bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Virtue-Theoretic Arguments May Be Used in the Justification of Policy
Authors: Atkins Judi
Published: September 2008

Politicians frequently deploy moral principles in the justification of policy. While many thinkers have examined the use of consequentialist and deontological arguments in politics, the role of virtue-theoretic principles is relatively under-theorised. Drawing on the work of MacIntyre, this article offers an initial exploration of how such principles are deployed in political argument, with particular emphasis on policies in the area of community. It will be shown that virtue is linked to the idea of the common good, which governments seek to promote through a range of policy initiatives relating to such issues as law and order and citizenship.
Teaching Politics: Graduate Students as Tutors
Authors: Hayton Richard
Published: September 2008

Seminars form a key part of undergraduate politics teaching in Britain, and Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are often at the forefront of this delivery. This article explores the attitudes and understandings of GTAs towards teaching and learning in the Department of Politics at Sheffield. Interviews were conducted with 16 GTAs, covering not only their approach to teaching and learning, but how this manifested itself, for example in the way they organise their seminars. Related issues such as the training and development of GTAs were also discussed. Based on these findings, some initial recommendations for training and mentoring of GTAs are offered in the conclusion.
Researching European Foreign Policy: Some Fundamentals
Authors: Smith Michael E.
Published: September 2008

The emergence of European foreign policy (EFP) as a fairly distinct field of inquiry involves contributions from several traditions within political science: international relations, foreign policy analysis and European integration. This eclecticism however can make it extremely difficult to reach consensus on the fundamental definition and boundaries of the field. To help alleviate this problem, and to stimulate further thinking on the topic, this article address several fundamental questions of research design regarding positivist scholarly inquiry in this field. These include, inter alia, the problematisation of EFP as a research question, the role of independent and dependent variables and the role of systems and actors within the field.
Exploring the Relationship between Hope and Utopia: Towards a Conceptual Framework
Authors: Webb Darren
Published: September 2008

This article outlines a framework for exploring the relationship between hope and utopia. Hope is conceptualised as a socially mediated human capacity that can be experienced in different modes. A taxonomy of modes of hoping is presented. This differentiates between non-utopian (‘estimative’ and ‘resolute’), anti-utopian (‘patient’) and utopian (‘critical’ and ‘transformative’) modes of hoping. When critical or transformative hope predominates within the collective emotional orientation of a society, it is suggested that utopian ideas are likely to thrive both as a product and a source of hope. A contemporary utopian politics thus requires the institutions of social life to be reconstituted so that they once again foster critical and transformative hope.
Physiological response to a speech stressor presented in a virtual reality environment
Authors: Kotlyar Michael , Donahue Christopher , Thuras Paul , Kushner Matt G. , O'Gorman Natalie , Smith Erin A , Adson David E.
Published: September 2008

The feasibility of using virtual reality (VR) technology to induce a physiological response to stress was assessed in 12 volunteers during a laboratory session in which each participant completed a speech task within a VR environment and a math task outside the VR environment. Both tasks were effective in eliciting a physiological response with significant increases observed in response to each stress task in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. Increases in plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations were observed during the speech task and in plasma epinephrine concentrations during the math task although these differences did not reach statistical significance. The use of VR technology may be a viable alternative to methods currently employed in presenting stressful tasks with the potential advantage of decreased variability in the audience response to the participants' performance.
Gender differences in behavioral inhibitory control: ERP evidence from a two‐choice oddball task
Authors: Yuan Jiajin , He Yuanyuan , Qinglin Zhang , Chen Antao , Li Hong
Published: September 2008

The inhibition of inappropriate behaviors is important for adaptive living in changing environments. The present study investigated gender‐related behavioral inhibitory control by recording event‐related potentials for standard and deviant stimuli while subjects performed a standard/deviant distinction task by accurately pressing different keys within 1000 ms. The results showed faster reaction times (RTs) for deviant stimuli in women than in men, although RTs for standard stimuli were similar across genders. There were significant gender and stimulus interaction effects on mean amplitudes during each of the 170–230‐ms, 250–330‐ms, and 350–600‐ms intervals, and women exhibited shorter latencies and larger amplitudes than men at deviant‐related P2, N2, and P3 components. As an accurate, fast response to the rare deviant stimuli involves behavioral inhibitory control on the prepotent response whereas the response to the standard stimuli does not, it is clear that there is a general gender difference in behavioral control for human adults. This may relate to differential inhibitory demands by each gender during evolution.
Inhibition of Ang II and renal sympathetic nerve influence dopamine‐and isoprenaline‐induced renal haemodynamic changes in normal Wistar–Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: Abdulla M. H. , Sattar M. A. , Abdullah N. A. , Hazim A. I. , Anand Swarup K. R. L. , Rathore H. A. , Khan Md. A. H. , Johns E. J.
Published: September 2008

1 This study was undertaken to elucidate the effects of inhibiting the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) with losartan, and acute unilateral renal denervation on renal haemodynamic responses to intrarenal administration of vasoconstrictor doses of dopamine and vasodilator doses of isoprenaline in Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

2 Acute unilateral renal denervation of the left kidney in rats was confirmed by a drop in the renal vasoconstrictor response to renal nerve stimulation (P < 0.05) along with diuresis and natriuresis. Rats were pretreated with losartan for 7 days and thereafter animals fasted overnight were anaesthetized (sodium pentobarbitone, 60 mg/kg i.p.) and acute renal haemodynamic responses studied.

