bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of factors associated with low peripheral blood progenitor cell collection in normal donors
Authors: De La Rubia Javier , Arbona Cristina , De Arriba Felipe , Del Cañizo Consuelo , Brunet Salut , Zamora Concha , Díaz Miguel A. , Bargay Joan , Petit José , De La Serna Javier , Insunza Andrés , Arrieta Rosario , Pascual María J. , Serrano David , Sanjuan Isabel , Espigado Ildefonso , Alegre Adrián , Martínez Dobleta , Verdeguer Amparo , Martínez Carmen , Benlloch Luis , Sanz Miguel A. ,   Spanish Group of Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Predictive factors of the response to rHuG–CSF in normal donors have not been extensively studied.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyzed factors influencing CD34+ cell yield in the 1st day of collection in 261 healthy donors from the Spanish National Donor Registry. The median age was 38 years (range, 2‐72). The median dose of rHuG–CSF was 10 μg per kg per day (range, 5‐20) over 4 days. In 103 donors (40%), <4 × 106 per kg CD34+ cells were collected. The variables that were analyzed included age, sex, weight, basal complete blood cell count, dose, type of rHuGCSF and schedule of administration, and maximum WBC count before apheresis.

RESULTS: By univariate analysis, the maximum WBC count (<50 vs. ≥50 × 109/L, p = 0.004), advanced age (p = 0.008), and number of daily rHuG–CSF doses (one vs. two; p = 0.01) correlated with the number of CD34+ cells collected. By multivariate analysis, donors age (<38 vs. ≥38 years; p = 0.014) and a single daily dose of rHuG–CSF (p = 0.005) were the two variables that significantly predicted a low CD34+ cell yield.

CONCLUSION: Donors' age, with a threshold of 38 years or more, and the rHuG–CSF schedule are the factors that significantly affected CD34+ cell mobilization and collection in healthy donors.
A weak blood group A phenotype caused by a new mutation at the ABO locus
Authors: Seltsam Axel , Hallensleben Michael , Eiz‐Vesper Britta , Lenhard Volker , Heymann Giudo , Blasczyk Rainer
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: A number of alleles have been described for ABO encoding for common and rare ABO blood group phenotypes. Critical mutations in the coding sequence of ABO that may confer the different specificity and activity of the glycosyltransferases encoded by this gene locus have been identified.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Three unrelated patients from Germany, Turkey, and Bosnia who were diagnosed as having variant A subgroups were subjected to extended ABO typing. Serologic investigations were performed with standard methods. The genetic basis of the ABO phenotypes was determined by haplotype‐specific sequence analysis of the last two exons (exons 6 and 7) of ABO and the intervening intron.

RESULTS: The RBCs of all three patients showed serologic A characteristics being similar to subgroup Ax. The serum of all three patients contained weakly reactive anti‐A. In all three patients, sequence analysis indicated an A allele with a nucleotide sequence identical to ABO*A101 except for a single‐base substitution in exon 7 at position 502, where C was replaced by G. This point mutation resulted in an amino acid exchange from arginine to glycine at position 168. The nucleotide sequence of intron 6 of the A allele was found to be identical to the ABO*A101 sequence in each patient.

CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a variant A phenotype can arise from the new R168G polymorphism, reflecting the importance of this region for the ABO transferase efficiency.
Human plasma thrombopoietin levels are regulated by binding to platelet thrombopoietin receptors in vivo
Authors: Scheding Stefan , Bergmann Markus , Shimosaka Akihiro , Wolff Philipp , Driessen Christoph , Rathke Gisa , Jaschonek Karl , Brugger Wolfram , Kanz Lothar
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Data from several studies support the hypothesis that thrombopoietin (TPO) plasma levels are regulated via circulating platelet (PLT) numbers by binding to PLT TPO receptors (TPO‐Rs). In this study, PLT numbers and TPO plasma levels were measured following the transfusion of unmanipulated, sham‐saturated, and TPO‐R‐saturated PLT preparations to provide additional in vivo evidence for this regulatory mechanism.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Following in vitro experiments to characterize pegylated recombinant human megakaryocyte growth and development factor (PEG‐rHuMGDF) binding characteristics, PLT numbers and TPO plasma levels were measured following the transfusion of unmanipulated, sham‐saturated, and TPO‐R‐saturated PLT preparations in thrombocytopenic patients. Sham‐saturated and TPO‐R‐saturated PLTs were prepared by a 1‐hour incubation without and with 40 ng per mL of PEG‐rHuMGDF, respectively, and subsequent washing and resuspension.

RESULTS: In vitro, 2.72 ± 0.8 ng of PEG‐rHuMGDF per 1 × 108 PLTs was bound within 1 hour of incubation. No additional PEG‐rHuMGDF was bound following a second incubation with PEG‐rHuMGDF, and bound PEG‐rHuMGDF was not released over time. In vivo, TPO plasma levels decreased significantly (p < 0.001), by 30.7 ± 5.8 and 20.9 ± 2.1 percent after transfusion of unmanipulated and sham‐saturated PLT preparations, respectively. However, TPO plasma levels were unaffected after the transfusion of TPO‐R‐saturated PLTs despite comparable transfusion‐induced PLT count increases.

