bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Behandlungsergebnisse an 25 Patienten mit endokriner Orbitopathie im Zeitraum zwischen 1998 und 2001
Authors: Ramschak‐Schwarzer Sigrid , Lindner Susanne , Langmann Andrea , Prettenhofer Ulrike , Stammberger H. , Leb G.
Published: March 2003

Zusammenfassung: Wir untersuchten und behandelten insgesamt 25 Patienten mit endokriner Orbitopathie: 21 Frauen im Alter zwischen 19 und 74 Jahren (mittleres Alter 50,8 Jahre) und 4 Männer im Alter zwischen 38 und 56 Jahren (mittleres Alter 47,5 Jahre). Unter den weiblichen Patienten fanden sich zwei mit euthyreoter endokriner Orbitopathie und eine Patientin mit einer Immunthyreoiditis Hashimoto, unter den männlichen Patienten ist einer an einer euthyreoten EO erkrankt. Die Behandlung wurde je nach Augenbefund für alle Arten der Orbitopathie ident durchgeführt. Drei und sechs Monate nach Therapie­ende wurde eine augenärztliche Untersuchung durchgeführt, zu diesem Zeitpunkt waren alle Patienten euthyreot. Bei insgesamt fünf Patienten (2 Männer und 3 Frauen) musste nur eine Sicca‐Therapie durchgeführt werden, da sich die endokrine Orbitopathie im Zuge der Therapie der Schilddrüsenerkrankung zurückgebildet hat. Bei drei Frauen, die über drei Monate nur mit Cortison peroral behandelt wurden, kam es zu einer Vollremission. Neun Frauen wurden wegen Progredienz einer Kortison‐ und Bestrahlungsbehandlung unterzogen, wobei es bei sechs von neun Patientinnen (66 %) zu einer signifikanten Besserung kam. In einem Fall musste wegen unbeherrschbarer Progredienz eine akute Dekompressionsoperation durchgeführt werden. Bei sechs Frauen führten wir wegen Nichtansprechen auf Kortison‐ und Bestrahlungsbehandlung eine Behandlung mit Somatostatin über insgesamt sechs Monate durch, die in fünf von sechs Fällen eine signifikante Besserung des Krankheitsbildes bewirkte. In einem Fall musste ein chirurgischer Eingriff an der Orbita vorgenommen werden. Zwei Männer erhielten eine Kortison‐ und Strahlenbehandlung, die keine deutliche Besserung brachte. Eine Somatostatintherapie wurde bei negativem Octreoscan nicht durchgeführt. Mit Ausnahme einer Nichtraucherin, die trotz intensiver konservativer Therapie operiert werden musste, zeigten sich bei Rauchern schlechtere Behandlungsergebnisse.
Dominant Right Ventricular Infarction:  Is Angioplasty the Optimal Therapeutic Approach?
Authors: Pintarić H. , Nikolić‐Heitzler V. , Mihatov Šime , Vukosavić D. , Lukenda J. , Radić B. , Starčević B. , Žigman M. , Sharma Mirella
Published: March 2003

Summary: Approximately 30 % of all acute inferior myocardial infarctions (AIMI) are accompanied by acute right ventricular infarction (ARVI) as a consequence of proximal right coronary artery (RCA) occlusion. Fifty per cent of all patients with ARVI manifest hypotension, jugular venous distension, and dyspnoea with clear lung fields, which is then considered as dominant acute RVI (ARVI). The inhospital mortality rate of patients with ARVI who are treated traditionally is very high. Thrombolytic therapy is relatively ineffective, while primary angioplasty is a more recent approach yet to be established as optimal treatment for patients with ARVI. Thirty‐eight patients with dominant ARVI were admitted to our CCU over a period of 24 months. The patients were retrospectively divided into 3 groups according to treatment: Group I (n = 16): traditional treatment; Group II (n = 12): thrombolytic therapy (streptokinase); Group III (n = 10): angioplasty after urgent coronarography. We tested the difference in the number of deaths in all groups by the Fisher exact test. There was a significant difference in the number of deaths between Group I and ­Group III (P < 0.05). Mortality reduction was also noted between Group II and Group III, which, however, proved to be statistically ­insignificant.
Molecular and Clinical Characterisation  of Homocystinuria in Two Austrian Families  with Cystathionine β‐Synthase Deficiency
Authors: Tröndle Ursula , Sunder‐Plassmann G. , Burgmann H. , Buchmayer Heidi , Kramer L. , Bieglmayer CH. , Hörl W. H. , Födinger Manuela
Published: March 2003

Summary: The influence of the genotype on the phenotypic expression of homocystinuria due to cystathionine β‐synthase (CBS) deficiency is frequently unclear. We therefore investigated the genotype and the phenotype of CBS deficiency in two Austrian families also considering genetic polymorphisms with a putative association with vascular disease (MTHFR 677C → T, MTHFR 1298A → C, F5 1691G → A, F2 20 210G → A) and response to therapy. We identified the CBS 833T → C/1058C → T and CBS 828ins104/1358del134 compound heterozygous genotype in our index patients. Both patients showed mental retardation and ectopia lentis. CBS 833T → C/1058C → T was associated with severe vascular complications, which was not the case for CBS 828ins104/1358del134. The patient with CBS 828ins104/1358del134 was negative for F5 1691G → A, F2 20 210G → A, MTHFR 677C → T, and MTHFR 1298A → C, while the patient with CBS 833T → C/1058C → T was heterozygous for MTHFR 1298A → C. A combination therapy including pyridoxine, folic acid, hydroxycobalamin, and betaine failed to lower total homocysteine plasma levels below 50 µmol/L in both patients. In summary, our study demonstrates that the CBS 833C/1058T–MTHFR 1298AC genotype can be related to severe vascular disease, while the CBS 828ins104/1358del134–MTHFR 1298AA genotype presents with a somewhat milder clinical phenotype. Both genotypes do not allow for normalisation of total homocysteine plasma levels following vitamin therapy.
Immunoadsorption Therapy (Therasorb) in Patients with Severe Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Graninger Monika , Schmaldienst Sabine , Derfler K. , Graninger W. B.
Published: March 2003

