Hypercapitalism: Language, new media and social perceptions of value

Using examples from contempoary policy and business discourses, and exemplary historical texts dealing with the notion of value, I put forward an argument as to why a critical scholarship that draws on media history, language analysis, philosophy and political economy is necessary to understand the dynamics of what is being called 'the global knowledge economy'. I argue that the social changes associated with new modes of value determination are closely associated with new media form.

The ethics of germ line gene manipulation - A five dimensional debate

Contributors to the debate surrounding the ethics of germ line gene manipulation have by and large concentrated their efforts on discussions of the potential risks that are associated with the use of this technology. Many international advisory committees have ruled out the acceptability of germ line gene manipulation at least for the time being. The purpose of this work is to generate much needed discussion on the many other ethical issues concerning the implementation of not only germ line gene manipulation but also other related biotechnologies. In this paper I systematically investigate and analyse the most salient issues put forward by proponents and opponents alike. I argue that if germ line manipulation proves to be a safe and effective procedure, then the principle of beneficence imposes on the medical profession a moral duty to pursue the technology.

Group displays in pale-winged starlings

Cliff-nesting pale-winged starlings (Onychognathus nabouroup) gather on the cliff tops to perform Group Displays which include both aggressive and courtship elements: Hopping, Wing Stretching, Wing Drooping, Wing Flicking, Staring, Head Forward Threat and Butterfly Fluttering. These displays occur throughout the year, most frequently in the late afternoon. We suggest that this behaviour may be important in pair formation, and in establishing dominance relationships between birds breeding at the same site.

Service quality and consumers' experience: Towards an interpretive approach

As marketers and researchers we understand quality from the consumer's perspective, and throughout contemporary service quality literature there is an emphasis on what the consumer is looking for, or at least that is the intention. Through examining the underlying assumptions of dominant service quality theories, an implicit dualistic ontology is highlighted (where subject and object are considered independent) and argued to effectively negate the said necessary consumer orientation. This fundamental assumption is discussed, as are the implications, following a critical review of dominant service quality models. Consequently, we propose an alternative approach to service quality research that aims towards a more genuine understanding of the consumer's perspective on quality experienced within a service context. Essentially, contemporary service quality research is suggested to be limited in its inherent third-person perspective and the interpretive, specifically phenomenographic, approach put forward here is suggested as a means of achieving a first-person perspective on service quality.

Balancing acts: Respiratory sensations, motor control and human posture

1. The present brief review covers some novel aspects of integration between respiration and movement of the body. 2. There are potent viscerosomatic reflexes in animals involving small-diameter pulmonary afferents that, when excited, would limit exercise. However, recent studies using lobeline injections to excite pulmonary afferents in awake humans suggest that there is no evoked reflex motoneuronal inhibition. Instead, the noxious respiratory sensations generated by the vagal afferents may be crucial in the decision to stop exercise. 3. While respiratory movements may affect limb movements, the control of the trunk and limbs can involve interaction (and even interference) with key respiratory muscles, such as the diaphragm. Recent studies have revealed that not only does the diaphragm receive feed-forward drive prior to some limb movements, but that it also contracts both phasically and tonically during repetitive limb movements. 4. Thus, challenges to posture can indirectly challenge ventilation, while coordinated diaphragm contraction may contribute to control of the trunk.

The influence of a concurrent cognitive task on the compensatory stepping response to a perturbation in balance-impaired and healthy elders

This study investigated the influence of a concurrent cognitive task on the compensatory stepping response in balance-impaired elders and the attentional demand of the stepping response. Kinetic, kinematic and neuromuscular measures of a forward recovery step were investigated in 15 young adults, 15 healthy elders and 13 balance-impaired elders in a single task (postural recovery only) and dual task (postural recovery and vocal reaction time task) situation. Results revealed that reaction times were longer in all subjects when performed concurrently with a compensatory step, they were longer for a step than an in-place response and longer for balance-impaired older adults compared with young adults. An interesting finding was that the latter group difference may be related to prioritization between the two tasks rather than attentional demand, as the older adults completed the step before the reaction time, whereas the young adults could perform both concurrently. Few differences in step characteristics were found between tasks, with the most notable being a delayed latency and reduced magnitude of the early automatic postural response in healthy and balance-impaired elders with a concurrent task. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

