bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Like I need a hole in the head: supernumerary external auditory meatus in a Carthaginian cranium
Authors: Lukaszek D. A. , Irish J. D. , Balzeau A. , Froment A.
Published: January 2009

Cranial anomalies vary in degree of expression. Although some are nominal i.e. slight in expression, other anomalies are quite striking in appearance. Such is the case in a cranium recovered from the archaeological site of Carthage in Tunisia. Based on observations during ongoing research by the second author, this specimen was seen to exhibit a twinned right external auditory meatus. Possible explanations for the presence of this anomaly are explored. Trauma and perhaps disease can likely be excluded; congenital or epigenetic variation is more of a probable cause. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
123I‐mIBG scintigraphy in patients with known or suspected neuroblastoma: Results from a prospective multicenter trial
Authors: Vik Terry A. , Pfluger Thomas , Kadota Richard , Castel Victoria , Tulchinsky Mark , Farto J.C. Alonso , Heiba Sherif , Serafini Aldo , Tumeh Sabah , Khutoryansky Natalie , Jacobson Arnold F.
Published: January 2009

Background

A prospective trial was conducted to confirm the diagnostic performance of 123I‐mIBG scintigraphy in patients with known or suspected neuroblastoma.

Procedure

One hundred patients (mean age 4.7 years) were enrolled, 86 with a previous diagnosis of neuroblastoma, 13 with suspected disease based upon symptoms, imaging findings, and elevated catecholamines, and one adult with an abdominal tumor thought to be of neuroendocrine origin. All patients underwent whole‐body planar imaging 24 hr following IV administration of 1–10 mCi (37–370 MBq) 123I‐mIBG. SPECT imaging of the thorax/abdomen/pelvis was performed in 51 patients. Images were interpreted by three blinded readers, with consensus requiring agreement of at least two readers. Disease status was confirmed by histopathology, imaging results, catecholamine measurements, and follow‐up.

Results

Sixty‐four patients had active disease, 30 were without disease, and 6 were judged indeterminate because of insufficient confirmatory data. 123I‐mIBG scintigraphy had a sensitivity of 88% (56/64) and specificity of 83% (25/30). Sensitivity was 91% (30/33) among the subset of subjects who had both planar and SPECT imaging. Among 53 patients with recent histopathology, sensitivity and specificity were 93% and 92%, respectively. Most false‐negative interpretations were in patients with minimal residual disease (n = 4), while false‐positive interpretations generally involved atypical adrenal or other physiological uptake (n = 4).

Conclusions

This prospective multicenter trial of 123I‐mIBG scintigraphy documents high sensitivity and specificity of this imaging technique in patients with both newly diagnosed and previously treated neuroblastoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;52:784–790. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Electrical conductivity and optical properties of poly(3‐thiophene boronic acid) organic semiconductor
Authors: Yakuphanoglu Fahrettin , Şenkal B. Filiz
Published: January 2009

Electrical conductivity and optical properties of the poly(3‐thiophene boronic acid) have been investigated. The room temperature electrical conductivity and activation energy of the poly(3‐thiophene boronic acid) were 2.0 × 10−9 S/cm and 0.17 eV, respectively. In the semiconductor region of the polymer, the charge transport mechanism is taking place by the hopping process in the localized states. The direct optical band gap value of the poly(3‐thiophene boronic acid) was found to be 1.92 eV via optical absorption method. The width of localized states for the polymer was determined to be 0.36 eV. The refractive index dispersion curve of the polymer obeys the single oscillator model. The refractive index dispersion parameter Eo/So for the poly(3‐thiophene boronic acid) was determined to be 9.82 × 1012 eV m2. The optical dielectric constants of the polymer were determined. The real part of the dielectric constant of the polymer is higher than that of imaginary part of the dielectric constant. The imaginary part shows a peak corresponding to the absorption edge. It is evaluated that the electrical and optical results of the poly(3‐thiophene boronic acid) indicate that it is an organic semiconductor with electrical and optical parameters. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Antiinflammatory and lipoxygenase inhibitory compounds from vitex agnus‐castus
Authors: Choudhary M. Iqbal , Azizuddin  , Jalil Saima , Nawaz Sarfraz Ahmad , Khan Khalid Mohammed , Tareen Rasool Bakhsh , Atta‐ur‐Rahman
Published: January 2009

Several secondary metabolites, artemetin (1), casticin (2), 3,3′‐dihydroxy‐5,6,7,4′‐tetramethoxy flavon (3), penduletin (4), methyl 4‐hydroxybenzoate (5), p‐hydroxybenzoic acid (6), methyl 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoate (7), 5‐hydroxy‐2‐methoxybenzoic acid (8), vanillic acid (9) and 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoic acid (10) were isolated from a folkloric medicinal plant, Vitex agnus‐castus. The structures of compounds 1–10 were identified with the help of spectroscopic techniques. Compounds 3–10 were isolated for the first time from this plant. These compounds were screened for their antiinflammatory and lipoxygenase inhibitory activities. Compounds 6, 7 and 10 were found to have significant antiinflammatory activity in a cell‐based contemporary assay, whereas compounds 1 and 2 exhibited a potent lipoxygenase inhibition. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Complexity of contacts between synaptic boutons and dendritic spines in adult rat hippocampus: Three‐dimensional reconstructions from serial ultrathin sections in vivo
Authors: Popov Victor I. , Stewart Michael G.
Published: January 2009

