bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Morphology and sedimentology of a complex debris flow in a clay‐shale basin
Authors: Remaître Alexandre , Malet Jean‐Philippe , Maquaire Olivier
Published: March 2005

Coupling morphological, sedimentological, and rheological studies to numerical simulations is of primary interest in defining debris‐flow hazard on alluvial fans. In particular, numerical runout models must be carefully calibrated by morphological observations. This is particularly true in clay‐shale basins where hillslopes can provide a large quantity of poorly sorted solid materials to the torrent, and thus change both the mechanics of the debris flow and its runout distance. In this context, a study has been completed on the Faucon stream (southeastern French Alps), with the objectives of (1) defining morphological and sedimentological characteristics of torrential watersheds located in clay‐shales, and (2) evaluating through a case study the scouring potential of debris flows affecting a clay‐shale basin. Morphological surveys, grain‐size distributions and petrographic analyses of the debris‐flow deposits demonstrate the granular character of the flow during the first hectometre, and its muddy character from there to its terminus on the debris fan. These observations and laboratory tests suggest that the contributing areas along the channel have supplied the bulk of the flow material. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Flood hazard and risk analysis in the southwest region of Bangladesh
Authors: Tingsanchali Tawatchai , Karim Mohammed Fazlul
Published: March 2005

Flood hazard and risk assessment was conducted to identify the priority areas in the southwest region of Bangladesh for flood mitigation. Simulation of flood flow through the Gorai and Arial Khan river system and its floodplains was done by using a hydrodynamic model. After model calibration and verification, the model was used to simulate the flood flow of 100‐year return period for a duration of four months. The maximum flooding depths at different locations in the rivers and floodplains were determined. The process in determining long flooding durations at every grid point in the hydrodynamic model is laborious and time‐consuming. Therefore the flood durations were determined by using satellite images of the observed flood in 1988, which has a return period close to 100 years. Flood hazard assessment was done considering flooding depth and duration. By dividing the study area into smaller land units for hazard assessment, the hazard index and the hazard factor for each land unit for depth and duration of flooding were determined. From the hazard factors of the land units, a flood hazard map, which indicates the locations of different categories of hazard zones, was developed. It was found that 54% of the study area was in the medium hazard zone, 26% in the higher hazard zone and 20% in the lower hazard zone. Due to lack of sufficient flood damage data, flood damage vulnerability is simply considered proportional to population density. The flood risk factor of each land unit was determined as the product of the flood hazard factor and the vulnerability factor. Knowing the flood risk factors for the land units, a flood risk map was developed based on the risk factors. These maps are very useful for the inhabitants and floodplain management authorities to minimize flood damage and loss of human lives. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis of process integration and intensification of enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis in a membrane bioreactor
Authors: Gan Q , Allen SJ , Taylor G
Published: March 2005

Enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis has been studied for many years, generating rich literatures and knowledge in respect to the underlying reaction mechanism, reaction kinetics, and bioreactor systems. This paper attempts to offer some additional information and new understanding of how reaction kinetics and reactor productivity can be improved in a process involving simultaneous reaction and product separation using a purpose‐built membrane reactor with a single combined reaction zone and separation zone. Different operating strategies of batch, fed batch and continuous cellulose hydrolysis were investigated with intermittent or simultaneous removal of products (reducing sugars) to reduce enzyme inhibition and improve reactor productivity. The effect of continuous and selective product removal, reduced enzyme inhibition and higher enzyme concentration in retention were examined for the potential benefit in process integration and intensification in order to lower the high process cost of the enzymatic hydrolysis process, mainly due to slow reaction kinetics and expensive enzymes. A mathematical model was offered to account for the effect of selective product (reducing sugars) separation, permeate flux, reduced cellulase inhibition, dynamic structural change of the solid substrate and possible shear deactivation of the enzyme. Computer analysis was also carried out to analyse the quasi‐steady state of the reaction intermediates in order to gain an insight into the reaction mechanism in simultaneous reaction and separation systems. Some original analysis and simulation of the effect of membrane separation parameters on the overall reactor performance is offered, including the effect of membrane selectivity (rejection coefficient) and flux. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
Ethanol‐based pulping from Cynara cardunculus L
Authors: Oliet M , Gilarranz MA , Domínguez JC , Alonso MV , Rodríguez F
Published: March 2005

A non‐conventional pulping process based on the delignification of cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L) in ethanol–water mixtures has been studied to evaluate its pulping potential and to establish the optimum pulping conditions for this lignocellulosic material. The variables analyzed were the concentration of ethanol in the cooking liquor, the pulping time and temperature. Variable optimization was performed by a central composite design. High viscosity, low kappa number and acceptable screened yield were used as pulp quality criteria to optimize cooking conditions. Pulps having low kappa numbers and viscosities greater than 900 cm3/g−1 were obtained. The total pulp yield was low compared with wood pulping due to the high contents of extractives and ash in cardoon. The amount of rejects in the pulp is of importance, especially for pulps with a high kappa number. The most suitable pulping conditions were 188 °C, 135 min and 50% (w/w) ethanol concentration. In these conditions the kappa number of the pulp was around 26, the pulp viscosity greater than 1100 cm3 g−1 and a screened pulp yield of about 31% was obtained. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
The kinetic modelling of a steam distillation unit for the extraction of aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) essential oil
Authors: Romdhane Mehrez , Tizaoui Chedly
Published: March 2005

