bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE ONSET OF CHAOS IN NONLINEAR DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS DETERMINED WITH A NEW FRACTAL TECHNIQUE
Authors: MUSIELAK DORA E. , MUSIELAK ZDZISLAW E. , KENNAMER KENNY S.
Published: March 2005

A new fractal technique is used to investigate the onset of chaos in nonlinear dynamical systems. A comparison is made between this fractal technique and the commonly used Lyapunov exponent method. Agreement between the results obtained by both methods indicates that this technique may be used in a manner analogous to the Lyapunov exponents to predict onset of chaos. It is found that the fractal technique is much easier to implement than the Lyapunov method and it requires much less computational time. This fractal technique can easily be adopted to investigate the onset of chaos in many nonlinear dynamical systems and can be used to analyze theoretical and experimental time series.
Can Internal Models of Objects be Utilized for Different Prehension Tasks?
Authors: Quaney Barbara M. , Nudo Randolph J. , Cole Kelly J.
Published: March 2005

We examined if object information obtained during one prehension task is used to produce fingertip forces for handling the same object in a different prehension task. Our observations address the task specificity of the internal models presumed to issue commands for grasping and transporting objects. Two groups participated in a 2-day experiment in which they lifted a novel object (230 g; 1.2 g/cm3). On Day One, the high force group (HFG) lifted the object by applying 10 N of grip force prior to applying vertical lift force. This disrupted the usual coordination of grip and lift forces and represented a higher grip force than necessary. The self-selected force group (SSFG) lifted the object on Day One with no instructions regarding their grip or lift forces. They first generated grip forces of 5.8 N, which decreased to 2.6 N by the 10th lift. Four hours later, they lifted the same object in the manner of the HFG. On Day Two, both groups lifted the same object “naturally and comfortably” with the opposite hand. The SSFG began Day Two using a grip force of 2.5 N, consistent with the acquisition of an accurate object representation during Day One. The HFG began Day Two using accurately scaled lift forces, but produced grip forces that virtually replicated those of the SSFG on Day One. We concur with recent suggestions that separate, independently adapted internal models produce grip and lift commands. The object representation that scaled lift force was not available to scale grip force. Furthermore, the concept of a general-purpose object representation that is available across prehension tasks was not supported.
Reduced Functional Recovery by Delaying Motor Training After Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Norrie B. A. , Nevett-Duchcherer J. M. , Gorassini M. A.
Published: March 2005

The purpose of this study was to examine if a delay in rehabilitative motor training after spinal cord injury affects functional motor recovery. We studied a skilled motor task in which rats traversed a raised horizontal ladder and we quantified errors in accurate stepping, i.e., foot slips between rungs. After lesions to the dorsal quadrant of the thoracic (T8) spinal cord that aimed to unilaterally sever the corticospinal and rubrospinal tracts, rats were re-trained to walk across the ladder, either immediately after injury or after a 3-mo delay. Before training, the error rate in accurate stepping of the affected hindlimb was similar in the immediately (69.4 ± 5.3%) and delay (62.7 ± 4.1%; means ± SE)-trained animals (not significantly different), suggesting that accurate stepping did not improve spontaneously if rats were not exposed to the ladder. After a 3-wk course of training (30 runs across the ladder per day, 5 day/wk), improvements in accurate stepping performance were greater if training was implemented immediately after injury. On average, immediately trained animals improved stepping performance by 61.5 ± 28.2%, whereas the delay trained group improved by only 34.9 ± 28.8% (significantly different). The degree of damage to the corticospinal and rubrospinal tracts was very similar in the two groups of animals, indicating that differences in lesion size did not contribute to the differences in performance improvement. Animals with large lesions to the corticospinal and rubrospinal tracts (>70%) displayed poor recovery from training (especially for delay-trained animals), suggesting that these two pathways were important in mediating improvements in accurate stepping. In addition, recovery of stepping-like reflexes appeared not to contribute to the recovery of accurate stepping given that the time course of reflex recovery was not related to the time course of recovery of accurate stepping. We conclude that training of a skilled motor task that relies on descending control is more beneficial when initiated immediately after a partial spinal cord injury.
Chronic Estrogen Sensitizes a Subset of Mechanosensitive Afferents Innervating the Uterine Cervix
Authors: Liu Baogang , Eisenach James C. , Tong Chuanyao
Published: March 2005

Estrogen increases reflex nocifensive responses to distension of the uterus and the urinary bladder, but estrogen's effects on afferent response to distension of the uterine cervix, the site of obstetric and some gynecologic pain, has not been studied. Here, single fiber recording of hypogastric nerve responses to uterine cervical distension were obtained from ovariectomized (OVX) rats and OVX rats treated with estrogen (ES). Spontaneous activity was greater in the ES group (13 of 24 units; 54%) than in the OVX group (6 of 27 units; 22%). ES differentially altered the response of low- and high-threshold units to distension. For high-threshold units, firing frequency was increased two- to fourfold with 60–100 gm distension in ES compared with OVX groups ( P < 0.05). In contrast, the response of low-threshold units to distension was not altered by ES. About one-half of units tested in each group responded to a temperature increase from 35 to 49°C. A greater proportion of thermosensitive units were also mechanosensitive in the ES group (7 of 8 afferents, 88%) than in the OVX group (5 of 11 afferents, 45%). Acute application of ES in OVX rats failed to evoke or increase distension-induced responses. These data show the polymodal nature of afferent fibers innervating the uterine cervix. Increased spontaneous activity with ES may play a part in remodeling of the cervical tissue, whereas selective sensitization of high-threshold units by ES might underlie increased pain responses to cervical distension. Failure of acute ES treatment to mimic this suggests a genomic effect.
Recurrent Feedback in the Mormyrid Electrosensory System: Cells of the Preeminential and Lateral Toral Nuclei
Authors: Sawtell Nathaniel B. , Mohr Claudia , Bell Curtis C.
Published: March 2005

