Book Review: \u3cem\u3eHindu Perspectives on Evolution: Darwin, Dharma, and Design\u3c/em\u3e

A review of Hindu Perspectives on Evolution: Darwin, Dharma, and Design by C. Mackenzie Brown

Regulatory responses to auditor independence dilemmas - who takes the stronger line?

A key part of corporate governance reforms in Australia, as represented by CLERP 9, addresses concerns over the audit function and the role of independent auditors in monitoring managers and providing useful information to stakeholders about the financial position of the company. In comparing the regulatory responses to auditor independence dilemmas, there have been claims that CLERP 9 is less ‘stringent’ than the reforms imposed by the Sarbanes Oxley Act in the US. This paper looks at three particular situations that have been the subject of recent reform to strengthen independence: the mandatory rotation of auditors, recruitment of former auditors as board members, and provision of non-audit services to clients. In each case, we compare the similarities and differences of the regulatory response between Australia and US, to distil the efficacy of the CLERP 9 approach

Surgical techniques in substitution urethroplasty using buccal mucosa for the treatment of anterior urethral strictures

OBJECTIVES: Since the resurgence in the use of buccal mucosa (BM) in substitution urethroplasty in the late 1980s and early 1990s, there has been controversy as to which surgical technique is the most appropriate for its application. METHODS: The authors performed an updated literature review. Several centres have published widely on this topic, and the points considered include the use BM in dorsal onlay grafts, ventral onlay grafts, and tubularised grafts and the role of two-stage procedures. RESULTS: In experienced hands, the outcomes of both dorsal onlay grafts and ventral onlay grafts in bulbar urethroplasty are similar. The dorsal onlay technique is, however, possibly less dependent on surgical expertise and therefore more suitable for surgeons new to the practice of urethroplasty. The complications associated with ventral onlay techniques can be minimised by meticulous surgical technique, but in series with longer follow-up, complications still tend to be more prevalent. In penile urethroplasty, two-stage dorsal onlay of BM (after complete excision of the scarred urethra) still provides the best results, although in certain circumstances a one-stage dorsal onlay procedure is possible. In general, ventral onlay of BM and tube graft procedures in the management of penile strictures are associated with much higher rates of recurrence and should therefore be avoided. CONCLUSIONS: In experienced hands the results of the ventral and dorsal onlay of BM for bulbar urethroplasty are equivalent. Two-stage procedures are preferable in the penile urethra, except under certain circumstances when a one-stage dorsal onlay is feasible

Primary cilia disassembly down-regulates mechanosensitive hedgehog signalling: a feedback mechanism controlling ADAMTS-5 expression in chondrocytes

SummaryObjectiveHedgehog signalling is mediated by the primary cilium and promotes cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis. Primary cilia are influenced by pathological stimuli and cilia length and prevalence are increased in osteoarthritic cartilage. This study aims to investigate the relationship between mechanical loading, hedgehog signalling and cilia disassembly in articular chondrocytes.MethodsPrimary bovine articular chondrocytes were subjected to cyclic tensile strain (CTS; 0.33 Hz, 10% or 20% strain). Hedgehog pathway activation (Ptch1, Gli1) and A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin Motifs 5 (ADAMTS-5) expression were assessed by real-time PCR. A chondrocyte cell line generated from the Tg737ORPK mouse was used to investigate the role of the cilium in this response. Cilia length and prevalence were quantified by immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy.ResultsMechanical strain upregulates Indian hedgehog expression and activates hedgehog signalling. Ptch1, Gli1 and ADAMTS-5 expression were increased following 10% CTS, but not 20% CTS. Pathway activation requires a functioning primary cilium and is not observed in Tg737ORPK cells lacking cilia. Mechanical loading significantly reduced cilium length such that cilia became progressively shorter with increasing strain magnitude. Inhibition of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), a tubulin deacetylase, prevented cilia disassembly and restored mechanosensitive hedgehog signalling and ADAMTS-5 expression at 20% CTS.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates for the first time that mechanical loading activates primary cilia-mediated hedgehog signalling and ADAMTS-5 expression in adult articular chondrocytes, but that this response is lost at high strains due to HDAC6-mediated cilia disassembly. The study provides new mechanistic insight into the role of primary cilia and mechanical loading in articular cartilage

Women on boards and greenhouse gas emission disclosures

We apply institutional and board capital theory to examine whether women on boards are associated with disclosure and quality of <i>corporate greenhouse gas</i> (GHG) emissions related reporting. We examine the research problem in Australia in a period when no requirements existed for listed companies to appoint female directors or to report GHG emissions. This environment allows us to examine the association between women on boards and GHG emissions related disclosure in annual and sustainability reports in a voluntary setting. We find that companies with multiple female directors make GHG emissions related disclosures that are of higher quality