CONCLUSION: These data strongly support the concept that binding to PLT TPO‐R is directly involved in human TPO plasma level regulation in vivo.
Frequency distribution of antigens in the human platelet antigen‐1 system in the western Indian population
Authors: Kulkarni Bipin , Mohanty Dipika , Ghosh K. , Pawar Aruna , Khare Amit
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (NAITP) occurring because of fetomaternal incompatibility in the human platelet antigen‐1 (HPA‐1) system is increasingly being detected worldwide. Several studies have reported the frequency and distribution of HPA‐1 alleles in different countries and ethnic populations. A paucity of data regarding the frequency of the antigens in the HPA‐1 system in the Indian population prompted an undertaking of this study. The molecular method of genotyping the platelet antigens is preferred to serology. It will enable future prenatal diagnosis in mothers suspected to have NAITP so that they can be managed better.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Five hundred six unrelated subjects were screened for the alleles in the HPA‐1 system, of which 185 were healthy males and 321 were females. DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood WBCs of these subjects, followed by PCR amplification and agarose gel electrophoresis of the PCR‐amplified products.

RESULTS: Four hundred two out of 506 subjects (79.44%) were found to be homozygous for HPA‐1a. Ninety‐nine subjects (19.57%) were heterozygous HPA‐1a/HPA‐1b, and five subjects out of 506 (0.99%) were homozygous for HPA‐1b.

CONCLUSION: Homozygosity for HPA‐1b exists in the Indian population at a frequency of 0.99 percent, whereas homozygosity for HPA‐1a is present in approximately 79 percent of the population. Hence, 0.98 × 0.79 of the females (0.77%) in the reproductive age group are likely to be pregnant with an HPA‐1a‐positive fetus, leading to a setting in which NAITP might develop. The development of NAITP also depends on the HLA type of the mother; nevertheless, the number of pregnancies in which the fetus is at risk for NAITP in India is quite significant.
Human neutrophil antigen‐2a expression on neutrophils from healthy adults in western Japan
Authors: Taniguchi Kikuyo , Kobayashi Masao , Harada Hironori , Hiraoka Asako , Tanihiro Misae , Takata Noboru , Kimura Akiro
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Human neutrophil antigen‐2a (HNA‐2a)‐specific MoAb, which is necessary to prepare panel neutrophils and to determine the phenotype of patients' neutrophils, has been produced in many laboratories in Japan. The frequency of the HNA‐2a‐positive population in western Japan is unknown.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A cell line secreting an HNA‐2a‐specific MoAb, TAG4, was established. TAG4 was characterized by flow cytometry, and the reactivities of TAG4 and another HNA‐2a‐specific MoAb, 7D8, were compared in an inhibition assay and two‐color flow cytometry. TAG4 was tested against granulocytes from 408 healthy adult volunteers in western Japan.

RESULTS: TAG4 reacted with neutrophils, but not with the other blood cells. The reactivity of TAG4 with granulocytes treated with glycosyl‐phosphatidylinositol‐specific phospholipase C was markedly reduced. The reactivity of TAG4 and 7D8 was similar, but 7D8 did not prevent TAG4 from binding. A total of 406 of 408 donors were TAG4 positive. The mean percentage of HNA‐2a expression of females was 70.2 percent, and that of males was 66.8 percent.

CONCLUSION: TAG4 and 7D8 seem to bind to different epitopes of HNA‐2a. The frequency of the HNA‐2a‐positive population is 99.5 percent of healthy adults in western Japan. The mean percentage of HNA‐2a expression of females was greater than in males.
Brain and buffy coat transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy to the primate Microcebus murinus
Authors: Bons Nöelle , Lehmann Sylvain , Mestre‐Francès Nadine , Dormont Dominique , Brown Paul
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: More than 100 cases of variant CJD resulting from infections with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) have accumulated in the United Kingdom since 1995. Concern about the possibility of secondary transmissions via blood and blood components donated by infected individuals has prompted a variety of international donor deferral policies that will continue until laboratory and epidemiologic evidence provides a consensus about potential risk.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: BSE was passaged through macaque monkeys and then adapted to the prosimian microcebe (Microcebus murinus). Brain homogenate and buffy coat from an affected microcebe were separately inoculated intracerebrally into three healthy microcebes (two animals received brain and one received buffy coat).

RESULTS: All three inoculated microcebes became ill after incubation periods of 16 to 18 months. Clinical, histopathologic, and immunocytologic features were similar in each of the recipients.

CONCLUSION: Buffy coat from a symptomatic microcebe infected 17 months earlier with BSE contained the infectious agent. This observation represents the first documented transmission of BSE from the blood of an experimentally infected primate, which in view of rodent buffy coat infectivity precedents and the known host range of BSE is neither unexpected nor cause for alarm.
Estimated risk of transfusion‐transmitted viral infections in Spain
Authors: Alvarez Manuel , Oyonarte Salvador , Rodríguez P. M. , Hernández J. M.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND : Estimates of the risk of transfusion‐transmitted viral infections are essential for monitoring the safety of the blood supply. The aim of the present study was to estimate the residual risk of blood‐borne viral infections in Spain.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS : Incidence rates of seroconversion for HIV, HBV, and HCV were calculated among 673,018 persons who donated blood more than once (repeat donors), from 1997 through 1999 at 22 blood donation centers (for a total of 2,464,964 allogeneic blood donations and 1,052,752 person‐years).

