bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trends in the Higher Civil Services of Anglo‐American Systems
Authors: HEDE ANDREW
Published: March 2005

The managerial reforms that have been implemented in the public sectors of many countries over the past decade are part of an international trend (Aucoin 1990, 134). Managerial reform in public administration can be seen as a Zeitgeist, a pervasive idea whose time has come. As Caiden (1988, 354) points out, effective administrative reform can be sustained only by a “crusading spirit” or the burning flame of idealism, and such a flame has blazed up in the past ten years. History may well show that the managerial reforms of the late 20th century had as dramatic an impact on public administration as the merit reforms of the late 19th century.

These managerial reforms have invariably involved an emphasis on giving the public better value for money, and have usually included the introduction of efficiency measures and corporate planning techniques, the improvement of financial management procedures, the assessment of performance in terms of results against goals, the adoption of private sector human resource management practices, and the use of management information systems and other management tools. The implementation of such managerial reforms has typically been heralded by the establishment of a unified elite group of senior executives in the higher civil service. This paper reviews the recent trends in the higher civil services of America, Canada, Britain and Australia, and considers how they exemplify the managerial approach to administrative reform.1
Understanding Cross National Policy Transfers: The Case of Britain and the US
Authors: WOLMAN HAROLD
Published: March 2005

Policy transfer across countries is occurring with increasing frequency. Yet, despite the fact that the importance of such policy learning is often cited as one of the primary rationales for comparative policy analysis, policy transfer is an under‐researched area of political science. This article examines and analyzes the actual process of policy transfer between the US and Britain and considers the relationship between policy transfer and the policymaking process.
Can Welfare States Grow in Leaps and Bounds? Non‐Incremental Policymaking in the Netherlands
Authors: COX ROBERT H.
Published: March 2005

The rapid expansion of the Dutch welfare state in the 1960s is described as an example of non‐incremental policy growth. The reasons for this include: the largeness of policy change; the willingness of policymakers to consider new programs that marked dramatic departures from older programs, the commitment of policymakers to the goal of universalizing programs rather than introducing satisfycing measures; and the disruption of the traditional mode of corporatist representation in policymaking. The possibilities for an equally rapid dismantling of the welfare state are discussed.
Environmentalism and the Growth Machine: The System of Political Economy and “Kogai” Control in Japan
Authors: NAKAMURA AKIRA
Published: March 2005

The primary objective of this article is to examine both the role of government and the function of public administration in the areas of economic development and environment protection in Japan. This article will first elucidate several important mechanisms of Japan's economic growth. In a nutshell, it posits the Japanese government as the spearhead of a growth machine. Subsequently, this article will also describe a number of historical developments, all of which have, in one way or another, helped alleviate the state of pollution, which is called Kogai, in Japan. The major thurst of this article is to expound upon the idea that, despite the incidence ofKogai, the basic structure of the political economy of the country has not changed. Even though the Japanese had to pay a costly price for rapid economic growth in the form of Kogai, the fundamental structure of Japan's growth machine has been left undisturbed. It is primarily for this reason that there has been a growing fear that Japan will soon encounter another period of seriousKogai. An analysis of the Japanese experience seems valuable, for it may reveal several important lessons germane to the basic questions of the role and function of public authority in environmental issues, especially in newly industrialized countries.
Institutions and Ideology: Sources of Opposition to Federal Regulation of Child Care Services in Canada and the United States
Authors: TEGHTSOONIAN KATHERINE
Published: March 2005

This article explores the impact of federal political arrangements and conservative ideology on provisions for regulating child care services embodied in the major proposals for child care legislation under consideration in Canada and the United States during the late 1980s. The initial contrast between the non‐centralized approach taken in Bill C‐144 (Canada) and the more centralized approach originally proposed in the Act for Better Child Care Services (United States) was a function of differences in the two countries' federal systems. However, conservative preferences and pressures contributed to the eventual adoption of a non‐centralized approach in both countries. Federalism facilitated this expression of conservative ideology by providing supporters of a non‐centralized approach with resources (constitutional and institutional) with which to pursue their policy preference, and a political rhetoric with which it could be justified.
Local Government in Transformation: The Case of Constitutional Reform in Yugoslavia
Authors: JOGAN SAVIN
Published: March 2005

The previous communal system in Yugoslavia (since 1955) did not prove viable. Owing to its great size (nearly 500 km2 and more than 40,000 inhabitants), municipality in this period didn't affirm itself as a real community. Having many abilities in developmental planning, it was at the same time dependent on the state in the spheres of finance and normative regulations. The difference between the sphere of local government (LG) and state politics was substantially blurred.

Given the changing social conditions (introduction of market economy, political pluralism and the forms of parliamentarian democracy), the need for repeated establishment of the system of local government based on the altered position of citizens in the political system becomes evident. In this environment it is necessary to reestimate the experiences of LG in particular Yugoslav regions (republics) before World War II, and simultaneously, take selectively into account the experiences and development in other developed European countries.

