μl. There was no difference in treatment given to those with parasitological malaria compared with those without parasites. Pre‐treatment levels of chloroquine and sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine were low and detected in 2% and 13%, respectively.

Conclusion  Although most febrile children were given antimalarial treatment, quality of care in terms of history taking and counselling was sub‐optimal. Despite this, the study community had changed behaviour from self‐treatment to seeking care at health facilities. This is encouraging for introduction of artemisinin‐based combination therapies policies as one could focus resources into improving care at health facilities and still reach out with treatment to most febrile children.
Facilitating interpersonal evaluation of knowledge in a context of distributed team collaboration
Authors: Leinonen Piritta , Järvelä Sanna
Published: October 2006

This study investigates how distributed team members evaluate their own and others’ knowledge when they engage in goal‐directed activities and seek shared understanding. Twenty‐three manager‐level employees of a municipal organisation worked as two distributed teams for two months. Their work was supported with a visualisation tool, which was embedded in the teams’ shared www‐based workspaces. After the distributed working period, the subjects were interviewed and their work in the shared workspace was traced. Qualitative analysis of the interviews showed that, in distributed collaboration, individuals use both self‐evaluation and interpersonal evaluation strategies when trying to gain an awareness of others’ knowledge. The interpersonal evaluations included strategies such as assessing the expertise and knowledge of others. It is concluded that when individuals do not have situational information, eg, what others think about the content of the shared task, they tend to make personal attributions. In other words, their evaluations of the others’ knowledge focus on stable tendencies like the expertise of other individuals.
The impact of membership of a virtual learning community on individual learning careers and professional identity
Authors: Allan Barbara , Lewis Dina
Published: October 2006

This study takes a relatively new direction in researching virtual learning communities (VLCs) as it explores the ways in which VLC membership can support lifelong learning and impact on individual learning careers and professional identities beyond the life of the community. The case study spans 4 years. The findings suggest that through the process of engaging in a VLC, individuals may change their ‘horizons of action’ leading to new learning and career trajectories. In particular, the study demonstrates how membership of a VLC supported and enabled some individuals to transform their learning careers and to make significant life changes. Other members developed their learning careers in an incremental manner that led to increased innovation and professional expertise. The findings suggest that VLCs are successful in supporting individual change and career development when they provide the ‘comfort zone’ of a secure and supportive virtual environment.
An unfinished symphony: 21st century teacher education using knowledge creating heutagogies
Authors: Ashton Jean , Newman Linda
Published: October 2006

Globalisation has changed the way most people live, work and study in the 21st century. Teachers and teacher educators, like other professionals, must embrace these changes to be effective in their jobs and one ongoing change is the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) for lifelong learning. In this paper we describe how one group of academics in a university programme preparing new teachers has embraced change to introduce innovative programmes using ICTs and heutagogy rather than pedagogy. Heutagogy prepares students for the self‐determined lifelong learning which is essential for survival in a 21st century world.
Knowledge matchmaking in Learning Networks: Alleviating the tutor load by mutually connecting Learning Network users
Authors: Rosmalen Peter van , Sloep Peter , Brouns Francis , Kester Liesbeth , Koné Malik , Koper Rob
Published: October 2006

Tutors have only limited time to support the learning process. In this paper, we introduced a model that helps answer the questions of students. The model invoked the knowledge and skills of fellow students, who jointly formed an ad hoc, transient community. The paper situated the model within the context of a Learning Network, a self‐organised, distributed system, designed to facilitate lifelong learning in a particular knowledge domain. We discussed the design of the model and explained how we selected and supported capable peers. Finally, we examined the calibration of the model and a simulation, which was intended to verify if the model is fit for use in experiments with students. The results indicate that, indeed, it is possible to identify and support capable peers efficiently and effectively.
Gender, social capital and location: understanding the interactions
Authors: Healy Karen , Haynes Michele , Hampshire Anne
Published: October 2006

In recent years, governments in many post‐industrial nations have re‐discovered ‘community’. Social capital and neighbourhood renewal are key concepts underpinning policies aimed at building the capacities of communities to respond to the problems facing them. Despite the apparent consensus amongst Anglo‐American governments about the use of social capital, and related concepts, as a guide for policy formulation these ideas remain hotly contested amongst social policy commentators. Against a general backdrop of disquiet about the application of social capital initiatives to communities facing significant social and economic challenges, some commentators highlight the curious inattention to gender in debates about social capital. This is all the more troubling given the apparent reliance of social capital initiatives on the informal network‐building activities often undertaken by women. In this article we present findings from an empirical study of social capital creation across four geographically diverse communities. We show that the relationship between gender and social capital is complex. We argue that the ‘one‐size‐fits‐all’ approach to social capital formulation fails to recognise gendered patterns of social capital formulation, but so, too, do analyses of gender that neglect the complex interactions between gender and other factors, particularly location, age and income. We argue for approaches to policy formulation that recognise local differences, including differences between and amongst men and women in social capital creation.
Nitrogen uptake and metabolism in Populus × canescens as affected by salinity
Authors: Dluzniewska P. , Gessler A. , Dietrich H. , Schnitzler J.‐P. , Teuber M. , Rennenberg H.
Published: October 2006

External salinization can affect different steps of nitrogen (N) metabolism (ion uptake, N assimilation, and amino acid and protein synthesis) depending on the inorganic N source.