Summary: Therapeutic removal of immune complexes and antibodies by plasmapheresis has been used in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) since 1974. Modern methods of selective adsorption of immunoglobulins from the patient plasma (immunoadsorption, IAS) have been developed; they deserve to be investigated as a tool in the management of difficult cases of SLE.  We report our experience in an uncontrolled series of five consecutive SLE patients, in whom cytotoxic immunosuppression was contraindicated or not sufficient to control the disease. Ig‐Therasorb columns containing polyclonal sheep antihuman immunoglobulin antibodies were used for IAS for periods of 4 to 54 weeks. In order to prevent rebound autoantibody production, low doses of normal human immunoglobulin were substituted.  Improvement in clinical and laboratory signs of disease activity was observed in all patients. In two patients the effect of cyclophosphamide therapy for lupus pneumonitis and lupus‐associated thrombopenic purpura was consolidated. In three patients suffering from pancytopenia or lupus vasculitis, the use of cytotoxic substances could be avoided for more than a year.  IAS seems to be a safe replacement of conventional plasmapheresis in difficult cases of severe lupus complications. Although controlled studies are lacking, this method may occupy a few important niches as an adjunct in managing immune complex mediated diseases.
Paraneoplastischer Rheumatismus – Erkrankungen des Bewegungsapparates als Frühzeichen von Malignomen
Authors: Stummvoll G. H. , Graninger W. B.
Published: March 2003

Zusammenfassung: Malignom‐assoziierte rheumatische Erkrankungen haben eine Vielzahl von Erscheinungsformen, die von idiopathischen Formen oft nicht zu unterscheiden sind. Darüber hinaus gibt es muskuloskeletale Erkrankungen mit typischer klinischer Präsentation, die gehäuft mit Neoplasien assoziiert sind. Das Erstellen einer raschen und exakten Diagnose einerseits und die Vermeidung von unnötigen, belastenden und kostenintensiven Untersuchungen andererseits stellen den Kliniker vor eine Herausforderung. Dieser Artikel behandelt die klinischen Erscheinungsformen paraneoplastischer muskuloskeletaler Erkrankungen und Theorien zu deren Pathogenese. Wir versuchen, jene klinischen und laborchemischen Aspekte herauszustreichen, die den behandelnden Arzt an ein verborgenes Malignom denken lassen sollten. Paraneoplastische Rheumaerkrankungen sind selten, aber eine rechtzeitige Diagnose kann lebensrettend sein.
Subakute Thyreoiditis mit Zellzerfall und passagerer Hyperthyreose in einer Basedow‐Struma – Fallbericht
Authors: Pichler R. , Wölfl Soraya , Bogner St. , Sulzbacher H. , Shamiyeh A. , Maschek Wilhelmine
Published: March 2003

Zusammenfassung: Wir präsentieren den Fallbericht einer 60jährigen Frau mit schmerzhafter Schwellung der Schilddrüse und passagerer Hyperthyreose. 30 Jahre zuvor war bei ihr eine Schilddrüsenüberfunktion bei Basedow'scher Krankheit aufgetreten. Diesmal waren die Thyreotropin‐Rezeptor‐Antikörper negativ, in der Szintigraphie mit Tc‐99 m zeigte sich ein reduzierter Uptake – in Folge kam es zu einer Normalisierung des szintigraphischen Bildes. Die Feinnadel‐Aspirations‐Zytologie ergab eine leukozytäre Infiltration der Schilddrüse. Drei Monate später wurde eine hypothyreote Stoffwechsellage festgestellt, eine Substitutionstherapie mit Levothyroxin war daher erforderlich. Das Auftreten einer subakuten Thyreoiditis de Quervain und eines Morbus Basedow bei einer Person ist eine seltene Entität, autoimmune Faktoren und mögliche Zusammenhänge werden diskutiert.
Lethal Fulminate S. aureus Sepsis in M. Behçet Overnight Cold Exposure
Authors: Finsterer J. , Schmidbauer M.
Published: March 2003

Summary: Whether patients with Behçet's disease (BD) and immunosuppressive therapy are generally prone to acquire severe infectious diseases is unknown. A 48‐year‐old man under corticosteroids and azathioprine for BD since 1995 was admitted because of a transitory ischemic attack. Between the third and fourth hospital day he was accidentally locked up, insufficiently dressed, in the hospital's chapel over night. On the following day, he developed fever and deteriorating consciousness until he became comatose. CT scans of the brain were normal and there was only a slight pleocytosis. Despite adequate therapy, the patient's condition further deteriorated such that he died. Responsible for his decline was a fulminate sepsis, diagnosed upon fever, increased C‐reactive protein, thrombocyte decline, multi‐organ failure, rhabdomyolysis, growth of S. aureus on blood culture, and autopsy. Patients with BD and immunosuppressive therapy, may be more vulnerable to infections and may develop lethal overwhelming sepsis already after overnight cold exposure.
Congo Red‐Positive Cardiac κ‐AL Amyloidosis in Plasmacytoma – Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Tzankov A. , Pölzl G. , Mairinger Th.
Published: March 2003

