bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Communicative Action in Practice: Intersubjectivity and New Social Movements
Authors: Schlosberg David
Published: February 2007

Critical theory has two distinct aims: the analysis and critique of particular existing oppressions, and the more emancipatory or reconstructive method or goal needed to move beyond current conditions. But often critical theory is too preoccupied with the first moment to consider the second. This essay examines the evolution of the notion of communicative action and a number of current debates surrounding especially Habermas's theory. It then examines two existing social change movements which incorporate aspects of communicative action into their everyday practices–the Alternative Dispute Resolution movement and the Direct Action movement–and illustrates how certain theoretical dilemmas are actually played out. The argument is that the practices of communicative action can help illuminate academic debates. Critical practice is not only an expression of critical theory, but can be used as an ongoing reflective guide for that theory.
Thinking about Ideology and Method: A Comment on Schull
Authors: Walker Rachel
Published: February 2007

This article addresses some theoretical problems which arise in a recent article by Joseph Schull on ideology and Soviet-type societies. I argue that the conceptualizations of Marxism-Leninism, ideology, and discourse offered by Schull are unlikely to enhance the study of Soviet ideological practices significantly because Schull's approach is both too essentialist and too general. Schull treats these concepts as unities reducible through proper definition. I argue that they are better understood as problematics which, in the first two cases, encompass a wide variety of forms and practices; and, in the third, a variety of methods and approaches. Since the study of Marxism-Leninism or ideology, like anything else, is driven by questions, problems, hypotheses, etc., I suggest that it is unhelpful to engage in a priori generalizations about method.
Explaining the Next Steps in the Department of Social Security: The Bureau-shaping Model of Central State Reorganization
Authors: James Oliver
Published: February 2007

The Next Steps reform is a major reorganization of the British central state which has occurred rapidly since 1988. Existing explanations of the reform largely accept the official interpretation that it was a natural development of the earlier Financial Management Initiative. However. Next Steps is radically different involving passing responsibility for the management of many executive functions to agencies whilst senior officials in departments concentrate on policy work. Next Steps occurred rather than the alternative reform of senior officials becoming hands-on managers of integrated departments carrying out executive functions. The bureau-shaping model uses an institutional rational choice approach and views reorganizations as bureau-shaping strategies by self-interested officials who attempt to achieve desired combinations of core budget and policy work time. The model is applied as an explanation of Next Steps in the Department of Social Security.
From Relative Autonomy to Consensual Development: The Case of South Korea
Authors: Kong Tat Yan
Published: February 2007

The success of the autonomous state in promoting rapid industrialization in South Korea from 1961 to 1987 is usually seen in terms of the state's capacity to coerce reluctant societal actors into productive economic pursuits. The economic sluggishness associated with some autonomous states suggests that any explanation of Korean economic success also needs to mention the factors that constrained bureaucratic abuse and the methods by which societal motivation behind the industrialization effort was maintained over three decades. Democratization has accentuated the capacity of societal actors to challenge the state's economic leadership but has not resulted in the emergence of an economic free for all. While similarities exist, Korea will experience greater difficulty in realizing the synthesis between developmental state and liberal-democratic polity (consensual development) that characterized postwar Japanese development.
The Exile of Political Theory: The Lost Homeland of Legitimation
Authors: Simons Jon
Published: February 2007

A sense of distance or exile is a recurrent theme of the literature in which the state of the political theory is either lamented or acclaimed. A review of these tales suggests that implicit definitions of the homeland of the sub-discipline as philosophical, practical or interpretive are inadequate, leading to mistaken diagnoses of the reasons for the ills or recovery of political philosophy. This paper argues that political theory has been exiled from its previous role or homeland of legitimation of political orders. Under contemporary conditions in the advanced liberal capitalist political order, in which a media-generated imagology of society as a communicative system fills the role of a legitimating discourse, political theory faces a legitimation crisis.
Recasting Social Democracy: A Comment on Hay and Smith
Authors: Wickham-Jones Mark
Published: February 2007

Since 1983 Labour has undergone a far-reaching metamorphosis. In a recent debate in Political Studies. Colin Hay and Martin Smith provide important insights into that transformation.1 However, the dichotomy within which they locate developments is a limited and potentially misleading one. Hay argues that Labour has uncritically accepted a new Thatcherite political settlement while Smith claims the changes represent a modernization of the party. I will make four points about Labour's transition before drawing general conclusions about how the party's transformation can be best understood. The matters I discuss are Labour's economic measures, its electoral strategy, the nature of its objectives, and the orientation of its policies.
Karl Mannheim's Ideology and Utopia
Authors: Turner Bryan
Published: February 2007

