bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Energy density patterns of nectar resources permit coexistence within a guild of Neotropical flower‐visiting bats
Authors: Tschapka Marco
Published: April 2004

Neotropical rainforests support guilds of nectar feeding bats (Phyllostomidae: Glossophaginae) with up to six coexisting species. To analyse guild structure and mechanisms of coexistence in a Costa Rican tropical lowland rainforest, the resource use and morphology of bats were compared to the energetic characteristics of preferred nectar resources and their spatio‐temporal distribution. The relative abundance of nectar‐feeding bats was determined from mistnet captures over 26 months. Food items were identified by analysis of pollen loads and faecal samples. Phenology, flower density and nectar sugar content of resource plants permitted quantitative estimations of resource availability expressed as energy density (kJ ha−1 day−1) throughout the annual cycle. Four glossophagine bat species co‐occurred at La Selva: two permanent residents (Glossophaga commissarisi, Hylonycteris underwoodi) and two seasonal species (Lichonycteris obscura, Lonchophylla robusta) that were found in small numbers during a period of high nectar availability. The two resident species differed in their abundance and in their temporal feeding strategies. After the main flowering peak, the common G. commissarisi shifted to a more frugivorous diet, while the rarer H. underwoodi fed on the few remaining bat‐flowers. Resource plant species differed in their energy density by up to two orders of magnitude. Hylonycteris underwoodi visited more often plant species with a low energy yield than G. commissarisi. Because of its smaller body size and a wing morphology that promotes fast flight, H. underwoodi appears to be better adapted to low and scattered nectar resource levels. The two seasonal species differed greatly in body mass, which suggests different strategies for high‐quality resource tracking. Large body mass in Lonchophylla robusta provides an energy buffer that permits daily commuting flights between a permanent roost and profitable foraging areas, while the small Lichonycteris obscura seems to track resources nomadically. It is proposed that energy density may be a major niche dimension that restricts access of species to certain habitats and that may profoundly influence the structure of nectar‐feeding bat guilds.
Egg mass determines hatchling size, and incubation temperature influences post‐hatching growth, of tuatara Sphenodon punctatus
Authors: Nelson Nicola J. , Thompson Michael B. , Pledger Shirley , Keall Susan N. , Daugherty Charles H.
Published: April 2004

The size of reptile hatchlings can be phenotypically plastic in response to incubation temperature, and size is a trait likely to influence fitness – i.e. hatchling size is proposed as an indicator of quality. The parental and incubation temperature effects on the size of one of New Zealand's most biologically significant reptile species, the tuatara Sphenodon punctatus are investigated. Artificial incubation at constant temperatures is used to produce founders for new captive and wild populations of tuatara and to augment existing rare populations. We compare size of hatchling tuatara from artificial and natural incubation treatments. The relationship of hatchling size with incubation temperature and sex is examined, and we investigate whether our results support differential fitness models for the evolution of temperature‐dependent sex determination in tuatara. Initial egg mass is the most important factor affecting size of hatchling tuatara and is still an important influence at 10 months of age. Incubation temperature does not greatly influence size of hatchlings, but significantly influences size by 10 months of age. Constant artificial incubation conditions result in larger, but possibly less aggressive, juveniles than those from more variable natural incubation conditions by 10 months of age. Evidence from size patterns of tuatara incubated in natural nests supports differential fitness models for the adaptive significance of temperature‐dependent sex determination. Thermal variation has little effect on size of male hatchlings, but female embryos that develop in more stable thermal conditions, in more reliable sites for hatching, are bigger and have longer jaws.
Unexpected locomotor behaviour: brachiation by an Old World monkey (Pygathrix nemaeus) from Vietnam
Authors: Byron Craig D. , Covert Herbert H.
Published: April 2004

More than 70 h of positional behaviour data were collected on the red‐shanked douc langur Pygathrix nemaeus, Delacour's langur Trachypithecus delacouri, Hatinh langur Trachypithecus laotum, and the white‐cheeked crested gibbon Hylobates leucogenys in January and February of 2001 at the Endangered Primate Rescue Center of Cuc Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam. Equal amounts of instantaneous and continuous bout data were collected for each of the four species. All animals were housed in enclosures of 10×5×3.5 m with similar substrates, and lived in small, species‐appropriate social groups. The positional behaviour of white‐cheeked crested gibbons was as expected with >80% of locomotor bouts and 60% of postures being suspensory in nature. The positional behaviour of the Delacour's and Hatinh langurs was similar to that reported in the literature for other Asian colobines with >90% of the locomotor bouts being quadrupedal walking, running, and bounding on tops of arboreal supports. Postures were dominated by sitting in and sitting out with forelimb suspension associated with <10% of these behaviours. The positional behaviour of the red‐shanked douc langur is intermediate in nature between the Delacour's and Hatinh langur and the white‐cheeked crested gibbon. Locomotion is nearly evenly divided between arm‐swinging (46%) and quadrupedal walking and running bouts (54%). Forelimb suspensory postures were three times more frequent for the red‐shanked douc langur than they were for the Delacour's langur.
Philip the Fair, the Dominicans, and the liturgical Office for Louis IX: new perspectives on Ludovicus Decus Regnantium
Authors: GAPOSCHKIN M. CECILIA
Published: April 2004

