bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The complete set of H/ACA snoRNAs that guide rRNA pseudouridylations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: TORCHET CLAIRE , BADIS GWENAËL , DEVAUX FRÉDÉRIC , COSTANZO GINNY , WERNER MICHEL , JACQUIER ALAIN
Published: May 2005

Conversion of uridines into pseudouridines (Ψs) is the most frequent base modification in ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs). In eukaryotes, the pseudouridylation sites are specified by base-pairing with specific target sequences within H/ACA small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs). The yeast rRNAs harbor 44 Ψs, but, when this work began, 15 Ψs had completely unknown guide snoRNAs. This suggested that many snoRNAs remained to be discovered. To address this problem and further complete the snoRNA assignment to Ψ sites, we identified the complete set of RNAs associated with the H/ACA snoRNP specific proteins Gar1p and Nhp2p by coupling TAP-tag purifications with genomic DNA microarrays experiments. Surprisingly, while we identified all the previously known H/ACA snoRNAs, we selected only three new snoRNAs. This suggested that most of the missing Ψ guides were present in previously known snoRNAs but had been overlooked. We confirmed this hypothesis by systematically investigating the role of previously known, as well as of the newly identified snoRNAs, in specifying rRNA Ψ sites and found all but one missing guide RNAs. During the completion of this work, another study, based on bioinformatic predictions, also reported the identification of most missing guide RNAs. Altogether, all Ψ guides are now identified and we can tell that, in budding yeast, the 44 Ψs are guided by 28 snoRNAs. Finally, aside from snR30, an atypical small RNA of heterogeneous length and at least one mRNA, all Gar1p and Nhp2p associated RNAs characterized by our work turned out to be snoRNAs involved in rRNA Ψ specification.
Aminoacylation and conformational properties of yeast mitochondrial tRNA mutants with respiratory deficiency
Authors: FRANCISCI SILVIA , DE LUCA CRISTINA , OLIVA ROMINA , MOREA VERONICA , TRAMONTANO ANNA , FRONTALI LAURA
Published: May 2005

We report the identification and characterization of eight yeast mitochondrial tRNA mutants, located in mitochondrial tRNAGln, tRNAArg2, tRNAIle, tRNAHis, and tRNACys, the respiratory phenotypes of which exhibit various degrees of deficiency. The mutations consist in single-base substitutions, insertions, or deletions, and are distributed all over the tRNA sequence and structure. To identify the features responsible for the defective phenotypes, we analyzed the effect of the different mutations on the electrophoretic mobility and efficiency of acylation of the mutated tRNAs in comparison with the respective wild-type molecules. Five of the studied mutations determine both conformational changes and defective acylation, while two have neither or limited effect. However, variations in structure and acylation are not necessarily correlated; the remaining mutation affects the tRNA conformation, but not its acylation properties. Analysis of tRNA structures and of mitochondrial and cytoplasmic yeast tRNA sequences allowed us to propose explanations for the observed defects, which can be ascribed to either the loss of identity nucleotides or, more often, of specific secondary and/or tertiary interactions that are largely conserved in native mitochondrial and cytoplasmic tRNAs.
Parental Distress: The Initial Phase of Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant Fitting
Authors: Burger Thorsten , Spahn Claudia , Richter Bernhard , Eissele Susanne , LÃ¶hle Erwin , Bengel JÃ¼rgen
Published: May 2005

The results of previous cross-section studies suggest that childhood hearing impairment may lead to parental psychosocial stress. The present study investigated whether modifications in parental psychic state can be ascertained in connection with the child's treatment events and the child's hearing and speech status, in a prospective study design. Data were available on 116 fathers and mothers regarding the preâcochlear implant examination or hearing aid fitting of their child. In the course of the child's treatment, parental quality of life improved from a low to a normal level. Among children who were at the stage of pre-examination for a cochlear implant, better hearing and speech capacity was linked to more severe impairment of the parental state. It is emphasized that the parents whose children showed comparatively good language development at the time of pre-examination for a cochlear implant were especially subjected to stress.
Professional Concerns of Beginning Teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
Authors: Guteng Simon I
Published: May 2005

The professional concerns of beginning teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing were examined. Five first-year teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students served as participants. Two of the participants were itinerant teachers; three taught in self-contained classrooms. Participants were selected from programs serving deaf and hard of hearing students in rural and urban areas of the midwestern and southwestern United States. To interview the study participants, the researcher used an in-depth phenomenological method employing semistructured questions and guided by a constructivist paradigm. Data were analyzed using qualitative analysis strategies (Bogdan & Biklen, 1992; Miles & Huberman, 1994). Results showed that concerns of beginning teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students are specific to service delivery models and geography. Participants provided specific recommendations for addressing the concerns of beginning teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students.
Issues and Trends in Science Education: The Shortage of Qualified Science Teachers
Authors: Mangrubang Fred R
Published: May 2005