Karl Mannheim's Ideology and Utopia appeared in English in 1936 and has subsequently dominated the debate about the sociological foundations of knowledge, belief and ideology. Although his work had caused a major controversy in Germany in the 1930s, his book was received within an English and North American context as a social science contribution to the analysis of the social roots of belief systems. His work is of importance because it was seen to be a significant challenge to Marxist approaches to ideology in capitalist societies, and the principal critics of his work were drawn from within the Marxist tradition. Mannheim's sociology of knowledge was shaped by the work of Max Weber and Georg Lukcs, but this article argues that the more important influence on Mannheim's sociology of knowledge derive from Martin Heidegger's criticism of metaphysics in Being and Time which was published in 1927. In particular, Mannheim's concept of the existential boundedness of knowledge derives from Heidegger's discussion of the collective and communal nature of being. Although Mannheim's work has been influential in the historical development of the sociology of knowledge, the problem of relativism has in recent decades been taken further than Mannheim's treatment of the problem, because feminism, anthropology and postmodernism have separately emphasized the contextual nature of knowledge. The problem of relativism which Mannheim sought to evade or resolve has become an embedded feature of contemporary political theory.
Designing Electoral Institutions: STV Systems and Their Consequences
Authors: Farrell David M. , Mackerras Malcolm , McAllister Ian
Published: February 2007

Although championed by advocates of proportional representation, the single transferable vote form of PR has been used consistently in only a small number of countries – principally Australia, Ireland and Malta. This paper examines the origins and development of STV and its implications for the political systems that use it. The results show that STV varies so widely in its form and application, differing on no less than five major characteristics, that it is impossible to identify any single generic type. These differences are also reflected in the party strategies that are used to maximize the vote under STV. A regression analysis of the various types of STV shows that Malta is the most proportional system, followed by Ireland and Tasmania. Ireland has the largest party system among the countries that use STV, net of other factors.
Strategy, Hegemony and Ideology: The Role of Intellectuals
Authors: Lawrence Philip K.
Published: February 2007

This article argues that in the United States international relations scholars and political scientists have been significantly involved in the articulation of critical areas of state policy, especially in the arena of national security. The political significance of this is not merely a matter of individuals influencing policy; it concerns the construction of modes of discourse which legitimize aspects of state policy. In the problematic domain of nuclear strategic theory this has been pivotal in providing élites with a language which neutralized the political threat created by policies of nuclear apocalypse. Thus the power of intellectuals must be seen as more than a question of institutional location. It resides partly in the creation of discourse which constitutes the symbolic reality of political argumentation.
Needs, Labour, and Marx's Conception of Justice
Authors: White Stuart
Published: February 2007

This paper attempts to clarify the conception of justice that underpins Marx's tacit justice-based critique of capitalism. It argues that Marx's critique was based upon a Needs Principle, according to which each person has an equal right to needs satisfaction. It attempts to reconstruct this Needs Principle and, drawing on this reconstruction, shows how Marx's charge that the capitalist robs the worker of labour product is based on a view about the connection between income entitlement and work that is not only consistent with, but immanent within, the Needs Principle. Attribution of a rival Labour Principle to Marx, according to which each person has an equal right to his/her labour product or its labour-time equivalent, is thus not necessary to explain this charge.
The Individual and Society
Authors: Bevir Mark
Published: February 2007

What is the relationship of the individual to society? This paper argues it is one of mutual dependence. Individuals cannot hold beliefs or perform actions other than against the background of particular social structures. And social structures only influence, as opposed to restricting or deciding, the beliefs and decisions of individuals, so social structures can arise only out of performances by individuals. The grammar of our concepts shows it is a mistake to postulate a moment of origin when either individuals or social structures must have existed prior to the other. Our concepts of an individual and a social structure are vague, and this allows for their existence being dependent on one another.
Reviews
Authors: McConkey Roy , Skeffington M.
Published: February 2007

Marzollo, J. and Lloyd, J. (1977). Learning through Play.

Meek, M., Warlow, A. and Barton, G. (1977). The Cool Web: the Pattern of Children's Reading.

Hoffman, M. (1977). Reading, Writing and Relevance.

Jackson, S. (1977). Oxford Junior Workbook, 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A.

Riddell, G. and Gulland, D. (1975). Teaching: Active or Passive.

Lewis, L. (1977). Attack‐a‐track.

Spooncer, F. A. (1976). The Development of Reading, The Evaluation of Reading.

Williams, A. (1971). Reading and the Consumer.

Zimet, S. G. (1977). Print and Prejudice.
Shorter Notices
Authors: Green Nancy W.
Published: February 2007

Butts, Dennis (1977). Good Writers for Young Readers.