The morphological relationship between a synapse and dendritic spine is an important determinant of synaptic function, and has been studied extensively with the electron microscope. This has revealed that the universal idea of one synapse per spine is no longer tenable; dendritic spines may on occasions form synapses with two or more axonal boutons. To elucidate the detailed structure and relationship of spines and their synaptic contacts in the molecular layers of the dentate gyrus of the adult rat, a study using 3‐dimensional (3D) reconstructions was made from serial ultrathin sections (up to 150 sections per series), of both pre‐ and postsynaptic segments of axons and dendrites. We found that synapses from all unmyelinated axons examined were en passant and although most contacts between synapse and spine are one‐to‐one, all reconstructions examined contained both multisynaptic axonal segments, and multisynaptic spines. In the dentate gyrus, 3.48% mushroom spines were multisynaptic, synapsing with more than two axons, and 0.46% of the total population of synapses were multisynaptic. Although these values appear small, they actually comprise millions of contacts per cubic millimeter of tissue. Axonal varicosities can contact more than three dendritic spines originating from different dendritic branches while spines may branch with up to three heads, and spine heads may receive two or more synaptic contacts. Our data confirm the complexity of relationships between spines and synapses and show that a one–one relationship between synapse and spine cannot be assumed automatically. Synapse 63:369–377, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dopamine D2/3receptor occupancy of apomorphine in the nonhuman primate brain—A comparative PET study with [11C]raclopride and [11C]MNPA
Authors: Finnema Sjoerd J. , Halldin Christer , Bang‐Andersen Benny , Gulyás Balázs , Bundgaard Christoffer , Wikström Håkan V. , Farde Lars
Published: January 2009

Binding studies in vitro have demonstrated that the dopamine D2receptor may exist in two affinity states for agonists. The high affinity state is thought to represent the functional state of the receptor and proportions might alter during disease. In vitro studies further indicate that agonists induce measurable D2receptor occupancy at clinically relevant concentrations but only when measured at the high affinity state. Recently developed PET‐radioligands, such as [11C]MNPA, have now made it possible to directly study agonist binding in vivo. The aim of this study was to compare the inhibition by apomorphine of agonist and antagonist radioligand binding to D2/3receptors in vivo. A total of 36 PET measurements were performed with the D2/3antagonist [11C]raclopride or the D2/3agonist [11C]MNPA in two cynomolgus monkeys. On each study day, a baseline measurement was followed by two consecutive pretreatment studies with rising doses of apomorphine (0.01, 0.05, 0.15, 0.5, 1.0, and 3.0 mg/kg). Binding potential (BPND) values were calculated for the striatum with cerebellum as reference region. Apomorphine inhibited [11C]raclopride and [11C]MNPA binding in a dose‐dependent manner and to a similar extent. ID50andKivalues were 0.26 mg/kg and 29 ng/ml for [11C]raclopride and 0.50 mg/kg and 31 ng/ml for [11C]MNPA. The present observations do not support the existence of two affinity states in vivo. It might thus be speculated that all D2/3receptors are in the high affinity state at in vivo conditions. Synapse 63:378–389, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Human evidence of a supra‐spinal modulating role of dopamine on pain perception
Authors: Potvin Stéphane , Grignon Sylvain , Marchand Serge
Published: January 2009

Background:

Over the last decades, remarkable progresses have been accomplished regarding the understanding of the neurophysiologic and neuropharmacological bases of pain. A growing preclinical literature supports a role for substance P, endogenous opioids, glutamate, serotonin, and norepinephrine in pain perception. Recently, a series of studies explored the function of dopamine in pain perception, which we review here, while focusing on human studies.

Methods:

The literature was screened using electronic databases.

Results:

We found evidence from genetics, brain imaging, neuropsychiatry, and pharmacology of an involvement of dopamine in pain processing. Using positron emission tomography and molecular genetics, studies have been performed in healthy volunteers and patients suffering from chronic pain conditions, showing a key role of dopamine in pain perception. Moreover, abnormal pain perception has been documented in neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia, where dopamine has a pathophysiological role. Lastly, pharmacological studies have shown that dopaminergic drugs (antipsychotics, antiparkinsonian drugs, atypical antidepressants, psychostimulants) modify pain perception.