This article traces the early reception of Ludovicus Decus Regnantium, the most common Proper Office for Saint Louis, King of France, canonized in 1297. It is generally considered a Dominican Office thought to have been produced on commission by the Dominican, Arnaud DuPrat, after his Order instituted Louis’ feast day. A number of factors confuse this attribution, including the existence of an earlier, rare Office for Louis, Nunc Laudare. A close examination of the extant evidence for the attribution and early reception of the Office leads to the conclusion that the Office was not celebrated by most, or even many, of the Dominican convents in France. It can thus be better understood in its Parisian and royal milieu within the context of the close relationship between the royal court of Philip the Fair (r. 1285–1314) and the Dominican convent of the Rue St-Jacques in Paris.
The Advenisti/Lauda Syon composer and his likely contributions to the later Trent Codices
Authors: MITCHELL ROBERT J.
Published: April 2004

This essay discusses the anonymous Trent 88 motet Advenisti / Lauda Syon (fols. 336v–337r), plus a batch of anonymous pieces in Trent 88 and Trent 89 which share similarities in their use of the sign O2, unconventional notation, number symmetries and style – all of which are features suggesting that their composer was a westerner rather than a German musician. Comparisons will be made with works by Busnoys, Barbingant and others. One of these anonymous pieces (a three-voice Mass exclusively using O2) is known to refer sporadically to Dufay's chanson Adieu m'amour. The presence of a further set of references in this Mass is also suggested, which may derive from Frye's motet Ave regina celorum.
Recent releases of plainchant
Authors: WEBER JEROME F.
Published: April 2004

Another reissue of Decca's long series of recordings made at the abbey of Solesmes is good news. Accord is a French reissue label of the Universal group (formerly PolyGram) that earlier had reissued about a dozen CDs that matched each original LP in content. The first five reissues were listed in A Gregorian Chant Discography, and five more were reported here in 1994 (nos. 19 to 23). Now, duplicating the contents of at least seven of those earlier discs, a new programme has begun with the cooperation of the monks of Solesmes to arrange the chants according to the liturgical year. Titles have been brought up to date, such as ‘Sixth Sunday of Easter’ and ‘chant d’entrée'. New digital transfers made from the original tapes provide superb sound. The first twelve discs have appeared in eight packages (two or three discs in some cases), and we can expect as many as another dozen discs to come.
The pattern of US antidumping: the path from initial filing to WTO dispute settlement
Authors: BOWN CHAD P. , HOEKMAN BERNARD , OZDEN CAGLAR
Published: April 2004

This paper examines recent trends in the US antidumping process. We trace the experience of different groups of countries at each stage of the investigation process and through follow-up activity in disputes initiated at the GATT/WTO. The data reveal that lower income developing countries are more likely to be targeted, less likely to settle cases, more likely to confront high dumping duties, and less likely to bring cases to the WTO. We argue that differences in administrative and institutional ‘capacity’ may be a contributing factor that explains the observed bias facing developing countries, in addition to the other hypotheses that have been offered in the literature, such as higher protection and limited retaliatory ability.
Global simulation of tropospheric ozone using the University of Maryland Chemical Transport Model (UMD‐CTM): 1. Model description and evaluation
Authors: Park R. J. , Pickering K. E. , Allen D. J. , Stenchikov G. L. , Fox‐Rabinovitz M. S.
Published: April 2004

We have developed the three‐dimensional global University of Maryland Chemical Transport Model (UMD‐CTM), which can operate on a uniform horizontal grid or operate with a stretched‐grid feature that allows transport and chemistry to be computed with mesoscale resolution in a region of interest. The model is suitable for computing photochemical air quality over a specific region, as well as addressing interregional and intercontinental transport issues. The model contains options for a uniform grid or a stretched‐grid advection scheme and contains a fast chemical solver and schemes for convective transport, eddy diffusion, emissions, dry deposition, wet scavenging, and stratospheric influx. The model was run on a uniform grid for a full year, and results were evaluated with a variety of surface, airborne, balloon‐borne, and satellite observations from many regions of the world. The evaluation was quantified by means of an evaluation index, which compares the model versus observation differences with the variance in the measurements. For most species no systematic biases were found in the results. Results of a simulation with the stretched‐grid version of the model are reported in part 2 of this series of papers [Park et al., 2004].
Effect of insulin‐like growth factors (IGFs) and IGF‐binding proteins on in vitro sperm motility.
Authors: Miao Z‐R , Lin T. K. , Bongso T. A. , Zhou X. , Cohen P. , Lee K‐O.
Published: April 2004