'The utility of human security': Which humans? What security? A reply to Thomas & Tow

Thomas & Tow's evaluation of the utility of human security is an important contribution to an ongoing debate about what security is and for whom security should be provided. In particular, the authors' engagement with the human security agenda is important given the centrality of this approach to recent attempts to rethink security. This article argues, however, that Thomas & Tow's approach to the human security agenda is problematic for two central reasons. First, their attempt to narrow security to make this approach amenable to state policymakers risks reifying the sources of insecurity for individuals everywhere. Second, the conception of human security they put forward appears largely inconsistent with the normative concerns inherent in the human security agenda.

An Analytic Simplification for the Reconstruction Problem of Electrical Impedance Tomography

This paper introduces a new reconstruction algorithm for electrical impedance tomography. The algorithm assumes that there are two separate regions of conductivity. These regions are represented as eccentric circles. This new algorithm then solves for the location of the eccentric circles. Due to the simple geometry of the forward problem, an analytic technique using conformal mapping and separation of variables has been employed. (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Inc.

A comparative study of carbon gasification with O-2 and CO2 by density functional theory calculations

A comparative study of carbon gasification with O-2 and CO2 was conducted by using density functional theory calculations. It was found that the activation energy and the number of active sites in carbon gasification reactions are significantly affected by both the capacity and manner of gas chemisorption. O-2 has a strong adsorption capacity and the dissociative chemisorption of O-2 is thermodynamically favorable on either bare carbon surface or even isolated edge sites. As a result, a large number of semiquinone and o-quinone oxygen can be formed indicating a significant increase in the number of active sites. Moreover, the weaker o-quinone C-C bonds can also drive the reaction forward at (ca. 30%) lower activation energy. Epoxy oxygen forms under relatively high O-2 pressure, and it can only increase the number of active sites, not further reduce the activation energy. CO2 has a lower adsorption capacity. Dissociative chemisorption of CO2 can only occur on two consecutive edge sites and o-quinone oxygen formed from CO2 chemisorption is negligible, let alone epoxy oxygen. Therefore, CO2-carbon reaction needs (ca 30%) higher activation energy. Furthermore, the effective active sites are also reduced by the manner Of CO2 chemisorption. A combination of the higher activation energy and the fewer active sites leads to the much lower reaction rate Of CO2-carbon.

Nuclear weapons as obstacles to international security

This article argues that nuclear weapons serve no useful purpose in military calculations; moreover, their continued retention invites the dangers of further proliferation and of accidental use. They are thus defined here as obstacles to, rather than as facilitators of, international security. Seven reasons are presented to support this contention, including an assessment of the moral implications and the strategic limitations of nuclear weapons. Despite these limitations, and the recent commitments made by the nuclear weapon states to eliminate their arsenals, nuclear weapons remain central to the strategic doctrines of these states. Several reasons are put forward to explain why this retention continues, including the unchanging nature of strategic mindsets, the presence of vested interests, and now, in the case of the USA at least, a renewed reliance on nuclear weapons, regardless of how appropriate and effective such a strategy might be against emerging terrorist or `rogue state' threats.

Therapeutic potential of selective superoxide dismutase mimetics

Selective superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetics are potentially useful in pathological conditions in which there is an overproduction of the superoxide anion O-2.(-). These pathological conditions include inflammation, ischemia/reperfusion, shock, various cardiovascular disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative disorders. A major step forward in this field was the development of small-molecule selective SOD mimetics that penetrate cell membranes, These selective SOD mimetics catalytically remove O-2.(-) without interfering with nitric oxide (NO), peroxynitrite (ONOO-) or other radicals such as hydroxyl radical or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). These selective SOD mimetics (SC-52608, SC-55858, M-40403 and M-40401) have been shown to have benefits in animal models of inflammation, ischemia/reperfusion, shock, thrombosis and diabetes. The next challenge with selective SOD mimetics is to develop therapeutic potential into therapeutic agents.

