bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thiazolidinediones and the risk of incident congestive heart failure among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Filion Kristian B. , Joseph Lawrence , Boivin Jean‐François , Suissa Samy , Brophy James M.
Published: June 2011

Background

Clinical trials suggest that thiazolidinediones (TZDs) may increase the risk of congestive heart failure (CHF). However, their effect on the risk of incident CHF in unselected populations has not been thoroughly investigated.

Methods

Using data from the UK's General Practice Research Database, we conducted a case–control study within a population‐based cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes. Cases were identified by a clinical diagnosis of incident CHF and were then classified as possible or probable cases using prescription data. A 90‐day drug exposure window was used in the primary analysis, which compared patients prescribed TZDs with those with no prescriptions for anti‐diabetic medications.

Results

We identified 3405 incident cases (2632 probable and 773 possible) of CHF and 32,042 corresponding controls. TZDs were prescribed in 6.4% of cases and 6.3% of controls. Prescription of TZDs was associated with an increased rate of possible or probable CHF (adjusted rate ratio (RR) = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.54 and adjusted RR = 1.24, 95% CI = 0.98, 1.58, respectively). Similar results were obtained when using a 180‐day exposure window (RR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.11, 1.72 and RR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.84, respectively).

Conclusions

Given the totality of the evidence from this and previous studies, the probability of an increased risk for CHF with these agents remains high. However, any increase in CHF risk associated with TZDs may be lower than previously reported. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
P‐Heterocyclic silylenes: a survey of stability with density functional theory
Authors: Kassaee M. Z. , Zandi H.
Published: June 2011

The effects of phosphorous atom on the stability, multiplicity, and reactivity of six‐member cyclic silylenes are investigated at B3LYP/AUG‐cc‐pVTZ//B3LYP/6‐31+G* and MP2/6‐311++G**//B3LYP/6‐31+G* coupled with appropriate isodesmic reactions. From a thermodynamic point of view, 1H‐2‐silaphosphinine‐2‐ylidene (1a) and 1H‐4‐silaphosphinine‐4‐ylidene (2a) are relatively the most stable with singlet–triplet energy gaps (ΔES–T) of 37.0 and 28.1 kcal/mol, respectively. The calculated energy barrier for the 1,2‐H shift of 1a to the corresponding 2‐silapyridine (1) is 26.5 kcal/mol, which is lower than the 28.8 kcal/mol required for the 1,4‐H shift of 2a to the corresponding 4‐silapyridine (2). In contrast to the previous reports, isodesmic reactions indicate that π‐donor/σ‐donor phosphorous destabilizes the singlet while stabilizes the triplet state. Both 1a and 2a silylenes appear invulnerable to the head‐to‐head as well as the head‐to‐tail dimerization, inviting experimental explorations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Generation of triplet carbenes by oxidation of an allene compound
Authors: Fuku‐en Shin‐ichi , Yamaguchi Torahiko , Kojima Satoshi , Yamamoto Yohsuke
Published: June 2011

Computational analysis on the dicationic species generated upon two‐electron oxidation of the corresponding allenic compounds bearing two thioxanthene (7a) or two acridene (7b) moieties indicated that the ground‐state multiplicity would be of the triplet state (ΔEST = ECS − ET = 12.6 and 14 kcal/mol, respectively). Under this premise, oxidation reactions of 7a and 7b were carried out. In the case of 7b, oxidation with (p‐BrC6H4)3N•+SbCl6− gave a dimer (13), which could be presumed to have formed by dimerization of the corresponding carbene. Oxidation of 7b in the presence of tetramethylpiperidine N‐oxide afforded the corresponding ketone derivative (14), thus implying the likelihood of a triplet carbene being the reactive intermediate. These results suggest that double oxidation of heterocyclic allene compounds is viable as a new approach for generating triplet carbenes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Translocation of biomolecules through solid‐state nanopores: Theory meets experiments
Authors: Fyta Maria , Melchionna Simone , Succi Sauro
Published: June 2011

The interest in polynucleotide translocation through nanopores has moved from purely biological to the need of realizing nanobiotechnological applications related to personalized genome sequencing. Polynucleotide translocation is a process in which biomolecules, like DNA or RNA, are electrophoretically driven through a narrow pore and their passage can be monitored by the change in the ionic current through the pore. Such a translocation process, which will be described here offers a very promising technology aiming at ultra‐fast low‐cost sequencing of DNA, though its realization is still confronted with challenges and drawbacks. In this review, we present the main aspects involved in the polynucleotide translocation through solid‐state nanopores by discussing the most relevant experimental, theoretical, and computational approaches and the way these can supplement each other. The discussion will expose the goals that have been reached so far, the open questions, and contains an outlook to the future of nanopore sequencing. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 49: 985–1011, 2011
The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System, a proposed tool for distress screening in cancer patients: development and refinement
Authors: Watanabe Sharon M. , Nekolaichuk Cheryl L. , Beaumont Crystal
Published: June 2011

