bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Geostatistical approaches and optimal additional sampling schemes for spatial patterns and future sampling of bird diversity
Authors: Lin Yu‐Pin , Yeh Ming‐Sheng , Deng Dong‐Po , Wang Yung‐Chieh
Published: August 2007

Aim  To evaluate geostatistical approaches, namely kriging, co‐kriging and geostatistical simulation, and to develop an optimal sampling design for mapping the spatial patterns of bird diversity, estimating their spatial autocorrelations and selecting additional samples of bird diversity in a 2450 km2 basin.

Location  Taiwan.

Methods  Kriging, co‐kriging and simulated annealing are applied to estimate and simulate the spatial patterns of bird diversity. In addition, kriging and co‐kriging with a genetic algorithm are used to optimally select further samples to improve the kriging and co‐kriging estimations. The association between bird diversity and elevation, and bird diversity and land cover, is analysed with estimated and simulated maps.

Results  The Simpson index correlates spatially with the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) within the micro‐scale and the macro‐scale in the study basin, but the Shannon diversity index only correlates spatially with NDVI within the micro‐scale. Co‐kriging and simulated annealing simulation accurately simulate the statistical and spatial patterns of bird diversity. The mean estimated diversity and the simulated diversity increase with elevation and decrease with increasing urbanization. The proposed optimal sampling approach selects 43 additional sampling sites with a high spatial estimation variance in bird diversity.

Main conclusions  Small‐scale variations dominate the total spatial variation of the observed diversity due to a lack of spatial information and insufficient sampling. However, simulations of bird diversity consistently capture the sampling statistics and spatial patterns of the observed bird diversity. The data thus accumulated can be used to understand the spatial patterns of bird diversity associated with different types of land cover and elevation, and to optimize sample selection. Co‐kriging combined with a genetic algorithm yields additional optimal sampling sites, which can be used to augment existing sampling points in future studies of bird diversity.
Good Enough Governance Revisited
Authors: Grindle Merilee S.
Published: August 2007

The concept of good enough governance provides a platform for questioning the long menu of institutional changes and capacity‐building initiatives currently deemed important (or essential) for development. Nevertheless, it falls short of being a tool to explore what, specifically, needs to be done in any real world context. Thus, as argued by the author in 2004, given the limited resources of money, time, knowledge, and human and organisational capacities, practitioners are correct in searching for the best ways to move towards better governance in a particular country context. This article suggests that the feasibility of particular interventions can be assessed by analysing the context for change and the implications of the content of the intervention being considered.
II. RECENT BOOKS ‐ LIVRES RÉCENTS ‐ NEUERSCHEINUNGEN: PUBLIC ECONOMICS THÉORIE DE L'ÉCONOMIE PUBLIQUE ÖFFENTLICHE WIRTSCHAFT
Authors: Minguet. Albert
Published: August 2007

Olivier Tabatoni et Pierre A. Michel, L'évaluation de l'entreprise, Presses Universitaires de France, Paris, 1979, 180 pages.

III. CURRENT PERIODICALS ‐ ARTICLES DE REVUES ‐ ZEITSCHRIFTENARTIKEL: LIST OF THE USED SHORTENINGS PUBLICATIONS MENTIONNÉES PAR UNE ABRÉVIATION LISTE DER ABGEKÜRZTEN ZEITSCHRIFTENTITEL
A comparison of electronic and paper‐based assignment submission and feedback
Authors: Bridge Pete , Appleyard Rob
Published: August 2007

This paper presents the results of a study evaluating student perceptions of online assignment submission. 47 students submitted assignments and received feedback via features within the Virtual Learning Environment Blackboard™. The students then completed questionnaires comparing their experience of online submission and feedback with traditional methods.

Results indicated that 88% of students reported a time saving and many reported financial benefits using online submission. 93% of students preferred having their feedback available online rather than printed and handed to them. Overall, students preferred online assignment management to postal or physical hand‐in. The main disadvantage of electronic submission appeared to be student distrust of the receipt system.

The use of online assignment submission and management is recommended for use in Higher Education establishments where students may be remote. It is most suitable for assignments that do not require inclusion of many images.
Embedding an integrated learning environment and digital repository in design engineering education: lessons learned for sustainability
Authors: Breslin Caroline , Nicol David , Grierson Hilary , Wodehouse Andrew , Juster Neal , Ion William
Published: August 2007

This paper describes how a system comprising a learning environment and digital repository is being embedded into the teaching and learning of Design Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. It then maps out the issues that have been encountered, how these have been overcome and how other departments or institutions would be affected if they were to roll out and scale up the use of such tools. These issues are categorised astechnological,pedagogicalandcultural, and include the adequate provision of support, creating a critical mass of resources, ensuring quality and integration with other technologies. Successful embedding and sustainability requires that senior managers reflect on these key issues at a departmental and/or institutional level before implementation.
A stakeholder approach to implementing e‐learning in a university
Authors: Cook John , Holley Debbie , Andrew David
Published: August 2007

