bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Procreative Beneficence: Why We Should Select the Best Children
Authors: Savulescu Julian 
Published: March 2003

Eugenic selection of embryos is now possible by employing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). While PGD is currently being employed for the purposes of detecting chromosomal abnormalities or inherited genetic abnormalities, it could in principle be used to test any genetic trait such as hair colour or eye colour.Genetic research is rapidly progressing into the genetic basis of complex traits like intelligence and a gene has been identified for criminal behaviour in one family. Once the decision to have IVF is made, PGD has few ‘costs’ to couples, and people would be more inclined to use it to select less serious medical traits, such as a lower risk of developing Alzheimer Disease, or even for non‐medical traits. PGD has already been used to select embryos of a desired gender in the absence of any history of sex‐linked genetic disease.I will argue that: (1) some non‐disease genes affect the likelihood of us leading the best life; (2) we have a reason to use information which is available about such genes in our reproductive decision‐making; (3) couples should select embryos or fetuses which are most likely to have the best life, based on available genetic information, including information about non‐disease genes. I will also argue that we should allow selection for non‐disease genes even if this maintains or increases social inequality. I will focus on genes for intelligence and sex selection.I will defend a principle which I call Procreative Beneficence: couples (or single reproducers) should select the child, of the possible children they could have, who is expected to have the best life, or at least as good a life as the others, based on the relevant, available information.
The Claim from Adoption
Authors: Søbirk Petersen Thomas 
Published: March 2003

In this article several justifications of what I call ‘the claim from adoption’ are examined. The claim from adoption is that, instead of expending resources on bringing new children into the world using reproductive technology and then caring for these children, we ought to devote these resources to the adoption and care of existing destitute children.Arguments trading on the idea that resources should be directed to adoption instead of assisted reproduction because already existing people can benefit from such a use of resources whereas we cannot benefit individuals by bringing them into existence are rejected. It is then argued that a utilitarian argument proposed by Christian Munthe that supports the claim from adoption in some situations should be rejected because the support it offers does not extend to certain situations in which it seems morally obvious that resources should be expended on adoption rather than assisted reproduction. A version of the Priority View improves upon Munthe’s utilitarianism by supporting the claim from adoption in the cases in which Munthe’s argument failed. Some allegedly counterintuitive implications of the Priority View are then discussed, and it is concluded that the Priority View is more plausible than utilitarianism.n a concluding section on policy issues it is argued that, even though the claim from adoption can be justified in a variety of situations, it does not follow that, in these situations, governments should direct resources away from assisted reproduction and towards adoption.
World–processing and Writing Skills: Practical Applications to Language Teaching Text Books
Authors: Jarvis Huw 
Published: March 2003

This paper demonstrates the viability and usefulness of word processing as a pedagogical tool for developing writing skills in the language classroom. Although the specific context is English as a Foreign Language (EFL), the applications are relevant to all language teachers working in primary, secondary or tertiary levels.The paper illustrates some possible ways into this important and ever growing aspect of education technology. It is written for language teachers who are either completely new to this field or who have some experience which they would like to develop further.
Managers' Perceptions of their Identity: A Comparative Study between the Czech Republic and Britain
Authors: Pavlica Karel , Thorpe Richard 
Published: March 2003

After a period of more that 40 years of Communism, the Czech Republic is in the midst of an economic transformation. One aspect of this transformation is the development of a new managerial ethos, important to manage the current infrastructural changes and ensure that Czech organizations are able to compete in international markets.This paper reports research that examines what Czech managers think about themselves and their roles, and contrasts these perceptions with those of their British counterparts. Many of the concepts and development approaches being applied in the Czech Republic are closely related to concepts and development approaches in the West and have often been accepted unchallenged even though they are being applied in very different circumstances. The focus of this research was to understand how Czech and British managers view their jobs; how their different views relate to the techniques and approaches they adopt. The method chosen was discourse analysis applied to responses from a questionnaire, interviews and repertory grid technique. Using this approach a very different kind of understanding was gained in the way Czech managers think about management than has hitherto been assumed.The research takes a matched group of Czech and British managers and contrasts their respective views. Our findings give important new insights for management and management development practice for both the Czech Republic and Great Britain.
Generating Reflected Directions from BRDF Data
Authors: Lalonde Paul , Fournier Alain 
Published: March 2003