Summary: We report on a 51‐year‐old female patient who was diagnosed in 2001 as suffering from plasmacytoma. The patient had had complaints of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome in 1999, treated by a simple dissection without performing histological examination. Congestive heart failure had gradually developed since that time. In 2001 echocardiography revealed a pronounced thickening of the left ventricular wall with systolic and diastolic dysfunction. A κ‐light chain M component and κ‐light chain‐restricted bone marrow plasmacytosis were detected. Amyloid deposits staining positive in the κ‐light chain‐restriction analysis were observed in a gastric biopsy. Taking into consideration all these findings, a plasmacytoma‐associated systemic AL amyloidosis was diagnosed. Cyclophosphamide/prednisolone chemotherapy regimen led to complete haematological remission. Cardiac transplantation, combined with autologous peripheral blood stem cell graft, was considered as the next therapeutic step, but the patient died while on the waiting list for transplantation. Autopsy detected a highly hypertrophic myocardium with narrowed heart cavities. Microscopic examination revealed dense, pink, acellular, Congo red‐staining and κ‐immunoperoxidase‐positive AL amyloid masses splitting the cardiomyocytes. The present case is remarkable as it demonstrates that carpal tunnel syndrome and congestive heart failure could be symptoms of plasma cell dyscrasia‐associated amyloidoses.
Behavioral profiles of inbred strains on novel olfactory, spatial and emotional tests for reference memory in mice
Authors: Holmes A. , Wrenn C. C. , Harris A. P. , Thayer K. E. , Crawley J. N.
Published: March 2003

Studying the behavior of genetic background strains provides important information for the design and interpretation of cognitive phenotypes in mutant mice. Our experiments examined the performance of three commonly used strains (C57BL/6J, 129S6, DBA/2J) on three behavioral tests for learning and memory that measure very different forms of memory, and for which there is a lack of data on strain differences. In the social transmission of food preference test (STFP) all three strains demonstrated intact memory for an odor‐cued food that had been sampled on the breath of a cagemate 24 hours previously. While C57BL/6J and 129S6 mice showed good trace fear conditioning, DBA/2J mice showed a profound deficit on trace fear conditioning. In the Barnes maze test for spatial memory, the 129S6 strain showed poor probe trial performance, relative to C57BL/6J mice. Comparison of strains for open field exploratory activity and anxiety‐like behavior suggests that poor Barnes maze performance reflects low exploratory behavior, rather than a true spatial memory deficit, in 129S6 mice. This interpretation is supported by good Morris water maze performance in 129S6 mice. These data support the use of a C57BL/6J background for studying memory deficits in mutant mice using any of these tasks, and the use of a 129S6 background in all but the Barnes maze. A DBA/2J background may be particularly useful for investigating the genetic basis of emotional memory using fear conditioning.
Short Telomeres Induce a DNA Damage Response inSaccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: IJpma Arne S. , Greider Carol W.
Published: March 2003

Telomerase-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells show a progressive decrease in telomere length. When grown for several days in log phase, the tlc1Δ cells initially display wild-type growth kinetics with subsequent loss of growth potential after which survivors are generated via RAD52-dependent homologous recombination. We found that chromosome loss in these telomerase-deficient cells only increased after a significant decline in growth potential of the culture. At earlier stages of growth, as the telomerase-deficient cells began to show loss of growth potential, the cells arrested in G2/M and showed RNR3 induction and Rad53p phosphorylation. These responses were dependent onRAD24 and MEC1, suggesting that short telomeres are recognized as DNA damage and signal G2/M arrest.
Sac3 Is an mRNA Export Factor That Localizes to Cytoplasmic Fibrils of Nuclear Pore Complex
Authors: Lei Elissa P. , Stern Charlene A. , Fahrenkrog Birthe , Krebber Heike , Moy Terence I. , Aebi Ueli , Silver Pamela A.
Published: March 2003

In eukaryotes, mRNAs are transcribed in the nucleus and exported to the cytoplasm for translation to occur. Messenger RNAs complexed with proteins referred to as ribonucleoparticles are recognized for nuclear export in part by association with Mex67, a keySaccharomyces cerevisiae mRNA export factor and homolog of human TAP/NXF1. Mex67, along with its cofactor Mtr2, is thought to promote ribonucleoparticle translocation by interacting directly with components of the nuclear pore complex (NPC). Herein, we show that the nuclear pore-associated protein Sac3 functions in mRNA export. Using a mutant allele of MTR2 as a starting point, we have identified a mutation in SAC3 in a screen for synthetic lethal interactors. Loss of function of SAC3 causes a strong nuclear accumulation of mRNA and synthetic lethality with a number of mRNA export mutants. Furthermore, Sac3 can be coimmunoprecipitated with Mex67, Mtr2, and other factors involved in mRNA export. Immunoelectron microscopy analysis shows that Sac3 localizes exclusively to cytoplasmic fibrils of the NPC. Finally, Mex67 accumulates at the nuclear rim when SAC3 is mutated, suggesting that Sac3 functions in Mex67 translocation through the NPC.
A High-OrderTrans-Membrane Structural Linkage Is Responsible for Mitochondrial Genome Positioning and Segregation by Flagellar Basal Bodies in Trypanosomes
Authors: Ogbadoyi Emmanuel O. , Robinson Derrick R. , Gull Keith
Published: March 2003

