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Half Century (half + century)
Kinds of Half Century Selected AbstractsEXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE FOR FREQUENCY DEPENDENT SELF-FERTILIZATION IN THE GYNODIOECIOUS PLANT, SILENE VULGARISEVOLUTION, Issue 6 2009Keiko Miyake After over a half century of empirical and theoretical research regarding the evolution and maintenance of gynodioecy in plants, unexplored factors influencing the relative fitnesses of females and hermaphrodites remain. Theoretical studies suggest that hermaphrodite self-fertilization (selfing) rate influences the maintenance of gynodioecy and we hypothesized that population sex ratio may influence hermaphrodite selfing rate. An experimental test for frequency-dependent self-fertilization was conducted using replicated populations constructed with different sex ratios of the gynodioecious plant Silene vulgaris. We found that hermaphrodite selfing increased with decreased hermaphrodite frequency, whereas evidence for increased inbreeding depression was equivocal. We argue that incorporation of context dependent inbreeding into future models of the evolution of gynodioecy is likely to yield novel insights into sex ratio evolution. [source] Regularized Intergovernmentalism: France,Germany and Beyond (1963,2009)FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS, Issue 2 2010Ulrich Krotz Regularized intergovernmentalism refers to a distinct kind of foreign policy practice that connects and intertwines foreign policy processes in particular ways. This paper puts forth a concept to properly capture and expose such distinctive foreign policy realities characterizing certain periods and places. With this concept, the article systematically scrutinizes the intergovernmental fabric of bilateral Franco,German relations from 1963 to 2009. The characteristic features of Franco,German regularized intergovernmentalism represent a crucial foreign policy connection, foundational for European affairs of the past half century and a defining feature of Europe's post-war order and regional governance. Exploring key aspects of what it is that links France and Germany in particular ways, this paper offers a historically deeply grounded constitutive analysis. Based on its constitutive inquiries, the papers points at new possibilities of causal theorizing and explores some of regularized intergovernmentalism's hypothesized effects and limitations. Franco,German intergovernmental affairs may be the most developed instance of this practice. But regularized bilateral intergovernmentalism is not a Franco,German idiosyncrasy. Rather, it is an important and apparently growing approach to structuring foreign policy conduct, and seems an increasingly prominent aspect of how the world is organized. [source] Changes in age-associated neurodegenerative diseases in the last half centuryGERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2002Asao Hirano Age-associated neurodegenerative diseases are a serious and growing problem for mankind, and their etiologies are still unknown. The author has been studying the neuropathology of fatal neurodegenerative diseases endemic to the native Chamorro population on Guam during the last half a century. During this time, remarkable advances in scientific technology, such as the application of electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry and molecular genetics, have contributed to numerous discoveries in classic neurological diseases. In addition, various new diseases have been recognized. This communication reviews Alzheimer's neurofibrillary tangles and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase positive Lewy body-like inclusions in the anterior horn cells, in order to elucidate these pathological findings as well as remarkable changes observed in certain other age-related neurodegenerative diseases. [source] Hemispheric-scale patterns of climate-related shifts in planktonic diatoms from North American and European lakesGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 11 2008KATHLEEN RÜHLAND Abstract A synthesis of over 200 diatom-based paleolimnological records from nonacidified/nonenriched lakes reveals remarkably similar taxon-specific shifts across the Northern Hemisphere since the 19th century. Our data indicate that these diatom shifts occurred in conjunction with changes in freshwater habitat structure and quality, which, in turn, we link to hemispheric warming trends. Significant increases in the relative abundances of planktonic Cyclotella taxa (P<0.01) were concurrent with sharp declines in both heavily silicified Aulacoseira taxa (P<0.01) and benthic Fragilaria taxa (P<0.01). We demonstrate that this trend is not limited to Arctic and alpine environments, but that lakes at temperate latitudes are now showing similar ecological changes. As expected, the onset of biological responses to warming occurred significantly earlier (P<0.05) in climatically sensitive Arctic regions (median age=ad 1870) compared with temperate regions (median age=ad 1970). In a detailed paleolimnological case study, we report strong relationships (P<0.005) between sedimentary diatom data from Whitefish Bay, Lake of the Woods (Ontario, Canada), and long-term changes in air temperature and ice-out records. Other potential environmental factors, such as atmospheric nitrogen deposition, could not explain our observations. These data