bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CONTINUED FRACTIONS WITH BOUNDED PARTIAL QUOTIENTS
Authors: Davison J. L.
Published: October 2003

Precise bounds are given for the quantity

$$ L(\alpha)=\frac{\limsup_{m\rightarrow\infty}(1/m)\ln q_m}{\liminf_{m\rightarrow\infty}(1/m)\ln q_m}, $$

where $(q_m)$ is the classical sequence of denominators of convergents to the continued fraction $\alpha=[0,u_1,u_2,\dots]$ and $(u_m)$ is assumed bounded, with a distribution.

If the infinite word $\bm{u}=u_1u_2\dots$ has arbitrarily large instances of segment repetition at or near the beginning of the word, then we quantify this property by means of a number $\gamma$, called the segment-repetition factor.

If $\alpha$ is not a quadratic irrational, then we produce a specific sequence of quadratic irrational approximations to $\alpha$, the rate of convergence given in terms of $L$ and $\gamma$. As an application, we demonstrate the transcendence of some continued fractions, a typical one being of the form $[0,u_1,u_2,\dots]$ with $u_m=1+\lfloor m\theta\rfloor\Mod n$, $n\geq2$, and $\theta$ an irrational number which satisfies any of a given set of conditions.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 11A55. Secondary 11B37
MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS FOR A CLASS OF QUASILINEAR ELLIPTIC PROBLEMS
Authors: Ó João Marcos do , Ubilla Pedro
Published: October 2003

We deal with a class of $p$-Laplacian Dirichlet boundary-value problems where the combined effects of ‘sublinear’ and ‘superlinear’ growths allow us to establish the existence of at least two positive solutions.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 35J25; 35J60. Secondary 35J65; 35J70
EQUILIBRIUM POINTS FOR A SYSTEM INVOLVING M-ACCRETIVE OPERATORS
Authors: Chidume C. E. , Osilike M. O.
Published: October 2003

Let $E$ be a real uniformly smooth Banach space and let $A$ be a nonlinear $\phi$-strongly quasi-accretive operator with range $R(A)$ and open domain $D(A)$ in $E$. For a given $f\in E$, let $A$ satisfy the evolution system $\rd u(t)/\rd t+Au(t)=f$, $u(0)=u_0$. We establish the strong convergence of the Ishikawa and Mann iterative methods with appropriate error terms recently introduced by Xu to the equilibrium points of this system. Related results deal with the strong convergence of the iterative methods to the fixed points of $\phi$-strong pseudocontractions defined on open subsets of $E$.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 47H06; 47H15; 47H17
ON THE REMAK HEIGHT, THE MAHLER MEASURE AND CONJUGATE SETS OF ALGEBRAIC NUMBERS LYING ON TWO CIRCLES
Authors: Dubickas A. , Smyth C. J.
Published: October 2003

We define a new height function $\mathcal{R}(\alpha)$, the Remak height of an algebraic number $\alpha$. We give sharp upper and lower bounds for $\mathcal{R}(\alpha)$ in terms of the classical Mahler measure $M(\alpha)$. Study of when one of these bounds is exact leads us to consideration of conjugate sets of algebraic numbers of norm $\pm 1$ lying on two circles centred at 0. We give a complete characterization of such conjugate sets. They turn out to be of two types: one related to certain cubic algebraic numbers, and the other related to a non-integer generalization of Salem numbers which we call extended Salem numbers.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 11R06
HALL SUBGROUPS AND STABLE BRAUER CHARACTERS
Authors: Navarro Gabriel
Published: October 2003

Let $H$ be a Hall $\pi$-subgroup of a finite $\pi$-separable group $G$, and let $\alpha$ be an irreducible Brauer character of $H$. If $\alpha(x)=\alpha(y)$ whenever $x,y \in H$ are $p$-regular and $G$-conjugate, then $\alpha$ extends to a Brauer character of $G$.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 20C15; 20C20
UNBOUNDED 2-HYPEREXPANSIVE OPERATORS
Authors: Jabłonski Zenon J. , Stochel Jan
Published: October 2003

It is shown that most properties of (bounded) completely hyperexpansive operators remain valid for unbounded $2$-hyperexpansive operators. Powers of closed $2$-hyperexpansive operators are proved to be closed and $2$-hyperexpansive. Various parts of spectra of such operators are calculated. $2$-hyperexpansive weighted shifts are investigated. Examples of unbounded closed $2$-hyperexpansive ($2$-isometric) operators with invariant dense domains are established.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 47A05; 47B37. Secondary 47B20; 47B10
A CHARACTERIZATION OF THE HARMONIC BLOCH SPACE AND THE HARMONIC BESOV SPACES BY AN OSCILLATION
Authors: Yoneda Rikio
Published: October 2003

We characterize the Bloch space and the Besov spaces of harmonic functions on the open unit disc $D$ by using the following oscillation:

$$ \sup_\{\beta(z,w)\ltr\}(1-|z|^2)^{\alpha}(1-|w|^2)^{\beta}\biggl|\frac{\hat{D}^{(n-1)}h(z)-\hat{D}^{(n-1)}h(w)}{z-w}\biggr|, $$

where $\alpha+\beta=n$, $\alpha,\beta\in\mathbb{R}$ and $\displaystyle{\hat{D}^{(n)}=(\partial^{n}/\partial^{n}z+\partial^{n}/\partial^{n}\bar{z})}$.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 46E15
EFFECTS OF WATER AVAILABILITY AND VINE HARVESTING FREQUENCY ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF SWEET POTATO IN SOUTHERN MOZAMBIQUE. I. STORAGE ROOT AND VINE YIELDS
Authors: Gomes F. , Carr M. K. V.
Published: October 2003

