bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Are Banks Really Special? New Evidence from the FDIC-Induced Failure of Healthy Banks
Authors: Ashcraft Adam B
Published: December 2005

Recent bank failures are followed by significant and permanent negative declines in real county income. These declines are larger for small failures than for large failures per dollar of assets, are larger for bank failures than thrift failures, and are larger for bank closures than assisted mergers. More interestingly, the failure of even healthy banks has significant and permanent negative effects on economic activity.
Services as Experience Goods: An Empirical Examination of Consumer Learning in Automobile Insurance
Authors: Israel Mark
Published: December 2005

Theoretical work on experience goods sets out three empirical questions. How accurate is information at initial purchase? How rapidly do consumers learn from product experiences? And how much impact does learning have on purchase decisions? I answer these questions for the case of automobile insurance, using a panel of 18,595 consumers from one firm. My principal findings are: patterns of consumer departures following claims point to learning; consumers enter the firm overly optimistic about its quality and are generally disappointed by experience; and the impact of learning is mitigated by the slow arrival of claims and the development of lock-in.
Does Increasing Women's Schooling Raise the Schooling of the Next Generation? Comment
Authors: Antonovics Kate L , Goldberger Arthur S
Published: December 2005

“Does increasing women's schooling raise the schooling of the next generation?” is the question posed by Jere R. Behrman and Mark R. Rosenzweig (2002). Their answer to the question is no. In fact, they conclude that raising women's schooling may lower the schooling of the next generation. We show that Behrman and Rosenzweig's results are not robust to alternative coding schemes and sample selection rules, and argue that their policy inference may be misguided.
Bubbles and Experience: An Experiment
Authors: Dufwenberg Martin , Lindqvist Tobias , Moore Evan
Published: December 2005

We investigate the occurrence of bubble-crash pricing patterns in laboratory financial markets with a mixture of experienced and inexperienced traders. We find that even with a minority of experienced traders, bubbles are substantially abated.
A Spatial Theory of Trade
Authors: Rossi-Hansberg Esteban
Published: December 2005

The equilibrium relationship between trade and the spatial distribution of economic activity is fundamental to the analysis of national and regional trade patterns, as well as to the effect of trade frictions. We study this relationship using a trade model with a continuum of regions, transport costs, and agglomeration effects caused by production externalities. We analyze the equilibrium specialization and trade patterns for different levels of transport costs and externality parameters. Understanding trade via the distribution of economic activity in space naturally rationalizes the evidence on border effects and the “gravity equation.”
Human Capital Formation, Life Expectancy, and the Process of Development
Authors: Cervellati Matteo , Sunde Uwe
Published: December 2005

We provide a unified theory of the transition in income, life expectancy, education, and population size from a nondeveloped environment to sustained growth. Individuals optimally trade off the time cost of education with its lifetime returns. Initially, low longevity implies a prohibitive cost for human capital formation for most individuals. A positive feedback loop between human capital and increasing longevity, triggered by endogenous skill-biased technological progress, eventually provides sufficient returns for widespread education. The transition is not based on scale effects and induces population growth despite unchanged fertility. A simulation illustrates that the dynamics fit historical data patterns.
Manufacturer Liability for Harms Caused by Consumers to Others
Authors: Hay Bruce , Spier Kathryn E
Published: December 2005

Should the manufacturer of a product be held legally responsible when a consumer, while using the product, harms someone else? We show that if consumers have deep pockets, then manufacturer liability is not desirable. If homogeneous consumers have limited assets, then the best rule is “residual-manufacturer liability” where the manufacturer pays the shortfall in damages not paid by the consumer. Residual-manufacturer liability distorts the market quantity when consumers' willingness to pay is correlated with their propensity to cause harm. It distorts product safety when consumers differ in their wealth levels. In both cases, consumer-only liability may be preferred.
The Macroeconomics of Child Labor Regulation
Authors: Doepke Matthias , Zilibotti Fabrizio
Published: December 2005

We develop a positive theory of the adoption of child labor laws. Workers who compete with children in the labor market support a child labor ban, unless their own working children provide a large fraction of family income. Fertility decisions lock agents into specific political preferences, and multiple steady states can arise. The introduction of child labor laws can be triggered by skill-biased technological change, which induces parents to choose smaller families. The theory can account for the observation that, in Britain, regulations were first introduced after a period of rising wage inequality, and coincided with rapid fertility decline.
Herd Behavior in a Laboratory Financial Market
Authors: Cipriani Marco , Guarino Antonio
Published: December 2005