A simplified model that considered the oil constituents as one constituent, anethole, the major component, was used to describe the mass transfer of steam extraction of aniseed essential oil. The model can be used to optimise and control the process. Depending on the oil content, two mass transfer regimes were identified (i) the first one corresponds to an unsaturated surface extraction and (ii) the second corresponds to the slower transfer of oil from the deeper parts of the material to the surface, which may be due to concentration gradients and chemical bonding. The model was validated by experimental data obtained from a pilot‐plant system. Solid‐steam mass transfer coefficients were determined and a critical oil content was found to limit the two mass transfer regimes. The value for this critical oil concentration (xB) was found to be 0.011 (g oil g−1 solid). In addition, an optimal operating pressure of 200 kPa was found to give maximum extraction yield. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
Treatment of the refinery wastewater in a gas–liquid–solid three‐phase flow airlift loop bioreactor
Authors: Jianping Wen , Qing Yuan , Lei Pan , Guozhu Mao
Published: March 2005

Aerobic treatment of refinery wastewater was carried out in a 200 dm3 gas–liquid–solid three‐phase flow airlift loop bioreactor, in which a biological membrane replaced the activated sludge. The influences of temperature, pH, gas–liquid ratio and hydraulic residence time on the reductions in chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH4‐N were investigated and discussed. The optimum operation conditions were obtained as temperature of 25–35 °C, pH value of 7.0–8.0, gas–liquid ratio of 50 and hydraulic residence time of 4 h. The radial and axial positions had little influence on the local profiles of COD and NH4‐N. Under the optimum operating conditions, the effluent COD and NH4‐N were less than 100 mg dm−3 and 15 mg dm−3 respectively for more than 40 days, satisfying the national primary discharge standard of China (GB 8978‐1996). Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
Characterization and Properties of G4X Mutants of Ralstonia eutropha PHA Synthase for Poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) Biosynthesis in Escherichia coli
Authors: Normi Yahaya M. , Hiraishi Tomohiro , Taguchi Seiichi , Abe Hideki , Sudesh Kumar , Najimudin Nazalan , Doi Yoshiharu
Published: March 2005

Summary: Modification of the type I polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase of Ralstonia eutropha (PhaCRe) was performed through systematic in vitro evolution in order to obtain improved PhaCRe having an enhanced activity of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) synthesis in recombinant Escherichia coli. For the first time, a beneficial G4D N‐terminal mutation important for the enhancement of both PHB content in dry cells and PhaCRe level in vivo was identified. Site‐directed saturation mutagenesis at the G4 position enabled us to identify other mutations conferring similar enhanced characteristics. In addition, the PHB homopolymer synthesized by most G4X single mutants also had higher molecular weights than that of the wild‐type. In vitro enzymatic assays of purified G4D mutant PhaCRe revealed that the mutant enzyme exhibited slightly lower activity and reaction efficiency compared to the wild‐type enzyme.

(A) PHB accumulation and (B) level of PhaCRe in vivo for wild‐type and in particular, the G4D mutant generated in this study.

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(A) PHB accumulation and (B) level of PhaCRe in vivo for wild‐type and in particular, the G4D mutant generated in this study.
Multiblock Copolymers: PEO Stuck in the Middle
Authors: Grubbs Robert B.
Published: March 2005

Summary: Anionic polymerization has proven especially useful for the precise construction of multiblock copolymers with controlled compositions and narrow molecular weight distributions. The block copolymer sequences which can be easily prepared are however largely restricted by the relative nucleophilicities of the anionic species involved. This highlight discusses a recent article by Wiesner and co‐workers (Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2004, 25, 1889) in which the effective preparation of ABC triblock copolymers, with poly(ethylene oxide) as the central block, through the combination of living anionic polymerization, atom transfer radical polymerization, and polymer modification techniques is described. This method will prove to have a great deal of versatility in allowing the incorporation of PEO blocks in interior positions of block copolymers.

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Grafting Efficiency of Hydroxy‐Terminated Poly(methyl methacrylate) with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Baskaran Durairaj , Dunlap John R. , Mays Jimmy W. , Bratcher Matthew S.
Published: March 2005

Summary: Poly(methyl methacrylate)s (PMMAs) containing a terminal hydroxy group or multiple hydroxy groups as pendants were grafted to multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by esterification in toluene at 100 °C. The recovered polymer with a low level of MWNTs and the PMMA‐g‐MWNTs with up to 12 wt.‐% grafted polymer were characterized using spectroscopic, microscopic, and thermogravimetric analyses. The percentage of polymer present in the PMMA‐g‐MWNT samples is very low based upon the concentration of the acid groups in the tubes.