Many sensory regions integrate information ascending from peripheral receptors with descending inputs from other central structures. However, the significance of these descending inputs remains poorly understood. Descending inputs are prominent in the electrosensory system of mormyrid fish and include both recurrent connections from higher to lower stages of electrosensory processing and electric organ corollary discharge (EOCD) signals associated with the motor command that drives the electric organ discharge. The preeminential nucleus (PE) occupies a key position in a feedback loop that returns information from higher stages of electrosensory processing to the initial stage of processing in the electrosensory lobe (ELL). This feedback reflects the integration of ascending electrosensory input from ELL, descending input from the lateral toral nucleus (torus), and EOCD inputs to PE. We used intracellular recording and axonal tracing of stained cells to characterize EOCD and electrosensory responses of several cell types in PE and the torus. PE and toral cells exhibit prominent EOCD responses that are not due to EOCD inputs from ELL. PE cells giving rise to a direct feedback projection to ELL respond to electrosensory stimuli with rapid, precisely timed spikes that will affect ELL neurons early during the same EOD cycle. EOCD and electrosensory responses in toral cells are similar to those observed in PE and may be important in shaping feedback to ELL. These results provide an initial description of electrosensory feedback to ELL as well as information about how ascending, descending, and EOCD inputs are combined at higher stages of electrosensory processing.
Prolonged NMDA-Mediated Responses, Altered Ifenprodil Sensitivity, and Epileptiform-Like Events in the Malformed Hippocampus of Methylazoxymethanol Exposed Rats
Authors: Calcagnotto Maria Elisa , Baraban Scott C.
Published: March 2005

Cortical malformations are often associated with refractory epilepsy and cognitive deficit. Clinical and experimental studies have demonstrated an important role for glutamate-mediated synaptic transmission in these conditions. Using whole cell voltage-clamp techniques, we examined evoked glutamate-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) and responses to exogenously applied glutamate on hippocampal heterotopic cells in an animal model of malformation i.e., rats exposed to methylazoxymethanol (MAM) in utero. Analysis revealed that the late N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated eEPSC component was significantly increased on heterotopic cells compared with age-matched normotopic pyramidal cells. At a holding potential of +40 mV, heterotopic cells also exhibited eEPSCs with a slower decay-time constant. No differences in the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) component of eEPSCs were detected. In 23% of heterotopic pyramidal cells, electrical stimulation evoked prolonged burst-like responses. Focal application of glutamate (10 mM) targeted to different sites near the heterotopia also evoked epileptiform-like bursts on heterotopic cells. Ifenprodil (10 μM), an NR2B subunit antagonist, only slightly reduced the NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated component and amplitude of eEPSCs on heterotopic cells (MAM) but significantly decreased the late component and peak amplitude of eEPSCs in normotopic cells (control). Our data demonstrate a functional alteration in the NMDA-mediated component of excitatory synaptic transmission in heterotopic cells and suggest that this alteration may be attributable, at least in part, to changes in composition and function of the NMDAR subunit. Changes in NMDAR function may directly contribute to the hyperexcitability and cognitive deficits reported in animal models and patients with brain malformations.
Notch modulates Wnt signalling by associating with Armadillo/β-catenin and regulating its transcriptional activity
Authors: Hayward Penny , Brennan Keith , Sanders Phil , Balayo Tina , DasGupta Ramanuj , Perrimon Norbert , Arias Alfonso Martinez
Published: March 2005

The establishment and stability of cell fates during development depend on the integration of multiple signals, which ultimately modulate specific patterns of gene expression. While there is ample evidence for this integration at the level of gene regulatory sequences, little is known about its operation at other levels of cellular activity. Wnt and Notch signalling are important elements of the circuitry that regulates gene expression in development and disease. Genetic analysis has suggested that in addition to convergence on the transcription of specific genes, there are modulatory cross-regulatory interactions between these signalling pathways. We report that the nodal point of these interactions is an activity of Notch that regulates the activity and the amount of the active/oncogenic form of Armadillo/β-catenin. This activity of Notch is independent of that induced upon cleavage of its intracellular domain and which mediates transcription through Su(H)/CBF1. The modulatory function of Notch described here, contributes to the establishment of a robust threshold for Wnt signalling which is likely to play important roles in both normal and pathological situations.
Iterative Discourse and the Formation of New Subcultures
Authors: Mizrach Steve
Published: March 2005

