bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social communication deficits in conduct disorder: a clinical and community survey
Authors: Gilmour J. , Hill B. , Place M. , Skuse D.H.
Published: June 2004

Background:  Increasing numbers of children are referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services because of disruptive behaviour. Recent reviews on the origins of conduct problems indicate that the most severe and persistent forms are found predominantly among males with a range of neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities, which are likely to have biological substrates. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that many children who are identified with conduct disorder actually have a primary deficit in pragmatic language skills, of a quality and degree that is similar to children on the autistic spectrum. We hypothesised that pragmatic difficulties may underlie the antisocial behaviour in a proportion of children who are labelled as conduct disordered.

Methods:  Using the Children's Communication Checklist (Bishop, 1998), we surveyed 142 children who had been referred for clinical investigation, with a predominant diagnosis of either an autistic spectrum condition (n = 87) or conduct disorder (n = 55), and 60 typically developing comparison children. Among children with conduct disorders, males predominated 9:1.

Results:  On the basis of parent and teacher ratings, two‐thirds of those with conduct disorders had pragmatic language impairments and other behavioural features similar in nature and degree to those of children with autism, independent of IQ. In a further study, we surveyed 54 children who had been excluded from elementary schools in a socio‐economically disadvantaged inner‐London borough and found over two‐thirds to have comparable deficits.

Conclusions:  These findings have both theoretical and practical implications. First, they indicate the presence of communicative problems in a sub‐group of children in whom conduct rather than language had been the major concern. Second, they indicate that severe deficits in pragmatic abilities and autistic‐like behaviours can coexist with psychiatric conditions other than autism, especially in boys. Third, they imply that the management of many disruptive children could profitably be addressed to ameliorating their social and communicative skill deficits.
Is the discrepancy criterion for defining developmental disorders valid?
Authors: Dyck Murray J. , Hay David , Anderson Mike , Smith Leigh M. , Piek Jan , Hallmayer Joachim
Published: June 2004

Background:  Most developmental disorders are defined by an achievement discrepancy in which achievement on one or more specific abilities is substantially less than a person's measured intelligence. We evaluated the validity of this discrepancy criterion by assessing parameters that determine variability across abilities and by assessing relationships between achievement discrepancies and behavioral disturbances.

Methods:  Measures of intelligence, language, motor coordination, empathic ability, and attentional control were administered to a representative sample of 390 children aged 3 to 12 years. Parent ratings of child behavior were obtained.

Results:  Results indicate that achievement discrepancies are a function of the correlation between ability measures, the shape of the ability distributions, and position on an index ability dimension. Discrepancies in achievement were not related to behavioral disturbance, but underachievement relative to age peers was invariably related to behavioral disturbance.

Conclusions:  We conclude that developmental disorders need to be redefined in ways that are consistent with how Mental Retardation is now defined, by (a) underachievements, (b) of defined magnitude, (c) using standardized measures, (d) with known relations to normal development, and (e) concurrent deficits on standardized measures of impaired function.
Effects of induced rumination and distraction on mood and overgeneral autobiographical memory in adolescent Major Depressive Disorder and controls
Authors: Park R.J. , Goodyer I.M. , Teasdale J.D.
Published: June 2004

Background:  In adults there is evidence that the affective‐cognitive processes of rumination and overgeneral autobiographical memory retrieval may play a part in maintaining depression. This study investigated the effects of induced rumination as compared to distraction on mood and categoric overgeneral memory in adolescents with first episode Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and the specificity of any effects to MDD.

Method:  Three subject groups; adolescents with first episode MDD (N = 75), non‐depressed psychiatric participants (N = 26) and community controls (N = 33) were recruited. An experimental design was used, with repeated measures of ‘in the moment’ depressed mood and categoric overgeneral memory before and after rumination and distraction, induced on separate occasions and counterbalanced in order across participants.

Results:  In adolescents with MDD, induced rumination as compared to distraction differentially increased depressed mood. There were no significant differences in this effect between full current MDD participants and those in partial remission. This differential effect was also seen in community controls but was absent in non‐MDD psychiatric participants. In addition, rumination as compared to distraction increased overgeneral memories to negative cues in MDD participants, but this increase was not significantly related to mood change, and was specific to MDD, being absent in non‐MDD psychiatric and community control groups.