We study herd behavior in a laboratory financial market. Subjects receive private information on the fundamental value of an asset and trade it in sequence with a market maker. The market maker updates the asset price according to the history of trades. Theory predicts that agents should never herd. Our experimental results are in line with this prediction. Nevertheless, we observe a phenomenon not accounted for by the theory. In some cases, subjects decide not to use their private information and choose not to trade. In other cases, they ignore their private information to trade against the market (contrarian behavior).
Contracting on Time
Authors: Guriev Sergei , Kvasov Dmitriy
Published: December 2005

The paper shows how time considerations, especially those concerning contract duration, affect incomplete contract theory. Time is not only a dimension along which the relationship unfolds, but also a continuous verifiable variable that can be included in contracts. We consider a bilateral trade setting where contracting, investment, trade, and renegotiation take place in continuous time. We show that efficient investment can be induced either through a sequence of constantly renegotiated fixed-term contracts; or through a renegotiation-proof “evergreen” contract—a perpetual contract that allows unilateral termination with advance notice. We provide a detailed analysis of properties of optimal contracts.
Tax-Motivated Trading by Individual Investors
Authors: Ivković Zoran , Poterba James , Weisbenner Scott
Published: December 2005

We analyze stock trades made by individuals holding stock in both taxable and tax-deferred accounts. By comparing trades across these two types of accounts, we uncover a capital gains lock-in effect in taxable accounts. The lock-in effect is more pronounced for large stock transactions and for stocks held for at least 12 months. Over shorter horizons, the disposition effect outweighs the lock-in effect. Comparison of loss realizations in taxable and tax-deferred accounts yields evidence of tax-loss selling throughout the year. Effective accrual tax rates for stocks that experience substantial appreciation are substantially below the statutory tax rate on long-term gains.
A comparative study between ciliary count and the degree of opacity of paranasal sinus CT scans in chronic sinusitis pre and post FESS
Authors: Bassiouny Ahmed , Abd El Raouf Mahmoud , Atef Ahmed , Nasr Safaa , Talaat Soha , Nasr Magdy , Ayad Essam
Published: December 2005

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the extent of sinus disease in chronic sinusitis as detected radiologically by computed tomography (CT) scan and the population of cilia (ciliary area) both before and after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). In a simple way this is a trial to statistically prove that the CT scan could be a valid indicator and a mirror of the histological status of the sinus mucosa.

Design: Twenty adult patients were enrolled in this study. Radiological extension of the sinus disease was quantitated using the classification proposed by Kennedy in 1992 and the ciliary population was studied using scanning electron microscopy and image analysis softwares.

Results and conclusion: The more advanced the sinusitis, as evidenced by CT scans, the more the expected reduction in the ciliary area (CA) and in the ciliary count. But after FESS the degree of ciliary regeneration does not depend statistically on the radiological condition of the sinuses and the degree of opacity prior to intervention, i.e. a statistically valid inverse relationship exists between the radiological stage of sinusitis and the ciliary population pre-operatively but the same relation does not extend to the ciliary population post-operatively.
Radiophonosurgery of benign superficial vocal fold lesions
Authors: Ragab Sameh M , Elsheikh Mohamed N , Saafan Magdy E , Elsherief Sayed G
Published: December 2005

Objective: To conduct a prospective randomized controlled trial describing and investigating the efficacy and safety of radiosurgical excision of benign superficial vocal fold lesions.

Materials and methods: Fifty patients with benign superficial vocal fold lesions (20 vocal nodules, 27 vocal polyps and three Reinke’s oedema) who failed conservative therapy were included in the study. They were equally randomized into cold knife or radiosurgical excision. Clinical and voice assessments were done pre-operatively and after surgery. Voice analysis included a subjective visual analogue scale (VAS) and a perceptual assessment with a simplified version of the GRBAS scale (GRB) consisting of G (grade), R (roughness), and B (breathiness). Acoustic voice evaluation included jitter and shimmer. Post-operative voice therapy was provided for all patients. Complications, smoothness of post-operative recovery, and administration of analgesia were reported.

Results: Both groups experienced significant improvement in VAS, perceptual evaluation and acoustic analysis after surgery, with no evidence of significant differences between the cold knife and radiofrequency groups. The radiofrequency group showed a decrease of 17 per cent in the mean operative time when compared with the cold knife group, but this was not statistically significant. No evidence of a significant difference was noticed in the smoothness of post-operative recovery, administration of analgesia and complication rate.