3 Dose–response curves were constructed for dopamine and isoprenaline that induced falls or increases in renal blood flow, respectively. It was observed that renal vascular responses were greater in the denervated as compared with rats with intact renal nerves (all P < 0.05). Dopamine‐induced renal vasoconstrictor responses were markedly lower in losartan‐treated denervated WKY and SHR compared with their untreated counterparts (all P < 0.05). It was also observed that in losartan‐treated and denervated WKY rats the vasodilatory responses to isoprenaline were markedly lower compared with untreated rats (all P < 0.05). However, in SHR, under the same conditions, there was no difference in the renal response to isoprenaline whether or not rats were treated with losartan (P > 0.05).

4 The data obtained showed that the renal vasoconstrictor effect of dopamine depends on intact renal nerves and RAS in WKY and SHR. Isoprenaline responses were likewise sensitive to renal denervation and RAS inhibition in WKY rats but not SHRs. Our observations reveal a possible relationship between renal AT1 receptors and α1‐adrenoceptors in WKY and SHR. There is also evidence to suggest an interaction between renal β‐adrenoceptors and AT1 receptors in WKY rats.
Group structure, mating system and extra‐group paternity in the co‐operatively breeding White‐breasted ThrasherRamphocinclus brachyurus
Authors: TEMPLE H. J. , HOFFMAN J. I. , AMOS W.
Published: September 2008

Avian co‐operative breeders show a diverse range of social and reproductive systems. Here we combined microsatellite genotyping with field observations over three consecutive breeding seasons to investigate the social structure and mating system of the White‐breasted ThrasherRamphocinclus brachyurus. Co‐operative breeding was facultative in this species, with approximately one‐third of nests having helpers. Breeding groups comprised a pair of breeding adults and up to three helpers of either sex. Within co‐operative groups, age was associated with parentage in both sexes. Helpers were retained offspring and either rarely or never achieved parentage in current broods. There was no evidence of egg dumping and a relatively small percentage of chicks (7.5%,n = 67) were fathered by males from outside the co‐operative group. The White‐breasted Thrasher is a globally Endangered species with a very small and declining population. A captive breeding programme for this species is not recommended at present, but may become necessary in the future, and any such programme should take account of our findings regarding breeding behaviour and group structure.
Reduction of mitochondrial H2O2 by overexpressing peroxiredoxin 3 improves glucose tolerance in mice
Authors: Chen Liuji , Na Ren , Gu Mingjun , Salmon Adam B. , Liu Yuhong , Liang Hanyu , Qi Wenbo , Van Remmen Holly , Richardson Arlan , Ran Qitao
Published: September 2008

H2O2 is a major reactive oxygen species produced by mitochondria that is implicated to be important in aging and pathogenesis of diseases such as diabetes; however, the cellular and physiological roles of mitochondrial H2O2 remain poorly understood. Peroxiredoxin 3 (Prdx3/Prx3) is a thioredoxin peroxidase localized in mitochondria. To understand the cellular and physiological roles of mitochondrial H2O2 in aging and pathogenesis of age‐associated diseases, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing Prdx3 (Tg(PRDX3) mice). Tg(PRDX3) mice overexpress Prdx3 in a broad range of tissues, and the Prdx3 overexpression occurs exclusively in the mitochondria. As a result of increased Prdx3 expression, mitochondria from Tg(PRDX3) mice produce significantly reduced amount of H2O2, and cells from Tg(PRDX3) mice have increased resistance to stress‐induced cell death and apoptosis. Interestingly, Tg(PRDX3) mice show improved glucose homeostasis, as evidenced by their reduced levels of blood glucose and increased glucose clearance. Tg(PRDX3) mice are also protected against hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance induced by high‐fat diet feeding. Our results further show that the inhibition of GSK3 may play a role in mediating the improved glucose tolerance phenotype in Tg(PRDX3) mice. Thus, our results indicate that reduction of mitochondrial H2O2 by overexpressing Prdx3 improves glucose tolerance.
Age‐related behaviors have distinct transcriptional profiles in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Golden Tamara R. , Hubbard Alan , Dando Caroline , Herren Michael A. , Melov Simon
Published: September 2008