This paper describes the most recent phase in a mature e‐learning project, in the area of reusable learning objects, that has attempted to bring about technological and cultural change. Following an overview of the project and organisational context, an institutional change model is described that helps managers and stakeholders to identify critical interactions among processes and that emphasises the need to recognise interdependencies among technology, practice and strategy. Our model places a premium on informal change, feasibility and sequence. The rest of the paper is organised around three key themes that emerged from practitioner accounts of a recent phase of the project; these are institutional change and resistance, a model for good practice and working with students to change their experience. The research method for the work described in this paper was interpretive, and involved the first author's attempts to understand members of the project team's definitions and accounts of the situation. Thus the rich accounts were further augmented by an interpretive phase that drew on the explanatory power of our change model. We conclude by (1) proposing that the inclusion of different stakeholders, and particularly the student voice, has provided the catalyst for change within the three partners of the CETL, and (2) suggesting that the crucial factors in change implementation are the coordination and dynamic extension of informal change processes which already exist.
The effects of a concept map‐based information display in an electronic portfolio system on information processing and retention in a fifth‐grade science class covering the Earth's atmosphere
Authors: Kim Paul , Olaciregui Claudia
Published: August 2007

An electronic portfolio system, designed to serve as a resource‐based learning space, was tested in a fifth‐grade science class. The control‐group students accessed a traditional folder‐based information display in the system and the experimental‐group students accessed a concept map‐based information display to review a science portfolio. The student‐constructed science portfolio was a result of a collection of digital artefacts such as graphic images, instructional videos and textual files on terms and definitions relevant to the Earth's atmosphere. In the information‐processing performance test, the experimental‐group students scored significantly higher and spent much less time in finding answers to the questions presented. Also, in the 3‐day delayed memory retention tests, the experimental‐group students achieved significantly higher scores. The multiple regression models confirm that the visualisation variation is the most significant predictor for student performance (ie, comprehension and access time). Also, the regression models suggest that language‐arts proficiency may reduce overall system access time; while higher math proficiency may predict retention scores.
Citizenship Tests: A Comparative, Communitarian Perspective
Authors: ETZIONI AMITAI
Published: August 2007

The history, nature and scope of citizen naturalisation tests are briefly examined in this article, as well as their political and social applications. A comparison of tests from the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany highlights the ways in which these tests are used as immigration controls rather than as a way to establish preparation for citizenship. The difference in the content of the tests also reveal alternative conceptions of citizenship including authoritarian, liberal and neo‐communitarian.
Parliament and Political Disengagement: Neither Waving nor Drowning
Authors: KELSO ALEXANDRA
Published: August 2007

Concern about political disengagement is prevalent in British politics, and this article seeks to examine what the Westminster Parliament has been doing to address it. Recent reforms and recommendations from various parliamentary committees are examined, including increased use of the Internet to disseminate information about Parliament, the use of online consultation mechanisms, and the tentative extension of parliament's petitioning processes. The discussion is couched in the representative origins of Parliament, its adaptation to democratic politics and the extent to which its response to political disengagement is contextualised by its representational, rather than its democratic, role. The article addresses whether Parliament can approach these issues in a ‘holistic’ fashion, and as a ‘unified’ institution within the political system.
Conservative Constituency Parties' Funding and Spending in England and Wales, 2004–2005
Authors: JOHNSTON RON , PATTIE CHARLES
Published: August 2007

Under new regulations established by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, data are now available—through the Electoral Commission—on the income, expenditure and financial health of constituency political parties. These cover all parties with an annual turnover of £25,000 or more. The returns from 263 Conservative constituency party units in England and Wales for 2004 and 2005 (the latter being a general election year) are analysed here, showing that not only are very few wealthy but that a majority implicitly operate with an annual turnover below the defined threshold. Sources of income and patterns of expenditure are analysed, as are the patterns of large donations (which have to be separately reported). In general, the greatest turnover is to be found in marginal constituencies.
‘About Turn’: An Analysis of the Causes of the New Zealand Labour Party's Adoption of Neo‐liberal Economic Policies, 1984–1990
Authors: REARDON JOHN , GRAY TIM
Published: August 2007

This is an inside story of one of the most extraordinary about‐turns in policy‐making undertaken by a democratically elected political party. In 1984, the fourth Labour Party government in New Zealand embarked upon a programme of extreme economic liberalism that lasted six years, and transformed a heavily state‐managed economy into a largely market economy. In doing so, the New Zealand Labour Party reversed a fifty‐year‐old Keynesian consensus shared by the major political parties, and abandoned its own traditionally social democratic economic principles. The underlying causes of this extraordinary policy shift have not been adequately explained, and it is the aim of this article to remedy that deficiency, by making use of a series of interview transcripts with several of the leading players in that economic revolution. We argue that there were four main causes—structural, institutional, cultural and entrepreneurial—and that the most crucial cause was the last.
From Evaluating Democracy Assistance to Appraising Democracy Promotion
Authors: Burnell Peter
Published: August 2007

