bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enzimas digestivas do bicho-mineiro do cafeeiro Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville & Perrottet, 1842) (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae)
Authors: Rossi Guilherme Duarte , Santos Custódio Donizete dos , Carvalho Gislaine Aparecida , Corrêa Angelita Duarte , Abreu Celeste Maria Patto de , Carvalho Geraldo Andrade
Published: March 2010

Os insetos possuem diferentes enzimas digestivas que catalisam as reações de hidrólise do alimento consumido e essas se diferenciam entre os insetos de acordo com suas dietas e estado fisiológico. Foram avaliadas as atividades de algumas enzimas digestivas da praga do cafeeiro - Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville & Perrottet, 1842) (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) - popularmente conhecida como bicho-mineiro do cafeeiro, para o entendimento de seu processo digestivo. Lagartas do bicho-mineiro do cafeeiro foram coletadas em campo e em casa-de-vegetação. O extrato enzimático utilizado foi obtido pela maceração das lagartas em água (4ºC). Determinaram-se os pH's ótimos e as atividades das enzimas α e β-glicosidases, α-amilase, aminopeptidase, fosfatase alcalina, sacarase, trealase e tripsina, incubando o extrato enzimático do bicho-mineiro do cafeeiro com substratos específicos. A análise dos resultados sugere que o processo digestivo e o ambiente intestinal do bicho-mineiro do cafeeiro sejam similares com o dos demais lepidópteros encontrados na literatura.
Intensity of angular leaf spot and anthracnose on pods of common beans cultivated in three cropping systems
Authors: Vieira Rogério Faria , Paula Júnior Trazilbo José de , Teixeira Hudson , Vieira Clibas
Published: March 2010

With the purpose to evaluate the intensity of angular leaf spot (ALS) and anthracnose (ANT) on pods, nine genotypes of common bean were planted in three cropping systems: monocrop (MC), monocrop grown on trellises (MCT), and intercrop with maize (ICM). In MC, beans were planted 0.5 m apart. Trelisses were set up with 1.8 m high bamboos and beans were sown 0.65 m apart. In ICM, beans were planted simultaneously with maize and in its rows. This cereal was sown 1.0 m apart with four plants per meter. Each cropping system was an independent trial installed close to each other. Climbing genotypes of beans most susceptible to ALS had less diseased pods in ICM than in both MC and MCT, but the less susceptible genotypes, regardless of their growth type, as well as the susceptible bush and semiclimbing genotypes, were similarly attacked by ALS in the three systems. ANT on pods of the susceptible bean cv. Pérola was less intense in MCT than in MC, and less intense in ICM than in MCT. ANT seed transmission was 11 %, 9.1 %, and 4.4 % when seeds come from MC, MCT, and ICM, respectively.
Multiplicação e enraizamento in vitro de amoreira-preta 'Xavante': efeito da concentração de sais, do tipo de explante e de carvão ativado no meio de cultura
Authors: Leitzke Luciane Nolasco , Damiani Cláudia Roberta , Schuch Márcia Wulff
Published: March 2010

Atualmente, além da propagação tradicional, a micropropagação da amoreira-preta é considerada uma alternativa viável, com o intuito de obter-se plantas livres de vírus, geneticamente uniformes e em curto espaço de tempo. Objetivou-se, com este experimento, determinar o melhor tipo de explante e concentração de sais para a multiplicação in vitro e a melhor concentração de carvão ativado e de sais no meio de cultura, para o enraizamento in vitro de amoreira-preta 'Xavante'. O primeiro experimento constituiu-se de segmentos nodais caulinares com cerca de 1 cm, oriundas do cultivo in vitro, inoculadas em quatro diferentes concentrações de meio MS, suplementada com 7,5 µM de BAP, 30 g L-1 de sacarose, 100 mg L-1 de mio-inositol e 6 g L-1 de ágar, e dois tipos de explante, totalizando 8 tratamentos. O segundo experimento constituiu-se de microestacas apicais, com cerca de 1 a 1,5 cm de comprimento, e duas folhas, inoculadas em três diferentes concentrações de meio MS, acrescido de 30 g L-1 de sacarose, 100 mg L-1 de mio-inositol e 6 g L-1 de ágar e suplementado com três concentrações de carvão ativado, totalizando nove tratamentos, com delineamento inteiramente casualizado. Pode-se concluir que o T1, ou seja, explante com folhas, na concentração de 125% de sais do meio MS foi mais eficiente, induzindo maior número de folhas, gemas, brotações e comprimento das brotações e que o uso de 75% de sais sem a suplementação de carvão ativado é o mais indicado para o enraizamento in vitro de amoreira-preta 'Xavante'.
Potencial alelopático de Cyperus rotundus L. sobre espécies cultivadas
Authors: Andrade Heloísa Monteiro de , Bittencourt Alexandre Horácio Couto , Vestena Silvane
Published: March 2010