Monte‐Carlo path tracing algorithms for computer graphics require that given an incident light ray at a surface an outgoing direction can be computed with a distribution given by the magnitude of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). For analytic reflectance functions this can be done using various techniques including inverting the function, or tabulating some representation of the inverse. However, measured BRDF data sets are too large for this to be practical.We present a method to generate reflection rays distributed according to the magnitude of the BRDF. The method relies on a wavelet‐based representation of the BRDF. This representation is efficient and compact, allowing large, anisotropic measured BRDF data sets to be represented with a few thousand coefficients. In particular, we exploit the wavelet representation to quickly compute integrals over ranges of the BRDF.
A Framework for Interacting with Paper
Authors: Robinson Peter , Sheppard Dan , Watts Richard , Harding Robert , Lay Steve 
Published: March 2003

This paper reports on ways of using digitised video from television cameras in user interfaces for computer systems. The DigitalDesk is built around an ordinary physical desk and can be used as such, but it has extra capabilities. A video camera mounted above the desk, pointing down at the work surface, is used to detect where the user is pointing and to read documents that are placed on the desk. A computer‐driven projector is also mounted above the desk, allowing the system to project electronic objects onto the work surface and onto real paper documents. The animated paper documents project is considering particular applications of the technology in electronic publishing. The goal is to combine electronic and printed documents to give a richer presentation than that afforded by either separate medium.This paper describes the framework that has been developed to assist with the preparation and presentation of these mixed‐media documents. The central component is a registry that associates physical locations on pieces of paper with actions. This is surrounded by a number of adaptors that assist with the creation of new documents either from scratch or by translating from conventional hypermedia, and also allow the documents to be edited. Finally the DigitalDesk itself identifies pieces of paper and animates them with the actions described in the registry.
The ARGOSI Classification Scheme for Graphics and Networking Applications
Authors: Sutcliffe D.C. , Gallop J.R. , Maybury R. , Day R.A. , Duce† D.A. , Reynolds‡ G.J. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractARGOSI is a project concerned with the relationship between standards for graphics and networking, as rejected in its full title: Applications Related Graphics and OSI Standards Integration. It is a collaborative project between eleven European organizations and is funded under the Esprit‐Il programme of the Commission of the European Community.In order to achieve integration of graphics and OSI standards and to meet the requirements of applications, it is necessary to understand the needs of applications to transfer graphical information and the networking services required to support this. A major part of the ARGOSI project has been to derive a classification framework for applications based on a set of metrics describing their use of graphics and networking. Once classified, a study is to be made to determine the set of graphics and OSI standards that will satisfy the requirements of each group of applications or to identify deficiencies or omissions in the set of current standards that prevent the requirements being met. The classification scheme is believed to be a major stepforward in the field.
Scripting Interactive Physically‐Based Motions with Relative Paths and Synchronization
Authors: Lamouret Alexis , Gascuel Marie‐Paule 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThis paper presents a novel approach for facilitating the use of physically based models by animators. The idea is to let the user guide motion at a high level of control by giving approximate desired trajectories and synchronization constraints between the objects over time, while a simulation module computes the final motion, dealing with collision detection and response, and enhancing realism.The objects, which are either isolated or components of an articulated structure, are guided through the specification of key‐positions and orientations, defined by coordinates that can be fixed or relative to another object. The animation sequence is scripted by specifying a graph of synchronization constraints between objects over time. During the animation, objects automatically regulate their speed in order to meet these constraints.
Compositing Computer and Video Image Sequences: Robust Algorithms for the Reconstruction of the Camera Parameters
Authors: Berger M.‐O. , Chevrier C. , Simon G. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAugmented reality shows great promises in fields where a simulation in situ would be impossible or too expensive. When mixing synthetic and real objects in the same animated sequence, we must be sure that the geometrical coherence as well as the photometrical coherence is ensured. One major challenge is to compute the camera viewpoint with sufficient accuracy to ensure a satisfactory composition. We especially address this point in this paper using computer vision techniques and robust statistical methods. We prove that such techniques make it possible to compute almost automatically the viewpoint for long video sequences even for bad quality images in outdoor environments. Significant results on the lighting simulation of the bridges of Paris are shown.
Surface Graph Sketching
Authors: Hutchinson D. , Lin F. , Hewitt W.T. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe production of patterns and designs upon surfaces has received only limited attention, with texturing techniques being accepted as adequate. Texturing, however, can be a very unsatisfactory and clumsy method of producing complex and accurate designs upon a surface, even more so with surfaces such as NURBS where a texture may appear very much distorted when mapped to a surface. This paper introduces a new approach called surface graph sketching which draws upon ideas from planar graph sketching for the construction of complex curve networks across parametrically defined surfaces. Surface curves can be created by a number of methods and stored in the parameter space of the surface thereby allowing intricate and more importantly accurate surface designs to be created. Regions of the surface may be assigned a property such as colour or texture, or cut away to produce holes. Surface graph sketching has a number of applications, in the design of trimming curves, surface patterning and texture map definitions.
An Energy‐Based Approach for Contact Force Computation
Authors: Faure Francois 
Published: March 2003