RESULTS : Incidence rates per 100,000 person‐years and their 95‐percent CIs were as follows: for HBV, 8.36 (5.24‐12.62); for HIV, 3.23 (2.24‐4.52); and for HCV, 3.70 (2.63‐5.07). After adjusting incidence rates for the estimated duration of the infectious window period for each virus, the residual risk per unit transfused was estimated at 1 in 513,000 for HIV, 1 in 74,000 for HBV, and 1 in 149,000 for HCV. The introduction of new screening test based on NAT would have reduced these risks by 27 to 50 percent for HIV, by 42 percent for HBV, and by 62 to 65 percent for HCV.

CONCLUSION : The residual risks of transmission of HIV, HBV, and HCV in Spain are similar to those reported in other countries and should be further reduced in the future.
Binding of activated platelets to WBCs in vivo after transfusion
Authors: Gutensohn Kai , Geidel Katja , Brockmann Marc , Siemensen Margaux , Krueger William , Kroeger Nico , Kuehnl Peter
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND : During preparation and storage of apheresis concentrates, platelets are being activated. One of the alterations that occur during this process is an increased expression of P‐selectin (CD62p) on the cytoplasmic surface of platelets. This neoepitope represents a ligand for the binding of platelets to WBCs. It has been suggested that the activation of platelets is associated with the sequestration of platelets after transfusion. In this in vivo study, the binding of platelets to WBCs was analyzed following transfusion of platelet concentrates (PCs).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS : Double apheresis concentrates were prepared with two different cell separators. One of the split products was stored for 1 to 2 days and the other one for 3 to 5 days. Flow cytometry was applied to analyze the degree of platelet activation in vitro, and also to measure the extent of platelet binding to WBC subclasses in vivo after transfusion into patients.

RESULTS : The results of this study show that platelet activation occurs during apheresis and storage of PCs. After transfusion of the PCs, no significant binding of platelets to T or B‐cells could be detected. However, a significant binding of platelets to monocytes and neutrophil granulocytes occurs. While in Baxter PCs stored for 1‐2 days the amount of platelet‐leukocyte aggregates in vivo was higher compared to COBE PCs, no such difference could be detected anymore for the PCs stored for 3‐5 days.

CONCLUSION : This study demonstrates that binding of activated platelets occurs to monocytes and neutrophil granulocytes but not to T‐ and B‐cells in the circulation after transfusion. In addition, the interaction of platelets and WBCs is dependent on the degree of P‐selectin expression. Platelets showing a higher degree of activation adhere to WBCs to a higher degree than nonactivated platelets.
Identification of Babesia microti‐specific immunodominant epitopes and development of a peptide EIA for detection of antibodies in serum
Authors: Houghton Raymond L. , Homer Mary J. , Reynolds Lisa D. , Sleath Paul R. , Lodes Michael J. , Berardi Victor , Leiby David A. , Persing David H.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Babesia microti is a tick‐borne agent that is increasingly implicated in transfusion‐acquired infection, especially in immunocompromised and elderly recipients. To develop a test that can detect antibody responses to B. microti, peptide epitopes identified in two serocomplementary B. microti‐specific antigens were used in a prototype EIA.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A prototype peptide EIA was used to detect B. microti‐specific antibodies in 15 sera taken before infection and 107 taken after infection from 59 individuals with known tick‐borne infections previously confirmed by other methods. Three additional groups of samples were also tested: a proficiency panel of 18 sera positive for B. microti by IFA, 38 sera from blood donors confirmed positive by IFA, and 30 sera from random blood donors.

RESULTS: The combination peptide detected 98 out of 107 sera taken after infection that were IgG blot positive (4 equivocal). This included all 12 samples that were PCR positive and six sera from smear‐negative patients that were confirmed positive by PCR, immunoblot, or IFA. Of the IgG blot‐positive specimens that were equivocal (four specimens) or did not react (nine specimens) by EIA, most had low IFA titers consistent with previous exposure. In a second evaluation, 15 out of 15 Babesia IFA‐positive sera and 3 out of 3 Babesia‐Ehrlichia IFA‐positive sera were positive, whereas sera from 30 random donors were negative. Finally, of 38 IFA‐positive blood‐donor samples, 35 were positive by peptide EIA. The three EIA‐negative sera were Western blot negative.

CONCLUSION: Reactivity of the B. microti‐specific peptide EIA shows a high correlation with IFA, PCR, and B. microti immunoblot in confirmed B. microti cases. The peptide EIA may be the most suitable B. microti infection test for adaptation to the blood bank environment if testing for B. microti is required in the future.
RBC T activation and hemolysis in a neonatal intensive care population: implications for transfusion practice
Authors: Boralessa Harischandra , Modi Neena , Cockburn Hazel , Malde Ranjan , Edwards Marilyn , Roberts Irene , Letsky Elizabeth
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Reports of transfusion‐associated hemolysis in infants with T‐activated RBCs have led to the suggestion that infants should be screened and provided with low‐titer anti‐T blood components. T‐activated RBCs react with the lectins Arachis hypogea and Glycine soja; variants of T (Th and Tx) and Tk also react with A. hypogea, but not G. soja. Although Tk is not a true variant of T, for the purposes of this study, all RBCs that are reactive with A. hypogea but are not reactive with G. soja are called “T variants.”