Metabótitos secundários produzidos em algumas plantas podem provocar alterações no desenvolvimento de outras plantas ou até mesmo de outros organismos. Neste trabalho, objetivou-se identificar possíveis efeitos alelopáticos de extratos aquosos de folhas de Cyperus rotundus na germinação e no crescimento de plântulas de Brassica campestris, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, Brassica oleracea var. capitata, Brassica oleracea var. italica, Brassica rapa, Lactuca sativa cv. Grand rapids, Lycopersicum esculentum e Raphanus sativus. Foram utilizadas sete concentrações do extrato aquoso (0, 10, 30, 50, 70, 90 e 100%). Os tratamentos foram arranjados em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com cinco repetições de dez sementes das espécies cultivadas, constituindo a unidade amostral. Os extratos aquosos de C. rotundus evidenciaram potencialidades alelopáticas na germinação das sementes e no crescimento das duas partes vegetais (raiz e parte aérea), de todas as espécies testadas, exceto na germinação de sementes de tomate e de alface, sendo que a redução aumentou com o aumento das concentrações dos extratos aquosos utilizados. A estrutura vegetal mais afetada em presença dos extratos aquosos foi o sistema radicular das plântulas.
Produção e distribuição de fitomassa no guaranazeiro (Paullinia cupana H.B.K. var. sorbilis (Mart.) Ducke)
Authors: Arruda Murilo Rodrigues de , Escobar José Ricardo , Corrêa Maria Pinheiro Fernandes , Nascimento Filho Firmino José do , Teixeira Wenceslau Geraldes , Moreira Adônis
Published: March 2010

Apesar da importância econômica do guaranazeiro (Paullinia cupana H.B.K. var. sorbilis (Mart.) Ducke) em algumas regiões do Brasil, existem poucas informações sobre sua caracterização fenológica. Assim, realizou-se um estudo cujo objetivo foi de quantificar a produção de fitomassa e sua distribuição, em uma população de guaranazeiros, originadas de propagação sexuada. Foram avaliadas cinco plantas adultas, que lançaram mais de 100 ramos por planta ano-1, dos quais apenas 50 % produziram frutos. As plantas lançaram entre 445 e 1294 inflorescências por ano, porém, de 67 % a 98 % produziram apenas um fruto. A produção de matéria seca total foi estimada em 15,8 kg por planta ao ano, o que corresponde 6350 kg ha ano-1. Nas plantas, o maior acúmulo de matéria seca apresentou a seguinte ordem: folhas>ramos>sementes>ráquis>casca dos frutos+arilo> pecíolos.
Viabilidade do cultivo do feijão-arroz no outono-inverno em regiões de inverno ameno
Authors: Vieira Rogério Faria , Paula Júnior Trazilbo José de , Lehner Miller da Silva
Published: March 2010

Foram conduzidos três ensaios em município de Minas Gerais, com inverno ameno, para estudar a viabilidade do cultivo do feijão-arroz no outono-inverno. Os ensaios foram instalados em Leopoldina, nestas datas: 3 de maio de 1996, 18 de abril de 1997 e 11 de maio de 1998. Foram usados 12 genótipos de feijão-arroz; uma cultivar de feijão-comum foi usada para comparação. Foi empregado o delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com 4 repetições. As plantas foram irrigadas por aspersão, e o controle de pragas com inseticida foi feito quando necessário. Os ciclos de vida do feijão-arroz variaram de 99 a 111 dias (da emergência à colheita), enquanto os do feijão-comum variaram em torno de 90 dias. Não foi observada doença na folhagem do feijão-arroz. As produtividades médias variaram de 1164 (11 de maio) a 2261 kg ha-1 (18 de abril). O feijão-arroz foi tão produtivo quanto o feijão-comum. Conclui-se que é viável o cultivo do feijão-arroz [Vigna umbellata (Thunb.) Ohwi & Ohashi] no outono-inverno em regiões de inverno ameno.
Viabilidade polínica como seleção assistida no programa de melhoramento genético de triticale
Authors: Zanotto Maira , Brammer Sandra Patussi , Nascimento Junior Alfredo do , Scagliusi Sandra Mansur
Published: March 2010

Neste trabalho,objetivou-se analisar a viabilidade de grãos de pólen de 52 genótipos de triticale, oriundos do bloco de cruzamentos do programa de melhoramento genético da Embrapa Trigo do ano de 2005. A coleta das espigas foi realizada quando as plantas se encontravam na fase anterior à antese. As análises citológicas foram realizadas fixando as anteras de uma mesma espiga em fixador Carnoy. Para a análise polínica, as lâminas foram confeccionadas usando-se três anteras da mesma flor, oriundas das regiões basal, mediana e apical de uma espiga, totalizando nove lâminas por genótipo. Para cada lâmina, foram contados cerca de 200 grãos de pólen, classificando-os em duas categorias: 1) normais ou viáveis e 2) anormais. Os dados foram analisados e as médias comparadas pelo teste de Duncan 5%. A análise de variância demonstrou haver diferenças significativas em relação à viabilidade polínica entre os 52 genótipos observados. A grande maioria dos genótipos apresentou viabilidade polínica superior a 90 %. A seleção assistida, via análise citológica de grãos de pólens, é potencialmente útil para um programa de melhoramento genético vegetal, uma vez que cruzamentos feitos entre plantas portadoras de pólens inviáveis resultarão em plantas estéreis e numa menor produção de grãos.
Extracts from Amazonian plants have inhibitory activity against tyrosinase: an in vitro evaluation
Authors: Macrini Daclé Juliani , Suffredini Ivana Barbosa , Varella Antonio Drauzio , Younes Riad Naim , Ohara Mitsuko Taba
Published: March 2010