Science teachers are leaving their profession. They feel overwhelmed by the expectations and scope of the job and isolated and unsupported in their classrooms. They also feel that expectations are unclear. The statistics on turnover among new teachers are startling. School administrators, science teacher leaders, and teacher education programs can do much more to promote better preparation of science teachers and to recruit new teachers into science teaching. In particular, the author focuses on relevant research and on recommendations for educational researchers and policymakers interested in improving and retaining qualified science teachers in classrooms.
Cross-Cultural Instrument Translation: Assessment, Translation, and Statistical Applications
Authors: Mason Teresa Crowe
Published: May 2005

This article has four major sections: (a) general issues of assessment; (b) assessment of ethnic-group members, including those who are deaf; (c) translation of assessment tools, emphasizing translation into American Sign Language (ASL); and (d) statistical applications for translated instruments. The purpose of the article is to provide insight into and guidelines for translating instruments into another language and using the results for practice or research purposes. The use of translated instruments with deaf individuals is highlighted. A protocol for translating a scale into ASL is offered. Statistical applications for examining internal consistency and component structure are discussed. Finally, implications for practice and research are addressed.
Deaf College Students' Attitudes Toward Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Campus Climate, and Role Models
Authors: Parasnis Ila , Samar Vincent J , Fischer Susan D
Published: May 2005

EAF college students' attitudes toward a variety of issues related to racial/ethnic diversity were surveyed by contacting all racial/ethnic minority deaf students and a random sample of Caucasian deaf students attending the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), Rochester Institute of Technology; 38% completed the survey. Although racial/ethnic groups similarly perceived NTID's commitment and efforts related to diversity, they differed significantly on some items related to campus climate and role models. Furthermore, the racial/ethnic minority groups differed from each other in their perceptions of campus comfort level, racial conflict, friendship patterns, and availability of role models. Educational satisfaction was positively correlated with campus comfort level; both correlated negatively with perception of discrimination and racial conflict. Qualitative data analyses supported quantitative data analyses and provided rich detail that facilitated interpretation of deaf students' experiences related to racial/ethnic diversity.
Sports and the Deaf Child
Authors: Stewart David Alan , Ellis M. Kathleen
Published: May 2005

he increasingly sedentary American lifestyle has resulted in a growing number of overweight and out-of-shape school-age children. Deaf children are not exempt from this trend, yet there is little evidence that public school programs for these children are doing anything to counter it. Much can be done to assist deaf students, not only in becoming more active movers but in gaining knowledge of opportunities and benefits associated with Deaf sport. The authors provide an argument for schools that expose deaf children to the role of sports in the Deaf community and for designing programs that will enable these children to become active participants in Deaf sport activities as athletes and organizers, or, later in life, when they no longer have the inclination or ability to compete, as spectators, with all the socialization benefits that form of involvement provides.
Mental Health Problems of Dutch Youth With Hearing Loss as Shown on the Youth Self Report
Authors: Eldik Theo van
Published: May 2005

The prevalence of mental health problems among youth with hearing loss was assessed with an adjusted version of the Dutch rendition of the Youth Self Report, or YSR (Achenbach, 1991). The sample totaled 202 youth, aged 11–18 years, with auditory disabilities. The prevalence rates of externalizing problems, internalizing problems, and moderate to severe overall mental health problems were found to be 2–3 times higher than in a normative sample. Deaf participants scored significantly higher than hard of hearing participants in these areas. Mainstreamed participants scored significantly lower than peers in schools for the deaf or for the hard of hearing. Participants with low IQ scores showed significantly more internalizing and social problems than those with moderate to high scores. The adjusted YSR is recommended for screening in schools and in mental health services for youth with hearing loss for prevention and early intervention.
Negotiating the Freshman Year: Challenges and Strategies Among First-Year College Students
Authors: Clark Marcia Roe
Published: May 2005

This study explores the concept of strategies as a means for understanding how students negotiate the transition to college. Based upon a qualitative study of eight first-year students at an urban, commuter, public four-year college, it explores how students experienced challenges, perceived influences, and devised strategies during the freshman year. Findings revealed that challenges and influences ranged from negative to positive, and occurred both inside and outside the institution. Implications for first-year seminars and further research are discussed.
The Role of Motivation, Parental Support, and Peer Support in the Academic Success of Ethnic Minority First-Generation College Students
Authors: Dennis Jessica M. , Phinney Jean S. , Chuateco Lizette Ivy
Published: May 2005