Objective

The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) has been proposed as one element of a distress screening strategy in cancer patients. It consists of 11‐point numerical rating scales for self‐report of nine common symptoms of cancer, with a 10th scale for a patient‐specific symptom. The ESAS has undergone widespread adoption internationally for clinical, research and administrative purposes. Despite its rapid uptake, validity evidence has lagged behind, and concerns have been raised about feasibility and usefulness. The objective of this paper is to provide a synthesis of a program of research focusing on the psychometric properties of the ESAS.

Methods

We describe and discuss a series of three ESAS studies undertaken by our group: (i) a review of ESAS validation studies (1991–2006); (ii) a think‐aloud study conducted in 20 advanced cancer patients; and (iii) a prospective multicenter study conducted in 160 patients in different palliative care settings, comparing the ESAS with a revised version (ESAS‐r).

Results

The review identified 13 articles focusing on gathering reliability and/or validity evidence; the need to standardize the ESAS and conduct further validation research was apparent. The think‐aloud study elucidated the complex cognitive processes by which patients arrive at symptom ratings and areas of potential difficulty in understanding and completing the ESAS. The multicenter study demonstrated that the ESAS‐r was significantly easier for patients to understand.

Conclusions

Overall, our findings support consideration of the ESAS and its successor, the ESAS‐r, for use in distress screening in cancer patients. Areas for future research will be presented. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Management of gout
Authors: Shipley Mike
Published: June 2011

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in men over 40. Although the pattern of disease is becoming increasingly severe, promising new therapies are emerging for both acute and chronic gout. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Interface Ltd
NHS services for erectile dysfunction: a case of orchestrated chaos?
Authors: Hackett Geoff
Published: June 2011

Existing regulations designed to control the costs of therapy for erectile dysfunction mean that GPs are referring men to secondary care clinics for fear of missing a qualifying condition, thus increasing the overall cost of care. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Interface Ltd
Phylogenetic distribution of fungal mycosporines within the Pucciniomycotina (Basidiomycota)
Authors: Libkind Diego , Moliné Martín , Sommaruga Ruben , Sampaio José Paulo , van Broock Maria
Published: June 2011

The synthesis of the UV Absorbing compounds named mycosporines (MYCs) has been detected in a few basidiomycetous yeast groups. Conspicuous accumulation of mycosporine‐glutaminol‐glucoside (MGG) in yeasts requires photo‐induction and its photoprotective function has been postulated. The distribution of the ability to produce MYCs appeared to be related to the yeast taxonomic affiliation. In view of the potential significance of MYCs in yeast taxonomy, we here studied the distribution of this trait among dimorphic basidiomycetes of the Pucciniomycotina. Of the 94 fungal species (377 strains and 33 genera) tested, almost half were MYC‐positive and MGG was the main compound produced. MGG synthesis was observed for representatives of five of seven Pucciniomycotina classes, indicating that this trait is widely distributed in this group. MGG detection proved useful for the differentiation of species of the polyphyletic genera, such as Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces, that are phylogenetically separated. MGG quantification and UV tolerance studies in Cystobasidiomycetes supported the idea that the habitat of origin of each strains is important in the level of MGG synthesis and that MYCs have a photoprotective function in yeasts. The taxonomic value of this trait in fungal systematics is discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evolutional and clinical implications of the epigenetic regulation of protein glycosylation
Authors: Horvat Tomislav , Zoldoš Vlatka , Lauc Gordan
Published: June 2011

Protein N glycosylation is an ancient posttranslational modification that enriches protein structure and function. The addition of one or more complex oligosaccharides (glycans) to the backbones of the majority of eukaryotic proteins makes the glycoproteome several orders of magnitude more complex than the proteome itself. Contrary to polypeptides, which are defined by a sequence of nucleotides in the corresponding genes, glycan parts of glycoproteins are synthesized by the activity of hundreds of factors forming a complex dynamic network. These are defined by both the DNA sequence and the modes of regulating gene expression levels of all the genes involved in N glycosylation. Due to the absence of a direct genetic template, glycans are particularly versatile and apparently a large part of human variation derives from differences in protein glycosylation. However, composition of the individual glycome is temporally very constant, indicating the existence of stable regulatory mechanisms. Studies of epigenetic mechanisms involved in protein glycosylation are still scarce, but the results suggest that they might not only be important for the maintenance of a particular glycophenotype through cell division and potentially across generations but also for the introduction of changes during the adaptive evolution.
The Evolution of Family Complexity from the Perspective of Nonmarital Children
Authors: Cancian Maria , Meyer Daniel R. , Cook Steven T.
Published: June 2011

