bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Categorizing Groups, Categorizing States: Theorizing Minority Rights in a World of Deep Diversity
Authors: Kymlicka Will
Published: September 2010

Since 1989 we have witnessed a proliferation of efforts to develop international norms of the rights of ethnocultural minorities, such as the UN's 1992 Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, the Council of Europe's 1995 Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, and the Organization of American States' 1997 draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This activity at the level of international law is reflected in a comparable explosion of interest in minority rights among normative political theorists.

In this context, Michael Walzer's work occupies an important but somewhat anomalous role. On the one hand, he was arguably the first political theorist, at least in the postwar era, to take seriously the issue of minority rights. Nonetheless, Walzer's work has had surprisingly little enduring impact on multiculturalism debates in either academic political theory or international law.

One explanation for this puzzle is that Walzer's substantive discussion of minority rights seems to sit uneasily with his more foundational theory of justice, laid out in Spheres of Justice. I want to suggest a distinct (but complementary) explanation for why Walzer's work has not permeated the debate, focusing less on metaethical worries about his account of common meanings, and more on the practicalities of how he categorizes ethnic diversity. Walzer's state-differentiated but minority-undifferentiated approach simply does not connect to the governing premises of the larger academic and public debate, which treat minorities as differentiated and states as undifferentiated. I believe it is Walzer's idiosyncratic approach to categorization—more than his controversial theory of justice-as-common-meanings—which explains his relatively marginal role in the multiculturalism debate.
Recent Approaches to Confucian Filial Morality
Authors: Sarkissian Hagop
Published: September 2010

A hallmark of Confucian morality is its emphasis on duties to family and kin as weighty features of moral life. The virtue of ‘filiality’ or ‘filial piety’ (xiao), for example, is one of the most important in the Confucian canon. This aspect of Confucianism has been of renewed interest recently. On the one hand, some have claimed that, precisely because it acknowledges the importance of kin duties, Confucianism should be seen as an ethics rooted in human nature that remains a viable system of morality today. On the other hand, some have argued that the extreme emphasis on filial duties is precisely the aspect of Confucian moral philosophy that ought to be jettisoned in favor of greater impartialism; without mitigating its emphasis on filial piety, Confucianism risks irrelevance to modern concerns. In this study, I will outline the nature of filial morality in the Confucian tradition and discuss these recent contributions to the literature.
Debunking Arguments and the Genealogy of Religion and Morality
Authors: Mason Kelby
Published: September 2010

Debunking arguments are an important species of undermining argument, in which facts about the origins of a judgement are used to explain away that judgement. There is a long history of debunking arguments in the domains of moral judgement and religious belief, from the early Christian fathers to Sigmund Freud and beyond. Debunking arguments work by offering a truth‐mooting genealogy of the judgement in question, where the truth of the judgement doesn’t play a role in generating the judgement, nor does the genealogy probabilify the judgement. Since debunking arguments work against judgements, we can only use them in the domains of morality and religion if we assume cognitivism for those domains. There may be, however, analogous dialectic moves if we instead assume non‐cognitivism.
Centenary Perspectives on Austin Farrer: A Review Article
Authors: MacSwain Robert
Published: September 2010

Austin Farrer (1904–1968) is a genuine conundrum. On one hand, he is commonly hailed as one of the most brilliant and original British thinkers of the previous century. On the other hand, his work is almost entirely neglected by contemporary scholars and students. However, his centenary year of 2004 saw a renewed interest in exploring and appropriating various aspects of his rich intellectual legacy. This review article surveys these centenary perspectives on Austin Farrer with a focus on their philosophical significance, in particular for the philosophy of religion and philosophical theology.
The School Air-Raid Shelter: Rethinking Wartime Pedagogies
Authors: Hussey Stephen
Published: September 2010

At the outbreak of World War II on the 3rd of September 1939, the British government feared that Britain's cities would soon be targeted by the German Luftwaffe, and within three days in early September it enacted a mass evacuation scheme that had been prepared the year before. That scheme entailed a huge movement of population, relocating 1.5 million of Britain's city children, their teachers, mothers with preschool children, and pregnant women from their homes to the safety of small towns and villages in designated “reception” areas. Evacuation would empty the threatened inner cities of the most vulnerable, keeping them safe from civilian bombing.

That plan would have a swift, total, and lasting impact on formal school education. Indeed, in April 1939 a circular from the Board of Education had stated unequivocally that in the evacuated areas “schools will be closed for the whole period during which the emergency may continue….” Reception areas would house and school city children for as long as any aerial threat remained. In practice, however, the course taken by the war in its earliest stages mitigated against the evacuation's effectiveness. Crucially, and despite regular false alarms, the first months of war proved quiet on the home front. Few enemy planes materialized, and the public perception of their threat began to weaken. As a consequence, the intervening months of the conflict came quickly to be known as the “phoney war.” While this proved a relief, not least because it allowed time for the building of what had up to then been poorly prepared civilian air-raid precautions, its impact upon the mass evacuation scheme of September 1939 was damaging. Despite the efforts of government to “talk-up” the success of evacuation and its benefits for children and the hard work of teachers and the evacuation authorities in trying to keep children in the reception areas, cracks began to appear in the planning as many children soon began to trickle back. The phoney war, homesickness, and growing reports of a mixed welcome and treatment received by evacuees persuaded many parents that they wanted their children back. By January 1940 nearly half of all evacuee schoolchildren had returned home. In some cities the picture was even worse. London, for example, had just 34 percent of its evacuee children remaining in reception areas, while in the cities of Sheffield and Coventry, both heavily bombed in the coming months, the figure stood at less than 10 percent. German raids and heavy bombing on British cities finally commenced during the summer of 1940.
“The New Generation”: Mental Hygiene and the Portrayals of Children by the National Film Board of Canada, 1946–1967
Authors: Low Brian J.
Published: September 2010