In this paper, the author presents the results of research with three subcultural groups, chosen for comparative analysis due to the way in which they unite culture, technology, and communication: hackers, ravers, and modern primitives. These groups utilize a sort of discourse which can be called "iterative" because like other iterative systems, it is self‐evolving and constantly bifurcating into new formations. The significance of working with these technologically‐based subcultures is explored, as well as its ramifications for the comparative study of consciousness. A new model for looking at sociolinguistic and cultural evolution is also suggested.
Crucifixion stories, the 1869 Caste War of Chiapas, and negative consciousness: a disruptive subaltern study
Authors: Nelson Diane M.
Published: March 2005

In this article I apply the methodology of the Subaltern Studies group, especially Ranajit Guha's theory of negative consciousness, to an instance of indigenous insurgency in Mesoamerica. During the Caste War of Chiapas, 1867–69, the Maya apparently crucified a boy and, emboldened by this “Indian Christ,” they swept out of the hills killing non‐Indians indiscriminately. I argue not only that Guha's “elementary aspects of peasant insurgency” (1983) aid in understanding the ferocious mimesis of the Mayan crucifixion, but also that the Caste War has a disruptive history that challenges theories of resistance as well as the relation of the historian and the ethnographer to the subaltern and to the “colonizer” subject.
The Ethnography of Reading
Authors: Faubion James D.
Published: March 2005

The Ethnography of Reading. JONATHAN BOYARIN, ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. viii + 285 pp.
Many Mirrors: Body Image and Social Relations
Authors: Alter Joseph S.
Published: March 2005

Many Mirrors: Body Image and Social Relations. NICOLE SAULT, ed. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1994. xiv + 346 pp., contributors, notes, references, index.
Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding
Authors: Fink Ann E.
Published: March 2005

Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding. NAOMI BAUMSLAG and DIA L. MICHELS. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 1995. xxxil + 256 pp., figures, tables, appendixes, references, index.
Science and Technology In a Multicultural World: The Cultural Politics of Facts and Artifacts
Authors: Gusterson Hugh
Published: March 2005

Science and Technology In a Multicultural World: The Cultural Politics of Facts and Artifacts. DAVID J. HESS. New York: Columbia University Press, 1995. xii + 311 pp., tables, notes, bibliography, index.
New World Hasidim: Ethnographic Studies of Hasidic Jews in America
Authors: Glazier Jack
Published: March 2005

New World Hasidim: Ethnographic Studies of Hasidic Jews in America. JANET S. BELCOVE‐SHALIN. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995. xv + 285 pp., figures, notes, contributors, references, index.
Bridges to Cuba = Puentes a Cuba: Cuban‐American Artists, Writers, and Scholars Explore Identity, Nationality, and Homeland
Authors: Bolles A. Lynn
Published: March 2005

Bridges to Cuba = Puentes a Cuba: Cuban‐American Artists, Writers, and Scholars Explore Identity, Nationality, and Homeland. RUTH BEHAR, ed. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1995. x + 421 pp.
Getting to Know Waiwai: An Amazonian Ethnography
Authors: Dean Bartholomew
Published: March 2005

Getting to Know Waiwai: An Amazonian Ethnography. ALAN TORMAID CAMPBELL. London and New York: Routledge, 1995. vili + 253 pp., figures, map, photographs, references, index.
Circumpolar Religion and Ecology: An Anthropology of the North
Authors: Anderson Myrdene
Published: March 2005

Circumpolar Religion and Ecology: An Anthropology of the North. TAKASHI IROMOTO and TAKAKO YAMADA, eds. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, 1994. xiv + 458 pp., figures, tables, notes, references, contributors, index.
The Rationality of Rural Lite: Economic and Cultural Change In Tuscany
Authors: Galt Anthony H.
Published: March 2005

The Rationality of Rural Lite: Economic and Cultural Change In Tuscany. JEFF PRATT. Chur, Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1994. x + 219 pp., illustrations, appendix, notes, bibliography, index.
Cotton is the Mother of Poverty: Peasants, Work, and Rural Struggle in Colonial Mozambique, 1938–1961; Cotton, Colonialism, and Social History In Sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Peters Pauline Elaine
Published: March 2005

Cotton is the Mother of Poverty: Peasants, Work, and Rural Struggle in Colonial Mozambique, 1938–1961. ALLEN ISAACMAN. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1996. xx + 404 pp., ligures, plates, notes, bibliography, indexes.

Cotton, Colonialism, and Social History In Sub‐Saharan Africa. ALLEN ISAACMAN and RICHARD ROBERTS, eds. Portsmouth, NH: Helnemann, 1995. xii + 314 pp., maps, tables, notes, contributors, index.
Smallholders, Householders: Farm Families and the Ecology of Intensive, Sustainable Agriculture; No Condition Is Permanent: The Social Dynamics of Agrarian Change in Sub‐Saharan Africa; Cutting Down Trees: Gender, Nutrition, and Agricultural Change in the Northern Province of Zambia, 1890–1990
Authors: Clark Gracia
Published: March 2005

Smallholders, Householders: Farm Families and the Ecology of Intensive, Sustainable Agriculture. ROBERT McC. NETTING. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1993. xxl + 389 pp., figures, illustrations, photographs, tables, references, index.