Conclusion: Radiophonosurgery opens a new therapeutic approach for patients with benign superficial vocal fold lesions. It combines the advantages of both cold knife and laser phonosurgery, being easy, safe, precise and effective, and having excellent tactile and haemostatic properties.
Diagnostic dilemma of an atraumatic clavicle fracture following radical treatment for laryngeal carcinoma
Authors: Pellard Sarah , Moss Laura , Boyce Jamie M , Brown Marcus J K M
Published: December 2005

An atraumatic clavicular fracture presented after radical treatment for laryngeal carcinoma. This presented a diagnostic dilemma. The differential diagnosis included metastatic bone disease and osteomyelitis as well as post-radiotherapy complications. After investigation, the cause was thought to be a post-radiation fracture of the clavicle and to the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first ever documented in a patient who had undergone a total laryngectomy with bilateral modified radical neck dissections and post-operative radiotherapy. Cases of a fractured clavicle post-radiation have been most commonly documented in patients with breast cancer and only a few cases have been documented in patients with laryngeal cancer treated with a total laryngectomy, bilateral radical neck dissections and radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy of the neck influences the distribution of laryngeal secretory glands
Authors: Nakashima Tadashi , Tomita Hideichiro , Tsuda Sachio , Chitose Shun-ichi
Published: December 2005

To elucidate the influence of radiation therapy on the larynx in patients who receive radiotherapy to the neck, we observed the changes in the distribution of the laryngeal glands. Human adult larynges from patients with either laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer were histopathologically examined, and the changes in the glandular distribution as well as in the ratio of serous or mucous type cells were surveyed using an image analysis system. The mean ratio of the area occupied by glandular acini in the subglottic larynx was 0.182 in the non-radiation group and 0.098 in the radiation group (p < 0.001). Although no statistical difference was observed, the average density of the glands decreased and the average ratio of serous-type/mucous-type glandular cells decreased in the irradiated larynx. The glandular acini are often replaced with fibrous connective tissue and the ratio of serous-type glandular cells decreases. These results indicate that not only the voice function but also the local defence function of the larynx might be impaired after radiotherapy.
Metastatic carcinoma mimicking a facial nerve schwannoma: the role of computerized tomography in diagnosis
Authors: Suryanarayanan R , Dezso A , Ramsden R T , Gillespie J E
Published: December 2005

Secondary deposits in the temporal bone are uncommon but well recognized. Such tumours may involve the facial nerve by direct extension of the destructive process into the fallopian canal. We present a rare case of metastasis from a breast carcinoma in the facial nerve itself, involving the nerve in the internal acoustic meatus with extension into the labyrinthine segment, the first genu and into the middle-ear segment. The rest of the temporal bone was not involved. The lesion resembled a facial schwannoma on a routine magnetic resonance (MR) image. The diagnosis was confirmed after a post-operative computed tomography (CT) scan showed another separate secondary deposit in the basisphenoid. Histology was consistent with secondary tumour from a breast carcinoma. The case highlights the importance of keeping a high degree of suspicion for metastatic tumours in patients with a previous history of malignancy and the usefulness of CT scan in the evaluation of such cases.
Acute epiglottitis: analysis of factors associated with airway intervention
Authors: Katori Hideaki , Tsukuda Mamoru
Published: December 2005

We reviewed acute epiglottitis (AE) and identified factors associated with airway intervention. This report was a retrospective review of patients with AE and compared with factors associated with airway intervention. We reviewed 96 patients who were diagnosed with AE in our hospitals in Japan. Ninety-two (96 per cent) patients were adults, and no seasonal variation in the incidence of AE was encountered. Eight (8 per cent) patients had tracheostomy and endotracheal intubation had not been done. We found that symptoms of stridor and muffled voice, a rapid clinical course, and diabetes mellitus were the factors associated with airway intervention. Extremely severe swelling of the epiglottis such that only less than half of the posterior vocal fold (scope classification (SC): III) could be seen, and extension of the swelling to the arytenoids (SC: B) were the two factors that were strongly associated with airway intervention.
Aryepiglottoplasty for laryngomalacia: the Alder Hey experience
Authors: Martin J E , Howarth K E , Khodaei I , Karkanevatos A , Clarke R W
Published: December 2005

Laryngomalacia is the most common cause of stridor in infants. Severely affected children are at risk of feeding difficulties, apnoeic episodes and cor pulmonale secondary to upper airway obstruction. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of aryepiglottoplasty. This is a simple surgical procedure that relieves the obstruction by dividing the aryepiglottic folds. Thirty children had an aryepiglottoplasty at the Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital between January 1995 and June 2001. The case notes of all 30 children were reviewed for age, sex, age at operation, indications, operative technique, complications and long-term outcomes. Complete resolution of stridor was obtained in 83 per cent of patients, with an improvement in a further 7 per cent. Post-operative complications included lower respiratory tract infections (13 per cent) and vomiting (7 per cent). In conclusion, simple endoscopic aryepiglottoplasty remains an effective way of treating upper airway obstruction in children. Its high resolution and low complication rate make it a safe, first choice procedure for treatment of moderate to severe laryngomalacia.
Science, Suffrage, and Experimentation: Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Controversy over Vivisection in Late Nineteenth-Century America
Authors: Bittel Carla Jean
Published: December 2005