This article compares the constitutional regulations of LG among particular Yugoslav republics, and between them and the characteristic orientations in other European countries, enlightening it with the aspect of actual processes and demands of centralization and decentralization, regionalism, moving the regulation of communal and other everyday needs closer to the people in LG, all in the sense of post‐behavioristic trends of the “bottom‐up” approach to the processes of decision‐making.
Rules, Discretion, and Accountability in Macroeconomic Policymaking
Authors: KEECH WILLIAM R.
Published: March 2005

Arguments for rules rather than discretion in macroeconomic policymaking facilitate the understanding of some fundamental issues of democratic theory. This article reviews four such arguments, and relates them to issues of delegation and accountability in representative government.
Personnel Management Reform in the Philippines: The Strategy of Professionalization
Authors: VARELA AMELIA P.
Published: March 2005

The strategy of professionalization which is a multi‐pronged system aimed at efficient, effective, and responsive delivery of government services is the current thrust of the Civil Service Commission (CSC). As such, a package of personnel reform measures is instituted by the Commission which includes the pursuit of merit, competence and performance; development and institutionalization of positive attitudes, ethical conduct and behavior; motivation through an integrated system of rewards and punishments; continuing human resource development; and the encouragement of public sector unionism.

Relevant issues on the professionalization thrust have been raised: (1) since the strategy of professionalization rests more on administrative controls, will the effort bring about increased bureaucratization and routinization instead (or the issue of professionalization vs. bureaucratization)? (2) are the policies coming from diverse sources like the CSC, Department of Budget and Management, Office of the President, and Congress — to mention a few — fully coordinated so as to produce convergent rather than divergent results? (3) is the government really sincere on the issue of public sector unionism since it denies the unions their basic rights to strike and bargain collectively for better pay and working conditions?

There is a need to assess further the current efforts toward professionalization to find out if the Commission is really moving toward its avowed goals of deregulation, decentralization and managerial and professional discretion rather than becoming more routinized or bureaucratic.
Administrative Reforms in Malaysia Toward Enhancing Public Service Performance
Authors: TAIB TAN SRI DATA MAHMOOD BIN , MAT JOHARI
Published: March 2005

This article attempts to define and highlight the concept and context of administrative reform efforts in Malaysia. It describes changes and reforms in the civil service that are on‐going processes along with the search for efficiency, effectiveness, economy and accountability that never ends. Reform efforts in Malaysia can be grouped into two phases: the period of rapid economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s which required development administration and institution building, and the period from 1985 to the present which necessitates the consolidation and qualitative upgrading of the machinery of government. The administrative reform experiences are uniquely Malaysian efforts to respond to the Malaysian socio‐political environment and needs.
Administrative Reforms and Their Impact on Training the Public Bureaucracy in Bangladesh
Authors: AMINUZZAMAN SALAHUDDIN
Published: March 2005

Bangladesh has recently experienced a number of administrative, institutional, structural and policy reforms which have attempted to recast the modalities of the public delivery system and address the perennial issues of “efficiency, effectiveness and productivity” in the public administration system. A number of these reform packages have called for drastic changes in the mode of governmental operations/processes as well as in institutional arrangements.

In this article, the author has reviewed such reform efforts and their impact on the overall public administration training curriculum and academic programs of the training institutions as well as with the universities in Bangladesh. The entry–level training packages have not adequately covered the critical areas that have been highlighted by the different reforms. The article concludes with a suggestion to review all entry–level training programs and identify some thematic areas to make the training programs “practical, pro–active and action–oriented.” A close collaboration between the universities and the public administration training institutions is also strongly recommended.
America's Misunderstood Welfare State: Myths and Realities
Authors: MARMOR THEODORE R. , MASHAW JERRY L.
Published: March 2005

To listen to the critics, one would think that the nation's social welfare programs were an abject failure–ungovernable, unaffordable, and undesirable. But though widely believed by Americans of every political persuasion, the perception of failure is false. As the authors demonstrate, America today has all the institutions of a mature welfare state, while still regarding “welfare statism” with deep suspicion. The authors seek to explain this paradox and to set the record straight about the actual workings and accomplishments of the nation's welfare programs – social security, public assistance, and medical care –and it shows that the gloom and doom that surround so much public discussion in this area stems from simple, attractive–and false–ideas about what these programs are and how they work. Above all, they argue that American social welfare policy has been shaped by certain enduring commitments which most Americans believe in whether they realize it or not.
Explaining the Decline of Macro‐corporatist Political Bargaining Structures in Advanced Capitalist Societies
Authors: GOBEYN MARK JAMES
Published: March 2005

