bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of World Demand and Competitiveness on Exports and Economic Growth
Authors: POON JESSIE
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT There is little consensus in the development literature on whether it is supply explanations such as competitiveness levels, or, the external demand structure which drive the link between exports and economic growth. This paper attempts to reconcile the polarization of the aforementioned viewpoints by examining the effects of both world demand and a country's competitiveness in exports on the relationship between export growth and economic growth. The results indicate that only developing countries which are highly competitive and which also face relatively favorable external demand for their exports experience above‐average growth. Weak external demand reduces the positive effects of exports on growth substantially but may be offset by high levels of competitiveness in trade. The results imply that both regional and Third World growth studies on the link between exports and economic growth would profit more from integrating both supply as well as external demand explanations rather than succumb to one of the two viewpoints.
State Employment Growth: The Impact of Taxes and Economic Development Agency Spending
Authors: GOSS ERNEST PRESTON , PHILLIPS JOSEPH M.
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT The results of this study confirm the expected positive relationship between economic development agency spending and employment growth among the states. Furthermore, it is concluded that past studies, by failing to control for state economic development agency spending in estimated regression equations, have underestimated the negative impact of personal taxes on employment growth.
Technology, Industrial Restructuring, and Regional Development
Authors: ERICKSON RODNEY A.
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a contemporary survey and synthesis of research on the regional dimensions of technology and competitiveness and explores ways in which technological change has influenced industrial restructuring in U.S. regions. Neoclassical models of regional growth are judged to be seriously wanting in their treatment of technological change. Industrial organization theories such as product/profit cycles, best‐practice firms, and flexible specialization have proven to be more illuminating. However, the task remains to integrate technology as a core element in a geography of production and regional economic change that includes both global strategic decision‐making of companies and the viability of plants in particular regional settings. Although the federal government as sponsor and procurer of technology has contributed significantly to regional industrial restructuring, the prospects for state and local governments to facilitate technological change appear to be very limited.
Production Politics and Flexible Manufacturing in the South Wales Motor Components Sector
Authors: RUTHERFORD TOD
Published: July 2006

This paper focuses on restructuring in eleven first‐tier suppliers in the South Wales motor components sector and examines the influence of production politics, including plant‐local labor market relations, on the implementation of flexible manufacaturing during the 1980s. Although industrial geographers have recognized the role of recruitment and training in the restructuring of the spatial division of labor they have tended to focus primarily on the role of new firms operating at “green field” sites and view this process as functional to the needs of capital. However, the argument of this paper will be that while new forms of work organization are influenced by the technical and commercial possibilities of new technology and markets, the form of work organization cannot simply be “read off” from the macro‐economic level, but will be partially determined by existing spatiallyuneven social relations of production.
Flexibility and Adjustment: The Hong Kong Watch Industry and Global Change
Authors: GLASMEIER AMY K.
Published: July 2006