We document the incidence and evolution of family complexity from the perspective of children. Following a cohort of firstborn children whose mothers were not married at the time of their birth, we consider family structure changes over the first 10 years of the child’s life—considering both full and half-siblings who are coresidential or who live in another household. We rely on detailed longitudinal administrative data from Wisconsin that include information on the timing of subsequent births to the mother and father, and detailed information on earnings, child support, and welfare. We find that 60% of firstborn children of unmarried mothers have at least one half-sibling by age 10. Our results highlight the importance of having fertility information for both fathers and mothers: estimates of the proportion of children with half-siblings would be qualitatively lower if we had fertility information on only one parent. Complex family structures are more likely for children of parents who are younger or who have low earnings and for those in larger urban areas. Children who have half-siblings on their mother’s side are also more likely to have half-siblings on their father’s side, and vice versa, contributing to very complex family structures—and potential child support arrangements—for some children.
Mosaic Mac-B
Authors: Ch'ng David
Published: June 2011

Using content analysis, the core planning elements common to six standard marketing planning models are identified. These have been grouped into an acronym MOSAIC which stands for marketing audit (M), marketing objective (O), strategy (S), action programme (A), implementation (I), and control (C). In addition, four supporting planning elements have also been found and these are mission statement (m), assumption (a), contingency plan (c) and marketing budget (b); represented by the acronym mac-b. MOSAIC mac-b presents a comprehensive framework for a formal marketing planning system. It distinguishes between the core and supporting planning elements and helps the planner to focus on the basic requirements in the marketing planning process. Preliminary feedback from the industry indicates that MOSAIC mac-b can be a valuable tool for appraising the marketing planning process currently being used by a company. The comprehensive framework, encapsulated in a simple acronym, provides easy reference to a complex process and permits its users to challenge the completeness of the existing planning system. The acronym may also serve as a useful teaching aid in business education.
Flow adjustment and interior flow associated with a rectangular porous obstruction
Authors: ROMINGER JEFFREY T. , NEPF HEIDI M.
Published: June 2011

The flow at the leading edge and in the interior of a rectangular porous obstruction is described through experiments and scaling. The porous obstruction consists of an emergent, rectangular array of cylinders in shallow flow, a configuration that mimics aquatic vegetation. The main features of the flow depend upon the non-dimensional canopy flow-blockage, which is a function of the obstruction width and porosity. For the ranges of canopy flow-blockage tested in this paper, the fluid decelerates upstream of the obstruction over a length scale proportional to the array width. For high flow-blockage, the interior adjustment length within the porous obstruction is set by the array width. For low flow-blockage, the array's frontal area per unit volume sets the interior adjustment length. Downstream of the adjustment regions, the interior velocity is governed by a balance between the lateral divergence of the turbulent stress and canopy drag, or by a balance between the pressure gradient and canopy drag, depending on the lateral penetration into the array of Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) vortices, which is set by the non-dimensional canopy flow-blockage. For a porous obstruction with two stream-parallel edges, the KH vortex streets along the two edges are in communication across the width of the array: a phenomenon that results in cross-array vortex organization, which significantly enhances the vortex strength and creates significant lateral transport within the porous obstruction.
Torsional magnetic reconnection: The effects of localizing the non-ideal (ηJ) term
Authors: WYPER PETER F. , JAIN REKHA
Published: June 2011

Magnetic reconnection in three dimensions (3D) is a natural extension from X-point reconnection in two dimensions. Of central importance in the 3D process is a localized non-ideal region within which the plasma and magnetic field decouple allowing for field line connectivity change. In practice, localized current structures provide this localization; however, mathematically a similar effect can be achieved with the localization of plasma resistivity instead. Physically though, such approaches are unrealistic, as anomalous resistivity requires very localized currents. Therefore, we wish to know how much information is lost in localizing η instead of current? In this work we develop kinematic models for torsional spine and fan reconnection using both localized η and localized current and compare the non-ideal flows predicted by each. We find that the flow characteristics are dictated almost exclusively by the form taken for the current profile with η acting only to scale the flow. We do, however, note that the reconnection mechanism is the same in each case. Therefore, from an understanding point of view, localized η models are still important first steps into exploring the role of non-ideal effects.
Variations in type, width, volume and carbon content of anchoveta Engraulis ringens food items during the early larval stages
Authors: Yañez-Rubio A. , Llanos-Rivera A. , Castro L.R. , Claramunt G. , Herrera L.
Published: June 2011