A growing consensus among many observers of Western European politics has developed in recent years that, in certain countries, national level, consensus‐based political bargaining arrangements involving representatives of organized capital, trade unions, and the state are giving way to more sectorally‐based, conflictual forms of relations. These developments suggest an overall decline in the efficacy of national‐level corporatist institutional structures in the liberal democracies of Western Europe. This article contends that neither of the two general theoretical approaches to the study of corporatism ‐ the liberal model of the “neocorporatist state” (which fails to acknowledge the potential for serious system‐threatening instability within corporatism) nor the Marxist model of corporatist “political structures” (which incorrectly predicts labor‐generated corporatist instability due to inevitable rank‐and‐file discontent with the policy outputs of corporatist forms) ‐ can account for this current wave of macro‐corporatist instability and decline. In response to this theoretical impasse, this article develops a capitalist‐centered explanation for the declining significance of corporatist forms. Business interests, it is maintained, may no longer be viewing corporatist arrangements as beneficial due to certain domestic structural economic changes and to transformations in the global capitalist system.
Economic Reform and the Strange Case of “Liberalization” in Sierra Leone
Authors: RENO WILLIAM
Published: March 2005

The International Monetary Fund imposes policy conditions upon Sierra Leone in exchange for loans. The country's president, however, shapes these policies into tools for his domestic struggle to control strongmen‐politicians active in the informal (black) market. The president seeks political gain by manipulating creditor demands that he promote foreign in‐vestment. This internal dynamic of “reform” does not accomplish creditors' public aims of supporting stronger state institutions. But creditors acquiesce in some of the president's manipulations of reforms when they generate arrears payments. Ironically, Sierra Leone's president proves able to translate creditor and foreign investor demands into political resources in his effort to bolster his extremely weak political authority.
The Puzzle of Presidential Leadership: Persuasion, Bargaining, and Policy Consistency
Authors: WEATHERFORD M. STEPHEN
Published: March 2005

Political science can offer few theoretical generalizations about the exercise of presidential power. From one perspective, this is no disadvantage: there are few presidents, and presidential leadership so intrinsically involves the interplay of ideas and persuasive deliberation that success depends on personal traits and the fit of the president's ideas with the times. Striving for inductive generalizations in such a case would mistake rote scientific method for the pursuit of knowledge. Others argue, however, that the dearth of theoretical generalizations is a temporary weakness, remediable by shifting to a deductive approach. Deductive theorizing can claim insights in other areas once typified by historiographic methods, notably in studies of Congress, and formal models of legislation have been extended to generate hypotheses about transactions between president and Congress.

I suggest that neither side of the dilemma offers a satisfactory and complete approach to the puzzle of presidential leadership; it then goes on to specify how the contributions from each side fit together. Rational choice models, based on bargaining as the mode of influence and the repeated game as the image of process, show how institutional structures can produce stable decisions where majority rule tends toward endless cycling. But the cost is that the resulting decisions are typically ad hoc and disjointed. Achieving consistent and coherent policy requires more subtle coordination of individual expectations than legislative organizations can manage, and it is this limitation of bargaining that establishes the potential for presidential leadership. Presidents can attempt to capitalize on this opportunity either by intervening as an additional (but situationally advantaged) bargainer, or by employing persuasion, the explicit appeal to collective goals rather than particularistic trades. I develop the distinction between bargaining and persuasion as alternative strategies of advocacy, and illustrate their use with examples from President Reagan's interactions with Congress over his key economic policy proposals.
Corporatism, Pluralism, and Swedish Interest Group Influence in Social Welfare Policymaking
Authors: HOEFER RICHARD
Published: March 2005

Corporatism and pluralism predict different characteristics of interest groups; their environments are important in understanding the level of influence that these groups have. This article describes variables related to these theoretical approaches and tests them as determinants of two operationalizations of interest group influence, one objective and one reputational. Results of these tests on Swedish interest group information indicate that, although Sweden has usually been considered a model corporatist political system, the situation is more complicated, with some pluralist factors being quite important. The study suggests that interest group influence may be more objectively determinable than is usually believed.
Mexico Under Salinas: Towards a New Record for One Party's Domination?
Authors: MÉNDEZ JOSÉ LUIS
Published: March 2005

Nowadays, the Mexican political regime is one of the oldest regimes in the world. Established in 1929, in a few years it could break the USSR record for a party in power. After an important crisis in 1988, president Salinas managed to get the ship out of the storm with an effective set of macroeconomic policies. In fact, he has been seen internationally as a very effective leader, who achieved what Gorbachev could not: a deep economic reform without a political crisis. He proposed and succeeded in starting a North American Free Trade Agreement and reformed the state structure along the lines of what he calls “social liberalism.” The prospects for the regime and the party in power look good for the presidential elections of 2994. Nothing however assures that the current policies will really help to solve Mexico's unemployment and inequality problems. The vertical political and administrative structures are not well suited for that purpose and are a source of political instability. It may be the case that the social‐liberal model brings economic growth but does not help in bringing about a better distribution of income and more democracy. In this case, either in 2994 or later, the regime may face dificulties and it may not allow for a pacific political transition. To avoid this, the country will need active social, small business, regional and educational policies, handled by a professional administrative apparatus. It will also need more democratic electoral and policymaking systems plus a working division of powers and federalism. In a country with long authoritarian traditions these are difficult to attain, yet possible objectives.
Capital Blight? The Regulation of Financial Institutions in Italy and Canada
Authors: SALA VINCENT DELLA
Published: March 2005

