bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetic structure of a population of Ganoderma boninense on oil palm
Authors: Pilotti C. A. , Sanderson F. R. , Aitken E. A. B.
Published: July 2003

Ganoderma boninense (the causal agent of basal stem rot of oil palm in Papua New Guinea) has a tetrapolar mating system with multiple alleles. Investigations into the population structure of G. boninense, using interfertility between isolates as a marker, revealed that the population on oil palm was comprised predominantly of genetically distinct individuals, although a number of isolates were found to share single mating alleles. No direct hereditary relationship was found between isolates on neighbouring or spatially separated diseased palms, indicating that outcrossing had probably occurred over several generations in the founder population prior to colonization of oil palm. In this study, a total of 81 A and 83 B mating type alleles (factors) were detected with 18 allelic repeats at the A locus and 17 at the B locus. Alleles appeared to be randomly dispersed throughout the population in each study block, although there was a significantly (P < 0·01) higher proportion of allelic repeats between estates separated by several kilometres compared to within estates. This is the first study on the population structure of this species and confirms that sexual reproduction is a significant component of the epidemiology of this disease.
Detection, identification and significance of phytoplasmas in grasses in northern Australia
Authors: Blanche K. R. , Tran‐Nguyen L. T. T. , Gibb K. S.
Published: July 2003

Sugarcane yields have been severely reduced by white leaf and grassy shoot phytoplasma diseases in many parts of Asia. Australian sugarcane crops are not known to be affected by these diseases, but plant pathogenic phytoplasmas found in other introduced and native grasses in northern Australia could pose a serious threat to the Australian sugarcane industry. To further evaluate this threat, leaves from plants of 20 grass species, with and without symptoms, were collected during field surveys in northern Australia and tested to determine whether phytoplasmas were present and whether symptoms were reliable indicators of phytoplasma presence. Molecular tools were used to detect and characterize phytoplasmas. Four different phytoplasmas were found in seven grass species known to grow near healthy sugarcane crops. All the phytoplasmas were closely related to sugarcane white leaf phytoplasma (SCWL), one of the phytoplasmas that causes disease in sugarcane in Asia. Four of the host plant species and two of the phytoplasmas were new records. The relationship between symptoms and phytoplasma presence was poor. Because some plants with symptoms tested negative for phytoplasmas, a series of surveys was carried out in which flowers, leaves, roots and stems of two known host plant species, Whiteochloa cymbiformis and Sorghum stipoideum, were tested separately on nine occasions during two wet seasons. This was done to investigate the distribution of phytoplasmas within plants over time. Results showed that spatial and temporal variation of phytoplasmas occurred in these two host plant species. Hence, evaluation of disease distribution within a region requires repeated testing of all plant parts from plants without symptoms, as well as those with symptoms. To date, there is no report of a vector capable of transmitting to Australian sugarcane the phytoplasmas found in grasses in this study. If one is present, or occurs in the future, then native and introduced grasses could constitute a large reservoir of phytoplasma for vectors to draw on. This work provides an early warning for the sugarcane industry that the potential for infection exists.
Evaluating Pochonia chlamydosporia in a double‐cropping system of lettuce and tomato in plastic houses infested with Meloidogyne javanica
Authors: Verdejo‐Lucas S. , Sorribas F. J. , Ornat C. , Galeano M.
Published: July 2003

The effect of Pochonia chlamydosporia, a facultative fungal parasite of nematode eggs, alone or in combination with oxamyl was evaluated in a double‐cropping system of lettuce and tomato in unheated plastic houses infested with Meloidogyne javanica at two sites for two consecutive growing seasons. An additional treatment of methyl bromide fumigation was included to compare crop yield in nematode‐free vs. nematode‐infested soil. Final population densities, reproductive rate, root gall rating, and egg production were determined after each crop. Pochonia chlamydosporia was isolated from nematode eggs up to nine months after application to soil. The fungus survived in the rhizosphere for the entire growing season at one site, but only at low densities. Final population densities of M. javanica decreased after cultivation of lettuce and increased after tomato, and this pattern of population fluctuation was unaffected by treatment, experiment or site. The reproductive rate on lettuce was equal to or below 1, and it was similar among treatments in both experiments at both sites. Eggs were not found on lettuce roots. On tomato, the reproductive rate in the fungus + oxamyl treatment was significantly lower (P < 0·05) than other treatments in experiment 1 at both sites. Fungus + oxamyl consistently reduced root gall ratings on tomato in all cases, but numbers of eggs per g root varied depending on treatment. Methyl bromide‐treated plots remained free of M. javanica at the end of the 2‐year study.
Freezing‐resistant liquid water in porous media, a possible mechanism to account for the fluidized transport of sediments on Mars: an example from East Gorgonum crater
Authors: Oyarzun Roberto , Viedma Cristóbal , Márquez Alvaro , Lillo Javier
Published: July 2003