The grafting of hydroxy‐terminated PMMA to MWNTs by esterification.

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The grafting of hydroxy‐terminated PMMA to MWNTs by esterification.
Real‐Time Imaging of the Coil‐Globule Transition of Single Adsorbed Poly(2‐vinylpyridine) Molecules
Authors: Gallyamov Marat O. , Khokhlov Alexei R. , Möller Martin
Published: March 2005

Summary: We applied scanning force microscopy to study, in real time, the mobility and reorganisation of single poly(2‐vinylpyridine) molecules that were adsorbed on mica and exposed to vapours of ethanol or water. The macromolecules adopted a compact globular conformation in ethanol‐saturated vapour and extended to a surface‐bound two‐dimensional coil in water‐saturated vapour. Hence, reversible coil‐to‐globule conformational transitions of flexible polymer chains were directly visualized with unique molecular resolution.

Left: individual P2VP molecules on mica compacted by exposure to ethanol vapour, right: the same macromolecules extended in water vapour.

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Left: individual P2VP molecules on mica compacted by exposure to ethanol vapour, right: the same macromolecules extended in water vapour.
Matrix‐enhanced secondary ion mass spectrometry: the influence of MALDI matrices on molecular ion yields of thin organic films
Authors: Adriaensen L. , Vangaever F. , Lenaerts J. , Gijbels R.
Published: March 2005

In this work the effect in secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) of several frequently used matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) matrices on the secondary ion intensities of low molecular weight (m/z 400–800) organic dyes and a pharmaceutical is tested. Matrix (10−1 M) and analyte (10−2 M) solutions were made in methanol. Mixtures with several concentration ratios were prepared from these solutions and spincoated on Si substrates prior to time‐of‐flight (TOF)‐SIMS analysis. In some cases the presence of the MALDI matrices caused a considerable increase in the positive secondary (protonated) molecular ion signals. Enhancements of a factor of 20 and more were recorded. Generally, of the matrices used, 2,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid and 2,4,6‐trihydroxyacetophenone brought about the highest intensity increases. It was also shown that matrix‐enhanced (ME‐)SIMS is capable of lowering the detection limits for molecule ions. However, the enhancement effect is strongly influenced by the analyte/matrix combination and its concentration ratio. As a result, finding an optimal analyte/matrix mixture can be a very time‐consuming process. Mostly, the presence of the matrices causes changes in the relative ion intensities in the TOF‐S‐SIMS spectra. Compared to the spectra recorded from samples without matrices, only a few additional peaks, such as signals that originate directly from the applied matrix or adduct ions, are observed in the mass spectra. Sometimes molecule ions and some characteristic fragments at high m/z values, that cannot be recorded without matrix, do appear in the spectrum when a matrix is present. In the negative mode no enhancement effect is observed on applying the studied MALDI matrices. The results obtained from samples treated with MALDI matrices are also compared to SIMS results for the same samples after Ag and Au metallisation (MetA‐SIMS). For three of the four tested compounds Au MetA‐SIMS resulted in higher ion yields than ME‐SIMS. For both techniques possible mechanisms that can account for the enhancement effect are proposed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
NF‐κB plays a major role during the systemic and local acute inflammatory response following intestinal reperfusion injury
Authors: Souza Danielle G , Vieira Angélica T , Pinho Vanessa , Sousa Lirlândia P , Andrade Anderson A , Bonjardim Cláudio A , McMillan Michael , Kahn Michael , Teixeira Mauro M
Published: March 2005

The nuclear translocation of transcription factors may be a critical factor in the intracellular pathway involved in ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Here, we examined whether NF‐κB and AP‐1 participated in the cascade of events leading to TNF‐α production, neutrophil recruitment, tissue injury and lethality following intestinal I/R.

The superior mesenteric artery (SMA) of mice was made ischaemic for 60 min followed by 30 min of reperfusion. The effects of NF‐κB and AP‐1 were studied by the administration of the thioredoxin inhibitor, MOL‐294 (methyl 4‐hydroxy‐4‐(8‐methyl‐1,3‐dioxo‐2‐phenyl‐2,3,5,8‐tetrahydro‐1H‐[1,2,4]triazolo[1,2‐a]pyridazin‐5‐yl)but‐2‐ynoate), and the AP‐1 inhibitor, PNRI‐299 (N‐benzyl‐2‐(3‐cyanophenyl)‐1,3,7‐trioxo‐2,3,7,8‐tetrahydro‐1H‐[1,2,4]triazolo[1,2‐a]pyridazine‐5‐carboxamide). After I/R, there was increase of translocation of NF‐κB, but not of AP‐1, in the intestine and lungs, as assessed by a gel shift assay.