No Condition Is Permanent: The Social Dynamics of Agrarian Change in Sub‐Saharan Africa. SARA BERRY. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1993. xiv + 258 pp., tables, notes, bibliography, Index.

Cutting Down Trees: Gender, Nutrition, and Agricultural Change in the Northern Province of Zambia, 1890–1990. HENRIETTA L. MOORE and MEGAN VAUGHAN. Portsmouth, NH: Hefnemann, 1994. xxvi + 278 pp., figures, photographs, tables, notes, references, Index.
Body and Emotion: The Aesthetics of Illness and Healing in the Nepal Himalayas
Authors: Aggarwal Ravina
Published: March 2005

Body and Emotion: The Aesthetics of Illness and Healing in the Nepal Himalayas. ROBERT R. DESJARLAIS. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992. xiii + 300 pp., illustrations, notes, photographs, glossary, references, index.
Grazing the body: violations of land and limb in Inner Mongolia
Authors: Williams Dee Mack
Published: March 2005

In this article I document changing patterns of exposure to chronic cold stress and to accidental injury and death from hypothermia in a modernizing pastoral society on degraded Chinese grasslands in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia. Conventions of local culture interact with the environment and with multiple social factors structured by a global political economy to increase susceptibility to these health risks among select male herders in ethnic Mongol communities. In particular, the privatization of rangeland usufruct over the last 15 years has aggravated ecosystem decline, thereby contributing to selective degeneration of both land (in the form of soil erosion) and body (in the form of limb deficiency, amputation, or death). By describing processes of such reciprocal degradation at the margins of a capitalist world system, I hope to promote exploratory social research into the corporeal ramifications of globalization, especially overt connections among changes in land use, health, and body idiom.
War bodies, hedonist bodies: dialectics of the collective and the individual in Israeli society
Authors: Weiss Meira
Published: March 2005

In this paper I analyze images of the “normal body” in Israel between 1983 and 1993. By correlating body imagery with images of the social order, I argue that this “normal body” reflects a social discourse of growing individualism. During the Gulf War (1991), images of the “normal body” changed to reflect a rising collectivism. I consider this abrupt change in the context of Israel's “interrupted system.” I conclude by offering a panoramic reading of how people narrate their socially informed bodies to suit varying cultural contexts and thus problematize the “individuality” presumed inherent in “normal bodies.”
Nomads and their trade partners: historical context and trade relations in southwest Iran, 1840–1975
Authors: Bradburd Daniel
Published: March 2005

Fredrik Barth's classic work on Basseris (1961) demonstrated the importance of Iranian pastoral nomads' exchanges with the settled world. In this article I examine historical variations in the nature of exchange relationships and the political and economic context in which these were embedded. I argue that the “friendly” relations described by Barth were an anomaly associated with the Pahlavi dynasty's destruction of tribal elites, and I demonstrate that tribespeople have a long history of actively contesting unfavorable conditions of trade.
Flexible Bodies: Tracking Immunity In American Culture from the Days of Polio to the Age of AIDS
Authors: Stockdale Alan
Published: March 2005

Flexible Bodies: Tracking Immunity In American Culture from the Days of Polio to the Age of AIDS. EMILY MARTIN. Boston: Beacon Press, 1994. xlv + 320 pp., illustrations, notes, references, index.
Houses in the Rainforest: Ethnicity and Inequality among Farmers and Foragers in Central Africa
Authors: Hewlett Barry S.
Published: March 2005

Houses in the Rainforest: Ethnicity and Inequality among Farmers and Foragers in Central Africa. ROY RICHARD GRINKER. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994. xviii + 225 pp., map, photographs, tables, references, index.
Critical Events: An Anthropological Perspective on Contemporary India
Authors: Östör Ákos
Published: March 2005

Critical Events: An Anthropological Perspective on Contemporary India. VEENA DAS. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1995, 230 pp., references, indexes.
Women and Social Movements in Latin America: Power from Below
Authors: Martin Joann
Published: March 2005

Women and Social Movements in Latin America: Power from Below. LYNN STEPHEN. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997. xviii. 332 pp., figures, notes, bibliography, index.
Re‐Situating Identity: The Politics of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
Authors: Ryer Paul
Published: March 2005

Re‐Situating Identity: The Politics of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture. VERED AMIT‐TALAI and CAROLINE KNOWLES. eds. Ontario: Broadview Press, 1996. 313 pp., contributors, references, index.
In the Beginning: The Navajo Genesis
Authors: Frisbie Charlotte J.
Published: March 2005

In the Beginning: The Navajo Genesis. JEROLO LEVY. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. ix +265 pp., tables, appendix, references, index.
Myths of Ethnicity and Nation: Immigration, Work, and Identity in the Belize Banana Industry
Authors: Johnson Melissa A.
Published: March 2005

Myths of Ethnicity and Nation: Immigration, Work, and Identity in the Belize Banana Industry. MARK MOBERG. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1997. xxxvi. 218 pp., appendix, notes, references, index.
Property in Economic Context
Authors: McCay Bonnie
Published: March 2005

Property in Economic Context. ROBERT HUNT and ANTONIO GILMAN. eds. Monographs in Economic Anthropology, No. 14. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1998. + 381 pp., notes, references, contributors.
Tales of acute risk assessment: Health effects made out of whole cloth
Authors: Morawetz John S.
Published: March 2005

Background

Risk assessment utilizes human and animal studies and mathematical models to arrive at threshold exposures for toxic effects of various chemicals. In 1995 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formed an acute risk assessment committee to assist in the planning for worst case chemical releases. The National Advisory Committee for Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGL) examines the toxicological properties and studies of each chemical and then recommends appropriate levels. For the majority of chemicals, the committee relies on animal data (where the most data exists) supplemented with a limited number of human studies. In some cases, human studies are relied on to derive AEGL values.