There has been a great deal of interest in identifying potential biomarkers of aging. Biomarkers of aging would be useful to predict potential vulnerabilities in an individual that may arise well before they are chronologically expected, due to idiosyncratic aging rates that occur between individuals. Prior attempts to identify biomarkers of aging have often relied on the comparisons of long‐lived animals to a wild‐type control. However, the effect of interventions in model systems that prolong lifespan (such as single gene mutations or caloric restriction) can sometimes be difficult to interpret due to the manipulation itself having multiple unforeseen consequences on physiology, unrelated to aging itself. The search for predictive biomarkers of aging therefore is problematic, and the identification of metrics that can be used to predict either physiological or chronological age would be of great value. One methodology that has been used to identify biomarkers for numerous pathologies is gene expression profiling. Here, we report whole‐genome expression profiles of individual wild‐type Caenorhabditis elegans covering the entire wild‐type nematode lifespan. Individual nematodes were scored for either age‐related behavioral phenotypes, or survival, and then subsequently associated with their respective gene expression profiles. This facilitated the identification of transcriptional profiles that were highly associated with either physiological or chronological age. Overall, our approach serves as a paradigm for identifying potential biomarkers of aging in higher organisms that can be repeatedly sampled throughout their lifespan.
INSIDER TRADING, REGULATION, AND THE COMPONENTS OF THE BID–ASK SPREAD
Authors: Frijns Bart , Gilbert Aaron , Tourani‐Rad Alireza
Published: September 2008

In this article we investigate the relation between insider trading regulations and the bid–ask spread. We decompose the spread into its components before and after the enactment of strict new insider trading rules in New Zealand. We find that the enactment led to a significant decrease in the information asymmetry component of the spread, which is observed mainly in illiquid and high prechange information asymmetry companies. These findings are robust to model specification. In addition, we find a decrease in the contribution of information asymmetry to price volatility.
INFORMATION AND NOISE IN FINANCIAL MARKETS: EVIDENCE FROM THE E‐MINI INDEX FUTURES
Authors: Kurov Alexander
Published: September 2008

I examine the informational contributions and effects on transitory volatility of trades initiated by different types of traders in three actively traded index futures markets. The results show that trades initiated by exchange member firms account for more than 60% of price discovery during the trading day. These institutional trades appear to be more informative than trades of individual exchange members or off‐exchange traders. I also find that off‐exchange traders introduce more noise into the prices than do exchange members. My findings provide new evidence on the role of different types of traders in the price formation process.
ROBUSTNESS OF THE HEADQUARTERS‐CITY EFFECT ON STOCK RETURNS
Authors: Anderson Christopher W. , Beracha Eli
Published: September 2008

Recent studies report that U.S. firms headquartered near each other experience positive comovement in their stock returns, a finding suggestive of local biases in equity trading activity. We investigate the robustness of these findings and find that including additional pricing factors in models for monthly stock returns materially reduces the magnitude of the headquarters‐city effect in stock returns. Additionally, we find that an implicit null hypothesis of zero local return comovement is inappropriate as there is positive comovement between a stock's return and returns on portfolios of stocks from nonheadquarters cities, on average. Nevertheless, results benchmarked against estimates based on resampling methods indicate a significant and robust headquarters‐city effect in stock returns.
Modeling the Effects of Anthropogenic Habitat Change on Savanna Snake Invasions into African Rainforest
Authors: FREEDMAN ADAM H. , BUERMANN WOLFGANG , LEBRETON MATTHEW , CHIRIO LAURENT , SMITH THOMAS B.
Published: September 2008

Abstract:  We used a species‐distribution modeling approach, ground‐based climate data sets, and newly available remote‐sensing data on vegetation from the MODIS and Quick Scatterometer sensors to investigate the combined effects of human‐caused habitat alterations and climate on potential invasions of rainforest by 3 savanna snake species in Cameroon, Central Africa: the night adder (Causus maculatus), olympic lined snake (Dromophis lineatus), and African house snake (Lamprophis fuliginosus). Models with contemporary climate variables and localities from native savanna habitats showed that the current climate in undisturbed rainforest was unsuitable for any of the snake species due to high precipitation. Limited availability of thermally suitable nest sites and mismatches between important life‐history events and prey availability are a likely explanation for the predicted exclusion from undisturbed rainforest. Models with only MODIS‐derived vegetation variables and savanna localities predicted invasion in disturbed areas within the rainforest zone, which suggests that human removal of forest cover creates suitable microhabitats that facilitate invasions into rainforest. Models with a combination of contemporary climate, MODIS‐ and Quick Scatterometer‐derived vegetation variables, and forest and savanna localities predicted extensive invasion into rainforest caused by rainforest loss. In contrast, a projection of the present‐day species‐climate envelope on future climate suggested a reduction in invasion potential within the rainforest zone as a consequence of predicted increases in precipitation. These results emphasize that the combined responses of deforestation and climate change will likely be complex in tropical rainforest systems.
Effects of Urban Development on Ant Communities: Implications for Ecosystem Services and Management
Authors: SANFORD MONTE P. , MANLEY PATRICIA N. , MURPHY DENNIS D.
Published: September 2008

