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Underlying
Kinds of Underlying Terms modified by Underlying Selected AbstractsEVOLUTIONARY MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE EFFECT OF SUBJECTIVE SOCIAL STATUS ON SMOKING ABSTINENCE: ULTIMATE VERSUS PROXIMATE EXPLANATIONSADDICTION, Issue 8 2010HENRI-JEAN AUBIN No abstract is available for this article. [source] Predators temper the relative importance of stochastic processes in the assembly of prey metacommunitiesECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 11 2009Jonathan M. Chase Abstract Communities assemble through a combination of stochastic processes, which can make environmentally similar communities divergent (high ,-diversity), and deterministic processes, which can make environmentally similar communities convergent (low ,-diversity). Top predators can influence both stochasticity (e.g. colonization and extinction events) and determinism (e.g. size of the realized species pool), in community assembly, and thus their net effect is unknown. We investigated how predatory fish influenced the scaling of prey diversity in ponds at local and regional spatial scales. While fish reduced both local and regional richness, their effects were markedly more intense at the regional scale. Underlying this result was that the presence of fish made localities within metacommunities more similar in their community composition (lower ,-diversity), suggesting that fish enhance the deterministic, relative to the stochastic, components of community assembly. Thus, the presence of predators can alter fundamental mechanisms of community assembly and the scaling of diversity within metacommunities. [source] Plasticity and Grain Boundary Diffusion at Small Grain Sizes,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 8 2010Gerhard Wilde Bulk nanostructured,or ultrafine-grained materials are often fabricated by severe plastic deformation to break down the grain size by dislocation accumulation. Underlying the often spectacular property enhancement that forms the basis for a wide range of potential applications is a modification of the volume fraction of the grain boundaries. Yet, along with the property enhancements, several important questions arise concerning the accommodation of external stresses if dislocation-based processes are not longer dominant at small grain sizes. One question concerns so-called "non-equilibrium" grain boundaries that have been postulated to form during severe deformation and that might be of importance not only for the property enhancement known already today, but also for spectacular applications in the context of, e.g., gas permeation or fast matter transport for self-repairing structures. This contribution addresses the underlying issues by combining quantitative microstructure analysis at high resolution with grain boundary diffusion measurements. [source] The Regulation of Media Markets in selected EU Accession States in Central and Eastern EuropeEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 3 2003Alison Harcourt When formulating media laws in the early 1990s, these countries were presented with models put forth by advisors from the US and EU Member States. Advisors proposed models based upon their own domestic policy and/or organisation agendas. A resulting ,battle of the models' can be observed with different experts and actors lobbying for the adoption of contrasting regulatory models. Underlying this were often political, economic and trade interests. In particular, ,Western' governments were interested in guaranteeing the opening of new markets, and the stability of these new media markets for Western capital investment, as well as wider political concerns of consolidating democracy in Europe. Interest groups and NGOs wished to transfer their ideas to Eastern Europe often in advocacy of their own agendas in an enlarged Europe. [source] Lithospheric structure of an active backarc basin: the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New ZealandGEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2006Antony Harrison SUMMARY Seismic data from both explosive and earthquake sources have been used to model the crustal and upper-mantle velocity structure beneath the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), an active backarc basin in central North Island, New Zealand. Volcanic sediments with P -wave velocities of 2.0,3.5 km s,1 reach a maximum thickness of 3 km beneath the central TVZ. Underlying these sediments to 16 km depth is material with velocities of 5.0,6.5 km s,1, interpreted as quartzo-feldspathic crust. East and west of the TVZ, crust with similar velocities is found to depths of 30 and 25 km, respectively. Beneath the TVZ, material with P -wave velocities of 6.9,7.3 km s,1 is found from 16 to 30 km depth and is interpreted as heavily intruded or underplated lower crust. The base of the crust at 30 km depth under the TVZ is marked by a strong seismic reflector, interpreted as the Moho. Modelling of arrivals from deep (>40 km) earthquakes near the top of the underlying subducting Pacific Plate reveals a region with low mantle velocities of 7.4,7.8 km s,1 beneath the crust of the TVZ. This region of low mantle velocities is best explained by the presence of partially hydrated upper mantle, resulting from dehydration of hydrous minerals (e.g. serpentinite) carried down by the underlying subducting plate. Within the lower crust beneath the TVZ, a region of high (0.34) Poisson's ratio is observed, indicating the presence of at least 1 per cent