Here, we assessed the net uptake of N supplied as nitrate or ammonium and N assimilation (combining metabolite analyses with molecular biological approaches) in grey poplar (Populus × canescens) plants grown under saline (75 mm NaCl) and control conditions.

The specific (µmol N g−1 dry weight fine roots h−1) and total plant (µmol N per plant h−1) N net uptake rates, total plant N content, total plant biomass and total leaf protein concentration were reduced under saline conditions when plants were supplied with ammonium. In both nutritional groups, salt treatment caused pronounced accumulation of soluble N compounds in the leaves. The mRNAs of genes coding for enzymes catalyzing rate‐limiting steps of both proline synthesis and degradation (delta‐1‐pyrroline‐5‐carboxylate synthase and proline dehydrogenase) as well as for NADH‐dependent glutamate synthase were accumulated under saline conditions.

Whereas under control conditions the plant N status seemed to be superior when ammonium was supplied, the N balance of ammonium‐fed plants was more severely affected by salt stress than that of plants supplied with nitrate. Possible metabolic implications of stress‐related accumulation of particular amino acids are discussed.
Mole drainage as an alternative to sand slitting in natural turf sports surfaces on clays
Authors: James I. T. , Blackburn D. W. K. , Godwin R. J.
Published: October 2006

The drainage of sports surfaces of natural turf is essential for increasing access to sports facilities and to increase participation. Commonly, these surfaces are situated on soils of low hydraulic conductivity, which require the installation of remedial drainage to bypass the flow of water from the surface to an outfall. This is usually achieved with sand slit drainage, which is costly. A number of these soils are suitable for mole drainage at a much lower cost. Using an actual football pitch in a field‐scale experiment on a smectitic, calcareous clay, this study determined that mole drainage was effective in reducing soil moisture content at 100‐mm depth, but the reduction was not as great as sand slit drainage in the first year after installation. Despite peak soil moisture deficits of 101 and 157 mm in 2005 and 2006, mole leg‐slots did not re‐open in the 2 years following installation. There was significant slumping of the sand slits, however, because of soil shrinkage. This prevented play on the sand slit area to safeguard players.
Globalization and the transformation of the national political space: Six European countries compared
Authors: KRIESI HANSPETER , GRANDE EDGAR , LACHAT ROMAIN , DOLEZAL MARTIN , BORNSCHIER SIMON , FREY TIMOTHEOS
Published: October 2006

Abstract. This article starts from the assumption that the current process of globalization or denationalization leads to the formation of a new structural conflict in Western European countries, opposing those who benefit from this process against those who tend to lose in the course of the events. The structural opposition between globalization ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ is expected to constitute potentials for political mobilization within national political contexts, the mobilization of which is expected to give rise to two intimately related dynamics: the transformation of the basic structure of the national political space and the strategic repositioning of the political parties within the transforming space. The article presents several hypotheses with regard to these two dynamics and tests them empirically on the basis of new data concerning the supply side of electoral politics from six Western European countries (Austria, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland). The results indicate that in all the countries, the new cleavage has become embedded into existing two‐dimensional national political spaces, that the meaning of the original dimensions has been transformed, and that the configuration of the main parties has become triangular even in a country like France.
Evolutionary basis of parallelism in North American scincid lizards
Authors: Richmond Jonathan Q.
Published: October 2006

SUMMARYThis study uses a phylogenetic framework to explore the causes of parallelism in two North American scincid lizard assemblages: theskiltonianusandfasciatusspecies groups of the genusPlestiodon. Each group consists of several closely related species with conserved neonate morphology; features that distinguish species become accentuated during ontogeny, and these differences often resemble different endpoints along a developmental continuum. This continuum is believed to be an expression of the ancestral ontogeny, and has led to the hypothesis that evolutionary change in development has generated much of the observed morphological diversity. However, progress on understanding these mechanisms is limited by a lack of well‐supported phylogenetic data for thefasciatusgroup, and forPlestiodonin general. Recent phylogenetic studies on theskiltonianusgroup have revealed previously undetected cases of parallelism, and raise the possibility that similar cases have yet to be discovered in thefasciatusgroup. Here, I estimate a phylogeny to test the monophyly of thefasciatusgroup and infer its relationship with other North AmericanPlestiodonusing 2537 bp from six mtDNA genes. I use the phylogeny to reconstruct the mode (graduated vs. punctuated) and direction of body size evolution, to map the evolution of two predominant color morphs, and to test whether size and color pattern evolve concertedly. The results show that the morphotypes of the traditionalfasciatusgroup constitute good species, but that the species group is rendered paraphyletic by several geographically overlapping species that deviate from thefasciatus‐like ontogeny. Body size evolution has occurred gradually and bi‐directionally, and shifts to large body size have been consistently associated with the loss of the striped color pattern during ontogeny. I show that parallelism, a lack of rigorous phylogenetic analysis, and a reliance on shared ontogenetic features for predicting phylogenetic relatedness, has misled the traditional systematics of these lizards, but that general ideas concerning the role of development in their morphological evolution remain supported. I close by proposing that the processes influencing repeated phyletic patterns in theskiltonianusandfasciatusgroups represent adherence to an ancestral ground state, and discuss the importance of using phylogenies for the initial characterization of evolutionary changes in development.
Why Have Child Maltreatment and Child Victimization Declined?
Authors: Finkelhor David , Jones Lisa
Published: October 2006