Abstract: Research that connects the effects of urbanization on biodiversity and ecosystem services is lacking. Ants perform multifarious ecological functions that stabilize ecosystems and contribute to a number of ecosystem services. We studied responses of ant communities to urbanization in the Lake Tahoe basin by sampling sites along a gradient of urban land development. We sampled ant communities, measured vegetation characteristics, quantified human activities, and evaluated ant‐community responses by grouping ants into service‐providing units (SPUs), defined as a group of organisms and their populations that perform specific ecosystem services, to provide an understanding of urbanization impacts on biodiversity and their delivery of ecosystem services. Species richness and abundance peaked at intermediate levels of urban development, as did the richness of 3 types of ant SPUs (aerators, decomposers, and compilers). With increasing land development aerator and decomposer ants significantly declined in abundance, whereas compiler ants significantly increased in abundance. Competing models demonstrated that precipitation was frequently among the strongest influences on ant community structure; however, urban development and human activities also had a strong, negative influence on ants, appearing in most models with ΔAICc< 2 for species richness and abundance patterns of SPUs and generalists. Response diversity was observed within SPUs, which suggests that the corresponding ecosystem services were maintained until development reached 30–40%. Our data provide evidence that ecosystem functions, such as water infiltration and soil productivity, may be diminished at sites subject to greater levels of urbanization and that conserving ant communities and the ecosystem services they provide could be an important target in land‐use planning and conservation efforts.
Socioeconomic Factors that Affect Artisanal Fishers’ Readiness to Exit a Declining Fishery
Authors: CINNER J.E. , DAW T. , McCLANAHAN T.R.
Published: September 2008

Abstract:  The emerging world crisis created by declining fish stocks poses a challenge to resource users and managers. The problem is particularly acute in poor nations, such as those in East Africa, where fishing is an important subsistence activity but high fishing intensity and use of destructive gear have resulted in declining catches. In this context developing effective management strategies requires an understanding of how fishers may respond to declines in catch. We examined the readiness of 141 Kenyan fishers to stop fishing under hypothetical scenarios of declines in catch and how socioeconomic conditions influenced their decisions. As expected, the proportion of fishers that would exit the fishery increased with magnitude of decline in catch. Fishers were more likely to say they would stop fishing if they were from households that had a higher material style of life and a greater number of occupations. Variables such as capital investment in the fishery and the proportion of catch sold had weak, nonsignificant relationships. Our finding that fishers from poorer households would be less likely to exit a severely declining fishery is consistent with the literature on poverty traps, which suggests the poor are unable to mobilize the necessary resources to overcome either shocks or chronic low‐income situations and consequently may remain in poverty. This finding supports the proposition that wealth generation and employment opportunities directed at the poorest fishers may help reduce fishing effort on overexploited fisheries, but successful interventions such as these will require an understanding of the socioeconomic context in which fishers operate.
Environmental Assessment of Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotube Processes
Authors: Healy Meagan L. , Dahlben Lindsay J. , Isaacs Jacqueline A.
Published: September 2008

The environmental assessment of nanomanufacturing during the initial process design phase should lead to the development of competitive, safe, and environmentally responsible engineering and commercialization. Given the potential benefits and concerns regarding the use of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), three SWNT production processes have been investigated to assess their associated environmental impacts. These processes include arc ablation (arc), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and high‐pressure carbon monoxide (HiPco). Without consideration of the currently unknown impacts of SWNT dispersion or other health impacts, life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is used to analyze the environmental impact and provide a baseline for the environmental footprint of each manufacturing process. Although the technical attributes of the product resulting from each process may not be fully comparable, this study presents comparisons that show that the life cycle impacts are dominated by energy, specifically the electricity used in production. Under base case yield conditions, HiPco shows the lowest environmental impact, while the arc process has the lowest impact under best case yield conditions.
Deliberate Practice and Acquisition of Expert Performance: A General Overview
Authors: Anders Ericsson K.
Published: September 2008

Traditionally, professional expertise has been judged by length of experience, reputation, and perceived mastery of knowledge and skill. Unfortunately, recent research demonstrates only a weak relationship between these indicators of expertise and actual, observed performance. In fact, observed performance does not necessarily correlate with greater professional experience. Expert performance can, however, be traced to active engagement in deliberate practice (DP), where training (often designed and arranged by their teachers and coaches) is focused on improving particular tasks. DP also involves the provision of immediate feedback, time for problem‐solving and evaluation, and opportunities for repeated performance to refine behavior. In this article, we draw upon the principles of DP established in other domains, such as chess, music, typing, and sports to provide insight into developing expert performance in medicine.
A new corneal disease with recurrent erosive episodes and autosomal‐dominant inheritance
Authors: Hammar Björn , Björck Erik , Lagerstedt Kristina , Dellby Anette , Fagerholm Per
Published: September 2008

Purpose:  The aim of this study was to characterize the phenotype in a large family with autosomal‐dominant recurrent corneal erosions, and also to exclude genetic linkage to known autosomal‐dominant inherited corneal dystrophies with clinical resemblance.