The role of national central banks within the European System of Central Banks: The example of De Nederlandsche Bank

This paper considers the position of national central banks within the ESCB. The funda-mental framework underlying the ESCB is that of a system of central banks in which component institutions are individually and collectively responsible for carrying out vari-ous tasks. Within this framework, we evaluate the current division of labour between the ECB and NCBs using the concept of efficiency (which subsumes cost- consciousness as well as effectiveness), along with that of subsidiarity. In contrast to most of the existing literature, the focus is not exclusively on monetary policy, but takes into account a broader array of tasks performed by central banks. Taking a long-run perspective, it is ar-gued that while some tasks are likely to be centralised, fundamental changes in the role of NCBs in the ESCB are linked to further political integration within Europe and the devel- opment of supranational institutions in other policy areas.NCB, ECB, EMU

Thermal Transients in District Heating Systems

Heat fluxes in a district heating pipeline systems need to be controlled on the scale from minutes to an hour to adjust to evolving demand. There are two principal ways to control the heat flux - keep temperature fixed but adjust velocity of the carrier (typically water) or keep the velocity flow steady but then adjust temperature at the heat producing source (heat plant). We study the latter scenario, commonly used for operations in Russia and Nordic countries, and analyze dynamics of the heat front as it propagates through the system. Steady velocity flows in the district heating pipelines are typically turbulent and incompressible. Changes in the heat, on either consumption or production sides, lead to slow transients which last from tens of minutes to hours. We classify relevant physical phenomena in a single pipe, e.g. turbulent spread of the turbulent front. We then explain how to describe dynamics of temperature and heat flux evolution over a network efficiently and illustrate the network solution on a simple example involving one producer and one consumer of heat connected by "hot" and "cold" pipes. We conclude the manuscript motivating future research directions.Comment: 31 pages, 7 figure

In Threads and Tatters: Costume, Identification and Female Subjectivity in Mulholland Dr.

This arrticle&nbsp; explores the instability and trauma implicit in the representation of the female image in David Lynch&rsquo;s Mulholland Dr. (2001), and more especially the ways in which this links to the clothing worn by the two female protagonists. &nbsp;By examining the role of mourning and nostalgia, the figure of the amnesiac, the complex pairing, doubling and splitting of the characters of the two female leads, and the relationship of these to identification, it will argue that the costuming practices in this film exemplify a crisis of identification within a specifically feminine cinematic image. The costumes represent an approximation of self; they work as devices that desperately attempt to secure some form of identity, doubling and mirroring the self in a vain, ultimately failed, attempt to fix the female subject and resolve her ontological ambiguity. Within a cinematic context, such a failure represents the breakdown of a central and defining paradigm and raises questions concerning the stability of concepts such as subjectivity and identification

"Exploring the Gap": intercultural learnig in literature and the arts in Lifelong Learning

Lev Manovich (2001) suggests that the heart of the new media relationship is language, programmes and people in collaboration producing and interpreting new representations of the world through «cultural interfaces — Web pages, CD-ROM titles, computer games». In this paper, I explore the gap in-between the artist, the programme and the cultural interface. Gaps are something into which we either fall — or we fill. We may rush to fill an awkward gap in a conversation; or alternatively, we may use that gap — relish the silence — and take the opportunity to explore it creatively. This paper provides a contribution towards filling the digital gap in new media learning via analysis of student questionnaires, recorded interviews and exemplar material, and concludes with reflections on the pedagogical and intercultural theoretical issues involved.Manovich (2001) sugiere que en la base de las relaciones entre los nuevos medios de masas se encuentran el lenguaje, los programas informáticos y los individuos que producen e interpretan de manera colaborativa nuevas representaciones del mundo mediante «interfaces culturales — páginas web, carátulas de CD- rom, juegos de ordenador». En este artículo se exploran los espacios existentes entre el artista, el programa y la interfaz cultural. El ser humano puede apresurarse a rellenar un vacío conversacional o disfrutar del silencio y explorarlo de manera creativa. Este artículo contribuye a rellenar el espacio digital producido en la enseñanza realizada con nuevos recursos multimedia, a través del análisis de cuestionarios, entrevistas grabadas y materiales ilustrativos realizados por los estudiantes, concluyendo con una reflexión sobre los aspectos pedagógicos e interculturales de naturaleza teórica derivados de tales cuestiones