bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Judith the Heroine? Lies, Seduction, and Murder in Cultural Perspective
Authors: deSilva David A.
Published: January 2009

Many readers have questioned Judith's status as heroine, describing her behavior as morally reprehensible at worst and morally ambiguous at best largely on the basis of her use of deceit to establish herself in the camp of the enemy and to lure Holofernes into a position of weakness. A study of the use of deceit in the Hebrew Scriptures, Pseudepigrapha, and classical Greek literature as an acceptable—even praiseworthy—virtue to be employed when advancing the interests of one's reference group against outsiders shows Judith to be acting very much in line with the path defined as virtuous in Mediterranean cultures. Judith finds herself in the midst of a web of honor challenges and uses culturally appropriate strategies to defend her honor, the honor of her people, and the honor of God.
An Overlooked Message: The Critique of Kings and Affirmation of Equality in the Primeval History
Authors: Gnuse Robert K.
Published: January 2009

The Primeval History in Genesis 2—11 contains symbolic polyvalent narratives with diverse levels of interpretive possibility. One meaningful level of interpretation is to see how the accounts contain a strident critique of kingship, especially the social economic abuses perpetrated by kings. Kings who receive the strident barbs of the author include not only Mesopotamian rulers, but also, by implication, the rulers of Israel and Judah, who likewise abused their powers. This exilic critique of kings is also, in turn, part of the great biblical message affirming human equality and dignity, and it speaks a powerful egalitarian word to any age.
Performance Criticism: An Emerging Methodology in Second Testament Studies—Part II
Authors: Rhoads David
Published: January 2009

In Part 1 of this article, I sought to depict performance criticism as an emerging discipline in Second Testament studies. I explained how the first-century Mediterranean area comprised predominantly oral cultures, that writing primarily served orality, that performances were central to early Christian communities, and that the Second Testament writings were basically “remnants” of oral performances. I proposed an outline of the key features of the performance event in an effort to encourage us to interpret Second Testament writings in the context of such performance scenarios. Part 2 comprises two sections. In the first section, I want to lay out the eclectic nature of performance criticism and identify the contributions of many potential partners in the enterprise. These partners include traditional methodologies, recent methodologies, and new approaches to biblical studies related to performance. In the second section, I will lay out the insights and benefits that come from my personal experience of performing biblical materials and of incorporating these experiences into the methods of interpretation that comprise performance criticism. My hope is that performance criticism may not only add to the tools of research in the field but also that the paradigmatic shift in medium from written to oral may bring changes in the way Second Testament disciplines in general pursue their subject matter.
Midrash and the Letter of Barnabas
Authors: Hegedus Tim
Published: January 2009

A pseudonymous text of the Jewish Jesus movement of the late first century CE, the letter of Barnabas is a polemical treatise attacking Judaism. Yet the author was also clearly fascinated with Judaism and repeatedly refers to the Hebrew Scriptures in the letter, sometimes in ways that scholars (e.g. Windisch, Prigent, Kraft) have suggested may reflect the ancient Jewish tradition of biblical interpretation known as midrash. In this paper the conclusions of such scholars are tabulated and shown to be tentative. Moreover, it is argued that by demonstrating similar motifs between Barnabas and Jewish midrashic literature (especially the Mishnah), it becomes more plausible to identify midrash in the letter of Barnabas.
Religious Terror and the Prophetic Voice of Reason: Unmasking Our Myths of Righteousness
Authors: Pizzuto Vincent
Published: January 2009

In a post 9/11 world where large-scale violence against civilian populations is ever more being justified through fundamentalist interpretations of Sacred Scripture, it is a moral imperative that religious communities establish a basis for some kind of objective criteria to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate interpretations of their sacred texts. While there has been much focus in the United States on the issue of Islamic extremism, the fact remains that Christian fundamentalism is a growing phenomenon behind US military aggression. However, Christian fundamentalism is not only an inadequate response to Islamic extremism, but more importantly it is dangerous because both ideologies share a presumption of their own righteousness and each divinely sanctions its acts of aggression toward the other. As an interpretive starting point, historical criticism becomes a much needed “prophetic voice of reason,”19 whereby inspired texts are examined honestly and in light of the historical limitations they contain. A critical examination of biblical tradition, for example, will demonstrate that violence and cruelty are not tangential to biblical narratives, but intrinsic to them. Therefore, it is argued that the criteria to determine what is ethically demanded by the biblical texts must be sought in the future world toward which biblical narratives point, but in which they themselves do not fully participate. Only in this way can communities of faith begin to unmask the myth of their own righteousness and with it, the ambiguity that allows for the perpetration of untold violence and evil in the name of religion.
The Limitations of the Bible
Authors: Kealy Séan P.
Published: January 2009