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A prospective study was carried out to examine T and T variant activation and transfusion‐associated hemolysis in a neonatal intensive care population and to determine if antibodies to T and T variant are detectable in donor plasma. A total of 2041 samples from 375 infants were tested for T and T variant activation utilizing a lectin panel. Three hundred donor plasma samples were tested for antibodies to T and T variant.

RESULTS: Forty‐eight of 375 infants (12.8%) had T‐ and T‐variant‐activated RBCs. Of these, 13 of 48 (27%) developed at least one episode of sepsis and 9 of 48 (19%) developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) at some point during their inpatient stay. T activation was not always temporally associated with the onset of NEC or sepsis. The remaining 26 of 48 (54%) were healthy infants receiving convalescent care in the neonatal intensive care units and showed no evidence of either NEC or sepsis. Twelve (of 375) additional infants (3.2%) who developed NEC and 100 (27%) who developed sepsis showed no RBC T activation. Twenty‐three of 48 (48%) infants with T‐activated RBCs received standard blood components, but no transfusion‐associated hemolysis occurred. Donor plasma samples contained T but not T variant antibodies.

CONCLUSION: T variant activation of RBCs occurs in healthy neonates as well as in infants with NEC and sepsis, but T activation appears rare. Transfusion‐ associated hemolysis was not seen. The provision of specially prepared blood components for infants with NEC is unnecessary.
Early diagnosis and successful treatment of a patient with transfusion‐associated GVHD with autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation
Authors: Hutchinson Kendra , Kopko Patricia M. , Muto Kathryn N. , Tuscano Joseph , O'Donnell Robert T. , Holland Paul V. , Richman Carol , Paglieroni Teresa G. , Wun Theodore
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Transfusion‐associated GVHD (TA‐GVHD) is an uncommon complication of blood transfusion. Diagnosis of TA‐GVHD is difficult, and it is usually rapidly fatal. There are few documented sur‐ vivors of TA‐GVHD.

CASE REPORT: A 61‐year‐old woman with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was treated with fludarabine followed by combination chemotherapy and high‐dose radioimmunotherapy and peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) rescue. She was transfused with nonirradiated blood components at an outside hospital and presented 10 days later with rash, elevated liver enzymes, and progressive pancytopenia. Skin biopsy was consistent with GVHD, and HLA typing of lymphocytes from the patient demonstrated mixed chimerism. The patient was treated with solumedrol and cyclosporin A, followed by high‐dose cyclophosphamide and antithymocyte globulin and autologous PBPC infusion. She had rapid engraftment, resolution of skin rash, and normalization of liver function abnormalities. She is in good health with normal blood counts and no evidence of CLL 34 months after transplantation.

CONCLUSION: TA‐GVHD occurs in the setting of an immunocompromised recipient receiving nonirradiated blood components. A typical presentation includes skin rash, liver function abnormalities, and pancytopenia. Demonstration of mixed chimerism by HLA typing facilitated diagnosis in this patient. High‐dose immunosuppression, facilitated by the availability of autologous PBPCs, resulted in a successful outcome.
Stability after thawing of RBCs frozen with the high‐ and low‐glycerol method
Authors: Lelkens Charles C.M. , Noorman Femke , Koning Jack G. , Lange Rosa Truijens‐de , Stekkinger Perry S. , Bakker Joa C. , Lagerberg Johan W.M. , Brand Anneke , Verhoeven Arthur J.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND : RBCs can be frozen with either the high‐glycerol method (HGM) or the low‐glycerol method (LGM). To date, the use of frozen RBCs is hampered by a 24‐hour outdating period after thawing. A closed washing system (ACP 215) may solve this problem.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS : We compared the effects of high‐ (40%) and low‐glycerol (19%) concentration, with and without freezing (at –80°C for HGM, –196°C for LGM) on the in vitro quality of RBCs after deglycerolization with the closed washing system and during storage at 4°C in SAGM after thawing.

RESULTS : Glycerol treatment by itself induced hemolysis during processing, which was more pronounced in HGM cells. The freeze‐thaw‐wash process decreased the stability of RBCs, particularly in LGM cells during storage after thawing. In contrast to LGM cells, in HGM cells no additional effect of freeze or thaw on stability of washed cells was seen during the first week of storage after thawing. Changes in osmotic resistance and cellular metabolism could not explain the observed differences in RBC stability.

CONCLUSION : The closed washing system is able to process both high‐ and low‐glycerol‐treated RBCs. Stability after washing during cold storage in SAGM, as measured by hemolysis, is better for HGM cells as compared to LGM cells.
Blood‐donor perceptions of health history screening with a computer‐assisted self‐administered interview
Authors: Sanchez Ana M. , Schreiber George B. , Glynn Simone A. , Bethel James , Kessler Debra , Chang David , Zuck Thomas F. ,   Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND : Computer‐assisted self‐interviewing (CASI) has been shown to promote disclosures of sensitive information. Using CASI to screen blood‐donor candidates might encourage reports of deferrable risks without discouraging eligible donors.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS : In 1998, an anonymous mail survey was sent to donors from eight blood centers. The relationship of donor demographics, donation history, and infectious risks (HIV test‐seeking behavior, unreported deferrable risk, or reactive donor‐screening test result) on attitudes toward CASI were assessed.