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have shown that exogenous growth hormone (GH) produces increases in sperm motility when given to subfertile men. Previous studies have also demonstrated the presence of IGFs and IGFBPs in seminal plasma. We have therefore investigated the effects of insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I), IGF‐II, IGF‐binding protein 2 (IGFBP‐2) and intact IGFBP‐3 on in vitro sperm motility.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Using computer‐aided sperm analysis, we investigated the effects of IGFs and IGFBPs on the in vitro sperm motility parameters: curvilinear velocity (CV), progressive velocity (PV), linearity (Ln), straightness (St), amplitude of lateral head movement (ALH), and beat frequency (BF). Washed motile sperm selected by the ‘swim‐up’ method, from normozoospermic samples, were incubated at 37°C in 5% CO2 in air with IGF‐I, IGF‐II, IGFBP‐2, IGFBP‐3, or control Earle's media, and were examined at time 0 and after 60 min incubation. Changes in motility parameters after 60 min incubation were compared with controls by analysis of variance (ANOVA).

RESULTS

Compared to controls, statistically significant changes occurred at time 60 min after incubation: IGF‐I decreased CV and ALH significantly (P < 0.05), but IGFBP‐3 increased Ln, St, BF, and decreased ALH significantly (P < 0.05). In contrast, IGF‐II, IGFBP‐2, and a combination of IGF‐I/IGFBP‐3, had no significant effects.

CONCLUSIONS

IGF‐I and IGFBP‐3 have differing and opposing effects on in vitro sperm motility parameters and thus may have a role in modulating in vivo sperm motility.
Bubbles
Authors: Prosperetti Andrea
Published: April 2004

Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas: bubbles are emptiness, non-liquid, a tiny cloud shielding a mathematical singularity. Born from chance, a violent and brief life ending in the union with the (nearly) infinite. But a wealth of phenomena spring forth from this nothingness: underwater noise, sonoluminescence, boiling, and many others. Some recent results on a “blinking bubble” micropump and vapor bubbles in sound fields are outlined. The last section describes Leonardo da Vinci’s observation of the non-rectlinear ascent of buoyant bubbles and justifies the name Leonardo’s paradox recently attributed to this phenomenon.
A new method of modeling the conditional scalar dissipation rate
Authors: Devaud C. B. , Bilger R. W. , Liu T.
Published: April 2004

A new method for calculating the conditional scalar dissipation rate 〈N|η〉 is derived from the probability density function (pdf) transport equation for the conserved scalar Z. Two different formulations are obtained. One is the result of direct integration of the pdf transport equation and the second is further developed assuming a two-parameter presumed form for the pdf. A linear model is used for the conditional velocity. The model is compared with a direct numerical simulation (DNS) of inhomogeneous turbulent mixing. The results are in very good agreement with the DNS and perform better than Girimaji’s model which is based on homogeneous flow properties. Further validation with some experimental data would be useful. The new method has also the potential of being easily implemented in a finite-volume computational fluid dynamics code.
On the probability density function model for the transport of particles in anisotropic turbulent flow
Authors: Zaichik Leonid I. , Oesterlé Benoit , Alipchenkov Vladimir M.
Published: April 2004

The purposes of the paper are twofold: (i) to present a rational approach to the modeling of inertial particle transport in anisotropic turbulent flows and (ii) to show how the anisotropy of fluid turbulence timescales affects the particle fluctuating velocities in homogeneous shear flow. For these purposes, the directional dependence of the Lagrangian autocorrelations of fluid velocities is incorporated into the statistical probability density function (PDF) model proposed previously. The anisotropic timescale (ATS) model is evaluated against numerical simulations for homogeneous shear turbulent flows and is compared to results predicted by the isotropic timescale (ITS) model. The new ATS model for the PDF of the particle velocity distribution in turbulent flow appears to yield slightly improved results over the ITS model.
A singular value analysis of boundary layer control
Authors: Lim Junwoo , Kim John
Published: April 2004

Several approaches for boundary-layer control are analyzed from a linear system point of view. The singular value decomposition (SVD) is applied to the linearized Navier–Stokes system in the presence of control. The performance of control is examined in terms of the largest singular values, which represent the maximum disturbance energy growth ratio attainable in the linear system under control. It is shown that the maximum growth ratio is less in controlled systems than in the uncontrolled system only when control parameters are within a certain range of values. With opposition control, for example, when the detection plane is located too far away from the wall, the maximum energy growth ratio is larger, consistent with the results observed in direct numerical simulations. The SVD analysis of other controls also shows a similarity between the trend observed in the SVD analysis (linear) and that observed in direct numerical simulations (nonlinear), thus reaffirming the importance of linear mechanisms in the near-wall dynamics of turbulent boundary layers. The present study illustrates that the SVD analysis can be used as a guideline for designing controllers for drag reduction in turbulent boundary layers.
Inverse structure functions of temperature in grid-generated turbulence
Authors: Beaulac S. , Mydlarski L.
Published: April 2004