The pressures of globalization and capital flight create two sets of challenges for national state structures. They are seen fo limit the boundaries of state action, and within those boundaries, they lead to a transfer of regulatory capacity to supra and/or subnational structures. The article explores the second set of challenges and asks whether globalization has led to uniform changes in the regulatory capacity of national states in the area of financial institutions. It argues that the Italian and Canadian experiences suggest that political and institutional factors may shape how national states respond to the pressure to shift regulatory capacity to structures at some other level. In the Italian case, the emergence of a single market for banking in Europe led to a strengthening of the state's policymaking capacity. In Canada, on the other hand, the federal government's authority was limited by competition with provincial regulatory regimes. Globalization may limit the boundaries of state action, but this does not necessarily mean that those boundaries will not be occupied primarily by national state structures.
Beyond the Developmental State: Networks, Politics, and Institutions
Authors: MOON CHUNG‐IN , PRASAD RASHEMI
Published: March 2005

This article presents a critical review of the statist perspective on East Asian political economy. The statist perspective is found lacking in its claims to explain economic performance, neglectful of intra‐state dynamics, and inadequate in its depictions of state‐society relations. Studies attempting to remedy these shortcomings through an application of concepts from network theory are also examined. These studies provide a conceptually richer description of state‐society interaction. However, they fall short of explaining the essentially political nature of interaction, both between state and society and within the state. New directions for research are suggested. The key elements of the alternative approach are politics, institutions and leadership choice. These factors are widely acknowledged to be mutually influencing; however, the nature of their interrelations is only vaguely understood. A crucial task of research lies in explaining how politics, institutions and leadership choices interact to constitute lines of policy and to shape trajectories of economic development.
Elites and Regimes in Comparative Perspective: Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia
Authors: CASE WILLIAM
Published: March 2005

Because of the diversity that characterizes politics in Southeast Asia, area specialists hasve lacked a framework for comparative analysis. Drawing on some of the recent transitions literature, this article argues the worth of investigating political regime forms, the extent to which a country's politics are stable or unstable and democratic or authoritarian. It then focuses on three important Southeast Asian countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand — analyzing stabilitylinstability in terms of state elites and their rules of the game, while considering democracylauthoriturianism in terms of societal audiences and legitimating “mentalities.” Briefly, Indonesia's authoritarian regime (and its strong appearance of stability) is attributed to astute personalist leadership, muted elite rivalries, and control over societal audiences. In contrast, Thailand's unstable democracy emerges from uneven national leadership, perennial elite disunity, and episodic surges in societal pressures. And Malaysia's semi‐democratic regime — in some ways bordered by the outcomes in Indonesia and Thailand — is explained by skilful national leadership and sustained elite unity, offsetting the country's ftuctuating levels of societal tensions and claims.
Civil Servants and Policymakers: Neutral or Responsive Competence?
Authors: ABERBACH JOEL D. , ROCKMAN BERT A.
Published: March 2005

Competence is a frequently used but complex concept. This article explores various recent uses of the concept, with particular attention to political conditions favoring an emphasis on neutrality or responsiveness. We close with a brief comparative analysis of the quest for responsiveness in administration.
Economic Globalization and Policy Choices: Singapore
Authors: RAMESH M.
Published: March 2005

This article analyzes the effects of economic globalization on public policy in Singapore, which has the worlds most globalized economy. It finds that contrary to the assumption of muck of the literature on the subject, it is the state, rather than systemic imperatives, that has played the most decisive role in shaping the form and scope of the economy's globalization. Its examination of the effects of globalization on policy choices in three broad areas—economic development, national security, and social development—in Singapore shows that globalization has not only constrained policy choices, but expanded them as well. The case study suggests that we need to ascribe greater centrality to the agency of the state in the globalization process and develop a more nuanced conception of the opportunities it affords and the constraints it imposes.
Why is Government So Small in America?
Authors: STEINMO SVEN
Published: March 2005

The apportionment of taxes on the various descriptions of property is an act which seems to require the most exact impartiality; yet there is, perhaps, no legislative act, in which greater opportunity and temptation are given to a predominant party to trample on the rules of justice. Every shilling, with which they overburden the inferior number, is a shilling saved in their pocket (James Madison, Federalist 10).
Bureaucrats and Markets in China: The Rise and Fall of Entrepreneurial Local Government
Authors: HUBBARD MICHAEL
Published: March 2005