Hughes, John M. (1977). The Reading Handbook, A Dictionary Guide to the Teaching of Reading.
Reviews
Authors: Green Nancy , Hough Patricia , Jackanicz Sandra J. (Eiker) , Bookbinder Geoff
Published: February 2007

Moyle, Donald (compiler) (1979) Teaching Reading.

Peddie, W. S. & White, G. R. (1978). Testing in Practice–a guide to the preparation and marking of tests, formal examinations and informal assessments.

Drummond, Don and Wignell, Edna (Editors), 1979. Reading: A Source Book.

Roswell, Florence G. and Chall Jeanne S., (1979). Roswell Chall Diagnostic Reading Test of Word Analysis Skills.
Reviews
Authors: Palmer Jean , Banks Alison , Harris Leslie , Myerscough Pauline
Published: February 2007

Jeffree, Dorothy M. and Skeffington, Margaret (1980) Let Me Read.

MacFarlane, Tom, with Moyle, Donald (adviser), (1980) Comprehension Through the Newspaper.

Pugh, A.K., Lee, V.J. and Swann, J. (Ed.) (1980) Language and Language Use.

Veatch, Jeannette (1978) Reading in the Elementary School.
Sight words: the major myth of reading
Authors: Groff Patrick
Published: February 2007

In 1973 I wrote a paper called The topsy‐turvy world of “sight” words' (Groff, 1974). I was hopeful at that time that my negatively critical comments about sight words, when published, would be helpful in reforming the thinking of those who believe in this supposed phenomenon.
Understanding Cohesion—Some Practical Teaching Implications
Authors: Hadley Ilma Louise
Published: February 2007

An experiment was conducted with 151 primary school children from three year levels, in a suburban primary school, set in a moderately high socio‐economic area. The object of the investigation was to test the understanding of twelve anaphoric pronouns, which were embedded in passages of continuous text. The relationship between the perception of the cohesive items, and general reading comprehension was studied, as was the difference between the performance of girls and boys. A further question related to the understanding of anaphoric items set within direct speech.

Results showed a significant relationship between the comprehension of the selected anaphoric personal items and ability in reading, as measured by a standardised test. In the early school years, girls were superior to boys in their perception of the items, but no difference was found at the upper level of the school. Children of all levels found the items set within quoted speech more difficult to comprehend than the items in the rest of the text. Some practical teaching strategies are discussed, and attention is drawn to areas where teachers' awareness of cohesion could prove useful.
Textual Cohesion and Effective Reading: A teaching strategy
Authors: Wishart Elizabeth
Published: February 2007

The unfamiliarity of the language of books sometimes contributes to the limited effectiveness with which pupils read. An action research project was carried out with a group of primary school teachers and their pupils, who belong to minority ethnic groups, in order to develop a teaching strategy to help these pupils to attend to the cohesive elements of texts, alongside the conceptual content. The teachers selected texts for reading and discussion with their pupils and they included in the discussion some prepared questions aimed at recovering the meaning of cohesive devices in the texts.

The teachers found that they developed their own awareness of the linguistic demands on pupils of the texts which they selected, and the responses of the pupils demonstrated the contribution of the cohesive elements of the texts to the interplay of the factors, linguistic and conceptual, which influence pupils' effective reading.
A Comparison of Reader Strategies on Two Versions of A Newspaper Editorial
Authors: Oyetunde Timothy O. , Umolu Joanne J.
Published: February 2007

Reading is seen as a communication process, a meaningful interaction between the reader and his reading text. A number of factors are known to affect this interaction. One prominent factor is the type of text being read. That is, reader strategies may vary in relation to text characteristics. This study used miscue analysis to find out patterns of reader strategies on two types of texts: a syntactically complex and high vocabulary loaded text and a syntactically simple and low vocabulary loaded text. To this end, cloze tests of passages derived from two versions of a newspaper editorial completed by twenty undergraduate education students from the University of Jos were analysed.

The results indicated that the readers of the difficult text had less access to semantic and syntactic cues than the readers of the simplified text. Readers for whom the difficult text was on frustration level made less use of context than did readers for whom the same text was on instructional level. There was very little difference in quality of miscues by readers of the simplified text reading on independent level as compared with those reading the same text on instructional level. Readers who performed on instructional level on the difficult passage used similar reading strategies to those who performed on instructional level on the simplified passage. The implications of the findings for reading instruction were discussed.
Children's Attitudes to Reading: Do Teachers Know?
Authors: McKinlay Susan
Published: February 2007

Twelve primary aged children with learning difficulties rated their attitudes to reading on a Likert scale. Their teachers rated these children's attitudes on the same scale. They then devised an observation schedule to assess the children's attitudes to reading activities in the classroom. The use of these assessment procedures in the classroom, their differing results and the implications for helping children with learning difficulties, are discussed.
The Diversity of Registers found in Primary Children's Information Books
Authors: Neate Bobbie
Published: February 2007