Discussion:

Although there is growing evidence supporting a role of dopamine in pain perception, the mechanisms by which dopamine influences pain processing remains to be determined. On the basis of preliminary findings, we put forth the hypothesis that dopamine is involved in endogenous pain modulation systems, and further discuss the implications of this hypothesis for the understanding of the physiopathology of chronic pain disorders associated with dysfunctional endogenous pain modulation systems. Synapse 63:390–402, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rats with persistently high exploratory activity have both higher extracellular dopamine levels and higher proportion of D receptors in the striatum
Authors: Alttoa Aet , Seeman Philip , Kõiv Kadri , Eller Marika , Harro Jaanus
Published: January 2009

Increases in both striatal dopamine release and the proportion of the D2 receptors in the high affinity state (D) accompany the behavioral sensitization to psychostimulants, but it is not known whether the physiological substrate of the interindividual differences locomotor and exploratory behavior is similar. Thus, we examined whether persistently high spontaneous exploratory activity is associated with extracellular dopamine as well as the proportion of D in the striatum. Extracellular dopamine levels were found to be significantly higher in rats with high exploratory activity (high explorers, HE) as compared with low explorers (LE) in baseline conditions as well as after administration of amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.). Also, the HE animals had significantly higher proportion of striatal D receptors than the LE‐rats (43.8 ± 4.4% and 22.5 ± 1.5%, respectively). Thus, the present findings support the notion that concomitant higher extracellular dopamine levels and the proportion of D receptors in the striatum, whether naturally occurring and persistent or pharmacologically induced, are causally related to high behavioral activity. Synapse 63:443–446, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Suitable configuration of switchgear for UHV AC substation and its environmental consideration
Authors: Yokota Takeshi
Published: January 2009

This paper describes some environmental considerations, a suitable configuration of switchgear, and their site test considerations for ultra‐high‐voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) substations based on experiences gained in planning, development, and field tests conducted in China and Japan.

Due to high voltage levels, the size and weight of UHV equipment is invariably greater than normal EHV equipment, which has impact on the UHV substation design for environment. On the other hand, it is also important to reduce the size of the UHV equipment so that the cost of the UHV substation is not increased drastically. Reduction of the installtion space and improvement of the environmental and seismic qualification may be achieved by selecting full GIS and MTS (hybrid GIS) solutions. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
TEM observation of the giant carbon nanotube construction using Langmuir‐Blodgett films
Authors: Imaizumi Yoshiaki , Kushida Masahito , Arakawa Yoichiro , Fukuda Toshio
Published: January 2009

Langmuir‐Blodgett (LB) films, which included Fe atoms as a catalytic metal material, were used for carbon nanotube (CNT) growth by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). A new form of localized nanotube growth was observed to result in a structure called a giant carbon nanotube construction (GNC). The GNC seems to be a self‐assembled knitted structure formed by CNTs. The GNC is thin (∼5 µm in diameter) and long (∼100 µm) and is quite different from a CNT bundle. A growth mechanism for the GNC was developed from the results of TEM, SEM, and Raman spectral analysis. The GNC might find applications for CNT sensors, synthetic fibers, and so on. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
An augmented automatic choosing control of observer type for nonlinear systems with linear measurement and its application to power systems
Authors: Takata Hitoshi , Hachino Tomohiro , Nawata Toshinori
Published: January 2009

This paper deals with a feedback control using automatic choosing functions and the observer‐control design procedure for nonlinear systems with linear measurement. A constant term which arises from linearization of a nonlinear equation is treated as a coefficient of a stable zero dynamics. A given nonlinear system is linearized piecewise so as to be able to design the linear optimal controllers with the linear observers. By the automatic choosing functions, these controllers are smoothly united into a single nonlinear feedback controller, which is called an augmented automatic choosing control of observer type. This controller is applied to a transient stability of power systems, whose simulation results show that the new controller enables to expand the stable region well. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
First‐trimester maternal serum tumor necrosis factor receptor‐1 and pre‐eclampsia
Authors: Leal A. M. , Poon L. C. Y. , Frisova V. , Veduta A. , Nicolaides K. H.
Published: January 2009

Objectives

To examine whether the maternal serum concentration of the soluble receptor‐1 of tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐R1) at 11–13 weeks of gestation in pregnancies that subsequently develop pre‐eclampsia is different from that in women without this complication.

Methods

The concentration of TNF‐R1 at 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks was measured in samples from 128 cases that subsequently developed pre‐eclampsia and 569 controls with no pregnancy complications. TNF‐R1 and uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA‐PI) values were expressed as multiples of the median (MoM) adjusted for maternal factors. The distributions of log TNF‐R1 MoM and log UtA‐PI MoM in the control and pre‐eclampsia groups were compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine whether a significant contribution is provided by maternal factors, TNF‐R1 and UtA‐PI in predicting pre‐eclampsia. The performance of screening was determined by analysis of receiver–operating characteristics curves.

Results

Median TNF‐R1 and UtA‐PI were significantly higher in the pre‐eclampsia group (TNF‐R1, 1.062 MoM; UtA‐PI, 1.301 MoM) than in the control group (TNF‐R1, 0.996 MoM; UtA‐PI, 1.037 MoM). There was no significant association between TNF‐R1 and gestational age at delivery, birth weight percentile or UtA‐PI. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated significant contributions to the detection of pre‐eclampsia from maternal factors and UtA‐PI but not from TNF‐R1.