That is the achievement of the psychologists. In our own society they are very kind, and do everything for our own good. The tales of what they do elsewhere are rather terrifying.

—Hilda Neatby

So Little for the Mind (1953)

Documenting the impact of the mental hygiene movement has been problematical for historians. The hygienists operated in the realm of mass psychology and social relations, within the “mentalities” of children—particularly of the postwar generation—who have left little observable evidence of changing social attitudes and relationships resulting from changes to mass child-rearing and schooling practices. The influence of the movement upon parenting literature and curricular documents may be readily observed in postwar baby books, magazines, newspapers, radio scripts, and films, as well as in the changing language of educational theorists and practitioners. But as to seeing the actual effects of this material upon any society, documentary evidence has remained elusive.
Joseph Kinmont Hart and Vanderbilt University: Academic Freedom and the Rise and Fall of a Department of Education, 1930–1934
Authors: Boyles Deron R.
Published: September 2010

No one can follow the history of academic freedom … without wondering at the fact that any society, interested in the immediate goals of solidarity and self-preservation, should possess the vision to subsidize free criticism and inquiry, and without feeling that the academic freedom we still possess is one of the remarkable achievements of man. At the same time…one cannot but be disheartened by the cowardice and self-deception that frail men use who want to be both safe and free.

Discussions of academic freedom inevitably elicit revolutionary and conservative forces concurrendy. This conflict is apparent, for example, in the 1916 report of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). On one hand, the university is an “inviolable refuge” from various tyrannies, including the “tyranny of public opinion.” Here, professors are part of a revolutionary “intellectual experiment…where new ideas may germinate and where their fruit, though … [possibly] distasteful to the community as a whole, may be allowed to ripen.…” Accordingly, no professor “can be a successful teacher unless he [sic] enjoys the respect of his students, and their confidence in his intellectual integrity. It is clear, however, that this confidence will be impaired if there is suspicion on the part of the student that the teacher is not expressing himself fully or frankly, or that college and university teachers are in general a repressed and intimidated class who dare not speak with that candor and courage which youth always demands in those whom it is to esteem.” On the other hand, the liberty of the scholar “is conditioned by there being conclusions gained by a scholar's method and held in a scholar's spirit; that is to say, they must be the fruits of competent and patient and sincere inquiry, and they should be set forth with dignity, courtesy, and temperateness of language.” How to rectify the apparent contradiction between expressing oneself “fully” and “frankly” while at the same time being “temperate” in language is, perhaps, a key feature in the long history of, and the various debates about, academic freedom.
Education and the Creation of Capital:orWhat I have Learned From Following the Money
Authors: Beadie Nancy
Published: September 2010

In the Fall of 1840, twenty-four-year-old Clarissa Pengra journeyed from a small town in western New York to the growing city of Syracuse to take up a new teaching position. She began by heading north by carriage on a plank road to Rochester, where she would catch a canal boat east. Arriving in Rochester in the evening, after what she described as “an unpleasant ride,” she decided to spend the night at a boarding establishment rather than at the home of a family friend, “in order to be convenient for the boat in the morning.” While in the city, she finished her “shopping,” a term she had never used in the context of her rural hometown. Already, Clarissa had traveled a social and psychological distance. In the hours, weeks, and months that followed, her sense of dislocation would continue. At 6 a.m. on the morning after she arrived in Rochester, she boarded the canal boat for a trip that would take 24 hours, ending in Syracuse the following day “before daylight.” On the boat, Clarissa encountered whist-players, whiskey drinkers, and a follower of the Calvinist evangelist, Charles Finney, each in his own way somewhat at odds with her own principles and ideas. With respect to the trip as a whole, she expressed a sense of adventure, tempered by a hint of anxiety. “I have left home and friend,” she wrote in her journal, “and for the present must learn to depend upon myself.”
The Yale Report of 1828: A New Reading and New Implications
Authors: Pak Michael S.
Published: September 2010