This article examines the medical activism of the New York physician Mary Putnam Jacobi (1842–1906), to illustrate the problems of gender and science at the center of the vivisection debate in late nineteenth-century America. In the post–Civil War era, individuals both inside and outside the medical community considered vivisection to be a controversial practice. Physicians divided over the value of live animal experimentation, while reformers and activists campaigned against it. Jacobi stepped into the center of the controversy and tried to use her public defense of experimentation to the advantage of women in the medical profession. Her advocacy of vivisection was part of her broader effort to reform medical education, especially at women's institutions. It was also a political strategy aimed at associating women with scientific practices to advance a women's rights agenda. Her work demonstrates how debates over women in medicine and science in medicine, suffrage, and experimentation overlapped at a critical moment of historical transition.
Releasing the Flood Waters: Diuril and the Reshaping of Hypertension
Authors: Greene Jeremy A
Published: December 2005

This article narrates the development and promotion in the 1950s and 1960s of Merck, Sharp & Dohme's Diuril (chlorothiazide), an antihypertensive drug, which played a significant role in the redefinition of high blood pressure as a widespread target for chronic pharmaceutical consumption. The joined careers of Diuril and hypertension in the late twentieth century demonstrate the connections between the clinical research, clinical practice, and marketing practices through which pharmaceuticals and disease categories come to define one another. By examining a series of internal documents preserved in the Merck Archives alongside a careful reading of the clinical literature and industry journals of the time, this article explores how the ambitions of marketers, physicians, and public health advocates found convergence in the expanding pharmaceutical prevention of chronic diseases.
The Recognition of Silicosis: Labor Unions and Physicians in the Chilean Copper Industry, 1930s-1960s
Authors: Vergara Angela
Published: December 2005

By the late 1930s, silicosis had become one of the most important occupational diseases in Chile. It was a medical and scientific problem, and a favorite topic in medical congresses; in Chile, a mining country, it also had serious political and economic implications. The recognition of silicosis did not happen in a vacuum, but was part of a national debate on the social role of the state and its responsibility toward working people's health and safety. This article traces the history of silicosis as an occupational disease from the late 1930s to the late 1960s, and argues that the recognition of the disease was the result of a medical, labor, and political struggle.
Short-term Impact of an HIV Risk Reduction Intervention for Soon-to-be Released Inmates in Georgia
Authors: Braithwaite Ronald L. , Stephens Torrance T , Treadwell Henrie M , Braithwaite Kisha , Conerly Rhonda
Published: December 2005

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an intervention seeking to reduce risk for HIV/AIDS infection among a sample of soon-to-be-released adult male inmates. This analysis is based on a random sample of 116 adult male prisoners recruited and interviewed prior to their participation in an HIV/AIDS and recidivism risk reduction intervention and again three months after they were reintegrated into the community. The intervention program was designed to reduce risky sexual behaviors and alcohol, tobacco, and other drug-related behaviors. It had a randomized, Latin-square design to evaluate adult male offenders across four conditions. Findings indicate that the intervention for the inmate population was effective in reducing sexual self-expectation and substance use and increasing condom use self-efficacy over a three-month period.
The Building Resiliency and Vocational Excellence (BRAVE) Program: A Violence-Prevention and Role Model Program for Young, African American Males
Authors: Griffin James P
Published: December 2005

Abstract: There are sharp disparities between non-Hispanic Whites and African Americans in mortality and years of potential life lost for numerous health-related conditions, including HIV/AIDS. The Building Resiliency and Vocational Excellence (BRAVE) Program is an intervention using Resiliency Networking designed for use with African American young men to help offset these disparities. Resiliency Networking incorporates coaching, career planning, and re-definition of gender roles to help young men develop a sense of purpose and future and to manage their lifestyles effectively. In addition to fostering a strong link with an older mentor, the program fosters healthy peer-to-peer relationships. The paper reports on preliminary use of the intervention and recommends future applications.
How Criminal System Racial Disparities May Translate into Health Disparities
Authors: Iguchi M. Y. (Martin Y.) , Bell James , Ramchand Rajeev N , Fain Terry
Published: December 2005

Disadvantaged racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. are strikingly over-represented in the juvenile justice and adult criminal justice systems. This paper briefly reviews the extent of over-representation attributable primarily to drug offenses and an earlier conceptual framework introduced by Iguchi and colleagues showing how the use of incarceration as a key drug control tool has disproportionately affected the health and well being of racial and ethnic minority communities. We then provide observations from the field that demonstrate how the implementation of a quality assessment approach might be used to mitigate procedural/structural biases that contribute to disparities in minority confinement, and ultimately, to reduce disparities in access to resources and health care.
African American Female Drug Users and HIV Risk Reduction Challenges with Criminal Involvement
Authors: Sterk Claire E. , Theall Katherine , Elifson Kirk W.
Published: December 2005