Conclusions:  Experimentally induced rumination as compared to distraction increases depressed mood and negative categoric memories in adolescents with first episode MDD. These results suggest that rumination has a deleterious effect on mood and memory retrieval processes in adolescents with first episode MDD. Increased negative overgeneral memories with rumination may be a process of particular importance for adolescents with MDD rather than psychiatric disorder in general. The findings imply that strategies to interrupt ruminative processes may be helpful in minimising persistence of first episode MDD in adolescence.
Long‐term effects of psychological trauma on psychosocial functioning
Authors: Bolton Derek , Hill Jonathan , O'Ryan Dominic , Udwin Orlee , Boyle Stephanie , Yule William
Published: June 2004

Background:  Most studies of the effects of trauma on mental health have generally not separately assessed psychosocial functioning, and in those that have key issues have received little attention, such as the relation between the time courses of the two kinds of outcome, and detailed assessment of social functioning in a range of domains. The present study made separate assessments with a view to testing four hypotheses. First, that the experience of trauma itself (independently of effects on mental health) has a negative effect on psychosocial functioning; second, that psychopathology following trauma is associated with poorer psychosocial functioning; third, that psychosocial functioning recovers when psychiatric conditions remit; fourth, that post‐traumatic stress and depression have different associations with impairments of psycho‐social functioning.

Method:  One hundred and fifteen young adults who had survived a shipping disaster (the sinking of the Jupiter in 1988) between 5 and 8 years previously, and 50 control participants were assessed for psychopathology, and for psychosocial functioning using the Adolescent to Adult Personality Functioning Assessment (ADAPFA).

Results:  Results did not support the first hypothesis: survivors who, although experiencing a traumatic event, did not develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or other psychopathology warranting diagnosis, when compared with Controls who had no psychopathology since the time of the disaster, showed no significant differences on any ADAPFA domains or on total score. There was partial support for the second hypothesis: survivors with diagnosable disorder during the rating period showed poorer psychosocial functioning in total ADAPFA score and in the domains of Education/Work, Love Relationships, and Non‐specific Social Contacts, though not in other domains. The third hypothesis was supported: recovered Survivors showed no psychosocial impairments compared with unaffected Controls. Results also supported the fourth hypothesis, showing differential effects of post traumatic stress and depression in relation to the extent and kind of psycho‐social impairments.

Conclusions:  The results lend support to the general model that effects on psychosocial functioning following traumatic experience are mediated by psychopathology, though further research is needed to establish whether the present pattern of findings applies to other kinds of trauma.
Bullied by siblings: association with peer victimisation and behaviour problems in Israeli lower secondary school children
Authors: Wolke Dieter , Samara Muthanna M.
Published: June 2004

Background:  The association of bullying victimisation by siblings with a) involvement in bullying at school and b) behaviour problems among lower secondary school children in Israel was investigated.

Method:  Self‐report questionnaires of sibling victimisation, peer bullying experiences and behaviour problems were completed by 921 pupils aged 12–15 (mean age 13.7 years).

Results:  Of the sample, 16.2% were directly bullied by their siblings at home and 11.9% were direct victims of bullying by peers at school every week. More than half of victims of bullying by siblings (50.7%) were also involved in bullying behaviour at school compared to only 12.4% of those not victimised by siblings, indicating a strong link between intrafamilial and extrafamilial peer relationships. Children with poor sibling and peer relationships were at a highly increased risk for behaviour problems. Ethnic (Israeli Jewish vs. Arab) and sex differences were small compared to the effects of sibling relationship on behaviour problems.

Conclusion:  Intervention strategies directed at reducing bullying in school should take into account pupils’ experiences of victimisation by siblings at home.
Mealtime energy intake and feeding behaviour in children who fail to thrive: a population‐based case‐control study
Authors: Parkinson Kathryn N. , Wright Charlotte M. , Drewett Robert F.
Published: June 2004

Background:  The essential link between energy needs and energy intake is feeding behaviour, yet few studies have directly observed feeding behaviour in children who have failed to thrive. A cohort of 961 term infants was screened to identify children with first year weight gain below the 5th centile in order to examine their feeding behaviour and food intake.

Methods:  A nested case‐control study was used with direct observation at 13–21 months over two lunchtime meals, one consisting of finger foods and the other of ‘spoon foods’. Thirty children who failed to thrive and 57 controls were studied. The video‐tapes were coded for feeding behaviour using a behavioural coding inventory which distinguishes between children feeding themselves and responding to being fed by their mother. The main outcome measures were counts of five feeding actions (give, accept, feedself, refuse, reject) and measures of energy intake, the weight of food eaten and meal duration.

Results:  There were systematic differences in feeding behaviour between meal types, with mothers feeding their child more often at meals comprising spoon foods and children feeding themselves more often at meals comprising finger foods. By weight, more food was consumed at the spoon food meals, but energy intake was no higher, showing that the children compensated for the differing energy yields of the foods. Children who failed to thrive took in less energy than controls, and were less likely to sit in a highchair throughout the meal, but there were no clear differences in other aspects of feeding behaviour.