Jensen [Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 76 (1999)] proposed a new technique to study the scaling behavior of turbulent velocity fields. Inverse structure functions—defined as average moments of distances (or times) corresponding to a specified difference of a turbulent quantity—were used to investigate the intermittency of the turbulent velocity field. The present Brief Communication employs inverse structure functions to study the behavior of a passive scalar (temperature) in high-Reynolds-number grid-generated turbulence. It is shown that the scaling exponents of inverse structure functions of temperature are significantly different than those of the longitudinal and transverse velocity. Such a result is attributed to the higher level of intermittency associated with passive scalar fields.
Instability of electrokinetic microchannel flows with conductivity gradients
Authors: Lin Hao , Storey Brian D. , Oddy Michael H. , Chen Chuan-Hua , Santiago Juan G.
Published: April 2004

Electrokinetic flow is leveraged in a variety of applications, and is a key enabler of on-chip electrophoresis systems. An important sub-class of electrokinetic devices aim to pump and control electrolyte working liquids with spatial gradients in conductivity. These high-gradient flows can become unstable under the application of a sufficiently strong electric field. In this work the instability physics is explored using theoretical and numerical analyses, as well as experimental observations. The flow in a long, rectangular-cross-section channel is considered. A conductivity gradient is assumed to be orthogonal to the main flow direction, and an electric field is applied in the streamwise direction. It is found that such a system exhibits a critical electric field above which the flow is highly unstable, resulting in fluctuating velocities and rapid stirring. Modeling results compare well with experimental observations. The model indicates that the fluid forces associated with the thin dimension of the channel (transverse to both the conductivity gradient and the main flow direction) tends to stabilize the flow. These results have application to the design and control of on-chip assays that require high conductivity gradients, and provides a rapid mixing mechanism for low Reynolds number flows in microchannels.
New field-emission x-ray radiography system
Authors: Senda S. , Tanemura M. , Sakai Y. , Ichikawa Y. , Kita S. , Otsuka T. , Haga A. , Okuyama F.
Published: April 2004

A new field-emission x-ray radiography system based on our design is described. The key component of the system is a triode-type x-ray source with a built-in nanostructured electron source. The electron source is comprised of palladium-induced carbon nanofibers, which continue to field-emit electrons for more than 10 h at 2×10−7 Torr with a fluctuation of ±8%. Feedback control of the potential of the electron-extracting electrode, or the gate, reduces the current fluctuation to ±0.5%, but this current regulation does little to improve the image resolution. Our system provides sharp x-ray images of both biological and nonbiological samples.
Effect of electrically conducting walls on rotating magnetoconvection
Authors: Zhang Keke , Weeks Mark , Roberts Paul
Published: April 2004

In an experiment carried out by Aurnou and Olson [J. Fluid Mech. 430, 283 (2001)] thermal convection in a liquid gallium layer in the presence of a uniform vertical magnetic field was investigated. The critical Rayleigh number at the onset of magnetoconvection was determined as a function of the Chandrasekhar number Q (the ratio of the Lorentz force to the viscous force) and the Taylor number Ta (the squared ratio of the Coriolis force to the viscous force). In the experimental apparatus, the upper and lower boundaries of the liquid gallium layer were electrically conducting copper plate walls. This paper presents a study of the effect of electrically conducting walls on rotating magnetoconvection. It is shown that the electrical properties of the walls have significant effects on the characteristics of rotating magnetoconvection when both the Chandrasekhar number Q and the Taylor number Ta are sufficiently large. It is demonstrated that, as a consequence of the electrically conducting walls, oscillatory magnetoconvection can become steady and the critical Rayleigh number can change by as much as 60%. The problem of convectively driven Alfvén waves in a rotating fluid layer in the presence of a uniform vertical magnetic field is discussed in an appendix.
Using unbalanced data from a barley breeding program to estimate gene effects: the Ha2, Ha4, and sdw1 genes
Authors: Eagles H. A , Moody D. B.
Published: April 2004

The effects of genes in self-pollinated crops are usually estimated from designed experiments where selection is minimised. In this study, we used a large, but unbalanced, dataset from a barley breeding program to estimate the effects of the Ha2, Ha4, and sdw1 genes on grain yield, grain weight, grain protein, malt extract, and diastatic power. The Ha2 and Ha4 genes for resistance to cereal cyst nematode were under intense selection pressure, whereas the sdw1 gene, which reduces plant height, was under mild selection pressure.From a mixed-model analysis of mainly F5-derived lines over 5 years, resistance due to the Ha2 gene was found to increase grain yields at 2 sites where the nematode was expected to be present, but not at 3 other sites. There was no significant effect of Ha4 on grain yield. Because of selection, data from later stages of evaluation were not useable for Ha2 or Ha4. From analyses of both early stage and later stages of evaluation, the semi-dwarf allele of the sdw1 gene increased grain yields at high-yielding sites, but decreased yields at low-yielding sites. The semi-dwarf allele reduced grain weight. The effects of Ha2 or Ha4 on malt extract and diastatic power were not significant, but the semi-dwarf allele at sdw1 reduced grain protein.We concluded that plant breeding data can be used to successfully estimate the effects of important genes, with bias due to selection minimised by the use of data from appropriate stages of selection and the use of appropriate statistical models.
Single-molecule imaging analysis of Ras activation in living cells
Authors: Murakoshi Hideji , Iino Ryota , Kobayashi Takeshi , Fujiwara Takahiro , Ohshima Chika , Yoshimura Akihiko , Kusumi Akihiro
Published: April 2004