The main objectives of this paper are to examine the prevalence of criminal involvement among a sample of African American female drug users and to identify factors associated with that criminal involvement, where criminal involvement is defined as having been in jail or prison. Data were collected in Atlanta from 333 adult women at two points in time, namely during baseline assessments conducted prior to their enrollment in an HIV risk reduction intervention and at follow-up assessments conducted 6 months after completion of the intervention. The prevalence and period prevalence of criminal involvement were relatively high. At baseline, 86.8% of the women indicated criminal involvement at some point in their lives and over one-third (37.2%) were involved in the year prior to enrolling into the study. During follow-up interviews, 31.5% reported criminal involvement during the 6 months since enrollment. The findings revealed that victimization/abuse and drug use setting might be salient risk factors for criminal involvement. The unique needs of women such as those in this sample must be taken into account when designing intervention and prevention programs, both within and outside the criminal justice system.
Disseminating HIV/AIDS Information to African Americans
Authors: Stroman Carolyn A
Published: December 2005

Prior research indicates that HIV/AIDS communication must be viewed as a key component of the implementation of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention program. In view of the radical increase in HIV/AIDS in the African American community, tailoring health messages on prevention strategies to African Americans becomes particularly important. This paper focuses on health communication to African Americans as an integral part of contemporary HIV/AIDS interventions.
Racial Disparity and the Legitimacy of the Criminal Justice System: Exploring Consequences for Deterrence
Authors: Taxman Faye S , Byrne James M
Published: December 2005

Minority (over) representation in the criminal justice system remains a puzzle, both from a policy and an intervention perspective. Cross-sectional reviews of the policies and practices of the criminal justice system often find differential rates of involvement in the criminal justice system that are associated with the nature of the criminal charge/act or characteristics of the offender; however, longitudinal reviews of the race effect often show it to be confounded by procedural and extralegal variables. This review focuses on how the cumulative policies and practices of the criminal justice system contribute to churning, or the recycling of individuals through the system. In conducting our review, we describe how the same criminal justice processes and practices adversely affect select communities. The consequences of policies and procedures that contribute to churning may affect the legitimacy of the criminal justice system as a deterrent to criminal behavior. A research agenda on issues related to legitimacy of the criminal justice system aimed at a better understanding of how this affects individual and community behavior is presented.
Unraveling health disparities: Examining the dimensions of hypertension and diabetes through community engagement
Authors: Anderson Julia B
Published: December 2005

The contexts of people's lives can perpetuate racial and ethnic health disparities. In this work, community members from four racial/ethnic groups (Hispanic, Native American, African American, Asian) engaged in an investigative process to analyze their own life conditions, and to explore dimensions of their health behaviors and lifestyles when managing diabetes and/or hypertension. Principal conclusions of the researchers: (1) Respondents were knowledgeable about their health conditions, but had no knowledge of health disparities. (2) Respondents felt the media portrays members of racial/ethnic minorities as hopeless and helpless; this discourages them from believing they can live healthier or better lives. (3) The over-abundance of fast food and unhealthy food eateries in minority communities contradicts the advice of the public health industry. (4) The majority of all respondents were in one of two stages relative to their willingness to change unhealthy behaviors: not interested or already doing it.
Prostate Cancer Screening Perceptions, Knowledge and Behaviors among African American Men: Focus Group Findings
Authors: Forrester-Anderson Ivis T
Published: December 2005

The purpose of the study was to explore, using focus groups, the knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and behavior of African American men concerning prostate cancer and screening for the disease using the prostate specific antigen and the digital rectal examination. Twelve focus groups (n=104) were conducted among African American men 40 years of age and older, residing in three counties in the metropolitan area of Baltimore, Maryland. The results of the study show various barriers to screening among the target population, which include limited knowledge about the disease, lack of access to screening services, embarrassment and fear of a positive diagnosis. Additional barriers reported were distrust of medical professionals and the government, reluctance to talk about sex-related health problems, complacency about the possibility of having the disease, and belief that prostate cancer is related to sexual behavior. Positive beliefs, hope, and familiarity with the disease were enabling factors for prostate cancer screening. The focus groups served to open doors to communities from the research and medicine world, and heightened awareness of prostate cancer.
Effect of acculturation and income on Hispanic women's health
Authors: Leybas-Amedia Velia , Nuno Thomas , Garcia Francisco
Published: December 2005