ABSTRACT A mudflow‐like deposit resting on the bottom of the East Gorgonum Crater (Mars; 37.4°S, 168.0°W) may provide new insight regarding the debate on the existence of water over the Martian surface. Because water in a mudflow is confined to a porous medium, we analyse this case from the perspective of non‐equilibrium systems. Fluids confined to porous media behave in a special way, the system being ruled by kinetic restrictions, which alter the expected thermodynamic equilibrium. These non‐equilibrium conditions allow the existence of pure liquid water to temperatures as low as − 40 °C, and even less if the system includes brines. Thus, application of the triple point diagram of water on the Martian surface may constitute a simplistic approach if we are dealing with confined, and yet moving, water in the form of a mudflow. We further suggest that the V‐shaped channels excavated alongside the mudflow may have been caused by water rejected by syneresis from the moving sediment. We finally indicate that the series of deeply entrenched channels and debris aprons that occur only in the northern half of the crater might be related to the regional slope, which decreases in altitude to the south.
Jurassic smectite and kaolinite trends of the East European Platform: implications for palaeobathymetry and palaeoclimate
Authors: Šimkevičius Petras , Ahlberg Anders , Grigelis Algimantas
Published: July 2003

Clay minerals cannot only give information on sedimentary depositional environment but also the climate regime under which sediment was weathered. The successions of non‐marine to marine Middle and Late Jurassic strata of the East European Platform show upwards increasing contents of smectite and decreasing contents of kaolinite. There is also an increasing smectite vs. kaolinite ratio laterally, in a basinward direction within individual formations. Vertical smectite and kaolinite content curves coincide broadly with the Sahagian and Jones eustatic sea‐level curve. All this implies differential settling of smaller smectite particles offshore and larger kaolinite particles onshore. Smectite formation, preservation and supply were further enhanced as the eastwards expanding Late Jurassic arid zone of Laurasia influenced weathering conditions in the sediment source areas, to the north and east of the East European Platform.
Extensive and rapid changes in seawater chemistry during the Phanerozoic: evidence from Br contents in basal halite
Authors: Siemann Michael G.
Published: July 2003

Abstract Variation of seawater chemical composition during the Phanerozoic is still a contentious subject. Br concentration in primary marine basal halites was used to indicate variations in seawater composition during the past 550 Ma. Evaporation experiments and thermodynamic modelling suggests that the partition coefficient of Br in halite depends on the composition of the seawater. A combination of this correlation with the time‐dependent models for ocean chemistry of Hardie leads to a prediction of Br in basal halite during the Phanerozoic. This prediction is in good agreement with data from different ancient evaporite basins. The Br data give evidence for rapid and massive changes in seawater chemistry during the Phanerozoic and are thus a first independent test for the Hardie model.
Rockfalls triggered by the ad 1356 Basle Earthquake
Authors: Becker A. , Davenport C. A.
Published: July 2003

In the Basle region of Switzerland we demonstrate that rockfall blocks can be dated accurately using the radiocarbon method. Soil beneath rockfall blocks containing organic macro‐remains was sampled at four cliff sites in the Tabular Jura south‐east of Basle. A lightweight drilling rig drills a 101‐mm‐diameter hole through rockfall blocks up to 6 m in height. A downhole sampler is used to recover soil samples from below the blocks. Eighteen radiocarbon dates on charcoal, wood, needles of conifers and organic macro‐remains from 11 blocks gave dates between 970 and 440 bp. Calibrated ages range between ad 1210 and ad 1450. These results, along with field observations and historical research, suggest that a large number of blocks toppled as rockfalls within a short time interval in the epicentral area of the ad 1356 Basle earthquake.
Interdigital tinea pedis (dermatophytosis simplex and complex) and treatment with ciclopirox 0.77% gel
Authors: Gupta Aditya K. , Skinner Alayne R. , Cooper Elizabeth A.
Published: July 2003

The most common presentation of tinea pedis (athlete's foot) is that involving the interdigital spaces. Tinea pedis interdigitalis may present as asymptomatic dermatophytosis simplex or dermatophytosis complex, which is symptomatic, with secondary bacterial infection. In the dermatophytosis complex presentation there may be inflammation, maceration and odor, with bacterial involvement. Ciclopirox gel offers advantages in the treatment of tinea pedis, especially in the dermatophytosis complex presentation, with antifungal, antibacterial, and anti‐inflammatory activity; furthermore, the gel formulation is fast drying, which is an advantage when the toe web area is moist.
Ciclopirox gel in the treatment of patients with interdigital tinea pedis
Authors: Aly Raza , Fisher George , Katz H. Irving , Levine Norman , Lookingbill Donald P. , Lowe Nicholas , Menter Alan , Morman Manuel , Pariser David M. , Roth Harry L. , Savin Ronald C. , Shavin Joel S. , Stewart Daniel , Taylor J. Richard , Tucker Stephen , Wortzman Mitchell
Published: July 2003

Background  Tinea pedis (athlete’s foot) is the most common fungal infection in the general population. Ciclopirox, a broad‐spectrum hydroxypyridone antifungal, has proven efficacy against the organisms commonly implicated in tinea pedis: Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes and Epidermophyton floccosum.