provide clear evidence that unparalleled warming over the last few decades resulted in substantial increases in the length of the ice-free period that, similar to 19th century changes in high-latitude lakes, likely triggered a reorganization of diatom community composition. We show that many nonacidified, nutrient-poor, freshwater ecosystems throughout the Northern Hemisphere have crossed important climatically induced ecological thresholds. These findings are worrisome, as the ecological changes that we report at both mid- and high-latitude sites have occurred with increases in mean annual air temperature that are less than half of what is projected for these regions over the next half century. [source] Quantifying carbon sequestration as a result of soil erosion and deposition: retrospective assessment using caesium-137 and carbon inventoriesGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2007TIMOTHY ANDREW QUINE Abstract The role of soil erosion in the global carbon cycle remains a contested subject. A new approach to the retrospective derivation of erosion-induced quantitative fluxes of carbon between soil and atmosphere is presented and applied. The approach is based on the premise that soil redistribution perturbs the carbon cycle by driving disequilibrium between soil carbon content and input. This perturbation is examined by establishing the difference between measured carbon inventories and the inventories that would be found if input and content were in dynamic equilibrium. The carbon inventory of a profile in dynamic equilibrium is simulated by allowing lateral and vertical redistribution of carbon but treating all other profile inputs as equal to outputs. Caesium-137 is used to derive rates of vertical and lateral soil redistribution. Both point and field-scale estimates of carbon exchange with the atmosphere are derived using the approach for a field subject to mechanized agricultural in the United Kingdom. Sensitivity analysis is undertaken and demonstrates that the approach is robust. The results indicate that, despite a 15% decline in the carbon content of the cultivation layer of the eroded part of the field, this area has acted as a net sink of 11 ± 2 g C m,2 yr,1 over the last half century and that in the field as a whole, soil redistribution has driven a sink of 7 ± 2 g C m,2 yr,1 (6 ± 2 g C m,2 yr,1 if all eroded carbon transported beyond the field boundary is lost to the atmosphere) over the same period. This is the first empirical evidence for, and quantification of, dynamic replacement of eroded carbon. The relatively modest field-scale net sink is more consistent with the identification of erosion and deposition as a carbon sink than a carbon source. There is a clear need to assemble larger databases with which to evaluate critically the carbon sequestration potential of erosion and deposition in a variety of conditions of agricultural management, climate, relief, and soil type. In any case, this study demonstrated that the operation of erosion and deposition processes within the boundaries of agricultural fields must be understood as a key driver of the net carbon cycle consequences of cultivating land. [source] The fall of the English gentleman: the national character in decline, c.1918,1970HISTORICAL RESEARCH, Issue 187 2002Marcus Collins The figure of the gentleman and his allied qualities of amateurism, sportsmanship and self-control dominated public discussions of Englishness in the half century after the Great War. From 1918 to the mid nineteen-fifties, gentlemanliness enjoyed strong, although by no means unanimous, support among commentators on national character. Subsequently, however, the reputation of the gentleman suffered irreparable damage at the hands of a post-war generation seeking scapegoats for the country's perceived economic, geopolitical and moral decline. This article seeks to explain when and why gentlemanliness lost its reputation as the exemplar of Englishness, and the consequent effects on national culture and identity. [source] The Coming of Advanced Materials: A Personal View of the Contributions by Cambridge Scientists,ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 38-39 2009John Meurig Thomas Abstract The highly significant contributions both directly and indirectly made to the study of condensed matter in general and to advanced materials in particular by a succession of Cambridge scientists over the early years of the past half century are adumbrated in the light of the conjunction of the 21st anniversary of the founding of this journal and the 800th anniversary of the University of Cambridge. So also are the reasons for the burgeoning growth in the last few decades of the preparation, characterization, and use of various kinds of advanced materials. A summary is also given of the author's own work in solid-state and materials science, including a brief appraisal of recent strategies for the design of advanced catalysts for the production (under environmentally benign conditions) of a number of industrially important chemicals ranging from vitamins to commodities, such as adipic acid and terephthalic acid, and building blocks, such as styrene oxide, that are utilized in the manufacture of cosmetics and perfumes. [source] The UNHCR and World Politics: State Interests vs.INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 1 2001Institutional Autonomy This article situates