RESULTS : Of 92,581 blood donors surveyed, 52,650 (57%) responded; of these, 4713 (7%) had an infectious risk. Among donors with risks, 29 percent felt they would be encouraged to reveal personal data, and 7 percent reported they would be discouraged from donating by CASI. Young, minority, female, and first‐time donors were the most likely to report that CASI would encourage personal disclosures. Among donors without risks, 5 percent felt CASI would discourage them from donating.

CONCLUSIONS : Although most donors felt their donation practices would not be influenced, CASI might reduce the proportion of donors with infectious risks by fostering personal disclosures and self‐deferrals. The potential for CASI to improve donor screening and increase appropriate self‐deferrals should be balanced against the possible loss of reluctant safe donors.
Dialectical Itineraries
Authors: Fracchia Joseph
Published: March 2003

This essay is a kind of sequel to an earlier one entitled “Marx's Aufhebungof Philosophy and the Foundations of a Historical‐Materialist Science.” Departing from the point reached in that essay, I take a Whitmanesque journey through Marx's writings and the logic of a materialist conception of history. I begin with Walt Whitman's very materialist, very dialectical, and very decentered apostrophe in his Song of the Open Road: “You objects that call forth from diffusion my meanings / And give them shape.” Taking this apostrophe as my cue, I proceed to elaborate the complexity and the dimensions of dialectical thinking within a historical‐materialist framework. The specific purpose of the essay is twofold: to portray the “decentered” dialectical methodology that is a consequence of Marx's historical‐materialist redefinition of the subject‐object relation; and to map the kinds of analytical tasks, the open‐ended “itineraries,” that a historical‐materialist science of Wissenschaft must pursue. This “dialectical cartography” is developed through a critical, though I hope productive, response to poststructuralist critiques of dialectics, particularly to those approaches that exaggerate Saussure's notion of the arbitrariness of signs. In this respect my intention is to indicate how the current confrontational relation between historical materialism and poststructuralism, especially over matters of the production of meaning and the analysis of culture, might be transformed into one of complementarity.
Max Weber's “Grand Sociology”: The Origins and Composition of Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. Soziologie
Authors: Mommsen Wolfgang J.
Published: March 2003

Max Weber's magnum opus Economy and Society (Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. Soziologie) was for the most part published only after his premature death in June 1920. Only the chapters on basic sociological terms, the categories of social action, and the Three Types of Legitimate Domination were sent to the publishers by Weber himself; the other manuscripts were found in a pile on his desk. The editions by Marianne Weber and Melchior Palyi and by Johannes F. Winckelmann are in many ways unsatisfactory, and the controversy about the correct composition of Economy and Society persists. This article reconstructs the origins of the various texts of Economy and Society on the basis of the available source material, notably the correspondence between Weber, Marianne Weber, and the publishers. It shows that in many ways the editions available at present do not live up to Max Weber's own intentions. Both the arrangement and the precise wording of the texts are unreliable, and the time sequence of the texts written from 1909 to 1914 and then in part rewritten and reorganized in 1919–1920 is uncertain. A segment of an earlier draft of parts of the chapter on Communities (Gemeinschaften) found among Weber's papers allows the conclusion that as early as 1905–1906, Weber had outlined a universal historical scheme of all known civilizations. This is to say that Economy and Society is not as closely linked to Weber's work on the Outline of Social Economics (Grundriss der Sozialkonomic) as has been previously assumed. This article offers a precise reconstruction of the complicated history of Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. Soziologie—the exact title agreed upon by Weber and his publisher Paul Siebeck shortly before his death. It shows the development ofWeber's theoretical conceptions and the corresponding changes of his terminology much more clearly, and paves the way to a better understanding of his magnum opus.
Quo Vadis, Social Theory?
Authors: Fuller Steve
Published: March 2003

John R. Hall, Cultures of Inquiry: From Epistemology to Discourse in Sociohistorical Research
Explaining “Auschwitz” after the End of History: The Case of Italy
Authors: Bosworth R. J. B.
Published: March 2003

Everywhere the 1990s have been characterized by an odd mixture of ideological triumphalism—Fukuyama's “end of history” being only the crassest example—and of ideological uncertainty—can there be, should there be, a “third way”? For all its pretensions to universality, the “New World Order” has never lost a fragility in appearance. Students of historiography can scarcely be surprised to learn that an uneasiness over the present and future has in turn frequently entailed uncertainty about the past and particularly about those parts of the past which had seemed most able to give clear and significant “lessons.”