Dermatological disorders related to pigmentation result in tenuous hyper or hypopigmentation Cosmetic and pharmaceutical products containing depigmenting substances are used in the treatment of patients who have high pigmentation disorders, such as melasma or chloasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, senile lentigo and ephelides. Skin lightening agents are not yet totally effective or safe and therefore intensive research for the discovery of new agents is continuous. Enzyme inhibitors involved in melanogenesis, such as tyrosinase, have been discovered in Asian countries, including those isolated from plant extracts. The Brazilian flora has the highest species diversity in the world, and the chemical, pharmacological and cosmetic potential for the discovery of new skin whitening agents is in proportion with this biodiversity. For these reasons, 25 aqueous and 24 organic extracts obtained from 19 plants native to the Amazon rain forest and to the Atlantic forest, belonging to 11 different families, were evaluated as tyrosinase inhibitors. Nine out of 49 extracts showed inhibitory activity in the screening process. The 50% inhibitory activity (IA50) was calculated, revealing that the most active extracts were the organic extracts from the leaves and stem of Ruprechtia sp. (IA50 33.76 mg.mL-1) and the organic extract from the aerial organs of Rapanea parviflora (IA50 64.19 mg.mL-1).
Integrating Herbicide Use and Perennial Grass Revegetation to Suppress Weeds in Noncrop Areas
Authors: Wilson Rob G. , Orloff Steve B. , Lancaster Donald L. , Kirby Donald W. , Carlson Harry L.
Published: March 2010

Noncropland such as levees, roadsides, field borders, fencerows, and wildlife areas are vulnerable to weed invasion. Many sites have undergone frequent human disturbance, such as manipulation from surrounding land uses, and lack competitive, desirable vegetation. This study addressed the importance of revegetation in an integrated weed management program including revegetation for noncrop areas. The study evaluated 14 cool-season perennial grasses (seven native species and eight introduced species) for their establishment, vigor, and ability to suppress weeds. It also evaluated the impact of herbicides on weed control and grass establishment. Treatments were applied at three noncrop sites in Northeast California that were heavily infested with weeds. Chemical weed control during the year of seeding and the following year was critical for perennial grass establishment. Weed cover was greater than 50% whereas average seeded grass cover was less than 6% in untreated plots at all sites 2 yr after seeding. In contrast, average seeded grass cover at all sites was 22 to 31% 2 yr after seeding for treatments where herbicide use resulted in wide-spectrum weed control and grass safety. Increasing perennial grass cover decreased total weed cover across perennial grass species 1and 2 yr after seeding. Individual grass species' cover differed among sites. Two introduced grasses (tall wheatgrass and crested wheatgrass) and three native grasses (western wheatgrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, and thickspike wheatgrass) showed broad adaptation and had > 20% cover at all sites 2 yr after seeding. In herbicide-treated plots, these grasses reduced total weed cover by 43 to 98% compared to unseeded plots 2 yr after seeding.
White Sweetclover (Melilotus albus) and Narrowleaf Hawksbeard (Crepis tectorum) Seed Germination after Passing through Moose
Authors: Seefeldt Steven S. , Collins William B. , Kuhl Joseph C. , Clauss Marcus
Published: March 2010

White sweetclover and narrowleaf hawksbeard are nonindigenous invasive plant species in Alaska that are rapidly spreading, including into areas that are otherwise free of nonindigenous plants. There has been concern that native moose could be dispersing germinable seed from these plants after ingestion. To address this concern, a study was conducted involving tame moose at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station, Matanuska Experiment Farm, Palmer, AK. Objectives were to determine if seeds from these two plant species could survive mastication and digestive passage through moose, whether this passage impacted seed germination, and whether seed passage rates were the same as similar sized Cr-mordanted fiber. In this study, narrowleaf hawksbeard seed rarely survived mastication and digestion with only five seedlings recovered from 42,000 germinable seed fed to the moose. About 16% of germinable white sweetclover seed (3,595 of 22,000) fed to the moose produced seedlings. Most of the sweetclover seedlings came from feces produced 2 and 3 d after feeding. In two moose, sweetclover seedlings were grown from fecal material that was passed 11 d after feeding, raising the possibility that seeds could be transported long distances after ingestion. Cr-mordanted fiber passage did not closely follow seedling producing seed, possibly because time in the rumen might reduce seed germination. Once roadsides in Alaska become infested with white sweetclover, moose can then serve as a transport vector of these weeds into river channels and floodplains, which are distant from roads. This information will impact white sweetclover management programs and alert land managers to the potential for other instances of wildlife-mediated seed dispersal.
Population Biology of Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) in Minnesota Hardwood Forests
Authors: Van Riper Laura C. , Becker Roger L. , Skinner Luke C.
Published: March 2010