In Mozambique the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is often grown as both a leafy vegetable, the terminal shoots or vines being progressively harvested during the season, and as a root crop. This paper reports the results of experiments designed to evaluate the effects of drought and vine harvesting frequency on the productivity of both yield components (cv. TIS 2534). Experiments were conducted during the rainy and dry seasons, with supplementary irrigation treatments superimposed. As the frequency of vine harvesting (equivalent to the number of harvests) increased, the total fresh weight of vines increased. There was a corresponding reduction in the yield of storage roots, however, particularly under well-watered conditions. As a result, the total harvested yield (vines plus roots) was remarkably stable in both wet and dry seasons (43–45 t ha−1 fresh weight). The cumulative dry weight of harvested vines increased with the number of harvests at constant rates, depending on water availability (from +150 to +250 when rain-fed, up to +340 to +440 kg ha−1 harvest−1 when irrigated). The corresponding rates of reduction in storage root yields varied from −3 to −130 (rain-fed) down to 310 to 400 kg ha−1 harvest−1 (irrigated). Total dry weight yields under well-watered conditions were constant at about 11 to 13 t ha−1, or double this on an annual basis. Irrigation water-use efficiencies (by dry weight of harvested crop) were generally higher in the dry season than in the rains. For vine production they increased with the number of harvests from 1.6 to 3.5 (rains) up to 0.9 to 6.7 kg ha−1 mm−1 (dry season). The corresponding values for root production were 7.5 to 13.1 (rains) and 12.2 to 19.1 kg ha−1 mm−1 (dry season). For the combined dry weight yields the water-use efficiencies were, with one exception, independent of harvesting frequency at 11.2 (rains) and 19.0 kg ha−1 mm−1 (dry season). Irrigated plants harvested at weekly intervals yielded vine dry weights of about 0.5–0.6 t ha−1 week−1. Compensatory vine growth (reported elsewhere) was observed in previously droughted plants following a rainfall event. The practical implications of these results are discussed. Future papers describe in more detail the physiological aspects of the observed yield responses.
DORMANCY IN YAMS
Authors: CRAUFURD P. Q. , SUMMERFIELD R. J. , ASIEDU R. , VARA PRASAD P. V.
Published: October 2003

The tubers of yam, principally those of Dioscorea rotundata (white Guinea yam) and D. alata (water or greater yam), are important staple foods and sources of carbohydrate in West Africa. Yams are grown in diverse environments – from the high-rainfall forest zone on the coast to the seasonally arid savannas of West Africa, that is in situations in which the duration and the timing of the onset of the growing season vary appreciably. Dormancy in both underground and aerial tubers of the Dioscoreaceae is an important adaptive mechanism that helps to maintain organoleptic quality during storage and also ensures that tubers germinate at the start of the growing season. Plant breeders are especially keen to manipulate the duration of the dormant period in order to synchronize growth periods and, therefore, to produce more than one generation per year. The control of tuber dormancy, however, is poorly understood. This review examines critically those factors that affect tuber initiation, dormancy and sprouting, and makes recommendations for future priorities in research.
INDUCTION OF SPROUTING IN DORMANT YAM (DIOSCOREA SPP.) TUBERS WITH INHIBITORS OF GIBBERELLINS
Authors: SHIWACHI H. , AYANKANMI T. , ASIEDU R. , ONJO M.
Published: October 2003

A reliable means to induce sprouting in dormant seed tubers of yams (Dioscorea species) is required to enhance flexibility in planting date and rate of propagation of the crop. Experiments were conducted to assess the potential of two gibberellin inhibitors, Uniconazole-P and Prohexadione-calcium, to induce sprouting in tubers from three varieties of D. rotundata and four of D. alata. Uniconazole-P and Prohexadione-calcium shortened the period of dormancy in tubers of some varieties. In others, they either had no effect or extended dormancy. The varietal responses were also influenced by whether the tubers were treated at harvest (before shoot senescence) or four weeks after harvest by which time shoots had senesced fully. Tubers stored in darkness at a constant temperature of 30 °C sprouted earlier but lost weight faster than did those stored under natural daylight and ambient temperature. The apparent slow action of Uniconazole-P and Prohexadione-calcium, and their variable effectiveness in relation to variety, would limit their usefulness in seed or breeding programmes, or in determining treatment timing and the best storage environment for the tubers after treatment.
RESPONSE OF CASSAVA TO PROLONGED WATER STRESS IMPOSED AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF GROWTH
Authors: El-Sharkawy M. A. , Cadavid L. F.
Published: October 2003

A two-year field trial was conducted to study the effects of prolonged water stress on cassava (Manihot esculenta) productivity, and on nutrient uptake and use efficiency. Four contrasting cultivars were supplied with adequate fertilization and watering, except when water was excluded by covering the soil with plastic sheets for different periods, depending on treatment: from two to six months, four to eight months, or from six to twelve months after planting (early, mid-season and terminal stress respectively). Sequential harvests were made at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 months after planting to determine leaf area index and shoot and root biomass. At final harvest, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium concentrations in shoots and storage roots were determined.