AbstractA new approach for computing resting contact forces between solids is presented, which handles both static and sliding friction, while avoiding the problems arising from previous approaches. Each iteration provides values for all unknowns and needs a constant computation time. The first iteration is a global dynamic solution involving inertia and external forces. The subsequent iterations consist of global redistributions of energy through the solids in order to restrict the values within correct bounds, leading to a progressive refinement of the solution. This allows the termination of the computation when a user‐defined level of precision is reached. Convergence is proven in the frictionless case.The method is concise and is easily usable in a motion control system. It was implemented and tested on some examples involving simultaneously static and sliding friction along with motion control.
Incremental constraint modelling in a feature modelling system
Authors: Laakko Timo , Mäntylä Martti 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe techniques of constraint propagation have recently been successfully applied to feature‐based design. Because of their speed, constraint propagation methods allow incremental design and rapid local modifcations of the part. However, cyclic constraints cause serious problems to current constraint propagation algorithms. Variational geometric design systems can, in principle, manage these cases. Unfortunately, this typically requires complete re‐evaluation of the underlying set of constraint equations, making the method unsuitable for interactive use.The proposed system aims to localize the problem of constraint solving and maintenance. The constraint graph of the part or assembly is divided into several independent partial graphs, subsystems. Afterwards, each subsystem is handled separately using a selected constraint solving technique for the subsystem.
A Platform for User‐Tailored Interaction Development in 2D, 3D, and VR
Authors: Encarnacao L. Miguel , Fechter Jürgen , Grunert Thomas , Straßer Wolfgang 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of 2D, 3D, and VR interfaces and their applicability to different types of systems, users, and information led to a series of stand‐alone implementations that lack the possibility of realizing an integrated approach. The acceptance of the different interaction techniques will depend on their success in practical applications, i.e. with systems that are used by different users for different purposes. Since this acceptance is especially hard to achieve in computer‐critical environments, such as medicine, we developed a software environment that allows for the development, integration, and user‐centered evaluation of existing and new interaction techniques for their use in medical applications. This environment is equipped with an innovative message‐passing functionality that provides the communication to and among application objects in 2D, 3D, and VR. Furthermore, the environment contains a component for user‐adapted interaction and system support at runtime.
A Unified, Object‐Oriented Graphics System and Software Architecture for Visualising CAD/CAM Presentations
Authors: Kochhar Sandeep , Hall Jim 
Published: March 2003

AbstractMost object‐oriented graphics systems (OOGS) either support general purpose graphics capabilities (drawing editors, ray tracing, etc.), or have targeted specific areas of computer graphics, for example, interface building, animation, and visualisation. However, the key concept in CAD/CAM graphics systems is that of presentations—pictures that convey information about products or parts of products. CAD/CAM graphics systems that create and manipulate presentations have specific graphical requirements that have not been addressed by existing OOGS. These requirements include the support of CAD/CAM concepts such as drawings, views and view‐specific graphics, and layers, and the ability to allow external geometric modelers to be linked into the presentation. We describe an object‐oriented presentation architecture that allows the application to describe the structure of the CAD/CAM presentation. This architecture provides a unified interface to drawings, views, layers and entities, and allows linkage to models created with an external geometric modeler, while isolating applications from details of the underlying traditional graphics rendering systems. It is our hope that this architecture provide the foundation for the architecture of next generation OOGS. We also present an implementation of this architecture and compare it to other OOGS.
Measuring the welfare costs of EU accession
Authors: Pudney Stephen , Markov Nikolay , Ackrill Robert 
Published: March 2003

We analyze possible reforms to the Bulgarian VAT system, evaluating revenue‐neutral reallocations of goods to tax bands within the existing 2‐rate structure. We investigate the sensitivity of the results to behavioural response and imperfect tax recovery. We find only a weak case for the use of non‐uniform VAT rate structures for redistributional purposes. Selective VAT exemptions can produce approximate welfare gains equivalent to a general price fall of much less than 1 per cent for plausible specifications of social welfare.JEL classification: D31, J31, P24.
Wages and wage growth in Poland: The role of foreign direct investment
Authors: Bedi Arjun S. , Cielik Andrzej 
Published: March 2003