Abstract: The role of personal motivational characteristics and environmental social supports in college outcomes was examined in a longitudinal study of 100 ethnic minority first-generation college students. Personal/career-related motivation to attend college in the fall was a positive predictor and lack of peer support was a negative predictor of college adjustment the following spring. Lack of peer support also predicted lower spring GPA.
The Impact of White Heterosexual Students' Interactions on Attitudes Toward Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Liang Christopher T. H , Alimo Craig
Published: May 2005

Based on the Contact Hypothesis (Allport, 1979) a model for understanding the development of attitudes toward LGB relationships among White heterosexual undergraduate students was proposed. Using 401 White heterosexual students (70% women) attending a large public mid-Atlantic university this model was tested. More specifically, the effects of gender, pre-college variables (attitudes and interpersonal contact), and college contact with LGB individuals on attitudes toward LGB relationships after two years of college were tested using a series of regression analyses. The proposed model was supported by statistical analyses. Suggestions for facilitating the development of more positive attitudes among students are made.
Counseling Needs of Students Who Seek Help at a University Counseling Center: A Closer Look at Gender and Multicultural Issues
Authors: Lucas Margaretha S , Berkel LaVerne A
Published: May 2005

We investigated psychological distress and vocational problems presented by university students seeking help at a university counseling center (N = 597, 68% female, 12% African American, 9% Asian American, 58% White). All students reported distress in several areas, but African American students in particular perceived barriers when pursuing their vocational goals and Asian American students were unclear about their vocational identity. Especially for White students vocational difficulties correlated with psychological distress, and for women in particular anxiety and depression symptoms and perceived vocational barriers related to how well they functioned in school and in relationships.
Social Justice Advocacy among Graduate Students in Counseling: An Initial Exploration
Authors: Nilsson Johanna E , Schmidt Christa K
Published: May 2005

This study examined variables that were hypothesized to contribute to social justice advocacy among 134 graduate students enrolled in counseling programs, including problem solving skills, worldview, social concern, and political interest. Of these variables, the desire to become involved in social justice advocacy and political interest predicted actual engagement in social justice advocacy. The results also showed that many of the participants presented with low levels of social justice advocacy. Implications for training and research are included.
Exploring the Relationship Between Racial Identity and Religious Orientation Among African American College Students
Authors: Sanchez Delida , Carter Robert T.
Published: May 2005

This study examined the relationships between racial identity attitudes and religious orientation among African American college students. The participants were 270 African American college students from 2- and 4–year colleges in the Northeast. Multiple regression analyses were conducted and the results indicated that racial identity attitudes were predictive of religious orientation. Gender also significantly impacted the relationships between these variables.
Famine, social disruption, and involuntary fetal loss: Evidence from chinese survey data
Authors: Cai Yong , Feng Wang
Published: May 2005

Relying on half a million pregnancy histories collected from Chinese women in the late 1980s, we studied nearly a quarter century of self-reported miscarriages and stillbirths in China. Our results suggest that these two forms of involuntary fetal loss are affected not only by biological and demographic factors, such as the mother’s age, pregnancy order, and pregnancy history, but also by the mother’s social characteristics and the larger social environment. In this article, we focus on how two social and economic crises—the Great Leap Forward famine and the Cultural Revolution— resulted in elevated risks of miscarriage and stillbirth in the Chinese population.
Sex differences in morbidity and mortality
Authors: Case Anne , Paxson Christina
Published: May 2005

Women have worse self-rated health and more hospitalization episodes than men from early adolescence to late middle age, but are less likely to die at each age. We use 14 years ofdata from the u.s. National Health Interview Survey to examine this paradox. Our results indicate that the difference in self-assessed health between women and men can be entirely explained by differences in the distribution ofthe chronic conditions they face. This is not true, however, for hospital episodes and mortality. Men with several smoking-related conditions-including cardiovascular disease and certain lung disorders-are more likely to experience hospital episodes and to die than women who suffer from the same chronic conditions, implying that men may experience more-severe forms of these conditions. While some of the difference in mortality can be explained by differences in the distribution of chronic conditions, an equally large share can be attributed to the larger adverse effects of these conditions on male mortality. The greater effects ofsmoking-related conditions on men’s health may be due to their higher rates ofsmoking throughout their lives.
Three dimensions of the survival curve: horizontalization, verticalization, and longevity extension
Authors: Cheung Siu Lan Karen , Robine Jean-Marie , Tu Edward Jow-Ching , Caselli Graziella
Published: May 2005

Three dimensions of the survival curve have been developed: (1) “horizontalization,” which corresponds to how long a cohort and how many survivors can live before aging-related deaths significantly decrease the proportion of survivors; (2) “verticalization,” which corresponds to how concentrated aging-related (“normal”) deaths are around the modal age at death (M); and (3) “longevity extension,” which corresponds to how far the highest normal life durations can exceed M. Our study shows that the degree of horizontalization increased relatively less than the degree of verticalization in Hong Kong from 1976 to 2001. After age normalization, the highest normal life durations moved closer to M, implying that the increase in human longevity is meeting some resistance.
By what measure? family time devoted to children in the united states
Authors: Folbre Nancy , Yoon Jayoung , Finnoff Kade , Fuligni Allison Sidle
Published: May 2005

