bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Structural Model of Australia as a Small Open Economy
Authors: Nimark Kristoffer P. 
Published: March 2009

Abstract This paper sets up and estimates a structural model of Australia as a small open economy using Bayesian techniques. Unlike other recent studies, the paper shows that a small micro‐founded model can capture the open economy dimensions quite well. Specifically, the model attributes a substantial fraction of the volatility of domestic output and inflation to foreign disturbances, close to what is suggested by unrestricted VAR studies. The paper also investigates the effects of various exogenous shocks on the Australian economy.
The Influences of Institution Attended and Field of Study on Graduates' Starting Salaries
Authors: Birch Elisa Rose , Li Ian , Miller Paul W. 
Published: March 2009

Abstract This paper examines the determinants of Australian university graduates' starting salaries, with an emphasis on the institution attended and field of study. It is shown that there is little difference between the starting salaries of students who attended Group of Eight universities and those who attended other universities. There are modest differences in starting salaries across fields of study. However, these differences are considerably less than those associated with the type of employment obtained. These results suggest it is what you do in the labour market, rather than where or what you have studied, that is the main determinant of labour market outcomes.
In the Wake of Mantzikert: The First Crusade and the Alexian Reconquest of Western Anatolia
Authors: ROCHE JASON T. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe main aims of this article are threefold. It initially seeks to address two popular misconceptions frequently found in crusade histories and general histories of the Byzantine empire concerning the Turkish invasion and settlement of western Anatolia after the battle of Mantzikert in 1071. The article maintains that blurring the distinctions between the Seljuk Turks of Ransūm and the tribes of pastoral nomads or rather transhumants who came to be known as Türkmens or Turcomans is incorrect. The oft‐repeated assumption that the Seljuk Turks of Baghdad oversaw the Turkish conquest of Anatolia is addressed when tracing the unstructured nature of the Turkish migration and the subsequent lack of unity amongst the invaders. After providing the context of the Turkish settlement in western Anatolia, the article throws new light on the relative ease with which the armies of the First Crusade traversed the Anatolian plateau and Byzantine forces compelled the speedy capitulation of Turkish towns and territories along the western coastal plains and river valleys of Anatolia in 1097 and 1098 respectively.
Keloids treated with postoperative Iridium 192* brachytherapy: a retrospective study
Authors: Arnault JP , Peiffert D , Latarche C , Chassagne JF , Barbaud A , Schmutz JL 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground  Post‐excisional brachytherapy with Iridium 192 is a treatment of keloids scars (KS). Its indications and its parameters are not subject to any consensus.Objective  We wanted to assess the effectiveness and satisfaction of patients treated in our centre.Patients and Methods  This was a retrospective study conducted from November 2006 to November 2007. Patients with clinically and histologically proven KS treated between 1990 and 2005, were convened in consultation between September and October 2007. Clinical data and parameters of the brachytherapy have been collected.Results  Eighty‐seven patients (138 KS) were treated. Eighty‐two KS (46 patients) met the criteria for inclusion. Thirty‐two patients (55 KS) have been seen in consultation. The average time between the onset of KS and treatment was 63.5 months. The brachytherapy has begun after a maximum of 7 hours posterior to surgery for all KS. The average dose was 17.9 Gy calculated at 5 mm. We observed 23.6% of recurrence after treatment. Seventy‐nine per cent of itching and 87.5% of pain have totally disappeared. The phototypes 5 and 6 had an increased risk of reccurence.Discussion  This is the most important series of KS treated with Post‐excisional brachytherapy presented so far. The technique is efficient in preventing keloid reccurence and in treating the functional signs, but at the expense of an unaesthetic result, of wich patient must be warned about. A follow‐up of at least two years after treatment is recommended.Conflicts of interestNone declared
An isotopic technique to mark mid‐sized vertebrates non‐invasively
Authors: Pauli J. N. , Ben‐David M. , Buskirk S. W. , DePue J. E. , Smith W. P. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractAlthough dispersal is an important attribute of animal population ecology, knowledge of dispersal rates or distances for many wide‐ranging species is lacking. Current methods require capturing and restraining animals, which can be cost‐prohibitive, fail to collect sufficient samples or change animal ranging behaviors. Herein, we describe a novel, cost‐effective and non‐invasive method, using bait enriched with stable isotopes to mark the hair of American martensMartes americana. Captive martens that consumed isotopically labeled glycine exhibited significant and progressive enrichment in the isotopic signature of13C,15N and2H in both whole blood and hair. A distinct mark in hair, >2 standard deviations above natural abundance, occurred within 14 days of the second dose. The rate of isotopic labeling of hair was higher in spring, possibly because labeled amino acids became diluted among the many hairs growing during the autumn. Because hair and feathers can be collected non‐invasively from large geographic areas without capturing animals, this labeling method can be used to mark and study the movement and dispersal rates of animals across landscapes efficiently.