Objective  Two multicenter, double‐blind, clinical studies compared the efficacy and safety of ciclopirox gel with that of its vehicle base in subjects with moderate interdigital tinea pedis with or without plantar involvement.

Methods  Three hundred and seventy‐four subjects were enrolled and randomized to one of two treatment groups: ciclopirox gel 0.77%, or ciclopirox gel vehicle, applied twice daily for 28 days, with a final visit up to day 50. The primary efficacy variable was Treatment Success defined as combined mycological cure and clinical improvement 75%. Secondary measures of effectiveness were Global Clinical Response, Sign and Symptom Severity Scores, Mycological Evaluation (KOH examination and final culture result), Mycological Cure (negative KOH and negative final culture results) and Treatment Cure (combined clinical and mycological cure).

Results  At endpoint (final post‐baseline visit), 60% of the ciclopirox subjects achieved treatment success compared to 6% of the vehicle subjects. At the same time point, 66% of ciclopirox subjects compared with 19% of vehicle subjects were either cleared or had excellent improvement. Pooled data showed that 85% of ciclopirox subjects were mycologically cured, compared to only 16% of vehicle subjects at day 43, 2 weeks post‐treatment.

Conclusions  Ciclopirox gel 0.77% applied twice daily for 4 weeks is an effective treatment of moderate interdigital tinea pedis due to T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes and E. floccosum and is associated with a low incidence of minor adverse effects.
Effect of Heat Stress on Grain Starch Content in Diploid, Tetraploid and Hexaploid Wheat Species
Authors: Chinnusamy V. , Khanna‐Chopra R.
Published: July 2003

Heat stress during grain development adversely affects the starch content of grain in wheat, which results in poor grain quality and yield. Identification of the sources of heat tolerance for grain starch content in wheat species is an important step towards breeding for heat‐tolerant wheat. In this study, 32 wild and cultivated genotypes belonging to diploid (probable donors of B, A and D genomes), tetraploid (BBAA and AAGG genomes) and hexaploid (BBAADD genome) wheat species were evaluated for heat stress tolerance in the field at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India (77°12′ E; 28°40′ N; 228.6 m m.s.l) on two dates, 18 November (normal sowing) and 15 January (heat stress), during 1995–96. The crop sown in January experienced mean maximum temperatures of 31.0–39.3 °C during grain development, which are considered to represent heat stress for wheat grain development. Hexaploids had the highest grain starch content and the lowest heat susceptibility index, followed by tetraploid and diploid species. The heat susceptibility index (S) for grain starch correlated significantly and positively with that of grain weight (Y = 1.259X − 0.29, R2 = 0.8902, P < 0.001) across wheat species, while the actual grain growth duration or the ‘S’ of grain growth duration did not correlate significantly with that of grain weight. Hence, a high mean grain growth rate under heat stress is a better trait for heat tolerance than long grain growth duration. Wide genetic variability for heat tolerance in grain starch content was observed among the wheat species. Hence, the grain weight and quality under heat stress can be improved by using the variability available among wheat species.
A New Mutation in Wheat Producing Three Pistils in a Floret
Authors: Peng Z. S.
Published: July 2003

A floret carries only one pistil that will develop into one grain after fertilization in normal cultivated common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants. A new cultivated common wheat mutation line ‘Three Pistils’ is described. It carries three pistils in a floret, all with the potential to develop into grains. The floret morphology of this line is reported. Genetic analysis of the three pistils trait was carried out by crossing Three Pistils with the normal common wheat variety Chinese Spring. F2 population segregation analysis revealed that the three pistils trait is controlled by a single dominant gene. This conclusion was confirmed by the backcross test.
Effect of Alley Cropping on Crops and Arthropod Diversity in Duzce, Turkey
Authors: Akbulut S. , Keten A. , Stamps W. T.
Published: July 2003

The influence of alley cropping practices on trees, agricultural crops and arthropod diversity was studied in Duzce, Turkey. Six replications of three crops, maize (Zea mays L. var. rugosa), beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.), were planted in the alleyways between rows of hybrid poplar [Populus euramericana (Dode) Guinier] in a plantation setting. Control plots included a poplar plot without crops and the three crops planted in plots without trees near the plantation. Sweep netting, sticky traps, pitfall traps, and cloth shaking were used four times throughout a growing season to sample arthropods in the research area. Alley cropping practices had both negative and positive effects on crop yield and a significant negative effect on poplar growth. A total of 10 284 arthropod specimens (15 orders and 122 families) were collected, 118 families in the agroforestry plots, 57 families in the treeless plots and 44 families in the poplar control plot. Diversity indices did not differ among plots, except for the Shannon index, for all dates and sampling methods combined. Evenness indices and family richness measures did not differ significantly among plots, but significant differences were found among collection dates and sampling methods. The tree canopy had a greater arthropod diversity than the ground vegetation. Beneficial arthropods were found in significantly greater numbers in the agroforestry plots compared to the monocrop plots. This suggests that trees provided a more favourable habitat for beneficial arthropods than herbaceous plants. We conclude that agroforestry may contribute to increasing arthropod diversity compared with monocrops.
Organ donation: what can we learn from North America?
Authors: Smith J
Published: July 2003