In trypanosomes, the large mitochondrial genome within the kinetoplast is physically connected to the flagellar basal bodies and is segregated by them during cell growth. The structural linkage enabling these phenomena is unknown. We have developed novel extraction/fixation protocols to characterize the links involved in kinetoplast-flagellum attachment and segregation. We show that three specific components comprise a structure that we have termed the tripartite attachment complex (TAC). The TAC involves a set of filaments linking the basal bodies to a zone of differentiated outer and inner mitochondrial membranes and a further set of intramitochondrial filaments linking the inner face of the differentiated membrane zone to the kinetoplast. The TAC and flagellum-kinetoplast DNA connections are sustained throughout the cell cycle and are replicated and remodeled during the periodic kinetoplast DNA S phase. This understanding of the high-order trans-membrane linkage provides an explanation for the spatial position of the trypanosome mitochondrial genome and its mechanism of segregation. Moreover, the architecture of the TAC suggests that it may also function in providing a structural and vectorial role during replication of this catenated mass of mitochondrial DNA. We suggest that this complex may represent an extreme form of a more generally occurring mitochondrion/cytoskeleton interaction.
The Critical Cytoplasmic Regions of the αL/β2 Integrin in Rap1-induced Adhesion and Migration
Authors: Tohyama Yumi , Katagiri Koko , Pardi Ruggero , Lu Chafen , Springer Timothy A. , Kinashi Tatsuo
Published: March 2003

Rap1 is a potent inside-out signal that increases LFA-1 adhesive activity. In this study, we have defined the cytoplasmic region of the αL and β2 integrin that are required for Rap1-stimulated adhesion and subsequent migration on ICAM-1. Human LFA-1 bearing truncated and point-mutated αL and β2 cytoplasmic regions were reconstituted in mouse IL-3-dependent proB cells, BAF/3. Truncation of the αL, but not β2 subunit cytoplasmic region, abolished Rap1V12-dependent adhesion to ICAM-1. The alanine substitution of two lysine residues (K1097/K1099) in the αL subunit was found to be critical in adhesion induced by Rap1V12, but not PMA. This mutation suppressed Rap1V12-induced LFA-1 conformation changes and ligand-binding affinity. The K1097/K1099 mutation also impaired binding to ICAM-1 induced by TCR cross-linking or SDF-1. In contrast, the alanine substitution for tyrosine in the β2 subunit endocytosis motif inhibited internalization of LFA-1, and severely impaired detachment at the cell rear, which resulted in long-elongated cell shapes. This result demonstrates that internalization of LFA-1 is a critical step in the deadhesion process. Our study revealed novel requirements of amino acid residues of the LFA-1 cytoplasmic region in the response to the inside-out signaling and the subsequent deadhesion process.
Caenorhabditis elegansUNC-98, a C2H2 Zn Finger Protein, Is a Novel Partner of UNC-97/PINCH in Muscle Adhesion Complexes
Authors: Mercer Kristina B. , Flaherty Denise B. , Miller Rachel K. , Qadota Hiroshi , Tinley Tina L. , Moerman Donald G. , Benian Guy M.
Published: March 2003

To further understand the assembly and maintenance of the muscle contractile apparatus, we have identified a new protein, UNC-98, in the muscle of Caenorhabditis elegans. unc-98 mutants display reduced motility and a characteristic defect in muscle structure. We show that the major defect in the mutant muscle is in the M-lines and dense bodies (Z-line analogs). Both functionally and compositionally, nematode M-lines and dense bodies are analogous to focal adhesions of nonmuscle cells. UNC-98 is a novel 310-residue polypeptide consisting of four C2H2 Zn fingers and several possible nuclear localization signal and nuclear export signal sequences. By use of UNC-98 antibodies and green fluorescent protein fusions (to full-length UNC-98 and UNC-98 fragments), we have shown that UNC-98 resides at M-lines, muscle cell nuclei, and possibly at dense bodies. Furthermore, we demonstrated that 1) the N-terminal 106 amino acids are both necessary and sufficient for nuclear localization, and 2) the C-terminal (fourth) Zn finger is required for localization to M-lines and dense bodies. UNC-98 interacts with UNC-97, a C. elegans homolog of PINCH. We propose that UNC-98 is both a structural component of muscle focal adhesions and a nuclear protein that influences gene expression.
Export market correlation and strategic trade policy
Authors: Anam Mahmudul , Chiang Shin‐Hwan
Published: March 2003

In the traditional models of strategic trade policy pioneered by Brander and Spencer, exports of the domestic firm, engaged in a Cournot‐Nash competition with the foreign firm in a neutral market, must be subsidized to maximize national welfare. We demonstrate that when the firms play the Cournot‐Nash game in two stochastic and positively correlated markets, it may be optimal to tax exports to the more volatile market while subsidizing it in the other. The policy combination reduces the amplitude of aggregate profit and raises the utility of the risk‐averse firm in a manner similar to the theory of portfolio choice. JEL Classification: F12, D18