partial melt. This melt probably fractionates and assimilates crustal material before some of it migrates into the upper crust, where it provides a source for the voluminous rhyolitic magmas of the TVZ. [source] ,A Garland in Place of Ashes':1Transformative Spirituality and Mission in the Post-Modern and Secular ContextsINTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF MISSION, Issue 2 2009Peter Cruchley-Jones In this paper I aim to explore not what is the so-called ,post-modern and secular context' but how the church responds to it, which is predominantly to blame it for ,decline'. Yet it may not be decline, it may be something else altogether. I am reflecting on a western/UK context, but within this are theological assumptions that characterize the wider church. So, having made some remarks on how to approach decline I will then explore some transformations of spirituality and mission that are responses to the post-modern and secular context. Underlying this is an attitude to ,spirituality' which is not about how we worship or our experience of the ,ethereal' but is about our ,capacity for life'. But, I want to maintain that nothing new or transformative can emerge until the church stops resenting and despairing of the context and change we are experiencing. Further, I am not convinced the church in the UK or the West is able to adapt to the strangeness of this new context and will seek always to bring it back under church control. But, I will then offer a post-modern image for transformative spirituality and mission that could leave its mark on the church. [source] How To Choose a Capital Structure: Navigating the Debt-Equity DecisionJOURNAL OF APPLIED CORPORATE FINANCE, Issue 1 2005Anil Shivdasani In corporate offices as well as the classroom, there continues to be significant debate about the costs and benefits of debt financing. There is also considerable variation in corporate credit ratings, even among companies as large and successful as those that make up the S&P 500. Many companies have been reassessing how they manage their balance sheet and their rating agency relationships; and with the market's generally favorable response to recapitalizations and dividend increases, such financing issues are likely to receive even more attention. Underlying the diversity of corporate credit ratings is widespread disagreement about the "right" credit rating,a matter that is complicated by the fact that the cost of debt varies widely among companies with the same rating. Although credit ratings are clearly tied to measures of indebtedness such as leverage and coverage ratios, the most important factor in most industries is a company's size. For many mid-sized companies, an investment-grade rating can be attained only by making a large, equity-financed acquisition,or by making minimal use of debt. In this sense, the corporate choice of credit rating can be as much a strategic issue as a financial decision. Maintaining the right amount of financial fl exibility is a key consideration when determining the right credit rating for a given company (although what management views as value-preserving flexibility may be viewed by the market as value-reducing financial "slack"). A BBB rating will accommodate considerably more leverage (30,60%) in companies with fairly stable cash flows and limited investment requirements than in more cyclical or growth-oriented companies (10,20%). When contemplating taking on more leverage, companies should examine all major operating risks and view their capital structure in the context of an enterprisewide risk management framework. [source] Age Trends in Femur Stresses From a Simulated Fall on the Hip Among Men and Women: Evidence of Homeostatic Adaptation Underlying the Decline in Hip BMDJOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 9 2006Thomas J Beck ScD Abstract Age trends in proximal femur stresses were evaluated by simulating a fall on the greater trochanter using femur geometry from hip DXA scans of 5334 white men and women in the NHANES III survey. Expansion of femur outer diameter seems to counter net bone loss so that stresses remain similar across age groups, but stresses are higher in older women than in older men. Introduction: The age decline in hip BMD is caused by both bone loss and expansion of outer diameter that increases the region size over which mass is measured in a DXA scan. Because expansion has an opposing effect on structural strength, it may be a homeostatic adaptation to net bone loss to ensure that load stresses are kept within a narrow range. Materials and Methods: Age trends in femur stresses were evaluated with an engineering beam simulation of a fall on the greater trochanter. Hip geometry was extracted from hip DXA scans using the Hip Structure Analysis (HSA) software on 2613 non-Hispanic white men and 2721 women from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Using body weight as load, stresses were computed on the inferior-medial and superior-lateral femur neck at its narrowest point and the medial and lateral shaft 2 cm distal to the midpoint of the lesser trochanter. Stresses and the underlying geometries in men and women >50 years oaf age were compared with those 20,49 years of age. Results: Compared with men <50 years of age, stresses in older men were 6% lower on both surfaces of the shaft, 4% lower on the inferior-medial neck, and not different on the superior-lateral neck. In women >50 years of age, stresses on the proximal shaft and inferior-medial neck remained within 3% of young values