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Key Reason (key + reason)
Selected AbstractsGUNS AND OIL: AN ANALYSIS OF CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS TRADE IN THE POST-COLD WAR ERAECONOMIC INQUIRY, Issue 2 2010NEHA KHANNA This paper analyzes the global conventional weapons trade between 1989 and 1999. We postulate that a key reason for the huge transfer of weapons to the Persian Gulf region is the enormous value of the oil wealth there along with the dependence of Western economies on access to the relatively cheap and steady supply of crude oil. We find a strong, positive, and robust empirical association between arms trade and crude oil trade and explain it as the result of a target price band arrangement that was responsible for the remarkably stable crude oil prices during our study period. (JEL F10, F59, Q38) [source] Dying at home: community nurses' views on the impact of informal carers on cancer patients' place of deathEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 5 2010B. JACK phd, bsc (econ), head of research, scholarship JACK B. & O'BRIEN M. (2010) European Journal of Cancer Care19, 636,642 Dying at home: community nurses' views on the impact of informal carers on cancer patients' place of death Giving patients with cancer a choice in where they want to die including the choice to die at home if they so wish, underpin the recent UK government policies and is embedded in the End of Life Care Programme. However, this presents increasing challenges for the informal carers particularly with an increasingly aging population. Despite the policy initiatives, there remain a persistent number of patients with cancer who had chosen to die at home being admitted to hospital in the last days and hours of life. A qualitative study using two focus group interviews with community nurses (district nurses and community specialist palliative care nurses) was undertaken across two primary care trusts in the north-west of England. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The results indicated that informal carer burden was a key reason for prompting hospital admission. Recommendations for the development of a carer assessment tool with appropriate supportive interventions are made. [source] Euroscepticism and History Education in BritainGOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION, Issue 1 2006Oliver J. Daddow This article examines the role played by national history in generating and sustaining the popularity of British Eurosceptic arguments. The core argument advanced is that the modernist approach to history prevalent among British historians and the society in which they work has to be considered the key reason for Euroscepticism retaining such a popular appeal in Britain. The overly reverential attitude to recent martial history on the part of the British, and an almost total neglect of the peacetime dimensions of modern European history since 1945, both serve to exaggerate the tendency in the country to fall back on glib images of Britain as a great power with a ,special relationship' across the Atlantic and Europe as a hostile ,other' to be confronted rather than engaged with constructively. [source] Explaining the Weak Relationship Between Job Performance and Ratings of Job PerformanceINDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2008KEVIN R. MURPHY Ratings of job performance are widely viewed as poor measures of job performance. Three models of the performance,performance rating relationship offer very different explanations and solutions for this seemingly weak relationship. One-factor models suggest that measurement error is the main difference between performance and performance ratings and they offer a simple solution,that is, the correction for attenuation. Multifactor models suggest that the effects of job performance on performance ratings are often masked by a range of systematic nonperformance factors that also influence these ratings. These models suggest isolating and dampening the effects of these nonperformance factors. Mediated models suggest that intentional distortions are a key reason that ratings often fail to reflect ratee performance. These models suggest that raters must be given both the tools and the incentive to perform well as measurement instruments and that systematic efforts to remove the negative consequences of giving honest performance ratings are needed if we hope to use performance ratings as serious measures of job performance. [source] Computation of an unsteady complex geometry flow using novel non-linear turbulence modelsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 9 2003Paul G. Tucker Abstract Non-linear zonal turbulence models are applied to an unsteady complex geometry flow. These are generally found to marginally improve predicted turbulence intensities. However, relative to linear models, convergence is mostly difficult to achieve. Clipping of some non-linear Reynolds stress components is required along with velocity field smoothing or alternative measures. Smoothing is naturally achieved through multilevel convergence restriction operators. As a result of convergence difficulties, generally, non-linear model computational costs detract from accuracy gains. For standard Reynolds stress model results, again computational costs are prohibitive. Also, mean velocity profile data accuracies are found worse than for a simple mixing length model. Of the non-linear models considered, the explicit algebraic stress showed greatest promise with respect to accuracy and stability. However, even this shows around a 30% error in total (the sum of turbulence and unsteadiness) intensity. In strong contradiction to measurements the non-linear and Reynolds models predict quasi-steady flows. This is probably a key reason for the total intensity under-predictions. Use of LES in a non-linear model context might help remedy this modelling aspect. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Climate change and range expansion of an aggressive bark beetle: evidence of higher beetle reproduction in naïve host tree populationsJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Timothy J. Cudmore Summary 1.,Hosts may evolve defences that make them less susceptible and suitable to herbivores impacting their fitness. Due to climate change-driven range expansion, herbivores are encountering naïve host populations with increasing frequency. 2.,Aggressive bark beetles are among the most important agents of disturbance in coniferous forest ecosystems. The presence of bark beetle outbreaks in areas with a historically unsuitable climate, in part a consequence of climate change, provided an opportunity to assess the hypothesis that the mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae has higher reproductive success in lodgepole pine Pinus contorta trees growing in areas that have not previously experienced frequent outbreaks. 3.,We felled and sampled mountain pine beetle-killed trees from historically climatically suitable and unsuitable areas, i.e. areas with and without a historical probability of frequent outbreaks. Reproductive success was determined from a total of 166 trees from 14 stands. 4.,Brood productivity was significantly affected by climatic suitability class, such that mean brood production per female increased as historical climatic suitability decreased. 5.,Synthesis and applications. The current study demonstrates that the mountain pine beetle has higher reproductive success in areas where its host trees have not experienced frequent beetle epidemics, which includes much of the current outbreak area in north central British Columbia. This increased productivity of mountain pine beetle is likely to have been a key reason for the rapid population buildup that resulted in unprecedented host tree mortality over huge areas in western Canada. The outbreak thus provides an example of how climate change-driven range expansion of native forest insects can have potentially disastrous consequences. Since an increased reproductive success is likely to accelerate the progression of outbreaks, it is particularly critical to manage forests for the maintenance of a mosaic of species and age classes at the landscape level in areas where host tree populations are naïve to eruptive herbivores. [source] Technical limits of comparison of step-sectioning,immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR on breast cancer sentinel nodes: a study on methacarn-fixed tissueJOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, Issue 9b 2009Lorenzo Daniele Abstract The optimal pathological assessment of sentinel nodes (SLNs) in breast cancer is a matter of debate. Currently, multilevel histological evaluation and immunohistochemistry (IHC) are recommended, but alternative RT-PCR procedures have been developed. To assess the reliability of these different procedures, we devised a step-sectioning protocol at 100 micron-intervals of 74 SLNs using methacarn fixation. mRNA was extracted from sections collected from levels 4 to 5. Mammaglobin, CEA and CK19 were used for RT-PCR. mRNA extraction was successful in 69 SLNs. Of these, 7 showed macrometastases (>2mm), 2 showed micrometastases (<2 mm) and 7 showed isolated tumour cells (ITC) by IHC. RT-PCR was positive for the three markers in 6 of 7 macrometastases and in 1 of 2 micrometastases. In the 2 RT-PCR negative cases, metastases were detected only on sections distant from those analysed by RT-PCR. CEA and/or CK19 were positive by RT-PCR in 3 of 7 ITC and in 23 morphologically negative SLNs. In conclusion, the main goal of our study was to show that the use of alternate sections of the same sample for different procedures is the key reason for the discrepancies between molecular and morphological analyses of SLN. We believe that only prospective studies with quantitative mRNA analysis of specific metastatic markers on the whole lymph node can elucidate the utility of molecular assessments of SLN. [source] The Question of Sustainability for Microfinance Institutions,JOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2007J. Jordan Pollinger Microentrepreneurs have considerable difficulty accessing capital from mainstream financial institutions. One key reason is that the costs of information about the characteristics and risk levels of borrowers are high. Relationship-based financing has been promoted as a potential solution to information asymmetry problems in the distribution of credit to small businesses. In this paper, we seek to better understand the implications for providers of "microfinance" in pursuing such a strategy. We discuss relationship-based financing as practiced by microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the United States, analyze their lending process, and present a model for determining the break-even price of a microcredit product. Comparing the model's results with actual prices offered by existing institutions reveals that credit is generally being offered at a range of subsidized rates to microentrepreneurs. This means that MFIs have to raise additional resources from grants or other funds each year to sustain their operations as few are