This research examines how acculturation and income affect health care access, utilization, and prevention knowledge among a population of Hispanic women living along the U.S.-Mexico border in Yuma, Arizona, a rural agricultural county. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 417 Hispanic women with mean age 61.3 years (s.d.=9.2). Most were long-term residents of Yuma County with some elementary and middle school education. Respondents had low monthly household incomes (average: $927.77, s.d.=550.40) and 10% reported current employment. The results show that income may be a more important predictor of actual utilization of health care services while acculturation may play a more prominent role with respect to provider preferences. A better understanding of the complex interplay between the individual and the society she inhabits is required in order to develop a meaningful public health intervention that will affect disease risk.
Determinants of Glycemic Status Monitoring in Black and White Medicaid Beneficiaries with Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Mayberry Robert Morris , Davis Trobiand , Alema-Mensah Ernest , Samadi Aziz R , Finley Rita , Jones Alma
Published: December 2005

Routine monitoring of glycemic status during regularly scheduled physician office visits is not performed according to recommended guidelines for most people with diabetes. We conducted this investigation to identify the determinants of glycemic status monitoring during primary care office visits among Black and White adult Medicaid beneficiaries diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1996 and 1997 and followed for a 12-month period through year 1997 and year 1998, respectively (N=3,321). Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that the likelihood of receiving the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended 2 or more HbA1c tests was more than 2 times greater for persons with diabetes who had 10 or more visits than for those with only one visit in the one-year period since initial diagnosis (relative risk (RR) = 2.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.51–3.51). Quality improvement efforts that emphasize the patient-primary provider relationship and better coordination of care will improve adherence to diabetes care standards.
Institutional Reality in the Age of Slavery: Taxation and Democracy in the States
Authors: Einhorn Robin L.
Published: December 2005

On August 13, 1782, Alexander Hamilton complained to Robert Morris about the deplorable condition of politics in the state of New York, and especially the condition of taxation. Morris had appointed Hamilton as receiver of continental taxes for New York, meaning that Hamilton was in charge of collecting New York's share of the “requisitions” of Congress. Under Article 8 of the Articles of Confederation, Congress could raise the tax revenue it needed for the ongoing Revolutionary War only by making “requisitions” on the states—that is, by asking each state to raise a specified sum. Like other states, New York was falling short; four years later, an aggressive tax levy in Massachusetts (to pay requisitions and fund the state debt) would provoke the armed insurrection known as Shays's Rebellion. The decentralized regime that Congress had established under the Articles of Confederation made the national treasury depend on the productivity of the state tax systems. Ironically, this very decentralization invited national officials like Hamilton to tackle the problem of tax reform within the states.
Ruling Passions: Political Economy in Nineteenth-Century America
Authors: John Richard R.
Published: December 2005

In recent years, theJournal of Policy Historyhas emerged as a major venue for scholarship on American policy history in the period after 1900. Indeed, it is for this reason that it is often praised as the leading outlet for scholarship on American political history in the world. Only occasionally, however, has it featured essays on the early republic, the Civil War, or the post-Civil War era. And when it has, the essays have often focused on partisan electioneering rather than on governmental institutions. The rationale for this special issue of theJournal of Policy Historyis to expand the intellectual agenda of policy history backward in time so as to embrace more fully the history of governmental institutions in the period before 1900. The six essays that follow contain much that will be new even for specialists in nineteenth-century American policy history, yet they are written in a style that is intended to be accessible to college undergraduates and historians unfamiliar with the period.
Patent Politics: Intellectual Property, the Railroad Industry, and the Problem of Monopoly
Authors: Usselman Steven W. , John Richard R.
Published: December 2005

As winter descended on Washington in December 1878, the Forty-fifth Congress gathered for what promised to be a hectic third and final session. Emotions ran high. In this era, Congress habitually reserved much of its business for these brief, intense “lame duck” sessions that fell between the election of legislators in November and the adjournment of Congress the following March. Compounding the usual sense of urgency was the startling result of the recent election: the Democratic party had gained control of the Senate and, when the next Congress convened, would control both the Senate and the House for the first time since before the Civil War. Senate Republicans well understood that they had but a few precious months to close ranks and enact legislation on some of the burning issues of the day: civil rights, the currency, the tariff. Yet when the session opened, none of these issues made their way to the floor. Instead, and despite howls of protest from senators eager to move on to what they plainly regarded as more urgent concerns, the Senate assembled on many afternoons for several weeks to debate a completely different matter: a proposed law concerning the rights of inventors. At this critical juncture in American politics, the Senate found itself embroiled in a long and complex discussion of the virtues and deficiencies of the patent system.
Protecting Small Savers: The Political Economy of Economic Security
Authors: Wadhwani R. Daniel
Published: December 2005

Admitting, then, that it is eminently desirable to reduce the action of the organized public force to the minimum … shall we not say that government can not relieve itself from the necessity of frequent and minute interferences with industry in any other way to so great an extent as by, 1st, insisting on the thorough primary education of the whole population; 2d, providing a strict system of sanitary administration; 3d, securing by special precautions the integrity of banks of savings for the encouragement of the instincts of frugality, sobriety, and industry? Each of these things is contrary to the doctrine of Laissez faire; yet I, for one, can not find room to doubt that, on purely economical grounds, the action of the State herein is not only justifiable but a matter of elementary duty.
Maimonides on Leprosy: Illness as Contemplative Metaphor
Authors: Diamond James Arthur
Published: December 2005