The Bible, even for those accustomed to reading it, is in the words of Karl Barth a strange new world. The Old Testament, inherited from Pharisee Judaism, is written in a different language with a different geography and a much longer chronological span than the New Testament. In particular the Old Testament is an uncomfortable element in much Christian thinking. We must accept the limitations of both Testaments and search for their soul, which is so easily lost in scientific studies.
Empire and Order: The Gospel and Same-Gender Relationships
Authors: Johnson William Stacy
Published: January 2009

The handful of New Testament passages addressing homoeroticism need to be read within the wider contexts of conquest, dominance and submission that characterized the world of the Roman empire. In particular, the sexual indignities visited upon slaves provide an illuminating window into the ethical concerns of the early Christian community. That despite these indignities being a slave could became the chief way of defining life in Christ shows just how radical the Christian vision of redemption is. Embodying such a redemption requires Christian communities to draw upon every source they can—biblical, legal, and otherwise—to craft a welcoming and affirming stance toward gay and lesbian people, both as individuals and as committed couples.
From Social Description to Social-Scientific Criticism. The History of a Society of Biblical Literature Section 1973—2005
Authors: Elliott John H.
Published: January 2009

The thirty year history of an SBL Section reveals an essential component of the exegetical enterprise coming of age. Focused from the beginning on the social and cultural dimensions of New Testament writings and their social settings, the Section has undergone notable permutations and cleavages while also reflecting the development, refinement, and academic influence of a now standard sub-discipline of the historical critical method.
Social Identity, Boundary Breaking, and Ritual: Saul's Recruitment on the Road to Damascus
Authors: Lamoreaux Jason T.
Published: January 2009

Within the context of collectivist cultures, moving from one group to another, or changing identities, is an arduous and sometimes violent task. Saul's move from zealous Judean to follower of Jesus is depicted as a violent time of separation and aggregation. In this study, I use the anthropology of Ritual and Social Identity to construct a model of Social Identity and Boundary Breaking Ritual so that modern interpreters can better understand what is happening to Saul on the road to Damascus. Furthermore, utilizing terminology from the study of New Religious Movements, I argue that “recruitment” be used as a more accurate term than “conversion” in this context. I also compare the passage to other similar passages found in the literature of the Greco-Roman world. The models and comparisons provide a methodological framework to help modern interpreters better avoid anachronistic readings of Acts 9:1-19a.
The Jesus Movement and Social Network Analysis (Part I: The Spatial Network)
Authors: Duling Dennis C.
Published: January 2009

This study is Part I of a "thought experiment" that reconfigures Theissen's "itinerant charismatics" and "community sympathizers" in terms of social network analysis. It briefly describes social network analysis and then, building on Graph Theory, Central Place Theory, and Urbanology about population centers, it summarizes literary and settlement archeological information about Galilean towns mentioned in the Gospels, emphasizing the central places around the Sea of Galilee. The study also briefly describes nearby harbors and roads and constructs imaginative lake lanes and road routes that connect these places. It proposes that villages around the Dead Sea found in the Babatha archive offer an analogy for those around the Sea of Galilee. Without abandoning the inland villages, it shifts attention to Capernaum-based lake towns as a major spatial context for Jesus' social network (Part II).
Temporal Profile of Clinical Signs and Histopathologic Changes in an F-344 Rat Model of Kainic Acid–induced Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Sharma Alok K. , Jordan William H. , Reams Rachel Y. , Hall D. Greg , Snyder Paul W.
Published: January 2009

Since there is limited information in the literature, the purpose of this study was to investigate clinical signs, morphology, and temporal progression of lesions from Days 3 to 168 in a kainic acid (KA)-induced Fischer-344 (F-344) rat model of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). Following a single KA subcutaneous dose of 9 mg/kg to young adult male rats, 95% survived, 93% exhibited status epilepticus, and 80% eventually developed spontaneous motor seizures. Histopathology included hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), autofluorescence, Fluoro-Jade B, Timm’s, ED-1/CD68, GFAP, doublecortin, and Ki-67. Neuronal degeneration occurred on Day 3 in the hippocampal CA1, CA3, and dentate hilar regions; amyg-daloid and thalamic nuclei; and frontoparietotemporal, entorhinal and piriform cortices. Degeneration severity peaked on Day 6 and decreased progressively until Day 168. Aberrant mossy fiber (MF) sprouting was present in the inner molecular layer of dentate gyrus on Days 6–168. Microliosis and astrogliosis peaked on Day 28 and generally colocalized with the distribution of neuronal degeneration. Important correlates to human MTLE included induction of spontaneous seizures, more severe neuronal damage of CA1 than CA3 (in contrast to other animal models but similar to humans), hilar neuronal loss, activated microgliosis and astrogliosis, aberrant MF sprouting, and dentate granule cell neurogenesis. Aberrant MF sprouting prior to spontaneous motor seizures and reduced seizure frequency with a decrease in aberrant MF sprouting support the hypothesis that MF sprouts are necessary for spontaneous seizure generation and maintenance.
Inorganic Arsenic–Induced Intramitochondrial Granules in Mouse Urothelium
Authors: Suzuki Shugo , Arnold Lora L. , Muirhead David , Lu Xiufen , Le X. Chris , Bjork James A. , Wallace Kendall B. , Ohnishi Takamasa , Kakiuchi-Kiyota Satoko , Pennington Karen L. , Cohen Samuel M.
Published: January 2009