Methods:  We describe the medical history and clinical findings in patients from a six‐generation family with recurrent corneal erosions. A total of 28 individuals were evaluated by ophthalmological examination. Genomic DNA was prepared from peripheral blood and analysed with polymorphic microsatellite markers close to known genes causing autosomal‐dominant corneal dystrophies.

Results:  The patients had erosive symptoms that usually lasted from 1 to 7 days. The symptoms were described as early as at 8 months of age, and by the age of 5 the majority of the affected individuals suffered from recurrent corneal erosions. The attacks generally declined in frequency and intensity with age, and 52% of the patients developed central keloid‐like corneal opacities. Nine patients received corneal grafts, and recurrences were seen in all grafts. The affected patients did not share haplotypes for genetic microsatellite markers surrounding known genes causing autosomal‐dominant corneal dystrophies.

Conclusion:  We describe a new hereditary disease with recurrent corneal erosions. Attacks of symptoms similar to recurrent erosions dominate the phenotype, but half of those affected also developed corneal, keloid‐like, central opacities. This disorder was not genetically linked to any clinically resembling corneal dystrophies with autosomal‐dominant inheritance.
The Dilemma of the Criminal Defendant with a Prior Record—Lessons from the Wrongfully Convicted
Authors: Blume John H.
Published: September 2008

This article examines the conventional wisdom that innocent defendants will testify on their own behalf at trial. Data gathered from the cases of persons subsequently exonerated due to DNA evidence demonstrate that factually innocent defendants with criminal records do not testify on their own behalf at substantially higher rates than criminal defendants generally. Why? Ninety‐one percent of factually innocent defendants with prior records declined to testify compared to the 55 percent rate at which defendants with prior criminal records declined to testify in a four‐county sample of criminal cases. Why the difference? In the innocence cases, the primary reason counsel give for not taking the stand is that many of these individuals had been previously convicted of a crime, and they did not testify at trial because of the risk that their credibility would be impeached with evidence of the prior record, and that, despite any limiting instruction the court might give, the jury would infer that they were guilty based on their prior misdeeds. If one assumes that the defendants in a four‐county sample are guilty, and that both the innocence sample and the four‐county sample are reasonably representative, then there is a statistically significant association between defendants with criminal records failing to testify and innocence. Because the current legal regime appears to disproportionately discourage defendants, even factually innocent defendants, from telling their story at trial, the law should be changed. Only prior convictions for perjury should be potentially available for impeachment purposes.
Statins and Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Moderate‐Risk Females: A Statistical and Legal Analysis with Implications for FDA Preemption Claims
Authors: Eisenberg Theodore , Wells Martin T.
Published: September 2008

This article presents: (1) meta‐analyses of studies of cardioprotection of women and men by statins, including Lipitor (atorvastatin), and (2) a legal analysis of advertising promoting Lipitor as preventing heart attacks. The meta‐analyses of primary prevention clinical trials show statistically significant benefits for men but not for women, and a statistically significant difference between men and women. The analyses do not support (1) statin use to reduce heart attacks in women based on extrapolation from men, or (2) approving or advertising statins as reducing heart attacks without qualification in a population that includes many women. The legal analysis raises the question of whether Lipitor's advertisements, which omit that Lipitor's clinical trial found slight increased risk for women, is consistent with the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act and related Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. The analysis suggests that FDA regulation should not preempt state law actions challenging advertising that is not supported by FDA‐approved labeling. Our findings suggesting inadequate regulation of the world's best‐selling drug also counsel against courts accepting the FDA's claimed preemption of state law causes of action relating to warnings and safety. Courts evaluating preemption claims should consider actual agency performance as well as theoretical institutional competence. Billions of health‐care dollars may be being wasted on statin use by women but the current regulatory regime does not create incentives to prevent such behavior.
Is There a Correlation Between Law Professor Publication Counts, Law Review Citation Counts, and Teaching Evaluations? An Empirical Study
Authors: Barton Benjamin
Published: September 2008

This empirical study attempts to answer an age‐old debate in legal academia: whether scholarly productivity helps or hurts teaching. The study is of an unprecedented size and scope. It covers every tenured or tenure‐track faculty member at 19 U.S. law schools, a total of 623 professors. The study gathers four years of teaching evaluation data (calendar years 2000–2003) and tests for associations between the teaching data and five different measures of research productivity/scholarly influence. The results are counterintuitive: there is either no correlation or a slight positive correlation between teaching effectiveness and any of the five measures of research productivity. Given the breadth of the study, this finding is quite robust. These findings should help inform debates about teaching and scholarship among law school and other faculties and likely require some soul‐searching about the interaction between the two most important functions of U.S. law schools.
Shakespeare's ‘Other’ Worlds: The Critical Trek
Authors: Bartels Emily
Published: September 2008