Conclusions

In pregnancies developing pre‐eclampsia the maternal serum TNF‐R1 concentration at 11–13 weeks of gestation is increased, but the level of TNF‐R1 is not associated with the degree of impairment in placental perfusion or the severity of pre‐eclampsia. Measurement of serum TNF‐R1 does not improve the prediction of pre‐eclampsia provided by screening based on a combination of maternal factors and UtA‐PI. Copyright © 2009 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fetoscopic release of umbilical cord amniotic band in a human fetus
Authors: Peiró J. L. , Carreras E. , Soldado F. , Sanchez‐Duran M. A. , Aguirre M. , Barber I. , Martinez‐Ibañez V.
Published: January 2009

Umbilical cord amniotic bands occur in approximately 10% of cases of amniotic band syndrome and are a well‐known cause of fetal death. An unexpected amniotic band encircling the umbilical cord was diagnosed during a fetoscopic procedure to release a leg constriction. Both bands were released fetoscopically using a YAG laser. We report the first case of an amniotic band involving the umbilical cord diagnosed and released prenatally. Copyright © 2009 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Brief report: Accuracy of a 16‐item questionnaire based on the HEADSS approach (QBH‐16) in the screening of mental disorders in adolescents with behavioral problems in secondary care
Authors: Hagel Lilian Day , Mainieri Alberto Scolfano , Zeni Cristian Patrick , Wagner Mario Bernardes
Published: January 2009

Objective

Compare a questionnaire based on the HEADSS approach (QBH‐16) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in the screening of mental disorder in adolescents with behavioral problems.

Methods

Adolescents from both genders 12–17 years‐old presenting behavioral problems without a previous diagnosis of mental disorder were referred from primary services to a specialized outpatient program for adolescent behavioral problems and evaluated with the QBH‐16, CBCL, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. This program is located in a secondary and tertiary university hospital, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, in the capital city of the southernmost state of Brazil.

Results

98 adolescents and their families were interviewed. Scores ≥9 in the QBH‐16 had a likelihood ratio (LR) >5.5 and scores under 6 had a LR of 0.13, identifying adequately 62 patients (71%) according to the CBCL. Cognitive performance was similar among all patients.

Discussion

Our findings suggest the QBH‐16 has a good accuracy for screening mental disorders and may help prioritize or choose which patients will benefit from psychiatric services.
Cold‐induced limb pain decreases sensitivity to pressure‐pain sensations in the ipsilateral forehead
Authors: Knudsen Lone , Drummond Peter D.
Published: January 2009

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of unilateral limb pain on sensitivity to pain on each side of the forehead. In the first experiment, pressure‐pain thresholds and sharpness sensations were assessed on each side of the forehead in 45 healthy volunteers before and after a 10 °C cold pressor of the hand and in 18 controls who were not subjected to the cold pressor. In a second experiment, forehead sensitivity was assessed in 32 healthy volunteers before and after a 2 °C cold pressor. The assessments were repeated without the cold pressor, and before and after six successive 4 °C cold pressor tests. The 10 °C cold pressor did not influence forehead sensitivity, whereas the 2 °C cold pressor and the 4 °C cold pressor tests resulted in bilateral analgesia to sharpness and pressure. The analgesia to pressure was greater in the ipsilateral forehead. Stress‐induced analgesia and diffuse noxious inhibitory controls may have contributed to the analgesia to pressure‐pain and sharpness sensations bilaterally after the most painful cold pressor tests. The locus coeruleus inhibits ipsilateral nociceptive activity in dorsal horn neurons during limb inflammation, and thus may have mediated the ipsilateral component of analgesia. Pain‐evoked changes in forehead sensitivity differed for sharpness and pressure, possibly due to separate thalamic or cortical representations of cutaneous and deep tissue sensibility. These findings suggest that several mechanisms act concurrently to influence pain sensitivity at sites distant from a primary site of painful stimulation.
Proteomic and genomic analysis of PITX2 interacting and regulating networks
Authors: Huang Yue , Huang Kan , Boskovic Goran , Dementieva Yulia , Denvir James , Primerano Donald A. , Zhu Guo-Zhang
Published: January 2009

MINT‐6823902: YB‐1 (uniprotkb:P67809) physically interacts (MI:0218) with PITX2 (uniprotkb: Q99697) by anti bait coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0006)
Probing the orientation of yeast VDAC1 in vivo
Authors: McDonald Beth M. , Wydro Mateusz M. , Lightowlers Robert N. , Lakey Jeremy H.
Published: January 2009