Methods

In the published levels for hydrogen cyanide (HCN), the AEGL committee used five human studies and a “weight‐of‐the‐evidence” approach. A number of these studies did not investigate adverse health effects, however, the AEGL committee used these studies as evidence that no health effect occurred. In addition, a number of other errors in conflict with well accepted principles of industrial hygiene were made.

Conclusion

In order to adequately evaluate human studies, risk assessment committees must be composed of a balance of professionals with a wide variety of expertise, including epidemiology and industrial hygiene. Am. J. Ind. Med. 47:370–375, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dual loyalties and the ethical and human rights obligations of occupational health professionals
Authors: London Leslie
Published: March 2005

Background

Underlying most ethical dilemmas in occupational health practice is the problem of Dual Loyalties where health professionals have simultaneous obligations, explicit or implicit, to a third party, usually a private employer.

Methods

A literature review was undertaken of case studies of workplace occupational health conflicts, international human rights and ethical codes and strategies for managing dual loyalties, complemented by iterative discussions in an international working group convened to address the problem of Dual Loyalties.

Results

Violations of the worker‐patient's human rights may arise from: (1) the incompatibility of simultaneous obligations; (2) pressure on the professional from the third party; and (3) separation of the health professional's clinical role from that of a social agent. The practitioner's contractual relationship with the third party is often the underlying problem, being far more explicit than their moral obligation to patients, and encouraging a social identification at the expense of a practitioner's professional identity.

Conclusions

Because existing ethical guidelines lack specificity on managing Dual Loyalties in occupational health, guidelines that draw on human rights standards have been developed by the working group. These guidelines propose standards for individual professional conduct and complementary institutional mechanisms to address the problem. Am. J. Ind. Med. 47:322–332, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Post‐offer, pre‐placement testing in industry
Authors: Harbin Gary , Olson John
Published: March 2005

Background

Pre‐placement testing was implemented during World War II. Its current use has been reshaped by economic factors, litigation, legislation, and advances in medicine. In response to a request from a local industry intent upon lowering their work‐related injuries, a post‐offer screening program was developed and implemented. The aim of this study was to develop a testing protocol for determining physical capacity that could be adapted for a post‐offer, pre‐placement program.

Methods

Functional capacity evaluation (FCE) testing was used to determine the physical capacity of 2,482 uninjured, healthy prospective new employees of a large food production plant. A comprehensive medical history and 20 different anthropometric, fitness, strength, and lifting tests were administered to all new hires in the first phase of this study to determine if injury incidence could be estimated through functional screening testing. The second study was designed to determine the effectiveness of the application of a post‐offer, pre‐placement program in an electrical equipment manufacturing facility.

Results

Strength testing alone was of no predictive value for work injury incidence. There was a strong correlation of physical capacity to physical job requirements. If an employee had the physical capability to perform the essential functions of the job, there was a lower injury rate as compared to the employee not demonstrating the physical strength or ability to perform the essential functions of the job. The incidence of low back injuries in those workers with the physical capabilities to perform the required functions of their job was 3%. However, among those workers who did not demonstrate the strength or physical abilities to perform their job, there was a 33% incidence of low back injuries.

Conclusions

This study indicates that physical capacity testing that compares lifting ability to job lifting requirements correlates to work injury incidence. The application of appropriate post‐offer, pre‐placement testing is shown to be a cost‐effective method to lower the incidence of work‐related injuries. Am. J. Ind. Med. 47:296–307, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Preparation and properties of polystyrene‐g‐poly(butyl acrylate) copolymer emulsions with ultrasonic radiation. I. Preparation technology and coagulum ratio
Authors: Ai Zhao‐Quan , Zhou Qi‐Long , Guang Rong , Zhang Hong‐Tao
Published: March 2005

A stable emulsion of polystyrene‐g‐poly(butyl acrylate) was prepared via the following steps: (1) foam polystyrene waste was dissolved in butyl acrylate; (2) the solution was added to an aqueous solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate, ammonium persulfate, and sodium hydrogen bicarbonate; and (3) the mixture was emulsified and graft‐copolymerized by ultrasonic radiation and agitation. Then, the effects of various factors, such as the strength and time of the ultrasonic radiation, the type and dosage of the emulsifier, the concentrations of the initiator and butyl acrylate, the quantity of acrylic acid, and the reaction temperature, on the coagulum ratio were investigated and analyzed. As a result, a suitable technology for reducing the amount of coagulum could be proposed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 1405–1409, 2005
Synthesis, Characterization, and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of a Potential MRI Contrast Agent Containing Two Paramagnetic Centers with Albumin Binding Affinity
Authors: Parac‐Vogt Tatjana N. , Kimpe Kristof , Laurent Sophie , Vander Elst Luce , Burtea Carmen , Chen Feng , Muller Robert N. , Ni Yicheng , Verbruggen Alfons , Binnemans Koen
Published: March 2005