Organisations involved in delivering international democracy assistance are engaging increasingly with questions about how to assess their activities. A double shift in the terms of reference, from the ex post evaluation of assistance projects or programmes to ex ante appraisal of the broader democracy promotion strategies, could make democracy promotion more effective. This does not mean abandoning the former; on the contrary its status would be enhanced. Improving the chain of learning that leads from assistance evaluations to the formulation of promotion strategies could improve decision-making over how and whether to promote democracy abroad. Because strategies for democracy promotion are constitutive of the political relationship with countries, different strategies have different implications for the possibilities of political self-determination. For that reason and because democratisation and hence effective democracy promotion may be beneficial for human development, international peace and national security, strategies that reflect informed appraisal would be an improvement on a defective status quo. The challenges include: more systematic data gathering; innovative ways of comparing the various democracy promotion options; and institutional changes that connect the research findings to the high politics of policy-making.
Pre-Emptive Democracy: Oligarchic Tendencies in Deliberative Democracy
Authors: Tucker Aviezer
Published: August 2007

This article examines oligarchic tendencies within institutionalised deliberative democracy in theory and practice. Institutional deliberative democracy consists of deliberations within an institution according to regulations that are enforced and lead to voluntary changes of preferences that conclude in a majority vote. Oligarchic tendencies in deliberative democracy are changes in the preferences of a majority to match those of an interested minority through its control and manipulation of the deliberative process. The usual chain of reasoning with respect to oligarchic deliberative democracy is: (1) Democratic majority rule should reflect the common will, what is good for all members of society upon reflection and deliberation. (2) When the majority does not vote for the common will, the vote is not truly democratic. (3) If the majority does not vote for the common will, special interests or their imposition on the majority by a dominating and oppressive minority are to blame. (4) The necessary initial task of managers of deliberative democracy is to overcome domination and oppression, factors that cause voting against the common will such as ignorance, the mass media, religion, class, economic inequality and special interests. (5) This overcoming requires homogenisation of the voting public, the elimination of relevant inequalities and their legacies of disinformation by re-education. (6) An educated intellectual avant-garde is in charge both of identifying the common will and of homogenising and re-educating the deliberating public. (7) When and only when such homogenisation is achieved, real deliberative democracy and its great benefits can finally take place. (8) Since the preconditions to deliberative democracy are ideal, indeed utopian, society can never be sufficiently homogeneous or the revolutionary elite sufficiently powerful to bring about the desired homogenisation and re-education.

I demonstrate first the oligarchic elements in the theory. Then I examine oligarchic aspects of really existing deliberative democratic institutions, namely, consensus conferences in Denmark, France and the US. I conclude by considering whether the oligarchic tendencies in deliberative democracy are inevitable.
Knowledge and Law in Plato's Laws
Authors: Klosko George
Published: August 2007

Although at one time the nocturnal council, discussed in Book XII of the Laws, was widely viewed as inconsistent with institutions presented in the earlier books, Glenn Morrow apparently solved this problem, in Plato's Cretan City, and his interpretation is accepted by most recent scholars. I revisit the case for inconsistency. As interpreted by Morrow, the nocturnal council is charged with attempting to improve the laws of Magnesia, through application of philosophic knowledge. However, textual evidence demonstrates that, at one point while he was writing the work, Plato was committed to the rule of all but unchanging laws, and to the extent laws were subject to revision, the nocturnal council played no role in this process. Unlike other inconsistencies in the Laws, this is a major conflict. Although we cannot be sure how to explain it, the most likely explanation posits a change of plans on Plato's part, the philosophical implications of which he did not fully work out.
English Pluralism, Functionalism and Corporatism: The Legacy of Paul Hirst
Authors: Wenman Mark
Published: August 2007

Paul Hirst began his career as a Marxist, and in his later work he made important contributions to numerous debates, the most notorious of which was his pronounced scepticism towards the idea of globalisation. However, Hirst's principal legacy to political theory was the development of his normative theory of ‘associative democracy’. This article presents a critique of Hirst's theory emphasising his indebtedness to the tradition of English political pluralism. On a preliminary analysis, Hirst's project appears to have been predicated on a normative defence of voluntarism, individualism and pluralism. However, I make the case that on closer examination this is undermined and contradicted in his work – and in the work of the earlier English pluralists – by an implicit assumption of social unity. This assumption is manifest in the functionalism and corporatism that Hirst presented as necessary components of pluralism, which in turn reflect his unwarranted presumption that industrial productivity, efficient economic governance and welfare provision represent impartial and incontestable axioms of social organisation.
MAKING OUR OWN LUCK
Authors: Hodgson David
Published: August 2007