Of the classic documents addressing issues in higher education, few have provoked as much commentary as the Yale Report of 1828—and perhaps fewer still have been subject to such undeserved infamy. Ostensibly, the Report originated as an institutional memorandum. It was produced in response to the suggestion made at the annual meeting of the Yale Corporation in 1827 that the College might consider dropping the study of “the dead languages” from its curriculum. But its authors—President Jeremiah Day, Professors Benjamin Silliman, Sr., and James L. Kingsley—were clearly participating as well in an ongoing public debate. The 1820s were a decade of lively campus discussions on the subject of curricular reform. The stakes were high. The study of Latin and Greek traditionally constituted the core and bulk of college education. Wasn't it time for change?
One-Third of a Campus: Ruth Crawford Mitchell and Second-Generation Americans at the University of Pittsburgh
Authors: Wechsler Harold S.
Published: September 2010

It was confusing to him. He was in a world which had a set of rules all its own. He knew the other rules—the rules of his own world. But these were different. Men actually lived their four years away at the University, and sent children after them. It was a wild, improbable thing to have fallen into, and the day student looked at his fellows, could distinguish them no differences among them at first, and felt lost. His evenings were spent in the company of old friends and in the old places; his days at the college. And he plunged from past to present; present to past. They told him about loyalty, and he went home to think about it. But at home it became dim and unreal. Then he went back, the next morning, and they told him of loyalty again, of the mighty traditions. If he took it to heart he could only do so above the sickening realization that at four o'clock he must be on Trolley 13 again. And it was hard to take the traditions over the river.

Samuel Lipschutz, B.A.

University of Pennsylvania, 1929

Many of our alumni and some of our students, supported by more than a few of our faculty and corporation, have seriously queried whether or no Brown, in common with other institutions located in a like environment, has in her student body too large a proportion of socially undesirable students. We are most emphatically not concerned with Jew-baiting. I am proud to say that race and creed are still not valid causes for concern in the liberal community founded by Roger Williams. But some of us are worried by the influx of alien blood into what was not so long ago a homogeneous group of students prevailingly Baptist and Anglo-Saxon. Says one alumnus, “A certain type of student is far below the standard we should like to see. I refer to those called carpet-baggers! They live in or near Providence, arrive at the University in the morning in time for their first class, park themselves, their books, and their lunch in the Union, leave the college the minute their last class is over, take no part in college life, absorb all they can, give back nothing of benefit, and probably will prove no credit to the University as alumni.” Surely some of you have heard the same tale.

—Kenneth O. Mason

Dean of Freshmen, Brown University, 1927

Were colleges obliged to address the dilemmas faced by the many firstand second-generation Americans who enrolled after World War I? No, replied many administrators who espoused exclusion or assimilation, or who expressed indifference. These attitudes meant that many students would never learn to navigate the turbulent waters of campus social life. Dropout rates were significant even before the Great Crash created insurmountable financial difficulties for numerous undergraduates. The testimony of peers who remained suggested that success often came despite institutional hostility.
Higher Criticism and Higher Education at the University of Chicago: William Rainey Harper's Vision of Religion in the Research University
Authors: Lee Michael
Published: September 2010

On September 18, 1890, an enthusiastic and portly man on a train from Chicago to New Haven scribbled in a notebook. The man was William Rainey Harper, and the contents of his notebook would become the plans for The University of Chicago. Upon arriving in New Haven, he wrote a letter to John D. Rockefeller, who would finance Harper's vision for a university. Harper wrote,

On my way from Chicago the whole thing outlined itself in my mind and I have a plan which is at the same time unique and comprehensive, which I am persuaded will revolutionize study in this country…. It is very simple but thoroughgoing.
The internationalisation of HRM through reverse transfer: two case studies of French multinationals in Scotland
Authors: Thory Kathryn
Published: September 2010

Building on existing studies of reverse transfer (RT) of HRM and work organisation practices, this article reports on an investigation of reverse transfer of HR practices within two French multinational companies operating in Scotland. The study identifies limited evidence of RT despite the firms' predisposing characteristics for RT. A number of factors inherent within the French national business system were found to create restrictions. In addition, France's history of fostering national champions presented resistance to the transfer of localised HR ideas to the domestic economy. Finally, and to a lesser degree, market relations within one of the subsidiary's locality were found to impede the RT of practices. The article discusses the theoretical implications for the conditions under which reverse transfer takes place.
HR practices and commitment to change: an employee‐level analysis
Authors: Conway Edel , Monks Kathy
Published: September 2010

This article explores the relationship between HR practices and commitment to change in three health service organisations in Ireland. The research focuses on employee views of HR practices and resulting employee‐level consequences including commitment to change, perceptions of the industrial relations climate and the psychological contract, and work–life balance. The findings indicate that the HR practices valued by employees, and which are related to a range of employee‐related consequences, are very different from the lists of sophisticated HR practices that appear in the high performance literature. The research suggests that organisations need to ensure that attention is still paid to the basics of the employment relationship and that these are not lost in the rush to introduce more sophisticated approaches to managing employees.
Do Nutrition and Health Affect Migrant Workers' Incomes? Some Evidence from Beijing, China
Authors: Zheng Shi , Wang Zhigang , Wang Holly , Song Shunfeng
Published: September 2010