• The aim of this qualitative case study was to investigate how organ donation is promoted and managed in North America aimed specifically at patients and relatives. A 4‐week study to Boston and Baltimore in America was undertaken to observe and learn how organ donation is promoted and managed within a critical care environment

• The study tour was undertaken specifically to examine the policy and procedures that enhance the procurement of organ donation in specific centres in the USA

• The study tour wanted to examine and gain a better understanding of the issues, policies and procedures used by these centres when seeking permission for organ donation

• Data were collected by a variety of methods involving observation, unstructured informal interviews, examinations of policies and procedures and a daily diary was maintained. A thematic analysis method was used to analyse the qualitative data collected. Four areas were identified as potential areas for learning

• Approaching relatives of potential donors for consent, at a time of intense emotional crisis, is a challenge that involves all nurses working in critical areas

• Nurses are identified as a key component in the process of organ donation; research highlights that approaching relatives can be problematic and stressful for nursing staff

• The British government should consider required request legislation that ensures all hospitals refer potential donors to the Regional Transplant Center

• In‐house coordinators could be appointed and protocols developed for referrals of potential donors. It is also suggested that the approach for consent is decoupled and designated requesters approach relatives
Exploring Sex Differences in the Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms and Dementia Incidence: Prospective Results From the PAQUID Study
Authors: Fuhrer Rebecca , Dufouil Carole , Dartigues Jean François , For The PAQUID Study
Published: July 2003

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the predictive relationship between depressive symptoms and 8‐year dementia incidence in a large prospective community sample of French older adults and to compare the effect magnitude for men and women.

DESIGN: Prospective population‐based cohort with four interview waves and complete vital status ascertainment.

SETTING: Urban and rural communities in the Aquitaine Region (Gironde and Dordogne), southwest France.

PARTICIPANTS: Three thousand seven hundred seventy‐seven adults aged 65 and older residing in noninstitutional settings at study baseline.

MEASUREMENTS: Each participant was interviewed by a neuropsychologist and screened for dementia with the Mini‐Mental State Examination, a cognitive test battery, and a standardized questionnaire designed to ascertain the presence of the criteria for dementia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised (DSM‐III‐R). Dementia status and subtype were confirmed using neurological examination and categorized according to DSM‐III‐R criteria for dementia and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Association criteria. The Hachinski score was calculated to specify the etiology: possible or probable Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and other types of dementia. Depressive symptomatology was evaluated using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies—Depression scale. Statistical analyses were weighted to correct for attrition not due to mortality.

RESULTS: Ninety‐seven men (incidence rate: 14.4/1,000) and 183 women (Incidence rate: 19.0/1,000) developed dementia during 8 years of follow‐up. Baseline prevalence of depressive symptomatology was 12.9% for men and 14.7% for women. Depressive symptoms increased risk of dementia at subsequent interview wave, but only for men (odds ratio (OR) (men) = 3.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.9–6.5; OR (women) = 1.2, 95% CI = 0.7–2.0, P‐value for sex difference = 0.03). The hypothesis that vascular depression might explain the observed sex difference was studied, and it was found that risk was 50% higher for men with hypertension who were depressed than for normotensive men. For women, hypertension status did not modify the absence of an association.

CONCLUSION: This study supports the hypothesis of a relationship between proximal depressive symptomatology and dementia in men, but distant depression did not increase dementia risk in this sample. The results suggest that depression in older men might reflect a form of vascular depression associated with cerebral vascular pathology or multiinfarct disease that may amplify the dementing or declining process, hence accelerating the onset of manifest symptoms of dementia.
Organizational Characteristics and Restraint Use for Hospitalized Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Bourbonniere Meg , Strumpf Neville E. , Evans Lois K. , Maislin Greg
Published: July 2003

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of organizational characteristics on physical restraint use for hospitalized nursing home residents.

DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data obtained between 1994 to 1997 in a prospective phase lag design experiment using an advanced practice nurse (APN) intervention aimed at reducing physical restraint for a group of hospitalized nursing home residents.

SETTING: Eleven medical and surgical units in one 600‐bed teaching hospital.

PARTICIPANTS: One hundred seventy‐four nursing home residents aged 61 to 100, hospitalized for a total of 1,085 days.

MEASUREMENTS: Physical restraint use, APN intervention, age, perceived fall risk, behavioral phenomena, perceived treatment interference, mental state, severity of illness, day of week, patient–registered nurse (RN) ratio, patient–total nursing staff ratio, and skill mix.

RESULTS: Controlling for the APN intervention, age, and patient behavioral characteristics (all of which increased the likelihood of restraint use), weekend days as an organizational characteristic significantly increased the odds of restraint (weekend day and patient–RN ratio on physical restraint use: odds ratio (OR) = 1.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.38–2.68, P < .001; weekend day and patient–total staff ratio on physical restraint use: OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.37–2.66, P < .001; weekend day and skill mix on physical restraint use: OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.37–2.67, P < .001).