We argue that previous research on time devoted to child care has paid insufficient attention to the conceptualization of care time. Three separate problems are evident. First, the conventional focus on explicit activities with children distracts attention from the larger responsibilities of “passive” care, which ranges from time when children are sleeping to time when they are in the same general area but are not engaged in an activity with parents. Second, the empirical analysis of activity time focuses almost exclusively on parents, overlooking the role of relatives such as grandmothers and siblings. Third, the measurement of active care time often ignores the impact of overlaps among both care providers and recipients. Our analysis of the Child Development Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics sheds light on these three problems and presents new measures of passive and active care time.
Market transition, educational disparities, and family strategies in rural china: New evidence on gender stratification and development
Authors: Hannum Emily
Published: May 2005

Two theoretical perspectives have dominated debates about the impact of development on gender stratification: modernization theory, which argues that gender inequalities decline with economic growth, and the “women in development” perspective, which argues that development may initially widen gender gaps. Analyzing cross-sectional surveys and time-series data from China, this article indicates the relevance of both perspectives: while girls’ educational opportunities were clearly more responsive than boys’ to better household economic circumstances, the era of market transition in the late 1970s and early 1980s failed to accelerate and, in fact, may have temporarily slowed progress toward gender equity.
Ethnic intermarriage in times of social change: The case of latvia
Authors: Monden Christiaan W. S. , Smits Jeroen
Published: May 2005

We gain insight into the dynamics of ethnic intermarriage in times of social change by studying marriages between Latvians and Russians (including Belarussians and Ukrainians) that occurred in Latvia before and after independence from the Soviet Union. Before independence, ethnic intermarriage was already rather common, involving about 17% of the marriages annually. Since independence, intermarriage between Russians and Latvians has increased substantially. Part of this increase can be explained by selective emigration, but at least half of it may be due to integrative processes. Although there were more marriages between Russian men and Latvian women before independence, the gender pattern reversed after independence. Intermarriage levels were the highest among the less educated, children of mixed couples, partners with similar educational levels, and people in the countryside.
Migration and relationship power among mexican women
Authors: Parrado Emilio A. , Flippen Chenoa A. , McQuiston Chris
Published: May 2005

Our study drew on original data collected in Durham, NC, and four sending communities in Mexico to examine differences in women’s relationship power that are associated with migration and residence in the United States. We analyzed the personal, relationship, and social resources that condition the association between migration and women’s power and the usefulness of the Relationship Control Scale (RCS) for capturing these effects. We found support for perspectives that emphasize that migration may simultaneously mitigate and reinforce gender inequities. Relative to their nonmigrant peers, Mexican women in the United States average higher emotional consonance with their partners, but lower relationship control and sexual negotiation power. Methodologically, we found that the RCS is internally valid and useful for measuring the impact of resources on women’s power. However, the scale appears to combine diverse dimensions of relationship power that were differentially related to migration in our study.
Changes in children’s time with parents: A correction
Authors: Sandberg John F. , Hofferth Sandra L.
Published: May 2005

This article provides corrected estimates of the weekly time that 3- to 12-year-old children spent either directly engaged with their parents or with their parents accessible to them in 1997, replicating the figures presented in the original 2001 Demography article. The data come from the 1997 Child Development Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The results show a considerably greater increase in children’s total time in 1997 with mothers, fathers, or either parent than was shown in the original article. Some alternative estimates, likely reasons for the larger change, and the implications are discussed.
The age pattern of first-birth rates among U.S. women: The bimodal 1990s
Authors: Sullivan Rachel
Published: May 2005

Between 1990 and 2002, the age pattern of Type I first-birth rates (i.e., the hazard of a first birth) among U.S. women was bimodal. This pattern, driven by changing differential fertility patterns among racial and ethnic groups, reached its apex at the mid-1990s and had almost vanished by the decade’s end. Research on first-birth timing has tended to focus on Type II first-birth rates and therefore has failed to identify this larger, bimodal pattern. This article presents the benefits of using Type I rates, documents the emergence of the bimodal pattern via two new measures of bimodality, and uses a decomposition analysis to discuss the pattern’s causes.
Race, gender, and marriage: destination selection during the great migration
Authors: Curtis White Katherine J. , Crowder Kyle , Tolnay Stewart E. , Adelman Robert M.
Published: May 2005