During both early and mid-season stress, leaf area index and shoot and root biomass were significantly smaller than those in the controls across all cultivars. After recovery from stress, leaf area index was greatly enhanced with less dry matter allocated to stems, and root yields approached those in the controls. One cultivar, CMC 40, had greater final root yield under stress treatments. Nutrient concentration in roots and shoots was less in all cultivars with early stress and resulted in higher nutrient use efficiency in all elements for root production. The same trend was observed under mid-season stress, except for nitrogen concentration, which remained unchanged.

Terminal stress did not affect leaf area index, but reduced the shoot biomass in all cultivars. Final root yields were smaller than those in the controls except for CMC 40 whose final root yield was greater under stress. Nitrogen concentration was greater in root biomass but less in shoot biomass of all cultivars, resulting in lower nitrogen–use efficiency for root production. Across cultivars, only potassium- and magnesium-use efficiencies were greater than in the controls. CMC 40 was the only cultivar with consistently greater use efficiency of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium for root production under terminal stress. This higher nutrient use efficiency was due, mainly, to a greater root production rather than to smaller nutrient concentration. This cultivar is suitable as a gene source for improving cassava in order to maximize root production per unit nutrient extracted under stressful environmental conditions.
TRANSNATIONALISM AND EARLY EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: THE NOUVELLES EQUIPES INTERNATIONALES AND THE GENEVA CIRCLE 1947–1957
Authors: GEHLER MICHAEL , KAISER WOLFRAM
Published: October 2003

Based on the analysis of primary sources from party archives and the private papers of politicians in six countries, this article evaluates the influence of Christian Democrat transnationalism on European integration in the crucial formative period from 1947 to 1957. It shows how the Christian Democrats' co-operation in the Nouvelles Equipes Internationales and the Geneva Circle shaped and re-enforced their historical orientations, ideological preferences, and common party interests and played an important role in structuring the concept and the reality of a ‘core Europe’ of continental countries. It is crucial to include ‘soft’ factors such as the growing transnational political networks in the analysis of European integration history to avoid a monocausal explanation that focuses exclusively on inter-state relations and sees the integration process solely as the product of a multilateral bargaining process driven by national (economic) interests.
THE PROTESTATION PROTESTED, 1641 AND 1642
Authors: CRESSY DAVID
Published: October 2003

Parliament's Protestation of May 1641 pledged subscribers to defend the protestant doctrine of the Church of England against all popery and popish innovations, while upholding the honour of the king, the privileges of parliament, and the liberties of the subject. The following twelve months saw contentious debate about the ambiguity of these phrases and the conflicting obligations they entailed. Leaders of the political nation subscribed the Protestation voluntarily in the summer of 1641, emulated in some places by ordinary parishioners. In the more polarized political circumstances of early 1642, parliament ordered the Protestation to be taken nationwide by all men aged eighteen and above. Women, too, occasionally subscribed. This article traces the tendering and reception of the Protestation on both occasions, and examines some of its local consequences. The circulation of the Protestation significantly widened the arena for political and religious involvement in the opening stages of the English revolution.
SHAKESPEARE AND RADICALISM: THE USES AND ABUSES OF SHAKESPEARE IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY POPULAR POLITICS
Authors: TAYLOR ANTONY
Published: October 2003

This article seeks to locate William Shakespeare in the traditions of nineteenth-century popular politics in Britain. The bards of radicalism are usually seen as the romantic poets, particularly Byron and Shelley. Nevertheless, Shakespeare's national standing, the lack of hard details about his life, and the subversive messages many radicals believed to have discovered in his plays allowed reformers to project him as a ‘son of the soil’, and to contest appropriations of him by the aristocratic patrons of events like the Shakespeare Tercentenary of 1864. Through the agitation surrounding this celebration, a link into a radical bardolatry is established that indicates the centrality of memories of Shakespeare's England to the popular platform. The article concludes with a consideration of the light shed by ‘Shakespearean radicalism’ on current debates about continuity between Chartism and liberalism in popular politics, and the role of memory and memorialization in the political culture of nineteenth-century plebeian reform movements.
MADHERUKA AND SHANGWE: ETHNIC IDENTITIES AND THE CULTURE OF MODERNITY IN GOKWE, NORTHWESTERN ZIMBABWE, 1963–79
Authors: NYAMBARA PIUS S.
Published: October 2003

In colonial Southern Rhodesia, administrative officials often couched the rhetoric of ‘modernization’ in ethnic terms. They regarded immigrant Madheruka master farmers as the embodiment of modernization because they had been exposed to forces of modernization in their areas of origin, while both officials and immigrants alike regarded indigenous Shangwe as backward and primitive. This article argues that the construction of Madheruka and Shangwe ethnic identities dates primarily to the early 1960s, with the coming of immigrants and the introduction of cotton. Shangwe defined the immigrants as madheruka, a term whose origins lay in the eviction of the immigrants from crown land by colonial officials in the 1950s, while Madheruka termed the indigenous peoples shangwe, or backward. Each group perceived itself differently, however, Shangwe claiming that the term Shangwe referred to a place rather than to their ethnic identity and Madheruka claiming to belong to authentic Shona groups. The guerrilla war of the 1970s witnessed an attack on modernity as the guerrillas and their sympathizers regarded immigrant farmers as colonial collaborators.
NEW ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR HISTORIANS?
Authors: HUNT NANCY ROSE
Published: October 2003