Treatment with MOL‐294 inhibited the increase in vascular permeability, neutrophil accumulation, hemorrhage and proinflammatory cytokine levels, induced by intestinal I/R injury in the intestine. In the lungs, MOL‐294 partially inhibited edema formation, TNF‐α production, but did not alter neutrophil recruitment.

Treatment with MOL‐294 inhibited reperfusion‐associated lethality, an effect likely to be secondary to the inhibition of systemic TNF‐α levels. PNRI‐299 had no effects on the inflammatory changes or lethality induced by I/R injury.

Our results point to an important role for NF‐κB in triggering endogenous proinflammatory networks during intestinal I/R injury. Inhibition of NF‐κB prevents tissue injury and lethality, and this was associated with inhibition of TNF‐α production and decrease in neutrophil recruitment.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 145, 246–254. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706190
Regulation of the muscarinic K+ channel by extracellular ATP through membrane phosphatidylinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate in guinea‐pig atrial myocytes
Authors: Yasuda Yoh , Matsuura Hiroshi , Ito Makoto , Matsumoto Tetsuya , Ding Wei‐Guang , Horie Minoru
Published: March 2005

The present study was designed to examine the functional role of membrane phosphatidylinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2) in the regulation of the muscarinic K+ channel (IK,ACh) by extracellular ATP and adenosine in guinea‐pig atrial myocytes, using the whole‐cell patch‐clamp method.

Bath application of ATP in micromolar concentrations typically evoked a transient activation of IK,ACh; a rapid activation phase was consistently followed by a progressive decline even to the baseline level despite the continued presence of ATP. This progressive decline of IK,ACh was significantly attenuated either by blockade of phospholipase C (PLC) with compound 48/80 (100 μM) or by addition of PtdIns(4,5)P2 (50 μM) to the cell inside, suggesting that depletion of membrane PtdIns(4,5)P2 via PLC activation is mainly, if not totally, responsible for the progressive decline of IK,ACh during the presence of ATP.

When atrial myocytes were exposed to wortmannin (50 μM) following ATP (50 μM) application to impair the resynthesis of PtdIns(4,5)P2, the activation of IK,ACh evoked by subsequently applied ATP (50 μM) was greatly reduced. Activation of IK,ACh by adenosine (100 μM) was partially reduced by pretreatment of atrial myocytes with ATP (100 μM) and was largely abolished by a further addition of wortmannin (50 μM) in the presence of ATP (100 μM). These results support the view that the activation of IK,ACh by ATP and adenosine depends on membrane PtdIns(4,5)P2 that is subject to reduction by extracellular ATP.

The present study thus provides functional evidence to suggest that extracellular ATP activates PLC and thereby depletes membrane PtdIns(4,5)P2 that is critically involved in the activation process of IK,ACh by its agonists ATP and adenosine in guinea‐pig atrial myocytes.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 145, 156–165. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706191
The affine Plateau problem
Authors: Trudinger Neil , Wang Xu-Jia
Published: March 2005

In this paper, we study a second order variational problem for locally convex hypersurfaces, which is the affine invariant analogue of the classical Plateau problem for minimal surfaces. We prove existence, regularity and uniqueness results for hypersurfaces maximizing affine area under appropriate boundary conditions.
Real Horror
Authors: Solomon Robert C.
Published: March 2005

Horror is not the same as fear, and while fear contains an essential action tendency horror does not. And while we can enjoy fear (as Aristotle argued in our viewing of tragic theater) there is no enjoying of horror.
The Virtue of (Erotic) Love
Authors: Solomon Robert C.
Published: March 2005

I suggest that erotic love is (or can be) a virtue. I contest both the cynicism and the vacuousness in much of the love literature. I argue that love is a historical emotion, involving a great deal of historical and cultural variation. And I give an analysis of what love is as shared identity. On the way, I also talk about sex and Plato's Symposium.
The Evolution of Intelligent Design Arguments
Authors: Shanks Niall
Published: March 2005

Two versions of the argument from design are distinguished: first, the argument that organisms exhibit design (biological design); and second, the argument that the universe as a whole does (cosmological design). The history of the argument is traced from its roots in pre-Christian times with Aristotle, through its medieval expression by Aquinas to its heyday in the early modern period with the rise of modern science. Paley’s presentation of the argument is discussed in the light of the scientific knowledge of the time. The criticisms of Kant, who argued that the argument establishes at best the existence of a demiurge working with preexisting materials, and Hume, who argued that other equally plausible explanations of apparent design in nature are available, are noted.
Domain Satisfactions
Authors: Van Praag Bernard
Published: March 2005