CONCLUSION: Key findings suggest that organization of hospital care on weekends and patient characteristics that affect communication ability, such as severely impaired mental state, English as a second language, sedation, and sensory‐perceptual losses, may be overlooked variables in restraint use.
Age‐Related Changes of Circadian Rhythms and Sleep‐Wake Cycles
Authors: Yoon In‐Young , Kripke Daniel F. , Elliott Jeffrey A. , Youngstedt Shawn D. , Rex Katharine M. , Hauger Richard L.
Published: July 2003

OBJECTIVES: To compare relationships between the sleep‐wake cycle and endogenous circadian rhythms in young and older adults and to examine correlates between evening naps and circadian rhythms in older adults.

DESIGN: For 1 week of home recording, subjects wore wrist‐activity monitors and kept daily sleep logs. After the home monitoring, subjects entered the laboratory on a 90‐minute sleep‐wake schedule and were monitored on this schedule for at least 30 hours.

SETTING: Community living and laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS: Sixty‐seven young adults, aged 18 to 32, and 56 older adults, aged 60 to 75, who were healthy and had few sleep complaints.

MEASUREMENTS: Times of nocturnal sleep, out‐of‐bed napping, and illumination were obtained at home. Sleep propensity and oral body temperature (OBT) were measured in the laboratory, along with circadian rhythms of cortisol and 6‐sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s, assayed from urine samples collected every 90 minutes).

RESULTS: Home sleep times and illumination acrophases (fitted peak times) were advanced in older adults. The phase angles (time intervals) between onset of aMT6s and sleep onset were not changed in older adults, but sleep offset was more advanced than acrophase and offset of aMT6s with aging. Acrophases of cortisol and sleep propensity were advanced in older adults to the same extent as sleep times, but OBT was less advanced than sleep times. Older adults who took evening naps showed more advanced sleep offset and circadian rhythms of aMT6s, but there were no differences in the phase angles of sleep onset and circadian rhythms of aMT6s and cortisol compared with older adults who did not take evening naps.

CONCLUSION: Measuring different circadian markers suggested different phase relationships between the sleep‐wake cycle and endogenous circadian rhythms in aging. Early awakening in older adults cannot be explained simply by a relative phase advance of the circadian system. Evening naps and advanced illumination may play a role in the advance of the circadian system in aging.
Propoxyphene Use by Community‐Dwelling and Institutionalized Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries
Authors: Kamal‐Bahl Sachin J. , Doshi Jalpa A. , Stuart Bruce C. , Briesacher Becky A.
Published: July 2003

OBJECTIVES: To provide the first comparable national prevalence estimates on use of propoxyphene, a potentially inappropriate drug, by elderly Medicare beneficiaries living in the community and institutions and to determine whether institutionalized beneficiaries are at a greater risk for receiving propoxyphene than community‐dwelling beneficiaries.

DESIGN: Cross‐sectional study.

SETTING: U.S. representative sample of elderly using Medicare database.

PARTICIPANTS: Nationally representative sample of community‐dwelling (n = 9,851, weighted n = 32.5 million) and institutionalized (n = 1,099, weighted n = 2.3 million) Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older.

MEASUREMENTS: National estimates on prevalence of propoxyphene use and the odds of receiving propoxyphene were the two main outcome measures.

RESULTS: Annual prevalence of propoxyphene use in 1998 was 6.8% by all community‐dwelling elderly beneficiaries and 15.5% by institutionalized elderly beneficiaries. Beneficiaries in long‐term care facilities had almost 40% higher odds of receiving propoxyphene (odds ratio = 1.38, 95% confidence interval = 1.1–1.8) than beneficiaries in the community even after controlling for other factors in a logistic regression. Other risk factors include female, rural residence, poor health, and history of osteoporosis or hip fracture. Beneficiaries residing in regions in the midwest and south were more than twice as likely to receive propoxyphene as those in the mid‐Atlantic area.

CONCLUSION: These results show that propoxyphene use by U.S. community‐dwelling seniors is high but is much higher in the institutionalized population. These findings suggest that prescribing for older adults with pain could be improved, especially for vulnerable long‐term care residents.
Late‐Life Depression is Associated with Arterial Stiffness: A Population‐Based Study
Authors: Tiemeier Henning , Breteler Monique M. B. , Van Popele Nicole M. , Hofman Albert , Witteman Jacqueline C. M.
Published: July 2003

Objectives: To determine whether arterial stiffness is associated with depression in the elderly.

Design: Population‐based cross‐sectional study.

Setting: In Ommoord, a suburb of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Participants: Three thousand seven hundred four subjects of the Rotterdam Study aged 60 and older.

Measurements: Arterial stiffness was assessed using the distensibility of the carotid artery and the carotid‐femoral pulse wave velocity. All participants were screened for depressive symptoms with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies—Depression scale. Those with depressive symptoms had a psychiatric evaluation to establish a diagnosis of depressive disorders according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM‐IV) criteria.

