bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“What do you think of female chastity?” Identity and Loyalty in the National Security State
Authors: NEOCLEOUS MARK
Published: November 2006

Abstract  This article explores the relationship between security, identity and loyalty. Focusing on the formative texts and practices underpinning the rise of the national security state in America, while alluding to more recent developments, the article claims that security and identity are inextricably linked, not just in the obvious existential ways, but also in a far more political way: that the fabrication of national security goes hand in hand with the fabrication of national identity, and vice versa. Extending well beyond the question of patriotism as a security trope, this ‘identity’ permeates the worlds of sexuality and domesticity. To make this case the article pinpoints loyalty as a key political technology for simultaneously gauging identity and reaffirming security, thereby unearthing what might be called a security‐identity‐loyalty complex.
Imagining “In‐between” Peoples across the Atlantic
Authors: TODOROVA MIGLENA S.
Published: November 2006

Abstract  In the early twentieth century, a wave of immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe to the United States caused natives' anxiety and debates over the racial purity of “the nation.” By mid‐century, these new‐comers would be accepted in the ethnic wing of the white race. Across academic disciplines, this immigrant history has become emblematic of how “white people” in the United States are not born but made. Focusing on narratives on “the Balkans” in the popular at the time scientific magazine the National Geographic, this study examines American racial ideas of immigrants from the region from a comparative and cross‐national perspective.
Aristotle, Hobbes and Chimpanzees
Authors: Berry Christopher J.
Published: November 2006

The article is an exercise in the philosophical anthropology of politics. According to Aristotle, man is a political animal but not uniquely so, whereas, according to Hobbes, politics is artificial and the preserve of humans alone. Both Aristotle and Hobbes draw upon contemporary science. The dominant relevant science today is neo-Darwinism – humans are products of evolution and genetically closely related to the other primates. The argument that chimpanzees are political, thus putatively endorsing an Aristotelian rather than a Hobbesian perspective, is scrutinised. However, at best, chimpanzees are only metaphorically political. While this conclusion may weaken the Aristotelian position, it cannot of itself vindicate the Hobbesian one. The philosophical anthropological endeavour to investigate the relation between politics and human nature still has work to do.
Coalitions of Contention: The Case of the WTO Protests in Seattle
Authors: Levi Margaret , Murphy Gillian H.
Published: November 2006

Coalitions of organizations are cooperative arrangements that require ongoing management of conflicts among members and potential members. Using data on both successful and unsuccessful attempts at coalition building during the 1999 protests against the WTO in Seattle, we explain the variation in the formation of one type of coalition of organizations, the ‘event coalition’, in which social movement organizations coalesce around a specific protest event. We find that objectively common organizational interests and framing are necessary but not sufficient for explaining coalition partnering. Organizational representatives must also calculate a benefit from pooled resources and be able to commit credibly to delivering promised resources and to resolving the inevitable tensions that arise among coalition partners.
Pragmatists, Ideologues and the General Law of Curvilinear Disparity: The Case of the Irish Labour Party
Authors: Kennedy Fiachra , Lyons Pat , Fitzgerald Peter
Published: November 2006

In this article we examine the opinion structure of Irish Labour party members and supporters. Our purpose is to test May's law of curvilinear disparity by dividing party members into two groups as outlined by Kitschelt. By focusing on ideological differences within political parties Kitschelt identifies two types of members: ideologues and pragmatists. We use two individual-level data sets: the Labour Leadership Election Study (LLES) and the Irish National Election Study (INES), to test May's law. We find some limited support for May's law and Kitschelt's extensions to this model.
How Voters Evaluate Economic Competence: A Comparison between Parties in and out of Power
Authors: Butt Sarah
Published: November 2006