Bodies and Persons: Comparative Perspectives from Africa and Melanesia. Edited by MICHAEL LAMBEK and ANDREW STRATHERN. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Pp. xiv+298. £45 (ISBN 0-521-62194-1); £15.95 paperback (ISBN 0-521-62737-0).
Uptake and residual value of 15N-labelled fertilizer applied to first and second year grass seed crops in New Zealand
Authors: WILLIAMS P. H. , ROWARTH J. S. , TREGURTHA R. J.
Published: October 2003

This study was established to quantify the uptake of 15N-labelled nitrogen (urea) applied in the first and second years of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and browntop (Agrostis capillaris L.) seed crops, and the availability of the residual fertilizer N to a subsequent wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop under field conditions in Canterbury, New Zealand. Total recovery of 15N-labelled nitrogen fertilizer was approximately 100% when fertilizer was applied to the grass seed crops in spring. At harvest in year 1, grass straw and seed contained 34–47% and 6–15% of the applied N respectively; 27–35% remained in the soil (0–150 mm depth). Recovery of 15N in straw and soil was higher in fescue and ryegrass than in browntop, but recovery in roots was lower. At harvest in year 2, most of the 15N was present in the soil (30–37%) with only small amounts in the seed (0·7–1·0%), straw (3·6–4·9%) and roots (5·2–12·7%). In year 3, 2·5–3·5% of the residual 15N was recovered in the wheat and 18–26% in soil. Losses of 15N were minimal until ploughing after the second harvest, when there was an apparent loss of 11–35% of the fertilizer N applied. Losses were not directly associated with the fertilizer but indirectly following release of fertilizer N previously immobilized in plant roots and soil microorganisms. Small losses also occurred directly from autumn-applied N, probably through leaching. Despite these losses, overall there was an accumulation of fertilizer N in the soil organic pool, suggesting that ryegrass fescue and browntop seed crops have a role in contributing to the N fertility of the soil.
Nodulation responses of the tropical perennial clover, Trifolium semipilosum, inoculated with compatible and incompatible microsymbionts
Authors: TESFAYE MESFIN , PETERSEN D. J. , HOLL F. B.
Published: October 2003

The tropical perennial clover, T. semipilosum, and the species, T. repens, exhibited both similarities and differences in their nodulation characteristics following Rhizobium inoculation. Both T. semipilosum and T. repens were infected via root hairs, formed indeterminate nodules and commenced active nitrogen-fixation approximately 1 week after inoculation. Effective Rhizobium strains produced on average four nitrogen-fixing nodules per T. semipilosum plant, predominantly in the upper region of the tap root. In contrast, 65% of the average 15 nodules per T. repens plant were induced on lateral roots. The Rhizobium strain-ANU843, effective (Nod+Fix+) on T. repens, caused root hair branching and twisting on T. semipilosum, although plants did not fix nitrogen, indicative of an ineffective host–strain interaction. Such ineffective interactions were associated with increased total numbers of nodule-like structures on T. semipilosum; these nodules were atypically associated with, or in close proximity to, lateral roots. Using a GUS gene-modified rhizobia to monitor nodule occupancy, a third of the total nodule-like structures formed from the incompatible interactions showed a positive GUS reaction, indicating that colonization by Rhizobium strains of some of the nodule-like structures had occurred. Moreover, about 70% of the GUS positive nodule-like structures from the incompatible interactions were localized at the junction between the tap and lateral roots. These observations are consistent with an atypical infection route by the incompatible strains.
Slaughter traits of adult coypus grown in captivity
Authors: FAVERIN C. , CORVA P. M. , HOZBOR F. A.
Published: October 2003

The objective of the current study was to undertake a preliminary characterization of liveweight components in adult coypus at slaughter. Greenland (14 females, 7 males) and Silver (78 females, 36 males) breeds were grown on a farm south-east of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The animals were slaughtered aged 419±22 days. Liveweight at slaughter was measured and the weights of hot carcass, fur, head, liver, lungs plus heart, digestive tract (with contents) plus reproductive organs and fur length were recorded. The weights of these body components were also expressed as proportion of liveweight, except for the fur length. Data were analysed and the effects of sex, variety, reproductive state within sex and rearing management within sex were included in the model. The age of the animals at the time of slaughter was used as covariate. Breeds differed only in liver weight (P<0·05), where Greenland was 15·9% heavier than Silver; however when comparisons were made as proportion of liveweight, no differences between breeds were found in the variables analysed. Sexual dimorphism was evident in almost all of the characteristics analysed, values for males being higher than for females. Males were 29% heavier at slaughter than females and their carcasses 31·7% heavier. When body components were expressed as proportion of liveweight, male heads were heavier but fur was lighter compared to females. In conclusion, there were differences in body components due to sex but not due to breed. However, most body components when expressed as proportion of liveweight showed no significant differences.
Effects of crossbred ewe genotype and ram genotype on lamb meat quality from the lowland sheep flock
Authors: DAWSON L. E. R. , CARSON A. F. , MOSS B. W.
Published: October 2003