Since the 1980s, Shakespearean criticism has been preoccupied with Shakespeare's representation of ‘other’– non‐English or non‐European – worlds. That preoccupation has not only revolutionized established understandings of early modern literature and culture; it has also catalyzed important changes in reading practices themselves. The following essay provides a comprehensive overview of these important developments, looking at the critical trajectories leading to and from a still evolving interest in the ‘other’. My purpose is two‐fold: (1) to identify the scholarship and questions signal to the interrogation of Shakespeare's ‘other’ worlds; and (2) to address the impact of this line of inquiry on Shakespeare studies.
Visual Images of America in the Sixteenth Century
Authors: Brennan Elaine
Published: September 2008

Artists rarely accompanied sixteenth‐century voyages of discovery and exploration.1 As a consequence, few first‐hand visual representations of the New World were produced. Despite this, published accounts of the Americas in the sixteenth century often included illustrations. With some notable exceptions, the voyagers themselves did not supply the images, or directly supervise their publication. Accurate or not, these images, together with the texts they illustrated, contributed to the construction of the Americas in European consciousness. Only a small number of original first‐hand pictorial works survive today, the most important being John White's drawings of the Algonquian Indians of Roanoke, Virginia, from 1585–86. The recent major exhibition of John White's drawings may provoke new scholarly interest in sixteenth‐century visual images of the Americas, a topic which offers a rich and relatively neglected area of study.2 This article offers an introduction to the field together with some suggestions for avenues of further research.3
THE RACIAL DIVIDE AND THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN THE UNITED STATES
Authors: Goldfield Michael
Published: September 2008

In this essay, Michael Goldfield examines why questions of race continue to play such a prominent role in contemporary society, particularly in undermining the potential solidarity and strength of the working‐class movement, what sustains racist attitudes, practices, and institutions, especially in the face of trends in world economic development that would seem to be undermining them, and what needs to be done to overturn them.
REVISITING THE INTELLECTUAL ORIGINS OF AMERICAN RADICALISM: AN ALTERNATIVE TO EMPIRE FOR A NEW GENERATION
Authors: Mirra Carl
Published: September 2008

Scholar Michael Hardt has recently published a collection of Thomas Jefferson's writings. He suggests that Jefferson's political views often work in favor of local people's movements. The challenge is to recover the best of Jefferson so that the Left might avoid a top‐down organizing approach that frequently disarms workers and ordinary citizens, despite the best intentions. Historian and labor lawyer Staughton Lynd long ago argued for local, alternative institutions as a means by which workers’ movements could gain the rights they desire based on an American revolutionary tradition. This article examines Lynd's political philosophy and the potential of decentralization to empower people's movements. It explores the meaning of unemployment councils in the 1930s to the more recent Zapatista movement. While the article takes a theoretical approach to organizing, it holds practical implications for those concerned with worker empowerment.
COMPULSORY PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION: ALLAYING POTENTIAL CONCERNS
Authors: Harcourt Mark , Lam Helen
Published: September 2008

The present union certification system has many faults, the most important of which is its failure to deliver employee representation to all but a small and declining minority of workers. As an alternative, compulsory proportional representation (CPR) would have many advantages, particularly when compared with other reform proposals, most of which are designed to only reinvigorate, modify, or supplement the existing system. Would CPR have any disadvantages? We identify four potential concerns: reduced freedom to contract, increased interunion competition and raiding, depleted union strength, and compromised union independence. However, we argue that some of these problems would be more imagined than real, some less serious than expected, and some would have secondary effects to compensate any shortcomings.
UNION ETHICS TRAINING: BUILDING THE LEGITIMACY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF ORGANIZED LABOR
Authors: Cohen Maggie
Published: September 2008

This essay argues that the implementation of serious ethics training at all levels of labor unions will significantly contribute to union effectiveness by enhancing union legitimacy—understood as an amalgam of legal, pragmatic, and moral legitimacy—and by paving the way to stable recognition of the labor movement as an integral part of American society, necessary to economic prosperity and the realization of fundamental American moral and social values. It proceeds from an examination of how several labor campaigns have been enhanced in effectiveness by stressing concerns with professional responsibilities to the public, and broadly shared moral values. The concept of legitimacy developed in these contexts by Chaisen and Bigelow is expanded to include the internal operations of unions with emphasis on implementing pervasive democratic principles and introducing a broad concept of fiduciary responsibility to activists and leaders at all levels, which encompasses but surpasses the legal concept.
WILL CALL CENTER SERVICING SOLVE LABOR'S “CUSTOMER SATISFACTION” PROBLEMS?
Authors: Early Steve
Published: September 2008

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has launched an ambitious plan to service hundreds of thousands of its members through a network of Member Resource Centers (MRCs). This call center servicing strategy draws on the experience of unions in Australia and the customer service centers operated by major corporations. Call center critics fear the role of union stewards and shop floor activity will be undermined by the introduction of this system in SEIU workplaces in the U.S.
Puffing of Okara/Rice Blends Using a Rice Cake Machine
Authors: Xie M. , Huff H. , Hsieh F. , Mustapha A.
Published: September 2008