but were 13% greater on the superior-lateral neck. Neck stresses in young women were lower on the superior-lateral than the inferior-medial neck, but lateral stress increased to the level on the medial surface in older women. Stresses were higher in women than in men, with a greater gender difference in those >50 years of age. Conclusions: We conclude that femur expansion has a homeostatic effect in men and women that opposes bone loss so that stresses change little with age. Because expansion preserves stresses with progressively less bone mass, the process may reduce structural stability in the femoral neck under fall conditions, especially in the elderly female. [source] Towards a Socio-Cognitive Approach to Knowledge TransferJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 5 2008Torsten Ringberg abstract Dominant research streams in the knowledge transfer field, such as the positivist and social constructionist approaches, largely assume that knowledge transfer is accomplished through instructions and/or socially constructed practices. Underlying these views is the belief that texts and practices carry with them the codes necessary for their own decoding and therefore enable an unproblematic knowledge transfer. In contrast, we argue that the decoding of information into meaningful knowledge is always mediated by people's private and cultural models, which are created from the unique combination of their cognitive dispositions (i.e. acumen, memory, creativity, volitions, emotions) and socio-cultural interaction. The degree to which people apply these models reflectively and/or categorically (i.e. automatically) depends on the need for cognition as well as environmental demands and feedback. Therefore, knowledge transfer is always tentative, because it depends on the application of private and cultural models along the continuum that goes from reflective to categorical processing. We present first a critique of the positivist and social constructionist positions; then we introduce a socio-cognitive model that captures and explicates socio-cognitive processes involved in sense making during knowledge transfer. Finally, we explore future research streams and managerial implications. [source] Think really different: Continuity and specialization in the English dual form adverbsJOURNAL OF SOCIOLINGUISTICS, Issue 2 2002Sali Tagliamonte This paper analyses variation between -ly and -ø in English dual form adverbs by examining conversational data from York, U.K. Using multivariate analysis and the comparative method we assess the constraint ranking, significance and relative importance of external factors (age, sex, education level) and internal factors (lexical identity, function and meaning). The results show that -ly is dominant and has increased dramatically in apparent time. However, cross-tabulations with individual lexical items reveal that this correlation with speaker age is restricted to a single item,really. In conjunction with evidence from the history of English, we suggest that this does not reflect ongoing developments in English adverb formation, but is the result of continuous renewal in the encoding of ,intensity'. In contrast, separate analysis of the other adverbs shows that variation between -ly and zero is retained in part as a socio-symbolic resource, in particular for marking less educated male speech. Underlying this social meaning however, is a linguistic constraint which operates across all speakers. The zero adverb encodes concrete, objective meaning,a tendency which can be traced back 650 years or more. This provides yet another example of the interface between social and historical developments in language variation and change. [source] User preference: A measure of query-term qualityJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 12 2006Nina Wacholder The goal of this research is to understand what characteristics, if any, lead users engaged in interactive information seeking to prefer certain sets of query terms. Underlying this work is the assumption that query terms that information seekers prefer induce a kind of cognitive efficiency: They require less mental effort to process and therefore reduce the energy required in the interactive information-seeking process. Conceptually, this work applies insights from linguistics and cognitive science to the study of query-term quality. We report on an experiment in which we compare user preference for three sets of terms; one had been preconstructed by a human indexer, and two were identified automatically. Twenty-four participants used a merged list of all terms to answer a carefully created set of questions. By design, the interface constrained users to access the text exclusively via the displayed list of query terms. We found that participants displayed a preference for the human-constructed set of terms eight times greater than the preference for either set of automatically identified terms. We speculate about reasons for this strong preference and discuss the implications for information access. The primary contributions of this research are (a) explication of the concept of user preference as a measure of query-term quality and (b) identification of a replicable procedure for measuring preference for sets of query terms created by different methods, whether human or automatic. All other factors being equal, query terms that users prefer clearly are the best choice for real-world information-access systems. [source] A NEW METHOD OF PRICING LOOKBACK OPTIONSMATHEMATICAL FINANCE, Issue 2 2005Peter