Conclusions:  Food type is an important variable when studying childhood feeding behaviour. Children who fail to thrive take in less energy than controls of the same age, despite there being no major differences in mealtime feeding behaviour.
Metabotropic glutamate receptors are differentially regulated under elevated intraocular pressure
Authors: Dyka Frank M. , May Christian A. , Enz Ralf
Published: June 2004

Abtract

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, ultimatively resulting in the apoptotic death of retinal ganglion cells. However, molecular mechanisms involved in ganglion cell death are poorly understood. While the involvement of ionotropic glutamate receptors has been extensively studied, virtually nothing is known about its metabotropic counterparts. Here, we compared the retinal gene expression of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR) in eyes with normal and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) of DBA/2J mice, a model for secondary angle‐closure glaucoma using RT–PCR and immunohistochemistry. Elevated IOP in DBA/2J mice significantly increased retinal gene expression of mGluR1a, mGluR2, mGluR4a, mGluR4b, mGluR6 and mGluR7a when compared to C57BL/6 control animals, while mGluR5a/b and mGluR8a were decreased and no difference was observed for mGluR3 and mGluR8b. Specific antibodies detected an increase of mGluR1a and mGluR5a/b in both synaptic layers and in the ganglion cell layer of the retina under elevated IOP. Because ganglion cell death in DBA/2J mice occurs most likely by apoptotic mechanisms, we demonstrated up‐regulation of mGluRs in neurons undergoing apoptosis. In summary, we support the idea that the specific gene regulation of mGluRs is a part of the glaucoma‐like pathological process that develops in the eyes of DBA/2J mice.
A minimal length between tau exon 10 and 11 is required for correct splicing of exon 10
Authors: Yu Qingming , Guo Jun , Zhou Jianhua
Published: June 2004

Mutations that stimulate exon 10 inclusion into the human tau mRNA cause frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism, associated with chromosome 17 (FTDP‐17), and other tauopathies. This suggests that the ratio of exon 10 inclusion to exclusion in adult brain is one of the factors to determine biological functions of the tau protein. To investigate the underlying splicing mechanism and identify potential therapeutic targets for tauopathies, we generated a series of mini‐gene constructs with intron deletions from the full length of tau exons 9–11 mini‐gene construct. RT–PCR results demonstrate that there is a minimum distance requirement between exon 10 and 11 for correct splicing of the exon 10. In addition, SRp20, a member of serine‐arginine (SR) protein family of splicing factors was found to facilitate exclusion of exon 10 in a dosage‐dependent manner. Significantly, SRp20 also induced exon 10 skipping from pre‐mRNAs containing mutations identified in FTDP‐17 patients. Based on those results, we generated a cell‐based system to measure inclusion to exclusion of exon 10 in the tau mRNA using the luciferase reporter. The firefly luciferase was fused into exon 11 in frame, and a stop code was also created in exon 10. Inclusion of exon 10 prevents luciferase expression, whereas exclusion of exon 10 generates luciferase activity. To minimize baseline luciferase expression, our reporter construct also contains a FTDP‐17 mutation that increases exon 10 inclusion. We demonstrate that the splicing pattern of our reporter construct mimics that of endogenous tau gene. Co‐transfection of SRp20 and SRp55, two SR proteins that promote exon 10 exclusion, increases production of luciferase. We conclude that this cell‐based system can be used to identify biological substances that modulate exon 10 splicing.
Quantitative determination of extracellular glutamine concentration in rat brain, and its elevationin vivoby system A transport inhibitor, α‐(methylamino)isobutyrate
Authors: Kanamori Keiko , Ross Brian D.
Published: June 2004

The basal concentration of glutamine in the extracellular fluid, [GLNECF], was determined to be 385 ± 16 μmin the cortico‐striatal region of awake rats. Thisin vivoconcentration was determined by measuring glutamine concentrations in dialysates collected at several flow rates (0.2–4 μL/min), and extrapolating to the concentration at zero flow‐rate. Dialysate glutamine concentrations in the somatosensory cortex, hippocampus and thalamus showed no statistically significant difference. In these brain regions, [GLNECF] was elevated 1.5‐ to 1.8‐fold upon perfusion of 50–250 mmα‐(methylamino)isobutyrate (MeAIB), a competitive inhibitor of glutamine uptake by system A amino acid transporter. The results show, for the first time, that MeAIB causes elevation of brain GLNECFin vivo. The MeAIB‐induced elevation of [GLNECF] provides additional support for the current view that system A GLN transporter (Gln T/SAT 1) is the major pathway for the uptake of GLNECFby neurons, while GLN release from glia is mainly mediated by a system N transporter (SN1) which is not inhibitable by MeAIB. The steady‐state GLNECFconcentration and the effectiveness of MeAIB in inhibiting neuronal GLN uptakein vivo, reported in this study, will be useful, when combined with the knownin vitrokinetic properties of the GLN transporters, for study of GLN transport in the intact brain.
Binding and functional activity of nicotinic cholinergic receptors in selected rat brain regions are increased following long‐term but not short‐term nicotine treatment
Authors: Nguyen Henry N. , Rasmussen Bruce A. , Perry David C.
Published: June 2004