A dinuclear gadolinium(III) complex of an amphiphilic chelating ligand, containing two diethylenetriamine‐N,N,N′,N′′,N′′‐pentaacetate (DTPA) moieties bridged by a bisindole derivative with three methoxy groups, has been synthesized and evaluated as a potential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent. Nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) measurements indicate that at 20 MHz and 37 °C the dinuclear gadolinium(III) complex has a much higher relaxivity than [Gd(DTPA)] (6.8 vs 3.9 s−1 mmol−1). The higher relaxivity of the dinuclear gadolinium(III) complex can be related to its reduced motion and larger rotational correlation time relative to [Gd(DTPA)]. In the presence of human serum albumin (HSA) the relaxivity value of the noncovalently bound dinuclear complex increases to 15.2 s−1 per mmol of Gd3+, due to its relatively strong interaction with this protein. The fitted value of the binding constant to HSA (Ka) was found to be 104 M−1. Because of its interaction with HSA, the dinuclear complex exhibits a longer elimination half‐life from the plasma, and a better confinement to the vascular space compared to the commercially available [Gd(DTPA)] contrast agent. Transmetalation of the dinuclear gadolinium(III) complex by zinc(II) has been investigated. Biodistribution studies suggest that the complex is excreted by the renal pathway, and possibly by the hepatobiliary route. In vivo studies indicated that half of the normal dose of the gadolinium(III) complex enhanced the contrast in hepatic tissues around 40 % more effectively than [Gd(DTPA)]. The dinuclear gadolinium(III) complex was tested as a potential necrosis avid contrast agent (NACA), but despite the binding to HSA, it did not exhibit necrosis avidity, implying that binding to albumin is not a key parameter for necrosis‐targeting properties.
International patterns of environmental policy change and convergence
Authors: Busch Per‐Olof , Jörgens Helge
Published: March 2005

The article gives an empirical overview of the international spread of 22 environmental policy innovations. The policy innovations examined in the article include administrative institutions (e.g. environmental ministries, scientific advisory bodies), laws (e.g. soil protection laws, packaging waste laws), instruments of environmental policy integration (e.g. national environmental policy plans, environmental impact assessment), energy taxes and eco‐labels. On this empirical basis, recurring patterns in the global spread of environmental policy innovations are identified and linked to specific causal mechanisms through which this change occurs. In particular, the paper demonstrates how and to what extent non‐obligatory diffusion, legal harmonization and coercive imposition matter as mechanisms of global environmental policy convergence. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
The diffusion of environmental policy innovations: cornerstones of an analytical framework
Authors: Tews Kerstin
Published: March 2005

Comparative policy analysis increasingly faces the challenge of incorporating external forces on national policy developments into its analytical framework. Scholars of international relations have recognized that the behaviour of states – in terms of policy outputs – converges even in the absence of binding international agreements. These two branches of research can be bridged by the concept of policy diffusion. Diffusion analysis asks for those conditions that favour or hinder the spread of policy innovations within the international system. However, the scientific community struggles with different meanings and notions of the term policy diffusion. Thus, the aim of this paper is to offer a general conceptual framework for the study of diffusion processes within the international system. Understanding the process of policy diffusion requires an analysis of the complex interplay between transnational and international forces, national factors and the characteristics of policy innovations. By providing a conceptual framework this paper hopes not only to contribute to the theoretical debate but also to give guidance for empirical research. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Synthesis of New Azocine Derivatives and Their Functionalization by Nucleophilic Addition to Their Iminium Salts
Authors: Leal Badaró Trindade Angela Cristina , dos Santos Daniela Cristina , Gil Laurent , Marazano Christian , Pereira de Freitas Gil Rossimiriam
Published: March 2005

A route to the eight‐membered nitrogen heterocycles 20a,b is described starting from the 3‐alkyl‐N‐benzylpyridinium salts 14a,b. These azocine derivatives were converted into their respective iminium salts 11 by treatment with methanesulfonic acid. A study concerning the regioselectivity of nucleophilic additions to these salts is presented. Nucleophiles like hydride or Grignard reagents react selectively in the 2‐position to give adducts such as 22 and 23, while azide and phenylthiolate attack the 6‐position to give 24 and 25, respectively. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2005)
Cover Picture: In Search of exo‐Selective Catalysts for Enantioselective 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition between Acryloyloxazolidinone and Diphenylnitrone (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 6/2005)
Authors: Desimoni Giovanni , Faita Giuseppe , Mella Mariella , Boiocchi Massimo
Published: March 2005