Results: Participants with increased arterial stiffness were more likely to have depressive symptoms. Odds ratios (ORs) for depressive symptoms were 1.24 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01–1.52) per standard deviation decrease in carotid distensibility and 1.17 (95% CI = 1.00–1.38) per standard deviation increase in aortic pulse wave velocity. The association was stronger for depressive disorders meeting DSM‐IV criteria (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.03–2.03; OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.16–1.90, respectively). Control for atherosclerosis, as measured by the ankle‐to‐brachial index or presence of plaques in the carotid artery, did not change the associations.

Conclusion: This study shows an association between arterial stiffness and depression in the elderly. The findings are compatible with the vascular depression hypothesis. These data suggest that arterial stiffness may partly cause the proposed relationship between vascular factors and depression.
Tetanus Immunity in Long‐Term Care Facilities
Authors: Fernandes Ritabelle , Valcour Victor , Flynn Bret , Masaki Kamal , Patricia Blanchette MD
Published: July 2003

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the correlates of tetanus immunity in the elderly residing in a long‐term care facility in Hawaii.

DESIGN: Cross‐sectional.

SETTING: A nursing home in Honolulu, Hawaii.

PARTICIPANTS: Sixty subjects aged 65 and older: 30 men and 30 women.

MEASUREMENTS: The interview included demographic information, immunization history, military service information, and other potential risk factors for tetanus. Serum tetanus antibody titers were measured.

RESULTS: The data showed that 76.7% (46/60) had adequate tetanus titers. This is in stark contrast to previous studies, which have reported immunity rates of 27% to 46% in similar populations. There were significant associations between immunity and prior history of military service. There were no significant associations between immunity and past history of immunization, education, socioeconomic status, or sex.

CONCLUSION: History of immunization from patients, families, or medical charts may be unreliable indicators of tetanus immunity. Recognizing patterns of and barriers to immunization could have important consequences for public health policy in long‐term care institutions.
Usefulness of a Linear Analog Scale Questionnaire to Measure Health‐Related Quality of Life in Elderly Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Katsura Hideki , Yamada Kouichi , Kida Kozui
Published: July 2003

OBJECTIVES: To examine the validity, discriminatory ability, and responsiveness of health‐related quality‐of‐life (HRQoL) questionnaires using a linear analog scale (Quality of Life (QOL) scale) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

DESIGN: Cross‐sectional and longitudinal.

SETTING: Outpatient.

PARTICIPANTS: One hundred two elderly subjects with mild to severe COPD.

MEASUREMENTS: Scores on the QOL scale, the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and the 36‐item Short‐Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF‐36) and various clinical parameters were recorded. The correlations between these QOL questionnaires and various clinical parameters were then examined. The responses of 31 elderly COPD patients to the QOL scale and the SGRQ before and 3 months after the completion of a comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program were compared longitudinally.

RESULTS: On cross‐sectional study, the QOL scale showed a significant correlation with the total score and three components of the SGRQ. The QOL scale correlated significantly with all components of the SF‐36, but the total SGRQ score correlated with only six components of the SF‐36, excluding vitality and the mental health index. Both the QOL scale and the total score of the SGRQ correlated significantly with the oxygen cost diagram (OCD), Morale scale, 6‐minute walking distance (6MWD), forced expiratory volume in 1 second, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) score. When subjects were divided into three groups according to disease severity (mild, moderate, severe) using American Thoracic Society guidelines, the total SGRQ score discriminated between the three groups. The QOL scale could not discriminate between mild and moderate or moderate and severe. On longitudinal study, 3 months after finishing the comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program, the QOL scale, the SGRQ, 6MWD, and OCD all showed significant improvement. The difference in the QOL scale after the comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program showed a significant correlation with changes in the SGRQ total score and the OCD but not with the 6MWD.

CONCLUSION: The QOL scale is similar to more‐complex questionnaires such as the SGRQ in terms of validity and responsiveness for evaluating disease‐specific HRQoL in elderly COPD patients. In clinical settings, the QOL scale, as a simple questionnaire, may be useful for disease‐specific HRQoL assessments in elderly COPD patients.
Selected as the Best Paper in JAGS in the 1970s Mission of the National Institute on Aging
Authors: Butler Robert N.
Published: July 2003

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), the newest of the 11 National Institutes of Health, is dedicated to improving the quality of life of the old in America through biomedical, social, and behavioral research. Aging is viewed as more than just decline and deterioration; it is also a process of continued development and accumulated knowledge. The NIA will encourage innovative research but will not support the delivery of health services, as that is the domain of the other agencies. In areas of overlap, such as diseases common to the old, the NIA will collaborate with other Institutes. A good target area for collaboration is senile dementia. Other areas of interest to the NIA are: encouraging the incorporation of geriatric medicine as a subspecialty, developing retirement test patterns, and investigating drug‐drug and drug–age interactions, personality and social processes, and immunocompetence.
Modeling Agglomeration and Dispersion in City and Country: Gunnar Myrdal, François Perroux, and the New Economic Geography
Authors: Meardon Stephen J.
Published: July 2003

The “new economic geography” is a recent body of literature that seeks to explain how resources and production come to be concentrated spatially for reasons other than the standard “geographic” ones. Unlike alternative explanations of the geographic distribution of industry, the literature is not interdisciplinary. The new economic geography lies well within economics proper: it is an offspring of international trade theory, with models characterized by increasing returns, factor mobility, and transportation costs. The models explain the distribution of industry in terms of the opposition of an agglomerating force, the interaction of transportation costs and increasing returns to scale, with a dispersing force, commonly the interaction of transportation costs and a partially fixed input or output market.