It has been contended that we can never be truly responsible for anything we do: we do what we do because of the way we are, so we cannot be responsible for what we do unless we are responsible for the way we are; and we cannot be responsible for the way we are when we first make decisions in life, so we can never become responsible for the way we are later in life. This article argues that in our consciously chosen actions we respond rationally to whole ‘gestalt’ experiences in ways that cannot be pre‐determined by pre‐choice circumstances and laws of nature and/or computational rules; and that this means we are partly responsible for what we do, even if we are not responsible for the way we are.
Social change and agency among Kubo of Papua New Guinea
Authors: Dwyer Peter D. , Minnegal Monica
Published: August 2007

An account of the history and actions of one man is used to show how agency was central to processes of social change among Kubo people of the interior lowlands of Papua New Guinea. Through a thirteen‐year period, a growing awareness of, but little exposure to, ‘Western’ modes of living challenged earlier certainties, created desires, and suggested alternatives. Modernity thus provided the context for change. But modernity is not itself a process of change. By drawing from ambiguities inherent in pre‐existing structures (or discourses) or createdde novothrough encounters with previously unimagined possibilities, and by favouring one or another of the multiple trajectories legitimized by those ambiguities, people were causally implicated in changing the conditions of their own existence. Those changes entailed a shift from a predominantly relational epistemology to an increasingly categorical epistemology.

Dans cet article, le récit de la vie et des actes d'un homme servent à montrer comment l'intentionnalité (agency) a été essentielle dans les processus de changement social chez les Kubos des basses terres intérieures de la Papouasie‐Nouvelle‐Guinée. Sur une période de treize ans, la connaissance accrue qu'ils ont eue des modes de vie « occidentaux »– tout en y étant peu exposés – a remis en question des certitudes antérieures, créé des désirs, et suggéré des alternatives. La modernité a ainsi créé le contexte du changement, sans être en elle‐même un processus de changement. À partir des ambiguïtés inhérentes aux structures (ou discours) préexistantes ou crééesde novopar la découverte de possibilités jusqu'alors inimaginables, et en privilégiant l'une ou l'autre des multiples trajectoires légitimées par ces ambiguïtés, les Kubos ont été impliqués dans une relation causale de changement des conditions de leur propre existence. Ces changements ont entraîné le passage d'une épistémologie principalement relationnelle à une épistémologie de plus en plus catégorielle.
Building bridges, common ground, and the role of the anthropologist
Authors: Hendry Joy
Published: August 2007

This article considers the role of the anthropologist in the context of local ideas about what we do, and a notable difference between the positive attitudes to our work in the author's long‐standing field sites of Japan, and the more negative ones found in recent research in the culture centres of people who call themselves Indigenous, particularly in Canada. It draws on the history of anthropology in Japan, as well as the practice of the recent experience, to analyse the nature and properties of the field site and to propose ways of building common ground for the processes of objectification and subjectification that take place there. A review of proposals that have emerged for a new anthropology paves the way for some ideas about how anthropologists might build bridges towards re‐establishing good relationships with our former collaborators, then better known as informants.

Le présent article aborde le rôle de l'anthropologue dans le contexte des idées locales sur ce qu'il fait. L'auteure s'intéresse à une différence notable entre les attitudes positives qu'il y a eu vis‐à‐vis de son travail au Japon, son terrain de longue date, et celles plus négatives qu'elle a observées lors de ses recherches récentes dans les centres culturels de peuples qui se présentent comme « indigènes », en particulier au Canada. À partir de l'histoire de l'anthropologie au Japon et de son expérience récente, l'auteure analyse la nature et les propriétés du terrain et propose des manières de constituer un « terrain d'entente » pour les processus d'objectivation et de subjectivation qui s'y déroulent. Un examen des propositions qui se font jour pour une nouvelle anthropologie conduit à formuler plusieurs idées sur la manière dont les anthropologues peuvent jeter des passerelles pour rétablir de bonnes relations avec leurs anciens collaborateurs, ceux qu'ils appelaient alors leurs « informateurs ».
Producing legitimacy: reconciliation and the negotiation of aboriginal rights in Canada
Authors: Blackburn Carole
Published: August 2007

The article explores two distinct meanings of reconciliation associated with the Nisga'a treaty in Canada. In the first, people are using reconciliation to mean correcting the mistakes of the past and creating a new relationship between aboriginal and non‐aboriginal Canadians. In the second, people use reconciliation to mean reconciling the constitutionally protected aboriginal rights of the Nisga'a with Canadian sovereignty and the presence of non‐aboriginal Canadian society. In this article I show that reconciliation in the first sense is a language of political legitimation that links the treaty with progress and the fulfilment of modern, enlightenment values. The second sense of reconciliation is more specific and involves making formerly incompatible rights compatible. I argue that by reconciling aboriginal rights with Canadian sovereignty the treaty does not repudiate the colonial insistence that aboriginal people conform to non‐aboriginal laws and institutions to the extent implied in the more celebratory uses of reconciliation.