Chronic nicotine exposure up‐regulates neuronal nicotinic receptors, but the functional consequences for these receptors is less well understood. Following 2 weeks of nicotine or saline treatment by osmotic minipump, the functional activity of nicotinic receptors was measured by concentration–response curves for epibatidine‐stimulated 86Rb efflux. Nicotine‐treated animals had a significantly higher maximal efflux in cerebral cortex and superior colliculus, but not in thalamus or interpeduncular nucleus plus medial habenula. This increase was confirmed in a separate experiment with stimulation by single concentrations of epibatidine (cortex, superior colliculus) or nicotine (cortex only). Chronic nicotine did not alter 86Rb efflux stimulated by cytisine, an α3β4‐selective agonist, or by potassium chloride, in any region. Short‐term (16 h) nicotine exposure caused no changes in either 86Rb efflux or receptor binding measured with [3H]epibatidine. Binding was significantly increased after 2 weeks nicotine exposure in cortex, superior colliculus and thalamus, but not in interpeduncular nucleus plus medial habenula. The increases in epibatidine‐stimulated 86Rb efflux in the four regions tested was linearly correlated with the increases in [3H]epibatidine binding in these regions (R2 = 0.91), suggesting that rat brain receptors up‐regulated by chronic nicotine are active. These results have important consequences for understanding nicotinic receptor neurobiology in smokers and users of nicotine replacement therapy.
CHIP promotes proteasomal degradation of familial ALS‐linked mutant SOD1 by ubiquitinating Hsp/Hsc70
Authors: Urushitani Makoto , Kurisu Junko , Tateno Minako , Hatakeyama Shigetsugu , Nakayama Kei‐Ichi , Kato Shinsuke , Takahashi Ryosuke
Published: June 2004

Over 100 mutants in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) are reported in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the precise mechanism by which they are degraded through a ubiquitin‐proteasomal pathway (UPP) remains unclear. Here, we report that heat‐shock protein (Hsp) or heat‐shock cognate (Hsc)70, and the carboxyl terminus of the Hsc70‐interacting protein (CHIP), are involved in proteasomal degradation of mutant SOD1. Only mutant SOD1 interacted with Hsp/Hsc70 in vivo, and in vitro experiments revealed that Hsp/Hsc70 preferentially interacted with apo‐SOD1 or dithiothreitol (DTT)‐treated holo‐SOD1, compared with metallated or oxidized forms. CHIP, a binding partner of Hsp/Hsc70, interacted only with mutant SOD1 and promoted its degradation. Both Hsp70 and CHIP promoted polyubiquitination of mutant SOD1‐associated molecules, but not of mutant SOD1, indicating that mutant SOD1 is not a substrate of CHIP. Moreover, mutant SOD1‐associated Hsp/Hsc70, a known substrate of CHIP, was polyubiquitinated in vivo, and polyubiquitinated Hsc70 by CHIP interacted with the S5a subunit of the 26S proteasome in vitro. Furthermore, CHIP was predominantly expressed in spinal neurons, and ubiquitinated inclusions in the spinal motor neurons of hSOD1G93A transgenic mice were CHIP‐immunoreactive. Taken together, we propose a novel pathway in which ubiquitinated Hsp/Hsc70 might deliver mutant SOD1 to, and facilitate its degradation, at the proteasome.
Assessment and optimization of the nutritional situation in Croatian boarding schools
Authors: Gajdoš Jasenka , Gedrich Kurt , Kurtanjek Želimir , Karg Georg
Published: June 2004

The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional quality of the food supply in Croatian boarding schools and to provide suggestions aimed at its improvement. The work is based on a nutritional survey and nutrition optimization. The survey assessed the food supply in female, male and co‐educational boarding schools in Zagreb, Croatia. Particularly, the diets of students aged 15–19 years were investigated and the relationship between students’ anthropometric measurements and the supply of energy, protein, fat and carbohydrates was analysed. Based on the survey results, nutrition optimization was applied to determine diets meeting the recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) of selected nutrients at least cost. The survey showed that the diets provided in Croatian boarding schools are generally characterized by an oversupply of energy and fat to female pupils and an undersupply of many micronutrients to pupils of both genders. This seems to promote the development of obesity in female students. Furthermore, it could be shown by means of nutrition optimization that the nutritional situation in the boarding schools could easily be improved by a reasonable selection and combination of dishes that would also lead to a reduction of food costs. Menu planning by means of nutrition optimization could help to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply in Croatian boarding schools and simultaneously decrease the corresponding food costs.
Food hygiene regulation and enforcement policy in the UK: the underlying philosophy and comparisons with occupational health and safety law
Authors: Howard Michael T.
Published: June 2004

Editor’s preface

Dr Michael Howard is a Lecturer in Environmental Health at King’s College London specializing in environmental health law and compliance strategies.

He has undertaken a considerable amount of research into occupational health and safety, and food hygiene regulation. He is particularly interested in the approaches that regulators and enforcement agencies can use to promote an understanding and consensus with businesses that need to comply with the law.