Voltage dependent anion channel (VDAC) is a vital ion channel in mitochondrial outer membranes and its structure was recently shown to be a 19 stranded β‐barrel. However the orientation of VDAC in the membrane remains unclear. We probe here the topology and membrane orientation of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in vivo. Five FLAG‐epitopes were independently inserted into scVDAC1 and their surface exposure in intact and disrupted mitochondria detected by immunoprecipitation. Functionality was confirmed by measurements of respiration. Two epitopes suggest that VDAC (scVDAC) has its C‐terminus exposed to the cytoplasm whilst two others are more equivocal and, when combined with published data, suggest a dynamic behavior.
Spatial competences in Williams syndrome: a radial arm maze study
Authors: Mandolesi L. , Addona F. , Foti F. , Menghini D. , Petrosini L. , Vicari S.
Published: January 2009

This study was aimed at evaluating spatial function in subjects with Williams syndrome by using the radial arm maze task and comparing their spatial abilities with those of mental age‐matched control subjects. Two different paradigms were administered: the free‐choice version for analyzing the aspects linked mainly to procedural and mnesic components, the forced‐choice version for disentangling components linked to spatial working memory from the procedural ones.

The findings evidenced a deficit in the acquisition of procedural competences as well as in the spatial memory processes in Williams subjects. In the free‐choice paradigm, they performed worse than control subjects on all parameters analyzed. Namely, they needed more time to complete the task, did not collect all rewards, exhibited low values of the spatial span as well as low percentages of correct visits, and displayed a reduced use of the most efficient exploration strategies. Even in the forced‐choice paradigm, Williams subjects made a number of errors significantly higher than control subjects.

The marked impairment in spatial information processing is discussed on the light of neuro‐anatomical alterations reported in Williams subjects.
Consumer decision making and aging: A commentary from a public policy/marketing perspective
Authors: Goldberg Marvin E.
Published: January 2009

Efforts to assist older adults with cognitive deficits can take one of three paths: law, education or marketing. Legal protections have proved insufficient. Government educational efforts are typically dryly factual and likely to go unheeded. With the growing size of the older adult market, the independent efforts of both for‐profit and social marketers to develop products and services that can help this population remain functionally healthy and independent are likely to be successful. Both governments and insurance companies should be motivated to help subsidize these entrepreneurial efforts given the considerably higher costs of caring for the elderly in an institution.
Perioperative administration of vedaprofen, tramadol or their combination does not interfere with platelet aggregation, bleeding time and biochemical variables in cats
Authors: Brondani Juliana T. , Luna Stelio P.L. , Marcello Gracy C.G. , Padovani Carlos R.
Published: January 2009

A randomized double blind and placebo controlled design was used to investigate the hemostatic, biochemical, gastrointestinal and behavioral effects of pre- and postoperative administration of vedaprofen 0.5 mg/kg PO (V), tramadol 2 mg/kg SC (T), their association (VT) or placebo (P) in 40 adult female cats (3.0±0.32 kg; 1.8±0.7 years) distributed in groups of 10. Platelet aggregation and bleeding time were measured before and 52 h after ovariohysterectomy. Serum urea, creatinine, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transferase concentrations were measured before and 7 days postoperatively. The occurrence of vomiting, frequency and consistency of feces, and behavior were observed for 7 days postoperatively. Morphine (0.5 mg/kg, IM) was used as rescue analgesic. Laboratory variables did not change. Vomiting was observed only after morphine administration. Mild euphoria was observed in T and VT. The perioperative use of vedaprofen and/or tramadol did not modify the hemostatic, biochemical and gastrointestinal function in cats.
Long-term and short-term vertical velocity profiles across the forearc in the NE Japan subduction zone
Authors: Matsu'ura Tabito , Furusawa Akira , Saomoto Hidetaka
Published: January 2009

We estimated the long-term vertical velocity profile across the northeastern Japan forearc by using the height distribution of late Quaternary marine and fluvial terraces, and we correlated the ages of the two marine terraces with marine isotope stages (MIS) 5.5 and 5.3 or 5.1 by cryptotephra stratigraphy. The uplift rate, estimated as 0.11–0.19 m ka− 1from the relative heights between the terrace surfaces and eustatic sea levels, was nearly equal to, or slightly slower than, the uplift rate farther inland (0.15–0.19 m ka− 1), as determined from the relative heights of fill terrace surfaces. In contrast, the short-term vertical velocity profile, obtained from GPS observations, showed that the forearc is currently subsiding at a maximum rate of 5.4 ± 0.4 mm yr− 1. Thus, the current short-term (geodetic) subsidence does not reflect long-term (geological) tectonic movement. Short-term vertical deformation is probably driven by subduction erosion or elastic deformation caused by interplate coupling, or both. However, long-term uplift is probably due not to moment release on the mega-thrust but to crustal thickening.
The Vanishing Marginals and Electoral Responsiveness
Authors: Ansolabehere Stephen , Brady David , Fiorina Morris
Published: January 2009