Migrant workers have become a major element of the labor force in Chinese cities, making important contributions to the economy while forming a socially disadvantaged group. Existing research on the relationship between the level of nutrition and health and income in China mainly focuses on farmers living in rural areas. Based on a Mincer equation and using a survey in Beijing, this paper examines the relationship between migrant workers' nutrition and health levels and their monthly incomes. We find that the nutrition intake and the body mass index have positive effects on income while duration of illness and daily working hours have negative effects. These conclusions imply that the Chinese Government should put more emphasis on improving migrant workers' well‐being, including offering educational programs on nutrition and health, and enhancing medical insurance and the old‐age insurance system.
Polycystic ovary syndrome in adolescence
Authors: Bruni Vincenzina , Dei Metella , Nannini Sara , Balzi Daniela , Nuvolone Daniela
Published: September 2010

The definition of polycystic ovary syndrome in very young girls is complicated by the fact that many features typical of the syndrome can also be seen as physiological stages in the maturation of the hypothalamus–pituitary–ovarian axis. The role of reduced insulin sensitivity in the pathogenesis and evolution of the disorder has gained more importance over recent years: both elevated androgen levels and being overweight may influence the impairment of glucose metabolism. Our study focused on 250 girls in the first 8 years of gynecological age. We analyzed the prevalence of different phenotypes according to the Rotterdam criteria and the impact of higher BMI on androgen levels and on fasting screening markers of glucose metabolism. In a smaller sample, we performed a more detailed evaluation of the glucose metabolism parameters; our findings indicated that in this age group, being overweight plays a major role in the deterioration of the clinical picture.
The role of adipocytokines in fetal growth
Authors: Briana Despina D. , Malamitsi‐Puchner Ariadne
Published: September 2010

Cumulative evidence suggests that the origins of obesity may occur during fetal development. In this respect, the concept of “developmental programming” was introduced and supported by experimental and epidemiological data. This concept supports the idea that the nutritional and hormonal status during pregnancy could irreversibly interfere in metabolism control. The mechanisms responsible for this developmental programming remain poorly documented. However, recent research indicates that adipocytokines may play a critical role in this process. Thus, leptin, adiponectin, and the recently identified resistin, visfatin, and apelin, all exert effects on fat, muscle, and liver cells early in life. The aforementioned adipocytokines are secreted by adipocytes and human placenta during fetal life and may play a major role in the etiopathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome. This review will focus on the intrauterine expression of adipocytokines, their contribution to the hormonal control of fetal growth, and their role in restricted and exaggerated intrauterine growth.
Athletic amenorrhea: energy deficit or psychogenic challenge?
Authors: Pauli Samuel A. , Berga Sarah L.
Published: September 2010

Athletic women are at risk for developing ovulatory dysfunction, which presents variably as menstrual irregularity or absence. Initially characterized as an isolated disruption of hypothalamic gonadotropin–releasing hormone (GnRH) release, athletic amenorrhea, a form of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, is invariably accompanied by additional neuroendocrine aberrations, including activation of adrenal and suppression of thyroidal axes. Exercise may elicit intermittent or chronic metabolic stress owing to increased energy expenditure and/or insufficient or imbalanced nutrient intake. In addition, athletic activities are motivated by or serve as psychogenic stressors. Prior studies dichotomized stressors as metabolic or psychogenic. Not only is this a false dichotomy because all stressors have both a metabolic and a psychogenic component, but also stressors act synergistically rather than in isolation to compromise GnRH drive and endocrine homeostasis. To ameliorate reproductive and endocrine consequences of stress, then, requires identification and amelioration of all relevant stressors. Formal psychosocial support helps individuals to develop better coping strategies and make appropriate lifestyle changes. Our research has shown that cognitive behavior therapy restores reproductive and endocrine balance.
Update on the role of ovarian corticotropin‐releasing hormone
Authors: Kiapekou Erasmia , Zapanti Evangelia , Mastorakos George , Loutradis Dimitris
Published: September 2010

Corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH) is a 41‐amino acid peptide synthesized by neurons of the parvocellular and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei. Central CRH is the principal regulator of the stress system influencing several systems in the brain and influenced by them. It activates the secretion of glucocorticoids and indirectly regulates the immune system and the immune response. Peripheral CRH is secreted by postganglionic sympathetic and unmyelinated sensory afferent neurons and has been identified in several peripheral tissues and organs, including those of the reproductive system (ovary, endometrium, placenta, and testis). In the human ovary, receptors are detected in thecal and stromal cells and in follicular fluid. Ovarian CRH regulates ovarian steroidogenesis and is involved in follicular maturation, ovulation, and luteolysis. In this concise review we briefly discuss the role of ovarian CRH in reproduction, emphasizing its role in oocyte maturation.
Direct Quantitative Determination of Trace Elements in Fine‐Grained Whole Rocks by Laser Ablation‐Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Li Ming , Hu Zhaochu , Gao Shan , Liu Yongsheng
Published: September 2010