Some authors outside the new economic geography (e.g., Martin 1999) have criticized it as simplistic, irrelevant, or passé. They claim it employs overly abstract analysis, prioritizes mathematical technique over realistic explanation, and is reminiscent of the much earlier works of Gunnar Myrdal and François Perroux—in comparison to which, however, it falls short.

This paper investigates the similarities and differences between the new economic geography and the work of Myrdal and Perroux, who in the previous special issue of this journal were ranked by Zafirovsky (1999, pp. 596, 598) as among the leading twentieth century economic sociologists. I examine how the techniques of analysis and intuitive explanations of agglomeration compare between these economic sociologists and the new economic geographers. The paper highlights what has been gained and what has been lost by the new economic geographers, who generally eschew interdisciplinary study.
Agglomeration and Congestion in the Economics of Ideas and Technological Change
Authors: Sedgley Norman , Elmslie Bruce
Published: July 2003

Urban economists have long recognized that space is economically important. Evidence of the importance of urban agglomeration and the offsetting effects of congestion are provided in a number of studies of productivity and wages. Little attention has been paid to this evidence in the economic growth literature. The new growth research focuses on technological change. We extend the production function for new ideas common to this research in a way that allows for congestion and agglomeration in innovation and test the hypothesis that these forces are important in explaining innovation. Strong evidence is found that agglomeration and congestion are important in explaining the vast differences in per capita patent rates across US states. This suggests an important new agenda in linking studies of urban economics with the rapidly advancing field of endogenous growth.
Zipf's Law for Cities and Beyond: The Case of Denmark
Authors: Knudsen Thorbjørn
Published: July 2003

Zipf's law for cities is one of the most conspicuous and robust empirical facts in the social sciences. It says that for most countries, the size distribution of cities must fit the power law: the number of cities with populations greater than S is inversely proportional to S. The present paper answers three questions related to Zipf's law: (1) does the Danish case refute Zipf's law for cities?, (2) what are the implications of Zipf's law for models of local growth?, and (3) do we have a Zipf's law for firms? Based on empirical data on the 61 largest Danish cities for year 2000, the answer to (1) is NO—the Danish case is not the exception which refutes Zipf's law. The consideration of (2) then leads to an empirical test of (3). The question of the existence of Zipf's law for firms is tested on a sample of 14,541 Danish production companies (the total population for 1997 with 10 employees or more). Based on the empirical evidence, the answer to (3) is YES in the sense that the growth pattern of Danish production companies follows a clean rank‐size distribution consistent with Zipf's law.
Edge Cities and the Viability of Metropolitan Economies: Contributions to Flexibility and External Linkages by New Urban Service Environments
Authors: McKee David L. , McKee Yosra A.
Published: July 2003

Economists have had little to say concerning the impact of Edge Cities in metropolitan complexes, much less about how they relate to the economy in general. The present paper is aimed at those concerns. It begins with a general overview of the Edge City concept as put forward by Joel Garreau. Following that it discusses metropolitan change in a pre‐Edge City format. It then considers Edge Cities in the context of growth poles and discusses their role in providing economic linkages that facilitate change. The intent is to provide a better understanding of the impact of Edge Cities upon host metropolitan areas and the economy at large.
Value Capture as a Policy Tool in Transportation Economics: An Exploration in Public Finance in the Tradition of Henry George
Authors: Batt H. William
Published: July 2003

Value capture is a means by which to finance capital infrastructure, particularly transportation services, in a way that allows for efficient economic performance, simple administration, financial justice, and social facility. Because American society needs to find new means to finance transportation capital investment, particularly public transit, value capture offers an essentially painless opportunity to achieve these goals. It has the ancillary benefit also of concentrating population densities in a way that makes public transit particularly viable. This study shows how value capture could have been used to finance a portion of the New York State Interstate Highway System, a nine‐mile stretch of I‐87 known as the Northway, from its southern terminus to the point where it crosses the Mohawk River in Albany County. This section is the most heavily traveled area of the Northway and has experienced the greatest contiguous development of any location along the Northway's 178 miles since its construction in the late 1950s. While the right of way and construction costs of this stretch were in the range of $128 million (current dollars), the additional land value that has been generated on its account within just two miles on either side has totaled $3.734 billion. This study shows that the capital finance of the Northway, at least in this area, could easily have been done by recapturing these windfall gains that fell to private landowners. One could argue that this added value, the direct result of public investment, should rightfully be returned to the public and should be recaptured to pay off the bonds that were issued to build the project, rather than left for opportunistic speculators to reap private gain. Value capture therefore offers a promising approach for funding future transportation development, leaving fees, that are presently used, to recover operating and environmental costs.
Coordinating Opposite Approaches to Managing Urban Growth and Curbing Sprawl: A Synthesis
Authors: Daniels Thomas L.
Published: July 2003