The cover picture shows the enantiomers of the exo (front) and endo (back) isoxazolidines obtained from the box‐catalysed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition between 3‐acryloyl‐1,3‐oxazolidin‐2‐one and diphenylnitrone. The last and unknown exo isomer was selectively obtained (de = 80 %; ee = 99 %) for the first time by using the appropriate disubstituted box and NiII as asymmetric catalyst, and its absolute configuration is reported in the article by G. Desimoni et al. on p. 1020 ff. The view over the cross yards of the Old University of Pavia is the backdrop for the schematic representation of the four possible stereoisomers selectively obtained by using box‐based asymmetric catalysts.
Enhanced plasmid DNA delivery using anionic LPDII by listeriolysin O incorporation
Authors: Lorenzi Gretchen L. , Lee Kyung‐Dall
Published: March 2005

Background

A major obstacle to achieving effective DNA‐based therapeutics is efficient delivery of the DNA to its site of action in the cell. Upon internalization by endocytosis, the endosomal membrane represents a critical physical barrier preventing access of DNA to the cell cytosol. In order to overcome the membrane barrier and facilitate cytosolic entry, the endosomolytic bacterial protein listeriolysin O (LLO) is a potentially promising agent.

Methods

LLO was incorporated in an anionic liposome‐entrapped polycation‐condensed DNA delivery system (LPDII). Plasmid DNA was condensed using protamine sulfate and then complexed to anionic liposomes. LLO was incorporated into the delivery vehicle through encapsulation in anionic, pH‐sensitive liposomes. Transfection levels were monitored using a model reporter plasmid encoding luciferase in P388D1 cells, a macrophage‐like cell line.

Results

Transfection using the anionic LPDII delivery platform was enhanced through incorporation of LLO. Additionally, the net charge of the condensate, the lipid composition, and the total amount of LLO‐liposomes were all capable of modulating the transfection levels of the vehicle. Importantly, in the presence of serum, transfection levels using the LLO‐containing LPDII system were comparable to established cationic lipid delivery systems.

Conclusions

LLO is capable of facilitating transfection using an anionic LPDII system. This anionic delivery vehicle represents the successful combination of the LPDII system for condensation of the DNA with the unique endosomolytic properties of LLO for improved transfection using plasmid DNA. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Detour‐saturated graphs
Authors: Beineke Lowell W. , Dunbar J. E. , Frick M.
Published: March 2005

A graph is said to be detour‐saturated if the addition of any edge results in an increased greatest path length. In this paper, we add to the relatively small amount that is known about detour‐saturated graphs. Our main result is a determination of all connected detour‐saturated graphs with exactly one cycle. (The family of detour‐saturated trees was found by Kászonyi and Tuza 7.) We also show that the smallest detour‐saturated graph of girth 5 is the graph obtainable from the Petersen graph by splitting one of its vertices into three, each of degree 1. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory
Refined discrete quadrilateral degenerated shell element by using Timoshenko's beam function
Authors: Wanji Chen , Cheung Y. K.
Published: March 2005

A refined discrete degenerated 20‐DOF quadrilateral shell element RQS20 is proposed. The exact displacement function of the Timoshenko's beam is used as the displacement on the element boundary. The re‐constitute method for shear strain matrix is adopted. The proposed element can be used for the analysis of both moderately thick and thin plates/shells, and the convergence for the very thin case can be ensured theoretically. Numerical examples presented show that the new model indeed possesses higher accuracy in the analysis of thin and thick plates/shells, and that it can pass the patch test required for the Kirchhoff thin plate elements. Most important of all, it is free from the membrane and shear locking phenomena for extremely thin plates/shells, on the one hand, and it can also avoid the phenomenon of oscillatory solutions for thick plates/shells case on the other. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quasi‐classical dynamical properties and reaction rate of the Na + HF system on two different potential energy surfaces
Authors: Vilela Alessandra F. A. , Gargano Ricardo , Barreto Patrícia R. P.
Published: March 2005

Detailed dynamical properties and reaction rate calculations for the ground‐state Na + HF → NaF + H reaction are carried out using two different potential energy surfaces (PES): generalized simulated annealing PES (GSA PES) and bond order 5 PES (BO5 PES). These studies show that the quality and efficacy of the GSA PES are comparable to the best PES (BO5 PES) found in the literature. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005
Pi binding by the F1‐ATPase of beef heart mitochondria and of the Escherichia coli plasma membrane
Authors: Penefsky Harvey S.
Published: March 2005

Pi binding by the F1‐ATPase of beef heart mitochondria and of the Escherichia coli plasma membrane (E. coli F1) was examined by two methods: the centrifuge column procedure [Penefsky, H.S. (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252, 2891–2899] and the Paulus pressure dialysis cell [Paulus, H. (1969) Anal. Biochem. 32, 91–100]. The latter is an equilibrium dialysis‐type procedure. Pi binding by beef heart F1 could be determined by either procedure. However, direct binding of Pi to E. coli F1 could be determined adequately only in the Paulus cell which indicated more than two binding sites per mol of enzyme with a K
d in the range of 0.1 mM. It is concluded that previous failure to observe Pi binding to E. coli F1 with the centrifuge column procedure is due to a rapid rate of dissociation of Pi from the E. coli enzyme which results in loss of Pi during transit of the enzyme–Pi complex through the column.
Hailey–Hailey disease as an orthodisease of PMR1 deficiency in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Kellermayer Richard
Published: March 2005