A survey of children's information books was carried out and one of the major findings was that the language of the books was very diverse. This language known as register varied greatly in the number of specialist terms used and in the manner in which the author addressed the reader. The research suggests that readers experience diversity of language from a very early age. The research also suggests that the books we use for project work are often not suitable for research and that they fall well short of any standard that is desirable of informative texts.
Reading: What Children need to learn and how teachers can help them
Authors: Dombey Henrietta
Published: February 2007

Note A fuller version of this paper, entitled Words and Worlds: Reading in the early years of school is published in booklet form jointly by the National Association of Advisors in English and the National Association for the Teaching of English, and is available from NATE at 50 Broadfield Road, Sheffield S8 OXJ for £3.50 to non members and £2.95 to members.
Helping Children to Develop as Writers: Supporting, Showing, Responding
Authors: Peacock Colin
Published: February 2007

How can we help children develop as writers once they have begun to master the complexities of the writing system and begun to understand how they can compose their own texts? Colin Peacock proposes some answers to these questions on the basis of a small‐scale research project in one school. Key issues which emerged were the need to develop motivation, to give children opportunities to write, to respond to their difficulties and to show them what counted as success.
The Struggling Writer: Strategies for Teaching
Authors: Fox Richard
Published: February 2007

There has been a great deal of interest in the diagnosis of, and strategies for supporting struggling readers but comparatively little to help guide teachers of struggling writers. Richard Fox tries to remedy this and introduces us to a useful analysis of some of the problems which might beset young writers. He goes on to suggest possible strategies for helping these children make progress.
Functions of Written Language in a First Grade Classroom
Authors: Meyer Richard J.
Published: February 2007

Teachers of young children often ask them to write across a wide variety of genres and functions. This article focuses upon the experience of one child as she undertakes all this writing. Richard Meyer finds that several hidden functions of language come to the fore in the child's experience and he goes on to examine the implications of this view of classrooms for future development.
Learning About Non‐fiction Books Through Writing
Authors: Neate Bobbie
Published: February 2007

Bobbie Neate argues that young children do not get enough experience with non‐fiction books and insufficient encouragement to appreciate them. She describes here an approach towards developing this experience through the making of non‐fiction books. Children learnt about the structures of these books through writing their own.
The Power of Publication: A Journey Into Authorship by One Child With Learning Disabilities
Authors: Berge Nicole , Zaragoza Nina
Published: February 2007

This article describes the journey of Daniel, a child with learning difficulties, into authorship through one‐to‐one tutoring. It discusses the powerful and positive influence the introduction of book making and publication had on Daniel's enthusiasm for writing and writing fluency. All this is set within a discussion of recent work on writing process teaching.
Raising Reading Standards: What is the Headteacher's Role?
Authors: Bearne Eve
Published: February 2007

The role of the headteacher has been identificed as one of the key characteristics of schools which achieve high standards of reading. Eve Bearne here presents the findings of an evaluation which reveals ways in which headteachers influence reading standards, particularly through in‐service provision. The evaluation's aim was to assess the effectiveness of in‐service courses in raising standards of achievement in reading and to consider the implications for school provision and future in‐service arrangements. One factor which emerged strongly was the importance of the headteacher's role in managing reading provision in the primary school. It appeared that where the headteacher had taken a proactive role, developments were likely to be more firmly and permanently established and staff more secure in extending their practice.
Teacher Questions During Story‐book Readings: Who's Building Whose Building?
Authors: Kirby Phillip
Published: February 2007

The way in which a story is interpreted by children is heavily influenced by the teacher's questioning strategies and their responses to children. In this article, Phil Kirby explores the nature and operation of such questions during story‐book reading. His purpose is to encourage teachers to look carefully at their own question strategies and the ways in which these might constrain or limit children's responses.
Teaching Your Child to Read: A Critique of Some Recently Published Material
Authors: Pinsent Pat
Published: February 2007

Moves to involve parents more fully in the process of teaching reading to their children have been generally universally welcomed. Publishers have seen this area as one for development and a number of materials aimed at parents are now on the market. As yet, however, there has been little critical appraisal of such material and Pat Pinsent's review here will be widely welcomed by teachers and parents alike. She uncovers some rather worrying features in the material she examines, particularly the implicit assumption in the materials that they will themselves teach children to read. As Pat points out, becoming a reader is a rather more complex business than this.
Putting Co‐operative Learning to Good Effect
Authors: Ewing J.M. , Kennedy E.M.
Published: February 2007