Previous laser ablation‐ICP‐MS bulk analyses have been confined to volcanic glasses and glass disks or powder pellets similar to those used for XRF analysis. This study proposes a method to determine twenty trace elements (fourteen rare earth elements, Sc, Y, Zr, Nb, Hf and Ta) by LA‐ICP‐MS directly from polished thick sections and rock slabs of six fine‐grained crystalline and aphanitic rocks (five volcanic rocks and one pelitic tillite). Laser scanning of eight to ten 20 mm long linear tracks using a spot size of 160 μm, with a total ablated area of 26–32 mm2, was performed. Quantification was carried out by (a) internal standardisation using Si and (b) without applying internal standardisation. In the latter method, external determination of one element in conventional LA‐ICP‐MS quantification is no longer needed. Although the fine‐grained rocks studied contained variable amounts of volatiles (up to 4%), this method gave results that agree within 10% relative with those obtained by internal standardisation using Si. Two USGS basalt glass reference materials (BCR‐2G and BHVO‐2G) were used for external calibration. The results and the associated trace element patterns and ratios of elemental pairs obtained from both methods of quantification showed good agreement with the results from solution nebulisation ICP‐MS within 20% (mostly within 10%) relative. Fine‐grained rocks are common and include volcanic, sedimentary and low‐grade metamorphic rocks (e.g., basalt, andesite, rhyolite, shale, mudstone, tillite, loess, pelite and slate) and their trace element contents and associated ratios are important geochemical tracers in studies focusing on the composition and evolution of the crust and mantle. Our method provides a simple and quantitative way to determine trace elements in fine‐grained rocks even with those displaying complex textures.
Flux‐Free Fusion of Silicate Rock Preceding Acid Digestion for ICP‐MS Bulk Analysis
Authors: Shimizu Kenji , Chang Qing , Nakamura Kentaro
Published: September 2010

We present a new method for the decomposition of silicate rocks by flux‐free fusion in preparation for whole‐rock trace element determination (Sc, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Cs, Ba, rare earth elements and Hf) that is especially applicable to zircon‐bearing felsic rocks. The method was verified by analyses of RMs of mafic (JB‐1a, JB‐2, JGb‐1) and felsic rocks (JG‐3, JR‐3, JSd‐1, GSP‐2, G‐2). Pellets of powdered sample (up to 500 mg) without flux were weighed and placed in a clean platinum crucible. The samples were then fused in a Siliconit® tube furnace and quenched to room temperature. The optimum condition for the fusion of granitic rock was determined to be heating for 2–3 min at 1600 °C. The fused glass in the platinum crucible after heating was decomposed using HF and HClO4 in a Teflon® beaker. Decomposed and diluted sample solutions were analysed using a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometer. Replicate analyses (n = 4 or 5) of the RMs revealed that analytical uncertainties were generally < 3% for all elements except Zr and Hf (∼ 6%) in JG‐3. These higher uncertainties may be attributed to sample heterogeneity. Our analytical results for the RMs agreed well with recommended concentrations and recently published concentrations, indicating complete decomposition of our rock samples during fusion.
Precise Determination of Silicon Isotopes in Silicate Rock Reference Materials by MC‐ICP‐MS
Authors: Zambardi Thomas , Poitrasson Franck
Published: September 2010

A HF‐free sample preparation method was used to purify silicon in twelve geological RMs. Silicon isotope compositions were determined using a Neptune instrument multi‐collector‐ICP‐MS in high‐resolution mode, which allowed separation of the silicon isotope plateaus from their interferences. A 1 μg g‐1 Mg spike was added to each sample and standard solution for online mass bias drift correction. δ30Si and δ29Si values are expressed in per mil (‰), relative to the NIST SRM 8546 (NBS‐28) international isotopic RM. The total variation of δ30Si in the geological reference samples analysed in this study ranged from ‐0.13‰ to ‐0.29‰. Comparison with δ29Si values shows that these isotopic fractionations were mass dependent. IRMM‐17 yielded a δ30Si value of ‐1.41 ± 0.07‰ (2s, n = 12) in agreement with previous data. The long‐term reproducibility for natural samples obtained on BHVO‐2 yielded δ30Si = ‐0.27 ± 0.08‰ (2s, n = 42) on a 12 month time scale. An in‐house Si reference sample was produced to check for the long‐term reproducibility of a mono‐elemental sample solution; this yielded a comparable uncertainty of ± 0.07‰ (2s, n = 24) over 5 months.
Political Feasibility Analysis of the New Financing Scheme for the National Health Insurance Reform in Taiwan: An Application of Stakeholder Analysis
Authors: Lin Chao‐Yin , Chen Don‐Yun , Liu I‐Chun , Hsiao Naiyi
Published: September 2010

This study carries out in‐depth political feasibility analysis of the prospective health financing reform currently taking place in Taiwan. The National Health Insurance (NHI) Program, which was established in Taiwan in 1995, covers virtually all of the island's citizens. Between the years 2001 and 2004, the Taiwanese Government organized a taskforce to carry out the wholesale reform of the NHI program into the so‐called ‘Second Generation NHI Program’. This study is part of the comprehensive review, focusing on the preferences and positions of key policy stakeholders with regard to the financial reform proposals, as well as their network relationships. The approach of stakeholder analysis was employed to conduct this empirical study. The results reveal that the new financing scheme has a certain degree of support from the policy stakeholders participating in this study, and that in particular, the measures concerning equity and sustainability were most welcome. However, controversy remains with regard to the issue of the equitable sharing of contributions. It is clear that there is much strong support for the new scheme amongst the administrative and legislative elite, although the same level of support is not evident amongst the social elite affiliated with employees' associations and welfare groups.
Diagenesis and Restructuring Mechanism of Oil and Gas Reservoir in the Marine Carbonate Formation, Northeastern Sichuan: A Case Study of the Puguang Gas Reservoir
Authors: Chunguo DU , Jianjun WANG , Huayao ZOU , Yangming ZHU , Cunwu WANG
Published: September 2010