A case study of the Hong Kong watch industry demonstrates the adaptive flexibility of labor‐intensive industrial clusters. The study describes the evolution of industry in Hong Kong, and highlights the unique attributes of the country's economic history which have influenced the structure of production systems in the country. Focusing on the role of global competition, the case study identifies the constraints posed by a labor‐intensive flexible production system in the face of continuous technological change in the industry.
Inscribing Workplaces: The Spatiality of the Production Process
Authors: MOSS PAMELA
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT In this paper, the social being in the spatiality of the production process is addressed. Spatiality, following Soja (1989), means the ceaseless and recursive dialectical interplay amongst time, space, and the social being. The production process, as a specific set of social relations, comprises both the tasks associated with productive labor and the regulations that organize the extraction of surplus value. The social being as worker is located within the various sets of power relations in the workplace, and workers as social beings position themselves within and amongst the numerous sets of social relations that are part of the production process. Distributions of power are negotiated through labor and mediated by other sets of social relations in specific places as well as the historical and material conditions of the lives of individual workers and their employment at a firm. This conceptual argument is demonstrated by drawing on information gathered in multiple‐depth interviews with women employed as franchise housekeepers, personal experience as a franchise housekeeper, and structured interviews with managers, owners, and head office personnel in housekeeping services franchises.
The Economics and Politics of Tax Increment Financing
Authors: LAWRENCE DAVID B. , STEPHENSON SUSAN C.
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a popular yet controversial tool that allows local governments to use property tax revenue to fund the public costs of economic development. Since TIF gives one local government the power to affect the tax bases of the overlapping jurisdictions, there is uncertainty and argument on the part of government officials and taxpayers as to who really finances the program. To evaluate the alternative contentions, this paper presents a general methodology that identifies which taxpayers in which locations fund the TIF's expenditures, and sets forward the conditions under which such a local economic development policy can be beneficial to taxpayers. The paper applies the model to study the TIF program currently active in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. The evidence indicates that the taxpayers in the entire metropolitan area subsidized the downtown activities in the early years, but now pay lower property tax rates due to the city's TIF‐financed urban revitalization program.
The Traditional System and Structural Transformation in Subsaharan Africa
Authors: LOGAN B. IKUBOLAJEH
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT This paper is a critique of dualistic notions concerning the structure of African economies, and the nature of structural transformation in the region. First, it questions theoretical assumptions that structural transformation in Subsaharan Africa is controlled and directed by market penetration. Second, it argues that, in reality, structural transformation is a process of mutual interaction between the institutions of capital and those of the traditional system. As African individuals, households and communities make deliberate choices about what to optimize and how to undertake the optimization process within given constraints, they choose from traditional and market norms to varying degrees. Finally, it is argued that the outcome of these activities is not a rural‐urban dichotomy, but a continuum which reflects different behavioral patterns in economic production and social relationships.
Investment, Capital Stocks and the Age of Capital in U.S. Regions
Authors: RIGBY DAVID L.
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT This paper outlines a conventional method of constructing regional capital stocks using investment and depreciation data. The method was used to estimate annual capital stocks for twenty (two‐digit SIC) manufacturing industries in the nine census regions of the US. between 1955 and 1989. The novelty of the paper is the disaggregated capital stock data generated. Those data reveal that the industrial distribution of capital is becoming increasingly similar among regions of the U.S. They also show the familiar snowbelt‐sunbelt shift of manufacturing capacity. Statistical tests establish that the redistribution of regional net capital stocks between 1955 and 1989 is significant in sixteen of twenty industries and that in ten of these sectors the most pronounced shifts in capacity occurred before the early 1970s. As investment moved away from the old manufacturing heartland, the age of capital in the mid Atlantic and east north central states increased and the age structure of capital stocks became relatively youthful in the west. Age pyramids reveal that regional variations in the age distribution of capital and the average age of capital were greater in 1989 than in 1955. Models of embodied technological change claim that the age of capital is a useful surrogate of best‐practice technology.
Fluctuations and Downturns in a “Company Town”
Authors: RUSHEN STEVEN F.
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT A semi‐structural VAR time‐series model was used to examine movements in Flint Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) employment levels and determine how area employment was affected by movements in different sectors of the U.S. economy. Flint was chosen because in 1958 over 50 percent of the area's population was employed by the transportation industry, the majority in automobile production, and therefore Flint should be considered as a company town prototype for this modeling technique. Due to the dependency of this area's employment base on the automotive industry and the highly volatile nature of area employment levels, the Choleski decomposition was used instead of the structural Bernanke method.

It was found that the effects of movements in the automotive industry were a major impact on aggregate area employment as well as on virtually all manufacturing sectors. These results are more robust than those for the Detroit Metropolitan Statistical Area (PSA)1. This is due primarily to Flint's greater degree of area dependency on the automotive‐industry.
Institutions and the Market for Annexable Land
Authors: LINER GAINES H. , MCGREGOR ROB ROY
Published: July 2006

The annexation activity of municipalities is studied in a market framework. A sample of 659 municipalities of 25,000 or more population is used to analyze the effects of municipal government structure and annexation statutes on municipal government behavior. Both annexation laws and types of municipal governments are found to be significant determinants of the level of municipal annexation activity. Since some studies indicate that annexation activity affects municipal efficiency, these results have policy implications for state legislators who control the institutions under which municipalities operate.
U.S. Economic Growth vs. Environmental Conditions
Authors: GOETZ STEPHAN J. , READY RICHARD C. , STONE BRAD
Published: July 2006

A widely‐held belief is that stricter environmental regulations stifle economic growth. To determine empirically the effect of environmental conditions and policies on state‐level per capita income growth, a Barro‐type economic growth model was estimated for the years 1982 to 1991, which correspond to two consecutive troughs in the business cycle. States with better environmental conditions had significantly higher income growth rates during this period. At the same time, stricter environmental policies did not significantly depress income growth. Data used include recently developed, consistent measures of environmental policy and quality for individual states, as well as data from the 1980 U.S. Census and Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Personal and Location‐Specific Characteristics and Elderly Interstate Migration
Authors: CLARK DAVID E. , KNAPP THOMAS A. , WHITE NANCY E.
Published: July 2006

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of locational and individual characteristics upon interstate retiree migration, particularly in state‐level public policy variables. Data regarding the characteristics of individual movers are drawn from the 1990 US. Census of Population and Housing 5% Public Use Microdata Sample. The household data are merged with location‐specific attributes including both natural amenities and local fiscal variables. Three specifications of the model are estimated. The “push” model analyzes the impact of origin characteristics upon migration between states, while the “pull” model demonstrates the influence of destination characteristics upon interstate migration. The final specification is the “difference” model, which measures the actual changes in site characteristics experienced by migrants in their location decisions. The results indicate that both personal and locational characteristics are important factors determining the decision of elderly migrants to change their state of residence. While there is some limited support for the push and pull specifications, the difference model is found to provide the best overall fit.
Distributional Impacts of the‘Free Zone’Component of Structural Adjustment: The Jamaican Experience
Authors: KLAK THOMAS
Published: July 2006