One evident example is the history of what in my Explaining Auschwitz and Hiroshima (1993) I called the “long” Second World War, that is, that crisis in confidence in the relationship between political and economic liberalism and the nation‐state which, by the end of 1938, had left only Britain, France, the Low Countries, and Scandinavia as in any sense preserving those “liberal” freedoms which had spread across Europe since 1789. In this article, I briefly review the most recent difficulties World War II combatant societies have had in locating a usable past in the history of those times. However, my major focus is on the specific case of Italy, very much a border state in the Cold War system, and today the political home of an “Olive Tree” and a “Liberty Pole” whose historical antecedents and whose philosophical base for the future are less than limpid. 1990s Italian historians thus give very mixed messages about the Fascist past; these are the messages I describe and decode.
The Quarrel Between Historians And Postmodernists
Authors: Anchor Robert
Published: March 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

Konstruktion der Vergangenheit: Eine Einführung in die Geschichts‐theorie By Chris Lorenz. Translated from Dutch by Annegret Böttner with Introduction by Jörn Rüsen
Faculty Choice of a Pension Plan: Defined Benefit versus Defined Contribution
Authors: Clark Robert L. , Pitts* M. Melinda
Published: March 2003

Worker preferences between defined‐benefit and defined‐contribution pension plans are estimated using a sample of faculty members at North Carolina State University. Newly hired faculty must decide between the state retirement plan (a final pay, defined‐benefit plan) and one of three defined‐contribution plans (TIAA/CREF, VALIC, Lincoln National). This analysis allows the authors to estimate the choice of a pension plan holding constant the place of employment. The study uses both university employment records and a faculty survey to examine the factors that determine the choice of a pension.
The Effectiveness of Health and Safety Committees: Results of a Survey of Public‐Sector Workplaces The Effectiveness of Health and Safety Committees
Authors: Eaton Adrienne E. , Nocerino Thomas
Published: March 2003

This study examines the effectiveness of occupational safety and health com‐mittees within the public sector of New Jersey. Survey data collected from work‐site representatives were matched with state‐collected reports of injury and illnesses. While there remain methodological problems with this approach, the results indicate that committee scope and training play a positive role in perceptions of committee effectiveness and that committees with more worker involvement are associated with fewer reported illnesses and injuries.
Works Councils and Unionization: Lessons from South Korea
Authors: Kleiner Morris M. , Lee Young‐Myon
Published: March 2003

This study analyzes the impact of effective works councils and unions in large South Korean firms. Following a brief review of economic theory on works councils and the institutional environment of Korean industrial relations, we describe the unique data set used to analyze Korean firm‐level labor relations and economic performance. The results of the multivariate analysis show that both effective works councils and unions enhance employee voice on several key personnel practices. In addition, the estimates show that unionization increases wages and reduces turnover, but effective works councils are associated with higher levels of employee satisfaction and somewhat higher productivity. These estimates are consistent with theoretical models that find that carefully designed works councils can enhance employee voice and may increase productivity.
Lost Ways of Organizing: Reviving the AFL's Direct Strategy
Authors: Cobble Dorothy Sue
Published: March 2003

From its founding in 1886 to the merger with the Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO) in 1955, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) chartered some twenty thousand directly affiliated local unions. This article reevaluates the Federation's role in organizing by detailing the ways in which the direct affiliate strategy allowed for a wide range of representational strategies and facilitated the organizing of marginal sectors of the workforce. Reviving the direct affiliate strategy today would enable the Federation to expand jurisdictional boundaries, redefine the criteria for union membership, initiate alternative representational approaches, and boost the resurgence of labor's economic and political power at the subnational level.
How Religious Groups Promote Forgiving: A National Study
Authors: Wuthnow Robert
Published: March 2003

A nationally representative survey was conducted of adult Americans who were currently involved in prayer groups, Bible studies, or other religiously oriented small groups. The purpose of the study was to determine if these respondents had engaged in forgiving behavior as a result of being in their group and, if so, to ascertain which group activities were most likely to facilitate this behavior. Of the 1,379 respondents, 61 percent said their group had helped them to forgive someone, 71 percent said they had experienced healings of relationships as a result of their group, and 43 percent said they had worked on improving a broken relationship in recent months. Group activities generating “social capital” or “cultural capital” were mostly unrelated to these responses, while activities involving “emotional capital” and “spiritual capital” showed strong positive relationships. Further analysis suggests that forgiving behavior is especially facilitated by groups that emphasize prayer, sharing, and learning about forgiveness. The study also suggests that forgiving behavior may have such consequences as encouraging prosocial involvement, helping to overcome addictions,and promoting emotional well‐being.
Organizational Revival From Within: Explaining Revivalismand Reform in the Roman Catholic Church
Authors: Finke Roger , Wittberg Patricia
Published: March 2003

The most enduring theoretical model for explaining the rise and fall of religious movements has been some form of the church‐sect theory. Yet this model offers little explanation for the continued vitality of the Roman Catholic Church. We argue that a key to this institutional success is the Church 's ability to retain sect‐like revival movements within its boundaries. We demonstrate that religious orders, like Protestant sects, stimulate organizational growth, develop innovations for adapting the church to a new culture or era, and provide institutional support for a high tension faith. Unlike Protestant sects, however, they do so within the institutional church. This source of internal reform and revival helps to explain the long term vitality of the Roman Catholic Church and its ability to operaate effectively as a religiou monopoly.
Canada's Mythical Religious Mosaic: Some CensusFindings
Authors: Bibby Reginald W.
Published: March 2003