In this paper he proposes and argues that the philosophy of self‐regulation, which underpins occupational health and safety legislation in the UK, is adopted for food hygiene legislation. This notion will undoubtedly be opposed by some and alternative views on this subject are welcomed, particularly from outside the UK.

This paper suggests that there is no specific underlying philosophy for food hygiene law in the UK. It describes the philosophy of self‐regulation which underlies UK occupational health and safety law, and addresses the question of why this has not been adopted for food law. The paper also describes the recent and continuing developments in food law, some of which move towards a self‐regulatory approach. It is argued that a self‐regulatory approach would provide a more appropriate form of regulation than the command and control approach which is currently applied. A major benefit of this would be that self‐regulatory systems are likely to be more effective in controlling food safety management failures, the most common cause of food borne disease. Furthermore, this would remove the inconsistency that exists at present between the food hygiene and occupational health and safety regulatory systems. It is argued that a consistent regulatory approach would benefit duty holders and enforcement agencies. It is suggested that the main reasons for the absence of a clear philosophical basis for UK food safety law are historical.
Competitive service quality improvement (CSQI): a case study in the fast‐food industry
Authors: Lee Seok‐hoon , Kim Yong‐pil , Hemmington Nigel , Yun Deok‐kyun
Published: June 2004

This paper proposes a new model for competitive service quality improvement (CSQI) which is applied to a case study in the fast‐food industry. Current and competitive service quality levels are considered for improving competitive service quality using current service quality levels measured by the SERVQUAL instrument with a ratio‐score scale. Competitive service quality is analysed by customer assessment relative to each service attribute. Subsequently, the entropy method is used to quantify competitiveness. The value of each attribute's entropy indicates the relative importance of the attribute for CSQI. Finally, the attribute priorities are determined by the combination of current service quality level and entropy value. Empirical testing of the model on a fast‐food case study indicates the importance of using the current service quality level and competitive performance indices simultaneously within a CSQI model.
Payment – an undervalued part of the meal experience?§
Authors: Hansen Kai Victor , Jensen Øystein , Gustafsson Inga‐Britt
Published: June 2004

The research presented in this paper focuses on the service performance of the staff in à la Carte restaurants, and how this could influence the meal experience from the customers’ point of view. Following a mainly grounded theory approach, the empirical material that formed the background for this article was five focus group interviews of restaurant customers from the cities of Oslo and Stavanger in Norway. The participants represented persons from different lines of work. Payment is initially considered here as a component of the meal, and the results indicate that payment represents an important part of the service aspect. Hence, payment operations represent the main component within the last stage of the meal experience. When customers experience the payment process in an unsatisfactory way, it can have a negative effect on their meal experiences as a whole. This could in turn have a negative impact on the customers’ incentive to revisit the particular restaurant or even other restaurants. Payment ‘just in time’ as perceived by the customers can have a positive effect on the number of customers in the restaurant in the long term. The data analysis uncovers nine specific aspects of payment that are important to the customers. A conceptual model is developed to show the process from raw data to results.
A critical look at the construction of power between Applied Linguistics and Critical Applied Linguistics
Authors: Carlson Matthew
Published: June 2004

This article addresses the potential power relationships between Critical Applied Linguistics (CALx) and Applied Linguistics (AL). The discussion is based on the presentation of AL and CALx in Davies (1999) and Pennycook (2001), respectively. Four basic possibilities will frame the arguments: either AL or CALx may exert power over the other, as when CALx is seen as simply a subfield of the more comprehensive AL, or insofar as CALx provides a forum in which to discuss ethics within AL. Furthermore, both CALx and AL may have a position of power, such that they are in conflict with each other. Finally, the possibility will be explored that CALx and AL may indeed work together, exerting power in tandem, as it were. Through this discussion, a dialectical relationship will emerge in which CALx and AL may be seen as creating a tension and balance in which both operate in a context inclusive of the other.
Communication and the reflective practitioner: a shared perspective from sociolinguistics and organisational communication
Authors: Jones Deborah , Stubbe Maria
Published: June 2004

This paper provides an overview of an interdisciplinary project which draws together sociolinguistic analyses of workplace discourse and recent work in the field of organisational studies. The starting point for this collaboration was a set of questions which arose from attempts to apply the findings of a large‐scale sociolinguistic study into workplace language: (i) How can sociolinguistic tools and models generate useful feedback for practitioners and contribute to organisational learning? (ii) How can the understanding researchers have developed of workplace discourse help individuals and teams critically reflect on their own communication practices? (iii) What can the action research process add to our theoretical knowledge about workplace discourse? The authors explore these questions in the context of a number of current issues in the field of organisational studies, including an increasing interest in language and communication; emerging critical perspectives on the notion of competence in workplaces; and debates over the relationships between expert and practitioner knowledges. The concept of ‘reflective practice’ is presented as a framework to address these issues in the evaluation and development of workplace communication.
Fossilization: five central issues
Authors: Han ZhaoHong
Published: June 2004