The diseases of Leviticus 13 and 14, commonly known as leprosy, were traditionally considered to be miraculously punitive responses to slander (lashon har'a). The link between leprosy and this particular sin is consistently maintained in the Guide of the Perplexed where it is also considered a miraculous punishment for slander. Maimonides' concluding remarks to the Laws of Leprosy Defilement in the Mishneh Torah comprise a relatively lengthy non-halakhic excursus which traces a series of offenses spiraling out of slander into increasingly abstract ones climaxing in an ultimate speculative crime regarding the nature of divine providence. Leprosy metastasizes from building to chattel to clothing to body in a pattern of increasing exposure and isolation culminating in quarantine. Each of these stages are marked by a carefully selected biblical prooftext which also appears in the Guide of the Perplexed and which can only be fully appreciated by reading both his juridical and philosophical works symbiotically. Maimonides has delicately preserved the pragmatic biblical and rabbinic construct of leprosy as a deterrence from slander while maintaining, at the same time, his philosophical position which sees providence or lack thereof as conditional on intellect. His excursus in the Mishneh Torah is strategically crafted, as his philosophical works are, to accommodate different audiences distinguished by their degree of philosophical sophistication. The result is an account of leprosy, which appeals both to those who are motivated by "necessary beliefs", and those who are guided solely by "true beliefs".
Acceptance, Avoidance, and Ambiguity: Conflicting Social Values about Childhood Disability
Authors: Levine Carol
Published: December 2005

Advances in medical technology now permit children who need ventilator assistance to live at home rather than in hospitals or institutions. What does this ventilator-dependent life mean to children and their families? The impetus for this essay comes from a study of the moral experience of 12 Canadian families—parents, ventilator-dependent child, and well siblings. These families express great love for their children, take on enormous responsibilities for care, live with uncertainty, and attempt to create "normal" home environments. Nevertheless, they experience social isolation, sometimes even from their extended families and health care providers. Their lives are constrained in many ways. The challenges faced by parents of technology-dependent children raise questions of justice within society and within families.
Slaves, Embryos, and Nonhuman Animals: Moral Status and the Limitations of Common Morality Theory
Authors: Lindsay Ronald A. (Ronald Alan)
Published: December 2005

Common morality theory must confront apparent counterexamples from the history of morality, such as the widespread acceptance of slavery in prior eras, that suggest core norms have changed over time. A recent defense of common morality theory addresses this problem by drawing a distinction between the content of the norms of the common morality and the range of individuals to whom these norms apply. This distinction is successful in reconciling common morality theory with practices such as slavery, but only at the cost of underscoring the limits of common morality theory, in particular its inability to resolve disputes about the moral status of entities. Given that many controversies in bioethics center on the disputed status of various entities, such as embryos and nonhuman animals, this is an important limitation. Nonetheless, common morality theory still can be a useful resource in diminishing moral conflict on issues that do not involve disputes over moral status.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Ethics Rounds: Life-Threatening Illness and the Desire to Adopt
Authors: Little Margaret Olivia , Moczynski Walter V , Richardson Paul G , Joffe Steven
Published: December 2005

Originally presented during Ethic Rounds at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, this commentary on the case of a patient treated for life-threatening cancer explores the responsibilities of health care providers when addressing the patient's desire to adopt a child.
Equity and Efficiency of Community College Appropriations: The Role of Local Financing
Authors: Dowd Alicia C , Grant John L
Published: December 2005

This study analyzes the equity of community college financing and demonstrates intrastate variations in appropriations to community colleges. The ratio of 90th to 10th percentile values ranges from 2.0 to 2.8 in half of the states analyzed, levels which are considered high in comparison to K-12 finance inequities. In 10 states with high revenue disparities, the direction of revenue deviations is more often progressive in state-funded than in local-share states, suggesting that the local role may undermine equity. This paper explores differences in economies of scale, geographic costs, and program costs as factors determining funding disparities.
Marginal abatement costs for reducing leaching of nitrates in Croatian agriculture
Authors: SUMELIUS J. , MESIC M. , GRGIC Z.
Published: December 2005