the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) within the context of world politics. States remain the predominant actors in the international political system. But this does not mean that international organizations like the UNHCR are completely without power or influence. Tracing the evolution of the agency over the past half century, this article argues that while the UNHCR has been constrained by states, the notion that it is a passive mechanism with no independent agenda of its own is not borne out by the empirical evidence of the past 50 years. Rather UNHCR policy and practice have been driven both by state interests and by the office acting independently or evolving in ways not expected nor necessarily sanctioned by states. [source] The Creation and Empowerment of the European Parliament*JCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 2 2003Berthold Rittberger Up until now we have lacked a systematic, theoretically guided explanation of why the European Union, as the only system of international governance, contains a powerful representative institution, the European Parliament, and why it has been successively empowered by national governments over the past half century. It is argued that national governments' decisions to transfer sovereignty to a new supranational level of governance triggers an imbalance between procedural and consequentialist legitimacy which political elites are fully aware of. To repair this imbalance, proposals to empower the European Parliament play a prominent though not exclusive role. Three landmark events are analysed to assess the plausibility of the advanced theory: the creation of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community, the acquisition of budgetary powers (Treaty of Luxembourg, 1970) and of legislative powers through the Single European Act (1986). [source] Development economics at a crossroads?JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 7 2006Introduction to a policy arena Abstract This introduction reviews some of the issues and controversies within development economics over the last half century. Particular attention is given to the status of development economics as a sub-discipline of economics and to the relationship between theoretical and empirical contributions. There is a focus on the controversies which exist within the economics profession over some very important theoretical and empirical issues relating to the analysis of the economies of developing countries and their interaction with the international economy. A critical discussion of the proposition that ,development economics' is actually little more than ,the economics of developing countries' raises the questions of the nature of development economics and whether it is at a ,crossroads'. The introduction concludes with brief overviews of the five articles which follow and some reflections on the future of development economics. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Air pollution: A half century of progressAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 6 2004John H. Seinfeld Abstract In the 50 years since the air pollution episodes of Donora, PA and London, U.K., a great deal of progress has been made in understanding the nature and sources of air pollution and the atmospheric transport and transformation of pollutants. Also, many significant technological advances in air pollution control equipment, such as the automobile exhaust gas catalytic converter, have led to effective reduction of emissions from a variety of major pollution sources. Finally, remarkable developments in instrumentation for sampling the trace species in the atmosphere have been and continue to be made. Relatively less progress has been made in understanding the biological mechanisms by which pollutants lead to human injury and mortality. In this review the focus is on the extraordinary progress that has been made over the last half century in understanding the atmospheric nature and behavior of pollutants, both gaseous and particulate. A major breakthrough was the determination of the gas-phase chemistry of both the natural and polluted atmosphere, chemistry that leads to the formation of ozone and a vast array of oxidized molecules. The mechanisms of the oxidation of atmospheric sulfur dioxide, one of the main primary pollutants, were elucidated. Finally, the chemistry, physics, and optics of atmospheric particulate matter (aerosols) have been laid open by many stunning research achievements. Whereas 50 years ago air pollution was thought to be confined to the area around a city, it is now recognized that species emitted on one continent frequently find their way to other continents. Strategies for dealing with a truly global atmospheric backyard now represent a major challenge. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 50:1096,1108, 2004 [source] Where Does Personality Have Its Influence?JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 6 2008A Supermatrix of Consistency Concepts ABSTRACT An understanding of the nature of personality depends on clear conceptions of consistency. Researchers have applied the term consistency in ambiguous and inconsistent ways over the last half century, which has led to a great deal of confusion and debate over the existence of personality. This article seeks to reframe and extend conceptions of consistency and thus proposes three important ways consistency concepts differ from each other. The first way consistency concepts differ from each other is in the competing determinant of behavior that the consistency is across: time, situation content, or behavior content. The second way consistency concepts differ from each other is in the definition of behavior enactment: single enactment, aggregate enactment, contingent enactment, or patterned enactment. When these two dimensions are crossed with a third dimension,definition of similarity (absolute, relative-position, or ipsative),they create a supermatrix of 36 consistency concepts. Empirical support for each of these 36 consistency concepts, or its failure, has uniquely different implications for the fundamental nature of personality. This supermatrix can serve as a guide for future research aimed at discovering the nature of personality. [source] Effects of Land-Use and Land-Cover Change on Evapotranspiration and Water Yield in China During 1900-2000,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 5 2008Mingliang Liu Abstract:, China has experienced a rapid land-use/cover change (LUCC) during the 20th Century, and this process is expected to continue in the future. How LUCC has affected water resources across China, however, remains uncertain due to the complexity of LUCC-water interactions. In this study, we used an integrated Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model (DLEM) in conjunction with spatial data of LUCC to estimate the LUCC effects on the magnitude, spatial and temporal variations of evapotranspiration (ET), runoff, and water yield across China. Through comparisons of DLEM results with other model simulations, field observations, and river discharge data, we found that DLEM model can adequately catch the spatial and seasonal patterns of hydrological processes. Our simulation results demonstrate that LUCC led to substantial changes in ET, runoff, and water yield in most of the China's river basins during the 20th Century. The temporal and spatial patterns varied significantly across China. The largest change occurred during the second half century when almost all of the river basins had a decreasing trend in ET and an increasing trend in water yield and runoff, in contrast to the inclinations of ET and declinations of water yield in major river basins, such as Pearl river basin, Yangtze river basin, and Yellow river basin during the first half century. The increased water yield and runoff indicated alleviated water deficiency in China in the late 20th Century, but the increased peak flow might make the runoff difficult to be held by reservoirs. The continuously increasing ET and decreasing water yield in Continental river basin, Southwest river basin, and Songhua and Liaohe river basin implied regional water deficiency. Our study in China indicates that deforestation averagely increased ET by 138 mm/year but decreased water yield by the same amount and that reforestation averagely decreased ET by 422 mm/year since most of deforested land was converted to paddy land or irrigated cropland. In China, cropland-related land transformation is the dominant anthropogenic force affecting water resources during the 20th Century. On national average, cropland expansion was estimated to increase ET by 182 mm/year while cropland abandonment decreased ET by 379 mm/year. Our simulation results indicate that urban sprawl generally decreased ET and increased water yield. Cropland managements (fertilization and irrigation) significantly increased ET by 98 mm/year. To better understand LUCC effects on China's water resources, it is needed to take into account the interactions of LUCC with other environmental changes such as climate and atmospheric composition. [source] Comparative assessment of the water balance and hydrology of selected Ethiopian and Kenyan Rift LakesLAKES & RESERVOIRS: RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008Tenalem Ayenew Abstract The study area is part of the East African Rift system, characterized by a cluster of lakes occupying an extremely faulted rift floor with geothermal manifestations. Some of the lakes illustrated contrasting water levels and size evolution over the last few decennia, believed to have been caused by various natural and anthropogenic factors. The relative importance of these factors, however, is unknown. This study attempts to present the hydrology of the lakes in a broader context, by giving more emphasis to lake water level fluctuations and to the water balance. These factors have far-reaching implications in regard to future management of the lake basin water. It also provides information on the relation of the groundwater with the lakes, and with the local and regional groundwater flow system from the adjacent highlands to the floor of the Rift. The methods utilized in this study include conventional hydrogeological field surveys, and hydrometeorological and data analyses, coupled with digital image processing and spatial analysis under a Geographic Information System environment. Ancillary supporting information has been obtained from environmental isotopes and hydrochemical data. The study results indicate the terminal Ethiopian lakes changed in size and water level significantly over the last half century. In contrast, the Kenyan lakes only exhibited slight changes. The lakes in both countries exhibit a striking similarity in their subsurface hydraulic connection, and are strongly governed by