Extensive world‐wide emigration to Canada has resulted in the widely‐held perception that this self‐declared, “multicultural”country is characterized by considerable religious diversity. National census data, however, suggest that such a religious mosaic is largely a myth. The proportion of Canadians who identify with Christianity remains high, while those who adhere to Other Faiths has risen only slightly over time. To the extent that religious intermarriage takes place—primarily with Catholics and Protestants—the tendency is for Other Faith women and men to raise their children in their partner' tradition. As a result of such assimilation patterns, Christianity continues to enjoy a significant numerical monopoly in Canada.The census further reveals that smaller new religions are also having difficulty making inroads. In short, Canada is characterized by an extremely tight “religious market” that continues to be dominated by Catholic and Protestant “companies.”
Catholics and the Christian Right: A View from Four States
Authors: Bendyna Mary , Green John C. , Rozell Mark J. , Wilcox Clyde
Published: March 2003

Christian Right Organizations in the 1990s have tried to avoid the pitfalls for the religious particularism that undermined the earlier efforts of such groups as Moral Majority to build long lasting political coalitions. For many Christian Right leaders, conservative Catholics appear to be a particularly appealing group to reach for membership recruitment and political coalition‐building. Yet such leading groups as the Christian Coalition have largely experienced disappointment with such efforts.

This essay presents data that offer reasons why conservative Catholics might be willing to form political coalitions with activists of the Christian Right but remain reluctant to join Christian Right organizations. The findings are based on a large survey of Republican party state convention delegates in four states. The data show that Catholic delegates hold very conservative issue positions in line with Christian Right organizations, and have positive feelings toward Christian Right leaders and organizations. Yet Catholic delegates hold somewhat distinctive positions among Republicans on certain issues, and therefore remain reluctant to join the Christian Coalition and other such groups.
Predicting Prejudice from Religious Fundamentalism and Right‐Wing Authoritarianism: A Multiple‐Regression Approach
Authors: Laythe Brian , Finkel Deborah , Kirkpatrick Lee A.
Published: March 2003

In a study designed to investigate the respective roles of religious fundamentalism and right‐wing authoritarianism as predictors of prejudice against racial minorities and homosexuals, participants (47 males, 91 females) responded to a series of questionnaire measures of these constructs. Data were analyzed using multiple regression. Consistent with previous research, authoritarianism was a significant and strong positive predictor of both forms of prejudice. With authoritarianism statistically controlled, however, fundamentalism emerged as a significant negative predictor of racial prejudice but a positive predictor of homosexual prejudice. In a second study, we conducted parallel multiple regressions using the correlations from two previously published studies. The Study 1 results were replicated exactly, except that fundamentalism was a nonsignificant predictor of homosexual prejudice. We interpret the results as evidence that Christian fundamentalism consists of a second major component other than authoritarianism—related to Christian belief content—that is inversely related to some forms of prejudice (including racial prejudice) but not others (e.g., homosexual prejudice).
Combating “Cults” and “Brainwashing” in the United States and Western Europe: A Comment on Richardson and Introvigne's Report
Authors: Robbins Thomas
Published: March 2003

The surge of harsh anti‐cultism in parts of Europe may be generally contextualized in terms of recent spectacular violence involving new movements as well as globalization, which transplants esoteric, aggressive movements to societies with antithetical values. The notion of “brainwashing” as an anti‐cult rationale was pioneered by American activists but is now more influential in continental Western Europe than in the United States due in part to the greater influence of secular humanism, the greater European tendency toward activist, paternalist government, the shock of the Solar Temple killings, American deference to religious “free exercise,” and problems of national unity and cultural assimilation in Europe that enhance distrust of what are perceived as alien spiritual imports. Nevertheless, the legal climate regarding religious movements may conceivably become less favorable in the United States. In general the “brainwashing” controversy has been characterized by pervasive confusions of fact and interpretation and of process and outcome.
Religious Coping Among the Religious: The Relationships Between Religious Coping and Well‐Being in a National Sample of Presbyterian Clergy, Elders, and Members
Authors: Pargament Kenneth I. , Tarakeshwar Nalini , Ellison Christopher G. , Wulff Keith M.
Published: March 2003

This study examined whether the relationships between religious coping and well‐being are moderated by the salience of religion to the individual's identity and social roles. As part of a national survey of Presbyterians, 1,260 clergy, 823 elders, and 735 members completed measures of demographic variables, global religiousness, life stressors, positive and negative religious coping, and well‐being (positive affect, depressive affect, religious satisfaction). Our predictions were largely confirmed. First, clergy reported higher levels of positive religious coping than elders, who, in turn, indicated more positive religious coping than members. Second, positive and negative religious coping were associated with higher and lower levels of well‐being respectively. Finally, positive and negative religious coping were more strongly related to well‐being for clergy than for members. Furthermore, the drawbacks of negative religious coping for the clergy were not offset completely by the benefits of positive religious coping. Longitudinal studies of the longer term implications of positive and negative religious coping are clearly warranted. The results also suggest the need for supportive and educational services to help clergy draw on their religious coping resources and come to terms with their spiritual struggles.
The Financial and Operating Performance of Newly Privatized Firms: Evidence from Developing Countries
Authors: Boubakri Narjess , Cosset Jean‐Claude
Published: March 2003