Our understanding of the socio‐economic and geographical impacts of structural adjustment has not kept pace with the transformations, and this paper responds to this problem. Faced with massive foreign debt and a collapse of traditional exports, governments throughout the developing world have agreed to World Bank‐ and International Monetary Fund (IMF)‐prescribed structural adjustment and to its component industrial free zones. The zones are designed to attract foreign manufacturers to produce for export, and thereby generate hard currency for governments and jobs for young women. Jamaica, which has experienced a greater foreign debt burden and more structural adjustment agreements than virtually any other third world country, provides a case study of free zone policy. The research employs a political economy approach (Barnes 1993, whereby conventional wisdom that free zones contribute positively to Third World development is initially scrutinized. Free zones are examined with respect to the historical, social, and spatial contexts in which they are imbedded, and social groups affected by free zones are disaggregated by class and gender to expose power relationships and differential impacts. Most evidence is drawn from internal Jamaican government records and interviews with public and private managers involved with the free zones. The findings indicate that the costs and benefits of free zone promotion are distributed very unevenly with respect to class, gender and location.
Is There a Trade and Defense Perimeter? The Regional Impacts of Trade and Defense Spending in the United States, 1978‐1986
Authors: NOPONEN HELZI , MARKUSEN ANN , DRIESSEN KARL , SHAO YANG
Published: July 2006

Using an expanded shift share technique to impute international trade‐related industrial job change, the extent to which structural changes in trade and defense spending appear to explain state economic performance differentials is explored. The findings show there is limited support for the “trade perimeter” argument, but strong support for the hypothesized relationship between military procurement spending and state trade performance. To the extent that defense commitments, especially to private sector procurement and R & D, have operated as an informal industrial policy, particularly by guaranteeing strong domestic sales, they have enabled a significant number of states peripheral to the traditional industrial heartland to build a strong international trade posture. The conclusion offers observations on the economic development implications of these findings.
The psychological contract: A critical review
Authors: Cullinane Niall , Dundon Tony
Published: July 2006

Literature on the psychological contract has blossomed progressively over the last ten years to the extent that it is now firmly located within the lexicon of the Human Resource Management (HRM) discipline. Yet as this review indicates, the theoretical assumptions that seem to pervade the psychological contract literature are not without major deficiencies, which in turn pose serious questions around the continued sustainability of the construct as currently constituted. This paper addresses some of the central problems presently confronting the theoretical side of the psychological contract literature. In seeking to advance knowledge and understanding, this review calls for an alternative approach to studying the psychological contract on the basis of a more critical and discursive literature analysis. From this, the authors unpick the construct of the psychological contract as portrayed in much of the extant literature and argue that, in its present form, it symbolizes an ideologically biased formula designed for a particular managerialist interpretation of contemporary work and employment.
Culture in the Rise of Tiger Economies: Scottish Expatriates in Dublin and the ‘Creative Class’ Thesis
Authors: BOYLE MARK
Published: July 2006

This article evaluates the contributions which Richard Florida's seminal ‘creative class’ thesis might make to ongoing efforts to re‐inscribe ‘culture’ back into political economy explanations of the rise of Tiger economies. It reflects upon the value of reconsidering both the role of skilled migrants in Tiger states and the factors which attract skilled migrants to these economies in the first instance. Based upon analyses of a series of focus groups conducted with Scottish expatriates currently working in Dublin, the article specifically attempts to gauge how far the creative class thesis can be stretched to account for the locational preferences of talented migrants. Whilst Florida's work undoubtedly sheds light on aspects of expatriate existence which might not otherwise have been obvious, its ability to account for the relationships which have existed between technology, talent and tolerance in the Celtic Tiger must be questioned. Moreover, if political economy and Floridian readings are to do more than simply inform one another, there will be a need to establish more clearly the complex ways in which developmental states intersect with skill flows and cosmopolitan cultural agendas.
Message in a Metro: Building Urban Rail Infrastructure and Image in Delhi, India
Authors: SIEMIATYCKI MATTI
Published: July 2006