In order to determine the changes in the relative importance of different kinds of preys as larval anchoveta Engralis ringens grows, the present study reports information about feeding incidence, type, size, and carbon content estimates of preys, at the beginning of the main spawning season in mid-winter off central Chile. Our results show a mixed diet initially dominated by phytoplankton and later switching to zooplankton in older larvae. While larval anchoveta grows, they feed on preys whose widths do not vary much compared to their body length and volume. These preys might be different taxa or a single species whose body widths vary little among life stages (i.e. nauplii and copepodites). Differences in estimated carbon content were observed among food items and a marked increase in carbon consumption was observed in the larger larval sizes (>9 mm standard length). These ontogenetic changes in feeding are coincident with the increased proportion of larger preys and also with the number of preys consumed by larger larvae.
From Populism To Neoliberalism: Labor Unions and Market Reforms in Latin America
Authors: Murillo M. Victoria
Published: June 2011

In the late 1980s, populist labor parties, which had advanced protectionism and state intervention in the postwar period, implemented market-oriented reforms in Argentina, Mexico, and Venezuela. In all three countries, market reforms hurt their union allies. The interaction between allied unions and governing labor parties, however, varied across countries and across sectors within the same country. While some unions endorsed neoliberal reforms, others rejected them despite their long-term alliance with governing parties. While some unions obtained concessions, others failed to do so.

This article argues that the incentives created by partisan loyalties, partisan competition, and union competition explain these interactions. Partisan loyalty results from the long-term affiliation of unions with a political party. Partisan competition takes place among union leaders affiliated with different political parties for the control of unions. Union competition occurs in diverse national and sectoral contexts among labor organizations for the representation of the same workers. Loyalty derived from a long-term affiliation with the incumbent party facilitates collaboration between labor unions and the government. Yet, if partisan competition makes loyal union leaders afraid of being replaced by activists affiliated with the opposition parties, their incentives for militancy increase as a way of showing their responsiveness to the rank and file hurt by market reforms. Union competition for the representation of the same workers makes coordination more difficult, thereby weakening unions and making them less likely to obtain concessions from the government despite their partisan loyalty. The article presents empirical evidence from eighteen cases, including national confederations and individual unions in five economic sectors in Argentina, Mexico, and Venezuela to test this theory.
Contingent Democrats: Industrialists, Labor, and Democratization in Late-Developing Countries
Authors: Bellin Eva
Published: June 2011

Many classic works of political economy have identified capital and labor as the champions of democratization during the first wave of transition. By contrast, this article argues for the contingent nature of capital and labor's support for democracy, especially in the context of late development. The article offers a theory of democratic contingency, proposing that a few variables, namely, state dependence, aristocratic privilege, and social fear account for much of the variation found in class support for democratization both across and within cases. Conditions associated with late development make capital and labor especially prone to diffidence about democratization. But such diffidence is subject to change, especially under the impact of international economic integration, poverty-reducing social welfare policies, and economic growth that is widely shared. Case material from Korea, Indonesia, Mexico, Zambia, Brazil, Tunisia and other countries is offered as evidence.
Grand Strategy and Foreign Economic Policy: British Grand Strategy in the 1930s
Authors: Skålnes Lars S.
Published: June 2011

Variation in the need for military and political support from military allies affects the degree to which foreign economic policies will discriminate in favor of military allies and against adversaries and other countries. Powers in need of such support will pursue discriminatory foreign economic policies in order to change the configuration of domestic interests to favor not only closer economic relations but also closer political relations. By strengthening domestic support for an alliance, policymakers make it more difficult for their allies to renege on alliance commitments. Stronger political relations in turn reinforce the deterrent effect of the alliance. Because the net strategic benefits from closer relations in their case are lower, powers that can go it alone without support from allies will refrain from discriminatory policies. Shifts in strategic need make it possible to explain variation in the links between security considerations and foreign economic policies within alliances over time and also across alliances. British grand strategy in the 1930s illustrates how shifts in strategic need influence the degree to which foreign economic policies discriminate in favor of potential military allies.
Against the Odds: Retrenchment in Agriculture in France and the United States
Authors: Coleman William D. , Atkinson Michael M. , Montpetit Éric
Published: June 2011

This article extends recent work on a comparative theory of retrenchment in social policy by asking whether the politics of retrenchment travels well across policy areas, with policy feedback remaining a crucial variable for explaining government success or failure. The article analyzes policy change in agriculture in the United States and France, a natural choice for an extension of retrenchment theory because agricultural policy resembles social policy in some respects but also provides telling points of contrast. The article finds that the call for new theories focusing on retrenchment is justified: the politics of agricultural retrenchment differs from that of expansion, and success at retrenchment varies by program.