This chapter applies the methodology introduced for analysing financial satisfaction to various other domains of life such health, job, housing, and marriage. The analysis is based on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Survey and British Household Panel Survey. It is argued that domain satisfactions may be dealt with as normal discretely observable variables.
Males, Females, and Households
Authors: Van Praag Bernard
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines gender differences in satisfactions, based on surveys of British and German household panels. It is shown that differences in answers to subjective questions are very similar between males and females in the same household. This is particularly true for satisfactions with respect to health, leisure, and jobs. Error correlations between husbands and wives are not very strong. It is also argued that the unobservable characteristics that influence one domain satisfaction are correlated with the ones that influence another domain satisfaction.
Health And Subjective Well‐Being
Authors: Van Praag Bernard
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines the possibility of measuring the effects of specific diseases on health and quality of life. Two methods have made this possible. The first is the satisfaction model developed in Chapter 4, which allows the assessment of money values equivalent to the losses in well-being caused by illness. The second method is a new quality adjusted life year concept, which provides an intuitively plausible concept that is easy and cheap to collect the basic data for.
The Unregulated Common Property: The Prisoner's Dilemma Revisited
Authors: Baland Jean‐Marie , Platteau Jean‐Philippe
Published: March 2005

This chapter analyses the pessimistic view implied by the ‘tragedy of commons’, that uncoordinated human behaviour leads to the destruction of the commons. It identifies the limitations of Ronald Coase’s theory that agents may get involved in voluntary exchanges of their rights to impose externalities on the others. The possibility of spontaneous cooperative behaviour in a strategic framework is examined based on recent developments in non-cooperative game theory. It is argued that many of the problems encountered in unregulated common property are problems of coordination and leadership, thus not adequately represented by the prisoner’s dilemma.
Recent Changes Affecting Collective Action at Village Level
Authors: Baland Jean‐Marie , Platteau Jean‐Philippe
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines the impact of economic and social environment changes on collective action in village societies with respect to the management of common property resources (CPRs). It is divided into two sections. The first section draws lessons from the centralized approach to environmental management followed by governments in the Third World. In the second section, it is argued that village arrangements for solving problems of access to, and/or conservation of local level CPRs have evolved under the joint impact of several factors.
Women's Capabilities and Social Justice
Authors: Nussbaum Martha
Published: March 2005

This chapter proposes a capabilities approach to international development that can recognize and address the special problems women face. It focuses on human capabilities, i.e., what people are able to do and be, based on the idea that a life is worthy of the dignity of the human being. A list of central human capabilities are identified, and set within the context of a type of political liberalism that makes them specific political goals and free from any specific metaphysical grounding. This way, capabilities become the object of an overlapping consensus among people who would otherwise have different conceptions of the good.
Multiculturalism, Universalism, and the Claims Of Democracy
Authors: Phillips Anne
Published: March 2005

This chapter explores the theory that liberal universalism “erases difference” in regards to women and other cultures, and considers the conflict and agreement between feminist and multicultural agendas. It identifies a “close family relationship” between the two opposing ideas of feminism and multiculturalism. Both share a critique of universalism for falsely generalizing one sex or one culture, both address oppressions that have a common structure, and tackle issues of inequality.
Encounters Between Feminism, Democracy and Reformism In Contemporary Iran
Authors: Paidar Parvin
Published: March 2005

This chapter explores the interface between the women’s rights movement and the reform movement in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It begins with an overview of the nature of democratic rights and institutions in Iran, the ways women have played their citizenship role, and the recent social and political trends that have strengthened democratisation and women’s rights movements. It then analyses the gender emancipatory potential and limitations of the most influential current Islamist reformist strands, and the feminist contribution to Islamic reformism. Finally, recent debates within the feminist movements are described, presenting the two categories of secularist and Islamist feminisms and the emergence of pragmatic feminism.
The ‘Devil's Deal’: Women's Political Participation and Authoritarianism In Peru
Authors: Blondet Cecilia
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines the ways women from different social and political groups gained national prominence in Peru during the Fujimori administration. It argues that the political interests of the President led to increased contact with a wide range of professional women and social leaders, whose interests overlapped with his. These women learned to operate within the confines of the authoritarian regime, and became important players in a political arena characterized by disorder and weak institutions.
In and Against the Party: Women's Representation and Constituency‐Building In Uganda and South Africa
Authors: Goetz Anne Marie , Hassim Shireen
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines women’s relationship to political parties and how they gained access to representative institutions in South Africa and Uganda. It is shown that women in South Africa were ready at the right moment to make an impact, and were able to introduce notions of women’s rights to participation on the grounds of their equal citizenship. In Uganda, women were pre-empted by a powerful political association that obtained significant electoral mileage from stressing women’s difference as a group.
The Politics Of Gender, Ethnicity, and Democratization In Malaysia: Shifting Interests and Identities
Authors: Mohamad Maznah
Published: March 2005