Garlic mustard, a biennial forb native to Europe, has invaded native ecosystems in forested regions in the United States. In anticipation of a biological control program being implemented in the United States for this plant, a garlic mustard monitoring program was initiated. The objective of this study was to characterize garlic mustard populations and the associated plant communities and their response to environmental conditions in Minnesota hardwood forest ecosystems. Additionally, we developed a baseline for long-term studies to determine future benefits and impacts of biological control agents on plant communities infested with garlic mustard, should they be released. To monitor garlic mustard populations, we used a nationally standardized protocol in which data were collected on garlic mustard population density and cover, garlic mustard plant heights and silique production, insect damage to garlic mustard, cover of the associated plant community, and litter cover. We also collected data on available photosynthetically active radiation in the understory. The results underscore the variability in garlic mustard population dynamics. At only 6 of 12 sites did garlic mustard densities follow the predicted two-point cycles due to their biennial life cycle, with the first- or second-year life stage dominating in any given year. Available light did not differ strongly among sites, but shading by adult plants is implicated in keeping the populations of first-year plants low. Sites with greater garlic mustard cover had lower native species richness and cover than sites with lower garlic mustard cover. Absent biological control agents, garlic mustard is currently experiencing very little herbivory in Minnesota with an average of 2% of leaf area removed by herbivores. Our work shows the importance of pre-release monitoring at multiple sites over multiple years to adequately characterize populations. Without control, garlic mustard will likely continue to have negative impacts on northern forests.
Drug Pricing and Value in Oncology
Authors: Danzon Patricia M. , Taylor Erin
Published: March 2010

This paper examines the issue of prices, relative to value, for cancer drugs. The analysis focuses on the effects on manufacturer pricing incentives of insurance coverage, specifically, the effectiveness of patient cost sharing, incentives created by reimbursement rules for physician-dispensed drugs, and payer ability and incentives to negotiate discounts. For pharmacy-dispensed cancer drugs, both Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) and private payers' pharmacy benefit managers are increasingly placing these drugs on specialty tiers that offer no leverage for negotiating discounts and imply often unaffordable cost sharing for patients who lack catastrophic coverage. Simulation analysis of financial risks faced by PDPs confirms their incentives to place costly drugs on specialty tiers if more preferred formulary placement would increase use, possibly because of adverse selection risk. Faced with largely price-insensitive consumers and payers, manufacturers would rationally charge high prices. This situation is exacerbated for physician-dispensed cancer drugs, where Medicare's average selling price plus 6% reimbursement rule favors high-priced drugs. Because U.S. payers do not require evidence on prices relative to value, U.S. data are unavailable to test whether prices are higher, relative to value, for cancer drugs than for other drugs. Evidence from the Canadian Common Drug Review on cost-utility values suggests that cancer drugs are relatively high priced, although conclusions are tentative because of very small samples and non-U.S. data. Making such outcomes-adjusted prices available in the U.S. would be helpful to physicians, payers, and patients and indirectly constrain pricing to align with value.
Ethical and Value Issues in Insurance Coverage for Cancer Treatment
Authors: Brock Dan W.
Published: March 2010

Many new cancer drugs provide only limited benefits, but at very great cost, for example, $200,000–$300,000 per quality-adjusted life year produced. By most standards of value or cost-effectiveness, this does not represent good value. I first review several of the causes of this value failure, including monopoly patents, prohibitions on Medicare's negotiating on drug prices, health insurance protecting patients from costs, and financial incentives of physicians to use these drugs. Besides value or cost-effectiveness, the other principal aim in health care resource allocation should be equity among the population served. I examine several equity considerations—priority to the worse off, aggregation and special priority to life extension, and the rule of rescue—and argue that none justifies greater priority for cancer treatment on the grounds of equity. Finally, I conclude by noting two recent policy changes that are in the wrong direction for achieving value in cancer care, and suggesting some small steps that could take us in the right direction.
Rewarding Value Creation to Promote Innovation in Oncology: The Importance of Considering the Global Product Life Cycle
Authors: Garrison Louis P.
Published: March 2010

This discussion highlights the linkage between the concept of economic value in cancer care and the incentives for innovation from a global perspective. The key point is that value is also dynamic, changing over the product life cycle.
Kinematic wave computation using an efficient implicit method
Authors: Tseng Ming-Hseng
Published: March 2010

The kinematic wave theorem is the simplest and widely employed distributed routing method used in practical applications for the computation of flood wave propagation in overland and open-channel flows with steep topography. In this paper, an efficient finite-difference implicit MacCormack scheme is developed for the simulation of one-dimensional kinematic wave flows. Simulated results are compared with two analytical solutions and one experimental measurement to assess the performance of an explicit MacCormack scheme, implicit nonlinear kinematic wave scheme and implicit MacCormack scheme. The computed results show that the proposed implicit MacCormack scheme is simple, accurate, highly stable and greatly efficient in solving kinematic wave problems.
Assessing water renewal of the northern coastal zone in China using a variable fuzzy pattern recognition model
Authors: Peng Hui , Zhou Huicheng , Li Min
Published: March 2010