The world over, infrastructure mega projects have become more prevalent, even as evidence suggests that such projects often experience significant cost overruns while failing to fully deliver on their projected benefits. In this light, this article will argue that continued support for infrastructure mega projects stems from the way that such projects are presented to the public. Using the case of the development of a metro railway in Delhi, India, it shows that galvanizing public support and attracting patrons to a public transit system stems from creating an all‐round positive image that combines tangible variables with an intangible set of symbolic meanings. Of course, image is only an impression, and does not necessarily reflect reality. In this light, the final section of this article examines the broad physical and societal implications of the metro development in Delhi, and uncovers the driving forces behind the project. The article concludes that, in spite of the cultivation of a positive image, the specific metro form that was developed in Delhi to satisfy each of the special interest groups involved in its production might be specifically one that fails to suit the transportation needs of the city.
Planning à la Carte: The Location Patterns of Gated Communities around Buenos Aires in a Decentralized Planning Context
Authors: LIBERTUN DE DUREN NORA
Published: July 2006

The spectacular growth of gated communities around Latin America’s largest cities has been widely noted. In Buenos Aires, after the upgrade of the northern highway in the 1990s, the number of gated communities along the road more than tripled, reaching 500 by the year 2001. Yet, the geographic distribution of these communities was uneven, with the majority concentrated in municipalities with the highest percentage of poor households. Why, given similar land prices, land availability, access to infrastructure and distance to the city’s core, did developers build gated communities in the poorest municipalities? This article argues that the decentralization of planning controls contributed to these patterns of distribution. While wealthier municipalities used this prerogative to enforce tighter controls on land use, the less affluent ones relied on their capacity to modify planning codes to lure real estate developers. Unlike well‐serviced municipalities, who perceived the gated communities’ privatization of services as a potential danger to their fiscal tax base, the municipalities that lacked urban services in most of their territory saw gated communities as a fast and inexpensive way of increasing local economic activities in less productive lands. As a consequence, after decentralization of planning capacities, the development of gated communities clustered in less affluent municipalities, hence deepening the social polarization in these jurisdictions.
The Return on Investment of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Authors: PLAZA BEATRIZ
Published: July 2006

The city of Bilbao has made use of a museum as one of the multiple means to restructure its former industrial base. However, the effectiveness of this costly formula is not always clear. Three major issues have arisen: the effects of Guggenheim Museum Bilbao on Bilbao’s image, the effects on overnight stays, and the effects on the local economy. There is little debate about the first issue, and room for more evidence on the second and third issues. The aim is to quantify the museum’s impact on tourism and employment and to calculate its yield (Return on Investment and Net Present Value). The approach adopted is the quantitative analysis of statistical data to try to isolate the economic contribution of the Guggenheim.
Autism and Epilepsy: What Has Regression Got to Do with It?
Authors: Tuchman Roberto
Published: July 2006

The relationship among epilepsy, autism, and regression is a poorly understood and controversial subject. In this brief review, examples of epileptic encephalopathies associated with regression of language and behavior and their overlap with autistic regression are discussed.
Corporate Governance and Asset Sales: The Effect of Internal and External Control Mechanisms
Authors: Hanson Robert C. , Song Moon H.
Published: July 2006

We investigate firms that sell assets to determine whether corporate governance mechanisms are effective at controlling agency problems. Our evidence shows that these firms have lower managerial ownership and are more likely to make unrelated acquisitions, suggesting weak internal controls. Analysis of insider trading activity shows that, on average, net buying increases before the asset sale and shareholders benefit more when this occurs. Results suggest that how managers reach a given level of ownership provides more information about incentive alignment than just the level of ownership. Our results also highlight the dynamic nature of corporate restructuring as firms acquire and then sell assets.
Effect of Governance Characteristics on the State of the Firm after an Initial Public Offering
Authors: Howton Shelly W.
Published: July 2006

I examine firm characteristics available to investors at a firm's initial public offering date to determine whether they predict the firm's survival, acquisition, or failure. Firms survive more often than they are acquired when they are venture‐backed, the chief executive officer is the original founder, and an outside blockholder is present. The presence of an outside director does not increase the probability of survival. Firms that are more likely to survive than fail include large firms and those with longer board tenure.
Institutional Ownership and Return Reversals Following Short‐Term Return Consistency
Authors: Watkins Boyce D.
Published: July 2006

Securities with consistently strong positive (negative) returns during the previous two weeks have future returns that are higher (lower) than those that do not. The results hold for various robustness checks, including those involving firm size, share turnover, past return levels, and bid‐ask bounce. The returns to short horizon consistency trading strategies are reliable through time and are both economically and statistically significant. There is also some evidence that longer periods of consistency lead to greater risk‐adjusted profits. Most surprising is that this effect holds only for those firms with high institutional ownership.
P Wave Dispersion Predicts Recurrence of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia Treated with Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation
Authors: Amasyali Basri , Kose Sedat , Aytemir Kudret , Kilic Ayhan , Turhan Hasan , Celik Turgay , Kursaklioglu Hurkan , Iyisoy Atila , Ozturk Cengiz , Isik Ersoy
Published: July 2006

Background: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) recurs in up to one‐third of patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) treated with slow pathway ablation. Therefore, identification of patients at risk for recurrence of AF after slow pathway ablation is important because of the necessity for additional therapies. The purpose of this study was to determine whether successful slow pathway ablation influences P wave parameters and whether these parameters predict the recurrence of paroxysmal AF in patients with both AVNRT and paroxysmal AF after ablation.