Buchen A new method for pricing lookback options (a.k.a. hindsight options) is presented, which simplifies the derivation of analytical formulas for this class of exotics in the Black-Scholes framework. Underlying the method is the observation that a lookback option can be considered as an integrated form of a related barrier option. The integrations with respect to the barrier price are evaluated at the expiry date to derive the payoff of an equivalent portfolio of European-type binary options. The arbitrage-free price of the lookback option can then be evaluated by static replication as the present value of this portfolio. We illustrate the method by deriving expressions for generic, standard floating-, fixed-, and reverse-strike lookbacks, and then show how the method can be used to price the more complex partial-price and partial-time lookback options. The method is in principle applicable to frameworks with alternative asset-price dynamics to the Black-Scholes world. [source] Oxidative stress, chronic disease, and muscle wastingMUSCLE AND NERVE, Issue 4 2007Jennifer S. Moylan PhD Abstract Underlying the pathogenesis of chronic disease is the state of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is an imbalance in oxidant and antioxidant levels. If an overproduction of oxidants overwhelms the antioxidant defenses, oxidative damage of cells, tissues, and organs ensues. In some cases, oxidative stress is assigned a causal role in disease pathogenesis, whereas in others the link is less certain. Along with underlying oxidative stress, chronic disease is often accompanied by muscle wasting. It has been hypothesized that catabolic programs leading to muscle wasting are mediated by oxidative stress. In cases where disease is localized to the muscle, this concept is easy to appreciate. Transmission of oxidative stress from diseased remote organs to skeletal muscle is thought to be mediated by humoral factors such as inflammatory cytokines. This review examines the relationship between oxidative stress, chronic disease, and muscle wasting, and the mechanisms by which oxidative stress acts as a catabolic signal. Muscle Nerve, 2007 [source] Identifying Mechanisms Underlying the Pain and Disability Relationship in Later Life: What Role Does the Brain Play?PAIN MEDICINE, Issue 8 2010Cary Reid MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] Localization and Partnership in the ,New National Health Service': England and Scotland ComparedPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 2 2001Bob Hudson This article examines some important and interesting differences in the designs of the ,New NHS' in England and Scotland in respect of two common guiding imperatives , localization and partnership. In examining the view of key local stakeholders faced with introducing the changes, we contrast the generally more flexible and less prescriptive approach in Scotland. In England there was, initially, a raft of guidance from the centre: in Scotland, by contrast, there was virtually none. In England the prime bases for localization will be PCGs and PCTs: in Scotland they will be Local Health Care Co-operatives (LHCCs). The latter, like the English PCGs, are to be GP-led; but unlike PCGs, membership is voluntary. Underlying such redesign of the organizational architecture are some important changes in cultures and modes of governance. In particular, we note the rhetoric of a shift, at macro-level, from hierarchies and quasi-markets to networks and the perceived reality of a micro-level shift from individualism to collegiality amongst GPs. [source] SEMIPARAMETRIC REGRESSION AND GRAPHICAL MODELSAUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF STATISTICS, Issue 1 2009M. P. Wand Summary Semiparametric regression models that use spline basis functions with penalization have graphical model representations. This link is more powerful than previously established mixed model representations of semiparametric regression, as a larger class of models can be accommodated. Complications such as missingness and measurement error are more naturally handled within the graphical model architecture. Directed acyclic graphs, also known as Bayesian networks, play a prominent role. Graphical model-based Bayesian ,inference engines', such as bugs and vibes, facilitate fitting and inference. Underlying these are Markov chain Monte Carlo schemes and recent developments in variational approximation theory and methodology. [source] Product and contaminant measurement in bioprocess development by SELDI-MSBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2010Alex Berrill Abstract Bioprocesses for therapeutic protein production typically require significant resources to be invested in their development. Underlying these efforts are analytical methods, which must be fit for the purpose of monitoring product and contaminants in the process. It is highly desirable, especially in early-phase development when material and established analytical methods are limiting, to be able to determine what happens to the product and impurities at each process step with small sample volumes in a rapid and readily performed manner. This study evaluates the utility of surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization mass spectroscopy (SELDI-MS), known for its rapid analysis and minimal sample volumes, as an analytical process development tool. In-process samples from an E. coli process for apolipoprotein A-IM (ApoA-IM) manufacture were used along with traditional analytical methods such as HPLC to check the SELDI-MS results. ApoA-IM is a naturally occurring variant of ApoA-I that appears to confer protection against cardiovascular disease to those that carry the mutated gene. The results show that, unlike many other analytical methods, SELDI-MS can handle early process samples that contain complex mixtures of biological molecules with limited sample pretreatment and thereby provide meaningful process-relevant information. At present, this technique seems most suited to early-phase development particularly when methods for traditional analytical approaches are still being established. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010 [source] Losing the voters' trust: evaluations of the political system and voting at the 1997 British general electionBRITISH JOURNAL OF POLITICS & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Issue 2 2001Charles Pattie Questions of standards in public life came to the fore of British politics during the 1992,1997 parliament. Concerns were expressed over the probity of individual politicians and of political parties and worries extended to the health of the British system of government as a whole. Underlying these news stories, however, were wider issues concerning attitudes towards government. Furthermore, these concerns about standards were also extensively reported during the 1997 election campaign, and were widely held, in popular accounts, to have played a part in the Conservative government's dramatic defeat. But, surprisingly, few academic analyses have tried to gauge either the extent of public concerns in 1997, or whether they really had an impact on party support. More generally, recent political science interest has focused on fears of declining public trust in the democratic system, throughout the western world. This article explores British voters' trust in their polity. [source] The experiences of disabled pupils and their familiesBRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 4 2007Ann Lewis In this article, Ann Lewis, Professor of Education at the University of Birmingham, and Ian Davison, Jean Ellins, Louise Niblett, Sarah Parsons, Christopher Robertson and Jeremy Sharpe from the research team provide a summary of discussions and selected recommendations arising from four linked projects run between 2004 and 2006. The projects were funded by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) and looked into the experiences of disabled pupils and their families across England, Scotland and Wales. A central aim of the research was to identify the key concerns and priorities in relation to their experiences of education for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities and their families in the UK. The research encompassed a UK-wide parent survey (N=1776); in-depth case studies of individual children and young people (N=36); group case studies (of, for example, school councils) (N=3); and a series of project advisory groups involving disabled people. Underlying these aspects was an emphasis on the importance and validity of hearing directly from (potentially all) children and young people themselves. Thus the work meshes closely with initiatives worldwide concerning the recognition of children's,voice'in matters that concern them. The authors are not aware of any comparable evidence which focuses in-depth on a wide cross-section of pupils with disabilities or special needs and their families in the UK-wide educational context and which is located alongside concurrent authoritative data concerning the views of parents and carers. [source] Fidelity in the Field: Developing Infrastructure and Fine-Tuning MeasurementCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, Issue 3 2010Amy D. Herschell [Clin Psychol Sci Prac 17: 253,257, 2010] Mazzucchelli and Sanders (2010) provide a thoughtful, detailed, and complex description of how to encourage flexible fidelity to one well-established, evidence-based treatment, the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program. As the authors highlight, many of the "lessons learned" from this wealth of treatment, research, and implementation experience were developed over decades and can be applied to other evidence-based treatments. Underlying many of the recommendations provided by Mazzucchelli and Sanders (2010) is a well-refined infrastructure to support implementation and the need to refine the measurement of fidelity in the field. This commentary will discuss each of those topics. It seems that we have many lessons to learn and hurdles to clear in this emerging area of science, which will be hastened by pioneers like Mazzucchelli and Sanders. [source] Sketching and Composing Widgets for 3D ManipulationCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 2 2008Ryan Schmidt Abstract We present an interface for 3D object manipulation in which standard transformation tools are replaced with transient 3D widgets invoked by sketching context-dependent strokes. The widgets are automatically aligned to axes and planes determined by the user's stroke. Sketched pivot-points further expand the interaction vocabulary. Using gestural commands, these basic elements can be assembled into dynamic, user-constructed 3D transformation systems. We supplement precise widget interaction with techniques for coarse object positioning and snapping. Our approach, which is implemented within a broader sketch-based modeling system, also integrates an underlying "widget history" to enable the fluid transfer of widgets between objects. An evaluation indicates that users familiar with 3D manipulation concepts can be taught how to efficiently use our system in under an hour. [source] On the optimality of Feautrier's scheduling algorithmCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 11-12 2003Frédéric Vivien Abstract Feautrier's scheduling algorithm is the most powerful existing algorithm for parallelism detection and extraction, but it has always been known to be suboptimal. However, the question as to whether it may miss some parallelism because of its design has not been answered. We show that this is not the case. Therefore, for an algorithm to find more parallelism than this algorithm, one needs to remove some of the hypotheses underlying its framework. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Sapphire: copying garbage collection without stopping the worldCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 3-5 2003Richard L. Hudson Abstract The growing use in concurrent systems of languages that require garbage collection (GC), such as Java, is raising practical interest in concurrent GC. Sapphire is a new algorithm for concurrent copying GC for Java. It stresses minimizing the amount of time any given application thread may need to block to support the collector. In particular, Sapphire is intended to work well in the presence of a large number of application threads, on small- to medium-scale shared memory multiprocessors. Sapphire extends previous concurrent copying algorithms, and is most closely related to replicating copying collection, a GC technique in which application threads observe and update primarily the old copies of objects. The key innovations of Sapphire are: (1) the ability to ,flip' one thread at a time (changing the thread's view from the old copies of objects to the new copies), as opposed to needing to stop all threads and flip them at the same time; (2) exploiting Java semantics and assuming any data races occur on volatile fields, to avoid a barrier on reads of non-volatile fields; and (3) working in concert with virtually any underlying (non-concurrent) copying collection algorithm. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Volume Overload and Cardiorenal SyndromesCONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, Issue 2010Claudio Ronco MD To include the vast array of interrelated derangements and to stress the bidirectional nature of the heart-kidney interactions, the classification of the cardiorenal syndrome today includes 5 subtypes whose terminology reflects their primary and secondary pathology, time frame, and the presence of concomitant cardiac and renal dysfunction. Cardiorenal syndromes (CRSs) are pathophysiologic disorders of the heart and kidneys whereby acute or chronic dysfunction of one organ may induce acute or chronic dysfunction of the other. Type 1 CRS reflects an abrupt worsening of cardiac function leading to acute kidney injury. Type 2 CRS describes chronic abnormalities in cardiac function causing progressive chronic kidney disease. Type 3 CRS consists in an abrupt worsening of renal function causing acute cardiac disorder. Type 4 CRS describes a state of chronic kidney disease contributing to decreased cardiac function, cardiac hypertrophy, and/or increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Type 5 CRS reflects a systemic condition (eg, sepsis) simultaneously causing both cardiac and renal dysfunction. Biomarkers can help characterize the subtypes of CRS as well as suggest the timing of treatment initiation and its likely effectiveness. The identification of patients and the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying each syndrome subtype, including fluid overload or, in general, altered conditions of fluid status, can help physicians understand clinical derangements, provide the rationale for management strategies, and allow the design of future clinical trials with more accurate selection and stratification of the population under investigation. Congest Heart Fail. 2010;16(4)(suppl 1):Si,Siv. ©2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The Northwest Forest Plan as a Model for Broad-Scale Ecosystem Management: a Social PerspectiveCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2006SUSAN CHARNLEY conservación y desarrollo; comunidades rurales; gestión forestal; monitoreo socioeconómico Abstract:,I evaluated the Northwest Forest Plan as a model for ecosystem management to achieve social and economic goals in communities located around federal forests in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. My assessment is based on the results of socioeconomic monitoring conducted to evaluate progress in achieving the plan's goals during its first 10 years. The assessment criteria I used related to economic development and social justice. The Northwest Forest Plan incorporated economic development and social justice goals in its design. Socioeconomic monitoring results indicate that plan implementation to achieve those goals met with mixed success, however. I hypothesize there are two important reasons the plan's socioeconomic goals were not fully met: some of the key assumptions underlying the implementation strategies were flawed and agency institutional capacity to achieve the goals was limited. To improve broad-scale ecosystem management in the future, decision makers should ensure that natural-resource management policies are socially acceptable; land-management agencies have the institutional capacity to achieve their management goals; and social and economic management goals (and the strategies for implementing them) are