Le présent article explore deux significations distinctes de la réconciliation telles qu'elles sont associées à l'accord Nisga'a au Canada. Dans la première, la réconciliation prend le sens d'une correction des erreurs du passé et d'une création de nouvelles relations entre les Canadiens aborigènes et non aborigènes. Dans la deuxième, la réconciliation a le sens d'une conciliation entre les droits des aborigènes, en l'occurrence les Nisga'a, tels que les consacre la Constitution, d'une part, et la souveraineté canadienne et la présence d'une société canadienne non aborigène d'autre part. L'auteur montre ici que la réconciliation dans le premier sens est un langage de légitimation politique qui lie le traité au progrès et à la réalisation de valeurs modernes et éclairées. Le deuxième sens de la réconciliation est plus spécifique et implique que l'on rende compatibles des droits qui ne l'étaient pas jusqu'alors. Selon l'auteur, en conciliant les droits des aborigènes avec la souveraineté canadienne, le traité ne renonce pas à la volonté coloniale de plier les peuples aborigènes à des lois et institutions non aborigènes, tel que cela est impliqué dans les usages plus solennels de la réconciliation.
India and the Muslim Punjab: a unified approach to South Asian kinship
Authors: Alvi Anjum
Published: August 2007

The comparison of kinship of different South Asian regions with the Muslim Punjab reveals basic invariants, thus denying a fundamental division between the Dravidian South and the Indo‐Aryan North, though concepts of kinship reveal themselves in different media: Muslim Punjabi kinship is expressed primarily in gift exchange, but exhibits characteristics commonly associated with the South Indian terminology. The present article argues for an approach which takes meaning embedded in the ‘act’ or ‘person’ as non‐separable from ‘culture’, and grasps kinship as structuring the dynamic relation between self and other, regarded as ontological categories.

La comparaison de la parenté entre les différentes régions du sud de l'Asie et le Pendjab musulman révèle des constantes fondamentales et remet ainsi en question la division de principe entre le Sud dravidien et le Nord indo‐aryen, bien que les concepts de parenté trouvent des expressions différentes : dans le Pendjab musulman, la parenté s'exprime principalement à travers l'échange de dons mais présente des caractéristiques habituellement associées à la terminologie du sud de l'Inde. Le présent article plaide en faveur d'une approche considérant la signification de « l'acte » ou de la « personne » en tant qu'entité indissociable de la « culture », et aborde la parenté comme un moyen de structurer la relation dynamique entre soi‐même et l'autre, considérés comme des catégories ontologiques.
Hotels as sites of power: tourism, status, and politics in Nepal Himalaya
Authors: Lim Francis Khek Gee
Published: August 2007

This article is about the social and cultural significance of hotels in the Nepal Himalaya. Through a socio‐semiotic approach, I analyse how the hotel in Himalayan tourism functions as an architectural form that mediates different social domains, and through the process embeds the ideology of ‘development’ in everyday life, producing the power relations that would in turn generate their very contestations. By treating the materiality of the hotel as an anthropological tool, we are thus able more fully to understand how a community's pursuit of development and intensive engagement with tourism have resulted in the creation of new forms of subjectivity as well as social and political relationships.

Le présent article est consacréà la signification sociale et culturelle des hôtels dans l'Himalaya népalais. Grâce à une approche socio‐sémiotique, l'auteur analyse la manière dont l'hôtel fonctionne, dans le tourisme himalayen, comme une forme architecturale médiatrice de différents domaines sociaux. Il intègre ainsi l'idéologie du « développement » dans la vie de tous les jours, et crée des relations de pouvoir qui génèrent à leur tour leurs propres contestations. En traitant la matérialité de l'hôtel comme un outil anthropologique, on peut mieux comprendre comment la quête du développement et l'engagement intensif d'une communauté dans le tourisme ont abouti à la création de nouvelles formes de subjectivité et de relations sociales et politiques.
Trade and Wages: Two Puzzles from Mexico
Authors: Robertson Raymond
Published: August 2007

Mexico plays an important role in the developing‐country trade‐liberalisation literature because it liberalised early and extensively. Numerous papers analysed changes in Mexican wage levels and inequality after Mexico joined the GATT in 1986. This paper reviews recent papers that analyse changes in wage levels and inequality since the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994. Two main puzzles emerge. First, wage growth rates are similar before and after NAFTA. Second, Mexican wage inequality, which received much attention after its post‐GATT rise, falls steadily after NAFTA. This paper reviews several possible explanations for these two phenomena.
How Do Migrants from Latin America and the Caribbean Fare in the US Labour Market?
Authors: Rivera‐Batiz Francisco L.
Published: August 2007