Based on epidemiological data, chronic exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic in the drinking water is carcinogenic to the urinary bladder of humans. Recently, models have been developed involving transplacental administration of inorganic arsenic and subsequent administration of another substance that produces a low incidence of urogenital neoplasms. Administration of arsenite or arsenate in the diet or drinking water to five-to eight-week-old mice or rats rapidly induces urothelial cytotoxicity and regenerative hyperplasia. In mice administered arsenite, we observed eosinophilic intracytoplasmic granules present in the urothelial cells. These granules were not present in urothelial cells of untreated mice or in treated or untreated rats. By transmission electron microscopy, the granules were located within the mitochondrial matrix, that is, mitochondrial inclusions. Arsenic, primarily as arsenite, was present in partially purified mitochondria containing these granules. Cells containing the granules were not usually associated with degenerative changes. Lack of these granules in rats suggests that they are not necessary for inorganic arsenic–induced urothelial cytotoxicity or hyperplasia. These granules have also been observed with exposures to other metals in other tissues and other species, suggesting that they represent a protective mechanism against metal-induced toxicity.
Formative and Early Years of the Peace Science Society (International)
Authors: Isard Walter
Published: January 2009

The cessation of the relatively rosy interactions of the United States and Soviet Union in 1959-60 resulting from the U-2 incident and the subsequent intense escalation of hostilities led a group of concerned international scholars to convene at Malmö, Sweden in 1963. Their discussions initiated a series of meetings and conferences in Europe, Asia and North America on the need for and ways to conduct research to combat the deterioration of US-Soviet relations. From these activities came the formal establishment of the Peace Research Society, International (later renamed the Peace Science Society, International), with the holding of annual conferences in the United States, Europe and Asia, and with issuing newsletters and publishing papers and proceedings (later the journal Conflict Management and Peace Science). Considerable detail is presented on the evolution and experiences of the Society during the period 1963 to 1965, its joint sessions and interactions with other peace research and international relations groups, and its emphasis on the empirical testing of hypotheses and theories and the employment of scientific approaches for the development of conflict management procedures using concepts and tools of various disciplines.
Credible Commitments and International Cooperation: Guaranteeing Contracts Without External Enforcement
Authors: Ashley Leeds Brett
Published: January 2009

Understanding when and how international entities can establish beneficial cooperative agreements under anarchy is one of the most significant challenges facing theorists of international relations. In this article, I present a game-theoretic model that explains and predicts conditions under which self-enforcing agreements are possible, and conditions under which cooperation can be aided by provisions to an agreement that change the incentives of the negotiating parties. I argue, first, that the benefits and risks of unilateral defection do not always inhibit the formation of mutually beneficial agreements, and second, that even when the risks of defection are high, agreements can sometimes be constructed that mitigate this risk through provisions that act as guarantors of the agreement. By constraining their own future behavior and protecting their partners, international actors can sometimes create conditions conducive to cooperation through the contracting process.
Status Quo Orientation, Capabilities, and Patterns of War Initiation in Dyadic Rivalries
Authors: Geller Daniel S.
Published: January 2009

The relationship between dyadic power balances and the onset of war is a principal element in realist theories of international politics. The influence of the status quo orientation of the belligerents has also been specified in power transition theory as a factor which impacts on the patterns of conflict. However, despite this theoretical underpinning, the question of the probabilistic identity of war initiators constitutes a gap in the understanding of factors associated with international conflict. This study examines the identity of war initiators as it relates to both power balances and status quo orientation for a set of nation-dyads that have formed long-term rivalries. The results of the analysis indicate that for rival dyads: (1) status quo challengers rather than defenders are the most probable war initiators; (2) status quo challengers are equally likely to initiate wars whether they are superior or inferior in capabilities to their rivals; and (3) status quo defenders initiate wars almost solely under unstable military balances. This last pattern suggests that stable military balances of either preponderance or parity are generally interpreted by status quo defenders as supportive of deterrence, whereas unstable balances producing capability shifts or transitions are deemed dangerous enough to provoke preemptive military action. The distribution is such that it approximates a necessary condition for the initiation of war by the status quo defender in an enduring rivalry. All three of the above findings are consistent with A.F.K. Organski's original formulation of power transition theory.
Pas De Trois: the Synergism of Surprise, Threat, and Response Time and Its Effects On U.S. Foreign-Policy Behavior
Authors: Bolton M. Kent
Published: January 2009