An integrated indexes system for assessing water renewal of the northern coastal zone is developed; and rough sets theory is used to eliminate the redundancy in the indexes system. Then a variable fuzzy pattern recognition model is selected to evaluate the state of water renewal, which involves fuzzy information and interval numbers of classification standard values for evaluation. The indexes system and evaluation model are illustrated in water renewal evaluation of Dalian City. The results of the recent ten years show that natural renewal is much lower than social renewal. The evaluation result of the planning year implies that measures including increasing efficiency of water consumption, increasing use of reclaimed water amounts, desalinated water and seawater, and use of trans-basin water work are effective for improving social renewal; furthermore, water use of trans-basin work is the most sensitive factor influencing social renewal, and other measures including use of reclaimed water, water-saving of urban living, use of seawater for industry, water-saving of agriculture and water-saving of industry are in sequence of sensitivity.
Clean power in water supply systems as a sustainable solution: from planning to practical implementation
Authors: Ramos H. M. , Mello M. , De P. K.
Published: March 2010

Energy efficiency and renewable energy sources have drawn a greater attention by EU, in particular for climate change policies as it can substantially cut down CO2 emissions to meet EU environmental obligations. It is well established that in drinking pipe systems Pressure Reducing Valves (PRV) are used as a mean for excess energy dissipation for the purpose of pressure control. This type of solution can be adopted, as a mitigation method to control the system losses, in particular, the available overload, which must have to be dissipated to avoid leakage or rupture occurrence in the pipe system. The use of micro-hydro systems seems to provide a better approach as a sustainable solution in terms of controlling the system pressure as well as to provide a non-negligible income by producing clean energy. Computational simulations, experimental research and engineering project development are carried out to analyse and compare the hydraulic system behaviour between a PRV and a pump working as a turbine (PT). This research creates an important challenge for seasonal stabilization of the energy supply by using water supply systems, due to the stochastic nature of river-hydro resources.
Radiation effects in polycarbonate capacitors
Authors: Vujisic Milos , Stankovic Koviljka , Dolicanin Edin , Jovanovic Bojan
Published: March 2010

The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of neutron and gamma irradiation on the dissipation factor and capacitance of capacitors with polycarbonate dielectrics. The operation of capacitors subject to extreme conditions, such as the presence of ionizing radiation fields, is of special concern in military industry and space technology. Results obtained show that the exposure to a mixed neutron and gamma radiation field causes a decrease of capacitance, while the loss tangent remains unchanged.
Radioactive waste management at the Paul Scherrer Institute, the largest Swiss national research centre
Authors: Beer Hans-Frieder
Published: March 2010

This paper presents the current radioactive waste management practices at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). The PSI contributes to waste related problems in two aspects, namely to the scientific basis of waste management and disposal, and to the practical treatment and storage of radioactive waste. In addition to the tasks of treating on-site generated waste, PSI manages the wastes from medicine, industry, and research throughout Switzerland on behalf of the government. Therefore the Dismantling and Waste Management Section is a part of the Logistics Department at PSI. Proved and accepted methods have to be developed for the safe conditioning and storage of radioactive waste. Various waste treatment facilities exist at PSI. The conditioning facility is dedicated to sorting, compaction by a 120 t press, solidification with special cement, and embedding in concrete. Specialized facilities were constructed for waste from the decommissioning of research reactors. Activated aluminum and its alloys were melted in crucibles and embedded in concrete in a concrete container. After dismantling the structural material of the reactors, it was embedded in concrete in the same manner. For the conditioning of activated reactor graphite, a dedicated method was developed. Graphite was crushed to replace sand in the grout, for embedding radioactive waste in concrete containers. For accelerator waste, a walk-in hot cell equipped with an electrically driven manipulator is available where the highly activated large components (targets, beam dump) can be cut into pieces and embedded in concrete in containers. To guarantee the fulfillment of the demands of the regulators, the Dismantling and Waste Management Section applies an accredited quality management system for the safe collection, conditioning, and storage of radioactive waste.
‘The Centre is My Business’: Neo-Liberal Politics, Privatisation and Discourses of Professionalism in New Zealand
Authors: Duhn Iris
Published: March 2010

Over the past decade, professionalism has become a keyword in early childhood education in New Zealand. The emphasis on ‘professionalism’ in education often refers to increased accountability and outcome-focused approaches to teaching. The push to managerial performativity as a new hallmark of professionalism has led to arguments that warn of a ‘deprofessionalisation’ of teachers as an effect of neo-liberal education reform. This article argues that discourses of professionalism in neo-liberal times and places are multifaceted and more complex than the ‘deprofessionalism’ argument indicates. Instead of reinscribing neo-liberalism as a monolithic entity which produces one particular type of professionalism only, the article proposes to look closely at what kind of professionalism is enacted in particular places. The article focuses on two ‘professionalisms' — one in a corporate context, the other one in a small, private centre — to highlight the coexistence of different articulations and enactments of ‘neo-liberal professionalism’ in early childhood education.
International Large-Scale Assessment Data
Authors: Rutkowski Leslie , Gonzalez Eugenio , Joncas Marc , von Davier Matthias
Published: March 2010