complex rift geological structures. Groundwater plays a vital role in the water balance of the study lakes. The study results indicate that future sustainable use of the study lakes demands that serious attention be given to the role of the groundwater component of the lake water balances. [source] The evolution of progesterone receptor ligandsMEDICINAL RESEARCH REVIEWS, Issue 3 2007Kevin P. Madauss Abstract Progesterone is one of the first nuclear receptor hormones to be described functionally and subsequently approached as a drug target. Because progesterone (1) affects both menstruation and gestation via the progesterone receptor (PR), research aimed at modulating its activity is usually surrounded by controversy. However, ligands for PR were developed into drugs, and their evolution can be crudely divided into three periods: (1) drug-like steroids that mimic the gestational properties of progesterone; (2) drug-like steroids with different properties from progesterone and expanded therapeutic applications; and (3) non-steroidal PR ligands with improved selectivity and modulator properties and further expanded therapeutic applications. Although the latter have yet to see widespread clinical applications, their development is founded on a half century of research, and they represent the future for this drug target. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev, 27, No. 3, 374,400, 2007 [source] The Essence of Islamist Resistance: A Different View of Iran, Hezbollah and HamasNEW PERSPECTIVES QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2009ALASTAIR CROOKE The Iranian revolution,the political realization of the "Great Refusal" of Western modernization,was a direct consequence a half century later of the forced secularization of the Ottoman Caliphate by Kemal Ataturk. With the superstructure of the Muslim ummah dismantled and replaced by the Turkish nation state, insurgent religious movements, from the (Sunni) Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to the Shiite imams of Qum and Najaf, moved into the vacuum to reclaim Islam from the shadow of Western dominance. Now, history is turning again. Iran has been seized by violent turmoil as it seeks to reconcile democracy and religious rule. Secular Turkey is governed by an Islamist-rooted party. As they struggle to regain their balance, the global economic meltdown threatens a convergence against globalization that joins the Islamist resistance with populist backlashes elsewhere. Two legendary intelligence agents, a Hezbollah leader, an Iranian dissident philosopher and Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Laureate, examine this historical turn. [source] Hezbollah: Islamist Resistance Comes of AgeNEW PERSPECTIVES QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2009SHEIKH NAIM QASSEM The Iranian revolution,the political realization of the "Great Refusal" of Western modernization,was a direct consequence a half century later of the forced secularization of the Ottoman Caliphate by Kemal Ataturk. With the superstructure of the Muslim ummah dismantled and replaced by the Turkish nation state, insurgent religious movements, from the (Sunni) Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to the Shiite imams of Qum and Najaf, moved into the vacuum to reclaim Islam from the shadow of Western dominance. Now, history is turning again. Iran has been seized by violent turmoil as it seeks to reconcile democracy and religious rule. Secular Turkey is governed by an Islamist-rooted party. As they struggle to regain their balance, the global economic meltdown threatens a convergence against globalization that joins the Islamist resistance with populist backlashes elsewhere. Two legendary intelligence agents, a Hezbollah leader, an Iranian dissident philosopher and Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel Laureate, examine this historical turn. [source] Economic geography: the rising star of the social sciencesOXONOMICS, Issue 1-2 2007Ashby H. B. Monk The study of economic geography is concerned with explaining the spatial configuration of economic activity; considering the extent of the world's economic growth over the last half century, the relevance of the discipline is clear. Economic geography is undeniably a ,new star' in the social sciences, a status confirmed by the success of the Journal of Economic Geography. Under the surface, however, economists and geographers disagree frequently about ontology and methodology. If used to enhance and improve ideas, these divisions will ultimately lead to better research and even greater success. [source] The Korean Peninsula Peace Regime: How to Build ItPACIFIC FOCUS, Issue 1 2009Tae-Hwan Kwak A Korean peninsula peace regime has not yet been established, over a half century since the Korean armistice agreement. Two approaches to a Korean peninsula peace-regime-building process are required: inter-Korean and international approaches. The two Koreas should play leading roles at the inter-Korean and international levels in inter-Korean confidence-building measures by reducing tension through reconciliation and economic cooperation. A Korean peace forum involving the USA, China and the two Koreas under the 19 September joint agreement could conclude a Korean peninsula peace treaty to replace the armistice agreement and a peace regime could be institutionalized by implementing the inter-Korean basic agreement (1992) through