A study was carried out on five lowland farms in Northern Ireland over 2 years to investigate the effects of crossbred ewe and ram genotype on lamb meat quality. Four ewe genotypes were sourced from six hill farms – Bluefaced Leicester×Blackface (BLXB), Texel×Blackface (TXB), Suffolk×Cheviot (SXCH) and Texel×Cheviot (TXCH). On each farm groups of 20–30 of each crossbred ewe genotype were crossed with Suffolk or Texel sires. Within each of the ram breeds, high lean growth index rams sourced from UK sire reference schemes (SRS) were compared with rams sourced from flocks not involved in objective genetic improvement programmes (control). Throughout the 2 years of the study the ewes lambed at 1 and 2 years of age. Lambs from each of the crosses were slaughtered at 36, 44 and 52 kg live weight. Meat from lambs slaughtered at 36 kg had lower a* values (15.1) than meat from lambs slaughtered at 52 kg (17.0 S.E. 0.47) (P<0.05). Ewe genotype had no effect on any parameter of meat quality measured. The carcasses of lambs sired by Suffolk rams had a higher pHU than lambs sired by Texel rams (5.70 v. 5.65; S.E. 0.014; P<0.05) and hue angle was lower (P<0.05) in Suffolk-sired lambs (32.9°) compared with Texel-sired lambs (35.1°) (S.E. 0.62°). Warner–Bratzler shear force was lower in SRS-sired lambs (2.05 kg/cm2) compared with control-sired lambs (2.36 (S.E. 0.096) kg/cm2; P<0.05). Carcasses from male lambs had a greater cooking loss (217 g/kg) than from female lambs (196 S.E. 5.7 g/kg) (P<0.01) and meat from male lambs had greater values for Warner–Bratzler shear force (2.44 kg/cm2) than from female lambs (1.97 S.E. 0.098 kg/cm2) (P<0.001). Low, but statistically significant (P<0.05) correlations were obtained between carcass fat measurements and meat quality parameters (r = −0.29 for the relationship between cooking loss and fat depth over the gluteus mediusP<0.001); r = 0.21 for the relationship between fat classification and C* values P<0.01). When meat quality parameters for each of the fat classes were averaged, significant linear regressions (P<0.05) were obtained between fat classification and pHU, a* and C* values.
The effect of nitrogen supply and virus yellows infection on the growth, yield and processing quality of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris)
Authors: JAGGARD K. W. , ALLISON M. F. , CLARK C. J. A. , TODD A. D. , SMITH H. G.
Published: October 2003

The effects of supplying the fertilizer nitrogen (N) as a recommended quantity of ammonium nitrate or as a commonly used dose of poultry manure on yield of sugarbeet infected with Beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV) or Beet yellows virus (BYV) were studied in field experiments at IACR-Broom's Barn in 1990, 1991 and 1992. Three N fertilizer treatments comprising Zero (N0), standard rate of 110 kg N/ha (N1) and poultry manure equivalent to c. 300 kg/ha of available N (N2) were applied to plots which were uninoculated or were subsequently inoculated with either BMYV or BYV. Averaged over virus treatments, N1 increased sugar yields by 23% relative to N0: there was no further increase when N2 was applied. When averaged over N treatments, early virus yellows infection reduced the sugar yields by 23%. Generally there was no significant interaction between N supply and virus infection. There was no evidence that the large N supply could reduce the yield effect of virus yellows infection, as had previously been thought. Crops infected from late July produced similar yields to uninoculated controls. The main effect of virus yellows was to reduce the efficiency of radiation conversion even when account was taken of the light intercepted by yellow foliage. Whilst the N2 treatment helped to maintain a green leaf cover throughout the season on virus yellows infected crops, it had no effect on virus replication. Beet processing quality was impaired by increasing the N supply and by virus infection, but again there were generally no significant interactions between infection and N rate.
Pod shatter resistance in the resynthesized Brassica napus line DK142
Authors: SUMMERS J. E. , BRUCE D. M. , VANCANNEYT G. , REDIG P. , WERNER C. P. , MORGAN C. , CHILD R. D.
Published: October 2003

Resistance to pod shatter was studied within and between populations of the resynthesized Brassica napus line DK142, grown under glass or in the field, at sites in the UK and Belgium. All populations showed similar ranges of resistance that were greater than that of a commercial cultivar (Apex). The increase in range was at least three-fold greater than the range found in Apex. Only sowing time affected the descriptive statistics of shatter resistance of each line, with spring-sown populations more shatter susceptible than winter-sown populations. The partitioning of dry matter to individual tissues of the pod was different for the two lines, with dry matter biased to the seed in Apex and to the receptacle in the more resistant DK142. In DK142 and Apex, as well as F1 and F2 populations derived from crosses between DK142×Apex, correlations for pod shatter resistance and mature pod characters were high, particularly the weight and length of the valves and septum. Shatter resistance increased in plants when pod numbers were reduced by the removal of whole racemes.
Elevated growth redundancy and size inequality in spring wheat populations mulched with clear plastic film
Authors: PAN X. Y. , WANG G. X. , CHEN J. K. , WEI X. P.
Published: October 2003