CLINICAL RESEARCH LAW IN JORDAN: AN ETHICAL ANALYSIS
Authors: RAMAHI IBRAHIM , SILVERMAN HENRY 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTAn ethical analysis of Jordan's Clinical Research Law, which became effective in 2001, was performed. Accordingly, this paper discusses the major components, key strengths and weaknesses of this law. As an initial effort, the Law addresses important aspects of research ethics and, hence, should serve as an example for other Arab Countries in the Middle East. Unique aspects of the Law include the requirement that those conducting any study have insurance that can compensate for research injuries and a system of fines and punishments for noncompliance with the Law. There are, however, some key items missing in the Jordanian Law. For example, the Law does not mention the requirement of a favourable assessment of risks and benefits, the fair selection of subjects, or articles regarding the protection of the rights and welfare of children and other vulnerable subjects participating in research. The paper concludes with the suggestion that new amendments should be considered for future revisions of the Clinical Research Law in Jordan.
CHALLENGES FACED BY RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEES IN EL SALVADOR: RESULTS FROM A FOCUS GROUP STUDY
Authors: CAMP JONATHAN W. , BARFIELD RAYMOND C. , RODRIGUEZ VIRGINIA , YOUNG AMANDA J. , FINERMAN RUTHBETH , CANIZA MIGUELA A. 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTObjective:  To identify perceived barriers to capacity building for local research ethics oversight in El Salvador, and to set an agenda for international collaborative capacity building.Methods:  Focus groups were formed in El Salvador which included 17 local clinical investigators and members of newly formed research ethics committees. Information about the proposed research was presented to participants during an international bioethics colloquium sponsored and organized by the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in collaboration with the National Ethics Committee of El Salvador and the University of El Salvador. Interviews with the focus group participants were qualitatively analyzed.Results:  Participants expressed the need to tailor the informed consent process and documentation to the local culture; for example, allowing family members to participate in decision‐making, and employing shorter consent forms. Participants indicated that economic barriers often impede efforts in local capacity building. Participants valued international collaboration for mutual capacity building in research ethics oversight.Conclusions:  Research ethics committees in El Salvador possess a basic knowledge of locally relevant ethical principles, though they need more training to optimize the application of bioethical principles and models to their particular contexts. Challenges increase the value of collaborative exchanges with ethics committee members in the United States. Further research on facilitating communication between host country and sponsor country ethics committees can maximize local research ethics expertise, and thus raise the standard of protecting human participants involved in international research.