ABSTRACT:  Okara is the insoluble byproduct of soymilk and tofu manufactures. It is cheap, high in nutrients, and possesses great potential to be applied to functional human foods. In this study, a puffed okara/rice cake product was developed with blends of okara pellets and parboiled rice. Consumer preference and acceptance tests were conducted for the product. Okara pellets were prepared by grinding the strands obtained from extruding a mixture of dried okara and rice flour (3:2, w/w) with a twin‐screw extruder. Okara pellets and parboiled rice were blended in 4 ratios, 90:10, 70:30, 40:60, and 0:100 (w/w), and tempered to 14% and 17% moisture. The blends were puffed at 221, 232, and 243 °C for 4, 5, or 6 s. The okara/rice cakes were evaluated for specific volume (SPV), texture, color, and percent weight loss after tumbling. Overall, the decrease in okara content and increase in moisture, heating temperature and time led to greater specific volume (SPV) and hardness, lighter color, and lower percent weight loss after tumbling. The consumer tests indicated that the okara/rice cake containing 70% okara pellets was preferred and the 90% one was liked the least. The possible drivers of liking for the puffed okara/rice cakes could be the okara content, hardness, SPV, bright color, and percent weight loss after tumbling.
Anthocyanin Degradation of Blueberry–Aronia Nectar in Glass Compared with Carton during Storage
Authors: Trošt K. , Golc‐Wondra A. , Prošek M. , Milivojevič L.
Published: September 2008

ABSTRACT:  Blueberry–aronia nectar is known as a rich source of anthocyanins, which are mostly destroyed during commercial storage of the product. The factors influencing the rate of degradation are connected to the oxygen protection offered by the packaging, as well as the type of anthocyanidin and the amount of glycosylated sugar. The current study was aimed to compare the stability of total anthocyanin between glass and carton packaging as well as to determine the stability of individual anthocyanin with respect to aglycone and glycosylated sugar. The degradation rate of total anthocyanin degradation rate was 22% higher in carton packaging than glass bottle. The ranking order of the stability of individual anthocyanin with respect to aglycone was as follows (from the most to least stable): cyanindin > peonidin > petunidin > malvidin = delphinidin. The ranking order of the stability of anthocyanins with respect to glycosylated sugars was as follows (from the most to least stable): glucose > galactose > arabinose. As individual anthocyanins have different degradation rates this study can be used to determine the most stable natural colorant and the most sensitive antioxidant among the anthocyanins tested.
Does Gender Matter in Personality Psychology?
Authors: Stewart Abigail , Cortina Lilia , Curtin Nicola
Published: September 2008

In this essay, we assess whether gender is important to personality in the eyes of mainstream personality psychologists and in the eyes of feminist psychologists. We discover that these two perspectives are in fact widely divergent. Most research on personality published today in top‐tier ‘mainstream’ personality journals does not take gender seriously. Moreover, frequently‐used textbooks on personality – whether focused on theories or themes – pay little attention to issues of gender. In contrast, most research on personality published in journals focused on the psychology of women and gender treats gender as an important feature of personality. In that research, gender is fully theoretically integrated into the research, testable hypotheses are developed, and analyses include considerable attention to gender. The current segregation of perspectives on the relevance of gender to personality strikes us as deeply problematic for progress in developing a complete picture of personality in context.
Studying the Sociology of Journalists: The Journalistic Field and the News World
Authors: Dickinson Roger
Published: September 2008

This article makes a case for a socially situated and theoretically sophisticated approach to the sociological study of journalists. This is urgently needed for us to understand the increasingly complex news production environment and the rapidly evolving nature of journalistic practice. Two theoretical approaches to studying the sociology of journalists are outlined and discussed. The first is a development of Pierre Bourdieu's field theory; the second – the ‘news world’ approach – emerges from the social worlds approach commonly associated with Howard S. Becker. Each approach on its own shows considerable promise for the analysis of the increasingly complex news media environment. The article concludes that the journalistic field and the news world approaches could be combined to create a new framework for the sociological study of journalism that would provide a way forward for the important empirical research on journalists that is now needed.
Morphological study of acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR) by multiplanar optical coherence tomography
Authors: Takai Yoshiko , Ishiko Satoshi , Kagokawa Hiroyuki , Fukui Katsuhiko , Takahashi Atsushi , Yoshida Akitoshi
Published: September 2008

Purpose:  We set out to determine whether morphological retinal changes occur in patients with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR).

Methods:  Five patients diagnosed with AZOOR were studied. They included two men and three women, with an age range of 23−51 years. Symptoms and findings were retrospectively and prospectively collected. The three‐dimensional multiplanar optical coherence tomography (OCT) Ophthalmoscope® was used to examine the morphology of the retina in patients who were examined between April 2000 to December 2004. Standardized full‐field electroretinograms (ERGs) and multifocal ERGs (mfERGs) were recorded.