This paper discusses the causes of mass migration from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to the United States in recent decades and how these migrants have fared in US labour markets. The evidence shows that LAC migrants have higher unemployment rates and substantially lower wages than other immigrants and natives. Furthermore, the relative wages of LAC migrants have been declining sharply over the last 25 years. The most significant factor explaining the latter is the lower (and declining) educational attainment of LAC migrants relative to other immigrants and natives, compounded by the rising rates of return to education in the US.
Mormon History, Text, Colour, and Rites
Authors: DAVIES DOUGLAS
Published: August 2007

Mormonism's growth from its 1830 inception to its 2005 near twelve million world membership, has not only initiated a debate over whether, perhaps, it is likely to become the next world‐religion after Islam,1 but has, in recent decades, also witnessed the publication of numerous books that help foster an interest in what is already becoming a distinctive field of study. Though none of the four books reviewed here constitutes an introductory overview,2 each introduces a set of major issues within contemporary Mormon studies and engages, respectively, with faith‐related attitudes to historical material, the Book of Mormon, the changing status of black males in the church, and Freemasonry's impact on Mormonism's origin.
Determinants and status of quality of life after long‐term botulinum toxin therapy for cervical dystonia
Authors: Skogseid I. M. , Malt U. F. , Røislien J. , Kerty E.
Published: August 2007

The aim of this study was to assess health‐related quality of life (HRQoL), using the Short Form Health Survey‐36 (SF‐36), in 70 cervical dystonia (CD) patients after long‐term botulinum toxin (BTX) treatment (median 5.5 years), and to identify factors determining reduced HRQoL. We used combined patient‐and physician‐based measures to assess both CD severity [Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale, (TWSTRS)] and effect of long‐term BTX treatment, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) and General Health Questionnaire‐30 to assess psychological distress. Mean SF‐36 domain scores of the CD patients were reduced by <1 SD compared with age‐ and gender‐matched population samples. High TWSTRS total scores and high HAD‐depression (HAD‐D) scores were the main factors associated with reduced scores in the physical and mental SF‐36 domains, respectively. Patients evaluated to have a ‘good effect’ of long‐term BTX treatment (n = 47), had significantly lower median TWSTRS total score, and a 3× lower frequency of high HAD‐D scores, than those evaluated to an ‘unsatisfactory effect’ (n = 23). In conclusion, most CD patients enjoy a good HRQoL after long‐term BTX therapy. Reduced HRQoL was associated with more severe disease and/or depressive symptoms.
Relations with the Wider Europe
Authors: LAVENEX SANDRA , SCHIMMELFENNIG FRANK
Published: August 2007

The accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union (EU) on 1 January 2007 concluded its fifth enlargement and brought its membership to 27. Beyond the fifth enlargement, however, relations with the wider Europe were characterized by reassessment, stagnation and setbacks.
Culture of HepG2 liver cells on three dimensional polystyrene scaffolds enhances cell structure and function during toxicological challenge
Authors: Bokhari Maria , Carnachan Ross J. , Cameron Neil R. , Przyborski Stefan A.
Published: August 2007

Cultured cells are dramatically affected by the micro‐environment in which they are grown. In this study, we have investigated whether HepG2 liver cells grown in three dimensional (3‐D) cultures cope more effectively with the known cytotoxic agent, methotrexate, than their counterparts grown on traditional two dimensional (2‐D) flat plastic surfaces. To enable 3‐D growth of HepG2 cells in vitro, we cultured cells on 3‐D porous polystyrene scaffolds previously developed in our laboratories. HepG2 cells grown in 3‐D displayed excellent morphological characteristics and formed numerous bile canaliculi that were seldom seen in cultures grown on 2‐D surfaces. The function of liver cells grown on 3‐D supports was significantly enhanced compared to activity of cells grown on 2‐D standard plasticware. Unlike their 2‐D counterparts, 3‐D cultures were less susceptible to lower concentrations of methotrexate. Cells grown in 3‐D maintained their structural integrity, possessed greater viability, were less susceptible to cell death at higher levels of the cytotoxin compared to 2‐D cultures, and appeared to respond to the drug in a manner more comparable to its known activity in vivo. Our results suggest that hepatotoxicity testing using 3‐D cultures might be more likely to reflect true physiological responses to cytotoxic compounds than existing models that rely on 2‐D culture systems. This technology has potential applications for toxicity testing and drug screening.
The distribution, density and three‐dimensional histomorphology of Pacinian corpuscles in the foot of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and their potential role in seismic communication
Authors: Bouley D. M. , Alarcón C. N. , Hildebrandt T. , O’Connell‐Rodwell C. E.
Published: August 2007

Both Asian (Elephas maximus) and African (Loxodonta africana) elephants produce low‐frequency, high‐amplitude rumbles that travel well through the ground as seismic waves, and field studies have shown that elephants may utilize these seismic signals as one form of communication. Unique elephant postures observed in field studies suggest that the elephants use their feet to ‘listen’ to these seismic signals, but the exact sensory mechanisms used by the elephant have never been characterized.