Using historical census microdata, we present a unique analysis of racial and gender disparities in destination selection and an exploration ofhypotheses regarding tied migration in the historical context ofthe Great Migration. Black migrants were more likely to move to metropolitan areas and central cities throughout the period, while white migrants were more likely to locate in nonmetropolitan and farm destinations. Gender differences were largely dependent on marital status. Consistent with the "tied-migration" thesis, married women had destination outcomes that were similar to those of men, whereas single women had a greater propensity to reside in metropolitan locations where economic opportunities for women were more plentiful.
Unmoored from "the Shore of the Real": Henry James, Roderick Hudson, and the Advent of the Modern in Nineteenth-Century Painting
Authors: Bartel Kim
Published: May 2005

This essay reads Roderick Hudson, together with some of James's art reviews from the 1870s, to show how James came to distinguish his own form of art from competing trends in realism and aestheticism. Setting himself apart from the objectivist, photographic orientation of American realism, as well as from related, anti-humanist trends in European aestheticism, James insisted on a subdued, exploratory engagement between the spectator and the art object, loosely modeled on a relation between friends. Though this dialogical model had some drawbacks, it also contained a prescient critique of nineteenth-century anti-humanism, the aesthetics of shock, and an emergent line of modernism that has continued to shape views on art and culture in our time.
Narcissism and the Conditions of Self-knowledge in James's "The Jolly Corner"
Authors: Claggett Shalyn
Published: May 2005

This psychoanalytic reading examines Henry James's short story, "The Jolly Corner," through theories of narcissism advanced by Freud and Lacan. Paralleling the protagonist, Spencer Brydon, with Ovid's Narcissus, this reading claims that James's tale is a rewriting of the Narcissus myth. While Narcissus comprehends his own image and dies, Brydon denies the identity of this spectral alter-ego and survives. Brydon's traumatic encounter with his alter-ego dramatizes the subject's narcissistic investment in a single, unified identity as a condition for survival. Similarly, James advances the idea that this text's continuing signification is contingent on not believing that the story has a determinate meaning.
"Horrible Impossible": Henry James's Awkward Stage
Authors: Kurnick David
Published: May 2005

This article reads the formal peculiarity of The Awkward Age (written almost entirely in dialogue) as a document of James's ambivalence about the psychological novel of which he was shortly to become the acknowledged master. Approximating the form and texture of an impossible or unperformed play, The Awkward Age explores the depsychologizing possibilities of drama and shows James resisting precisely the interiorizing narrative techniques he bequeathed to the twentieth-century novel. In the process, the paper argues, James also hypothesized a community of erotic dissidence and evaded the preoccupation with sexual secrecy that dominates his later career.
"Wasn't all history full of the destruction of precious things?": Missing Mothers, Feminized Fathers, and the Purchase of Freedom in Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady
Authors: Sanner Kristin
Published: May 2005

This essay explores the way that James's experience with the Civil War led him to challenge popular assumptions regarding gender roles, familial structures, and the guiding principles of democracy in his novel. By analyzing his complicated military metaphors and characters that redefine and disrupt popular notions of maternity and paternity, the essay uncovers a critical commentary on the link between democratic principles and capitalistic motivation.
Amerigo's Miraculous Metamorphosis: or, the Logic of Ethnic Caricature in The Golden Bowl
Authors: Wonham Henry B.
Published: May 2005

The leading American comic papers and illustrated literary magazines of James's era tended to represent ethnicity as an unresolvable paradox: the ethnic identity of the Irishman, the Jew, the Indian, or the African-American was easily conveyed by an exaggerated physical stigma, a permanent mark that denoted a set of culturally agreed upon social pathologies, such as intemperance, avarice, savagery, or laziness. Yet the very form of ethnic caricature—its exaggerated emphasis on the subject's purported deviation from physical and social norms—made such markers ridiculous and thus inherently unstable, such that ethnic identities were often represented as arbitrarily interchangeable. In this essay I argue that James's engagement with the discourse of American ethnic caricature runs far deeper than his dismissive comments about "the slangy illustrated magazines" might lead us to believe. In fact, James's representation of ethnicity in The Golden Bowl and elsewhere is surprisingly in tune with the popular discourse of ethnic caricature in the "coon era."
Women's Rights, International Norms, and Domestic Violence: Asian Perspectives
Authors: Amirthalingam Kumaralingam
Published: May 2005

This article examines domestic violence laws in two Asian jurisdictions and highlights the importance of using a gender analysis to create an alternative narrative of, and different solutions to, the problem. The paper reviews some of the theoretical analyses of domestic violence and draws on international human rights discourse to supplement domestic developments. The tension between cultural norms and international norms is considered and it is suggested that certain universal norms need to be championed—in this case the right of women to be free from domestic violence.
Power, Capture, and Conflict: A Call for Human Rights Accountability in Development Cooperation
Authors: Darrow Mac , Tomas Amparo
Published: May 2005