Second language acquisition research over the past three decades has generated a wide spectrum of different interpretations of “fossilization”– a construct introduced bySelinker (1972) for characterizing lack of grammatical development in second language learning. These conceptual differences found in the literature, it has become increasingly clear, create confusion rather than offering clarification, thereby obstructing a coherent understanding of the theoretical notion as well as empirical research findings. This article addresses the conceptual differences by raising and discussing five central issues: (1) Is fossilization global or local? (2) Is L2 ultimate attainment isomorphic with fossilization? (3) Is fossilization a product or a process? (4) Is stabilization synonymous with fossilization? (5) Should empirical studies of fossilization span five years or more?
Issues of dialect use in education from the Greek Cypriot perspective
Authors: Pavlou Pavlos , Papapavlou Andreas
Published: June 2004

The issue of mother‐tongue education has preoccupied linguists and educationalists for many years. Some bring forward arguments in support of the use of dialects or non‐standard languages whereas others question their suitability as mediums of instruction. In multidialectal settings, choosing a language for instruction is never an easy matter because many factors need to be considered. In this article an effort is made to examine the situation in Cyprus, where the language of instruction is Standard Modern Greek (SMG) whereas the mother tongue of the students is the Greek Cypriot Dialect (GCD). On the basis of the results obtained from an attitudinal survey of teachers, the practice of using SMG officially and GDC unofficially is examined and assessed. An attempt is made to explore the feasibility of introducing GCD alongside SMG in the educational system of Cyprus.
“I would like to thank my supervisor”. Acknowledgements in graduate dissertations
Authors: Hyland Ken , Tse Polly
Published: June 2004

While acknowledgements have been largely neglected in the EAP literature, they are almost universal in dissertation writing, where they offer students a unique rhetorical space to convey their genuine gratitude for assistance and to promote a favourable social and scholarly character. This article explores the importance of this genre and examines the generic structure and linguistic patterns used to express thanks. The study is based on analyses of the acknowledgements accompanying 240 Masters and PhD dissertations in six academic disciplines written by students at five Hong Kong universities, and on interviews with postgraduate writers. The results confirm the importance of this genre, with around 90% of the texts containing this section and some 1400 separate acts of acknowledgement. Genre patterns reveal a three‐move structure sub‐divided into a number of steps realised by a relatively restricted range of lexico‐grammatical patterns. The analysis also shows that PhD students, particularly those in the “soft” sciences, tended to construct generically more complex acknowledgements with a greater variety of patterns. It is argued that the unexamined nature of acknowledgements may disadvantage non‐native writers, and the authors suggest that EAP teachers assist their students by raising their awareness of the ways they can structure their acknowledgements to promote a competent academic identity.
Saying what someone else meant: style, relevance and translation
Authors: Boase‐Beier Jean
Published: June 2004

Starting from the distinction between interpretive and descriptive use which Gutt (2000) takes from Sperber and Wilson (1995) and applies to translation, this article considers the consequences of the fact that the translator is saying what someone else meant. This other person can be seen as an inferred original author constructed by the reader. Stylistic devices in the text are assumed here to be relevant in constructing meaning, in Sperber and Wilson's sense, and to serve a dual function. Firstly, as evidence of a mind style, in the sense of Fowler (1977), they provide clues to a state of mind that can reasonably be reconstructed as being expressed by the author. Secondly, they create poetic effects in the mind of the reader. Translating a poetic text involves preserving these clues for the reader in order both to recreate the mind style of the text and, as far as possible, to reproduce its effects for the reader of the translation.
Pattern recognition methods in human‐assisted reproduction
Authors: Patrizi G. , Manna C. , Moscatelli C. , Nieddu L.
Published: June 2004

The aim of this paper is to present a method which allows to select, more accurately than it is currently done, embryos, at the desired stage of development, which will lead to births, although perhaps with some slight differences in precision, that are deemed to be important. Thus we show that embryos, pronuclei and oocytes consist at least of two types: those suitable for procreation and those not suitable and both types can be recognised easily by an automatic procedure at whatever stage is desired. From their digitilised images before transfer, specific characteristics are formulated automatically and through a particular pattern recognition algorithm the specimen is recognised as belonging to one of two groups with a high precision. The algorithm works in two stages: in the first, the images and their outcomes are used to train the algorithm and in a second stage, on the basis of the rule learnt in training, embryos, pronuclei or oocytes are classified. As multiple transfers and pregnancies occur the training must be carried out with an imprecise ‘teacher’ through a suitable algorithm which can handle this.
Analysing stability and investments in railway networks using advanced evolutionary algorithms
Authors: Engelhardt‐Funke O. , Kolonko M.
Published: June 2004