Co‐operative learning in primary schools has recently become the focus of a good deal of research and the importance of language and communication to this kind of learning has been well established. Jim Ewing and his colleagues in Dundee have been investigating the effects of co‐operative learning experiences on children's attitudes and linguistic skills and here describe a study which demonstrates the clear gains to be derived from co‐operative learning as a means of classroom organisation.
An Adult “Dyslexic” Learns to Read and Write
Authors: Mudd Norma
Published: February 2007

Dyslexia is a controversial topic yet, however it is defined, there can be no denying the profound handicap of an inability to read and write, especially for adults struggling to get on in a world where literacy is central. Thus Norma Mudd's case study of Fiona as she develops her control of print is encouraging and, at times, inspiring. Norma draws some wider lessons from Fiona's experience which will be found useful by all teachers of literacy.
Recording Primary Language
Authors: Wyse Dominic
Published: February 2007

The ILEA Primary Language Record has had a significant effect upon approaches to the assessment of language in the primary school, having proved to be both professionally thorough and practically useful. In this article Dominic Wyse explores ways in which the PLR can be modified to make it even more useful for teachers, while maintaining its underlying philosophy. He shows quite clearly how the record can be used to improve the quality of teaching and learning and offers a welcome alternative to simplistic models of literacy assessment.
Talking Books and Reading
Authors: Medwell Jane
Published: February 2007

Developments in technology, particularly in terms of multimedia capability, have begun to make possible innovative educational use of microcomputers. One particular kind of software which has recently begun to be produced is the electronic book. Such “books” can provide reading experience for children which support and lead into reading proficiency. In this article Jane Medwell describes a study in which she evaluated the effects of experiences with disc‐based electronic books on infant reading. Some interesting results emerged concerned with the ways in which children interacted with the “books” and the gender differences in the use and effects of such reading support.
Poetry – It's the Key
Authors: Davis Michael
Published: February 2007

Michael Davis gives us an encouraging rationale for greater use of poetry with children and, to illustrate his point, he presents this as a poem!
Spelling! Developing a Good Foundation
Authors: Beaumont Irene , Martin Monica , Owen Barbara
Published: February 2007

This articie is a brief response to an article on spelling by David Waugh which appeared in Vol. 29(2). The authors argue that the Letterland system can be of great benefit in approaching spelling.
Reading with Adam
Authors: Cooper Margaret
Published: February 2007

Most teachers will accept that some of their most difficult problems in teaching reading are occasioned by those children who have already failed at the process. Negative views about reading and, often, negative self‐images can combine to cause intractable problems. In this article, Margaret Cooper describes her work with one such child and relates how she was able to get beyond his problems to allow him to experience success in reading. Her work, although done on a one‐to‐one basis and out of a school context, will still be found useful by teachers trying to find ways to teach children with reading problems.
Early Predictors of Later Attainment in Reading and Spelling
Authors: Lazo Monica G. , Pumfrey Peter D.
Published: February 2007

A good deal of research has tried to establish the precursors of literacy in terms of the abilities in children which are most likely to lead to good progress in reading and writing. As Monica Lazo and Peter Pumfrey point out, several aspects of metalinguistic ability have been identified as important and in their research, reported here, they found that three aspects of this ability were particularly significant to children's literacy development. These aspects, phonological awareness, print awareness and semantic/syntactic awareness seem to play crucial roles in children's reading and spelling but not in isolation. It is the combination of these which seems to make the difference, a finding with important implications for teachers of early literacy.
Children's Learning from Science Texts: A Critique of ‘EXIT into Understanding’
Authors: Peacock Alan
Published: February 2007

This article is a reply to an earlier article published in Reading Volume 29 (1) in which David Wray and Maureen Lewis outlined their EXIT model for describing the process of children learning from text. Here Alan Peacock, a science specialist with a particular interest in the use of texts in developing countries, questions the applicability of the EXIT model to children's reading of science texts in other contexts. He rightly makes the point that not enough research has been carried out into the use of texts in various curriculum areas and in various contexts and his article is a challenge to begin such extended research.
Maximum Likelihood Estimation of VARMA Models Using a State‐Space EM Algorithm
Authors: Metaxoglou Konstantinos , Smith Aaron
Published: February 2007

Abstract. We introduce a state‐space representation for vector autoregressive moving‐average models that enables maximum likelihood estimation using the EM algorithm. We obtain closed‐form expressions for both the E‐ and M‐steps; the former requires the Kalman filter and a fixed‐interval smoother, and the latter requires least squares‐type regression. We show via simulations that our algorithm converges reliably to the maximum, whereas gradient‐based methods often fail because of the highly nonlinear nature of the likelihood function. Moreover, our algorithm converges in a smaller number of function evaluations than commonly used direct‐search routines. Overall, our approach achieves its largest performance gains when applied to models of high dimension. We illustrate our technique by estimating a high‐dimensional vector moving‐average model for an efficiency test of California's wholesale electricity market.
Political Rescaling and Municipal Cultural Public Policies: A Comparison of France and Québec
Authors: BREUX SANDRA , COLLIN JEAN‐PIERRE , NÉGRIER EMMANUEL
Published: February 2007