Ushered in during the 1990s in response to development failures of the structural adjustment era, human rights-based approaches to development have proliferated in recent years. Nonetheless, the rhetoric has so far not been matched by conceptual rigor, systematization of practice, or lessons-learning—shortcomings that may undermine continuing support for such approaches. This Article seeks to contribute conceptual clarity to the frequently muddy waters of rights-based approaches, addressing in particular the conceptual and practical relevance of the international human rights normative framework to development cooperation within the UN system. The analysis focuses upon particular niches in which a normatively rigorous model for rights-based programming seems uniquely adapted, that is to say, in addressing asymmetries of power, the phenomenon known as "elite capture," and the transformation of violent conflict. The Article concludes with a reminder of the challenges and prerequisites for the wider implementation of rights-based approaches, and of the urgency of the need for a strengthened conceptual framework for empowerment and accountability.
Victims on Transitional Justice: Lessons from the Reparation of Human Rights Abuses in the Czech Republic
Authors: David Roman , Choi Susanne Y. P
Published: May 2005

This article examines major theoretical dilemmas underpinning measures of transitional justice in general and the reparation of victims of human rights violations in particular. It assesses the role of financial compensation, justice, truth-telling, forgiveness, democratization, and other factors that are assumed to heal victims of political violence. In order to test their influence, we conducted a survey of former political prisoners in the Czech Republic. Findings from our regression analyses reveal that reparation is a two-dimensional process that incorporates sociopolitical redress and inner healing. These dimensions correlate positively with financial compensation and democratization; and negatively with public truth telling, the lack of reconciliation, and continued stigmatization by neighbors. At the same time, most proxies of retributive desires are not significantly related to the outcomes of reparation. These associations are interpreted in the light of narrative accounts obtained through interviews, letters, and observations. The results indicate that individual reparation, if it is to be successful, must be an organic part of a broader policy of social reconstruction. Based on our findings, we propose a victim-oriented model of social reconstruction for transitional countries.
La Muchacha Respondona : Reflections on the Razor's Edge Between Crime and Human Rights
Authors: Godoy Angelina Snodgrass
Published: May 2005

The distinction between "political" and "common" crime has long been an unremarked-upon assumption undergirding human rights work. Yet in recent decades these boundaries have become blurred in many parts of the world, making it sometimes impossible to separate the two. This article explores the shifting categories of violence in the specific context of postwar Guatemala, arguing that the familiar distinction between "common" and "political" crime has always been based on an abstraction—an abstraction that has become increasingly tendentious in recent years. This is problematic, not only because it fails to stand up to empirical scrutiny, but because it has important political consequences that affect the success of broader human rights initiatives.
Recognizing Minority Identities Through Collective Rights
Authors: Jovanovic Miodrag A
Published: May 2005

This article argues that the widely justified and internationally promoted model of minority protection can only operate effectively by transcending the still dominant framework of individual rights and incorporating the concept of collective rights. In defending that position, this article will elucidate the main legal theoretical dilemmas of the concept of collective rights. Sustaining a coherent concept of collective rights requires recognition of the intrinsic, non-instrumental value of certain collective entities and of the fact that not all groupings are entitled to be moral and legal rights bearers. Legal criteria for defining collective rights can also be established, by distinguishing this notion from affirmative action measures, jointly exercised individual rights, and somewhat universal general legal norms. Furthermore, the lack of homogeneity within minority culture, religion, language, etc., could be legally overcome if bodies representing the interests of minorities are founded on the principles of voluntariness, electoral accountability, proportionality, and democracy. Ultimately, although this approach creates the possibility of conflicts between collective and individual rights, it can provide legal techniques for balancing the interests of individuals, respective collectives, and the state.
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Truth, Lies, Ritual: Preliminary Reflections on the Truth and Reconciliation Commmission in Sierra Leone
Authors: Kelsall Tim
Published: May 2005

This article uses an ethnographic description of a provincial public hearing in Sierra Leone to explore the paradoxical fact that in truth commissions, the truth is seldom told. It argues that the truth was not told for a variety of reasons, some of which are related to the special circumstances of the District, some to the problematic relationship of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission with the Special Court, some to organizational infirmities of the TRC itself, and some to the fact that public truth-telling lacks deep roots in the local cultures of Sierra Leone. By contrast, a staged ceremony of repentance and forgiveness on the final day struck resonant chords with the participants and succeeded in forging a reconciliatory moment. The implication, argues the article, is that in certain circumstances ritual may be more important to reconciliation than truth.
A Second Look at the South African Human Rights Commission, Access to Information, and the Promotion of Socioeconomic Rights
Authors: Klaaren Jonathan
Published: May 2005