able to survive on the income generated from their lending and related operations. Such subsidization of credit has implications for the long-term sustainability of institutions serving this market and can help explain why mainstream financial institutions have not directly funded microenterprises. We conclude with a discussion of the role of nonprofit organizations in small business credit markets, the impact of pricing on their potential sustainability and self-sufficiency, and the implications for strategies to better structure the credit market for microbusinesses. [source] Birds select conventional over organic wheat when given free choiceJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 11 2010Ailsa J McKenzie Abstract BACKGROUND: Global demand for organic produce is increasing by ,4 billion annually. One key reason why consumers buy organic food is because they consider it to be better for human and animal health. Reviews comparing organic and conventional food have stated that organic food is preferred by birds and mammals in choice tests. RESULTS: This study shows the opposite result,that captive birds in the laboratory and wild garden birds both consumed more conventional than organic wheat when given free choice. There was a lag in preference formation during which time birds learnt to distinguish between the two food types, which is likely to explain why the present results differ from those of previous studies. A further experiment confirmed that, of 16 potential causal factors, detection by birds of consistently higher levels of protein in conventional seeds (a common difference between many organic and conventional foodstuffs) is the likely mechanism behind this pattern. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the current dogma that organic food is preferred to conventional food may not always be true, which is of considerable importance for consumer perceptions of organically grown food. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Reduced rates of axonal and dendritic growth in embryonic hippocampal neurones cultured from a mouse model of Sandhoff diseaseNEUROPATHOLOGY & APPLIED NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2003D. Pelled Sandhoff disease is a lysosomal storage disease in which ganglioside GM2 accumulates because of a defective ,-subunit of ,-hexosaminidase. This disease is characterized by neurological manifestations, although the pathogenic mechanisms leading from GM2 accumulation to neuropathology are largely unknown. We now examine the viability, development and rates of neurite growth of embryonic hippocampal neurones cultured from a mouse model of Sandhoff disease, the Hexb,/, mouse. GM2 was detected by metabolic labelling at low levels in wild type (Hexb+/+) neurones, and increased by approximately three-fold in Hexb,/, neurones. Hexb,/, hippocampal neurones were as viable as their wild type counterparts and, moreover, their developmental programme was unaltered because the formation of axons and of the minor processes which eventually become dendrites was similar in Hexb,/, and Hexb+/+ neurones. In contrast, once formed, a striking difference in the rate of axonal and minor process growth was observed, with changes becoming apparent after 3 days in culture and highly significant after 5 days in culture. Analysis of various parameters of axonal growth suggested that a key reason for the decreased rate of axonal growth was because of a decrease in the formation of collateral axonal branches, the major mechanism by which hippocampal axons elongate in culture. Thus, although the developmental programme with respect to axon and minor process formation and the viability of hippocampal neurones are unaltered, a significant decrease occurs in the rate of axonal and minor process growth in Hexb,/, neurones. These results appear to be in contrast to dorsal root ganglion neurones cultured from 1-month-old Sandhoff mice, in which cell survival is impaired but normal outgrowth of neurones occurs. The possible reasons for these differences are discussed. [source] Reinvestigating hyperpolarized 129Xe longitudinal relaxation time in the rat brain with noise considerationsNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 3 2008X. Zhou Abstract The longitudinal relaxation time of hyperpolarized (HP) 129Xe in the brain is a critical parameter for developing HP 129Xe brain imaging and spectroscopy and optimizing the pulse sequences, especially in the case of cerebral blood flow measurements. Various studies have produced widely varying estimates of HP 129Xe T1 in the rat brain. To make improved measurements of HP 129Xe T1 in the rat brain and investigate how low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) contributes to these discrepancies, we developed a multi-pulse protocol during the washout of 129Xe from the brain. Afterwards, we applied an SNR threshold theory to both the multi-pulse protocol and an existing two-pulse protocol. The two protocols yielded mean,±,SD HP 129Xe T1 values in the rat brain of 15.3,±,1.2 and 16.2,±,0.9,s, suggesting that the low SNR might be a key reason for the wide range of T1 values published in the literature, a problem that might be easily alleviated by taking SNR levels into account. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Filling of carbon nanotubes for bio-applicationsPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 11 2007S. Costa Abstract Carbon nanotubes (CNT) provide a smart carrier system on the nanometer scale. The system can be used as a template for ferromagnetic fillers. Such a molecular hybrid is a promising potential candidate for the controlled heating of tumour tissue at the cellular level. This is a key reason why it is important to optimize the synthesis route of metal filled carbon nanotubes with regards bulk scale synthesis and purity. In the current study we present multiwalled carbon nanotubes filled with ,-iron phase (Fe-MWCNT). The influence of acid treatment on the stability of the filling and the sample purity is also presented. High resolution transmission microscopy, its Energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) modes have been applied for the analysis of the morphology and chemical composition of the samples. The phase of iron nanowires encapsulated into the carbon nanotubes was determined with selected area electron diffraction (SAED) on a local scale. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Immunobiology of Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction: New Insights from the Bench and BeyondAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 8 2009R. A. Shilling The first successful human lung transplants were performed in the 1980s. Since that time lung transplantation has been a therapeutic modality for end-stage pulmonary diseases. However, chronic rejection, known as obliterative bronchiolitis (OB)/bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), is the key reason why the 5-year survival is only 50%, which is significantly worse than most other solid organ transplants. Recent studies have provided exciting advances that are beginning to be translated into findings in humans. This review will highlight the current advances in understanding the mechanisms of OB/BOS in lung transplant recipients. [source] Identification of genes encoding N -glycan processing ,- N -acetylglucosaminidases in Trichoplusia ni and Bombyx mori: Implications for glycoengineering of baculovirus expression systemsBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 1 2010Christoph Geisler Abstract Glycoproteins produced by non-engineered insects or insect cell lines characteristically bear truncated, paucimannose N -glycans in place of the complex N -glycans produced by mammalian cells. A key reason for this difference is the presence of a highly specific N -glycan processing ,- N -acetylglucosaminidase in insect, but not in mammalian systems. Thus, reducing or abolishing this enzyme could enhance the ability of glycoengineered insects or insect cell lines to produce complex N -glycans. Of the three insect species routinely used for recombinant glycoprotein production, the processing ,- N -acetylglucosaminidase gene has been isolated only from Spodoptera frugiperda. Thus, the purpose of this study was to isolate and characterize the genes encoding this important processing enzyme from the other two species, Bombyx mori and Trichoplusia ni. Bioinformatic analyses of putative processing ,- N -acetylglucosaminidase genes isolated from these two species indicated that each encoded a product that was, indeed, more similar to processing ,- N -acetylglucosaminidases than degradative or chitinolytic ,- N -acetylglucosaminidases. In addition, over-expression of each of these genes induced an enzyme activity with the substrate specificity characteristic of processing, but not degradative or chitinolytic enzymes. Together, these results demonstrated that the processing ,- N -acetylglucosaminidase genes had been successfully isolated from Trichoplusia ni and Bombyx mori. The identification of these genes has the potential to facilitate further glycoengineering of baculovirus-insect cell expression systems for the production of glycosylated proteins. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010 [source] The Artist in Contemplation: Love and Creation in Schiller's Philosophische BriefeGERMAN LIFE AND LETTERS, Issue 1 2007Jennifer Driscoll Colosimo ABSTRACT In addition to documenting the development of the author's philosophical world-view from his student days to his first years as an independent artist, Schiller's Philosophische Briefe provide a unique view into his continued endeavour to define and defend the artist's role in society. The examination of the artistic nature forms a remarkable subtext throughout the entire Philosophische Briefe project. It is certainly not Schiller's conscious intent to expose his own doubts and insecurities regarding the moral tendency of his profession. Indeed, his stance in the foreword to the work is so urgently self-assured that he betrays himself primarily by protesting too much. However, the frame narrative and the internal philosophical essay, the Theosophie des Julius, reveal just how much his early philosophy centres on the justification of the artist, and how tenuous this justification is. This article addresses the representation of the artist in each of the three sections that compose the Philosophische Briefe, with reference to other works of the same period that relate thematically. Taken together, these representations illuminate some of the key reasons why Schiller felt compelled to defend his life's pursuit, and against what or whom. [source] Printing the Regicide of Charles IHISTORY, Issue 296 2004MOS TUBB The execution of Charles I by the English republic on 30 January 1649 was the most unpopular political act of the seventeenth century. Yet within three weeks of Charles's death the leaders of the new government were ,cheerful and well pleased'. This article explores one of the key reasons for their good mood: they had just managed a polemical triumph. In the weeks following the regicide, parliament and its