Autophagy and amino acid homeostasis are required for chronological longevity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Alvers Ashley L. , Fishwick Laura K. , Wood Michael S. , Hu Doreen , Chung Hye S. , Dunn Jr William A. , Aris John P. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryFollowing cessation of growth, yeast cells remain viable in a nondividing state for a period of time known as the chronological lifespan (CLS). Autophagy is a degradative process responsible for amino acid recycling in response to nitrogen starvation and amino acid limitation. We have investigated the role of autophagy during chronological aging of yeast grown in glucose minimal media containing different supplemental essential and nonessential amino acids. Deletion of ATG1 or ATG7, both of which are required for autophagy, reduced CLS, whereas deletion of ATG11, which is required for selective targeting of cellular components to the vacuole for degradation, did not reduce CLS. The nonessential amino acids isoleucine and valine, and the essential amino acid leucine, extended CLS in autophagy‐deficient as well as autophagy‐competent yeast. This extension was suppressed by constitutive expression of GCN4, which encodes a transcriptional regulator of general amino acid control (GAAC). Consistent with this, GCN4 expression was reduced by isoleucine and valine. Furthermore, elimination of the leucine requirement extended CLS and prevented the effects of constitutive expression of GCN4. Interestingly, deletion of LEU3, a GAAC target gene encoding a transcriptional regulator of branched side chain amino acid synthesis, dramatically increased CLS in the absence of amino acid supplements. In general, this indicates that activation of GAAC reduces CLS whereas suppression of GAAC extends CLS in minimal medium. These findings demonstrate important roles for autophagy and amino acid homeostasis in determining CLS in yeast.
Race/ethnicity and telomere length in the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Authors: Diez Roux Ana V. , Ranjit Nalini , Jenny Nancy S. , Shea Steven , Cushman Mary , Fitzpatrick Annette , Seeman Teresa 
Published: March 2009

SummaryTelomere length has emerged as a marker of exposure to oxidative stress and aging. Race/ethnic differences in telomere length have been infrequently investigated. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) was assessed 981 white, black and Hispanic men and women aged 45–84 years participating in the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Direct measurement and questionnaire were used to assess covariates. Linear regression was used to estimate associations of LTL with race/ethnicity and age after adjustment for sex, income, education, smoking, physical activity, diet and body mass index. On average blacks and Hispanics had shorter telomeres than whites [adjusted mean differences (standard error) in T/S ratio compared to whites: −0.041 (0.018) for blacks and −0.044 (0.018) for Hispanics]. Blacks and Hispanics showed greater differences in telomere length associated with age than whites (adjusted mean differences in T/S ratio per 1 year increase in age −0.0018, −0.0047 and −0.0055 in whites, blacks and Hispanics respectively). Differences in age associations were more pronounced and only statistically significant in women. Race/ethnic differences in LTL may reflect the cumulative burden of differential exposure to oxidative stress (and its predictors) over the lifecourse.
Reduced expression of alpha‐1,2‐mannosidase I extends lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Liu Ya‐Lin , Lu Wan‐Chih , Brummel Theodore J. , Yuh Chiou‐Hwa , Lin Pei‐Ting , Kao Tzu‐Yu , Li Fang‐Yi , Liao Pin‐Chao , Benzer Seymour , Wang Horng‐Dar 
Published: March 2009

SummaryExposure to sub‐lethal levels of stress, or hormesis, was a means to induce longevity. By screening for mutations that enhance resistance to multiple stresses, we identified multiple alleles of alpha‐1,2‐mannosidase I (mas1) which, in addition to promoting stress resistance, also extended longevity. Longevity enhancement is also observed when mas1 expression is reduced via RNA interference in both Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans. The screen also identified Edem1 (Edm1), a gene downstream of mas1, as a modulator of lifespan. As double mutants for both mas1 and Edm1 showed no additional longevity enhancement, it appeared that both mutations function within a common pathway to extend lifespan. Molecular analysis of these mutants revealed that the expression of BiP, a putative biomarker of dietary restriction (DR), is down‐regulated in response to reductions in mas1 expression. These findings suggested that mutations in mas1 may extend longevity by modulating DR.