Local government entrepreneurship in China in the reform era is argued to have been, on balance, instrumental to growth and market‐oriented reform.1 Economic factors are emphasized in explaining both its rise and anticipated decline. Undeveloped markets and established local state trading networks favored agencies of the local state in exploiting business opportunities arising from deregulation. However, market development and increasing autonomy of firms are now reducing the advantage of local government business agencies, and they face a diminished and changed role.
Public Service Under Challenge in the Age of Privatization
Authors: HAQUE M. SHAMSUL
Published: March 2005

During the second and third quarters of this century, the scope of public service expanded significantly in almost all societies irrespective of their social, economic, political, and ideological predilections. In the past, such an expansive public bureaucracy came under criticism for its various shortcomings and pathological implications. However, recently, a more serious form of assault on the public service has been introduced by the proponents of the current privatization movement. The advocacy of privatization by the dominant national and international forces has created three major forms of challenges to the public service: a challenge to its legitimacy, a challenge to its ethical standards, and a challenge to its motivational foundation. In this article, the nature and intensity of these challenges are analyzed, the claims and assumptions of privatization are reexamined, and some possible remedies are explored.
Towards an International Antitrust Authority? Key Factors in the Internationalization of Competition Policy
Authors: DOERN G. BRUCE
Published: March 2005

Negotiated access to markets through the internationalization of business framework rules is of increasing importance. The article examines the political‐economic factors that are contributing to, but also setting limits on, the greater internationalization of one such aspect of policy—competition policy. It analyzes whether internationalizing forces are likely to transform existing international arrangements in competition policy matters from those of a loose regime to that of a fully fledged international institutional system. The latter could be represented by recent proposals for an International Antitrust Authority. The four factors examined are: conflicting ideas about competition policy; the exercise of political power by nation states and business; the roles and stances of international agencies; and democratic concerns about the accountability, representativeness, and transparency of competition policy institutions.

The analysis concludes that future forms of institution‐building at the international level of competition policy are important. This is so because, if lejt totally as a set of international regimes, competition policy may be arranged to an excessive degree in the interests of business power or in the interests of one or more dominant countries.
Institutions, Institutionalized Networks and Policy Choices: Health Policy in the US and Canada
Authors: BOASE JOAN PRICE
Published: March 2005

This article uses the case of health insurance policy in the United States ahd Canada, to ty to explain how particular state‐societal patterns of intermediation unfold, become institutionalized and effect quite different policy strategies. It begins by outlining the importance of formal political and administrative institutional structure in the exercise of autonomous state action. It then examines the concepts of policy community and policy network as state‐specific vehicles of interest intermediation and finally, it grounds the theoretical discussion in a comparative description of the evolution of health policy in the United States and Canada. It concludes that to a great extent, we are the prisoners of our institutions—both political and societal—and without fundamental change, necessitating major upheaval, the United States is unlikely to embrace a national health insurance program similar to other western nations.
Public Service Reform in Malta, 1988‐95: Lessons to be Learned
Authors: POLIDANO CHARLES
Published: March 2005

Malta's latest round of administrative reform has produced mixed results. While it has achieved more than any previous initiative, vital elements of the reform program have not been carried out and results have fallen short of initial expectations.

The reform initiative yields a number of lessons, some of which have already been brought to light—the need to keep the reform agenda small, the need for sustained political backing—and others which are less well known, such as the difficulty of creating an effective authority to direct reform, and the drawbacks to giving reform agencies lavish funding and a high profile.
Influence of strategic direction for NHS Scotland knowledge services on indexing policy for the NHS Scotland e‐library
Authors: McLeod Lorraine , Thain Annette , Wales Ann
Published: March 2005

Objectives:  Indexing* policy for the NHS Scotland e‐Library needs to maximize future inter‐operability with other significant health‐ and social‐care‐related resources. The strategic drive towards integration and partnership working means that the indexing system has to be widely acceptable to the full range of disciplines within the integrated health‐care family.

Methods:  Indexes identified by various means and then shortlisted using predefined criteria.

Results:  Three subject indexes have been chosen—Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), CareData and the Government Category List (GCL), plus mapping between natural language and MeSH terms. This decision was a reasonable compromise between the strategy‐driven aim of seamless access for all ‘partners in care’, and practical constraints of time/manpower. Other authority files (e.g. geographical area, language) are also standards based, and customised to reflect the information needs of an increasingly integrated health‐care system.