Methods: Thirty‐six patients with AVNRT and documented paroxysmal AF (Group 1) were compared to 36 age‐matched controls with AVNRT only (Group 2). P wave durations and P dispersion were measured before and after ablation.

Results: No significant differences were observed between P wave parameters observed before and after ablation. Maximum P wave durations (Pmax) and P dispersion (Pdisp) were significantly higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 (P < 0.001 for both) whereas minimum P wave durations did not differ between groups, both before and after ablation. Ten patients (28%) in Group‐1 had recurrence of AF during a mean follow‐up of 34 ± 11 months. Univariate predictors of AF recurrence were Pdisp ≥35.5 ms (P < 0.010), left atrial diameter >40 mm (P < 0.010), mitral or aortic calcification (P < 0.010), Pmax ≥112 ms (P < 0.050), valvular heart disease (P < 0.050), and atrial vulnerability (induction of AF lasting >30 second) after ablation (P < 0.050). However, only Pdisp ≥35.5 ms (P < 0.050) and left atrial diameter >40 mm (P < 0.010) were independent predictors of AF recurrences.

Conclusion: This study suggests that P wave dispersion could identify patients with AVNRT susceptible to recurrence of AF after slow pathway ablation.
Immunohistochemical expression of CD95 (Fas), c‐myc and epidermal growth factor receptor in hepatitis C virus infection, cirrhotic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: EL‐BASSIOUNI A. , NOSSEIR M. , ZOHEIRY M. , EL‐AHWANY E. , GHALI A. , EL‐BASSIOUNI N.
Published: July 2006

Gene product expression in normal and chronic hepatitis C virus infection was determined in an attempt to improve our understanding of the molecular events leading to the development of cirrhosis and liver carcinoma. Activation of CD95 (Fas) causes apoptosis of cells and liver failure in mice and has been associated with human liver disorders. c‐myc is involved in cell proliferation and EGFR in regeneration of cells. The material of the current study included 50 cases of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) (and negative hepatitis B virus infection), 29 cases of liver cirrhosis and HCV (LC), and 19 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and HCV (HCC) admitted to the Theodor Bilharz Research Institute (TBRI) during the years 2003–2004. Ten wedge liver biopsies – taken during laparoscopic cholecystectomy – were included in the study as normal controls. Laboratory investigations, including liver function tests, serological markers for viral hepatitis and serum alpha fetoprotein level (α‐FP), were determined for all cases. Histopathological study and immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibodies for CD95, c‐myc and EGFR were also done. In CHC cases, the histological activity index (HAI) revealed more expression of Fas antigen in liver tissues with active inflammation than in those without active inflammation (p<0.01). EGFR and c‐myc act synergistically in liver tumorigenesis. Upregulation of Fas in chronic hepatitis C infection and of c‐myc & EGFR in malignant transformation was concluded from this study. c‐myc expression may obstruct the induction of apoptosis of HCC cells and lead to uncontrolled cell growth.
An image analysis‐based method for quantification of chronic allograft damage index parameters
Authors: LAURONEN JOUNI , HÄYRY PEKKA , PAAVONEN TIMO
Published: July 2006

Chronic allograft damage index (CADI) is a semi‐quantitative histopathological score that predicts renal graft outcome. We aimed to develop an objective image analysis‐based method for quantification of CADI parameters. Thirty‐five kidney transplant biopsies were visually analyzed according to the original CADI criteria, and divided into normal, mildly, moderately and severely altered groups. Digital images of the same samples were then analyzed with IPLab software. Areas of inflammation and fibrosis measured using image analysis increased simultaneously with corresponding visual scores, although the difference between non‐inflamed and mildly inflamed groups was not statistically significant. Area of normal tubuli decreased in the images of samples with visually mild/moderate tubular atrophy and tended to be even smaller in the group with severe tubular atrophy. Image analysis‐based glomerular sclerosis score increased concurrently with increasing visual score. Mesangial matrix increase score in image analysis was greater in the samples with visually mild/moderate mesangial matrix increase score compared to those with normal glomeruli, and it was highest in the group with severe mesangial matrix increase. An image analysis‐based CADI scoring of renal allograft biopsies could provide more precise data for scientific studies, and help pathologists in renal allograft biopsy scoring.
A longitudinal study of gingivitis and puberty
Authors: Sutcliffe Philip
Published: July 2006