A single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) method has been developed to observe the activation of the small G protein Ras at the level of individual molecules. KB cells expressing H- or K-Ras fused with YFP (donor) were microinjected with the fluorescent GTP analogue BodipyTR-GTP (acceptor), and the epidermal growth factor-induced binding of BodipyTR-GTP to YFP-(H or K)-Ras was monitored by single-molecule FRET. On activation, Ras diffusion was greatly suppressed/immobilized, suggesting the formation of large, activated Ras-signaling complexes. These complexes may work as platforms for transducing the Ras signal to effector molecules, further suggesting that Ras signal transduction requires more than simple collisions with effector molecules. GAP334-GFP recruited to the membrane was also stationary, suggesting its binding to the signaling complex. The single-molecules FRET method developed here provides a powerful technique to study the signal-transduction mechanisms of various G proteins.
(Re)Analysing the Sustainable City: Nature, Urbanisation and the Regulation of Socio-environmental Relations in the UK
Authors: Whitehead Mark
Published: April 2004

The sustainable city has now become a leading paradigm of urban development throughout the world. Although the practices, discourses and ideologies associated with the sustainable city have been widely disseminated, analyses of sustainable urban development remain surprisingly anodyne. Drawing upon the insights of regulation theory, this paper attempts to develop a critical engagement with the sustainable city as a space of socio-ecological regulation. Focusing upon two examples of sustainable urban development in practice—the first, the struggle over work-place environments in Stoke-on-Trent; and the second, the reinsertion of nature into the Black Country urban region—this paper explores the regulatory geography of the sustainable city and the environmental visions and practices with which it is associated.
Markets versus Planning: An Assessment of the Swedish Housing Model in the Post-war Period
Authors: Nesslein Thomas S.
Published: April 2004

The purpose of this study is to present a comparative economic systems evaluation of the Swedish housing model. The evaluation examines success in achieving equity as well as efficiency goals and incorporates key comparisons with the market-oriented US housing model. From the late 1940s up to the major housing reforms of the early 1990s, a form of strong economic planning characterised the Swedish housing sector. By the early 1970s, the housing standard for all income-groups had been raised markedly and urban slums eliminated. Yet, Sweden's success came at huge resource cost while at the same time important equity goals were compromised. For example, Swedish building costs are among the highest in the world while in Sweden's major cities socioeconomic segregation is more pronounced than ever before in the post-war period.
Adding value in educational research—the marriage of data and analytical power
Authors: Schagen Ian , Hutchison Dougal
Published: April 2004

Abstract The last 20 years have seen the development of sophisticated techniques for analysing individual data within a hierarchical context and the growing availability of good datasets to which these techniques can be applied. The modelling of pupil performance controlling for prior attainment has led to a type of analysis commonly titled ‘value‐added’. Concern for school factors which affect pupil progress has given rise to ‘school effectiveness’ research. This article outlines the history of these linked movements, mainly with reference to England and Wales, but developments in other countries are also outlined. It discusses some of the objections that have been raised, and comments on possible future directions.
Are class size differences related to pupils' educational progress and classroom processes? findings from the institute of education class size study of children aged 5–7 years
Authors: Blatchford Peter , Bassett Paul , Goldstein Harvey , Martin Clare
Published: April 2004

Abstract Despite evidence from the USA that children in small classes of less than 20 do better academically there is still a vociferous debate about the effects of class size differences in schools, and considerable gaps in our understanding of the effects of class size differences. This article summarises results from the most complete UK analysis to date of the educational consequences of class size differences. The study had two aims: first, to establish whether class size differences affect pupils’ academic achievement; and second, to study connections between class size and classroom processes, which might explain any differences found. The study had a number of features that were designed to be an improvement on previous research. It used an ‘observational’ approach, rather than an interventionist one, in order to capture the nature of the relationship between class size and achievement across the full range of observed classes, and it employed a longitudinal design with baseline assessment to adjust for possible non‐random selection of children into classes. The study followed a large sample of over 10,000 children from school entry through the infant stage, i.e. children aged 4–7 years. It used multilevel statistical procedures to model effects of class size differences while controlling for sources of variation that might affect the relationship with academic achievement, and a multimethod research approach, integrating teachers’ judgements and experiences with case studies, and also carefully designed time allocation estimates and systematic observation data. Results showed that there was a clear effect of class size differences on children's academic attainment over the (first) Reception year. In the case of literacy, the lowest attainers on entry to school benefited most from small classes, particularly below 25. Connections between class size and classroom processes were examined and a summary model of relationships presented. Effects were multiple, not singular; in large classes there are more large groups and this presented teachers with more difficulties, in smaller classes there was more individual teacher contact with pupils and more support for learning, and in larger classes there was more pupil inattentiveness and off‐task behaviour. Results support a contextual approach to classroom learning, within which class size differences have effects on both teachers and pupils. It is concluded that much will depend on how teachers adapt their teaching to different class sizes and that more could be done in teacher training and professional development to address contextual features like size of class.
Celebration of the success of distributed research with schools: the cem centre, Durham
Authors: Tymms Peter , Coe Robert
Published: April 2004