Nearly two decades ago researchers pointed out the sharp decline in marginal districts in elections for the US House of Representatives. That observation led to an outpouring of research describing the electoral changes, explaining their bases and speculating about their consequences for the larger political system. Recently Gary Jacobson has offered a major corrective to that line of research, arguing that ‘House incumbents are no safer now than they were in the 1950s; the marginals, properly defined, have not vanished; the swing ratio has diminished little, if at all; and competition for House seats held by incumbents has not declined’. While Jacobson advances an extremely provocative argument, there are complicating patterns in his evidence that support additional and/or different interpretations. We argue that the marginals, ‘properly defined’ have diminished, the swing ratio has declined, and party competition for House seats held by incumbents has lessened. While fears that the vanishing marginals phenomenon would lead to lower responsiveness on the part of ‘safe’ House incumbents have proved groundless, the collective composition of Congress does appear to be less responsive to changes in popular sentiments. Thus, the vanishing marginals have contributed to the occurrence of divided government in the United States and in all likelihood do have the effects on congressional leadership and policy-making that many analysts have claimed.
The Effect of Economic and Fiscal Performance on Incumbency Voting: The Canadian Case
Authors: Happy J. R.
Published: January 2009

This study examines the effect of incorporating taxation into the incumbency voting model using aggregate economic data for Canadian federal elections from 1953 to 1988. Although Canadian election campaigns tend to be dominated by economic performance issues, taxation, as measured by open-ended questions in the national election studies, has not been a salient campaign issue among voters. None the less, voters as consumers in the market economy have an interest in government policies that affect after-tax income. Furthermore, as economic citizens, voters have an interest in taxation as a measure of government efficiency – the costs of providing public services – independent of benefits generated by government. Paralleling American and British results, the economic and fiscal performance variables behave as expected in the incumbency model. Income change has a positive effect, and the rate of inflation and unemployment a negative effect, on incumbency voting. The relationship between taxation and incumbency voting is negative, both through its effect on after-tax income and also directly, independent of income. The results are consistent with an interpretation which suggests that voters, responding to the public agenda for economic performance and to a private agenda for taxation, behave both as politic consumers and as economic citizens.
Legislative Politics and the Paradox of Voting: Electoral Reform in Fourth Republic France
Authors: Browne Eric C. , Hamm Keith E.
Published: January 2009

This article explores the properties of paradoxical voting situations in legislatures as illustrated by the decision-making process attending passage of the 1951 Electoral Reform Act in Fourth Republic France. First, conditions for demonstrating existence of a voting paradox for the case are developed and applied to data describing the voting behaviour of individual deputies. There follows an exploration of how a voting cycle over reform alternatives was overcome, focusing on the ways institutional rules and procedures structured the behaviour of parties and individual members and on the strategic manœuvring of political leaders. We conclude by relating characteristics of the case to general propositions found in the theoretical literature on the paradox of voting.
Legislative Procedures in the European Community
Authors: Crombez Christophe
Published: January 2009

This article presents spatial models of three legislative procedures in the EC: the consultation, co-operation and assent procedures. The theory characterizes for each procedure the set of policies that can be adopted and the equilibrium EC policy as a function of the ideal policies of the countries, the Commission and the Parliament, and the location of the status quo. It yields comparative statements about EC policy and the institutions' powers under the three procedures, thus providing a framework for assessing arguments about the merits and demerits of existing EC institutions and proposals for institutional change.
Prospective and Comparative or Retrospective and Individual? Party Leaders and Party Support in Great Britain
Authors: Nadeau Richard , Niemi Richard G. , Amato Timothy
Published: January 2009

We argue that voters' assessments of party leaders are comparative and prospective rather than individual and retrospective. Therefore, a prospective leadership-comparison evaluation should outperform a leader-approval, retrospective indicator as a determinant of government and party popularity. Using data from 1984–92, a popularity function that includes a variety of economic and political components, and several dependent variables, we test this hypothesis by comparing the performance of a ‘best prime minister’ question and the more usual ‘approval’ questions about party leaders. We find that the former gives consistently better results than the latter.
Measuring Political Change: The Quantity and Effectiveness of Electoral and Party Participation in the Zambian One-Party State, 1973–91
Authors: Scarritt James R.
Published: January 2009

The introduction of a ‘one-party participatory democracy’ in Zambia in 1973 under the United National Independence Party (UNIP) of President Kenneth Kaunda made significant changes in the nature and extent of political participation, regime structure and public policy in that country. Among a number of constitutional changes, the proscription of the opposition parties – African National Congress (ANC) and United Progressive Party (UPP) – was probably the most important. There is a relatively extensive literature describing these changes and evaluating their significance. A number of further changes which affected these political variables in varying degrees occurred during the life of the one-party system, which lasted until 1991, but much less has been written about these changes, at least in part because they have been assumed to be insignificant. This Note describes the collection of a systematic events dataset on changes in electoral and political party participation (including changes in policies towards participation and changes in party structures affecting participation), regime structure (including party–government relations, central government structure and central–local government relations), and policies affecting the economy, class structure and culture in Zambia from 1973 through 1985. It then describes the use of expert judges to scale events in the dataset and evaluate their cumulative significance for dimensions of change delineated by the investigator or themselves. Finally, it presents one substantive application of this methodology: specification of the overall directions and extent of change in electoral and party participation under the one-party system. Two contradictory directions of change not so far identified in the literature on the Zambian one-party state are uncovered. It is suggested that changes in the one-party state helped to undermine its support, even among some of those Zambians who initially believed in it.
The Machiavellian Budgeter
Authors: Cowart Andrew T.
Published: January 2009