supporters had justified the king's execution with a wide array of printed documents. Further, various government agents severely hampered the republic's opponents from printing their own missives, thereby creating a fairly clear space for the pro-regicide press. Although the long-term impact may have been limited, there can be little doubt that the English republic and its proponents asserted a potent case for regicide in early February 1649. [source] Interest formation in greenfield union organising campaignsINDUSTRIAL RELATIONS JOURNAL, Issue 5 2007Melanie Simms ABSTRACT This article examines the processes by which unions come to express the interests of workers during organising campaigns. Evidence from five longitudinal cases shows the central importance of officials and organisers. Three key reasons for this are explored: the need for expert knowledge in organising campaigns, the fact that officials and organisers are well placed to identify and to construct common interests among a diversity of interest groups, and the fact that the training they receive explicitly encourages this role. Furthermore, it is argued that this helps explain some of the difficulties observed in organising campaigns specifically; the limitations of campaigns that primarily focus at workplace level, and the relatively narrow definition of collective interests that this approach encourages. [source] Toward a Global Theory of Mind: The Potential Benefits of Presenting a Range of IR Theories through Active LearningINTERNATIONAL STUDIES PERSPECTIVES, Issue 4 2003A. L. Morgan Active learning is particularly well-suited to teaching across the range of perspectives inherent in the practice and study of international politics for two key reasons: (1) because of its capacity to highlight how subjective, intersubjective, and contested understandings play an important role in determining outcomes in the ivory tower as well as in the real world and (2) because of the compatibility between underlying theories of knowledge that inform active learning and the newer generation of IR theories including subaltern realism, social constructivism, constitutive theory, and postmodernism. This article explores the potential benefits of presenting these and other norm-oriented theories through active learning. It also discusses ways to overcome barriers to the integration of active learning techniques. [source] Model-based uncertainty in species range predictionJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 10 2006Richard G. Pearson Abstract Aim, Many attempts to predict the potential range of species rely on environmental niche (or ,bioclimate envelope') modelling, yet the effects of using different niche-based methodologies require further investigation. Here we investigate the impact that the choice of model can have on predictions, identify key reasons why model output may differ and discuss the implications that model uncertainty has for policy-guiding applications. Location, The Western Cape of South Africa. Methods, We applied nine of the most widely used modelling techniques to model potential distributions under current and predicted future climate for four species (including two subspecies) of Proteaceae. Each model was built using an identical set of five input variables and distribution data for 3996 sampled sites. We compare model predictions by testing agreement between observed and simulated distributions for the present day (using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and kappa statistics) and by assessing consistency in predictions of range size changes under future climate (using cluster analysis). Results, Our analyses show significant differences between predictions from different models, with predicted changes in range size by 2030 differing in both magnitude and direction (e.g. from 92% loss to 322% gain). We explain differences with reference to two characteristics of the modelling techniques: data input requirements (presence/absence vs. presence-only approaches) and assumptions made by each algorithm when extrapolating beyond the range of data used to build the model. The effects of these factors should be carefully considered when using this modelling approach to predict species ranges. Main conclusions, We highlight an important source of uncertainty in assessments of the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and emphasize that model predictions should be interpreted in policy-guiding applications along with a full appreciation of uncertainty. [source] Charting the future course of rural health and remote health in Australia: Why we need theoryAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2010Lisa Bourke Abstract Objective:,This paper argues that rural and remote health is in need of theoretical development. Design:,Based on the authors' discussions, reflections and critical analyses of literature, this paper proposes key reasons why rural and remote health warrants the development of theoretical frameworks. Results:,The paper cites five reasons why theory is needed: (i) theory provides an approach for how a topic is studied; (ii) theory articulates key assumptions in knowledge development; (iii) theory systematises knowledge, enabling it to be transferable; (iv) theory provides predictability; and (v) theory enables comprehensive understanding. Conclusion:,This paper concludes with a call for theoretical development in both rural and remote health to expand its knowledge and be more relevant to improving health care for rural Australians. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||