The analysis shows, as well, that retrenchment has been significant both in the U.S. and in France and the European Union. Variations in policy feedback help explain why these policy changes occurred. Moreover, the France-U.S. comparison highlights how systemic institutional factors shape the politics of retrenchment. Finally, focusing on agriculture, a policy sector in which international developments have a greater direct importance than they do in social policy, the article identifies an additional systemic retrenchment strategy: constraining domestic programs through international agreements.
Winners Take All: The Politics of Partial Reform in Postcommunist Transitions
Authors: Hellman Joel S.
Published: June 2011

Conventional models of the politics of economic reform tend to be based on an assumption about the costs and benefits of reform, known informally as the J-curve. Reforms are expected to make things worse before they get better. This presents a classic time inconsistency dilemma for reformist governments forced to demand severe sacrifices from the public in the short term for the mere promise of future gains. In response, political economy models of the reform process have tended to stress the importance of insulating governments from the pressures of the short-term losers until a sufficient constituency of winners has been created with a stake in supporting and enhancing the reforms.

Based on evidence from the postcommunist transitions, this article suggests that the most serious political obstacles to the process of economic reform have come not from the short-term losers but from the shortterm winners. Groups that gain substantial rents from the early distortions of a partially reformed economy have a stake in maintaining a partial reform equilibrium that generates high private gains, but at a considerable social cost. In these countries, the main political challenge has been, not to marginalize the losers, but to restrain the winners. This explains the paradoxical outcome of the postcommunist transitions: that political systems which are more inclusive of the losers have been able to adopt and sustain more comprehensive economic reforms than states insulated from popular pressures.
The Political Economy of the Resource Curse
Authors: Ross Michael L.
Published: June 2011

How does a state's natural resource wealth influence its economic development? For the past fifty years, versions of this question have been explored by both economists and political scientists. New research suggests that resource wealth tends to harm economic growth, yet there is little agreement on why this occurs. This article reviews a wide range of recent attempts in both economics and political science to explain the “resource curse.” It suggests that much has been learned about the economic problems of resource exporters but less is known about their political problems. The disparity between strong findings on economic matters and weak findings on political ones partly reflects the failure of political scientists to carefully test their own theories.
Immigration and Integration Studies in Western Europe and the United States: The Road Less Traveled and a Path Ahead
Authors: Bleich Erik
Published: June 2011

This article examines the significant contributions of recent research on immigration and integration in Europe and North America and highlights the potential of such research to influence the social sciences. The first part of the article advances a framework for analyzing four types of scholarship and then applies that framework to the study of immigration and integration. Type 1 scholarship develops theoretical or conceptual insights for scholars within a subfield, type 2 tests or refines theories that are specific to a particular dimension of the subfield, type 3 imports broader comparative or social scientific concepts to reshape the study of a topic within a subfield, and type 4 uses evidence from a subfield to develop theoretical tools that can be applied more broadly in the social sciences. The second part of the article reviews four books that highlight the empirical frontiers of immigration and integration research. Each book tends to epitomize one of the four types of scholarship, but together they demonstrate the possibility of making contributions on multiple registers. The article concludes by suggesting promising frontiers within the immigration and integration subfield and by defining the concept of a comparative politics of identity and sketching out its terrain. Since immigration and integration researchers are centrally interested in the role of identity in politics, they have the potential to be pivotal in advancing this new arena of inquiry.
Liberal Elites, Socialist Masses, and Problems of Russian Democracy
Authors: Kullberg Judith S. , Zimmerman William
Published: June 2011

Strong showings by antireform parties in elections in Russia and other East European nations in the early and mid-1990s raised concerns about the long-term prospects for democracy in the region. Some interpret these votes as expressions of public protest over the costs of economic reform, while others argue that they reflected public skepticism of the liberalism of reformist elites. The authors present evidence from parallel elite/mass surveys conducted in Russia in 1992–93 and 1995 of a considerable gap between elite and mass worldviews. They argue that variation in ideological orientations—both between elite and mass and within the mass public—is largely a function of the postcommunist structure of economic opportunity. Analysis of the survey data provides substantial support for the effects of economic opportunity structure on individual ideological orientation and system preference. Thus, what accounts for the Russian elite's embrace of liberalism and its nonacceptance by portions of the Russian mass public is not simply economic decline but the differential impact of restructuring on long-term material prospects. The findings suggest that students of democratic change should focus more fully on the structural factors that constrain what is politically possible.
Women in the Legislatures and Executives of the World: Knocking at the Highest Glass Ceiling
Authors: Reynolds Andrew
Published: June 2011

This article reports the results of a survey of women in legislatures and executives around the world as they were constituted in 1998 (N = 180). The chief hypotheses regarding the factors hindering or facilitating women's access to political representation were tested by multivariate regression models. The regression models juxtaposed a cocktail of institutional, political, cultural, and socioeconomic variables with the following dependent variables: (1) the percentage of MPs who are women and (2) the percentage of cabinet ministers who are women.