inter-Korean cooperation. This article proposes a comprehensive, long-term roadmap for the Korean peninsula peace-regime-building process. The author makes three major arguments. First, the two Koreas and the four powers need to agree on a comprehensive roadmap for the Korean peninsula peace-regime-building process as suggested here. The inter-Korean and international approaches to the peace-regime-building process should be considered in parallel. Second, the North Korean nuclear issue should be resolved peacefully through the Six-Party Talks. Third, the two Koreas need to work together to find an alternative to their respective proposals. The author proposes a Korean peninsula peace treaty signed by the ROK, the DPRK, the USA and China as an alternative. Unless the two Koreas demonstrate their desire to cooperate through sincere deeds by implementing inter-Korean agreements and are willing to make concessions by working together for establishing a peace regime in Korea, there is little chance of achieving this goal. [source] Effects of chronic elevated ozone concentration on antioxidant capacity, photosynthesis and seed yield of 10 soybean cultivarsPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 9 2010AMY M. BETZELBERGER ABSTRACT Crops losses to tropospheric ozone (O3) in the United States are estimated to cost $1,3 billion annually. This challenge is expected to increase as O3 concentrations ([O3]) rise over the next half century. This study tested the hypothesis that there is cultivar variation in the antioxidant, photosynthetic and yield response of soybean to growth at elevated [O3]. Ten cultivars of soybean were grown at elevated [O3] from germination through maturity at the Soybean Free Air Concentration Enrichment facility in 2007 and six were grown in 2008. Photosynthetic gas exchange, leaf area index, chlorophyll content, fluorescence and antioxidant capacity were monitored during the growing seasons in order to determine if changes in these parameters could be used to predict the sensitivity of seed yield to elevated [O3]. Doubling background [O3] decreased soybean yields by 17%, but the variation in response among cultivars and years ranged from 8 to 37%. Chlorophyll content and photosynthetic parameters were positively correlated with seed yield, while antioxidant capacity was negatively correlated with photosynthesis and seed yield, suggesting a trade-off between antioxidant metabolism and carbon gain. Exposure response curves indicate that there has not been a significant improvement in soybean tolerance to [O3] in the past 30 years. [source] Acute Myocardial Infarction and Acute Coronary Syndrome: Then and Now (1950,2005)PREVENTIVE CARDIOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Monte Malach MD Advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have been remarkable since the mid-20th century. Even the clinical terminology used to describe some of the various components of ACS have undergone change, while the latter term itself represents a fairly recent addition to the medical lexicon. Although there have been dramatic changes in the diagnostic and therapeutic interventions used and impressive declines in morbidity and mortality, the differential diagnosis and complications of AMI and ACS remain as challenging now as they were a half century ago. This article presents in detail the medical understanding of AMI in the mid-20th century and how physicians of that era managed it and its complications, and contrasts this with current evidence-based knowledge and interventions. [source] The Path Not Taken: Leonard White and the Macrodynamics of Administrative DevelopmentPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 4 2009Alasdair Roberts Leonard White, The Federalists: A Study in Administrative History (New York: Macmillan, 1948). Leonard White, The Jeffersonians: A Study in Administrative History, 1801,1829 (New York: Macmillan, 1951). Leonard White, The Jacksonians: A Study in Administrative History, 1829,1861 (New York: Macmillan, 1954). Leonard White, The Republican Era, 1869,1901: A Study in Administrative History (New York, Macmillan, 1958). This is a review of four books by Leonard White: The Federalists (1948), The Jeffersonians (1951), The Jacksonians (1954), and The Republican Era (1958). In these books, White develops an approach to the study of administrative development that accounts for a broad range of considerations, including political and economic structure, the organization of the international order, popular culture, the stock of available communication and organizational technologies, and executive talent. White also offers an early argument about the significance of path dependence in institutional evolution. White's approach is largely concerned with the macrodynamics of administrative development. It has been neglected within the field of public administration over the last half century. A literature that builds on White's work would improve the field's ability to explain and anticipate failures in state building and administrative reform. [source] Atypical Fetal Prostate Development is Associated with Ipsilateral Hypoplasia of the Wolffian Ducts in the ACI RatTHE ANATOMICAL RECORD : ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Luke E. Hofkamp Abstract For over a half century, the ACI (August × Copenhagen) rat has been a primary model for studying renal agenesis and ipsilateral