This paper examines the change in the financial and operating performance of 79 companies from 21 developing countries that experienced full or partial privatization during the period from 1980 to 1992. We use accounting performance measures adjusted for market effects in addition to unadjusted accounting performance measures. Both unadjusted and market‐adjusted results show significant increases in profitability, operating efficiency, capital investment spending, output, employment level, and dividends. We also find a decline in leverage following privatization but this change is significant only for unadjusted leverage ratios. Our results are generally robust when we partition our data into various subsamples.
Law, Finance, and Firm Growth
Authors: Demirgüç-Kunt Asli , Maksimovic Vojislav
Published: March 2003

We investigate how differences in legal and financial systems affect firms' use of external financing to fund growth. We show that in countries whose legal systems score high on an efficiency index, a greater proportion of firms use long‐term external financing. An active, though not necessarily large, stock market and a large banking sector are also associated with externally financed firm growth. The increased reliance on external financing occurs in part because established firms in countries with well‐functioning institutions have lower profit rates. Government subsidies to industry do not increase the proportion of firms relying on external financing.
The Relation Between Treasury Yields and Corporate Bond Yield Spreads
Authors: Duffee Gregory R.
Published: March 2003

Because the option to call a corporate bond should rise in value when bond yields fall, the relation between noncallable Treasury yields and spreads of corporate bond yields over Treasury yields should depend on the callability of the corporate bond. I confirm this hypothesis for investment‐grade corporate bonds. Although yield spreads on both callable and noncallable corporate bonds fall when Treasury yields rise, this relation is much stronger for callable bonds. This result has important implications for interpreting the behavior of yields on commonly used corporate bond indexes, which are composed primarily of callable bonds.
Local Return Factors and Turnover in Emerging Stock Markets
Authors: Rouwenhorst K. Geert
Published: March 2003

The factors that drive cross‐sectional differences in expected stock returns in emerging equity markets are qualitatively similar to those that have been documented for developed markets. Emerging market stocks exhibit momentum, small stocks outperform large stocks, and value stocks outperform growth stocks. There is no evidence that high beta stocks outperform low beta stocks. A Bayesian analysis of the return premiums shows that the combined evidence of developed and emerging markets strongly favors the hypothesis that similar return factors are present in markets around the world. Finally, there exists a strong cross‐sectional correlation between the return factors and share turnover.
Estimating Portfolio and Consumption Choice: A Conditional Euler Equations Approach
Authors: Brandt Michael W.
Published: March 2003

This paper develops a nonparametric approach to examine how portfolio and consumption choice depends on variables that forecast time‐varying investment opportunities. I estimate single‐period and multiperiod portfolio and consumption rules of an investor with constant relative risk aversion and a one‐month to 20‐year horizon. The investor allocates wealth to the NYSE index and a 30‐day Treasury bill. I find that the portfolio choice varies significantly with the dividend yield, default premium, term premium, and lagged excess return. Furthermore, the optimal decisions depend on the investor's horizon and rebalancing frequency.
Data‐Snooping, Technical Trading Rule Performance, and the Bootstrap
Authors: Sullivan Ryan , Timmermann Allan , White Halbert
Published: March 2003

In this paper we utilize White's Reality Check bootstrap methodology (White (1999)) to evaluate simple technical trading rules while quantifying the data‐snooping bias and fully adjusting for its effect in the context of the full universe from which the trading rules were drawn. Hence, for the first time, the paper presents a comprehensive test of performance across all technical trading rules examined. We consider the study of Brock, Lakonishok, and LeBaron (1992), expand their universe of 26 trading rules, apply the rules to 100 years of daily data on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and determine the effects of data‐snooping.
The Equity Performance of Firms Emerging from Bankruptcy
Authors: Eberhart Allan C. , Altman Edward I. , Aggarwal Reena
Published: March 2003

This study assesses the stock return performance of 131 firms emerging from Chapter 11. Using differing estimates of expected returns, we consistently find evidence of large, positive excess returns in 200 days of returns following emergence. We also examine the reaction of our sample firms' equity returns to their earnings announcements after emergence from Chapter 11. The positive and significant reactions suggest that our results are driven by the market's expectational errors, not mismeasurement of risk. The results provide an interesting contrast, but not a contradiction, to previous work that has documented poor operating performance for firms emerging from Chapter 11.
The Slope of the Credit Yield Curve for Speculative‐Grade Issuers
Authors: Helwege Jean , Turner Christopher M.
Published: March 2003

Many theoretical bond pricing models predict that the credit yield curve facing risky bond issuers is downward‐sloping. Previous empirical research (Sarig and Warga (1989), Fons (1994)) supports these models. Our study examines sets of bonds issued by the same firm with equal priority in the liability structure, but with different maturities, thus holding credit quality constant. We find, counter to prior research, that risky bonds typically have upward‐sloping credit yield curves. Moreover, when we combine our matched sets of bonds (no longer controlling credit quality), the estimated slope is negative, indicating a sample selection bias problem associated with maturity.