Pas de Trois examines the impact of surprise on U.S. foreign-policy decisionmaking behavior during the 1945-1994 timeframe. Since surprise is seldom found in isolation in decisionmaking, the research design assesses surprise in combination with the nature of threat and amount of decision time—two exogenous variables found concomitant with surprise in situ as well as frequently in the literature on the situational context of decisionmaking. Surprise, nature of threat, and amount of decision time are all conceptualized as exogenous; U.S. foreign-policy decisionmaking behavior is conceptualized as a dependent variable. Pas de Trois uses International Crisis Bank data, employing a factor analysis to construct indicators for nature of threat and decision time as well as for constructing two indicators of foreign-policy decisionmaking. A dummy variable is constructed for surprise using case studies. A subsequent regression analysis is employed to assess whether and to what degree surprise—in conjunction with threat and decision time— affects foreign-policy decisionmaking behavior. In testing two hypotheses. Pas de Tiois demonstrates that surprise interacts synergistically with nature of threat and response time to result ultimately in reactive U.S. foreign-policy behavior. However, in testing both hypotheses, Pas de Trois demonstrates a quite complex interaction between surprise, threat, and response time. The expectation, at the outset, was that surprise, threat, and response time would affect foreign-policy behavior in a similar manner: said variables would increase stress in decisionmaking and produce more reactive responses in behavior. In fact, this research demonstrates a much more complex interaction between these exogenous variables.
Presidents and Defense Contracting, 1953-1992
Authors: DeRouen Karl , Heo Uk
Published: January 2009

We analyze the politics of the U.S. defense budget from 1953 to 1992. Institutional factors make it impractical for the president to use aggregate defense spending politically. For this reason, we focus on defense prime contract awards (PCA) because they are removed from public opinion, do not require congressional approval and can be precisely timed. We assess differences in contracting behavior between presidential administrations. The model we specify posits that government policies are reflective of approval ratings and that the president uses defense contracts to counter sagging approval and/or a weak economy. A statistical model is tested using pooled time-series analysis that allows us to assess variation between and within administrations. Controlling for presidential administrations, war and Soviet crisis behavior, our analysis reveals that significant differences in defense contracting exist between administrations and that presidential approval, war, the electoral cycle, and unemployment are significant determinants of defense contracting.
The More Things Change...: Recognizing and Responding to Trends in Armed Conflict
Authors: Hensel Paul R.
Published: January 2009

It is becoming increasingly fashionable to argue that conflict patterns today are fundamentally different from patterns in past eras. If correct, this argument could call into question the future value of decades of seientific research on the sources and consequences of interstate conflict. This paper reviews several Prominent differences that have been proposed and examines major conflict-related data sets for evidence related to these explanations. It appears that intrastate conflict is currelltly more frequent and bloodier than interstate conflict, as many analysts have argued, but that this has been the case for most of the past two centuries. Similarly, while analysts claim that future conflict will revolve around ethnic or cultural issues rather than territoral or ideological questions, the available evidence is mixed. I conclude with seieral suggestions for future research on militarized conflict, focusing on three themes: non-state actors, sub-war intrastate conflict, and (both interstate and intrastate) contentious issues and issue management.
Does Interstate War Have A Future?
Authors: Lee Ray James
Published: January 2009

Interstate wars are part of a process of "bargaining" beriveen and among nation-stales that also involves voluntary and forced migrations, as well as the definition and re-drawing of boundaries. Europe has undergone such a thorough process of this kind in recent centuries that interstate wars may not occur there in the future. Territorial disputes and wars also seem unlikely in Narth America. Even Latin America may have enough states with definitive boundaries to make interstate wars unlikely. Africa, however, has mostly new states, with recently drawn and fragile boundaries. Though it was mostly Penceful from 1960 to 1990, since the end of the Cold War military conflicts with interstate aspects have become commonplace in Africa. Interstate wars hare occurred periodically in the Middle East in recent decades and are likely to continue to occur. Asia's future may be like Europe's past. Independent. strong states interact intensively there, as European states did in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For all these reasons, conflicts classifiable as interstate wars between independent states are likely to occur, perhaps even with some regularity.
The Future Practice and Study Of War
Authors: Singer J. David
Published: January 2009