Marchés d'exportation co‐reliés et politique commerciale stratégique. Dans les modèles traditionnels de politique commerciale stratégique proposés par Brander et Spencer, les exportations de la firme nationale, qui est engagée dans une concurrence à la Cournot‐Nash avec une firme étrangère dans un marché neutre, doit être subventionnée si l'on veut maximiser le niveau national de bien‐être. On montre que, quand les entreprises jouent un jeu à la Cournot‐Nash dans deux marchés d'exportation stochastiques et positivement co‐reliés, il peut être optimal de taxer les exportations vers le marché le plus volatile et de subventionner les exportations vers l'autre marché. Cette combinaison de politiques réduit l'amplitude de variation des profits agrégés et augmente l'utilité de l'entreprise qui a une aversion au risque d'une manière qui ressemble à ce qui se passe dans la théorie des choix de portefeuilles.
Market share, cost‐based dumping, and anti‐dumping policy
Authors: Tivig Thusnelda , Walz Uwe
Published: March 2003

This paper studies the occurrence of dumping and the implications of anti‐dumping duties in a deterministic price‐setting two‐period duopoly model for differentiated products. When current market shares matter for future demand, cost‐based dumping can be profitable. Dumping thus arises as a form of investment in market shares. This might trigger the application of anti‐dumping law. We further show that correctly anticipated duties do not necessarily hinder firms from selling below costs. The mere existence of anti‐dumping law, however, significantly changes the structure of the game, leading to higher first‐period prices for both firms. JEL Classification: F12, F13

Parts de marché, dumping défini par les coûts, et politiques anti‐dumping. Ce mémoire étudie le phénomène de dumping et les implications des droits compensatoires anti‐dumping dans un modèle de duopole de produits différenciés dans un cadre de deux périodes où le processus de définition des prix est déterministe. Quand la nature présente des parts de marché a des cons´equences sur la demande future, le dumping défini par les coûts peut être profitable. Dans ce cas, le dumping émerge en tant que forme d'investissement dans le renforcement des parts de marché. Voilà qui peut déclencher l'application de la loi anti‐dumping. On montre que des droits compensatoires correctement anticipés n'empêchent pas nécessairement les entreprises de vendre à des prix plus bas que leurs coûts. Cependant, le seul fait de l'existence de la loi anti‐dumping modifie substantiellement la structure du jeu et conduit les deux entreprises àétablir des prix plus élevés dans la première période.
Productivity‐enhancing public investment and benefit taxation: the case of factor‐augmenting public inputs
Authors: Feehan James P. , Matsumoto Mutsumi
Published: March 2003

Government expenditure on public inputs such as human capital formation and public infrastructure can significantly affect productivity. An interesting and highly relevant policy question is whether such expenditure should be financed according to the benefit‐taxation principle. Focusing on factor‐augmenting public inputs, in this paper we derive the specification of the appropriate set of benefit taxes. Rather than fall on industries according to the degree to which the public input increases their productivities, these taxes must take the form of differential taxes on factor incomes. JEL Classification: H21, H54

Les investissements publics accroissant la productivité et l'imposition des avantages: le cas des intrants publics qui augmentent la productivité des facteurs de production. Les dépenses gouvernementales en intrants publics comme la formation de capital humain ou les infrastructures publiques peuvent affecter de manière significative la productivité. Une question intéressante et pertinente de politique publique est de savoir si des telles dépenses devraient être financées à l'aide d'un impôt sur les avantages ainsi dérivés. Mettant l'accent sur les intrants publics qui augmentent la productivité des facteurs, ce mémoire définit la spécification des impôts appropriés sur les avantages tirés de l'investissement public. Plutôt que de retomber sur les industries selon le degré d'accroissement de productivité qui s'ensuit, ces impôts doivent prendre la forme de taxes différentielles sur les revenus des divers facteurs de production.
Irrationality and intertemporal choice in early neoclassical thought
Authors: Peart Sandra J.
Published: March 2003

Early neoclassical economists presumed an element of irrationality in the context of intertemporal decision making. W.S. Jevons, Irving Fisher, Alfred Marshall, and A.C. Pigou observed a preference for present over future consumption, and each took this as evidence that consumer ‘foresight’ or ‘will power’ was defective. The labouring classes were said to discount future consumption to reflect uncertainty, and such discounting is regarded as ‘rational.’ But each of these economists focused on an additional, and purportedly ‘irrational,’ reason for discounting: ‘impatience.’ Consumers are thus said to make persistent miscalculations when it comes to decisions involving time.

Irrationalité et choix intertemporel dans les débuts de la pensée néo‐classique. Les premiers économistes néo‐classiques présumaient qu'il y avait un brin d'irrationalité dans le processus de décision intertemporel. W.S. Jevons, Irving Fisher, Alfred Marshall et A.C. Pigou ont observé une certaine préférence de la consommation présente par rapport à la consommation future et en ont déduit que le consommateur manquait de ‘prévoyance’ et de ‘volonté.’ On suggérait que les classes travailleuses escomptaient leur consommation future à cause de l'incertitude ‐ ce qui était considé comme rationnel. Mais chacun de ces économistes faisait aussi appel à une raison additionnelle pour escompter la consommation future ‐ l'impatience ‐ un motif jugé irrationnel. On en concluait que les consommateurs faisaient des erreurs persistantes de calcul quand ils prenaient des décisions intertemporelles.
The Canada‐U.S. Free Trade Agreement and labour market adjustment in Canada
Authors: Beaulieu Eugene
Published: March 2003

Evidence suggests that the Canada‐U.S. Free Trade Agreement (CUSTA) had almost no effect on earnings and had a small negative effect on manufacturing employment. Theory suggests that a change in trade policy may affect skilled and less‐skilled workers differently. The labour market consequences of CUSTA tariff reductions are analysed in this paper. It is found that the tariff reductions lowered employment predominantly among less‐skilled workers but did not affect the earnings of either skilled or less‐skilled workers. The employment effects are due to the fact that relatively less‐skill‐intensive industries were more highly protected than high‐skill‐intensive industries prior to CUSTA.