A number, although not all, of the cited hypotheses were statistically confirmed and more finely quantified. The socioeconomic development of women in society has an effect on the number of women in parliament but not in the cabinet. A country's length of experience with multipartyism and women's enfranchisement correlates with both the legislative and the executive percentage. Certain electoral systems are more women friendly than others. The ideological nature of the party system affects the number of women elected and chosen for cabinet posts. And last, the state's dominant religion, taken as a proxy for culture, also statistically relates to the number of women who will make it to high political office. However, other long-held hypotheses were not proved. The degree of democracy is not a good indicator of the percentage of women who will make it into the legislature or the cabinet, nor is the dichotomy between a presidential or parliamentary system.
Political Regimes and the Extractive Capacity of Governments: Taxation in Democracies and Dictatorships
Authors: Cheibub José Antonio
Published: June 2011

Recent political and economic transformations in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe have brought about a renewed interest in the incentives and capabilities of different types of political regimes to implement policies that are deemed necessary for economic development, in particular, policies aimed at increasing tax revenue. One central question is whether democracies can collect as much in taxes as dictatorships. This article addresses this question by examining whether regime type, classified as democracy or dictatorship, has a causal impact on a government's capacity to mobilize resources through taxation. On the basis of data gathered for 108 countries for the period between 1970 and 1990, the article concludes that observed differences across countries regarding the level of taxes collected by the government are not due to the fact that some are under a democracy and others under a dictatorship. Concerns about the inability of democratic regimes to collect taxes are, therefore, unfounded.
Theoretical Decay and Theoretical Development: The Resurgence of Institutional Analysis
Authors: Remmer Karen L.
Published: June 2011

Research on the less industrialized regions of the world has undergone major changes in terms of theoretical rigor, methodological sophistication, and the diversification of analytical approaches since the publication of Samuel P. Huntingdon's essay, “Political Development and Political Decay,” inWorld Politicsin 1965. Yet more than three decades later, comparativists are rediscovering political institutions, highlighting the originality of Huntington's scholarly contribution. The resurgence of institutional analysis has redirected attention to the potential variability of political outcomes in the face of sweeping global currents, generated important theoretical insights, and created new bases for dialogue across disparate research traditions. Nevertheless, the horizons of institutional research need to be broadened to address the challenges posed by international influences, two-way interactions between politics and society, and institutional fluidity.
Intervention and Intransitivity: Public Opinion, Social Choice, and the Use of Military Force Abroad
Authors: Gaubatz Kurt Taylor
Published: June 2011

This article argues that the problems identified in the literature on public choice should critically affect our research on public opinion and our understanding of the impact of public opinion on foreign policy. While a robust literature has emerged around social choice issues in political science, there has been remarkably little appreciation for these problems in the literature on public opinion in general and on public opinion and foreign policy in particular. The potential importance of social choice problems for understanding the nature and role of public opinion in foreign policy making is demonstrated through an examination of American public attitudes about military intervention abroad. In particular, drawing on several common descriptions of the underlying dimensionality of public attitudes on major foreign policy issues, it is shown that there may be important intransitivities in the ordering of public preferences at the aggregate level on policy choices such as those considered by American decision makers in the period leading up to the Gulf War. Without new approaches to public-opinion polling that take these problems into consideration, it will be difficult to make credible claims about the role of public opinion in theforeignpolicy process.
International Institutions and Economic Sanctions
Authors: Mansfield Edward D.
Published: June 2011

Economic sanctions have long occupied the attention of both scholars and policy makers. Despite the widespread use of sanctions, many observers have concluded that the inherent problems associated with imposing sanctions involving multiple senders substantially limit their effectiveness. This article reviews two books that analyze the factors that influence cooperation among senders of multilateral sanctions. These books indicate that international institutions can do much to promote cooperation of this sort. However, this essay argues that the extent to which international institutions facilitate cooperation among senders of sanctions is likely to depend on the domestic politics of members, the type of institution being used for this purpose, the nature of the strategy being pursued, and the distribution of power among members. Although these books make significant contributions to our understanding of the factors that promote cooperation among senders of multilateral sanctions, they examine the factors that promote the effectiveness of sanctions in only a peripheral manner. One potential influence on the effectiveness of sanctions that are organized by an international institution, however, is the likelihood that the institution will be captured by member states or by interest groups within them. Additional research that investigates the conditions under which international institutions are likely to be captured and the implications of institutional capture for their performance may therefore prove useful to scholars of international relations and economic statecraft.
Institutions, Elites, and Technological Change in France and Germany
Authors: Ziegler J. Nicholas
Published: June 2011