Pathways to the Use of Health Services Research in Policy
Authors: Gold Marsha 
Published: March 2009

Objective. To apply social science theory so as to define more explicitly the pathways that influence policy makers' use of health services research.Methods. The analysis builds on a literature review and the author's observations. It identifies important social science concepts relevant to use of research in policy and organizational decision making. It integrates and expands upon existing frameworks to differentiate and analyze 10 pathways that can lead to the use of health services research by policy makers.Principal Findings. The process through which research is applied involves many factors, only some of which are amenable to influence by researchers. Within these constraints, multiple pathways can drive research use; no one of these is likely to perform better in all circumstances. Successful uptake is more likely when these pathways cause findings to be converted into messages meaningful to policy makers. Various intermediaries play an important role in creating effective pathways, while users also can influence them.Conclusions. The pathways open up what too often is an unexplored “black box” that mediates between health services research and its use by policy makers. Such pathways can help stakeholders to bridge different perspectives in ways that strengthen the possibility that effective research will be supported and used.
The Relationship between Hospital Volume and Mortality in Mechanical Ventilation: An Instrumental Variable Analysis
Authors: Kahn Jeremy M. , Ten Have Thomas R. , Iwashyna Theodore J. 
Published: March 2009

Objective. To examine the relationship between hospital volume and mortality for nonsurgical patients receiving mechanical ventilation.Data Sources. Pennsylvania state discharge records from July 1, 2004, to June 30, 2006, linked to the Pennsylvania Department of Health death records and the 2000 United States Census.Study Design. We categorized all general acute care hospitals in Pennsylvania (n=169) by the annual number of nonsurgical, mechanically ventilated discharges according to previous criteria. To estimate the relationship between annual volume and 30‐day mortality, we fit linear probability models using administrative risk adjustment, clinical risk adjustment, and an instrumental variable approach.Principle Findings. Using a clinical measure of risk adjustment, we observed a significant reduction in the probability of 30‐day mortality at higher volume hospitals (≥300 admissions per year) compared with lower volume hospitals (<300 patients per year; absolute risk reduction: 3.4%, p=.04). No significant volume–outcome relationship was observed using only administrative risk adjustment. Using the distance from the patient's home to the nearest higher volume hospital as an instrument, the volume–outcome relationship was greater than observed using clinical risk adjustment (absolute risk reduction: 7.0%, p=.01).Conclusions. Care in higher volume hospitals is independently associated with a reduction in mortality for patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Adequate risk adjustment is essential in order to obtained unbiased estimates of the volume–outcome relationship.
The Industrial Ecology of Emerging Technologies
Authors: Allenby Braden 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThe modern world increasingly reflects human activities, to the point that many scientists are referring to this era as the “Anthropocene,” the Age of Humans. A major domain of human activity involves sociotechnical systems, which can be characterized as occurring in constellations of coevolving technological, cultural, institutional, economic, and psychological systems lasting over many decades. The current constellation, still in its early stages of development, brings together five powerful technology systems—nanotechnology, biotechnology, robotics, information and communication technology, and cognitive science—that are even more complex than historical precedents because they enable not just far more powerful capabilities to design domains external to humans but also the potential to design individual humans themselves. Understanding the implications of this sociotechnical landscape for industrial ecology suggests profound theoretical challenges as well as important new areas of research.
Fostering Industrial Symbiosis With Agent‐Based Simulation and Participatory Modeling
Authors: Batten David F. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThe sciences of industrial ecology, complex systems, and adaptive management are intimately related, since they deal with flows and dynamic interdependencies between system elements of various kinds. As such, the tool kit of complex systems science could enrich our understanding of how industrial ecosystems might evolve over time. In this article, I illustrate how an important tool of complex systems science—agent‐based simulation—can help to identify those potential elements of an industrial ecosystem that could work together to achieve more eco‐efficient outcomes. For example, I show how agent‐based simulation can generate cost‐efficient energy futures in which groups of firms behave more eco‐efficiently by introducing strategically located clusters of renewable, low‐emissions, distributed generation. I then explain how role‐playing games and participatory modeling can build trust and reduce conflict about the sharing of common‐pool resources such as water and energy among small clusters of evolving agents. Collective learning can encourage potential industrial partners to gradually cooperate by exchanging by‐products and/or sharing common infrastructure by dint of their close proximity. This kind of coevolutionary learning, aided by participatory modeling, could help to bring about industrial symbiosis.