based on accurate assumptions about the relations between the resources being managed and well-being in local communities. One of the difficulties of incorporating economic development and social justice goals in conservation initiatives is finding ways to link conservation behavior and development activities. From a social perspective, the Northwest Forest Plan as a model for ecosystem management is perhaps most valuable in its attempt to link the biophysical and socioeconomic goals of forest management by creating high-quality jobs for residents of forest communities in forest stewardship and ecosystem management work, thereby contributing to conservation. Resumen:,Evalué el Plan Forestal del Noroeste como un modelo para la gestión de ecosistemas para alcanzar metas sociales y económicas en comunidades localizadas alrededor de bosques federales en el Pacífico Noroeste de E.U.A. Mi evaluación se basa en los resultados del monitoreo socioeconómico desarrollado para evaluar el progreso en el logro de las metas del plan durantes sus 10 primeros años. Los criterios de evaluación que utilicé se relacionan con el desarrollo económico y la justicia social. El diseño del Plan Forestal del Noroeste incorporó metas de desarrollo económico y de justicia social. Sin embargo, los resultados del monitoreo socioeconómico indican que éxito en la implementación del plan para alcanzar esas metas fue combinado. Postulé la hipótesis de que hay dos razones importantes por las que las metas socioeconómicas del plan no se cumplieron totalmente: algunas de las suposiciones clave en las estrategias de implementación fueron deficientes y la capacidad institucional de la agencia para alcanzar las metas era limitada. Para mejorar la gestión de ecosistemas a gran escala en el futuro, los tomadores de decisiones deberán asegurarse que las políticas de gestión de recursos naturales sean aceptables socialmente; que las agencias de gestión de tierras tengan la capacidad institucional para cumplir sus metas de gestión; y que las metas de gestión sociales y económicas (y las estrategias para su implementación) se basen en suposiciones precisas de las relaciones entre los recursos a gestionar y el bienestar de las comunidades locales. La manera de vincular comportamiento de conservación y actividades de desarrollo es una de las dificultades para la incorporación de metas de desarrollo económico y de justicia social en las iniciativas de conservación. Desde una perspectiva social, el Plan Forestal del Noroeste como modelo para la gestión de ecosistemas quizás es más valioso por su intento de vincular las metas biofísicas y socioeconómicas de la gestión forestal mediante la creación de empleos de alta calidad para residentes de las comunidades en labores de regulación y supervisión forestal y de gestión de ecosistemas, por lo tanto contribuye a la conservación. [source] Experience-dependent plasticity in hypocretin/orexin neurones: re-setting arousal thresholdACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 3 2010X.-B. Gao Abstract The neuropeptide hypocretin is synthesized exclusively in the lateral hypothalamus and participates in many brain functions critical for animal survival, particularly in the promotion and maintenance of arousal in animals , a core process in animal behaviours. Consistent with its arousal-promoting role in animals, the neurones synthesizing hypocretin receive extensive innervations encoding physiological, psychological and environmental cues and send final outputs to key arousal-promoting brain areas. The activity in hypocretin neurones fluctuates and correlates with the behavioural state of animals and intensive activity has been detected in hypocretin neurones during wakefulness, foraging for food and craving for addictive drugs. Therefore, it is likely that hypocretin neurones undergo experience-dependent changes resulting from intensive activations by stimuli encoding changes in the internal and external environments. This review summarizes the most recent evidence supporting experience-dependent plasticity in hypocretin neurones. Current data suggest that nutritional and behavioural factors lead to synaptic plasticity and re-organization of synaptic architecture in hypocretin neurones. This may be the substrate of enhanced levels of arousal resulting from behavioural changes in animals and may help to explain the mechanisms underlying the changes in arousal levels induced by physiological, psychological and environmental factors. [source] A role for the volume regulated anion channel in volume regulation in the murine CNS cell line, CADACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 2 2010V. L. Harvey Abstract Aim:, The role of the volume regulated anion channel (VRAC) in a model CNS neuronal cell line, CAD, was investigated. Methods:, Changes in cell volume following hypotonic challenges were measured using a video-imaging technique. The effect of the Cl, channel antagonists tamoxifen (10 ,m) and 4,4,-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2,-disulphonic acid (DIDS; 100 ,m) on regulatory volume decrease (RVD) were measured. The whole-cell voltage-clamp technique was used to characterize IClswell, the current underlying the VRAC. Results:, Using the video-imaging technique, CAD cells were found to swell and subsequently exhibit RVD when subjected to a sustained hypotonic challenge from 300 mOsmol kg,1 H2O to 210 mOsmol kg,1 H2O. In the presence of tamoxifen (10 ,m) or DIDS (100 ,m) RVD was abolished, suggesting a role for the VRAC. A hypotonic solution (230 