Do territories change public policies? This would appear to be a rather unusual research orientation. It is even a reversal of the most commonly accepted approaches to the study of territorial public action, which tend to look at this issue from the opposite perspective, that is, in examining how public policies affect territories. The municipal reforms that have simultaneously occurred in Québec and France since the late 1990s afford an excellent opportunity to consider this inversion of the issues. To do so, we take as our theme culture and municipal cultural policies. We try to define and understand to what extent there exist in Québec and France retroactive links between municipal restructuring and municipal decisions about cultural facilities and activities and, more generally, municipal cultural intervention in the urban milieu. This comparative analysis of the cases of France and Québec focuses on discourse as well as achievements. First, we look at the changes arising from institutional reforms in the supply of cultural activities, budgets devoted to culture, and cultural policies. We then consider culture as a vector in the construction of a new municipal institution and a new municipal territory.
Normative Publication Productivity of Communication Scholars at Selected Career Milestones
Authors: Stephen Timothy , Geel Renee
Published: February 2007

This study builds on past research on normative publication practices in the communication discipline by exploring rates of contribution to the discipline’s literature as represented in the Communication Institute for Online Scholarship’s ComAbstracts database. The ComAbstracts database, spanning 90 years and more than 46,000 publications, provides significantly greater breadth and depth than previously available data sources. The strategy for sampling scholars included in this study also differs from prior work by limiting the sample to scholars affiliated with the communication field through membership in one of its primary professional societies. For purposes of studying historical change in productivity, the sample of scholars was divided into six cohorts at different points in their careers to discover norms for publication productivity at milestone intervals following career onset, defined as the date of award of the Ph.D. or an equivalent terminal degree. Among other findings, results suggest (a) that rates of contribution of single-authored articles have fallen significantly over the years without compensating increases in the number of multiauthored publications, (b) that an early high rate of publication productivity is highly predictive of a sustained high rate, and (c) that more than one third of the membership of the scholars sample had not contributed any articles to the field’s mainline periodical literature. As well, a metric for determining exceptionally high and low productivity rates by career stage is suggested and illustrated, revealing a way of identifying top-tier and subnormal productivity adjusted for years in career.
Impact of cosmetic care on quality of life in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy and radiotherapy: an initial randomized controlled study
Authors: Titeca G , Poot F , Cassart D , Defays B , Pirard D , Comas M , Vereecken P , Verschaevec V , Simon P , Heenen M
Published: February 2007

Background  Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and therefore represents a major problem in public health. Data from patients’ self‐report questionnaires provide valuable information about the side‐effects that patients may view as having a significantly detrimental impact on their quality of life (QOL) and yet are not always recognized as important by healthcare professionals. Cosmetology is a specific care for patients and there is actually no scientific evidence regarding effects on QOL for women with breast cancer.

Objective  The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of cosmetic care on QOL in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Methods  We developed a prospective, multicentre, randomized, controlled study including 27 patients. All the patients had to fill in a French‐validated dermatologic specific quality‐of‐life questionnaire to compare the QOL of the two groups, the cosmetic group and the control group, at three different times of the adjuvant treatment.

Results  The results show a statistically significant difference between the cosmetic group and the control group in two areas of QOL: mood state and self‐perception of the disease.

Conclusion  This study emphasizes the interest of cosmetic care in breast cancer patients. However, further larger trials are needed to confirm this study.
Long‐term morphology of a healing bone–tendon interface: a histological observation in the sheep model
Authors: Newsham‐West R. , Nicholson H. , Walton M. , Milburn P.
Published: February 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine and describe the sequence of events involved in long‐term biological reconstruction of a tendon–bone interface following surgical reattachment. Patellar tendon re‐attachment in the adult sheep was used to investigate and describe the biological components involved in healing and repair of a tendon enthesis. Light microscopy was used to describe the healing morphology at time intervals of 8, 12, 26, 52 and 104 weeks. By 8 weeks a collagen continuum was observed between the tendon and bone. Over time this fibrous bridge became anchored into the original tissues (tendon and bone), with the resultant enthesis resembling more a fibrous rather than the original fibrocartilagenous enthesis. The associated collagen fibrils between the two tissues gradually changed in morphology over time to reflect the fibres seen in the original tendon tissue. The fibrous tissue of the forming enthesis remained hypercellular when compared with the controls. The resultant long‐term morphology may be a reflection of functional adaptation rather than anatomical replication.
Identification and characterisation of novel tubulin‐binding motifs located within the C‐terminus of TRPV1
Authors: Goswami C. , Hucho Tim B. , Hucho F.
Published: February 2007