Conclusions:  No single index could provide the scope required to meet the widening range of NHS information need. The influence of high‐level strategic aims and objectives have extended their reach to influence indexing policy for the e‐Library. Our indexing policy will continue to evolve and contribute to a knowledge management infrastructure capable of supporting current and future NHS Scotland information needs and strategy. Layperson terminology was identified as a gap; additional measures to address this gap are highlighted.
A survey of UK clinical librarianship: February 2004
Authors: Ward Linda
Published: March 2005

Aim:  This article will describe a survey carried out in February 2004, the aim of which was to summarize the form and content of clinical librarian (CL) and other similar outreach information services to UK health professionals in the acute (secondary or tertiary) sector.

Objectives: (i) To survey the activities and views of UK information professionals offering information services involving the librarians’ presence in the clinical setting, (ii) to develop a tool to explore critical aspects of this form of information work, (iii) to create a contacts database for UK CLs, to be made available on the Internet.

Methodology:  All known information specialists/librarians offering CL or similar services were surveyed. The semi‐structured questionnaire was piloted. Respondents were asked to consider their activity over a period of 4 weeks.

Results:  Twenty‐six people responded to the invitation to take part and met the inclusion criteria.

Conclusions:  A summary of a ‘typical’ clinical librarian revealed by this survey is given, with a major conclusion that there is a very mixed picture of activity. Opinion on how far CLs should go in fully appraising search results is uncertain. The survey suggests reasons for this and the developments that may influence change are discussed. Recommendations for future research and development are offered.
SCISTER act: delivering training in information skills for social‐care professionals
Authors: White Caroline , Booth Andrew , Cooke Jo , Addison Fiona
Published: March 2005

Purpose:  To develop and evaluate a programme of information skills training for social‐care practitioners and health‐care librarians.

Setting:  Two one‐day training courses run separately for 13 social‐care practitioners and 10 health‐care librarians in the Trent geographic region within Northern England.

Methodology:  Qualitative and quantitative feedback collected through questionnaires supplemented by participant observation.

Results:  While generally feedback was favourable, the courses were overly ambitious. More training sessions of shorter duration would offer participants opportunities to practise and use the skills they have acquired. Social‐care practitioners responded more positively to skills associated with appraising qualitative research than with randomised controlled trials. Librarians appreciated the opportunity to learn about unfamiliar social‐care resources. Both practitioners and health‐care librarians reported that they acquired skills to support evidence‐based social care as a result of the training intervention.

Discussion/conclusion:  Involvement of a multi‐disciplinary team and support from a social‐care information provider maximized the impact of this experimental training intervention.
‘Tuscan dispositions’: Michelangelo's Florentine architectural vocabulary and its reception*
Authors: Elam Caroline
Published: March 2005

At a time when the language of classical architecture and the architectural orders was being codified into a systematic set of rules, Michelangelo's Florentine architecture, which frequently ignored or broke the rules in the interests of sculptural expressiveness and visual effect, presented something of a theoretical problem. This article considers the 'reception' of Michelangelo's architectural vocabulary, and the terms in which rule‐breaking and architectural licence were discussed in Florence under the Medici duchy, where debate about architecture was unusually fervent and sophisticated, and 'Tuscanness' was a cultural as well as a political goal. Taking his lead from the influential Book IV of Serlio's architectural treatise, Vasari invoked the idea of the 'composite order' as a category which could encompass Michelangelo's architec‐tural unorthodoxy within the language of the orders. Vasari's usage can also be linked with contemporary discussion among members of the Florentine Academy about the status of Tuscan language as directly descended from the ancient Etruscan, and as a language 'composed' of many elements. However, some commentators, including Vasari himself in the second edition of the Lives, and Cosimo Bartoli in his Ragiona‐menti accademici, were uneasy about how much licence was actually acceptable at a time when orthodoxy was beginning to prevail in other Italian centres. While Michelangelo's own work remained above explicit criticism, certain of his 'presump‐tuous' followers, especially Battista del Tasso were condemned for producing 'mon‐strous things, worse than the Gothic.' Bronzino's satirical verses on rule‐breaking in architecture are also considered here, along with Philibert de l'Orme's appropriation of Michelangelesque vocabulary, the much more strictly Vitruvian treatise of Giorgio Spini and the analysis of Michelangelo's Florentine architecture found in Francesco Bocchi's Le Bellezze di Fiorenza of 1591.
The ‘artisan mannerist’ style in British sculpture: a bawdy fountain at Bolsover Castle
Authors: Worsley Lucy
Published: March 2005