Most comparative studies of public strategies for competitiveness focus on the links between public agencies and industrial sectors. This paper argues that the professions—or knowledge-bearing elites—that animate these organizational links are equally significant. For public policies to promote technological advance, the visions and self-images of knowledge-bearing elites are particularly important. By examining administrative and technical elites in France and Germany in the 1980s, the paper identifies characteristics that enable these elites to implement policy in some cases but not in others. France's “state-created” elites were well positioned to initiate and implement large technology projects, such as digitizing the telecommunications network. By contrast, Germany's state-recognized elites were better positioned to facilitate framework-oriented programs aimed at the diffusion of new technologies throughout industry. The linkages between administrative and technical elites also explain why French policymakers had difficulty adapting policy to changing circumstances over time, whereas German policymakers managed in many cases to learn more from previous policy experiences and to adapt subsequent initiatives accordingly.
Wage Inequality and Varieties of Capitalism
Authors: Rueda David , Pontusson Jonas
Published: June 2011

This article draws on a new data set that enables the authors to compare the distribution of income from employment across OECD countries. Specifically, the article conducts a pooled cross-sectional time-series analysis of the determinants of wage inequality in sixteen countries from 1973 to 1995. The analysis shows that varieties of capitalism matter. The authors find that the qualities that distinguish social market economies from liberal market economies shape the way political and institutional variables influence wage inequality. Of particular interest to political scientists is the finding that the wage-distributive effects of government partisanship are contingent on institutional context. Union density emerges in the analysis as the single most important factor influencing wage inequality in both institutional contexts.
Bowen’s formula for meromorphic functions
Authors: BARAŃSKI KRZYSZTOF , KARPIŃSKA BOGUSŁAWA , ZDUNIK ANNA
Published: June 2011

Letfbe an arbitrary transcendental entire or meromorphic function in the class 𝒮 (i.e. with finitely many singularities). We show that the topological pressureP(f,t) fort>0 can be defined as the common value of the pressuresP(f,t,z) for allz∈ℂ up to a set of Hausdorff dimension zero. Moreover, we prove thatP(f,t) equals the supremum of the pressures off∣Xover all invariant hyperbolic subsetsXof the Julia set, and we prove Bowen’s formula forf, i.e. we show that the Hausdorff dimension of the radial Julia set offis equal to the infimum of the set oft, for whichP(f,t) is non-positive. Similar results hold for (non-exceptional) transcendental entire or meromorphic functionsfin the class ℬ (i.e. with a bounded set of singularities), for which the closure of the post-singular set does not contain the Julia set.
Reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation: issues for policy design and implementation
Authors: BOSETTI VALENTINA , ROSE STEVEN K.
Published: June 2011

There is a new international policy focus on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), as well as promoting forest conservation, the sustainable management of forests and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD-plus). The recent Conference of Parties meeting of 196 countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Cancun, Mexico (December 2010) was able to advance initiatives on REDD-plus even while there was limited progress on fossil fuel related aspects of an international climate change agreement. The Cancun meeting recognised that there was strong and broad support for REDD-plus and was able to agree to the development of a formal Mechanism under the UNFCCC for incentivizing REDD-plus activities. Implementing the Mechanism is another matter, and will require the development and coordination of country REDD-plus readiness and financing, including detailed consideration of country reference levels, measurement, reporting and verification methodologies, and sub-national and national program coordination.
Markets in pre-industrial societies: storage in Hellenistic Babylonia in the medieval English mirror
Authors: van Leeuwen Bas , Földvári Peter , Pirngruber Reinhard
Published: June 2011

At least some ancient civilizations used various risk-management strategies to minimize price volatility. In this article, we examine one such strategy, grain storage, by means of a dataset recently made available that provides agricultural prices for Babylonia during the Late Achaemenid and Hellenistic periods (c.400–65 BCE). A comparative analysis of medieval England and Hellenistic Babylonia reveals a low level of inter-annual storage in both economies, and helps us to compare the costs and benefits in each society. Costs are largely equated with interest rates, and benefits with seasonal price changes. Unlike in England, Babylonia’s dual crop structure (barley and dates) reduced seasonality and thus the potential benefits of storage. There is no evidence, however, that storage costs – that is, interest rates – were likewise lower. This suggests that interest rates were primarily determined in the urban and commercial sectors, not the agricultural one. Consequently, measures of seasonal price changes in pre-modern economies may tell us relatively little about interest rates. While the McCloskey–Nash methodology may be helpful in analysing particular economies, it is perhaps of limited use for comparing them.
Transnational intellectual cooperation, the League of Nations, and the problem of order
Authors: Laqua Daniel
Published: June 2011