This chapter explores the three phases of political development in Malaysia, and the changing features of women’s movements as they interface with the politics of ethnicity and democratisation. Gender politics evolved by taking three main facets: political sponsorship, political division, and political inclusion. It is argued that under Malaysia’s current phase of political reconstruction, conflicting gender interests are at risk for being coalesced as ethnic identities and interests are being de-emphasized. However, this process can only be sustained if autonomous feminist movements can withstand pressures to succumb to the agendas of opposition and ruling political parties that exploit the gender discourse for their legitimacy.
The Politics Of Women's Rights and Cultural Diversity In Uganda
Authors: Tripp Aili Mari
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines the women’s movement in Uganda to illustrate how the debate over multiculturalism and women’s rights has created a false dichotomy between the North and South. Much the debate focuses on culture, avoiding the material conditions that shape people’s lives and underpinning cultural justifications for women’s subordination. The debate should be viewed as a global struggle between those supporting women’s political, economic, and social advancement and those opposed to such change. It is argued that those who defend practices that are harmful to women in the name of preserving their religious, ethnic, or other cultural identity are also seeking to protect certain political and/or economic interests.
Gregory of Nyssa and the Grasp of Faith
Authors: Laird Martin
Published: March 2005

Discusses Gregory’s understanding of faith (pistis) as a faculty of apophatic union with God. After presenting an overview of important work done on Gregory’s understanding of faith and announcing the lines of argument the will pursue, we analyse how Gregory views the mind and its varying cognitive states, and how the mind responds to scripture, baptism, and the presence of God. This is followed by a detailed examination of Gregory’s use of the word ‘faith’ as a technical term for apophatic union with God. This apophatic union, however, is only one side of this coin: at the apex of an apophatic ascent, faith unites with God the Word, but by virtue of this union the believer takes on the qualities of the Word, who speaks (logophasis) in the deeds and discourse of the believer. Finally, this study redresses Gregory’s over-identification with a ‘mysticism of darkness’ and shows that he proposes no less a ‘mysticism of light’.
Inequality and the State
Authors: Hills John
Published: March 2005

Describes and analyses one of the biggest social changes in Britain since the Second World War: the dramatic widening of the income distribution since the end of the 1970s, the growth of poverty, and the factors that have driven them. Examines how government intervention through social spending and the taxes that pay for it affect this distribution, and why they take the forms they do. Each part of the discussion is set in the context of public attitudes as revealed by the long-running British Social Attitudes survey. Analyses changes in policy since New Labour came to government in the UK in 1997, evidence on their impacts, and the constraints and pressures on future policies.

Brings together new analysis carried out by the author and colleagues at the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) at the London School of Economics. Includes material on income dynamics, the relationship between public and private welfare provision and finance, the distributional effect of government spending, public attitudes to inequality and social security, and the impact of recent reforms. Covers topics that are often analysed separately, such as income distribution, social spending, and taxation, but which are best understood together.

Concludes with a discussion of the dilemmas facing policy-makers as they try to meet competing aims in terms of reducing poverty and inequality, growing demands on social spending, and the constraints and opportunities created by public attitudes. There are few easy ways out, but better public understanding of precisely that may be one of the crucial ingredients of any resolution.
The Two Poverties
Authors: Banerjee Abhijit
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines two concepts on poverty: poverty as desperation and poverty as vulnerability. It identifies a close connection between desperation and vulnerability because both are related to the variable V, which is the minimum socially accepted welfare level. It is argued that observable correlates of poverty characteristics should be determined and used as basis of policies.
Household Income Dynamics in Rural China
Authors: Jalan Jyotsna , Ravallion Martin
Published: March 2005

The non-linearity in household income and expenditure dynamics in rural China is tested. It is shown that the speed of recovery from a transient shock is slower for those with lower initial income. Inequality contributes 4-7% to mean income and around 2% to mean expenditures.
Targeting and Informal Insurance
Authors: Ligon Ethan
Published: March 2005

This chapter provides a cardinal measure of risk consistent with the ordinal notion of risk developed by Rothschild and Stiglitz (1970). It presents a simple method for decomposing this measure of risk into risks due to aggregate shocks, observable idiosyncratic shocks, and unobservable shocks. It develops an estimator for risk-sharing regressions. The techniques are applied to analyse data from the Indian ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) village studies. It is shown that Aurepalle has the best intra-village insurance, but the least access to mechanisms for smoothing aggregate consumption.
Can Financial Markets be Tapped to Help Poor People Cope with Weather Risks?
Authors: Skees Jerry , Varangis Panos , Larson Donald , Siegel Paul
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines private and public mechanisms for managing natural disasters. It focuses on weather-related risks that impact rural incomes. It argues that the basic information and analysis needed to design and value index insurance can also be used to develop a spatial mapping of weather-related risks. It discusses ways of structuring disaster assistance so that it facilitates other forms of risk management, and presents a solution that involves segmenting and layering the natural disaster risk.
Incidence and outcome of critical illness amongst hospitalised patients with haematological malignancy: a prospective observational study of ward and intensive care unit based care*
Authors: Gordon A. C. , Oakervee H. E. , Kaya B. , Thomas J. M. , Barnett M. J. , Rohatiner A. Z. S. , Lister T. A. , Cavenagh J. D. , Hinds C. J.
Published: March 2005