As dangerous as it is to predict in world politics and war, we can reduce the error rate by clear specification of our class of cases and precise delineation of the spatial-temporal domain from which we hope to draw our possible lessons from history. Further, we next need to lay out our predictions as to the context of future conflict with particular attention to military technol gy, geo-political shifts, economic developments, and changing political instit tions. On the basis of these considerations, we can expect linle change in the global frequency of both inter-state and intra-state wars as well as their sever ty, a modest return to extra-state war, and a continuing geographical trend in a southerly and easterly direction. Turning to the research future, we need to attend more carefully to epistemological and semantic clarity, multiple levels of social aggregation for both our predictor and outcome variables, and the role of contemporary policy analysis in our modeling and research design. We are clearly far from an adequate theoretical understanding of the etiology of war, and it thus belrooves us to combine our growing methodological sophistication with a continuing theoretical agnosticism.
Coalitions and Conflict: the Case of the Palestinian-Israeli Negotiations Over the West Bank
Authors: Lust-Okar Ellen , Organski A.F.K.
Published: January 2009

This paper examines the relative influence of leaders and coalitions in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations over the West Bank. It uses an Expected Utiliiy model in conjunction with empirical analysis of the negotiations from 1993 to 2000 to consider how the leadership and coalition changes affected the potemial settlements under Rabin, Peres, Netanyahu. and Barak. It draws two important conclusions: First, negotiations are better understood as the outcome of the domestic struggles between moderates and radicals on each side than as the simple interplay between leaders and their coalitions on both sides. In the case at hand, the domestic struggle between moderate and radical Israelis over their negotiating position and the similar struggle between moderate and radical Palestinians has affected the course of negotiations more than the personal preferences and coalitions of each subsequent Israeli administration. Thus, although Barak and Rabin had very similar preferences and coalitions, the course of negotiations under these administrations differed dramatically. Second, the analysis suggests that right wing governments may make significant progress in negotiations, particularly when their negotiating partner is committed to the pracess. Ironically, had he remained in power. Netanyalru would likely have come to a settlement, gaining more Palestinian concessions than his Labor counierparts. Empirical evidence from the course of negotiations supports the model's findings.
The Correlates of War (Cow) Project Direct Contiguity Data, Version 3.0
Authors: Stinnett Douglas M. , Tir Jaroslav , Diehl Paul F. , Schafer Philip , Gochman Charles
Published: January 2009

This research note summarizes version 3.0 of the Correlates of War Direct Contiguity data set, which covers the geographic proximity of all directly contiguous states in the international system during the period 1816-2000. After a brief discussion of the role that geographic proximity plays in international relations, the coding rules and procedures used for this data set are reviewed. The changes and additions to this updated version of the data are then explained. This note concludes with a basic statistical summary of the updated data set
The Correlates of War Project: a Bibliographic History of the Scientific Study of War and Peace, 1964-2000
Authors: Suzuki Susumu , Krause Volker , Singer J. David
Published: January 2009

The Correlates of War (COW) project is a unique research project that has been central to the world politics research community for thirty-six years. Since its founding by J. David Singer at the University of Michigan in 1964, the project has contributed significantly to the scientific study of war and conflict. In this article, we provide a historical summary of the COW research program through a selected bibliography of its published scholarship in four stages from 1964 to 2000.
Interdependence and Conflict: When Does Symmetry Matter?
Authors: Crescenzi Mark J.C.
Published: January 2009

This article introduces an altemative to the study of economic interdependence and interstate conflict. Typically, scholars have relied upon relative levels of economic activity to characterize symmetry in interdependence. Instead, I argue that the key to understanding the role of symmetry in interdependence and conflict lies in the relationship between a state's exit (opportunity) costs and the costs it is willing to bear in the face of political conflict with another state. Asymmetry with respect to two states' exit costs/threshold relationships can generate bargaining power that constrains the use of force. This approach improves our understanding of the complex relationship between interdependence and conflict. It also suggests that current measurements of economic interdependence may fail to identify situations where interdependence plays a role in conflict.
Never-Ending Conflicts? Territorial Changes as Potential Solutions for Territorial Disputes
Authors: Tir Jaroslav
Published: January 2009

This study examines how territorial changes - which are defined as any alterations of international boundaries - influence the prospects of future armed conflict between countries gaining and losing land through the change. The losing country is motivated to use force by the value of the lost land, while the winner is motivated by the value of additional land it desires but which the loser still controls. Relative power and the change process (i.e., peaceful, overwhelming victory, and violent but short of an overwhelming victory) condition whether these motivations are turned into the post-change use of force. The findings based on all non-colonial territorial changes in the period 1900-92 offer these insights: (1) peaceful; and (2) overwhelming victory changes are significantly better in terms of future conflict prevention than their violent counterparts; and (3) the importance of tangible (strategic, economic) versus intangible (ethnic) value of the land in future conflict onset varies according to the specific type of change considered (i.e., state-to-state territorial transfer, partition/secession, unification).
Force and Influence in International Crises
Authors: Meernik James
Published: January 2009