Based on the technology of balanced cross‐section and physical simulation experiments associated with natural gas geochemical characteristic analyses, core and thin section observations, it has been proven that the Puguang gas reservoir has experienced two periods of diagenesis and restructuring since the Late Indo‐Chinese epoch. One is the fluid transfer controlled by the tectonic movement and the other is geochemical reconstruction controlled by thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR). The middle Yanshan epoch was the main period that the Puguang gas reservoir experienced the geochemical reaction of TSR. TSR can recreate the fluid in the gas reservoir, which makes the gas drying index higher and carbon isotope heavier because C2+ (ethane and heavy hydrocarbon) and 12C (carbon 12 isotope) is first consumed relative to CH4 and 13C (carbon 13 isotope). However, the reciprocity between fluid regarding TSR (hydrocarbon, sulfureted hydrogen (H2S), and water) and reservoir rock results in reservoir rock erosion and anhydrite alteration, which increases porosity in reservoir, thereby improving the petrophysical properties. Superimposed by later tectonic movement, the fluid in Puguang reservoir has twice experienced adjustment, one in the late Yanshan epoch to the early Himalayan epoch and the other time in late Himalayan epoch, after which Puguang gas reservoir is finally developed.
Satellite Thermal Infrared Earthquake Precursor to the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 Earthquake in Sichuan, China, and its Analysis on Geo‐dynamics
Authors: WEI Lejun , GUO Jianfeng , LIU Jianhua , LU Zhenquan , LI Haibing , CAI Hui
Published: September 2010

Based on an interpretation and study of the satellite remote‐sensing images of FY‐2C thermal infrared 1st wave band (10.3–11.3 μm) designed in China, the authors found that there existed obvious and isolated satellite thermal infrared anomalies before the 5.12 Wenchuan Ms8.0 Earthquake. These anomalies had the following characteristics: (1) The precursor appeared rather early: on March 18, 2008, i.e., 55 days before the earthquake, thermal infrared anomalies began to occur; (2) The anomalies experienced quite many and complex evolutionary stages: the satellite thermal infrared anomalies might be divided into five stages, whose manifestations were somewhat different from each other. The existence of so many anomaly stages was probably observed for the first time in numerous cases of satellite thermal infrared research on earthquakes; (3) Each stage lasted quite a long time, with the longest one spanning 13 days; (4) An evident geothermal anomaly gradient was distributed along the Longmen seismic fracture zone, and such a phenomenon might also be discovered for the first time in satellite thermal infrared earthquake research. This discovery is therefore of great guiding and instructive significance in the study of the earthquake occurrence itself and the trend of the post‐earthquake phenomena.
Distribution of δ34S and δ18O in SO2−4 in Groundwater from the Ordos Cretaceous Groundwater Basin and Geological Implications
Authors: YANG Yuncheng , SHEN Zhaoli , WEN Dongguang , HOU Guangcai , SHE Hongquan , ZHAO Zhenhong , WANG Dong , LI Jingwen
Published: September 2010

The Ordos Cretaceous Groundwater Basin, located in an arid‐semiarid area in northwestern China, is a large‐style groundwater basin. SO2−4 is one of the major harmful components in groundwater. Dissolved SO2−4 concentrations, and δ34S‐SO2−4 and δ18O‐SO2−4 in groundwater from 14 boreholes and in gypsum from aquifer were analyzed. Results show that SO2−4 in shallow groundwaters originates from precipitation, sulfide oxidation, and dissolution of stratum sulphate, with a big range of δ34S values, from −10.7‰ to 9.2‰, and addition of SO2−4 in deep groundwater results from dissolution of stratum sulphate, with bigger δ34S values, from 7.8‰ to 18.5‰, compared with those in shallow groundwater. This research also indicates that three types of sulphate are present in the strata, and characterized by high δ34S values and high δ18O values‐style, high δ34S values and middle δ18O values‐style, middle δ34S values and low δ18O values‐style, respectively. The δ34S‐SO2−4 and δ18O‐SO2−4 in groundwater have a good perspective for application in distinguishing different groundwater systems and determining groundwater circulation and evolution in this area.
Production and Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies to poly100S1 Protein of Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus
Authors: Hu J. Q. , Li Y. F. , Guo J. Q. , Shen H. G. , Zhang D. Y. , Zhou J. Y.
Published: September 2010