This article takes a "second look" at the place of the South African Human Rights Commission and its role in the promotion of socioeconomic rights through monitoring. It argues that a "first look" at understanding drew heavily on international concepts of monitoring, including those of violations and progressive realization. These concepts have proven to be of limited usefulness in a national context where the justiciability of socioeconomic rights has been achieved. This "second look" proposes an alternative model of national monitoring of socioeconomic rights, based on greater participation, transparency, and a constitutional right of access to information.
Islamic Law and Gender Equality: Could There be a Common Ground?: A Study of Divorce and Polygamy in Sharia Law and Contemporary Legislation in Tunisia and Egypt
Authors: Mashhour Amira
Published: May 2005

This paper seeks to address whether or not there could be a common ground between applying Islamic Sharia law and gender equality through an examination of the textual Sharia rulings regarding polygamy and divorce, a comparison of this theoretical framework with the applied laws in Egypt and Tunisia, and, finally, an attempt to show the relationship between the divine texts, jurisprudence, and the role of Ijtihad in responding to social change. The paper argues that the deterioration of women's rights in many Islamic countries has nothing to do with their Islamic nature but rather with their patriarchal nature. Islam introduced a number of revolutionary rights to women at the time of revelation; therefore, the spirit of the Quran points towards ultimate equality between the sexes in a gradual process, similar to the case of slavery. As the Quran puts great emphasis on the right to seek justice and the duty to do justice, and because the first aim of Sharia is to maintain justice and defend public welfare, all means to achieve justice and public welfare are Islamic in nature. The dynamic nature of Islamic teachings, the evolving character of Sharia, the spirit of Islam towards women's rights, the principles of justice and public welfare, and the essentiality of feminist Ijtihad leave no room for doubt that a common ground could be found between Islamic law and gender equality.
The Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Development Process
Authors: Quane Helen
Published: May 2005

The need for a human rights dimension to the development process is recognized by a growing number of states and international organizations. The tendency so far has been to focus on rights in a general sense, although there is some recognition of the need to consider the rights of indigenous peoples in a development context. The integration of these rights into development programs can encounter difficulties partly because of the uncertainty surrounding the scope of some of the more important rights claimed by indigenous peoples. The article examines the scope of these rights under international law and explores some of their potential implications for the development process. It argues that while some of these human rights claims are not yet recognized under international law, the position is continually evolving. It also argues that the increasing recognition of several rights, especially the right to effective participation, may help to address the sense of marginalization traditionally experienced by indigenous peoples from the development process.
Civic Nationalism and Ethnocultural Justice in Turkey
Authors: Smith Thomas W.
Published: May 2005

Are civic states culturally neutral? The Turkish model of civic nationalism is often praised as a success, albeit an authoritarian one, in creating a unitary national culture. In fact, Turkey's national identity has come at a steep cultural cost. Civic institutions have homogenized and folklorized minority cultures. Ethnoreligious conceptions of Turkish identity have underpinned immigration and naturalization, internal movement and resettlement, education, language, and cultural policies. Turkish nationalism has weighed heaviest on Kurds, Islamists, religious minorities, and the left. A state-run "Turkish Reformation" of Islam failed in the 1930s; more recent attempts to nationalize Islam have turned the state into a mouthpiece for mainstream Sunni doctrine. The Turkish case suggests that in states with deep societal divisions, the dream of civic nationalism may be a coerced one.
The Company's Chinese Pirates: How the Dutch East India Company Tried to Lead a Coalition of Pirates to War against China, 1621-1662
Authors: Andrade Tonio
Published: May 2005

When the Dutch arrived in East Asia in the early seventeenth century, they had trouble persuading Chinese officials to grant them trade privileges. Yet these same officials gave official titles to Chinese pirates as part of a "summon and appease" (zhaofu) policy in the hope that the pirates would abandon crime for more civilized pursuits. After a decade of frustrations, the Dutch decided to take a page from the pirates' playbook and tried to unite the pirates to attack China. The pirate war against China did not go well for the Dutch, who failed to unite the pirates under their leadership. Nonetheless, they did eventually reach a modus vivendi with Chinese officials and began trading regularly with China. Yet after the collapse of the Ming Empire in 1644, the Dutch increasingly suffered competition from an ex-pirate organization: the powerful Zheng family. Its leader, Zheng Chenggong, created a loyalist state with maritime pretensions. So long as the company was competing against private Chinese seamen who lacked state support, it was able to hold its own. But once these seamen were united in the framework of a maritime Chinese state, the company could not prevail.
Beyond Moscow-Centric Interpretation: An Examination of the China Connection in Eastern Europe and North Vietnam during the Era of De-Stalinization
Authors: Cheng Yinghong
Published: May 2005