A longitudinal study of 127 children between the ages of 11 and 17 years revealed a high initial prevalence of gingivitis that tended to decline slightly with age. The distribution of the ages of the children when experiencing their observed maximum amount of gingivitis was consistent with the hypothesis that there is a relationship between puberty and gingivitis. There was also evidence that at the time of the peak gingivitis experience the gingival tissues were exhibiting a heightened response to irritation.
Nonconventional Trafficking of Ras Associated with Ras Signal Organization
Authors: Ashery Uri , Yizhar Ofer , Rotblat Barak , Kloog Yoel
Published: July 2006

Ras signaling to its downstream effectors appears to include combinations of extracellular‐signal‐regulated Ras activation at the plasma membrane (PM) and endomembranes, dynamic lateral segregation in the PM, and translocation of Ras from the PM to intracellular compartments. These processes are governed by the C‐terminal polybasic farnesyl domain in K‐Ras 4B and by the cysteine‐palmitoylated C‐terminal farnesyl domains in H‐Ras and N‐Ras. K‐Ras 4B has no palmitoylated cysteines. Depalmitoylation/repalmitoylation of H‐/N‐Ras proteins promotes their cellular redistribution and signaling by mechanisms as yet unknown, possibly involving chaperones. Palmitoylation of H‐/N‐Ras also promotes their association with ‘rasosomes’, randomly diffusing nanoparticles that apparently provide a means by which multiple copies of activated Ras and its signal can spread rapidly. Ubiquitination of H‐Ras evidently targets it to the endosomes. The polybasic farnesyl domain of K‐Ras 4B was shown to act as a target for Ca++/calmodulin, which sequesters the active protein from the PM, thereby facilitating its trafficking to Golgi apparatus and early endosomes. Protein kinase C‐dependent phosphorylation of S181 in K‐Ras 4B was shown to provide a regulated farnesyl‐electrostatic switch on K‐Ras 4B, which promotes its translocation to the mitochondria. All these translocation events are characterized by nonconventional trafficking of the farnesyl‐modified Ras proteins and seem to govern the selectivity and probably also the robustness of the Ras signal. In this review, we discuss the various modifications and interactions of the farnesylated C‐terminus, the trafficking of Ras proteins in the PM and between the PM and the endomembranes, and the relevance of the subcellular localization of Ras for Ras function.
Natural Killer, Natural Killer T, Helper and Cytotoxic T Cells in the Decidua from Sporadic Miscarriage
Authors: Shimada Shigeki , Nishida Ryutaro , Takeda Masamitsu , Iwabuchi Kazuya , Kishi Reiko , Onoé Kazunori , Minakami Hisanori , Yamada Hideto
Published: July 2006

Problem  The aim of this cohort study was to assess natural killer (NK) cell and natural killer T (NKT) cell populations and cytokine expressions of helper T (Th) and cytotoxic T (Tc) cells in the decidua of sporadic miscarriage (MS) and induced abortion (IA).

Methods  The deciduae were obtained from consecutive 40 women whose pregnancies ended in the first trimester MS, and the fetal chromosome karyotypes were analyzed. The cell populations were measured by flow cytometry.

Results  No significant differences in NK cell or NKT cell percentages were found among MS with normal chromosome karyotype (MSNK, n = 14), MS with abnormal karyotype (MSAK, n = 26) and IA (n = 14). Interferon (IFN)‐γ+ cell percentage and interleukin (IL)‐4+/tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α+ ratio of Th cells in MS groups were increased, while IL‐4+ cell percentage, IL‐4+/IFN‐γ+ and IL‐4+/TNF‐α+ ratios of Tc cells in MS groups were decreased as compared with those in IA. No significant difference in these parameters between MSNK and MSAK was found.

Conclusions  These results suggested that Tc1 predominance existed in the decidua of MS. Th1 predominance was not found in MSNK.
Public Health Aspects of Individual Water Wellsa
Authors: Hancock John C.
Published: July 2006

Local government in Michigan, and perhaps in other states, must try to bring the best thinking there is concerning solutions to health problems which are within their legally designated area of responsibility. One such local health department activity in Michigan is the construction and operation of private individual water well systems. Monroe County, which is just beginning to feel the effects of the suburban spillover from Detroit, Michigan, and Toledo, Ohio, recognized, in 1961, the need for regulation of such water well systems. The subsequent development of a Code, and its enforcement have made us realize that we are just beginning to fully understand a subject which is much broader in scope from a public health standpoint than just construction details and bacterial tests.
Saline‐Water Development Poses Problems in Metal Corrosiona
Authors: Fink F. W.
Published: July 2006

Saline waters usually are more corrosive to metals than ordinary fresh waters. To predict whether saline ground water will be corrosive to steel, it is necessary to understand the effect of such factors as: (1) the salt content, (2) the dissolved gases, (3) the pH, (4) the temperature, and (5) the tendency to form mineral scale. If the water contains several thousand parts per million of sodium and other chlorides, it is likely to attack many metals, particularly steel and low‐alloy steels. Stainless steels, copper alloys, aluminum alloys, and some nickel‐base alloys also may be attacked, depending on conditions.