To determine the incidence and outcome of critical illness amongst the total population of hospital patients with haematological malignancy (including patients treated on the ward as well as those admitted to the intensive care unit), consecutive patients with haematological malignancy were prospectively studied. One hundred and one of the 1437 haemato‐oncology admissions (7%) in 2001 were complicated by critical illness (26% of all new referrals). Fifty‐four (53%) of these critically ill patients survived to leave hospital and 33 (34%) were still alive after 6 months. The majority (77/101) were not admitted to the intensive care unit but were managed on the ward, often with the assistance of the intensive care team. Independent risk factors for dying in hospital included hepatic failure (odds ratio 5.3, 95% confidence intervals 1.3–21.2) and central nervous system failure (odds ratio 14.5, 95% confidence intervals 1.7–120.5). No patient with four or more organ failures or a Simplified Acute Physiology Score II ≥ 65 survived to leave hospital. There was close agreement between actual and predicted mortality with increasing Simplified Acute Physiology Score II for all patients, including those not admitted to intensive care.
Understanding the workplace culture of a special care nursery
Authors: Wilson Valerie J. , McCormack Brendan G. , Ives Glenice
Published: March 2005

Aim.  This paper presents findings from the first phase of a research study focusing on implementation and evaluation of emancipatory practice development strategies.

Background.  Understanding the culture of practice is essential to undertaking effective developments in practice. Culture is a dominant feature of discussions about modernizing health care, yet few studies have been undertaken that systematically evaluate the development of effective practice cultures.

Method.  The study intervention is that of emancipatory practice development with an integrated evaluation approach based on Realistic Evaluation. The aim of Realistic Evaluation is to evaluate relationships between Context (setting), Mechanism (process characteristics) and Outcome (arising from the context‐mechanism configuration). This first phase of the study focuses on uncovering the context (in particular the culture) of the Special Care Nursery in order to evaluate the emancipatory practice development processes and outcomes. Data collection methods included survey, participant observation and interview. Cognitive mapping, constant comparative method and coding were used to analyse the data.

Findings.  Four key categories were identified: Teamwork, Learning in Practice, Inevitability of Change and Family‐Centred Care and collectively these formed a central category of Core Values and Beliefs. A number of themes were identified in each category, and reflected tensions that existed between differing values and beliefs within the culture of the unit.

Conclusion.  Understanding values and beliefs is an important part of understanding a workplace culture. Whilst survey methods are capable of outlining espoused workplace characteristics, observation of staff interactions and perceptions gives an understanding of culture as a living entity manifested through interpersonal relationships. Attempts at changing workplace cultures should start from the clarification of values held among staff in that culture.
Nutritional screening and assessment tools for use by nurses: literature review
Authors: Green Sue M. , Watson Roger
Published: March 2005

Aim.  This paper reports a literature review describing the range of published tools available for use by nurses to screen or assess nutritional status of patients/clients, and to examine whether the validity, reliability, sensitivity, specificity and acceptability of the tool have been investigated. Tools developed specifically for use with older adults are not considered in this review. A screening/assessment tool is described as a tool that uses a questionnaire‐type format, contains more than one risk factor for malnutrition and gives an assessment of risk.

Background.  The incidence of malnutrition in people cared for by nurses is high and screening or assessment tools are often used to identify those with, or at risk of, malnutrition.

Methods.  A comprehensive literature review methodology was employed. A range of electronic databases was searched from 1982 to 2002. Search terms incorporating ‘nutrition’, ‘screening’, assessment, feeding, instrument, tool, validity, reliability, sensitivity and specificity were combined. Manual searches were also conducted.

Results.  Seventy‐one nutritional screening/assessment tools were identified of which 35 were reviewed. Tools not reviewed included those which incorporated significant use of biochemical measures (8), included complex anthropometric measures (3), were concerned specifically with ingestion (4) or were designated for use with an older population (21). The tools reviewed use a wide variety of risk factors for malnutrition, varying from anthropometric measurements to socio‐cultural aspects of eating behaviour. Some identify an action plan based on the score obtained. Many have not been subjected to validity and/or reliability testing and yet appear to be in use in clinical practice. The sensitivity, specificity and acceptability of the tools are often not investigated.

Conclusion.  There are many published nutritional screening/assessment tools available for use by nurses to screen or assess the nutritional status of patients/clients. Many have not been subject to rigorous testing. Future work should consider a more standardized approach to the use of these tools.
The Nurse Educator's clinical role
Authors: Griscti Odette , Jacono Brenda , Jacono John
Published: March 2005

Aim.  This paper reports a two‐phase descriptive study exploring the clinical role of the nurse educator in Malta.

Background.  Previous studies indicate a number of similarities and differences in the clinical role of nurse educators by country of practice. These include importance assigned to the role, factors inhibiting/facilitating the role, means to eliminate barriers to the role, and perceptions of the ideal role.