The de-Stalinization process and the subsequent liberalization in the mid-1950s was a phenomenon of global communism. While acknowledging that Moscow was the most important source of this political change, this article challenges the Moscow-centric interpretation of de-Stalinization, which often ignores or underestimates sources of political change other than those initiated in Moscow. It examines China's role in the liberalization process in Eastern Europe and North Vietnam by revealing direct Chinese influence in these lands and by discussing parallels between these countries and China. The Eastern European and Vietnamese cases indicate that the China connection played an important role independent from Moscow in de-Stalinization. The article also suggests an Asian pattern of de-Stalinization represented by Chinese and Vietnamese intellectuals' dissent, as opposed to mass protest and even revolt represented by the Polish-Hungarian incident.
International Law and State Transformation in China, Siam, and the Ottoman Empire during the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Horowitz Richard S
Published: May 2005

With the expansion of European political power in the nineteenth century, international law became a global phenomenon. Britain and other European states insisted that their Asian counterparts accept international legal practices. Through systems of unequal treaties, international law became an important element in the semicolonial systems established in Qing China, the Ottoman Empire, and Siam, and it shaped the transformation of each of these states. Faced with intense pressure to uphold treaty agreements, Ottoman, Qing, and Siamese leaders initiated similar reforms to legal and administrative institutions. Furthermore, each adapted in different ways to the territorial construction of sovereignty enshrined in international law, and to related assumptions about national identity, as they sought to fit the European nation-state model.
Cobalt Speciation Study in the Cobalt—Cysteine System by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Anion-Exchange Chromatography Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry
Authors: Bresson Carole , Colin Christèle , Chartier Frédéric , Moulin Christophe
Published: May 2005

This paper describes the ability of the combination of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and anion-exchange chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (AEC-ICP-AES) for cobalt speciation study in the binary cobalt–cysteine system. ESI-MS, allowing the identification and the characterization of the analytes, is used as a technique complementary to AEC-ICP-AES, providing elemental information on the separated species. The methods have been developed through the study of samples containing Co2+ and 1-fold to 5-fold molar ratios of cysteine over a pH range 2.5 to 11. In each case, cobalt–cysteine complexes were characterized by ESI-MS in negative ion mode. AEC-ICP-AES allowed further separation and detection of the cobalt species previously characterized. The strong influence of pH and ligand-to-metal ratios on the nature and stoichiometry of the species is demonstrated. For the first time, a direct experimental speciation diagram of cobalt species has been established owing to these analytical techniques. This work is a promising basis for the speciation analysis of cobalt, since a good knowledge of cobalt speciation is of prime importance to better understanding its fate in biological and environmental media.
Detection of Apple Juice Adulteration Using Near-Infrared Transflectance Spectroscopy
Authors: León Lorenzo , Kelly J. Daniel , Downey Gerard
Published: May 2005

Near-infrared transflectance spectroscopy was used to detect adulteration of apple juice samples. A total of 150 apple samples from 19 different varieties were collected in two consecutive years from orchards throughout the main cultivation areas in Ireland. Adulterant samples at 10, 20, 30, and 40% w/w were prepared using two types of adulterants: a high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) with 45% fructose and 55% glucose, and a sugars solution (SUGARS) made with 60% fructose, 25% glucose, and 15% sucrose (the average content of these sugars in apple juice). The results show that NIR analysis can be used to predict adulteration of apple juices by added sugars with a detection limit of 9.5% for samples adulterated with HFCS, 18.5% for samples adulterated with SUGARS, and 17% for the combined (HFCS + SUGARS) adulterants. Discriminant partial least squares (PLS) regression can detect authentic apple juice with an accuracy of 86–100% and adulterant apple juice with an accuracy of 91–100% depending on the adulterant type and level of adulteration considered. This method could provide a rapid screening technique for the detection of this type of apple juice adulteration, although further work is required to demonstrate model robustness.
Film Techniques for Vibrational Circular Dichroism Measurements
Authors: Shanmugam Ganesh , Polavarapu Prasad L.
Published: May 2005

Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra in the 1800–900 cm−1region have been measured recently for protein films and for carbohydrate films prepared from aqueous solutions. In addition to the advantages of avoiding the interference from strong infrared absorption of water at 1650 cm−1and requiring a two-orders-of-magnitude-smaller amount of sample for film measurements (than those required for the same in water solutions), the VCD bands in film measurements are found to be the same as those in solution measurements and to be independent of film orientation. This latter observation indicated the possibility for routine VCD measurements in the film state. In this manuscript we report different film techniques for VCD measurements. These techniques include preparation of supported films, free-standing films, film-on-film, and facilitation of film formation for substances that otherwise do not form amorphous films. The experimental data for films prepared by each of these techniques are presented and the relative merits of these different methods are discussed.