Given the high degree of scholarly interest in the political use of military force and its prominence in international relations, I believe the time is ripe to develop a framework for analyzing the utility of such military operations. Using the political use of military force by the United States from 1953-1978 as my empirical referent, I develop a simple, but testable framework for explaining under what conditions a state is able to influence another to undertake some behavior. I find that when examining the short-term outcomes of incidents involving the political use of military force, the U.S. is more likely to achieve positive outcomes when its level of relative capabilities is greater and when it seeks to deter rather than compel its targets. In the long term, positive crisis outcomes for the United States are associated with U.S. credibility, target predisposition and deterrence objectives.
Cumulation in Qip: Twenty-Five Years After Ojai
Authors: Leng Russell J.
Published: January 2009

The article addresses the state of quantitative international politics research, with particular attention to the extent to which peace scientists have been able to obtain cumulative findings with regard to issues of war and peace. When accumulation is viewed from the broader perspective of the emergence of new propositions, methodologies, and the refinement of research strategies, there has been considerable progress, but when accumulation is viewed from the narrower perspective of verified substantive findings the record is less impressive. Too much of peace science has focused on single variables in attempting to explain complex and dynamic processes. Nevertheless, when the gains of the last 25 years are compared to those in more highly funded and publicized fields they are impressive. A comparison with research on coronary artery disease is presented to illustrate the point. The comparison demonstrates the limits of correlational research, the danger of reaching premature conclusions, the critical role played by replication, the meandering path of cumulative research, and the importance of communication.
An Evolutionary Approach To the Study of Interstate Rivalry
Authors: Hensel Paul R.
Published: January 2009

Recent research on interstate conflict and rivalry has shown that most conflict occurs between long-time rival countries, and has used enduring rivalries to test propositions on arms races, deterrence, and power transitions. Yet most of this research has focused on the dynamics of already-established rivalry; little is known about how adversaries become long-term rivals. The present effort attempts to account for the origins of rivalry with an evolutionary model of interstate rivalry that treats rivalry as a dynamic process, evolving out of interactions between two adversaries. Empirical analyses reveal that the context of recent relations between two adversaries has a great influence on their conflict behavior, particularly on their probability of engaging in further conflict along the path toward or away from enduring rivalry. As two adversaries accumulate a longer history of conflict, their rivalry relationship tends to become "locked in" or entrenched, with future conflict becoming increasingly difficult to avoid; specific characteristics of their past confrontations can hasten or reverse this movement toward rivalry. This paper concludes by discussing the implications of this evolutionary model for the understanding of rivalry, conflict, and world politics more generally.
Gene—Environment Interplay and Delinquent Involvement
Authors: Beaver Kevin M. , DeLisi Matt , Wright John Paul , Vaughn Michael G.
Published: January 2009

Behavioral genetic research has revealed that biogenic factors play a role in the development of antisocial behaviors. Much of this research has also explicated the way in which the environment and genes may combine to create different phenotypes. The authors draw heavily from this literature and use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine genetic and environmental effects on adolescent delinquent involvement. The results of the multivariate models reveal that genetic factors have a direct effect on youthful misconduct. Most important, however, is that genetic factors interact with delinquent peers and with low self-control to predict variation in delinquency. Analysis of the Add Health data also provide evidence suggesting that there is a shared genetic pathway to delinquent involvement, to antisocial peer group formation, and to the development of low self-control.
Ethanol and the Local Economy
Authors: Low Sarah A. , Isserman Andrew M.
Published: January 2009

Ethanol has been embraced enthusiastically as a solution to many problems, including national energy security, global warming, air pollution, farm incomes, and local economic development. The industry has boomed in the United States: There were 54 ethanol plants in 2000, 134 by the end of 2007, 171 in mid-September 2008. Estimates of the industry's effects on local economies vary wildly, chiefly because of assumptions regarding the corn industry. This article presents an overview of the industry, its location, and the public policy umbrella that supports its growth. It analyzes what happens to the local economy when a county adds an ethanol plant, demonstrates what must be done to modify input–output models to capture those effects, and applies the approach to proposed plants in four counties. An ethanol plant provides the enticing benefits of a manufacturing plant with 35 to 40 jobs, but several characteristics and uncertainties of the industry merit a careful look when making local economic development decisions.
Macrovascular Complications of Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Nuzum Donald S. , Merz Tonja
Published: January 2009