Fragments within S1 genes (poly100S1) of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains ZJ971, M41 and SC021202 (SC) were subcloned into a prokaryotic expression vector and expressed in Escherichia coli. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the recombinant poly100S1 proteins were produced, characterized and used to analyse epitopes on the S1 subunit of IBV. Nine mAbs raising from the three poly100S1 proteins recognized five different epitopes of the S1 subunit, designated as S1‐A, B, C, D and E. Epitopes S1‐C and S1‐D are common for the three IBV strains, while S1‐A and S1‐B exist on ZJ971 and M41 strains, and S1‐E was a strain‐specific epitope for SC strain. Immunocytochemistry indicated that all the mAbs to the poly100S1 proteins can react with the homologous S1 glycoprotein expressed in Vero cells. Moreover neutralization test demonstrated that only mAbs 6E2, 4F9 and 6G4 had neutralization activity for the homologous IBV. These mAbs to poly100S1 protein were potential candidates for detecting and distinguishing IBV strains, and also used to examine antigenic variation of the S1 protein.
Serological Survey of Bovine Enterovirus Type 1 in Different Mammalian Species in Turkey
Authors: Gür S. , Yapkiç O. , Yilmaz A.
Published: September 2010

The bovine enterovirus type 1 (BEV‐1) infection has a wide range of host spectrum including humans. In this study, seroprevalence of BEV‐1 was investigated in eight mammalian species. Blood serum samples were collected from 244 humans, 1520 cattle, 272 horse, 126 dog, 281 sheep, 477 goat, 18 camel (Camelus dromedarius) and 82 gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa subgutturosa) in different regions of Turkey. Microneutralization tests showed that gazelle and camel did not have any seropositivities, but seropositivities were detected in humans (30.3%), cattle (64.8%), horse (12.8%), dog (3.2%), sheep (32.8%) and goat (27.6%).
Molecular Update on Cystic Echinococcosis in Cattle and Water Buffaloes of Southern Italy
Authors: Rinaldi L. , Maurelli M. P. , Capuano F. , Perugini A. G. , Veneziano V. , Cringoli S.
Published: September 2010

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) – caused by the larval stage (hydatid cyst) of the cestode Echinococcus granulosus– is one of the most widespread zoonoses of veterinary and medical importance. Molecular techniques have allowed the identification of 10 different genotypes (G1–G10) of the parasite. The present paper is an update regarding the E. granulosus genotypes infecting water buffaloes and cattle bred in the Campania region of southern Italy. The molecular study was performed on 30 hydatid cysts (11 from water buffaloes and 19 from cattle). Two different mitochondrial DNA genes, namely the cytochrome c oxidase subunits 1 and the 12S ribosomal DNA (12S rDNA) were used as genetic markers. Three different genotypes of E. granulosus were unequivocally identified, i.e. the G1 (common sheep), G2 (Tasmanian sheep) and G3 (buffalo) genotypes, as well as some G1 and G2 variants. It should be noted that the present study demonstrated for the first time: (i) the presence of the G2 genotype in water buffaloes from a Mediterranean area; and (ii) the fact that the analysed portion of the 12S rDNA gene can not discriminate between the G2 and G3 genotypes of E. granulosus. The finding of the G1, G2 and G3 genotypes in large ruminants from southern Italy is of epidemiological relevance and immediate public health importance because of their recognized infectivity in humans.
Evaluation of the Risks of Shedding Salmonellae and Other Potential Pathogens by Therapy Dogs Fed Raw Diets in Ontario and Alberta
Authors: Lefebvre S. L. , Reid‐Smith R. , Boerlin P. , Weese J. S.
Published: September 2010

Dogs that participate in animal‐assisted interventions (AAIs), often called ‘therapy dogs’, commonly interact with humans whose immune systems are not functioning optimally. The advisability of feeding raw meat (including poultry) to these animals remains a highly contentious issue, in spite of increasing evidence that raw meat is frequently contaminated with Salmonella. We set out to determine if consuming raw meat influences the risk of therapy dogs shedding Salmonella and other pathogens. Two hundred healthy therapy dogs from Ontario and Alberta were enrolled. Between May 2005 and November 2006, fecal specimens were collected from each dog every 2 months for 1 year, along with a log of places visited, antimicrobial use within the home, dog health status and diet. Specimens were cultured for Salmonella, methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin‐resistant enterococci (VRE), extended‐spectrum cephalosporinase (ESC) Escherichia coli and Clostridium difficile. Forty (20%) of the dogs were reported to have been fed raw meat at some point during the year. The incidence rate of Salmonella shedding in the raw meat‐fed dogs was 0.61 cases/dog‐year, compared with 0.08 cases/dog‐year in dogs that were not fed raw meat (P < 0.001). Controlling for therapy dog group, the repeated measures, and pig ear consumption and diarrhoea in the 2 months prior to specimen submission, dogs that consumed raw meat were significantly more likely to test positive for Salmonellaat least once during the year than dogs that did not eat raw meat [odds ratio (OR) 22.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.1–58.8; P < 0.001]. Specific Salmonella serovars were more common among dogs that consumed raw meat versus those that did not include S. Typhimurium, S. Heidelberg and S. Kentucky. Raw meat consumption was also significantly associated with shedding ESC E. coli (OR 17.2; 95% CI 9.4–32.3). No associations between C. difficile, MRSA or VRE and consumption of raw meat were detected. We recommend that dogs fed raw meat should be excluded from AAI programmes, particularly when the programmes involve interaction with humans at high risk of infection or adverse sequelae attributable to infection. Furthermore, although AAI dogs may not be representative of the general population of dogs, we also recommend that feeding of raw meat to dogs is to be avoided in homes where immunocompromised people live.
Survey of Owned Feline and Canine Populations in Apartments from a Neighbourhood in Curitiba, Brazil
Authors: Serafini C. A. V. , Rosa G. A. , Guimaraes A. M. S. , De Morais H. A. , Biondo A. W.
Published: September 2010