We consider a network of periodically running railway lines. Investments are possible to increase the speed and to improve the synchronisation of trains. The model also includes random delays of trains and the propagation of delays across the network. We derive a cost‐benefit analysis of investments, where the benefit is measured in reduced waiting time for passengers changing lines. We also estimate the actual mean waiting time simulating the train delays. This allows us to analyse the impact that an increasing synchronisation of the timetable has on its stability. Simulation is based on an analytical model obtained from queueing theory. We use sophisticated adaptive evolutionary algorithms, which send off avant‐garde solutions from time to time to speed up the optimisation process. As there is a high correlation between scheduled and estimated waiting times for badly synchronised timetables, we are even able to include the time consuming simulation into our optimisation runs.
Group decision and distributed technical support
Authors: Norese M.F. , Toso F.
Published: June 2004

A group of 45 decision‐makers (local authorities and representatives from the communities) worked together for 16 months, with a facilitator group, to identify relevant criteria to analyze the consequences of a plant location. Two multi‐criteria models, one for an incinerator and the other for a waste disposal plant, were elaborated and an ELECTRE method was used to compare sites and rank them, with the aim of selecting the best sites for which an environmental impact assessment procedure will be activated. A virtual team, from different organizations, supported this work from a technical point of view. This kind of ‘distributed support’ to a multi‐criteria decision required actions of coordination and knowledge filtering and interpreting. The paper proposes an analysis of this participatory decision process and synthesizes the difficulties and results of the multi‐criteria decision aid intervention.
Data mining of the Australian adverse drug reactions database: a comparison of Bayesian and other statistical indicators
Authors: Harvey J.T. , Turville C. , Barty S.M.
Published: June 2004

The Australian adverse drug reactions database is derived from 140,000 reports over 30 years, including many instances of multiple drugs and multiple reactions. There are several thousand different drugs and reactions, and so the drug‐reaction table is large and sparse. To aid rapid expert assessment of new reports, Bayesian approaches are being compared with other statistical methods for the re‐evaluation of historical data and to provide early indications of emerging trends. Bayesian methods provide more balanced detection criteria than either descriptive statistics such as relative risks, which are subject to large sampling variation for rare co‐occurrences, or statistical significance levels which are conversely weighted towards the most common co‐occurrences. In this paper the various methods are reviewed and some indicative early results are presented.
Dissymmetric warfare versus asymmetric warfare
Authors: Stahel Albert A.
Published: June 2004

This paper presents two concepts: asymmetric warfare and dissymmetric warfare. NATO and US Military operations in recent wars in Kosovo and Afghanistan are analysed by means of comparison with old Chinese strategic thinking. No‐Loss‐Strategy and virtual warfare as well as the transformation from asymmetric to dissymmetric and from dissymmetric to asymmetric warfare are reflected upon.
A near‐exact method for solving the log‐truck scheduling problem
Authors: Palmgren M. , Rönnqvist M. , Värbrand P.
Published: June 2004

We propose a solution method for the log‐truck scheduling problem, which is a generalisation of the pick‐up and delivery problem with time windows. Our approach is based on column generation and pseudo branch and price. Each column in the proposed mathematical model represents one feasible route for one truck. We start by designing a priori an initial set of routes. Then, the subproblem, which is a constrained shortest path problem, is solved by applying a k‐shortest path algorithm. Numerical results from a case study are presented.
Monitoring healthcare performance by analytic hierarchy process: a developing‐country perspective
Authors: Ahsan M.K. , Bartlema J.
Published: June 2004

The formulation and solution of multi‐criteria healthcare decision problems is of critical importance to the health and socio‐economic betterment of developing countries. The study shows how the multi‐criteria decision‐making method could facilitate implementation of healthcare performance analysis, especially for the public healthcare system of Bangladesh, which operates mainly through thana health complexes (THCs). We include outreach services and rural facilities together with ongoing THC activities, and analyze their relative performance. The methodology uses a phase of the Delphi method and of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach. The outcome of Delphi is used as input for the hierarchical processing procedure in AHP and determines performance order of the healthcare activities. Results from AHP are discussed for implementation in decision‐making and the managerial policymaking process, towards improvement of overall healthcare performance.
Cosmopolitan Legalism Meets ‘Thin Community’: Problems in the Global Governance of Intellectual Property
Authors: May Christopher
Published: June 2004

The making of knowledge and information into property, through intellectual property rights (IPRs) has commonly been justified using a set of cosmopolitan norms. These norms of justification have been extensively deployed within the structures of global governance for IPRs. However, the political community that underpins such norms in national jurisdictions is lacking at the global level. Many of the political problems now recognized with the globalized protection of IPRs stem from this tension between cosmopolitan legalism and the contemporary ‘thin’ global community.
Examining and Explaining the Northern League's ‘U-Turn’ from Europe
Authors: Chari Raj S. , Iltanen Suvi , Kritzinger Sylvia
Published: June 2004