Previously, we reported that TRPV1, the vanilloid receptor, interacts with soluble αβ‐tubulin dimers as well as microtubules via its C‐terminal cytoplasmic domain. The interacting region of TRPV1, however, has not been defined. We found that the TRPV1 C‐terminus preferably interacts with β‐tubulin and less with α‐tubulin. Using a systematic deletion approach and biotinylated‐peptides we identified two tubulin‐binding sites present in TRPV1. These two sequence stretches are highly conserved in all known mammalian TRPV1 orthologues and partially conserved in some of the TRPV1 homologues. As these sequence stretches are not similar to any known tubulin‐binding sequences, we conclude that TRPV1 interacts with tubulin and microtubule through two novel tubulin‐binding motifs.
Impairment of the mitochondrial respiratory enzyme activity triggers sequential activation of apoptosis‐inducing factor‐dependent and caspase‐dependent signaling pathways to induce apoptosis after spinal cord injury
Authors: Wu Kay L. H. , Hsu Chin , Chan Julie Y. H.
Published: February 2007

The mitochondrion participates in caspase‐independent or caspase‐dependent apoptotic pathways through the release of apoptosis‐inducing factor or cytochrome c. Whether both mitochondrial apoptotic cascades are triggered in the injured spinal cord remains unknown. Here, we demonstrated that neurons, astrocytes and microglia in spinal segments proximal to a complete spinal cord transection underwent two phases of apoptotic cell death. The early phase of high‐molecular weight (HMW) DNA fragmentation was associated with nuclear translocation of apoptosis‐inducing factor, reduction in mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activity and decrease in cellular ATP concentration. The delayed phase of low‐molecular weight (LMW) DNA fragmentation was accompanied by cytosolic release of cytochrome c, activation of caspases 9 and 3, and resumption of mitochondrial respiratory functions and ATP contents. Microinfusion of coenzyme Q10, an electron carrier in mitochondrial respiratory chain, into the epicenter of the transected spinal cord attenuated both phases of induced apoptosis, and reversed the elicited mitochondrial dysfunction, bioenergetic failure, and activation of apoptosis‐inducing factor, cytochrome c, or caspases 9 and 3. We conclude that mitochondrial dysfunction after spinal cord transection represents the initiating cellular events that trigger the sequential activation of apoptosis‐inducing factor‐dependent and caspase‐dependent signaling cascades, leading to apoptotic cell death in the injured spinal cord.
What Influences Believing Child Sexual Abuse Disclosures? The Roles of Depicted Memory Persistence, Participant Gender, Trauma History, and Sexism
Authors: Cromer Lisa DeMarni , Freyd Jennifer J.
Published: February 2007

This vignette study investigated factors that influence believing child sexual abuse disclosures. College student participants ( N = 318) in a university human subject pool completed measures about their own trauma history and responded to questions about sexist attitudes. Participants then read vignettes in which an adult disclosed a history of child sexual abuse, rated disclosures for accuracy and believability, and judged the level of abusiveness. Continuous memories were believed more than recovered memories. Men believed abuse reports less than did women, and people who had not experienced trauma were less likely to believe trauma reports. Gender and personal history interacted such that trauma history did not impact women's judgments but did impact men's judgments. Men with a trauma history responded similarly to women with or without a trauma history. High sexism predicted lower judgments of an event being abusive. Hostile sexism was negatively correlated with believing abuse disclosures. Results are considered in light of myths about child sexual abuse.
Structural Models of the Relations of Assault Severity, Social Support, Avoidance Coping, Self-Blame, and PTSD Among Sexual Assault Survivors
Authors: Ullman Sarah E. , Townsend Stephanie M. , Filipas Henrietta H. , Starzynski Laura L.
Published: February 2007

A number of studies have identified which survivors of sexual assault are more likely to develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most correlates that have been identified have been at the individual level. Insufficient attention has been given to whether survivors' social interactions impact their individual responses to assault and subsequent levels of psychological symptomatology. In this study, a large, diverse sample of community-residing women ( N = 636) was surveyed. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships between assault severity, global support, negative social reactions, avoidance coping, self-blame, traumatic life experiences, and PTSD symptoms. The results suggest that negative social reactions and avoidance coping are the strongest correlates of PTSD symptoms and that the association typically observed between victim self-blame and PTSD symptoms may be partially due to the effect of negative social reactions from others. These reactions may contribute to both self-blame and PTSD. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.
The Moderating Roles of Race and Gender-Role Attitudes in the Relationship Between Sexual Harassment and Psychological Well-Being
Authors: Rederstorff Juliette C. , Buchanan NiCole T. , Settles Isis H.
Published: February 2007