The aim of this paper is to estimate marginal abatement costs (MAC) of N-fertiliser tax policies which aim to prevent NO3 levels from rising. Estimates of MAC provide information on how large reductions in Nfertilisation rates should be before other measures are considered. Based on N-response experiments from Croatian field trials with maize, N-response curves were estimated and profit maximising N-doses were derived. Values of NO3-N concentration in lysimeter water from the same treatments were used to estimate an NO3-leaching function. A sample of 20 Croatian family farms was used to obtain records of producer and input prices as well as actual N-doses. Abatement costs and MAC for an N-tax, a product tax and an Nquota were estimated. The MAC for all the instruments are non-constant and increase at an accelerating rate. The MAC for N-taxes are positive for N-taxes lower than 60%, indicating a net return to society. Reduction rates in fertilisation up to this level should be achieved before considering governmental support for other measures. The N-tax has the lowest abatement cost and the lowest MAC for a particular level of reduction while the N-quota has a lower MAC than the product tax when total reduction levels are below 20 mg NO3 l-1.;
End‐group modified poly(methyl vinyl ether): Characterization and LCST demixing behavior in water
Authors: Van Durme Kurt , Van Mele Bruno , Bernaerts Katrien V. , Verdonck Beatrice , Du Prez Filip E.
Published: December 2005

A range of hydrophilic poly(methyl vinyl ether) (PMVE) polymers was synthesized by living cationic polymerization of methyl vinyl ether (MVE), having different hydrophilic or hydrophobic chain‐end functionalities. The dissimilar end‐groups were either introduced by end‐capping of the growing polymer chain with LiBH4, methanol, and water or by functional initiation with 2‐bromo‐(3,3‐diethoxy‐propyl)‐2‐methylpropanoate. The synthesized PMVEs were characterized by 1H NMR, size exclusion chromatography, and matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight, displaying a narrow polydispersity. Modulated temperature DSC was applied to study the influence of the nature of the end‐groups on the solubility behavior of PMVE in water. Terminal‐modification with a hydroxyl function improves the solubility, whereas a Br‐containing end‐group causes the polymer to be insoluble in water at room temperature; however, the special type III lower critical solution temperature demixing behavior being maintained. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 461–469, 2006
Differential impact of semaphorin 3E and 3A on CNS axons
Authors: Steffensky Marion , Steinbach Karin , Schwarz Uli , Schlosshauer Burkhard
Published: December 2005

During the development of the central nervous system (CNS), the correct wiring of outgrowing neurites is mediated by antagonistic mechanisms. Aberrant growth is prevented by repulsive factors such as semaphorins. Expression of the ligands Sema3A and ‐3E and the receptors neuropilin Npn‐1, ‐2a and ‐2b in the chick visual system were analyzed by RT‐PCR. Whereas Sema3A and its major receptor Npn‐1 were abundant, Sema3E and Npn‐2 isoform expression was highly restricted and developmentally regulated. Peak expression occurred during retinal axon innervation of the tectum. Functional in vitro assays with recombinant proteins revealed a topography‐specific growth cone collapsing activity of Sema3A for tectal axons. Interestingly, whereas tectal axons collapsed in a topographic‐specific manner only in the presence of Sema3A, retinal axons responded only to Sema3E. The collapsing activity was intracellularly mediated by cGMP. For a detailed analysis of neuronal responses to sempahorins, time lapse video recording was performed. When tectal and retinal axons were pre‐exposed to brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protective effect was evident only in the case of retinal axons. Our results suggest a molecular mechanism whereby ingrowth of retinal axons into the tectum can be regulated by Sema3E/BDNF modulation without disturbing tectal axon growth out of the tectum mediated by Sema3A.
Duration of no-load state affects opening angle of porcine coronary arteries
Authors: Rehal Devinder , Guo Xiaomei , Lu Xiao , Kassab Ghassan S.
Published: December 2005

The zero-stress state of a blood vessel has been extensively studied because it is the reference state for which all calculations of intramural stress and strain must be based. It has also been found to reflect nonuniformity in growth and remodeling in response to chemical or physical changes. The zero-stress state can be characterized by an opening angle, defined as the angle subtended by two radii connecting the midpoint of the inner wall. All prior studies documented the zero-stress state or opening angle with no regard to duration of the no-load state. Our hypotheses were that, given the viscoelastic properties of blood vessels, the zero-stress state may have “memory” of prior circumferential and axial loading, i.e., duration of the no-load state influences opening angle. To test these hypotheses, we considered ring pairs of porcine coronary arteries to examine the effect of duration in the no-load state after circumferential distension. Our results show a significant reduction in opening angle as duration of the no-load state increases, i.e., vessels that are reduced to the zero-stress state directly from the loaded state attain much larger opening angles at 30 min after the radial cut than rings that are in the no-load state for various durations. To examine the effect of axial loading, we found similar reductions in opening angle with duration in the no-load from the in situ state, albeit the effect was significantly smaller than that of circumferential loading. Hence, we found that the zero-stress state has memory of both circumferential and axial loading. These results are important for understanding viscoelastic properties of coronary arteries, interpretation of the enormous data on the opening angle and strain in the literature, and standardization of future measurements on the zero-stress state.