Positive Affect and Incidence of Frailty in Elderly Women Caregivers and Noncaregivers: Results of Caregiver–Study of Osteoporotic Fractures
Authors: Park‐Lee Eunice , Fredman Lisa , Hochberg Marc , Faulkner Kimberly 
Published: March 2009

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether positive affect is associated with a lower incidence of frailty over 2 years in elderly community‐dwelling women and to test the stress‐buffering hypothesis by evaluating whether these associations differed in caregivers and noncaregivers.DESIGN: Prospective cohort study with three annual interviews conducted in four U.S. communities between 1999 and 2004.SETTING: Home‐based interviews.PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred thirty‐seven caregiver and 617 noncaregiver participants from the Caregiver‐Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (Caregiver‐SOF) who were not frail at the baseline Caregiver‐SOF interview.MEASUREMENTS: High and low positive affect and depressive symptoms were derived from the baseline 20‐item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Frailty was the development of three or more indicators (weight loss, exhaustion, slow walking speed, or weak grip strength) at the first or second follow‐up interview.RESULTS: Respondents' mean age was 81.2. Caregivers and noncaregivers had similar levels of positive affect (56.3% vs 58.3%) and frailty incidence (15.4% vs 15.9%) but differed in perceived stress (mean Perceived Stress Scale score 16.7 vs 14.8, P<.001). Frailty risk was lower in respondents with high positive affect than in those with low positive affect in the total sample (adjusted hazard ratio (HR)=0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.35–0.70), caregivers (adjusted HR=0.44, 95% CI=0.24–0.80) and noncaregivers (adjusted HR=0.50, 95% CI=0.32–0.77).CONCLUSION: These findings add to the evidence that positive affect protects against health decline in older adults, although it had no additional stress‐buffering effect on health in elderly caregivers.
Multi‐behavioral strategies in a predator–prey game: an evolutionary algorithm analysis
Authors: Mitchell William A 
Published: March 2009

Behavioral games between predators and prey often involve two sub‐games: ‘pre‐encounter’ games affecting the rate of encounter between predators and prey (e.g. predator–prey space games,Sih 2005), and ‘post‐encounter’ games that influence the outcome of encounters (e.g. waiting games at prey refugia,Hugie 2003, and games of vigilance,Brown et al. 1999). Most models, however, focus on only one or the other of these two sub‐games.I investigated a multi‐behavioral game between predators and prey that integrated both pre‐encounter and post‐encounter behaviors. These behaviors included landscape‐scale movements by predators and prey, a type of prey vigilance that increases immediately after an encounter and then decays over time (‘ratcheting vigilance’), and predator management of prey vigilance. I analyzed the game using a computer‐based evolutionary algorithm. This algorithm embedded an individual‐based model of ecological interactions within a dynamic adaptive process of mutation and selection. I investigated how evolutionarily stable strategies (ESS) varied with the predators’ learning ability, killing efficiency, density and rate of movement. I found that when predators learn prey location, random prey movement can be an ESS. Increased predator killing efficiency reduced prey movement, but only if the rate of predator movement was low. Predators countered ratcheting vigilance by delaying their follow‐up attacks; however, this delay was reduced in the presence of additional predators. The interdependence of pre‐and post‐encounter behaviors revealed by the evolutionary algorithm suggests an intricate co‐evolution of multi‐behavioral predator–prey behavioral strategies.
Development of microsatellite markers for Euchresta japonica and E. formosana (Leguminosae)
Authors: HAMA I. , SAITO Y. , UMEHARA C. , LIAN C. L. , IDE Y. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractWe isolated 13 microsatellite loci from Euchresta japonica, an endangered shrub species that grows in warm‐temperate forests in East Asia. Of these 13 loci, only one was codominant and polymorphic with five alleles. Cross‐species amplification in a related species, E. formosana, detected nine of these loci, all of which were codominant and polymorphic with 2 to 9 alleles. These markers will facilitate further studies on the genetic characteristics of these two Euchresta species.