Adults with diabetes mellitus frequently develop macrovascular complications. Vascular disease is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with diabetes. Diabetes and vascular diseases remain among the most common causes of death in the United States. A number of clinical trials and practice guidelines have been published addressing the management of macrovascular complications. The cornerstone of preventing or delaying the progression of macrovascular complications of diabetes is aggressive management of hypertension and cholesterol. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have proven effective in managing hypertension and avoiding other complications of diabetes. The body of evidence for angiotensin receptor blockers is growing in this area as well. Statins have been repeatedly proven to be the first-line agents in the management of dyslipidemia. Lifestyle modification strategies and antiplatelet therapy also remain essential. This review will focus on the role of newer diagnostic techniques, clinical trial evidence, and appropriate pharmacotherapy for macrovascular complications of diabetes.
Immunohistochemical Expression of the Human Sodium/Iodide Symporter Distinguishes Malignant From Benign Gastric Lesions
Authors: Farnedi Anna , Eusebi Leonardo H. , Poli Francesca , Foschini Maria P.
Published: January 2009

Aim. Sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) is a transmembrane protein that mediates the transport of I−. The aim was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of the human homolog of NIS (hNIS) in a wide spectrum of gastric lesions. Materials and methods. Seventy-seven samples were stained immunohistochemically with a monoclonal antibody for hNIS, including 14 with normal gastric mucosa, 14 with chronic atrophic gastritis with foveolar hyperplasia, 15 with chronic atrophic gastritis with intestinal metaplasia, 6 with chronic atrophic gastritis with atypical regenerative hyperplasia, 8 with chronic atrophic gastritis with dysplasia, 15 with invasive adenocarcinoma, 3 with well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor, and 2 with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Results. hNIS stained the basolateral cytoplasmic portion of foveolae in normal mucosa, in 13 cases of chronic atrophic gastritis with foveolar hyperplasia, and in only 1 case of regenerative atypical hyperplasia. hNIS was consistently absent in intestinal metaplasia, in dysplastic glands, and in the cells constituting invasive carcinoma, well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors, and GIST. Conclusion. It seems that lack of hNIS can be useful in distinguishing foveolar hyperplasia from dysplastic glands.
Management of Hyperlipidemia in Older Adults
Authors: Alexander Karen P. , Blazing Michael A. , Rosenson Robert S. , Hazard Elisabeth , Aronow Wilbert S. , Smith Sidney C. , Ohman E. Magnus
Published: January 2009

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in men and women older than 65 years; therefore, its prevention is an important public health priority. Although cardiovascular risk is multifactorial, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels contribute to risk even in old age. Despite the importance of lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol with statins to reduce cardiovascular events, specific evidence and recommendations for older populations are limited. Where evidence supports lipid lowering in older adults, provider and patient adherence to statins remains suboptimal. Paradoxically, risk is an inverse driver of statin use regardless of age, with those most likely to benefit being least likely to receive them. Reconsidering evidence around, use of statins as well as ways to optimize the prescription of statins and adherence in appropriately selected older adults is warranted.
If She Is Not a Victim, Does That Mean She Was Not Traumatized?
Authors: Littleton Heather , Henderson Craig E.
Published: January 2009

The issue of whether individuals can be traumatized by the experience of rape if they do not label the experience a victimization remains controversial. Indeed, there are conflicting findings with regard to the extent to which such unacknowledged victims experience posttraumatic symptoms. The goal of the current study was to evaluate acknowledgment status as a predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology using structural equation modeling among a sample of 346 college rape victims. Results showed that whereas acknowledged victims reported more symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, acknowledgment status did not add to the prediction of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in a model including assault violence and other important predictors of these symptoms.
Prevalence, Types, and Pattern of Intimate Partner Violence Among Pregnant Women in Lima, Peru
Authors: Perales Maria Teresa , Cripe Swee May , Lam Nelly , Sanchez Sixto E. , Sanchez Elena , Williams Michelle Anne
Published: January 2009

This study assesses the prevalence, types, and pattern of intimate partner violence (IPV) during lifetime and current pregnancy for 2,392 women in Lima, Peru. The reported lifetime prevalence of any IPV (physical, sexual, or emotional) is 45.1%. For women who experienced abuse, the prevalence of lifetime physical, emotional, and sexual IPV is 34.2%, 28.4%, and 8.7%, respectively. Older (≥ 30 years), unmarried, employed, and economically disadvantaged women and those with little education are more likely to experience lifetime and pregnancy IPV. Efforts at universal antepartum IPV screening and appropriate interventions are needed to reduce the burden of violence experienced by pregnant women.
Children's overweight and obesity: Local and national monitoring using electronic health records
Authors: Lager Anton C.J. , Fossum Bjöörn , Rörvall Göran , Bremberg Sven G.
Published: January 2009