On montre que l'accord de libre échange Canada‐US n'a eu presque pas d'effet sur les gains et un impact négatif faible sur l'emploi dans le secteur manufacturier. La théorie suggère qu'un changement dans la politique commerciale peut avoir un effet différent sur les travailleurs qualifiés et moins qualifiés. Le mémoire analyse les effets des réductions dans les droits de douane sur le marché du travail. Il appert que les réductions des tarifs douaniers ont eu des effets négatifs sur l'emploi des moins qualifiés mais n'ont pas aﬀecté le niveau des gains des qualifiés et des moins qualifiés. Les effets d'emploi sont attribuables au fait que les industries engageant des personnes relativement moins qualifiées étaient davantage protégés avant l'accord de libre échange que les industries employant une main d'oeuvre plus qualifiée.
Quality control mechanisms under capitation payment for medical services
Authors: Léger Pierre Thomas
Published: March 2003

As a result of rising health care costs, many countries, including the United States, have turned to managed care organizations and the use of capitation payment systems. Although this type of system is an effective mechanism for reducing excessive utilization of health care, it may lead to the underprovision of medical services. In this paper propensity to underprovide medical services in a prepayment system as well as the effects of auditing/monitoring on physician behaviour and patient well‐being are examined. Conditions are found under which managed care yields more efficient outcomes than traditional fee‐for‐service care.

Suite à la croissance importante des coûts des soins, plusieurs pays, y compris les Etats Unis, ont commencéà se tourner vers des organisations spécialisées pour gérer la prestation des services et à faire usage de systèmes de rémunération per capita. Même si ce genre de système est un mécanisme eﬃcace pour réduire l'usage excessif des service de santé, il peut entraîner une oﬀre déficiente de services médicaux. Ce mémoire examine la propensitéà fournir moins de services dans un système de pré‐paiement. On examine aussi les effets de la surveillance et de la vérification sur le comportement des médecins et sur le bien‐être des patients. On met en lumière les conditions qui assurent que les soins fournis dans un tel système donneront de meilleurs résultats que la rémunération à l'acte.
Risk sharing in a federation with population mobility and long horizons
Authors: Mansoorian Arman
Published: March 2003

In this paper risk sharing among individuals within and across regions in a federation with population mobility and infinite horizons is considered. It is shown that the regional authorities will not fully exploit gains from interregional risk sharing when population mobility is imperfect. In the Nash equilibrium there is complete risk sharing among the individuals within each region, however, which corresponds to the policies of the central authority. Regional authorities who care about their reputation may be able to commit to an efficient allocation. It is possible that improvements in the degree of mobility will make such commitments less likely. JEL Classification: H77, E61, and F36.

Le partage du risque dans une fédération où la population est mobile et l'horizon temporel long. Ce mémoire examine le partage du risque entre personnes à l'intérieur des régions et entre régions dans une fédération où il y a mobilité de la population et horizon temporel infini. On montre que les autorités régionales n'exploiteront pas pleinement les gains en provenance d'un partage inter‐régional du risque quand la mobilité de la population est imparfaite. Cependant, dans un équilibre à la Nash, il y a partage complet du risque entre les individus de chaque région, ce qui correspond aux politiques des autorités centrales. Les autorités régionales qui tiennent à leur réputation peuvent être capables de s'engager à une allocation efficace. Il est possible que les améliorations dans le degré de mobilité rendent ces engagements moins probables.
Workplace risks and wages: Canadian evidence from alternative models
Authors: Gunderson Morley , Hyatt Douglas
Published: March 2003

Three alternative models of compensating wage premiums for risk are estimated: the conventional OLS wage regression; an endogenous risk model that accounts for the simultaneity that may occur if workers of high potential earnings prefer safer jobs; and a self‐selection model to account for the possibility that workers sort into jobs based on unobserved tolerance for risk that affects their productivity in dangerous work environments. The results suggest that the existing Canadian estimates, which have been based on the basic model, may seriously underestimate the wage premium for risk and hence the implied cost of fatal and non‐fatal injuries. JEL Classification: J28, J31

Risques au travail et salaires: résultats canadiens pour plusieurs modèles. Les auteurs calibrent trois modèles pour évaluer la compensation salariale pour les risques au travail: l'équation conventionnelle de régression des salaires estimée par la méthode des moindres carrés ordinaires; un modèle de risque endogène qui tient compte de la simultanéité qui peut se produire si les travailleurs dont les revenus potentiels sont élevés préfèrent les emplois où il y a moins de risques; un modèle d'auto‐sélection où les travailleurs se répartissent entre les emplois sur la base d'une tolérance non‐observée pour le risque qui affecte leur productivité dans des environnements de travail dangereux. Les résultats suggèrent que les évaluations canadiennes en vogue, qui sont fondées sur le modèle de base, peuvent sous‐estimer sérieusement la prime salariale de risque et donc les coûts des blessures mortelles ou non que les accidents entraînent.
Trade creation and trade diversion in the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement
Authors: Clausing Kimberly A.
Published: March 2003