This study was conducted to determine the effects of plastic film mulch on percentage of abortive tillers and harvest index (HI) in two spring wheat populations, and to explore its mechanism in relation to size inequality and life-history strategies theory. Field-grown spring wheat mulched with plastic film shows a remarkable increase in grain yield (an average increase of 38·5% over non-mulched control), which mainly results from the significant increase in above-ground biomass (+44·7%). At the same time, however, reproductive allocation (spike weight/above-ground biomass, −5·2%) and harvest index (−4·5%) were significantly lower (P<0·05) in mulched than unmulched populations in both of the two cultivars used. Meanwhile, the number and weight of barren shoots and the ratio of barren shoot biomass to total shoot biomass were significantly greater in mulched populations than unmulched controls both at booting, flowering and ripening stages. From tillering to ripening stages, the tendency of G (Gini coefficient) shows obvious differences between mulched populations (‘∧’ type with the peak of G at booting stages) and non-mulched controls (‘∨’ type with the lowest G at flowering and rebounded at ripening stage). At booting and flowering, the G was significantly higher in mulched populations than unmulched controls, and it was just contrary at ripening. Reproductive allocation and HI were both negatively correlated to average G of the populations, which indicated that resource use efficiency of a crop is inversely related to plant-to-plant variability and also provided further evidence for the views that stand uniformity of field crops is an important aspect of high yield formation. From these results, it was concluded that appreciable growth redundancy occurred in spring wheat populations mulched with plastic film, which may result from the exacerbated inter-plant competition and self-thinning (evidenced by the increased degree of Gini coefficient at booting and flowering stages). Thus, spring wheat cultivation with plastic film mulching does not always mean efficiency, although there is a remarkable increase in grain yields.
On the Tail of the Panther: Black Power and the 1967 Convention of the National Conference for New Politics
Authors: HALL SIMON
Published: October 2003

Addressing the opening night rally of the National Conference for New Politics (NCNP) Convention on 31 August 1967, the executive director William F. Pepper informed the several thousand delegates that:

Historians may well count your presence here as the most significant gathering of Americans since the founding of our nation. Never before have so many Americans, from so many different living conditions, come from so many diverse sections of the land to dedicate themselves to the rebuilding, indeed to the reclamation of their government and their destinies.

Pepper concluded his remarks by declaring that “it may well be that what you begin here may ultimately result in a new social, economic and political system in the United States.” Outside the auditorium a bongo group was chanting “Kill Whitey.” The convention was one of the most ambitious attempts to forge a broad political alliance of antiwar organisations, New Left insurgents and the radical wing of the civil rights movement in 1960s America. It was planned by the NCNP, a co-ordinating organisation that hoped for a fundamental reconstitution of the American socio-economic and political order. Scholars have largely ignored the NCNP, and although the 1967 convention makes brief appearances in the literature it is generally portrayed as a farcical horror show. However, the motives behind, events of, and reaction to the convention reveals much about “the movement” in late sixties America.
PARENTAL INVESTMENT AND CHILD HEALTH IN A YANOMAMÖ VILLAGE SUFFERING SHORT-TERM FOOD STRESS
Authors: HAGEN EDWARD H. , HAMES RAYMOND B. , CRAIG NATHAN M. , LAUER MATTHEW T. , PRICE MICHAEL E.
Published: October 2003

The 1998 El Niño significantly reduced garden productivity in the Upper Orinoco region in Venezuela. Consequently, parents were forced to allocate food carefully to their children. Nutrition data collected from village children combined with genealogical data allowed the determination of which children suffered most, and whether the patterns of food distribution accorded with predictions from parental investment theory. For boys, three social variables accounted for over 70% of the variance in subcutaneous fat after controlling for age: number of siblings, age of the mother’s youngest child, and whether the mother was the senior or junior co-wife, or was married monogamously. These results accord well with parental investment theory. Parents experiencing food stress faced a trade-off between quantity and quality, and between investing in younger versus older offspring. In addition, boys with access to more paternal investment (i.e. no stepmother) were better nourished. These variables did not account for any of the variance in female nutrition. Girls’ nutrition was associated with the size of their patrilineage and the number of non-relatives in the village, suggesting that lineage politics may have played a role. An apparent lack of relationship between orphan status and nutrition is also interesting, given that orphans suffered high rates of skin flea infections. The large number of orphans being cared for by only two grandparents suggests that grooming time may have been the resource in short supply.
COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOUR CHANGE INTERVENTIONS: A PROPOSED NEW APPROACH AND AN APPLICATION TO EGYPT
Authors: ROBINSON WARREN C. , LEWIS GARY L.
Published: October 2003

This paper presents a new approach to cost analysis of family planning programmes that focuses on behaviour change of programme clients as the final ‘output’ rather than units of contraceptive services delivered, as does the familiar couple-years-of-protection index. It is useful to know how much it costs to deliver a unit of contraceptive services, but it would also seem useful to know how much it costs to change a prospective client’s behaviour. The proposed approach rests on the familiar ‘steps to behaviour change’ paradigm and: (1) develops a methodology for applying a client-behaviour-change-centred cost analysis to programme activities; (2) tests the methodology and concepts by applying them retrospectively to a case study of mass media interventions in Egypt; (3) derives cost per unit of behaviour changes for these Egyptian communications campaigns to demonstrate the workability of the approach. This framework offers a new approach to impact evaluation that would seem to be applicable to other components of family planning and reproductive health programmes.
EFFECTS OF POLYGYNY AND CONSANGUINITY ON HIGH FERTILITY IN THE RURAL ARAB POPULATION IN SOUTH JORDAN
Authors: SUEYOSHI SHUJI , OHTSUKA RYUTARO
Published: October 2003