hypoplasia (IHP) of the Wolffian-derived structures (WDS). Because the ACI rat is also used as a model for prostate research, it is important to examine the relationship of IHP and urogenital sinus (UGS) development. The prostate is dependent on androgens for proper growth and differentiation. Alteration in androgen production and/or delivery to the UGS has the potential to perturbate normal development. In this study, we investigate whether the ipsilateral loss of the WDS is associated with altered prostate development. Digital images of serial-sectioned fetal ACI rat UGS were used to create three-dimensional (3-D) surface-rendered models of the developing prostate, seminal vesicle, vas deferens, and utricle on gestational day 21. The number and volume of prostate ducts developing from the UGS were calculated from the 3-D model data. Animals exhibiting IHP had a significant decrease in total fetal prostate volume (40%; P < 0.005) with significant regional specific differences when compared with normal male ACI rats. Anatomical and histological differences in the utricle, abnormal histology of the ipsilateral testes, and a truncation of the ipsilateral Wolffian ductal mesenchyme were also seen in the animals with IHP. Additional research is needed to further understand the mechanisms and consequences of IHP on prostate growth and development. Alterations to normal prenatal development of the male accessory sex organs can have important consequences for the growth and morphology of the adult gland. Anat Rec, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Trends during a half century in relative squamous cell carcinoma distribution by body site in the Swedish population: Support for accumulated sun exposure as the main risk factorTHE JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Henrik DAL ABSTRACT There is a strong relationship between squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and exposure to ultraviolet radiation in terms of accumulated exposure. In this study, data from the Swedish Cancer Registry are surveyed to discern a reflection of behavioral and societal changes in relative distribution of SCC by body site. Data for the time period 1960,2004, including a total of 66 221 cases (56 669 people) were analyzed by body site for age and gender cohorts. The age-standardized (European population) incidence per 100 000 of SCC in the year 2004 was 30.4 in males and 15.4 in females. In the year 1960, the corresponding incidences were 7.7 and 3.8; that is, SCC has become four times more frequent in Sweden for both sexes during this period. The standardized incidence of SCC increased on all body sites except eyelids (men and women) and ears (women). Head tumors dominated among patients aged 70 years or more and diagnosed 1960,1964. Among patients less than 70 years old at diagnosis in 2000,2004, tumors of the trunk and limbs dominated. A relative increase of tumors of the scalp and neck was observed in all age groups (men), and of tumors of the trunk and upper limbs in all age groups and both sexes except among patients aged more than 90 years of age. In contrast, a relative decrease of tumors on the face (including the ears) was seen in all age groups. The relative increase of SCC of the trunk and upper limbs is a plausible reflection of intentional tanning. [source] Product Development and Learning in Project Teams: The Challenges Are the Benefits,THE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2009Amy C. Edmondson The value of teams in new product development (NPD) is undeniable. Both the interdisciplinary nature of the work and industry trends necessitate that professionals from different functions work together on development projects to create the highest-quality product in the shortest time. Understanding the conditions that facilitate teamwork has been a pursuit of researchers for nearly a half century. The present paper reviews existing literature on teams and team learning in organizational behavior and technology and innovation to offer insights for research on NPD teams. Building on prior work, the organizational benefits of NPD teams are summarized, and five attributes of these teams are identified that hinder attainment of their potential: (1) project complexity; (2) cross-functionality; (3) temporary membership; (4) fluid team boundaries; and (5) embeddedness in organizational structures. It is argued here that effective management of these five attributes allows not only organization-level benefits but also team-level benefits in the form of new capabilities and team member resilience. The critical roles of leadership and of communication and conflict management training are then highlighted as strategies for overcoming the challenges to team effectiveness in NPD as well as for realizing five team benefits: (1) project management skills; (2) broad perspective; (3) teaming skills; (4) expanded social network; and (5) boundary-spanning skills. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these ideas for conducting future team research. [source] Emigration in the long run: evidence from two global centuriesASIAN-PACIFIC ECONOMIC LITERATURE, Issue 2 2009Timothy J. Hatton International migration in the last half century is often characterised as following an inexorable upward trend that can only be stemmed by tougher immigration policies in the rich OECD. This view fails to pay sufficient attention to the supply-side forces that drive emigration from poor to rich countries. European mass migrations before 1914 suggest that emigration typically traces out what is sometimes called the ,migration hump' and what we call an ,emigration life cycle'. This paper examines the forces that underlay the mass migration from pre-1914 Europe and compares them with the experience since 1970. Despite the great importance of restrictive immigration policy today, we find the same forces at work in poor source countries today as a century ago. Our results also suggest that, contrary to popular belief, emigration pressure from the Third World is beginning to ease. [source] Comparisons and connections between mean field dynamo theory and accretion disc theoryASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 1 2010E.G. Blackman Abstract The origin of large scale magnetic fields in astrophysical rotators, and the conversion of gravitational energy into radiation near stars and compact objects via accretion have been subjects of active research for a half century. Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence makes both problems highly nonlinear, so both subjects have benefitted from numerical simulations.However, understanding the key principles and practical modeling of observations warrants testable semi-analytic mean field theories that distill the essential physics. Mean field dynamo (MFD) theory and alpha-viscosity accretion disc theory exemplify this pursuit. That the latter is a mean field theory is not always made explicit but the combination of turbulence and global symmetry imply such. The more commonly explicit presentation of assumptions in 20th century textbook MFDT has exposed it to arguably more widespread criticism than incurred by 20th century alpha-accretion theory despite complementary weaknesses. In the 21st century however, MFDT has experienced a breakthrough with a dynamical saturation theory that consistently agrees with simulations. Such has not yet occurred in accretion disc theory, though progress is emerging. Ironically however, for accretion engines, MFDT and accretion theory are presently two artificially uncoupled pieces of what should be a single coupled theory. Large scale fields and accretion flows are dynamically intertwined because large scale fields likely play a key role in angular momentum transport. I discuss and synthesize aspects of recent progress in MFDT and accretion disc theory to suggest why the two likely conspire in a unified theory (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] THE INAUGURAL NOEL BUTLIN LECTURE: WORLD FACTOR MIGRATIONS AND DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITIONSAUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 2 2004Jeffrey G. Williamson This lecture explores the connection between demographic transitions, mass migrations and international capital flows. It reviews how demographic transitions influence the size of age cohorts, and then how these changes in age distribution influence excess demands in receiving regions and excess supplies in sending regions. The lecture offers four examples , two from the first global century and two from the second global century , where shocks generated by demographic transitions have had an enormous impact on factor flows: European mass migrations to the New World before 1914; African mass migrations to the OECD over the past two decades; British capital export to the New World before 1914; and capital flows across East Asian borders after 1950 and before the melt down of the 1990s. The lecture concludes with an assessment of the demographic contribution to the East Asian miracle (and slowdown) over the past half century. [source] Development of the WHO Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System: A Historical PerspectiveBRAIN PATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Bernd W. Scheithauer MD Abstract The classification of brain tumors has undergone numerous changes over the past half century. The World Health Organization has played a key role in the effort. Four versions of its Classification of Tumours of the Central Nervous System have been published. The present work chronicles their progress, placing emphasis on the historical context of the earliest effort. [source] Continuities and Discontinuities in Children and ScholarshipCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2008Lynn S. Liben This article introduces a collection of essays on continuity and discontinuity in cognitive development. In his lead essay, J. Kagan (2008) argues that limitations in past research (e.g., on number concepts, physical solidarity, and object permanence) render conclusions about continuity premature. Commentaries respectively (1) argue that longitudinal contexts are essential for interpreting developmental data, (2) illustrate the value of converging measures, (3) identify qualitative change via dynamical systems theory, (4) redirect the focus from states to process, and (5) review epistemological premises of alternative research traditions. Following an overview of the essays, this introductory article discusses how the search for developmental structures, continuity, and process differs between mechanistic-contextualist and organismic-contextualist metatheoretical frameworks, and closes by highlighting continuities in Kagan's scholarship over the past half century. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||