In this paper the changes in trade patterns introduced by the Canada‐United States Free Trade Agreement are examined. Variation in the extent of tariff liberalization under the agreement is used to identify the impact of tariff liberalization on the growth of trade both with member countries and non‐member countries. Data at the commodity level are used, and the results indicate that the Canada‐United States Free Trade Agreement had substantial trade creation effects, with little evidence of trade diversion. JEL Classification: F13, F14

Création de commerce et diversion de commerce dans l'Accord de libre‐échange Canada‐U.S. Ce mémoire examine les changements dans les patterns de commerce international engendrés par l'Accord de libre‐échange entre la Canada et les Etats‐Unis. La variation dans l'intensité de libéralisation tarifaire selon les secteurs dans l'Accord est utilisée pour identifier l'impact de la libéralisation tarifaire sur la croissance du commerce à la fois entre les pays membres et avec les pays non‐membres. A l'aide de données par produits, on montre que l'Accord a eu des effets substantiels de création de commerce mais qu'il n'y a pas lieu de croire qu'il y a eu beaucoup de diversion de commerce.
Interdependence, Rules, and Rural Development
Authors: Kelsey Timothy W.
Published: March 2003

This paper explores land use conflicts between non‐farm neighbors and farmers to illustrate the usefulness of the concepts of interdependence, rules, and property rights when doing rural development. Recognizing interdependence and its implications helps economic analysis focus on and understand the types of rules and institutions having the most influence on economic behavior, and thus identify policy alternatives. The resolution of land uses conflicts, for example, unavoidably changes the bundle of rights associated with land, andinfluences who can impose costs of whom; it makes a difference if a large farm has the right to produce odors, flies, or noise that reduces their neighbors' abilities to enjoy theneighbors' own land, or if instead, neighbors have the right to use their property without experiencing farm‐produced odors, flies or noise the farm may be unable to use its own land for agriculture without being inconvenienced.
Determinants of Residential Satisfaction: Ordered Logit vs. Regression Models
Authors: Lu Max
Published: March 2003

Residential satisfaction is not only an important component of individuals' quality of life but also determines the way they respond to residential environment. An understanding of the factors that facilitate a satisfied or dissatisfied response can play a critical part in making successful housing policies. This study reinvestigates the effects of housing, neighborhood, and household characteristics on individuals' satisfaction with both dwelling and neighborhood, in order to reconcile the inconsistencies in the previous research. The empirical analysis uses data drawn from the American Housing Survey (AHS) and ordered logit models (OLM). OLM is more appropriate than the widely‐used regression technique in such analysis due to the ordinal nature of the dependent variables representing satisfaction. The results show that residential satisfaction is a complex construct, affected by a variety of environmental and socio‐demographic variables. While the actual effects of the variables by and large confirm earlier findings in the literature, significant differences between the results from the OLM and regression models were found. This indicates that regression models should be used with caution and their results accepted with a grain of salt.
Violence and Memory in the Reconstruction of South Africa's Cato Manor
Authors: Popke E. Jeffrey
Published: March 2003

Among the most destructive legacies of apartheid in South Africa is the violent history of division, discrimination, and control through which the everyday injustices of racial order were experienced. This violence of ‘separate development’ was inscribed within particular spaces, as the apartheid state attempted to define and control where racially‐defined citizens could live, work, and travel. This paper examines the geography of violence and reconstruction in one such space, that of Cato Manor near Durban. The area is known for the large‐scale forced removals which took place there in the 1950s, destroying a multi‐racial community of Indian and African residents. Although zoned for white residence, Cato Manor remained vacant until the 1980s, when it became a safe haven for refugees fleeing violence in the Natal countryside. In the early 1990s, the area became the focus of a non‐racial development effort, which sought to overcome the violent social divisions of the apartheid era. This redevelopment, however, became a site of contestation when former residents of Cato Manor petitioned to reclaim land they once owned there, claims that the city of Durban attempted to nullify in court. The outcome of the land claims trial highlights the tensions between the present dictates of development and the process of negotiating the violence of the past, and suggests that the democratization of planning can be a means of ‘working through’ the legacies of displacement and dispossession that are so much a part of South Africa's present.
New Approaches to Spatial Economics
Authors: Button Kenneth
Published: March 2003

This paper looks at the linkages between three recent developments in spatial economics that in combination have changed the way that economic growth is viewed. These new approaches are that of the New Growth Theory, the measurement of geographical economic convergence, and the role of infrastructure in stimulating economic growth. In combination these developments may combine to provide a different perspective on why regions often grow at differential rates,ways of measuring these differences, and possible policy interventions tomanipulate geographical variations in the growth process. The paper argues, however, that these concepts, while they may offer new insights, are nevertheless unlikely to provide a complete picture of why spatial economic divergence is widespread nor a set of policy instruments that can be simplydeployed to ameliorate such discrepancies.
Parsing and Interpretation in the Minimalist Paradigm
Authors: Williams James S. , Kalita Jugal K.
Published: March 2003