The technical complexities and sheer size of international large-scale assessment (LSA) databases often cause hesitation on the part of the applied researcher interested in analyzing them. Further, inappropriate choice or application of statistical methods is a common problem in applied research using these databases. This article serves as a primer for researchers on the issues and methods necessary for obtaining unbiased results from LSA data. The authors outline the issues surrounding the analysis and reporting of LSA data, with a particular focus on three prominent international surveys. In addition, they make recommendations targeted at applied researchers regarding best analysis and reporting practices when using these databases.
Testing Spatial Models of Elections: The Influence of Voters and Elites on Candidate Issue Positions
Authors: FRENDREIS JOHN , GITELSON ALAN R. , JENKINS SHANNON , ROSCOE DOUGLAS D.
Published: March 2010

This research tests spatial models of electoral competition using survey data on state legislative candidates' policy positions and ideology in eight U.S. states. Our data support several hypotheses: 1) candidates' issue positions do not converge; 2) party elites have more extreme positions than do candidates; 3) candidate issue positioning is a function of party‐elite issue positions and union involvement in the campaign, as well as constituency characteristics; and 4) when candidates rely heavily on elite resources during their campaign, elites become more important in shaping candidate issue positions.
Congressional Vote Options
Authors: KING DAVID C. , ZECKHAUSER RICHARD J.
Published: March 2010

Numerous accounts reveal that congressional leaders often secure “hip‐pocket votes” or “if you need me” pledges from rank‐and‐file legislators. These are essentially options on votes. Leaders exercise sufficient options—pay legislators to convert to favorable votes—when those options will yield victory. Otherwise, they release the options. A model shows that this optimal strategy for leaders produces many small victories, few small losses, and losses that are, on average, larger than victories. We find precisely these patterns, hence strong evidence for vote options, in Congressional Quarterly key votes from 1975 through 2001 and in non‐key votes from the 106th Congress (1999–2000).
Leadership PAC Contribution Strategies and House Member Ambitions
Authors: CURRINDER MARIAN L.
Published: March 2010

Leadership political action committees (PACs) are committees headed by federal politicians but separate from the politicians' personal campaign committees. Like other PACs, leadership PACs receive donations from individuals and groups, then make contributions to the political candidates that they support. Previous research indicates that member contribution strategies reflect both party‐based and personal goals. Using a range of data from before and after the 1994 “Republican Revolution,” this study fills a void in the existent research by testing whether or not House members with leadership PACs switch contribution strategies once their party status changes. My analysis reveals that a shift in party status tends to produce a subsequent shift in contribution strategy. My findings also suggest that members, while acting within a party‐based framework, may target their contributions in ways that also reflect their personal goals.
Bicameral Winning Coalitions and Equilibrium Federal Legislatures
Authors: KALANDRAKIS TASOS
Published: March 2010

I analyze the legislative interaction between representatives from big and small states in a bicameral legislature that decides on the allocation of a fixed resource among the states. I assume that the two houses are malapportioned and that the big states are underrepresented in the upper house. By studying the effect of this and other institutional features on the relative welfare of big and small states and on equilibrium coalitions, I find that, contrary to common belief, an increase in the representation of small states may reduce those states' expected payoff, ceteris paribus. Also, contrary to interpretations of minimum‐winning‐coalition theorems, I demonstrate that excess majorities may occur in one of the two houses. When proposal making tends to be dominated by big (small) states, excess majorities occur in the upper (lower) house. I also find that higher proposal power increases the payoff of a group of states. Changes in the majority requirements in the two houses and expansion to encompass more small (big) states have non‐monotonic effects on the relative welfare of the two groups. I conclude my analysis with an empirical application using calibrations results for the 103d U.S. Congress and the legislative institutions of the European Union before and after the Treaty of Nice.

“The equality of representation in the senate is another point, which, being evidently the result of compromise between the opposite pretensions of the large and the small states, does not call for much discussion.” James Madison (1788)

Time: “Did the battle over the relative weight of big and small countries overshadow more important matters at Nice?”

Verhofstadt: “It was absolutely necessary. What they tried to do in Nice was make a directorate of the big countries. The European Union can't survive like that.”

Interview of Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of Belgium TIME (2000)
Committee Outliers in State Legislatures
Authors: OVERBY L. MARVIN , KAZEE THOMAS A. , PRINCE DAVID W.
Published: March 2010

In this paper, we extend recent work exploring the prevalence of outlying committees in American state legislatures. Using an expanded sample of 45 states and measures of legislator preferences generated by a single, federated group, we find that most legislative committees are representative of the parent chambers from which their members are selected. Furthermore, we test multivariate models designed to account for theoretically relevant patterns in variations in outlier percentages among control and noncontrol committees. The fact that our models are such poor predictors of nonrepresentative committees speaks to the idiosyncratic nature of the relatively small percentage of outlying committees in the states. This conclusion, in turn, provides further support for the proposition that representative committees are simply rational.
When Tokens Matter
Authors: CROWLEY JOCELYN ELISE
Published: March 2010