In recent years Poland has received substantial inflows of foreign direct investment. This paper combines detailed labour market data with industry data from the Polish manufacturing sector to examine the effects of foreign direct investment inflows on wages and wage growth. The empirical evidence we assemble suggests that workers in industries with greater foreign presence enjoy higher wages and higher wage growth. This effect appears to be robust to a variety of empirical approaches, estimation techniques and specification checks.JEL classification: F23, J31, 019, P33.
On dollarization
Authors: Calvo Guillermo A. 
Published: March 2003

The paper examines the case for dollarization in emerging market economies. It is claimed that dollarization becomes an attractive monetary regime when account is taken of recent financial turmoil in such economies. The case is further strengthened by the fact that these economies have a penchant for acquiring dollar debts (i.e., liability dollarization). However, exchange rate misalignment and deflation are potentially serious problems, unless appropriate fiscal and public sector prices policies are implemented, in addition to establishing a financial sector whose assets and liabilities face parallel relative price risks.JEL classification: F31, F41
Exchange rate policy during transition to the European Monetary Union: The option of euroization
Authors: Coricelli Fabrizio 
Published: March 2003

Countries of central eastern Europe which are candidates for accession to the European Union face fundamental challenges in the conduct of macroeconomic policies. These countries are characterized by growth rates faster than those of EU countries, along with large current account deficits and an equilibrium appreciation of the real exchange rate. In such a context, an early adoption of the euro may be beneficial to central eastern European countries, while the ERM‐II system and the Maastricht criterion on inflation may give rise to serious drawbacks for candidate countries.JEL classification: F15, F41
Should Estonia euroize?
Authors: Sulling Anne 
Published: March 2003

Estonia has been operating a currency board arrangement tied to the deutschemark, now the euro, since 1992. Optimal currency area considerations, policy orientation and the flexibility of prices and wages in Estonia support a case for monetary union with the eurozone. But the European Union requires Estonia to wait until EU accession and subsequent Eurosystem accession before it can adopt the euro. In the meanwhile, gains expected from euroization — lower and more stable interest rates, lower transactions costs in trade and increased transparency, all of which would promote trade, investments and economic growth — would be forgone. In this context, the paper raises the question, should Estonia go ahead and euroize now?JEL classification: E42, E58, F33.
Knowledge Issues Raised in Modelling Trust in a Public Key Infrastructure
Authors: Basden A. , Ball E. , Chadwick D.W. 
Published: March 2003

The paper describes a knowledge‐based system for modelling trust in the certification authority (CA) of a public key infrastructure. It was built using a graphical knowledge‐based system toolkit, Istar, that allows the knowledge builder to easily model the important relationships between concepts of the domain. The knowledge base was initially built using published work and was subsequently extended by knowledge obtained from leading public key infrastructure experts. The first prototype system computes the trust in a CA by asking the user a series of questions about the CA's Certification Practice Statement. Examples of its use with two well‐known public CAs is discussed.An important issue raised and discussed in this paper is how to map symbols in the knowledge base to the knowledge level of human trust and beliefs, for such an ill‐defined area of knowledge as trust, and four main mappings have been identified. Another issue that emerged relates to the use of questionnaires during knowledge acquisition. The expert system is currently available online via the Istar knowledge server, and future work is discussed.
Whose Body? Recent Historiography Relating to Women, Health and the Medical Profession
Authors: Davies Megan J. 
Published: March 2003

Mitchinson, Wendy The Nature of Their Bodies: Women and Their Doctors in Victorian CanadaVertinsky, Patricia A. The Eternally Wounded Woman: Women, Exercise, and Doctors in the Late Nineteenth CenturyBorst, Charlotte, G. Catching Babies: The Professionalization of Childbirth, 1870–1920Apple, Rima, D. (ed.) Women, Health and Medicine in America: A Historical HandbookRothman, Sheila Living in the Shadow of Death: Tuberculosis and the Social Experience of Illness in American History
Capital Market Integration in Euroland: The Role of Banks
Authors: Buch Claudia M. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract
The introduction of the euro marks a milestone in the process of European financial market integration. This paper analyzes the implications of the euro for cross-border banking activities. A portfolio model is used which captures the role of banks as providers of informational and of risk-diversification services. By eliminating exchange rate risks, the euro enhances the incentives of banks to expand within Euroland. Yet, while the currency bias in bank portfolios will be eliminated, the home bias will remain. Implications of market integration for the risk-taking and the monitoring of banks are not clear-cut.