Aim: To test the feasibility of a system for monitoring children's obesity and overweight based on data from electronic health records in the school health services. Methods: Data on weight and height from electronic health records at school health services were collected for 10-year-olds in 2003—2004, 2004—2005 and 2005—2006. School health personnel extracted group-level data with a simple program installed on the computer containing the health records. Four Swedish municipalities were included in the study: Karlstad, Umeå, Västerås, and Ystad. Results: The system achieved coverage of 92—96% of all children in 2005—2006. The overall prevalence rates were 4.2% (3.8—4.7%) obese and 22.0% (21.1—23.0%) overweight, including obesity. Conclusions: A system based on electronic health records from the school health services can successfully provide data. The system has practical, economical and ethical strengths.
Sickness absence among women and men in the police: A systematic literature review
Authors: Körlin Jenny , Alexanderson Kristina , Svedberg Pia
Published: January 2009

Aim: The aim of the present study was to carry out a systematic literature review of all scientific studies on sickness absence among women and men in the police in order to obtain a knowledge base for the introduction of relevant preventive actions against the high sick-leave rates among police women in Sweden. Methods: Publications with data on sickness absence in the police published in peer-reviewed scientific journals in English, Danish, Norwegian or Swedish were systematically searched for in literature databases and reference lists. Identified publications were assessed for relevance. A set procedure was used to extract information from each study included. Results: The majority of the 21 included articles were from the USA or Europe. Most studies were published from 1990 and onwards. Sick-leave measures used in the different studies varied considerably. Four studies presented overall data on sickness absence by gender: three found higher rates among female officers than among male officers, and one found similar rates. Results also varied for more specific aspects. Conclusions: The research on sickness absence in the police is very scarce, especially concerning gender differences. The sick-leave measures used were too inconsistent or vaguely described to allow comparisons between studies. There was a tendency for higher sickness absence among women police; however, there is an obvious need for more studies in this area.
Measurement properties of the Arnetz and Hasson stress questionnaire in Swedish university freshmen
Authors: Andersson Claes , Johnsson Kent O. , Berglund Mats , Öjehagen Agneta
Published: January 2009

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the measurement properties of the Arnetz and Hasson seven-item stress questionnaire in order to select high-risk freshmen for a stress and alcohol intervention research project. Methods: Two complete cohorts of university freshmen at two universities were asked to participate in an intervention study. All subjects responded to seven Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) measuring common areas associated with stress. Measurement properties were evaluated by analysing internal consistency and construct validity. Results: A total of 2,032 (72%) freshmen agreed to participate. In total 14,184 out of 14,224 (99.7%) of the Visual Analogue Scales were answered. The Chronbach's alpha coefficient for the complete scale was 0.787. The Varimax rotation factor analysis, using an eigen value of 1, resulted in one factor that covered all items with factor scores of 0.50 and over. This factor explained 46% of the variance. A logistic regression analysis established that mental symptoms, living outside a serious relationship, and female gender were associated with a high stress level. Conclusions: The Arnetz and Hasson stress questionnaire is easy to use and offers sufficient internal consistency and construct validity.
Chronic angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition up-regulates mouse kidney growth arrest specific-6 protein and the AXL subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases
Authors: Pei Chia Eng  , Chua Wendy Chen-Nee , Suk Peng Chew Valerie , Wong Peter Tsun Hon , Jian Lin Yin  , Hambly Brett , McLachlan Craig Steven
Published: January 2009

Introduction. Growth arrest specific-6 (GAS-6), a vitamin K-dependent protein, is a potential mediator in progressive and chronic renal disease, specifically as a mediator of abnormal mesangial cell proliferation. Nitric oxide and angiotensin II affect mesangial cell proliferation. However, an association between nitric oxide synthase or angiotensin II on GAS-6 expression in the kidney has not previously been examined. Thus, our aim was to examine the effects of antihypertensive angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and chronic nitric oxide synthase inhibition on the kidney expression of GAS-6 and its receptors AXL, MER and RSE.

Methods. Four groups of adult male C57BL/6J mice were studied: group 1, untreated controls (tap water for six weeks); group 2, treated orally with a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 0.325 mg/ml for six weeks); group 3, treated orally with captopril (0.6875 mg/ml for six weeks); group 4, co-treated orally with L-NAME and captopril (same doses for six weeks).At the end of the study, kidneys were placed in fixative and processed to paraffin for immunohistochemical staining.

Results. GAS-6 and its receptors were not present in control and L-NAME-treated mice. Positive GAS-6 staining was detectable only in those mice receiving some form of chronic dosing with captopril, whether they were treated with captopril only or with captopril and L-NAME. Immunohistochemical detection across cases for MER and RSE was rare, whereas AXL-positive staining in the kidney mirrored GAS-6 staining/expression.The staining of GAS6 and AXL was predominantly localised to the renal tubular cells.

Conclusions. These findings suggest that GAS-6 may not be a final common pathway for nitric oxide synthase inhibition-induced renal disease. Renal tubular GAS-6 expression following captopril treatment was unexpected and could be beneficial in preventing tubular atrophy following the onset of persistent systemic hypertension.