Tokens, or low levels of minority or female representatives in state legislatures, have been studied with respect to their perceptions of self‐efficacy and political attitudes but not with respect to their actual influence on the passage of public policy. This paper uses state‐level data from the child support program between the years 1976–84 to measure the influence of women tokens on the policy process. Using ordered probit models, I explore policy adoption under three configurations: (1) a test of the independent impact of tokens, (2) a dynamic test of the differential impact of tokens and nontokens to analyze potential backlash effects and the potential diffusion of policy preferences, and (3) an interactive test on the potential for tokens to form coalitions. My analysis strongly suggests that tokens make a policy difference independently and to a greater extent than when they are on the cusp of becoming nontokens, but I found less support for the idea that tokens successfully form coalitions to achieve specific policy goals.
Assessing the President's Role as Party Agent in Congressional Elections: The Case of Bill Clinton in 2000
Authors: JACOBSON GARY C. , KERNELL SAMUEL , LAZARUS JEFFREY
Published: March 2010

Presidents have become their parties' chief fund‐raisers and thus have the capacity to further their parties' collective fortunes by imposing a more efficient distribution of campaign resources than might otherwise prevail. In order to succeed, presidents must, first, accurately target their efforts where they will best improve candidates' prospects for winning seats, and second, either directly or indirectly (through signaling to other donors) generate sufficient new resources to affect the election outcome. Analyses of Bill Clinton's extensive fund‐raising efforts during the 1999–2000 election cycle confirm that presidents can indeed use their unmatched fund‐raising ability to help their parties win congressional contests they might otherwise lose. But analysis of the Clinton record also shows that presidential fund‐raising activities may be shaped by other purposes that lead to a distribution of effort that is suboptimal for the party.
Bicameralism and Geographic Politics: Allocating Funds in the House and Senate
Authors: LEE FRANCES E.
Published: March 2010

Because they represent different kinds of constituencies—states versus parts of states—senators and House members have different incentives in constructing federal distributive programs. In order to claim credit for providing particularized benefits, House members need to use policy tools—earmarks and narrow categorical programs—that target funds to their constituencies. Senators, by contrast, are able to claim credit for the large formula grants that distribute the bulk of intergovernmental grant money. Examining House‐Senate interactions in one of the largest distributive programs, federal aid to states for surface transportation, I show that the different bases of representation in the House and Senate structure the chambers' preferences on distributive programs and affect the outcomes of interchamber conflicts.
Elected Bodies: The Gender Quota Law for Legislative Candidates in Mexico
Authors: BALDEZ LISA
Published: March 2010

In the past decade, 21 countries have adopted gender quota laws that require between 20% and 50% of all legislative candidates to be women. What explains the adoption of these laws? I argue that three factors make politicians more likely to adopt gender quota laws. First, electoral uncertainty creates an opportunity for internal party reform that factions within a party can exploit to their advantage. Second, the courts play an important role because of the centrality of the issue of equal protection under the law to gender quotas. Finally, cross‐partisan mobilization among female legislators raises the costs of opposing such legislation by drawing public attention to it. I examine these three claims with regard to Mexico, where the federal congress passed a 30% gender quota law in 2002.

I'd give up my seat for you if it wasn't for the fact that I'm sitting in it myself.

—Groucho Marx

(quoted in Abdela 2001)

[Many Latin American countries] have ‘homosexual’ political systems, that is, the power of the political parties and the state is in the hands of only one of the sexes.…

—Line Bareiro, Paraguayan feminist

(Bareiro and Soto 1992, 11)
The Impact of Federalism on National Party Cohesion in Brazil
Authors: DESPOSATO SCOTT W.
Published: March 2010

This article explores the impact of federalism on national party cohesion. Although credited with increasing economic growth and managing conflict in countries with diverse electorates, federal forms of government have also been blamed for weak party systems because national coalitions may be divided by interstate conflicts. This latter notion has been widely asserted, but there is virtually no empirical evidence of the relationship or even an effort to isolate and identify the specific features of federal systems that might weaken parties. In this article, I build and test a model of federal effects in national legislatures. I apply my framework to Brazil, whose weak party system is attributed, in part, to that country's federal form of government. I find that federalism does significantly reduce party cohesion and that this effect can be tied to multiple state‐level interests but that state‐level actors' impact on national party cohesion is surprisingly small.
Time, Term Limits, and Turnover: Trends in Membership Stability in U.S. State Legislatures
Authors: MONCRIEF GARY F. , NIEMI RICHARD G. , POWELL LYNDA W.
Published: March 2010

Increases in legislative professionalization along with the implementation of term limits in about one‐third of the American states raise significant questions about the path of state house and senate turnover. We first update turnover figures for all states, by chamber, from the mid‐1980s through 2002. We then compare turnover rates in states with and without term limits. We find that turnover rates, overall, continued to decline through the 1980s but that the long downward trend abated in the 1990s as a result of term limits. The effects of term limits vary depending on the length of the term limit and the opportunity structure in the state. There is also a strong relationship between the presence of term limits and interchamber movement. In addition to term limits, professionalization levels, redistricting, the presence of multi‐member districts, and partisan swings explain differences in turnover rates between states.
Using Term Limits to Estimate Incumbency Advantages When Officeholders Retire Strategically
Authors: ANSOLABEHERE STEPHEN , SNYDER JAMES M.
Published: March 2010