Abstract The Curriculum, Evaluation and Management (CEM) Centre has grown in just 25 years to become the largest educational research unit in a UK university. It has influenced schools and teachers in unprecedented numbers and has had a considerable impact on policy and practice both directly and indirectly in the UK and beyond. This article summarises this growth and points to key features of its success. It recounts the philosophical approach of the centre and gives examples of its work to illustrate the way in which it has worked. This includes the development of monitoring systems, the creation of innovative tests, the use of monitoring data in research projects, evaluation and the centre's commitment to evidence‐based work. The article does not report findings in the manner of many journal articles. Rather, it describes the growth and key features of a remarkably successful centre. It seeks to justify this claim and to outline the manner in which it has been successful.
Evaluation of bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and proximal femur in population‐based routine health examinations of healthy asians
Authors: Chan W. P. , Liu J.‐F. , Chi W.‐L.
Published: April 2004

Purpose: To understand the peak bone mineral density (BMD) and annual loss of BMD of the lumbar spine (L‐BMD) and the proximal femur (F‐BMD) and the prevalence of osteoporosis in both sexes in Taipei City, Taiwan.

Material and Methods: The medical records from a recent 3‐year period of annual health examinations at a single institution were reviewed. A total of 1514 men (mean age 49.08±13.62) and 1955 women (48.07±14.12), who lived in the Taipei area, had no major systemic disorders, and who had undergone both L‐BMD and F‐BMD examinations, were recruited.

Results: In women, peak L‐BMD (1.078±0.133 g/cm2) occurred in the 30 to 39‐year age group, whereas peak F‐BMD (0.873±0.101 g/cm2) occurred in the 17 to 29‐year age group. In men, peak L‐BMD (1.095±0.137 g/cm2) and F‐BMD (0.989±0.140 g/cm2) both occurred in the 17 to 29‐year age group. The estimated annual bone loss was 0.69% of peak L‐BMD in women over 50 years; in the proximal femur this was 0.688% in women and 0.332% in men. In women over 60 years, approximately half of the population had osteoporosis in the lumbar spine.

Conclusion: We report descriptive BMD data of a Chinese population recruited from a Taipei urban area who underwent routine health examination. The values are similar to or higher than those of Japanese, Canadian and Greek populations. L‐BMD was lower than that in the Lebanese, and F‐BMD of both sexes was lower than that reported in the Greek study.
Regional variations in the thickness of cervical spine endplates as measured by computed tomography
Authors: Schmitz B. , Pitzen T. , Beuter T. , Steudel W. I. , Reith W.
Published: April 2004

Purpose: To determine regional variations in the thickness of human cervical spine endplates with high spatial resolution.

Material and Methods: Six explanted human cadaveric spine specimens underwent computed tomography (CT) scanning. Measurement of endplate thickness was done fully automatically at every point of the endplate using a computer program written specifically for this purpose. Variations in thickness along sagittal and coronal lines were determined and statistical parametric mapping was used to test for significant regional variations at every point.

Results: Anterior and medial aspects of superior endplates were shown to be significantly thinner than lateral and dorsal parts. Superior endplates were found to be thicker than inferior endplates.

Conclusion: Fully automatic assessment of endplate thickness from CT data is feasible. Central regions of the cervical spine endplates are thinner than peripheral parts of the endplates. This distribution is more pronounced in superior than in inferior endplates.
The international telecommunication regime in the information age
Authors: Curtis Terry
Published: April 2004

This paper examines recent changes in the international telecommunication regime. The concept of an international regime comes from the field of international relations. Although it is not universally accepted, one of the most widely supported definitions describes an international regime as, ‘implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision‐making procedures around which actors’ expectations converge in a given area of international relations'.1 The ‘given area’ of concern here is telecommunication. Telecommunication and the principles, norms, rules and decision‐making procedures which are relevant to it at the international level—which have been studied extensively by communications and development economics scholars2—have only rarely been the focus of international relations scholars.3 The objective of this paper is to use tools from the study of international relations to explore subject matter that has more frequently been the focus of scholars in communications, development economics, and information economics.
Emerging electronic markets at e‐Business crossroads: competitive and regulatory issues in the electricity industry
Authors: Wigand Rolf
Published: April 2004