Design and methods.  Data were collected using both quantitative and qualitative strategies. The quantitative phase involved asking all educators to fill in a time log of their academic and clinical activities for a 2‐week period. In the qualitative phase, the first author interviewed five educators, five nurses and five students about their perceptions of factors which impact the nurse educator's clinical role, as well as what the ideal clinical role of the nurse educator should be.

Findings.  Maltese nurse educators allot minimal time to their clinical role. Main reasons cited included workload, perceived lack of control over the clinical area, and diminished clinical competence. Nurse educators who frequented the clinical settings (who were either university or joint university and health service employees) where the study took place perceived that employment inequities among the various categories of nurse educators played an important role in the amount of time dedicated by each group to their clinical roles, and the importance individuals in these groups assigned to that role. The majority of interviewees saw the current role of nurse educators in Malta as preparing students for successful completion of the didactic sections of their programme, rather than preparing them with all the knowledge and clinical skills necessary to be competent practitioners. Participants considered that, when in clinical areas, nurse educators did focus on their students, as they should. However, they also thought that they often did not take the opportunity to forge links with professional staff.

Conclusion.  The clinical role of the Maltese nurse educator needs to be more multifaceted in approach.
Dietary habits and children's family lives
Authors: Sweeting H. , West P.
Published: March 2005

Purpose  To investigate associations between ‘less healthy eating’ and ‘unhealthy snacking’ at age 11, and family life (family structure, meals and maternal employment status) together with potential socio‐economic confounders and gender.

Methods  Children participated in a school‐based survey, questionnaires also being completed by parents. Analyses were based on those with complete data, weighted to account for bias in return of parental questionnaires (N = 2146). Data from a dietary inventory, questions on food choice and snacks were used to classify ‘less healthy eating’ and ‘unhealthy snacking’.

Results  ‘Less healthy eating’ (57%) and ‘unhealthy snacking’ (32%) were associated with greater deprivation, fewer maternal qualifications and being male. Compared with children of full‐time homemakers, the likelihood of ‘less healthy eating’ was reduced among those whose mothers worked part‐time (this effect remaining after socio‐economic adjustment), full‐time (effect removed after adjustment), or were unemployed, sick or disabled (effect emerging after adjustment). ‘Unhealthy snacking’ was not related to maternal employment, and neither measure was associated with family structure or daily meals.

Conclusions  There was no evidence that family structure or meals were associated with children's diets, although maternal employment had a positive association. Contrasting with the size of these effects, relationships between diet and socio‐economic status were strong.
Trade Logistics in Developing Countries: The Case of the Middle East and North Africa
Authors: Devlin Julia , Yee Peter
Published: March 2005

This paper presents an analysis of obstacles facing exporting firms in developing countries by diagnosing the efficiency of trade logistics in the Middle East and North Africa region (MNA). Using logistics chain analysis for six export commodities, it presents evidence that transport and non‐transport logistics costs for export commodities from the MNA region are quite substantial, ranging from 7–25 per cent of landed product prices. Underlying these costs are key bottlenecks identified as: inefficient trucking and transport services, low export volume leading to long shipping times and the need for costly inventory accumulation, aggressive, obstructive customs authorities and procedures, low and inconsistent product quality, an underdeveloped transport intermediary sector, inefficient cross‐border transit procedures and others. Recommended actions to address developing a national transport policy, overhauling the regulatory regime for the trucking sector, export promotion measures, increasing competition in port and air freight services, reorienting customs authorities towards trade facilitation and developing cross‐border transit procedures similar to the TIR Carnets model.
Tariff Preferences, WTO Negotiations and the LDCs: The Case of the ‘Everything But Arms’ Initiative
Authors: Yu Wusheng , Jensen Trine Vig
Published: March 2005

By assessing the impact of the recently adopted ‘Everything But Arms’ (EBA) initiative of the EU on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and by showing how further multilateral trade liberalisations erode the EBA preferences and impact the LDCs, this paper attempts to uncover the LDCs’ difficult positions in the WTO trade negotiations. Due to its limited product coverage and previous preferences granted by the EU, welfare impacts of the EBA on the LDCs are shown to be small and the bulk of these gains are associated with the ‘sensitive’ products that are subject to gradual liberalisations. Moreover, these small gains are likely to disappear if the EU conducts trade policy reforms in fulfilling its WTO obligations, resulting in an actually worse‐off situation for the LDCs. Extending the analysis to a multilateral trade liberalisation scenario reinforces the above results that the LDCs may well lose due to preference erosion and higher world market prices. It concludes that other development assistance measures from developed countries should be made available to the LDCs to ease their dependency on trade preferences and to foster their supply capacities. The LDCs themselves should attempt to integrate the duty and quota‐free market access status contained in the EBA into a binding WTO agreement to secure a stable trading environment. But more importantly, in order to solve the difficulties at the root these countries should actively engage in reforming their own trade policies.