Accounts of general election outcomes increasingly talk about voters comparing parties in terms of their perceived competence to manage the economy and public services. This raises the question of how voters form evaluations of party competence. While it is assumed that voters form evaluations of the incumbent based on the signals provided by its current performance in office it is less clear how, in the absence of such a performance record, voters might evaluate the potential competence of the opposition. Using data from the British Election Panel Studies this article models the process by which voters form evaluations of parties' competence to manage the economy and compares results across incumbent and opposition parties. On the basis of evidence from general elections of 1992–2001 the article demonstrates that the process of evaluation formation does differ between parties in and out of power with retrospective evaluations of recent economic performance influencing evaluations of the former but not the latter. Nevertheless, the article also demonstrates that voters are capable of forming evaluations of the opposition which are more than a simple mirror image of their evaluations of the incumbent. In the absence of an up-to-date performance record these evaluations are based on long-term partisan and ideological predispositions and the cues provided by party leaders.
Critical Mass, Deliberation and the Substantive Representation of Women: Evidence from the UK's Devolution Programme
Authors: Chaney Paul
Published: November 2006

This article provides empirical evidence to support recent assertions that the substantive representation of women depends not only on the numbers of women elected representatives in national legislatures, but also who they are. In this case study of one of the UK's devolved legislatures, analysis was undertaken of the transcripts of 327 plenary debates held during the first term of the National Assembly for Wales, where women constituted 42 percent of elected members (1999–2003). The gender dynamics of political debate around key equality topics reveal that the link between descriptive and substantive representation of women is complex. When a ‘critical mass’ of women is achieved the substantive representation of women is affirmed as ‘probabilistic’ rather than ‘deterministic’ for it is shaped by the institutional context, the gender dynamics of debate and, importantly, the actions of individual ‘equality champions’. While women representatives exhibited a greater propensity to advance gender equality in debate than their male colleagues, the present findings also show the disproportionate influence of ‘equality champions’: women who are able to draw upon earlier feminist activism and act as ‘strategic insiders’ who make a difference to women's issues in a parliamentary context.
Political Support: Social Capital, Civil Society and Political and Economic Performance
Authors: Newton Kenneth
Published: November 2006

This article assesses two main theories of the decline of political support that is found in many western democracies. The first is society centred and built on the concepts of social capital, trust and civil society. The second is politics centred and focuses on the performance of government and the economy. The two theories are not necessarily incompatible, but they are usually treated in a mutually exclusive way. In this article they are tested against a combination of aggregate cross-national comparative data and detailed case studies of four countries that have suffered exceptional decline of political support for politicians, political institutions and the systems of government. The puzzle is that cross-national comparative evidence about a large and diverse number of nations supports social capital theory, whereas in-depth study of four countries that have experienced substantial decline of political support does not. The erosion of support coincides in all four with poor economic and/or political performance. A way of reconciling the two theories and their supporting evidence is suggested, arguing that while social capital is a necessary foundation for democratic support, it is not a sufficient cause.
Commuting and Citizen Participation in Swedish City-Regions
Authors: Lidström Anders
Published: November 2006

Commuting has become an increasingly important feature of modern life. Theories of public participation, such as the civic voluntarism model, claim that commuting is likely to reduce the time available for political activism. Based on data from an American context, Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone has concluded that this is exactly what happens. However, empirical studies based on European data on how commuting may affect political participation are rare. This article aims to address this question with regard to Swedish city-regions. Is there also a negative relationship between commuting and citizen participation in Sweden? The analysis is based on survey data for 7, 200 citizens from seven Swedish city-regions belonging to three different size categories. The relationship between commuting and several different forms of public participation is investigated, controlling for the variables suggested by the civic voluntarism model. The analysis indicates that there are no signs of a negative relationship and some aspects of participation are actually positively linked to commuting. These findings suggest that the civic voluntarism model needs to be revised, at least in a European context. The article ends with a discussion about how differences between Sweden and the US can be accounted for and what the more general consequences for democracy may be.
The interference of paid work with household demands in different social policy contexts: perceived work–household conflict in Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands, Hungary, and the Czech Republic
Authors: Strandh Mattias , Nordenmark Mikael
Published: November 2006