Empirical study of U.S. elections over the last 50 years has documented a strong electoral advantage to incumbency in state and federal elections. Recently, however, critics have argued that traditional estimates of the incumbency advantage may overstate the advantage by as much as 100% because the estimates fail to consider strategic retirements. This article directly examines whether or not strategic retirement biases conventional regression estimates of incumbency advantages. We use term limits in state executive and legislative elections as instrumental variables to correct for strategic retirement. We find that, as an empirical matter, strategic retirement is not substantively important. Estimates of incumbency advantages that take account of strategic retirement actually are marginally larger than estimates that do not.
Opportunity Costs and Outside Careers in U.S. State Legislatures
Authors: MADDOX H.W. JEROME
Published: March 2010

Cost‐benefit models of career choice predict that potential legislators choose legislative careers when they expect greater utility from legislative service than from other options. In state legislatures, the utility of legislative service includes the monetary value of outside careers. I hypothesize that legislators are more likely to pursue outside careers when financial opportunity costs are higher or when they derive less non‐monetary value from legislative service. In particular, I posit that individual characteristics that predict labor market value (such as age, education, race, and sex) and legislative salary predict outside careers. I test this model employing a new dataset of individual outside‐career activity derived from financial disclosure reports. The findings strongly support the hypothesis that outside‐career behavior is a function of the financial opportunity costs of legislative service. In addition, I find that Republicans are more likely to hold outside careers than are Democrats. This research has important implications for the study of state legislative participation, legislative organization, and the Democratic bias hypothesis.
Congressional Party Defection in American History
Authors: NOKKEN TIMOTHY P. , POOLE KEITH T.
Published: March 2010

In this paper, we analyze the roll‐call voting behavior of House and Senate members who changed party affiliation during the course of their political careers. We analyze members who switched during the stable periods of the three major two‐party systems in American history: the Federalist‐Jeffersonian Republican system (3d to 12th Congresses), the Democratic‐Whig System (20th to 30th Congresses), and the Democratic‐Republican System (46th to 106th Congresses). Our primary findings are that the biggest changes in the roll‐call voting behavior of party defectors can be observed during periods of high ideological polarization and that party defections during the past 30 years are distinct from switches in other eras because of high polarization and the disappearance of a second dimension of ideological conflict.
How Strong Should Our Party Be? Party Member Preferences Over Party Cohesion
Authors: VOLDEN CRAIG , BERGMAN ELIZABETH
Published: March 2010

In this article, we seek to explain when and why political parties pressure their members to vote with the party. We model party cohesion as an endogenous choice of preference alignment by party members. Couched in Krehbiel's (1996, 1998) pivotal politics model, the formal theory advanced here shows party cohesion to be related to the initial preference alignment of party members, the divergence in preferences between parties, the cohesion of the opposing party, the party's size, and the party's majority or minority status. We solved the model analytically for generalized‐partial equilibrium results and further analyzed it through computer simulations. We tested the model's predictions in the U.S. Senate using Rice party cohesion scores from the 46th through 104th Congresses. The data analyses show strong support for this theory of endogenous choice of party pressure.
Senate Apportionment as a Source of Political Inequality
Authors: GRIFFIN JOHN D.
Published: March 2010

Political scientists have long known that the equal representation of states in the U.S. Senate and the placement of state lines might disadvantage politically relevant groups, granting some citizens greater voting weight in the chamber. Yet we lack systematic, longitudinal evidence that identifies the groups disadvantaged by Senate malapportionment, the sources of this disadvantage, and probes the policy consequences. In this article, I compare each state's liberalism and racial composition with its relative voting weight in the Senate over time. Additionally, I examine whether roll‐call coalitions in the Senate map onto these patterns of state ideology and racial composition.
Local News Coverage and the Incumbency Advantage in the U.S. House
Authors: SCHAFFNER BRIAN F.
Published: March 2010

Much of the incumbency advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives is attributed to incumbents' efforts to address constituents' needs. Yet House members do not win reelection simply by performing well in office, but also by informing constituents of how well they are doing their jobs. I examined the value of local news coverage for legislators seeking to publicize their legislative work on behalf of constituents. I found that incumbents who win more newspaper coverage are viewed as being more in touch with the district and are more likely to win support from constituents during bids for reelection.
Strategic Retirements: The Influence of Public Preferences On Voluntary Departures from Congress
Authors: WOLAK JENNIFER
Published: March 2010

Are members of Congress responsive to public preferences in their decisions to seek reelection or retire, or do members simply rely on the advantages of incumbency to secure reelection? I argue that members of Congress consider their electoral vulnerability when deciding whether or not to seek reelection, informing their reelection odds with the same short‐term electoral forces that influence election outcomes: partisan preferences, economic evaluations, and congressional approval. Considering aggregate rates of voluntary departures from the House and Senate from 1954 to 2004, I show that rates of retirement reflect, not only institutional environments within Congress, but also the mood of the electorate.