Based on the authors’ interview survey for 608 randomly selected women of the rural Arab population in the South Ghor district of Jordan, this paper examined the effects of polygyny and consanguinity on high fertility, which was recognized as natural fertility. The prevalence of polygynous and consanguineous marriages was 28·0% and 58·1%, respectively, largely reflecting the population’s traditional marriage customs. The findings highlighted a significantly higher total marital fertility rate (TMFR) in the monogamous wives (10·5) than in the senior polygynous (8·1) and junior polygynous wives (8·6); the TMFR did not significantly differ among the wives of non-consanguineous, first-cousin and second-cousin marriages. The formation of polygynous marriage was decided by the husband, mostly as a result of his senior wife’s infecundity or sub-fecundity, and the age of the husband at marriage to his junior polygynous wife was high in many cases, leading to a decline in this wife’s fecundity.
CHANGES IN CONTRACEPTIVE USE IN VIETNAM
Authors: MINH THANG NGUYEN , THU HUONG VU
Published: October 2003

This analysis used data, primarily from the 1997 Vietnamese Demographic and Health Survey (VN-DHS 1997), to determine the changes in contraceptive use in Vietnam. A descriptive analysis of individual, household and community characteristics was made to obtain a general description of contraceptive use. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were also performed on the currently married in (a) a sample of all women and (b) only those women who live in rural areas, to identify the strength of association that each variable has with the use of modern contraceptives. The use of any contraceptive method and the use of modern methods increased from 1988 to 1997. The primary contraceptive method utilized is the IUD and its use has increased substantially from 1988 to 1997. Younger women (aged 15–24) were less likely to use any contraceptive method. Women not desiring additional children were significantly more likely to use contraceptive methods than those desiring more children. Education has a clear impact on both contraceptive knowledge and use by women, with higher educated women being more likely to use a contraceptive method. Illiterate women with no formal education were significantly less likely to use modern methods of contraception. Differentials in contraceptive use exist regarding place of residence. Urban women are more likely than rural women to use contraception, but the difference is not large. Women living in mountainous areas are less likely to use contraception, compared with women living in the lowlands. Living standards, especially the availability of electricity in the community, have a large effect on the methods of contraception adopted by women. Religion is not strongly related to the contraceptive behaviour of women. There were significant differences in the use of contraceptives in communities with good quality of care, with increased contraceptive use corresponding to the increase in availability of family planning workers at communes, provision of counselling services at health facilities, and the volume of mass media family planning messages.
DO MOTHERS-IN-LAW MATTER? FAMILY DYNAMICS AND FERTILITY DECISION-MAKING IN URBAN SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS OF KARACHI, PAKISTAN
Authors: MASOOD KADIR MUHAMMAD , FIKREE FARIYAL F. , KHAN AMANULLAH , SAJAN FATIMA
Published: October 2003

The perspectives of mothers-in-law about intra-household decision-making, family size and family planning are investigated, and their views compared with those of their sons and daughters-in-law. Women (717 daughters-in-law), their husbands (717 sons) and their 522 mothers-in-law were interviewed in eight squatter settlements in Karachi, Pakistan. Decisions about the schooling and health care of children, and the purchase of jewellery, are perceived to lie within the nuclear family domain (i.e. husband and wife). There was a difference in mothers-in-law’s, daughters-in-law’s and sons’ desire to have more children. Twenty-eight per cent of mothers-in-law versus 58% of daughters-in-law did not want more grandsons/sons and 36% of mothers-in-law versus 66% of daughters-in-law did not want more granddaughters/daughters. The difference was markedly greater among the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law pairs than in the mother/son pairs. Overall, the mother-in-law’s role seems to be somewhat overshadowed by that of her son (family male member), except for limiting family size. It is suggested that mothers-in-law should be included in Information–Education–Communication (IEC) campaigns about family planning.
ESTIMATION OF BIRTHS AVERTED DUE TO BREAST-FEEDING AND INCREASES IN LEVELS OF CONTRACEPTION NEEDED TO SUBSTITUTE FOR BREAST-FEEDING
Authors: BECKER STAN , RUTSTEIN SHEA , LABBOK MIRIAM H.
Published: October 2003

After contraceptive use, breast-feeding duration is the major determinant of the birth interval length. Three methods of estimating births averted by breast-feeding, and the increase in contraceptive use needed to substitute for breast-feeding, are presented. Method 1 simply utilizes Bongaarts’ Ci, and the other two are based on mean birth intervals with and without breast-feeding. Estimates for each method are derived for six countries with DHS surveys from the mid-1990s: Burkina Faso, Uganda, India, Indonesia, Brazil and Peru. The estimated percentage of additional births that would occur if there were no breast-feeding ranged from 1–4% in Brazil to about 50% in Burkina Faso and Uganda, reflecting very low breast-feeding in Brazil and very high levels in the sub-Saharan African nations. Strengths and limitations of the three methods are considered.
INDEPENDENT EFFECTS OF SOCIAL POSITION AND PARITY ON BODY MASS INDEX AMONG POLISH ADULT WOMEN
Authors: SZKLARSKA ALICJA , ANITA JANKOWSKA EWA
Published: October 2003