Of the dissolved gases, oxygen is most important. The higher the oxygen content the more corrosive the saline water, particularly to steel. On the other hand, high‐oxygen content tends to promote passivation of aluminum and stainless steels. If the saline water is acid (with a pH well below 5), direct attack of the metal accompanied by hydrogen evolution may be expected. Under these conditions, the rate of attack often is very rapid and oxygen is not needed for the corrosion reaction.

As the temperature is increased, the corrosion rate usually is accelerated. However, if one considers a saline water at atmospheric pressure, an increase in temperature will reduce the oxygen solubility. It has been observed that high‐temperature brines from anaerobic wells usually do not corrode steel. Also metastable waters, containing calcium and magnesium salts, may form mineral scale upon being heated. This scale, if it forms a tight coating, slows down or stops corrosion. Galvanic couples in equipment such as valves, pumps, screens, and well fittings in general, often are a serious corrosion problem in practice.

It is recommended that pilot corrosion studies be made of candidate designs in a specific ground water at the pressure and temperature which exists in service. Many saline waters, particularly those containing oxygen, are found corrosive to common metals. Some of the factors which influence corrosion are described.
Analysis of Current Meter Data from Wells by Flow‐Distribution Curvesa
Authors: Leve Gilbert W.
Published: July 2006

Flow‐distribution curves, constructed from velocity graphs of current‐meter traverses, can be used to locate water‐bearing and nonwater‐bearing zones in an aquifer or in separate aquifers in a well and to determine the quantity of water entering between various depths. Current‐meter traverses in artesian wells in northeastern Florida show the applicability of flow‐distribution curves.

The velocities recorded in the uncased portion of a well by a deep‐well current meter reflect either changes in the cross‐sectional area of the bore at the different depths or movement of different quantities of water through the well at these depths. Reasonably accurate measurements of the flow at certain depths in the uncased portion of a well can be determined by constructing flow distribution curves. These curves are constructed by utilizing points of maximum velocity, which are assumed to be levels having the minimum diameter of the well.

Artesian wells in northeast Florida are generally cased to the top of the Floridan aquifer through 500 to 600 feet of clay, marl, and dolomite of Miocene to Recent age. The wells are completed open hole in the Floridan aquifer to depths of from 650 to 1,400 feet. Current‐meter traverses were run in four wells in the vicinity of Jacksonville.

Flow‐distribution curves constructed from the velocity graphs indicate three separate water‐bearing zones occur in the aquifer. The first water‐bearing zone lies from about 600 to 800 feet below the land surface; the second, from 900 to 1,200 feet; and the third lies below 1,280 feet. These water‐bearing zones are separated by relatively impermeable non‐water‐bearing zones. Bar graphs constructed from the flow‐distribution curves show that the first water‐bearing zone yields from less than 10 to as much as 35 percent of the water; the second water‐bearing zone yields more than 50 percent of the water; and the third water‐bearing zone yields about 20 percent of the water with a penetration of only 50 to 70 feet. The flow‐distribution curves from current‐meter traverses made while there was no surface flow indicate internal leakage of less than 70 gallons per minute in wells 2 and 4 while the wells were not discharging at the surface. Leakage probably does not occur between these zones while the wells are discharging.
Corrosion of Well Points and Piping in Domestic Water Near AEC Planta
Authors: Hoxie E. C.
Published: July 2006

Describes investigation made to determine cause of excessive corrosion of construction materials of wells supplying domestic water to communities bordering atomic energy plant in South Carolina. Corrosion resulted from natural corrosiveness of soft water with high carbon dioxide and oxygen contents. No effect from atomic energy plant was indicated.
Earthquake Magnitudes from Hydroseismic Data
Authors: Vorhis R. C.
Published: July 2006

If earthquakes are recorded on your water‐level charts, you can make your own estimate of earthquake magnitudes! As an aid in doing this, this paper presents two graphs: one to calculate distance from well to earthquake epicenter; the other, a nomogram from which to read hydroseismic magnitude plus log C. Examples given show (1) direct computation of ms+ log C, (2) use of aftershocks to estimate total water‐level fluctuation caused by a major earthquake (when the recorder drum has spun around or when reversals cover up the record), and (3) how to determine if aftershocks theoretically should have been recorded.