In this paper, we discuss how recent theoretical linguistic research focusing on the Minimalist Program (MP) (Cho95, Mar95, Zwa94) can be used to guide the parsing of a useful range of natural language sentences and the building of a logical representation in a principles‐based manner. We discuss the components of the MP and give an example derivation. We then propose parsing algorithms that recreate the derivation structure starting with a lexicon and the surface form of a sentence. Given the approximated derivation structure, MP principles are applied to generate a logical form, which leads to linguistically based algorithms for determining possible meanings for sentences that are ambiguous due to quantifier scope.
Second‐Order Cohesion
Authors: Kaufmann Stefan
Published: March 2003

Similarity in contextual behavior between words is considered a source of ‘lexical cohesion,’ which is otherwise hard to measure or quantify. Such contextual similarity is used by an implementation for text segmentation, the VecTile system, which uses precompiled vector representations of words to produce similarity curves over texts. The performance of this system is shown to improve over that of the TextTiling algorithm of Hearst (1997).
Architectural Methodology Based on Intentional Configuration of Behaviors
Authors: Michaud François , Lachiver Gérard , Le Dinh Chon Tam
Published: March 2003

Intelligence has been an object of study for a long time. Different architectures try to capture and reproduce these aspects into artificial systems (or agents), but there is still no agreement on how to integrate them into a general framework. With this objective in mind, we propose an architectural methodology based on the idea of intentional configuration of behaviors. Behavior‐producing modules are used as basic control components that are selected and modified dynamically according to the intentions of the agent. These intentions are influenced by the situation perceived, knowledge about the world, and internal variables that monitor the state of the agent. The architectural methodology preserves the emergence of functionality associated with the behavior‐based paradigm in the more abstract levels involved in configuring the behaviors. Validation of this architecture is done using a simulated world for mobile robots, in which the agent must deal with various goals such as managing its energy and its well‐being, finding targets, and acquiring knowledge about its environment. Fuzzy logic, a topologic map learning algorithm, and activation variables with a propagation mechanism are used to implement the architecture for this agent.
Rough Neural Computing in Signal Analysis
Authors: Peters J. F. , Han L. , Ramanna S.
Published: March 2003

This paper introduces an application of a particular form of rough neural computing in signal analysis. The form of rough neural network used in this study is based on rough sets, rough membership functions, and decision rules. Two forms of neurons are found in such a network: rough membership function neurons and decider neurons. Each rough membership function neuron constructs upper and lower approximation equivalence classes in response to input signals as an aid to classifying inputs. In this paper, the output of a rough membership function neuron results from the computation performed by a rough membership function in determining degree of overlap between an upper approximation set representing approximate knowledge about inputs and a set of measurements representing certain knowledge about a particular class of objects. Decider neurons implement granules derived from decision rules extracted from data sets using rough set theory. A decider neuron instantiates approximate reasoning in assessing rough membership function values gleaned from input data. An introduction to the basic concepts underlying rough membership neural networks is briefly given. An application of rough neural computing in classifying the power system faults is considered.
A New Zealand Tragedy: Problems of Political Responsibility
Authors: Gregory Robert
Published: March 2003

New Zealand's state sector reforms, designed to enhance accountability and efficiency, have attracted considerable international attention. However, an unprecedented tragedy in April 1995 involving the deaths of 14 young people, and which resulted from the failings of the department of conservation, has raised doubts about whether the reforms actually clarified or clouded issues of political and managerial responsibility.
The New Managerialism and the Policy Influence of Consultants in Government: An Historical–Institutionalist Analysis of Britain, Canada and France
Authors: Saint‐Martin Denis
Published: March 2003

Following the rise of the New Public Management (NPM) in the 1980s, policymakers increasingly mobilized management consultants from the private sector in the course of reforming their bureaucracies. To describe this situation some coined the term “consultocracy,” assuming that the emergence of the NPM created a growing demand for business management expertise in government circles that allowed consultants to penetrate the state and become powerful policy actors. Rather than taking these matters as given, I ask how has it been possible for consultants to become (or not) influential players in the process of administrative reform. It is argued that Britain, and to a lesser extent Canada, have been more likely than France to give rise to a “consultocracy” when implementing NPM reforms in the 1980s because in these two countries, management consultancy emerged earlier and is more strongly developed than in France because of its historical link with accountancy. Whereas French consultants only began to enter public administration in the 1980s, British and Canadian consultants have been involved in the last 30 years in the construction of the state's management capacities. Through their participation in these institution‐building processes, they established networks of expertise with the state and acquired the experience of work in government. Over the years, this created opportunities for consultants to make their voices heard in the inner circles of decision‐making and made possible the exercise of influence that they are now said to have on policy.
Civic Networks, Legitimacy and the Policy Process
Authors: Carroll Barbara Wake , Carroll Terrance
Published: March 2003

In ethnically divided developing countries, avenues permitting popular participation in the policy process seem essential if the state is to be viewed as legitimate. Frequently, however, mechanisms intended to build legitimacy by providing for popular participation fail to achieve this target. This article analyzes the policy process in Mauritius, and argues that it combines characteristics of both policy networks and civil society. We term this form of popular consultation on policy a “civic network,” and we present research which suggests that it has been successful in building legitimacy. By comparing this civic network with other forms of popular participation, we are able to identify the characteristics which seem to make it more effective. The effects of popular participation on the policy capacity of a state are more mixed, but in the case of Mauritius, we conclude that by increasing legitimacy, the civic network also increased state policy capacity.