Seventeenth‐century English sculpture is often described as 'artisan mannerist' in character. The term implies that native craftsmen (artisans rather than artists) felt the influence of the classical ideals of the Renaissance, but that they were capable of producing only an inferior version of continental Mannerist originals. This article reconstructs and deconstructs a bawdy fountain at Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire, exploring both its classical and its native influences, and showing that the so‐called 'artisan mannerist' style had a social function that could be the result of a deliberate choice by a patron. The fountain's patron William Cavendish (first Duke of Newcastle, 1595‐1676), was informed and sophisticated, well aware of Renaissance sculpture of Giambologna and others available in Italy. Yet British influences such as references to his family property in Northumberland also appear is his fountain and in other figurative sculptures at he new‐built Castle at Bolsover. Furthermore, the icono‐graphic references to lewd behaviour and the fountain's possible use as a recreational swimming pool can be read as a justification to his household of his personal interests and amorous behaviour, just as much as its classical features indicate his knowledge of classicism to visiting social equals. Far from being a debased version of Italian Renaissance styles, then, the British 'artisan mannerist' style could have positive, local meanings in the British Midlands.
Platelet Activation Markers in Patients With Heart Assist Device
Authors: Dewald Oliver , Schmitz Christoph , Diem Heinz , Goehring Peter , Vetter Herbert Otto , Roell Wilhelm , Goedje Oliver , Tschoepe Diethelm , Reichart Bruno
Published: March 2005

Abstract:  Clinical use of heart assist devices is often associated with thromboembolic complications. We hypothesized that platelets may be activated in patients receiving assist devices and examined expression of the platelet activation markers CD62, CD63, and thrombospondin using flow cytometry in eight patients with Novacor left ventricular assist system (LVAS) or Berlin Heart. Patients with end‐stage heart failure had elevated expression of platelet activation markers before insertion of the assist device. While CD62 (P < 0.05) and thrombospondin expression (n.s.) decreased by the 14th postoperative day, the CD63 expression remained elevated (n.s.). A good correlation was found between CD62 and thrombospondin expression (r = 0.72). Bleeding time ex vivo indicated platelet dysfunction during the first 4 weeks after implantation. No relation between expression of platelet activation markers and bleeding time ex vivo were found. In conclusion, expression of the platelet activation markers CD62, CD63, and thrombospondin is increased in patients with end‐stage heart failure before device placement and shows prolonged elevation during the assist period. Future studies in larger patient populations are necessary to identify new and specific markers of platelet activation in this clinical setting.
The Hemolytic Characteristics of Monopivot Magnetic Suspension Blood Pumps With Washout Holes
Authors: Maruyama Osamu , Nishida Masahiro , Tsutsui Tatsuo , Jikuya Tomoaki , Yamane Takashi
Published: March 2005

Abstract:  The hemolytic characteristics of monopivot magnetic suspension blood pumps as a function of impeller washout hole configuration and female pivot shape are observed. The pump impellers are designed with three washout hole configurations for blood circulation, and four female pivot shapes to reduce blood stagnation and to enhance antithrombogenicity. The hemolytic characteristics of the monopivot pumps were observed to be better than those of a currently available commercial centrifugal blood pump, BP‐80, and changed to be nearly equal when the female pivot shape was changed. This indicates that hemolysis in monopivot pumps is mainly caused by shear stress  between  the  male  and  female  pivots.
Fluorescence Bronchoscopy for Selection of Surgical Procedure in Patients With Early Staged Endobronchial Carcinoma
Authors: Tsunezuka Yoshio , Oda Makoto , Ohta Yasuhiko , Matsumoto Isao , Tamura Masaya , Watanabe Go
Published: March 2005

Abstract:  Background: It is sometimes difficult to determine the extent of resection in patients with endobronchial carcinoma because preoperative white‐light bronchoscopic (WLB)  examination  is  not  sensitive  enough  to  examine  the extent fully. Light‐Induced Fluorescence Endoscopy (LIFE) is recognized as a useful modality for the diagnosis of early staged bronchial carcinoma, but there have been no reports of its significance in surgical treatment. We have studied the influence of LIFE upon the selection of surgical procedures or other treatments in patients with endobronchial carcinoma preoperatively. Methods: Conventional WLB and LIFE were performed within 7 days of operation. Biopsy specimens were taken from the marginal regions of the areas that were suspicious for malignancy on LIFE examination and WLB. We decided the resection line before operation and kept the resected central margin 1 cm apart from the area revealed as suspicious by LIFE. Results: From January 1999 to March 2003, 75 patients underwent LIFE. LIFE was performed to decide the surgical procedures for 12 patients (16.0%). Surgical therapy was performed in 8 (66.7%). LIFE findings dramatically changed the surgical procedures for 3 patients, lobectomy changed to sleeve lobectomy in 2 and laser therapy to segmentectomy in 1. LIFE revealed larger abnormal areas of bronchial cancer compared to WLB in 7 (58.3%). Conversely, WLB overestimated the extent of abnormal area in 1 (8.3%). WLB revealed the same cancer area as LIFE in 4. In all patients, the resected bronchial margins were cancer free intraoperatively and postoperatively. Conclusion: LIFE can be more sensitive than WLB and be more beneficial for judging the extent of neoplastic bronchial changes for some patients. LIFE may be a useful modality for the preoperative selection of surgical procedures, especially whether sleeve resection is needed or not, for some centrally located superficial endobronchial carcinoma.
Correlation Between Serum Nafamostat Mesilate and Activated Coagulation Time During Continuous Hemodiafiltration
Authors: Nakae Hajime , Tajimi Kimitaka
Published: March 2005