The term orthodisease has recently been introduced to define human disorders in which the pathogenic gene has orthologs in model organism genomes. Here, we describe Hailey–Hailey disease (HHD), a blistering skin disorder caused by haploinsufficiency of ATP2C1 as an orthodisease from a Saccharomyces cerevisiae perspective. ATP2C1 encodes the human secretory pathway Ca2+/Mn2+ ATPase hSPCA1 and is orthologous to the PMR1 gene in S. cerevisiae. hSPCA1 fully complements PMR1 deficiency in yeast and pmr1ΔS. cerevisiae has proved to be a valuable tool to screen ATP2C1 mutations and address potential pathogenic/pharmacologic mechanisms in HHD. Consequently, this human skin disorder is an ideal example of an orthodisease.
The Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a Schema Questionnaire for Children (SQC)
Authors: Stallard Paul , Rayner Helen
Published: March 2005

This study describes the development and initial evaluation of a cognitive schema questionnaire for children. The Schema Questionnaire for Children (SQC) was designed to capture the 15 early maladaptive schemas proposed by Young (1990). Face validity of the questionnaire items as assessed by a group of CBT experts (n=16) was good. Concurrent validity was assessed by asking 47 school children aged 11–16 years of age to complete both the (SQC) and a British version of the 75 item Young's Schema Questionnaire short form (YSC-S). Significant correlations were obtained for 10 of the 15 schemas, with a further two approaching statistical significance. Although some of the correlations were modest, these initial results suggest that the SQC may be a valid quick and developmentally appropriate way of assessing Young's maladaptive schema in children.
Beliefs about Depression in Patients and Their Partners
Authors: Cornwall Peter L. , Scott Jan , Garland Anne , Pollinger Ben R.
Published: March 2005

We examined beliefs about depression in patients and their partners and explored the impact of beliefs on perceptions of marital functioning, level of distress and caregiving in partners, and clinical outcome of major depression. Fifteen patients meeting criteria for major depressive disorder and their co-habiting spouses were interviewed at baseline using the Reasons for Depression Questionnaire (Addis, Truax and Jacobson, 1995) and measures of symptom severity, distress, caregiver consequences and marital satisfaction. Outcome was assessed at 6 months. Identifying biological reasons for depression was significantly associated with patient severity of depression and with caregiver burden. Caregiver distress was significantly associated with endorsement of interpersonal reasons for depression. Concordance in reason giving between patients and partners was significantly associated with a good outcome. This is the first study to show that beliefs about depression held by patients and their partners may have an impact on the clinical outcome of major depression.
A Simple Colorimetric Assay of Ionic Liquid Hydrolytic Stability
Authors: Baker Gary A. , Baker Sheila N.
Published: March 2005

We describe a simple colorimetric method that can be used to assess the relative intrinsic hydrolytic stabilities of water-miscible and water-immiscible ionic liquids.
Libertarian Accounts of Free Will
Authors: Clarke Randolph
Published: March 2005

Libertarian accounts of free will face objections that the indeterminism they require would leave behavior random, inexplicable, and beyond agents’ control. This book examines three main types of libertarian views—noncausal, event-causal, and agent-causal—to see how well they can meet such challenges. Noncausal accounts are found not to offer satisfactory views of action and reason-explanation. Event-causal and agent-causal accounts are defended against a number of objections. But if both free will and moral responsibility are incompatible with determinism, then there is no adequate account of free will.
Event‐Causal Accounts and the Problem of Explanation
Authors: Clarke Randolph
Published: March 2005

This chapter begins an examination of event-causal libertarian accounts, which require nondeterministic event causation. This type of view offers satisfactory causal accounts of acting for reasons and reason-explanation. On two plausible accounts of contrastive explanation, even contrastive rational explanations are available for some nondeterministically caused actions. Libertarian views of Robert Kane and Robert Nozick are examined.
Marxism and the City?
Authors: Katznelson Ira
Published: March 2005

This introductory chapter starts by discussing the vast array of definitions and typologies of the city and the many specifications of the objects of urban studies (geography, sociology, politics, urban economics, etc.) that are symptomatic of uncertainty not only as to whether the social sciences possess the necessary tools to analyse cities, but also as to whether the city, both as an empirical and theoretical concept, constitutes a coherent entity. It is suggested that a critique is needed of the tradition in Western social theory that tries to apprehend the partial elements of the city within an approach that treats modernity in terms of differentiation, and that Marxism's claim that it can illuminate studies of the city is precisely because it uses wide‐spanning and comprehensive concepts and hypotheses about the shape of history. The next section of the chapter looks at the differences between Marxism and the differentiation approaches to cities in the company of Max Weber, whose analysis was grounded in the large‐scale processes that underpin urban development; it also discusses the views of some of his contemporaries. The final section examines the specific content of Marxist social theory/analysis that stresses social processes and relationships, and counterposes the differentiation problematic in the analysis of cities. It also discusses the urban omissions within Marxism, and work done later (in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Henri Lefebvre, Manuel Castells, and David Harvey) that reinvigorated the urban conversation within Marxism.