Animal population estimates are essential for public health services to ensure the success of zoonoses control programmes. Canine and feline populations vary among different regions mainly because of local human income status and type of human residence. Accordingly, the present study estimated the pet population size living in apartments of a vertical neighbourhood in Curitiba, Brazil. We chose a neighbourhood with a predominance of apartment buildings. All apartment buildings were visited, and questionnaires were completed by doormen or residents. Data were obtained from 120 of 173 apartment buildings. Survey questions included the number of apartments, residents, dogs and cats. Two thousand nine hundred and sixty six apartments with a total of 7429 residents were surveyed. The number of dogs and cats was 569 and 86 respectively. Thus, the human : dog and human : cat ratios were 13.05 : 1 and 86.38 : 1. These ratios were higher than those observed in other neighbourhoods in Curitiba. The present study indicates that the number of pets from apartments may be different from houses, and different among distinct areas within the same city.
Increased neuronal nitric oxide synthase interaction with soluble guanylate cyclase contributes to the splanchnic arterial vasodilation in portal hypertensive rats
Authors: Kwon So Young , Groszmann Roberto J. , Iwakiri Yasuko
Published: September 2010

Splanchnic arterial vasodilation represents the pathophysiological hallmark of the hemodynamic dysfunction observed in portal hypertensive states. The role of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the splanchnic arterial vasodilation remains to be elucidated. We therefore investigated: (i) if nNOS is involved in the splanchnic arterial vasodilation; and (ii) the possible interaction of nNOS with soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) in superior mesenteric arterial (SMA) beds in portal hypertensive rats. Portal hypertension was induced by partial portal vein ligation (PVL). To determine the role of nNOS, we removed endothelial layer and measured contractile response and nitric oxide (NO) release in the presence or absence of 7‐nitroindazole (7‐NI, 10 μM), an nNOS‐specific inhibitor. In endothelium‐removed vessels, nNOS inhibitor significantly increased the contractile response to methoxamine in SMA beds isolated from the portal hypertensive rats, compared to non‐treated SMA beds (106.8 ± 10.7 vs 86.8 ± 7.2 mmHg, P = 0.003). This effect of nNOS inhibitor was accompanied with decreased NO production in SMA of portal hypertensive rats (321.3 ± 18.6 vs 139.5 ± 16.9 pmol/mL/min, P = 0.0001). Unlike endothelial NOS that is located in endothelial cells, nNOS protein is highly expressed in smooth muscle layers of SMA. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in ~90 kDa nNOS protein in the portal hypertensive group, compared to the sham‐operated group (P < 0.01). Interestingly, this 90 kDa nNOS was coimmunoprecipitated with sGC. In conclusion, increased nNOS expression in smooth muscle layers of arteries in the splanchnic circulation may be an additional and more efficient pathway for the activation of sGC by NO, which sustains arterial vasodilation.
Longitudinal analysis of murine steatohepatitis model induced by chronic exposure to high‐fat diet
Authors: Ito Makoto , Suzuki Jun , Tsujioka Shigeharu , Sasaki Minoru , Gomori Akira , Shirakura Takashi , Hirose Hiroyasu , Ito Masahiko , Ishihara Akane , Iwaasa Hisashi , Kanatani Akio
Published: September 2010

Several lines of epidemiological evidence have suggested that non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is closely associated with obesity in humans. However, the precise mechanisms of the progression of NASH and its key metabolic abnormalities remain to be elucidated. We found that long‐term high‐fat diet (HFD) exposure induces NASH, with excess body weight, hyperinsulinemia and hypercholesteremia in mice. Longitudinal analysis of the model showed that steatohepatitis was induced after onset of metabolic abnormalities. In addition, we found that expression of MCP‐1 mRNA was induced in the liver before induction of TNFα and type I collagen α1 mRNAs, and prior to onset of steatohepatitis. We confirmed that hepatic MCP‐1 contents were increased in mice fed HFD for 50 weeks, although the precise role of MCP‐1 in the development of NASH remains to be addressed. The mouse model was also characterized by moderate reductions in catalase activity and glutathione content, as well as by overexpression of fatty acid synthase, acetyl‐CoA carboxylase 1 and FAT/CD36 mRNAs in the liver. The murine NASH model apparently mimics clinical aspects of the condition and provides insight into NASH.