Hydroseismic magnitude is the surface‐wave magnitude (Ms) calculated from seismically induced water‐level fluctuations in wells. As yet it must be computed indirectly from ms+ log C but because log C is a variable the result is only approximate. Log C is believed to represent a resultant controlled by magnification, period of the surface waves, instrumental frictions, well lag, and resonance if the well is underdamped.
Qualitative Hydrologic Models
Authors: Greene D. K. , Halpenny L. C.
Published: July 2006

Relatively simple and inexpensive qualitative hydrologic models have been found by the authors to serve as an extremely effective means of demonstrating the interrelationship of various hydrologic factors and their resultant effect upon each other to persons not familiar with this subject. The models consist of clear plastic tanks mounted on a vertical display board made of plywood. The tanks are connected with hoses. Flow of water is regulated by surgical clamps on the hoses. Vegetable dye is used in the water to differentiate among waters from various sources. The models have been extremely useful in lawsuits related to water supplies which were tried before juries.
Federal Legislation and Ground‐Water Developmenta
Authors: Stamm G. G.
Published: July 2006

The 88th Congress has passed more landmark legislation in the conservation field than any preceding Congress. This seems to indicate a badly needed awakening of concern on the part of the American public for the preservation of its environment and a growing awareness that our soil, water, and atmosphere are only components of an integrated coherent environment that must be kept in balance in all of its aspects.

One good example of recently passed legislation is the Water Resources Research Act of 1964, which will be administered by the Department of the Interior. This bill provides three important programs: an annual allotment to state water resources research centers plus two other programs in the nature of contracts and grants, matching or otherwise to state research centers and to other qualified research institutions, foundations, individuals, and agencies. Other important aspects of the bill include the training of scientists in hydrology.

Another bill, the S. 1111 or Water Resources Planning Bill, being considered by Congress, would, by means of a Water Research Council, serve to coordinate all water resource purposes and use all components of the resource base in unified plans for river basins, combinations of basins, and sub‐basins. This commission would provide assurance that the valid interests of every state are given full recognition by the action agencies of the federal government and the states having comparable programs.
Water‐Level Measurements in Texasa
Authors: Wyatt Wayne , Rayner Frank , Reddell Donald
Published: July 2006

The annual water‐level measurements of more than 800 observation wells in the High Plains Water District started in early January, 1964. The wells in the High Plains District are a portion of the over 1700 wells to be measured in a 39‐county area by personnel of the Texas Water Commission, North Plains District, and High Plains District.

In September of 1963, the Water District entered into an agreement with the Texas Water Commission, whereby the observation well network within the District was to be updated and expanded. Under the terms of this expansion, 211 wells were added to the program. These new wells were precisely mapped and identified by a metal plate attached to the concrete pump base. The existing observation wells were remapped by field survey and all current information, regarding the individual wells was recorded. Identification plates were attached to several of the older wells.
Environmental Framework of Ground‐Water Contaminationa
Authors: LeGrand H. E.
Published: July 2006

Ramifications of contamination are increasingly involved in the majority of ground‐water problems. The volume of usable ground water is shrinking in many places because of dispersion of contaminated water. Consideration of ground‐water contamination as a multitude of independent problems, separately solvable as each problem arises, is outmoded; wise policies, relating water supply to contamination potential, are needed to alleviate and to forestall problems.

Methodology of managing contamination problems calls for appropriate classification of the hydrogeologic environment; these classifications include aspects of interdependent factors such as permeability, sorption, hydraulic gradient, position of water table relative to some base, and distance from source of contamination. Effective evaluations relate the dynamics of the hydrogeologic environment to contingencies involving contamination, as man changes his water‐development and waste‐disposal practices.

Ways of contamination and pertinent parts of the physical environment include: waste‐disposal practices (at or near land surface and in deep formations), artificial recharge (at land surface and in aquifers), accidents, and salt‐water contamination of aquifers (shallow depth from salty surface water and at variable depths from subjacent salty aquifers).

Evaluation of waste‐disposal problems calls for appreciation of two opposing tendencies–the tendency of wastes to move with ground water and the tendency to be attenuated near disposal sites by decay or inherent decrease in potency, by chemical and physical sorption, and by dilution through dispersion of ground water. Mixed wastes of differing attenuation habits represent special complex problems.
Our Cultural Approach to Water Rightsa
Authors: Thomas Harold E.
Published: July 2006

The United States has developed numerous water rights systems with variations from state to state reflecting water environments, especially the relative abundance of water; the cultural background of settlers; and communication of ideas developed in other regions. A few high points in the long history of development of water rights are presented.
Supplementing Sample Logsa
Authors: Carter V. B.
Published: July 2006

In the past 20 years, since 1945, there has been a substantial increase in the application of electric well logging to water wells. In the early days, there were very few water wells being logged, principally city supply wells and other larger commercial wells. Now, it is not uncommon to be called to service water wells of all sizes, even the small back yard well. The well drilling industry is becoming more and more aware of the benefits that can be derived from use of the electric log, and there will almost certainly be an increase along these lines in the years ahead. There are some very good reasons for this growth and acceptance of the electric log, and pointing out some of these reasons and applications of the electric logs to water well drilling is the purpose of this paper.