Natural history depicts evidence of the dynamics of evolution, while fossil records permit the examination of change over time. Such records inform us also that change is never easy and does not occur without casualties. It seems that parallel observations may be advanced as the Internet and widespread use of information and communication technologies (ICT) have brought about new organizational forms, entirely new ways of organizing, as well as enabling novel processes. One casualty reflective of an evolutionary era is the dot‐com firms that have gone bust. As firms are moving along the evolutionary path of understanding and implementing these developments we need to come to grips with their design, management and impact.
This contribution examines electronic markets and related off‐shoots as a coordination form and macro‐structure of information and communication systems within the electric power market. The basic notion of ‘electronic market’ is explored briefly. We recognize several forms in which such markets manifest themselves. The author emphasizes the role of competition in electronic markets, as well as the newly found role of intermediaries.
Electronic markets in the electricity industry are examined in some detail, i.e. the electronic trading of electricity. This market demonstrates nicely the opportunities, but also potential pitfalls of electronic trading of this commodity, especially given relatively recent experiences with the electricity supply situation in the State of California, as well as the demise of Enron. A number of patterns, trading practices and regulatory concerns are highlighted. At the same time though similar underlying problems are applicable in all industrialized nations and selected examples are provided.
Competition processes and the management of innovation
Authors: Gibbons Michael
Published: April 2004

This paper presents two different forms of research practices: Mode 1 and Mode 2. These forms of knowledge production are adumbrated not so much to demonstrate their radical differences, though there are some, but as a way of calling attention to the fact that, in both modes, static and dynamic competition are at work. It will come as no surprise to academics to be told that their research is carried out in a competitive context. Competition for ideas and for intellectual leadership in a particular field or sub‐field is the bread and butter of academic life. In industry, too, the observation that research takes place in a competitive environment would be uncontentious were it not for the fact that researchers in business management seem reluctant to take on board the uncertainties that competition generates and to put their intellectual energies into developing specific strategies that are appropriate to two diverse forms of competition. The argument moves on to spell out the differences that specify static and dynamic competition, as they occur in the innovation process. This raises the crucial question of the importance of boundary work in generating innovation in both academic and industrial contexts. The nature of boundary work is then related to different types of competition and then to the appropriate organisational imperatives of each. The paper concludes by asking for how much longer can research into business management carry on ignoring the fact that fundamentally different approaches to management are required in these two radically different environments.
Twenty‐five years of evolving information privacy law—where have we come from and where are we going?
Authors: Kirby Michael
Published: April 2004

The author chaired two Expert Groups of the OECD including that on privacy, whose guidelines form the basis of the legal regimes in Australia, New Zealand and many other countries. He reviews the success of those guidelines and the defects disclosed by time and by the remarkable advances in information technology since the guidelines were adopted in 1980. He then explores the revival of interest in the protection of privacy in the courts as a common law entitlement, instancing the recent decision of the Australian High Court in the Lenah Game Meats Case. The difficulty which the common law faces in responding to the challenge of informatics is then explored by reference to the decision in Dow Jones v Gutnik concerned with liability for defamation on the Internet. Finally, the author considers two contemporary problems: genetic privacy and terrorism. On the latter, he concludes with a reminder of the need to uphold civic rights, including privacy, so as to ensure that the terrorists, although losing, do not win.
Prometheus unbound: 20 years of communication policy research
Authors: Goggin Gerard
Published: April 2004

In this article I review 20 years of writing on communication policy in Prometheus. I examine the contribution Prometheus has made to three areas of knowledge about communication policy: communication itself, its histories, and broad notions of communication policy; telecommunications; and new communication technology. I suggest that it is in the latter two areas focusing on the technological dimensions of communication policy, that the journal has consistently contributed genuinely innovative work. Here the journal has fostered interdisciplinary writing and enquiry where policy and technology developments most required critique and new ideas.
Cytokine expression in allergic inflammation: systematic review of in vivo challenge studies
Authors: Ferreira Manuel A. R.
Published: April 2004

Background: Allergic inflammatory responses are driven by cells of the immune system that rely on cytokines to regulate the activity of other immune and structural cells.

Objective: To review published studies to (1) identify cytokines consistently increased after allergen challenge in atopic patients and (2) investigate temporal variation in cytokine expression.

Methods: A PUBMED systematic search was used to extract data from studies involving analysis of cytokine expression in fluids or biopsies following in vivo allergen challenge in atopic patients.

Results: Data were extracted from 82 studies. There were no consistent reports of cytokine protein increase in fluids of patients at 0‐1 h after challenge. At 4‐12 h, the chemokines eotaxin, macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α, RANTES (regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted) and interleukin (IL)‐8 have all been consistently reported to be up‐regulated. At 18‐24 h after challenge, the lymphokines IL‐4, IL‐5 and IL‐13, as well as the pro‐inflammatory cytokines granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor, tumour necrosis factor‐α and IL‐6 are consistently increased when compared with the respective control value. There were no reports of up‐regulation in interferon‐γ protein and mRNA and in IL‐2 mRNA.