Some political theorists maintain that Niccolò Machiavelli was a rather immoral sort. His exhortations to guile, perfidy, deception and opportunism were numerous, his scruples few. Others, in a more revisionist vein, suggest that his preferred tactics were only meant for the common good. Yet, whether Machiavelli was a scientist, a descriptivist, a technician, a moralist or an immoralist is immaterial from one standpoint: he taught us something about the nature of human interaction in the State. Machiavellian interpretations of human events underlie many of our personal impressions of political life. We speak of strategy, tactics, morality, honesty as if the locations of political leaders along those dimensions determine what governments do for us or to us.
The Primacy Principle: Attitude Change and Political Socialization
Authors: Searing Donald , Wright Gerald , Rabinowitz George
Published: January 2009

The ‘primacy principle’ comprises three assumptions about political orientations. The first is that they are learned during childhood. The second is that this childhood learning further shapes any subsequent modifications of them. The third is that the scale of any such subsequent modifications is small: fundamental political orientations tend to endure through life. We propose, using cohort analysis, to examine the extent to which three political orientations – party identification, political efficacy and political trust – do, as a matter of fact, endure through adulthood.
Semantic Differential Measures of British Party Images
Authors: Leduc Lawrence
Published: January 2009

Ever since the technique widely known as the semantic differential was pioneered by Charles Osgood, it has been widely applied in most of the social sciences, as well as in a variety of other fields. While the broadest applications of the technique, including much of Osgood's own work, are in the areas of experimental and social psychology, variants of the semantic differential are widely scattered through research in such diverse fields as linguistics, anthropology, and education, not to mention such non-academic fields as journalism and marketing. The attempt by a number of political scientists, particularly in Britain and in Canada, to adapt this technique to the study of political party images represents one of these variants.
Bureaucracy and Incumbent Violence: Colonial Administration and the Origins of the ‘Mau Mau’ Emergency in Kenya
Authors: Berman Bruce J.
Published: January 2009

In the twenty-odd years since the declaration of a state of emergency in Kenya in October 1952, the analysis of the phenomenon known as ‘Mau Mau’ has undergone a fundamental revision. The initial interpretation, advanced by the colonial authorities and their apologists and by a few (mostly British) scholars, explained ‘Mau Mau’ as a fanatic, atavistic, savage religious cult consciously created and manipulated by a group of unscrupulous, power-hungry leaders. It was said to be rooted in a mass psychosis affecting an unstable tribe freed from the anchoring constraints of tradition. It was also said to have had no direct links to socio-economic conditions in the colony or to the policies of the Kenya government. This interpretation, popularized by a large and sensational journalistic literature, went virtually unchallenged for more than a decade. During this period ‘Mau Mau’ and its antecedents were largely ignored by social scientists. As late as 1965, Gilbert Kushner could report that a search of major anthropological journals revealed, at best, only peripheral mention of Mau Mau. Where ‘Mau Mau’ was explicitly considered, the basic premise of the official explanation was generally accepted, and the phenomenon was treated as a nativistic cult or revitalization movement.
The Stratification Beliefs of English and American Adolescents
Authors: Stern Alan J. , Searing Donald D.
Published: January 2009

Tocqueville described the eventual progress of equality as inevitable; today its prospects seem less assured. The main engines of equality's modest advance are to be found in contemporary welfare states, where politics concerns who gets what and why. Governments are deeply concerned with these matters even when beguiling themselves, as well as the rest of us, into overlooking the cumulative results of their actions. By shoring up and gradually reshaping stratification systems, they help provide frameworks within which we live and plan our futures. Ordinary citizens are more attuned to the facts of inequality than to speculations about its origins. This essay investigates when and how citizens learn about stratification in England and the United States.
Conservative City Machines: The End of an Era
Authors: Wilson David J. , Pinto-Duschinsky Michaèl
Published: January 2009

Local Conservative associations have traditionally run their affairs independently and have successfully resisted interference from Central Office. Far from constituting a ‘centralized machine’ (as authors such as McKenzie, Beer and Crossman have maintained) the main feature of Conservative organization has been its decentralized, voluntary character. Nowhere has resistance to control by the party headquarters been more determined than in the major provincial cities. Here, confederations of city constituency associations, financed mainly by local business interests, have virtually excluded the Central Office area agents from participating in constituency organization. Attempts by successive national party chairmen to bring the city associations into the Central Office orbit have regularly been rebuffed. Consequently, Central Office's recent success in integrating the city associations into its area office organization marks the end of an era. It raises the question of whether the Conservative organization is at last becoming as centralized as many commentators have long supposed it to be. This note describes recent developments and assesses their significance.
The Growth of the Environment as a Political Issue in Britain
Authors: Brookes S. K. , Jordan A. G. , Kimber R. H. , Richardson J. J.
Published: January 2009