Set in the context of the larger literature on regionalist parties and specifically on the Italian Northern League, this paper examines and explains why the party moved from Euro-positivism to Euroscepticism. Drawing on concepts raised in the larger comparative politics literature, five explanations of this U-turn towards Europe are evaluated. It is argued that, despite the strength of explanations that focus on the desires of party supporters, the role of public opinion, the potential influence of economic investors or the role of EU-level institutions in shaping party preferences, a more cogent explanation focuses on domestic-level developments. The conclusions will underscore the general implications of this research for the study of parties, particularly regionalist ones in the EU, highlighting that a party's changing stance towards supranational integrationist polices can be best understood as a consequence of its experience in a political system's electoral system.
The Politics of Banking in Romania: Soft Loans, Looting and Cardboard Billionaires
Authors: Cernat Lucian
Published: June 2004

In this article attention is focused on the features of the emerging Romanian banking system, its failures, and their determinants. These failures were either politically driven or simply a result of the weak regulatory capacity of the state (as the owner of the banks) and lax monitoring from the central bank, as the central authority entrusted with the responsibility to maintain a well-functioning banking system. The reluctance of various governments, regardless of their political orientation, to apply sanctions against banks that are in trouble until the last possible moment encourage excessive risk-taking when banks first encounter financial difficultics, and asset-stripping when the insiders realize that a bank's continued viability is in jeopardy. Based on a number of case studies, the article argues that, in post-1989 Romania, insider trading, self-loans and blunt theft appeared more as systemic features rather than isolated incidents.
The Tragedy of the Kursk: Crisis Management in Putin's Russia
Authors: Barany Zoltan
Published: June 2004

The objective of this paper is to reconstruct both the Kursk incident and especially the reaction to it by Russian military and political authorities with the aim of gauging the extent of continuity and change of Soviet-era practices in three key areas of contemporary Russia's public institutional life: (1) the organizational behaviour and institutional culture of the Russian military; (2) the behaviour of Russia's executive political leadership, i.e. President Vladimir Putin; and (3) the media of mass communication. Reaction to such crises, the author argues, can shed much light on the actual behavioural patterns and operating assumptions of relevant institutions and leaders. The method employed is essentially a detailed forensic reconstruction of the incident and its aftermath from three angles: the reactions of the military authorities; the reactions of Putin; and the reactions of the mass media (and of the authorities to the mass media).

The individual is nonsense, the individual is zero.

Vladimir Mayakovsky, 1921

Human life still costs nothing here.

Leonid Radzikhovskii, 2000
Being Irish
Authors: O'Kelly Ciarán
Published: June 2004

This article is one of a series commissioned by Government and Opposition exploring identity politics in several national and international contexts. Though ostensibly a civic republic, Ireland has been shaped by a certain conception of Irish culture. Cultural claims are typically political but have the potential to allow community interests to override concern for individual well-being. The construction of the Irish state focused on the maintenance of an idea of being Irish rather than on the welfare of people throughout Ireland, both North and South. As a result, a conservative formulation of Irish identity was locked into the state's structures.
Special Care Facility Compared with Traditional Environments for Dementia Care: A Longitudinal Study of Quality of Life
Authors: Reimer Marlene A. , Slaughter Susan , Donaldson Cam , Currie Gillian , Eliasziw Michael
Published: June 2004

Objectives: To compare the effect of a specialized care facility (SCF) on quality of life (QoL) for residents with middle‐ to late‐stage dementia over a 1‐year period with residence in traditional institutional facilities.

Design: A prospective, matched‐group design with assessments of QoL every 3 months for 1 year.

Setting: Twenty‐four long‐term care centers and four designated assisted living environments in an urban center in western Canada.

Participants: One hundred eighty‐five residents with Global Deterioration Scores of 5 or greater were enrolled: 62 in the intervention SCF group and 123 in the traditional institutional facilities groups.

Intervention: The SCF is a 60‐bed purpose‐built facility with 10 people living in six bungalows. The facility followed an ecologic model of care that is responsive to the unique interplay of each person and the environment. This model encompasses a vision of long‐term care that is more comfortable, more like home, and offers more choice, meaningful activity, and privacy than traditional settings.

Measurements: QoL outcomes were assessed using the Brief Cognitive Rating Scale, Functional Assessment Staging, Cohen‐Mansfield Agitation Inventory, Pleasant Events Scale—Alzheimer's disease, Multidimensional Observation Scale of Elderly Subjects, and Apparent Affect Rating Scale.

Results: The intervening SCF group demonstrated less decline in activities of daily living, more sustained interest in the environment, and less negative affect than residents in the traditional institutional facilities. There were no differences between groups in concentration, memory, orientation, depression, or social withdrawal.

Conclusion: The present study suggests that QoL for adults with middle‐ to late‐stage dementia is the same or better in a purpose‐built and staffed SCF than in traditional institutional settings.