Conclusion: The expression of granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor is consistently increased in tissues at 4‐12 h after challenge. The influence of this cytokine on antigen capture and presentation by dendritic cells should be further investigated. Additionally, allergen challenge studies are needed that investigate the expression of macrophage‐derived chemokine and thymus‐regulated and activation‐regulated chemokine in tissues of atopic patients. Blocking the effects of these lymphocyte‐specific chemokines might provide new therapeutic approaches for the control of allergic inflammation.
The Impact of Industrial Offsets on the US Machine Tool Industry
Authors: Macpherson Alan
Published: April 2004

This paper examines the extent to which industrial offset agreements affect US exporters of computer numerically controlled machine tools. Evidence from a sample of 48 export-intensive firms suggests that compensatory conditions vary directly with unit selling prices ( i.e. expensive machines are subject to tougher offsets than low-end products). The evidence also suggests that the most stringent offset agreements involve a degree of international technology transfer, as well as job-displacement within the US. On balance, however, the commercial benefits of industrial offset agreements appear to exceed the costs. Specifically, it would seem that US employment in the machine tool industry has become increasingly export-dependent, and that offset agreements represent relatively minor irritants in the light of the industry's growing need for international sales. The study concludes with a brief discussion of the implications of the empirical findings for future research on compensatory trade in technology-intensive industries.
Spatial Evolutionary Games of Interaction among Generic Cancer Cells
Authors: Bach L. A. , Sumpter D. J. T. , Alsner J. , Loeschcke V.
Published: April 2004

Evolutionary game models of cellular interactions have shown that heterogeneity in the cellular genotypic composition is maintained through evolution to stable coexistence of growth‐promoting and non‐promoting cell types. We generalise these mean‐field models and relax the assumption of perfect mixing of cells by instead implementing an individual‐based model that includes the stochastic and spatial effects likely to occur in tumours. The scope for coexistence of genotypic strategies changed with the inclusion of explicit space and stochasticity. The spatial models show some interesting deviations from their mean‐field counterparts, for example the possibility of altruistic (paracrine) cell strategies to thrive. Such effects can however, be highly sensitive to model implementation and the more realistic models with semi‐synchronous and stochastic updating do not show evolution of altruism. We do find some important and consistent differences between the spatial and mean‐field models, in particular that the parameter regime for coexistence of growth‐promoting and nonpromoting cell types is narrowed. For certain parameters in the model a selective collapse of a generic growth promoter occurs, hence the evolutionary dynamics mimics observable in vivo tumour phenomena such as (therapy induced) relapse behaviour. Our modelling approach differs from many of those previously applied in understanding growth of cancerous tumours in that it attempts to account for natural selection at a cellular level. This study thus points a new direction towards more plausible spatial tumour modelling and the understanding of cancerous growth.
Frank Knight and the Productivity of Capital: Another Piece of the Puzzle
Authors: Mehta Nimai
Published: April 2004

Through the 1930s, Frank H. Knight engaged the economic profession in a prodigious exchange over the nature and productivity of capital. Knight's efforts here were driven by three significant objectives: first, that capital theory had to be able to explain the broad fact of capital accumulation and growth as actually experienced by progressive societies; second, that existing doctrines had to be purged of the flawed vestiges of the classical-Ricardian theory of production if any progress was to be had in achieving the first objective; third, and last, that an alternative theory of capital needed to provide an explanation of the productivity of capital consistent with the fulfillment of the first two tasks. Knight failed in the third task or, at best, left the task incomplete.
Identification and Characterization of a Serum Protein Homologous to α‐type Phospholipase A2 Inhibitor (PLIα) from a Nonvenomous Snake, Elaphe quadrivirgata
Authors: Okumura Kohji , Inoue Seiji , Ikeda Kiyoshi , Hayashi Kyozo
Published: April 2004

From a liver cDNA library prepared from a nonvenomous striated snake, Elaphe quadrivirgata, we isolated a cDNA encoding a novel protein, PLIα‐like protein (PLIα‐LP), having approximately 70% sequence identities with the α‐type phospholipase A2 (PLA2) inhibitors (PLIαs) previously purified from the venomous snakes Agkistrodon blomhoffii siniticus and Trimeresurus flavoviridis. Since the PLIα‐LP with a highly conserved C‐type lectin‐like domain (CTLD) would be predicted to function as a PLA2 inhibitor, we purified this protein from E. quadrivirgata serum by sequential chromatography on Hi‐trap Blue, Mono Q, and Superdex 200 columns. The purified 51‐kDa protein with PLIα‐like immunoreactivity was found to be a trimer of 18‐kDa PLIα‐LP, which was comparable to the trimeric structure of PLIα. But, unexpectedly, this protein did not show any inhibitory activity against various snake venom PLA2s. Furthermore, it did not inhibit the endogenous PLA2 activities in various tissue homogenates prepared from this snake. Lack of the inhibitory activity in PLIα‐LP may provide important information concerning the structure‐function relationships of PLIα. IUBMB Life, 55: 539‐545, 2003