Various commentators have expressed their subjective impressions that ‘the environment’ emerged suddenly as a political issue. That the number of groups, journals and books relating to ‘the environment’ has dramatically increased is indisputable. What is not clear, however, is whether the increase has been in the awareness of relationships between problems which could then be subsumed under the general heading ‘the environment’ or whether increased attention has been paid to the component problems. It is possible that the interest in issues such as water pollution, resource conservation and air pollution was of long standing and that the only change was a growing popularization of the label ‘environmental’ by those who wrote about the subject in the press. The object of this study is to test the latter hypothesis by means of a content analysis ofThe Times.
On Joining Interest Groups: An Empirical Consideration of the Work of Mancur Olson Jr.
Authors: Marsh David
Published: January 2009

The academic literature on interest groups has tended to concentrate on the assessment of the relative influence of these groups in different political systems, and on the implications of the activities of interest groups for democratic ideology. In recent years, however, the work of Mancur Olson has stimulated an increasing interest in the formation of interest groups, and in the reasons why individuals (or corporate bodies) join them. The aim of this article is to examine Olson's analysis in the light of a study of one major British economic interest group, the Confederation of British Industry. In the course of this examination I hope to illustrate some of the weaknesses of Olson's analysis and to suggest how it might be refined and developed.
The Economic Performance of Military Regimes: A Cross-National Aggregate Study
Authors: McKinlay R. D. , Cohan A. S.
Published: January 2009

The military regime has now become a common phenomenon throughout the world. Research on the military in low-income systems used to focus on the military coup rather than on the military regime, but in recent years this imbalance has lessened. Moreover, many of the old ‘standard findings’ about military regimes have come to be rejected. It is fitting that they should have been since they tended to be the products more of stereotyping and inadequate theorizing than of systematic research.
Pluralism in British Policy-Making: A Reply to Morriss
Authors: Hewitt Christopher
Published: January 2009

The elitist-pluralist controversy is a long and complex one and most participants in the debate will readily acknowledge that there are several distinct though related questions ‘at issue’. It is equally apparent that a great variety of concepts has been used by those who have written on the subject and that the definition and usage of these concepts is in no way standardized.
Generational Change and Continuity in British Partisan Choice
Authors: Abramson Paul R.
Published: January 2009

The strong relationship between social class and partisan choice is one of the most extensively documented facts of British political life; but that relationship declined markedly during the 1960s, as Butler and Stokes have shown. Their lucid documentation of the declining class–party nexus is among the major findings of the second edition of their book, and, as class-based partisanship is particularly low among the young, many might conclude that the relationship between class and party will continue to decline in future. It would, however, be premature to reach this conclusion.
Local Party Activists in Dublin: Socialization, Recruitment and Incentives
Authors: Garvin Tom
Published: January 2009

Definitions of the political party in the context of Western competitive electoral politics have usually centred on the notion that the critical function of the political party is power-seeking or power-wielding. In practice, of course, Western parties of the unpaid voluntary kind cannot be solely concerned with power-seeking in the sense of vote-getting; they must also take the opinions and wishes of their own activists into account, at least to some extent. Thus, Epstein's emphasis on the nomination and electoral functions of political parties, although fundamentally correct, should not be allowed to obscure other central preoccupations of party leaders, in particular the problems they often face in attempting to keep an organization in being between elections without recourse to extensive material payoffs in the shape of patronage or regular salaries for large numbers of activists.
Seniority 1975: Old Theories Confront New Facts
Authors: Hinckley Barbara
Published: January 2009

The seniority system in the American Congress exhibits many characteristics of its parent institution. Both are held to be powerful, durable, and somewhat peculiar. Both celebrate age, tradition, and a particular kind of experience. They are skeptical of new things – whether policies, computerized information systems, or newly elected members. Both can be attacked for sluggishness, defense of thestatus quo, and lack of vigor and merit in leadership. The family resemblance goes further. Both have been century-long targets of criticism and attempts at reform. And both have resisted these attacks by doing what they do best – by simplyoutlastingthe reform attempts and the reformers.
The Politics of Public Expenditure: American Theory and British Practice
Authors: Klein Rudolf
Published: January 2009

Public expenditure is quite the most visible and quantifiable measure of government activity. It is therefore surprising that in Britain, as distinct from the United States, this area has been massively neglected by political scientists. This neglect is all the odder since public expenditure in Britain – comprehensively and conventionally defined to include all spending by central and local government, as well as capital investment by public corporations – has been increasing rapidly both in absolute terms and as a proportion of the national income: between the early 1960s and the middle 'seventies, it rose from just under two-fifths to almost three-fifths of the Gross National Product. So, in effect, the scope of political decision-making about the distribution of national resources has grown considerably, reflecting the changing balance between the political market and the economic market. The dynamics of this process are highly relevant for an understanding of the British political system.