Ontogenetic changes of swimming kinematics in a semi-aquatic reptile (Crocodylus porosus)

Semi-aquatic animals represent a transitional locomotor condition characterised by the possession of morphological features that allow locomotion both in water and on land. Most ecologically important behaviours of crocodilians occur in the water, raising the question of whether their 'terrestrial construction' constrains aquatic locomotion. Moreover, the demands for aquatic locomotion change with life-history stage. It was the aim of this research to determine the kinematic characteristics and efficiency of aquatic locomotion in different-sized crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus). Aquatic propulsion was achieved primarily by tail undulations, and the use of limbs during swimming was observed only in very small animals or at low swimming velocities in larger animals. Over the range of swimming speeds we examined, tail beat amplitude did not change with increasing velocity, but amplitude increased significantly with body length. However, amplitude expressed relative to body length decreased with increasing body length. Tail beat frequency increased with swimming velocity but there were no differences in frequency between different-sized animals. Mechanical power generated during swimming and thrust increased non-linearly with swimming velocity, but disproportionally so that kinematic efficiency decreased with increasing swimming velocity. The importance of unsteady forces, expressed as the reduced frequency, increased with increasing swimming velocity. Amplitude is the main determinant of body-size-related increases in swimming velocity but, compared with aquatic mammals and fish, crocodiles are slow swimmers probably because of constraints imposed by muscle performance and unsteady forces opposing forward movement. Nonetheless, the kinematic efficiency of aquatic locomotion in crocodiles is comparable to that of fully aquatic mammals, and it is considerably greater than that of semi-aquatic mammals.

Numerical investigation of turbulent flow around a rotating stepped cylinder for corrosion study

Direct numerical simulation has been carried out for turbulent flow set up by a rotating cylinder with two backward-facing steps axisymmetrically mounted in the circumferential direction. This flow geometry creates a qualitatively similar flow pattern as observed near, a sudden, pipe expansion or a plane backward-facing step, characterized by flow separation and reattachment. A region of intense turbulence intensity and high wall-shear-stress fluctuations is formed in,the recirculating I region downstream of the step, where high mass-transfer capacity was also experimentally observed. Since, corrosion is frequently mass-transfer., controlled, our findings, put forward this apparatus as useful tool for future corrosion research.

Public investment and the risk premium for equity

Analysis of the equity premium puzzle has focused on private-sector capital markets. However, the existence of an anomalous equity premium raises important issues in the evaluation of public-sector investment projects. These issues are explored below. We begin by formalizing the argument that an equity premium may arise from uninsurable systematic risk in labour income, and show that, other things being equal, increases in public ownership of equity will improve welfare, up to the point where the equity premium is eliminated. Finally, we consider policy implications and the optimal extent of public ownership.

Vitamin C: Effects of exercise and requirements with training

Ascorbic acid or vitamin C is involved in a number of biochemical pathways that are important to exercise metabolism and the health of exercising individuals. This review reports the results of studies investigating the requirement for vitamin C with exercise on the basis of dietary vitamin C intakes, the response to supplementation and alterations in plasma, serum, and leukocyte ascorbic acid concentration following both acute exercise and regular training. The possible physiological significance of changes in ascorbic acid with exercise is also addressed. Exercise generally causes a transient increase in circulating ascorbic acid in the hours following exercise, but a decline below pre-exercise levels occurs in the days after prolonged exercise. These changes could be associated with increased exercise-induced oxidative stress. On the basis of alterations in the concentration of ascorbic acid within the blood, it remains unclear if regular exercise increases the metabolism of vitamin C. However, the similar dietary intakes and responses to supplementation between athletes and nonathletes suggest that regular exercise does not increase the requirement for vitamin C in athletes. Two novel hypotheses are put forward to explain recent findings of attenuated levels of cortisol postexercise following supplementation with high doses of vitamin C.