The distribution, morphology and tissue density of Pacinian corpuscles, specialized mechanoreceptors, were studied in a forefoot and hindfoot of Asian elephants. Pacinian corpuscles were located in the dermis and distal digital cushion and were most densely localized to the anterior, posterior, medial and lateral region of each foot, with the highest numbers in the anterior region of the forefoot (52.19%) and the posterior region of the hindfoot (47.09%). Pacinian corpuscles were encapsulated, had a typical lamellar structure and were most often observed in large clusters. Three‐dimensional reconstruction through serial sections of the dermis revealed that individual Pacinian corpuscles may be part of a cluster. By studying the distribution and density of these mechanoreceptors, we propose that Pacinian corpuscles are one possible anatomic mechanism used by elephants to detect seismic waves.
The influence of consumer decision‐making styles on online apparel consumption by college students
Authors: Cowart Kelly O. , Goldsmith Ronald E.
Published: August 2007

Apparel purchases now constitute one of the fastest‐growing segments of e‐commerce. Thus, there are strong theoretical and managerial reasons to better understand consumer characteristics associated with buying apparel online. This paper investigates motivations for online apparel consumption using the Consumer Styles Inventory. Data from a sample of 357 US college students showed that quality consciousness, brand consciousness, fashion consciousness, hedonistic shopping, impulsiveness and brand loyalty were positively correlated with online apparel shopping. Price sensitivity was negatively correlated with online spending.
Ozone in dairy chilling water systems: effect on metal materials
Authors: GREENE ANNEL K , SMITH GEOFFREY W , KNIGHT CHARLES S
Published: August 2007

The use of pulsed ozone as a disinfecting agent in chilling water systems will be feasible only if components of the systems are not adversely affected. Pulsing ozone into water at room temperature for 20 minutes per day for 7 days caused greater weight loss of aluminium, carbon steel, copper, 304 stainless steel and 316 stainless steel samples than control samples; however, only weight loss for carbon steel was significantly greater (α= .05). Severe pitting was noted on ozone treated copper samples when observed by scanning electron microscopy. Black striations were observed on ozone treated carbon steel surfaces.
Effect of protein concentration on the properties and structure of concentrated yogurts
Authors: OZER BARBAROS H , STENNING ROBERT , GRANDISON ALISTAIR S , ROBINSON RICHARD K
Published: August 2007

Concentrated yogurts were produced by traditional (control), direct reconstitution, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis techniques. The membrane techniques were applied either before or soon after incubation. The physical properties of the samples were monitored using a penetrometer (set yogurt) and viscometer (stirred yogurt), and the results indicated that different manufacturing techniques led to differences in the rheology of the concentrated yogurts. As expected, samples with high protein contents had greater gel strengths. Also, the concentration techniques caused large differences between the samples, even at the same protein level. The rheological properties correlated well with the microstructure as monitored by confocal laser scanning microscopy. In general, larger compartments in the network were associated with a weaker structure.
Maillard reaction contributes to variability in hydration characteristics of rennet caseins in solutions of a calcium‐sequestering salt
Authors: ENNIS MICHAEL P , MULVIHILL DANIEL M
Published: August 2007

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of protein modification by Maillard reactions on the functionality of rennet caseins. The extent of Maillard reactions in rennet caseins was determined by measuring furosine levels by a high‐performance liquid chromatography method following acid hydrolysis of the casein. An approximately 20‐fold range in furosine levels in commercially produced rennet caseins was observed. High furosine levels correlated significantly with increased time taken to reach maximum viscosity index and with decreased maximum viscosity index when the rennet caseins were dispersed in a solution of calcium‐sequestering salt, which suggests that modification of casein by Maillard reaction contributes to the variability in the hydration behaviour of the rennet caseins.
Gender and online health information: a partitioned technology assessment
Authors: Lorence Daniel , Park Heeyoung
Published: August 2007

Objective:  To examine the extent to which health information seeking behaviors vary across genders or are differentially associated with access to computers, the Internet, and online health information.

Research design:  Stratified survey, data analysis.

Methods:  Using binary logistic regression we examine information seeking differences between demographic groups. Questions addressed include: 1) Are any identified groups significantly underserved regarding access to computers, access to the Internet, and preferences for seeking online health information, and 2) have differences between gender groups in access to computers, Internet services and online health information narrowed, remained constant, or widened over recent years, following recent national initiatives to narrow the technology gap for underserved populations?

Outcomes:  Information seeking variation across gender groups and between technologies was at times significant. There was little difference in the access to computer between females and males. In 2002, 75.4% and 73.1% of female and male participants reported that they occasionally use computers, respectively. In 2000, the respective figures were 72.4% and 72.7%. The rates of use of Internet services among computer users, however, were quite different between female and male (Pat 2002= 0.0002 and Pat 2000= 0.0082) and the disparity in 2000 (OR = 0.7366 [0.5870, 0.9243]) increased in 2002 (OR = 0.5675 [0.4222, 0.7627]). The odds ratios (OR) indicate that females were 0.7366 and 0.5675 times less likely to use computers than male counterparts in 2000 and 2002, respectively.