mOsmol kg,1 H2O) evoked IClswell, an outwardly rectifying current displaying time-independent activation, which reversed upon return to isotonic conditions. The reversal potential (Erev) for IClswell was ,14.7 ± 1.4 mV, similar to the theoretical Erev for a selective Cl, conductance. IClswell was inhibited in the presence of DIDS (100 ,m) and tamoxifen (10 ,m), the DIDS inhibition being voltage dependent. Conclusions:, Osmotic swelling elicits an outwardly rectifying Cl, conductance in CAD cells. The IClswell observed in these cells is similar to that observed in other cells, and is likely to provide a pathway for the loss of Cl, which leads to water loss and RVD. As ischaemia, brain trauma, hypoxia and other brain pathologies can cause cell swelling, CAD cells represent a model cell line for the study of neuronal cell volume regulation. [source] Potential Errors in Detecting Earnings Management: Reexamining Studies Investigating the AMT of 1986,CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 4 2001Won W. Choi Abstract In this paper we seek to document errors that could affect studies of earnings management. The book income adjustment (BIA) of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) created apparently strong incentives to manage book income downward in 1987. Five earlier papers using different methodologies and samples all conclude that earnings were reduced in response to the BIA. This consensus of findings offers an opportunity to investigate our speculation that methodological biases are more likely when there appear to be clear incentives for earnings management. A reexamination of these studies uncovers potential biases related to a variety of factors, including choices of scaling variables, selection of affected and control samples, and measurement error in estimated discretionary accruals. A reexamination of the argument underlying these studies also suggests that the incentives to manage earnings are less powerful than initially predicted, and are partially mitigated by tax and non-tax factors. As a result, we believe that the extent of earnings management that occurred in 1987 in response to the BIA remains an unresolved issue. [source] Tenuifolin, an extract derived from tenuigenin, inhibits amyloid-, secretion in vitroACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 4 2009J. Lv Abstract Aim:, Previous studies have shown that tenuigenin, a crude extract of Polygala tenuifolia Willd. that is commonly used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine for memory loss, can reduce the secretion of A, from cultured cells. However, the mechanism underlying this effect and the active compound derived from tenuigenin is unknown. In this study, a purified component of tenuigenin, tenuifolin, was examined and revealed to be an effective compound in vitro. Methods:, A, secretion from three sets of COS-7 cells, each carrying a plasmid expressing a different form of APP was examined following the treatment with tenuifolin. Initially, tenuifolin was determined to have no inherent toxicity to either the transfected or wild type cells at the effective concentrations. Cells were then treated with 0.5,2.0 ,g mL,1 tenuifolin for 12 h and their media were examined via an ELISA for A,1-40 and A,-42. Results:, We found that treatment with 2.0 ,g mL,1 tenuifolin significantly decreased A, secretion from COS-7 cells without altering the ratio of A,1-40 and A,-42. This effect is most probably due to inhibition of the ,-site APP cleaving enzyme as A, secretion was not inhibited from cells expressing the C99 fragment. Conclusion:, Tenuifolin is an effective compound from tenuigenin. We believe that this finding should lead the way for future experiments to determine the exact mechanism for tenuifolin's effect on A, secretion. [source] Organizing for Continuous Innovation: On the Sustainability of Ambidextrous OrganizationsCREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2005Bart Van Looy Organizing for innovation does not present itself as a straightforward exercise. The complexities entailed when implementing an innovation strategy can be related directly to the multitude of objectives it comprises. Recently, several scholars have advanced the notions of semi- or quasi-structures and ambidextrous organizations to handle these multiple requirements. These organizational forms imply the simultaneous presence of different activities, exhibiting differences in technology and market maturation. As a consequence, financial returns will reflect this diversified resource allocation pattern. Moreover, as higher levels of complexity are being introduced; ambidextrous organizations will encounter additional, organizational, costs. Compared to organizations that focus on the most profitable part of the portfolio, ambidextrous organizations , ceteris paribus , tend to be inferior in terms of financial returns. Within this contribution we explore under which conditions ambidextrous organizations can outperform focused firms; considered a prerequisite for their sustainability. In order to do so, we develop an analytical framework depicting the differential value dynamics, focused and ambidextrous firms can enact. Our findings reveal the relevancy of adopting extended time frames as well as introducing interface management practices aimed at cross-fertilization. Finally, the synergetic potential of (underlying) technologies comes to the forefront as necessary in order for ambidextrous organizations to become sustainable. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||