The purchase of development rights to farmland and open space has recently gained in popularity as a growth management tool. A purchase of development rights program pays the landowner for the unearned increment in exchange for strong deed restrictions, limiting the use of the property. On the other hand, land value taxation, a modification of Henry George's Single Tax, would tax land more heavily than improvements, thus encouraging the development of land. While land value taxation and the purchase of development rights appear to be opposing fiscal policies, they could be employed together as part of a regional planning strategy to encourage in‐fill development within and near cities and to curb sprawl by retaining farm, forest, and ranch lands.
Leapfrogging, Urban Sprawl, and Growth Management: Phoenix, 1950–2000
Authors: Heim Carol E.
Published: July 2003

Through a case study of Phoenix, Arizona, this paper examines how urban sprawl is linked to opportunities for capital gains. It focuses on “leapfrogging,” in which developers skip over properties to obtain land at a lower price further out despite the existence of utilities and other infrastructure that could serve the bypassed parcels. The paper examines patterns of growth since 1950 and planners' efforts to structure that growth. It discusses two programs that addressed consequences of leapfrogging: development impact fees to help pay for infrastructure costs of new development and an Infill Housing Program to encourage residential development on vacant land. It concludes with a brief discussion of the future of growth management in Phoenix.
A City without Slums: Urban Renewal, Public Housing, and Downtown Revitalization in Kansas City, Missouri
Authors: Gotham Kevin Fox
Published: July 2003

Most scholarly efforts to understand the political economy of postwar urban redevelopment have typically viewed urban renewal and public housing as “housing” programs that originated with the “federal” government. Yet this view is problematic for two reasons. First, it fails to specify the key actors and organized interests, especially real estate officials and downtown business elites, in the programmatic design and implementation of urban renewal and public housing. Second, this view does not fully acknowledge the dislocating and segregative effects of urban renewal and public housing on central city neighborhoods and the role these private‐public initiatives played in shaping demographic and population patterns in the postwar era. I draw upon archival data and newspaper articles, real estate industry documents, government reports, and interviews to examine the origin, local implementation, and segregative effects of urban renewal and public housing in Kansas City, Missouri. I explore the role of the ideology of privatism—the underlying commitment by the public sector to enhancing the growth and prosperity of private institutions—in shaping the postwar “system” of urban economic development in which urban renewal and public housing were formulated and implemented. Focusing on the interlocking nature of race and class, I identify the critical links between urban renewal and public housing, and the long‐term impact of these programs on metropolitan development in the decades after World War II.
A City Divided by Political Philosophies: Residential Development in a Bi‐Provincial City in Canada
Authors: Bhargava Gura
Published: July 2003

This paper examines the impact of two distinct political ideologies on the development of residential dwellings, particularly single‐family residences, in Lloydminster, a bi‐provincial city in Canada. Lloydminster is a city of about 22,000 which straddles the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The two provinces are recognized for the dissimilarities in their political orientations. These dissimilarities are reflected in different taxation policies, different Medicare and health insurance policies and different auto insurance policies, which have given rise to a quantitative and qualitative split in the market for single‐family residences in Lloydminster. This duality of the housing market is manifested in Saskatchewan's “affordability” and Alberta's “desirability.” Alberta's tax policies have attracted “place entrepreneurs” to build upscale residences on its side for homeowners in high income brackets, who benefit from its tax policies. Saskatchewan's health care and auto insurance advantages have attracted those with such priorities and with moderate incomes. It is contended here that while distinct policies may have contributed to an uneven bi‐provincial housing market, the disparity between the markets has been sustained and reinforced by all players who construct the housing reality through myths and perceptions as well as interpretations of policies and their underlying ideologies.
New Rigid Conducting Composites for Electrochemical Sensors
Authors: Ballarin Barbara , Cordero-Rando Maria del Mar , Blanco Eduardo , Hidalgo-Hidalgo De Cisneros José Luis , Seeber Renato , Tonelli Domenica
Published: July 2003

In this work, a novel sonogel-carbon material, obtained via a sonocatalytic procedure, is proposed as a matrix for the preparation of composite electrodes. This material combines the electrical properties of graphite with the mechanical resistance of the sonogel network; an electroactive phase is incorporated inside to give a system with peculiar redox properties. Ni/Al-Cl hydrotalcite and cobalt phthalocyanine complex were used to this end. The electrochemical behaviour of the sonogel-carbon-Ni/Al-Cl and of the sonogel-carbon-cobalt phthalocyanine composites is studied by cyclic voltammetry. These electrodes are stable and lead to repeatable responses. The responses have been compared with those of similar electrodes without added graphite. Key points of the electrochemical behaviour have been identified and discussed and the electrocatalytic capabilities have been investigated on oxidisable substrates, on methanol and on cysteine.