Conclusion:  Recent technology initiatives in the US aimed at reducing disparities in access to online resources appear to have had little effect in facilitating equal access to web‐based health information.
Community outreach library services in the UK: a case study of Wirral Hospital NHS Trust (WHNT)
Authors: Dowse Frances Maria , Sen Barbara
Published: August 2007

Aims and objectives:  The study evaluates the Community Outreach Library Service at Wirral Hospital National Health Service Trust (WHNT). It considers the information seeking behaviour and information needs of primary care staff, and service effectiveness in meeting those needs.

Methods:  A literature review established the current context and areas of best practice. The investigative case study used postal questionnaires to 250 primary care staff and an interview with the Community Outreach Librarian.

Findings:  Themes emerged from the literature regarding information seeking behaviour, information needs, and meeting user needs through effective service delivery. Outreach services have value in terms of improving information skills and providing services at point of need. Time is a major constraint for both users and service providers.

Conclusions:  Investment is needed from appropriate funding sources to support the provision and marketing of outreach library services. Librarians benefit from sharing best practice. The continued evaluation of outreach library services is recommended.
The education and training needs of health librarians—the generalist versus specialist dilemma
Authors: Petrinic Tatjana , Urquhart Christine
Published: August 2007

Aims and objectives:  The aims of the study were to examine whether and how librarians with a generalist background can transfer to roles demanding more expert knowledge in the health sector. The objectives were (i) to compare the education and training needs of health librarians with science degrees with the education and training needs of health librarians with arts and humanities degrees; (ii) to compare the education and training needs of librarians working in the National Health Service (NHS) sector with the education and training needs of librarians working for the health sector but within higher education.

Methods:  Face‐to‐face interviews with 16 librarians, a convenience sample of librarians working in the Thames Valley NHS region.

Results:  The main findings confirmed that structured continuing professional development (CPD) is required to meet the rapidly changing needs in the health sector. The emphasis ought to be on teaching skills, outreach work, marketing and promotion, research skills and methods, subject knowledge and terminology, and management skills. Library school curricula do not appear to meet the demands of medical library posts. A first degree in scientific subjects is advantageous in the early stages of a career but diminishes with continuing training and experience. There is no evidence of a significant difference in training needs and provision between the librarians in NHS posts as opposed to those in higher education (HE) posts.

Conclusions:  The conclusions suggest that library schools need to update their programmes to include teaching skills, advanced search skills, project management skills, research methods, with more practical exercises. Particular attention should be given to librarians with a first degree in non‐scientific subjects in terms of time allocated for CPD, quality of training and access to reliable mentorship.
Retractions, press releases and newspaper coverage
Authors: Rada Roy F.
Published: August 2007

Objectives:  To explore how often newspapers cover the retraction of a medical journal article and whether newspaper coverage corresponds with the appearance of a press release about the retraction.

Methods:  Fifty citations were identified in PubMed that had been indexed with the Medical Subject Heading ‘Retracted Publication’. Next, the archives of LexisNexis's ‘Major Newspapers’ and EurekAlert's press releases were searched to find references to those retracted publications.

Results:  Newspaper articles addressed exactly three of the 50 retracted publications, and press releases, exactly four of the 50 retracted publications. All three retracted publications that received newspaper coverage also had a press release. In other words, newspapers only covered a retraction that had been introduced by a press release.

Conclusion:  One would expect that newspaper coverage would increase after a press release, but the suggested relationships among a medical journal article retraction, a press release and newspaper coverage should be further investigated. If the linkage suggested by the data of this study holds, and if newspaper coverage stimulates library patron interest, then a medical library might prepare itself for information requests following a press release.
Do published search filters to identify diagnostic test accuracy studies perform adequately?
Authors: Ritchie Gill , Glanville Julie , Lefebvre Carol
Published: August 2007

Objectives:  To assess the performance of published search filters in finding diagnostic test accuracy studies.

Methods:  Diagnostic test accuracy search filters were identified by searching medline, our own files and by requesting unpublished filters from colleagues. We applied the filters to a case study review of diagnostic test accuracy studies for urinary tract infections (UTI) in young children. The included studies with records in medline formed the gold standard. The performance of the filters in finding those gold standard records was assessed.

Results:  We identified twenty‐three diagnostic test accuracy search filters for use with medline. The case study systematic review of UTI included 179 studies of diagnostic test accuracy, of which 160 were available in medline. The filters showed a wide range of sensitivities (range: 20.6% to 86.9%) and precision (range: 1% to 9.4%).

Conclusions:   Our results broadly support those reported in two other studies. The search filters tested do not offer an adequate trade‐off between sensitivity and precision to be used to identify studies for systematic reviews. However, there are methods available to explore whether search filters are viable based on an objective statistical analysis of the text and indexing used in records.