Although previous research has linked sexual harassment to negative psychological outcomes, few studies have focused on moderators of these relationships. The present study surveyed Black ( n = 88) and White ( n = 170) female undergraduates who endorsed experiences of sexual harassment to examine whether traditional gender attitudes differentially moderated the relationship between sexual harassment and three outcomes: posttraumatic stress symptoms, general clinical symptoms, and satisfaction with life. We replicated past findings that sexual harassment is related to negative outcomes. Further, the results supported our hypothesis that less traditional gender attitudes (i.e., more feminist attitudes) would buffer the negative effects of sexual harassment for White women, whereas the same attitudes would exacerbate its negative effects for Black women. We discuss reasons for these differences, including Black women's double consciousness and differences in the meaning of feminist and traditional gender attitudes for Black and White women.
The Impact of Training and Conflict Avoidance on Responses to Sexual Harassment
Authors: Goldberg Caren B.
Published: February 2007

This study used a pretest/posttest design and included a control group to examine the impact of harassment training on intended responses to harassment. The sample consisted of 282 full-time professionals. At time 2, trainees expressed lower intentions to confront the perpetrator than did control-group participants. The simple and moderating effects of conflict avoidance on response intentions were also tested. Conflict avoidance was significantly negatively related to formally reporting gender harassment and sexual attention harassment and interacted with training to predict these outcomes. Practical implications of the results for organizations implementing harassment training programs are discussed.
Angry and Afraid: Women's Appraisal of Sexual Harassment During Litigation
Authors: Wright Caroline Vaile , Fitzgerald Louise F.
Published: February 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine primary appraisal of sexual harassment, that is, a victim's cognitive evaluation of the harassment and the factors that influence this appraisal. The perspectives of 72 female plaintiffs were investigated by measuring their primary appraisal of the event, examining the structure of this appraisal, and assessing the influence of stimulus and individual factors on appraisal. Cluster analysis revealed four distinct emotion clusters: demoralization, anxious arousal, fear, and self-blame. Significant correlations suggest that these four appraisal clusters are differentially related to certain stimulus (e.g., intensity) and individual (e.g., self-esteem, previous victimization, feminist attitudes, and attributions) factors. Theoretical and practical implications for the role of primary appraisal are discussed.
Perceptions of Relational and Physical Aggression among College Students: Effects of Gender of Perpetrator, Target, and Perceiver
Authors: Basow Susan A. , Cahill Kristen F. , Phelan Julie E. , Longshore Kathryn , McGillicuddy-DeLisi Ann
Published: February 2007

This study examined gendered perceptions of relational and physical aggressive behaviors and personal experiences with both types of aggression. Prior research suggested that physical aggression by males and relational aggression by females would be perceived most negatively. College students (186 female, 128 male) rated the acceptability and harmfulness of aggression in scenarios in which type of aggression and perpetrator and target gender were varied. As predicted, relational aggression by female characters and physical aggression by male characters were rated as less acceptable and more aggressive/harmful than the same behavior by the other gender. Thus, expectations regarding the gender-appropriateness of aggression appear to affect perceptions of such acts. Despite popular conceptions that females use and are harmed by relational aggression more than males, there was no gender difference in experience with relational aggression, nor were female targets viewed as more harmed by such aggression than their male counterparts.
No Quick Fixes: Adding Content about Women to Ecology Course Materials
Authors: Wyer Mary , Murphy-Medley Deena , Damschen Ellen I. , Rosenfeld Kristen M. , Wentworth Thomas R.
Published: February 2007

This study reports on a three-semester model project designed to assess the impact of enriched content related to Women's and Gender Studies on students enrolled in an undergraduate ecology course. The two constructs of interest were (a) students' attitudes toward women in science and society and (b) students' assessment of the classroom climate for women. The data included 398 matched pretest and posttest survey responses from a control group, a minimal enrichment group, and an increased enrichment group. Findings indicated that, although small course revisions did not influence students' attitudes toward women in science and society, such revisions had a positive influence on students' assessments of the classroom climate.
Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite markers in Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson, Araceae
Authors: SANTOSA E. , LIAN C. L. , PISOOKSANTIVATANA Y. , SUGIYAMA N.
Published: February 2007

Amorphophallus paeoniifolius is an herbaceous perennial tuber crop distributed widely in many Asian countries. We isolated 19 polymorphic loci from A. paeoniifolius using a dual‐suppression‐PCR technique. These loci provide microsatellite markers with high polymorphism ranging from three to 24 alleles per locus. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.521 to 0.854 and from 0.766 to 0.930, respectively. This high allelic diversity indicates that our markers are suitable for a population study in A. paeoniifolius.