This article examines the political and cultural contexts of the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation and the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation. These two League of Nations bodies were charged with fostering international understanding through the promotion of educational, scientific, and cultural exchange. Whereas previous studies have revealed the institutional and diplomatic processes that shaped these bodies, the present article considers their intellectual genealogies and trajectories. Adopting a transnational perspective, it argues that the multi-layered quest for order is central to understanding intellectual cooperation in the interwar years. This concern was reflected in the role of cultural relations within the post-war order, and in the aim of strengthening intellectuals’ position in the social order (both through legal instruments and through new tools for ‘intellectual labour’).
Development advisors in a time of cold war and decolonization: the United Nations Technical Assistance Administration, 1950–59
Authors: Webster David
Published: June 2011

The United Nations Technical Assistance Administration (TAA) was the world organization’s main body for development advice throughout the 1950s. In technical assistance, the UN found a global mission at a time when its peace and security functions seemed ineffective. Technical assistance experts preached the need for less developed countries to plan and modernize. This process has been studied with regard to American modernization theory, but the important role of the UN as an autonomous diplomatic actor has been less visible. The UN was a relatively acceptable source of technical assistance for many governments. Among them was Indonesia, which welcomed UN help for its State Planning Bureau. TAA aid to the Planning Bureau advanced the interests of both organizations but both failed to institutionalize themselves enough to survive the decade. Both, however, left important legacies: the TAA for UN development thinking, and the Planning Bureau for the Indonesian developmentalist state.
Patterns of fetal heart rate response at ∼30 weeks gestation predict size at birth
Authors: Sandman C. A. , Cordova C. J. , Davis E. P. , Glynn L. M. , Buss C.
Published: June 2011

There is evidence that fetal exposure to maternal stress is associated with adverse birth outcomes. Less is known about the association between fetal responses to a stressor and indicators of fetal maturity and developmental outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns in response to a startling stimulus at ∼30 weeks of gestation were associated with gestational age at birth and birth weight. FHR was measured in 156 maternal–fetal dyads following a vibroacoustic stimulus. All pregnancies were singleton intrauterine pregnancies in English-speaking women who were primarily married, middle class, White and at least 18 years of age. Group-based trajectory modeling identified five groups of fetuses displaying distinctive longitudinal trajectories of FHR response to the startling stimulus. The FHR group trajectories were significantly associated with birth weight percentile (P < 0.01) even after controlling for estimated fetal weight at the time of assessment and parity, which are the known factors influencing birth weight (P < 0.01). Post hoc analyses indicated that two groups accounted for the association between FHR patterns and birth weight. The group (n = 23) with the lowest birth weight exhibited an immediate FHR deceleration followed by an immediate acceleration that does not recover. An FHR pattern characterized by immediate and fast acceleration to the peak and a slow discovery to baseline was associated with the highest birth weight. This is the first direct evidence showing that low birth weight and the resulting neurological consequences may have their origins in early fetal development.
A close look at oceanic sources of continental precipitation
Authors: Gimeno Luis , Nieto Raquel , Drumond Anita , Durán‐Quesada Ana María , Stohl Andreas , Sodemann Harold , Trigo Ricardo M.
Published: June 2011

Globally, the hydrological cycle is characterized by the evaporation of about 500,000 cubic kilometers of water per year, of which 86% is from the oceans and 14% is from the continents [Quante and Matthias, 2006]. Most of the water that evaporates from the oceans (90%) is precipitated back into them, while the remaining 10% is transported to the continents, where the water precipitates. About two thirds of this precipitation is recycled over the continents, and only one third runs off directly into the oceans. Because societies rely on secure water resources, it is important to understand the processes that govern the atmospheric transport of moisture [Trenberth et al., 2003] and how they are related to precipitation over land. Research on these processes is also related to studies on the energetic coupling of the land‐atmosphere system, as well as to paleoclimatology; studies on the latter aim to extract information on past states of the climate system from records such as those of ice cores and stalagmites.
Volcanic hazards and remote sensing in Pacific Latin America
Authors: Lyons John , Rose Bill , Escobar Rüdiger
Published: June 2011

PASI Workshop on Open Vent Volcanoes; San José, Costa Rica, 10–24 January 2011; Open‐vent volcanoes are a class of volcano that contain a relatively open path from the subsurface to the atmosphere without a major vent obstruction. Their persistent, low‐level activity, which poses little danger to communities, may be punctuated by violent activity without warning. These complex systems challenge and provide opportunity for observatories and national and international investigators. Long‐lived eruptions are also laboratories for students and scientists and a locus for developing collaborations and field testing new instrumentation and methods. Pacific Latin America hosts a high density of active volcanoes, and many are under‐monitored and under‐researched despite the efforts of local volcano observatories and their accessibility to U.S. and European scientists.