This study evaluated the strength of the independent effects of social position (expressed by educational level) and number of childbirths on body mass index (BMI) variation of Polish adult females. The material comprised 2045 pre-menopausal women aged 35–50, who were healthy and occupationally active inhabitants of the city of Wrocław, Lower Silesia, Poland. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that both educational level (F=34·7; p=0·0001) and parity (F=5·6; p=0·001) exerted independent significant effects on BMI. The mean BMI of women who had attended basic vocational or trade school at the very most (27·0 kg/m2) was greater than that of women who had completed secondary school education or had graduated from university (25·3 kg/m2). However, it is worthy of note that there were no social differences in BMI values between childless women. Nevertheless, an increasing number of childbirths was essentially related to increasing female BMI in each social group, and this tendency was most marked among women of lower social position. Regardless of educational level, the highest prevalence of obesity (BMI exceeding 30 kg/m2) was found among females with at least three children (15·6% and 26·4% of women from higher or lower social groups, respectively).
SEX DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH INDICATORS AMONG CHILDREN IN AFRICAN DHS SURVEYS
Authors: GARENNE MICHEL
Published: October 2003

The study analyses various sex differences observed among children in WFS and DHS surveys conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. Four outcome indicators are presented: neonatal mortality, postneonatal mortality, child mortality and prevalence of malnutrition. Three indicators of health seeking behaviour are presented: vaccination, oral rehydration therapy and duration of breast-feeding. The statistical analysis focuses on comparison of the observed distributions of the sex ratios to theoretical distributions expected from the sample sizes of the various surveys. The results show the absence of any difference in health seeking behaviour between boys and girls, whether for preventive medicine (vaccination), curative medicine (oral rehydration therapy) or feeding practices (breast-feeding). On the other hand, mortality appears to be consistently higher for boys, more so among neonates (+28%) than among 1–12-month-olds (+8%) and 1–4-year-olds (+4%), and similarly malnutrition appears to be more prevalent among boys (+5%). The contrast between the lack of differences in behavioural indicators and the significant differences in outcome indicators suggests a biological causality. Results are discussed in the light of biological factors.
A case of sporadic ovine mastitis caused by Listeria monocytogenes and its effect on contamination of raw milk and raw-milk cheeses produced in the on-farm dairy
Authors: Schoder Dagmar , Winter Petra , Kareem Abdoulla , Baumgartner Walter , Wagner Martin
Published: October 2003

We describe a case of listerial mastitis in a flock of 130 sheep. The animals were housed at a farm where the bulk raw ewe milk was processed to produce raw milk soft cheese. List. monocytogenes was shed from the right mammary complex. Shedding was observed over a period of 99 d. A mean level of 4·56×104 cfu (colony forming units) Listeria monocytogenes/ml was recovered from the raw milk originating from the infected udder. The numbers ranged from 9×101 to 2·95×105. The bulk milk was contaminated by approx. 5·7×103 cfu/ml. In the cheese product, 2·0×102 cfu List. monocytogenes/g were constantly detectable for a period of 7 d post manufacture. The starter culture used for coagulation had a pivotal influence on the behaviour of List. monocytogenes during cheesemaking. Using the same mesophilic buttermilk culture as used by the farmer allowed numbers of Listeria to increase 60-fold within 12 h owing to a delayed acidification of the bulk milk. Addition of a thermophilic yogurt culture reduced the numbers of Listeria within 8 h of incubation.
Effects of atropine on plasma amino acid profiles and on the synthesis of individual milk proteins in dairy cows fed with pasture
Authors: Auldist Martin J , Menzies Catherine M , Prosser Colin G
Published: October 2003

Effects of atropine on blood plasma amino acid profile and on the yields and concentration of milk components were investigated in 12 Friesian cows in early lactation. Cows were housed indoors and fed with cut pasture ad libitum. Each cow received four treatments over 12 d during a replicated 4×4 Latin square experiment. Treatments were: control (saline); low dose (L; 30 μg atropine/kg body weight (BW)); medium dose (M; 40 μg atropine/kg BW); and 2×L dose, 2 h apart (2×L). On each of four treatment days, cows were milked at about 7.00, after which treatments were administered by subcutaneous injection. Cows were milked again at 2 h, 6 h and 10 h after injection. Milk samples were collected at each milking. Immediately after the 2 h milking, blood samples were drawn from each cow and the second injection was given for the 2×L treatment. Atropine reduced hourly milk yield, and concentrations and hourly yields of total protein, casein, whey protein, α-casein, β-casein, κ-casein, β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin, but by differing amounts. Milk concentrations of bovine serum albumin and immunoglobulin G were increased by atropine, and overall yields of these proteins were mostly unchanged. Atropine lowered concentrations of most, but not all, amino acids in blood plasma, with essential amino acids reduced more than non-essential amino acids. Concentrations of α-amino N in whole blood, and glucose and insulin in blood plasma, fell after atropine injection. There was no difference between the L and M doses of atropine, but the 2×L dose had greater effects on milk composition than the single doses. For yields of milk and milk components, the effect of the 2×L dose was also more persistent. The results highlight the differential synthesis of individual milk proteins, and suggest that atropine might be useful for evaluating the mechanisms regulating milk protein composition.