Results:  All the patients reported an acute onset of visual disturbances including a decrease of central vision and photopsia. The a‐ and b‐waves of full‐field ERGs were decreased, and the mfERGs in the central area were reduced. Ophthalmoscopic examination showed no obvious fundus abnormalities. OCT Ophthalmoscopic® images of a cross‐sectional plane revealed hyporeflection at the level of the photoreceptor layer in the macular region in three of five patients, and presence of one or two layers in which the inner/outer segment junction of the photoreceptor layer was absent in the other two patients. En‐face, constant depth C‐scans, which present the image parallel to the retina, revealed an abnormal, patchy hyper‐reflection in the affected eyes of two patients and in the non‐affected eye in one of these two patients.

Conclusions:  The changes in OCT Ophthalmoscope® B‐scan images indicate morphological damage to the photoreceptors, which probably accounts for the functional alterations. The alterations in the C‐scan image in the normal fellow eye of one patient suggest that morphological changes may precede symptomatic changes.
Harry Moss Traquair (1875–1954), Scottish ophthalmologist and perimetrist
Authors: Grzybowski Andrzej
Published: September 2008

Harry Moss Traquair (1875–1954) was an Edinburgh Ophthalmologist, who was especially involved in the studies of perimetry and neuro‐ophthalmology. In his monumental work, An Introduction to Clinical Perimetry, which for years was the standard textbook of perimetry, he included the description of the visual field as “an island of vision or hill of vision surrounded by a sea of blindness”. His name continues to be recalled in the use of the term “Traquair Junctional Scotoma”. In this history of Ophthalmology research, Traquair’s life and work, including his major achievements, are discussed.
Effect of systemic moxaverine on ocular blood flow in humans
Authors: Resch Hemma , Weigert Günther , Karl Katharina , Pemp Berthold , Garhofer Gerhard , Schmetterer Leopold
Published: September 2008

Purpose:  A number of common eye diseases are associated with ocular perfusion abnormalities. The present study aimed to investigate whether systemically administered moxaverine improves ocular blood flow.

Methods:  Sixteen healthy volunteers were studied in this randomized, double‐masked, placebo‐controlled, two‐way crossover study. Moxaverine in a dose of 150 mg was administered i.v. Ocular haemodynamic parameters were measured before and after drug administration. Retinal arterial and venous diameters were measured with a retinal vessel analyser. Retinal blood velocity was assessed using laser Doppler velocimetry and choroidal and optic nerve head blood flow was measured with laser Doppler flowmetry.

Results:  Moxaverine increased choroidal blood flow (22.6 ± 27.9%), an effect which was significant versus placebo (p = 0.015). Red blood cell velocity in retinal veins tended to increase by 13.6 ± 13.3% after infusion of moxaverine, but this effect was not significant compared with placebo (p = 0.25). In the optic nerve head moxaverine also tended to increase blood flow (11.8 ± 12.7%), but, again, this effect was not significant versus placebo (p = 0.12). Neither moxaverine nor placebo had an effect on retinal arterial diameters. In retinal veins moxaverine tended to induce vasodilation (2.6 ± 2.8%) and to increase blood flow (19.6 ± 16.5%), but these effects were not significant (both p = 0.12).

Conclusions:  The present study indicates an increase in choroidal blood flow after systemic infusion of a single dose of moxaverine in healthy subjects. Further studies are warranted to investigate whether these effects are also seen after longterm treatment in patients with ocular vascular disease.
Differential origin of reticulospinal drive to motoneurons innervating trunk and hindlimb muscles in the mouse revealed by optical recording
Authors: Szokol Karolina , Glover Joel C. , Perreault Marie‐Claude
Published: September 2008

To better understand how the brainstem reticular formation controls and coordinates trunk and hindlimb muscle activity, we used optical recording to characterize the functional connections between medullary reticulospinal neurons and lumbar motoneurons of the L2 segment in the neonatal mouse. In an isolated brainstem–spinal cord preparation, synaptically induced calcium transients were visualized in individual MNs of the ipsilateral and contralateral medial and lateral motor columns (MMC, LMC) following focal electrical stimulation of the medullary reticular formation (MRF). Stimulation of the MRF elicited differential responses in MMC and LMC, according to a specific spatial organization. Stimulation of the medial MRF elicited responses predominantly in the LMC whereas stimulation of the lateral MRF elicited responses predominantly in the MMC. This reciprocal response pattern was observed on both the ipsilateral and contralateral sides of the spinal cord. To ascertain whether the regions stimulated contained reticulospinal neurons, we retrogradely labelled MRF neurons with axons coursing in different spinal funiculi, and compared the distributions of the labelled neurons to the stimulation sites. We found a large number of retrogradely labelled neurons within regions of the gigantocellularis reticular nucleus (including its pars ventralis and alpha) where most stimulation sites were located. The existence of a mediolateral organization within the MRF, whereby distinct populations of reticulospinal neurons predominantly influence medial or lateral motoneurons, provides an anatomical substrate for the differential control of trunk and hindlimb muscles. Such an organization introduces flexibility in the initiation and coordination of activity in the two sets of muscles that would satisfy many of the functional requirements that arise during postural and non‐postural motor control in mammals.