Abstract:  We analyzed the relationship between nafamostat mesilate (NM) level and activated coagulation time (ACT) as measured using an Actalyke MINI system vs. an ACTester system in patients with fulminant hepatitis undergoing continuous hemodiafiltration. The hemofilter was made with a polyacrylonitrile membrane, and NM was used as the anticoagulant. Significant correlation was found between the NM dose and the prehemofilter ACT measured by the Actalyke MINI system (r = 0.561, P = 0.0352, n = 14). However, no significant correlation was found between the NM dose and the prehemofilter ACT measured by the ACTester. Neither was a significant correlation found between the prehemofilter NM level and the prehemofilter ACT measured by either system. No significant correlation was found between the NM dose and the posthemofilter ACT measured by either system. The ACTester uses a test tube containing celite and a small amount of kaolin as a coagulation activator. The results of the present study suggest that the ACTester can adsorb NM and that this feature can affect ACT measurement. Considering this influence and the need to minimize the dose of NM in patients with fulminant hepatitis to avoid hemorrhagic tendencies, it is advisable to use the Actalyke MINI system.
Psychological Dimensions of the Israeli Settlements Issue: Endowments and Identities
Authors: Hackley Susan , Bazerman Max , Ross Lee , Shapiro Daniel L.
Published: March 2005

When you have a rational discussion of what to do with the Israeli settlements, how do you factor in the irrational, the deeply held beliefs of people with varying views? As we witnessed at the conference, when people speak about the Israeli settlements, they do so with emotion, using such phrases as “Messianic spirit,”“longing for homeland,”“compassionate revenge,” and “the destruction of dreams.” The land in question is precious to two different groups, who each imbue the land with their own narrative and fervor. In fact, at the very heart of what makes the settlements issue so complex and seemingly intractable is its psychological dimensions — the mental and emotional factors that permeate the discussion at every level.
POLYPHENOLICS EXTRACTS FROM LEGUME SEEDS: CORRELATIONS BETWEEN TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY, TOTAL PHENOLICS CONTENT, TANNINS CONTENT AND ASTRINGENCY
Authors: AMAROWICZ RYSZARD , TROSZYŃSKA AGNIESZKA , BARYŁKO‐PIKIELNA NINA , SHAHIDI FEREIDOON
Published: March 2005

Extracts of polyphenolic compounds were obtained from seeds of faba bean, broad bean, adzuki bean, red bean, pea, red lentil and green lentil using 80% (v/v) acetone. The total antioxidant activity (TAA) of extracts was determined and their astringency (Sensation Astringency Indices – SAI) investigated using the sensory scaling method. The content of tannins in extracts was expressed as absorbance values at 500 and 550 nm after color developed with vanillin/HCl reagent and after n‐butanol‐HCl hydrolysis, respectively. A statistically significant correlation was found between the TAA values and total phenolics (P = 0.01), TAA and tannins determined by vanillin method (P = 0.05), TAA and tannins determined after n‐butanol‐HCl hydrolysis (P = 0.05), SAI values and tannins determined with vanillin method (P = 0.10), SAI values and tannins determined after n‐butanol‐HCl hydrolysis (P = 0.05), SAI values and total phenolics (P = 0.01), total phenolics and tannin content determined by vanillin method (P = 0.01), total phenolics and tannin content determined after n‐butanol‐HCl hydrolysis (P = 0.05), tannins determined with vanillin method and tannins determined after n‐butanol hydrolysis (P = 0.02).
GLYCEROLIPID EVOLUTION DURING SAFFLOWER SEED FORMATION AND RIPENING
Authors: HAMROUNI IBTISSEM , TOUATI SLIM , DHIFI WISSAL , CHAHED THOURAYA , AYACHI SAMEH , SALAH HAMADI BEN , MARZOUK BRAHIM
Published: March 2005

Lipid accumulation during formation and ripening of safflower seeds by plants cultivated in the north‐west of Tunisia was evaluated. The results obtained showed an increase in oil content and total lipids. At the level of fatty acids, seed replenishment resulted mainly in an increase in the rate and the amounts of linoleic acid (C18:2), the major fatty acid identified in seeds (75% of total fatty acids). The ripening process of safflower seeds was also characterized by an increase in the content of triacylglycerols (TAG) and a decrease in the diacylglycerols (DAG), phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidic acid (PA) contents. To explain these results, the hypothesis of TAG biosynthesis from PC and PA via DAG was advanced and discussed. Finally, ripening of safflower seeds was characterized by a decrease in the amounts of main galactolipids, indicating a decrease of the photosynthetic activity in storage tissues.