Various forms of child maltreatment and child victimization declined as much as 40–70% from 1993 until 2004, including sexual abuse, physical abuse, sexual assault, homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, and larceny. Other child welfare indicators also improved during the same period, including teen pregnancy, teen suicide, and children living in poverty. This article reviews a wide variety of possible explanations for these changes: demography, fertility and abortion legalization, economic prosperity, increased incarceration of offenders, increased agents of social intervention, changing social norms and practices, the dissipation of the social changes from the 1960s, and psychiatric pharmacology. Multiple factors probably contributed. In particular, economic prosperity, increasing agents of social intervention, and psychiatric pharmacology have advantages over some of the other explanations in accounting for the breadth and timing of the improvements.
Rabbi Engagement with the Peace Process in the Middle East*
Authors: Sokhey Anand E. , Djupe Paul A.
Published: October 2006

Objectives.Support for Israel has been a hallmark issue of the Jewish lobby in American politics. But what do Jewish religious leaders think about U.S. policy toward Israel and the peace process, and how often do they address these issues?

Methods.Using a sample of more than 400 rabbis drawn from the four major movements of American Judaism in the fall of 2000, we investigate rabbi views of and speech about foreign affairs, especially about Israel.

Results.Contrary to conventional wisdom, we find considerable diversity in opinion among rabbis (if not public speech), particularly on issues concerning Israel and the peace process.

Conclusions.We conclude that the Jewish community—really, several communities organized by movement—is hearing a diversity of opinions about the peace process. We argue that reference group theory and movement socialization help explain this diversity.
The Utility of Whole Genome Amplification for Typing Compromised Forensic Samples
Authors: Barber Amy L. , Foran David R.
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACT: Biological evidence has become invaluable in the crime laboratory; however, it may exist in limited quantity and/or quality. Given this, the ability to amplify total DNA obtained from evidence, in an unbiased manner, would be highly advantageous. Methods for whole genome amplification (WGA) have the potential to fulfill this role, resulting in a virtually unlimited supply of DNA. In the research presented, two WGA methods, improved primer extension preamplification and multiple displacement amplification (MDA), were tested using commercial kits. Control DNA, artificially degraded DNA, and DNA from fresh blood, aged blood, hair shafts, and aged bones underwent WGA, followed by short tandem repeat and mitochondrial DNA analysis. The methods did amplify DNA, but performed poorly on forensically relevant samples; the maximum amplicon size was reduced, and MDA often resulted in extraneous bands following polymerase chain reaction. Taken together, WGA appears to be of limited forensic utility unless the samples are of a very high quality.
Digital Analysis of Experimental Human Bitemarks: Application of Two New Methods
Authors: Al‐Talabani Nazar , Al‐Moussawy Noori D. , Baker Faik A. , Mohammed Haitham Abdullah
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACT:Bitemark determination in forensic odontology is commonly performed by comparing the morphology of the dentition of the suspect with life‐sized photographs of injury on the victim's skin using transparent overlays or computers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the suitability of two new different methods for identification of bitemarks by digital analysis. A sample of 50 volunteers was asked to make experimental bitemarks on the arms of each other. Stone study casts were prepared from upper and lower dental arches of each volunteer. The bitemarks and the study casts were photographed; the photos were entered into the computer and Adobe Photoshop software program was applied to analyze the results. Two methods (2D polyline and Painting) of identification were used. In the 2D polyline method, fixed points were chosen on the tips of the canines and a straight line was drawn between the two fixed points in the arch (intercanine line). Straight lines passing between the incisal edges of the incisors were drawn vertically on the intercanine line; the lines and angles created were calculated. In the painting method, identification was based on canine‐to‐canine distance, tooth width and the thickness, and rotational value of each tooth. The results showed that both methods were applicable. However, the 2D polyline method was more convenient to use and gave prompt computer‐read results, whereas the painting method depended on the visual reading of the operator.