The article explores whether people experiences a lower level of work–household conflict in a context that is characterized by extensive family policies (Sweden and to some extent Hungary and Czech Republic) aimed at facilitating participation in the labour market. This is done by studying perceived work–household conflict among women and men living in Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. The analyses are based on the answers to a questionnaire distributed to nearly 6,000 randomly selected individuals within the framework of the European Union financed ‘Household, Work, and Flexibility’ (HWF) study. The results show that women in Sweden experience conflicts between work and household demands to a higher degree than any other category in all five countries. The differences between Swedish women and women living in the Netherlands and the UK are explained by variables indicating qualifications and workload in the main job, but the lower degree of work–household conflict among Czech and Hungarian women is still significant when controlling for household composition and working conditions. Data indicate that a possible explanation for this can be found in the interplay between men's and women's attitudes toward gender roles and the actual situation in terms of division of labour.
Who's making global civil society: philanthropy and US empire in world society
Authors: Vogel Ann
Published: November 2006

Theories of US hegemony commonly ignore the role of American philanthropy in the contemporary transformations of world society and the globalization of capitalism. In this essay, I suggest that the philanthropic foundation, and with it the institution of philanthropy, is being invigorated by the expansion of its domestic role to foreign activities and to globally framed activities within the USA. I propose that US philanthropy exports American understandings of democracy and simultaneously organizes global reflexivity through citizenship education for the US populace. I offer a preliminary theoretical interpretation of the empirical patterns of international grant‐making activities by US foundations, considering John W. Meyer's concept of ‘instrumental culture’ and some arguments made by Foucauldian ‘governmentality’ scholars. I emphasize the need to conceptualize the cultural‐symbolic and organizational dimensions of hegemony and suggest further sociological analysis of philanthropic activities as integral to current politically and economically led transformations of societies around the globe.
Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellites isolated from the spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor) and cross‐species amplification in the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Authors: CELIS P. , GIL D. , GRAVES J. A.
Published: November 2006

Spotless and European starlings (Sturnus unicolor and Sturnus vulgaris) have attracted attention from researchers interested in sexual selection, evolution of parental care and reproductive strategies. Both species show high levels of intraspecific nest parasitism and extra‐pair paternity, but research in this area is hampered by a lack of molecular markers specific for these species. Here, we describe a set of primers for nine microsatellite loci in spotless starlings, eight of which are highly polymorphic (7.37 alleles in average). These microsatellites are also polymorphic in European starlings (6.75 alleles in average).
famsphere: a computer program for parental allocation from known genotypic pools
Authors: CARVAJAL‐RODRÍGUEZ ANTONIO
Published: November 2006

famsphere is a computer program that implements a distance‐based method to allocate families based on microsatellite marker information. It formalizes the exclusion method considering genotyping errors or mutations. Contrary to the standard exclusion method, famsphere provides a way to resolve conflicts in the case of multiple paternities. The information linked to the defined distances is similar to that of the transmission probabilities used in the likelihood approaches. However, in famsphere the information of loci is used as a whole, contrary to the likelihood approaches. famsphere is free software and can be downloaded from http://www.uvigo.es/webs/c03/webc03/XENETICA/XB2/antonio/famsphere/famsphere.htm
The Impact of Children on Women's Paid Work*
Authors: Paull Gillian
Published: November 2006

This paper investigates how and when differences in work behaviour between men and women develop, focusing on the evolution of the gender gaps over the period of family development. The findings support the theory that gender differences in the formal labour market stem from the presence of children in the home and that childbirth and children entering school are critical times in women's employment. Births mark a dramatic decline in participation in work for women, while school entry is a time of considerable turnover in participation. The length of absence from work following a subsequent birth is closely related to whether the mother was in work between births, while maternity pay and leave entitlements appear to influence the precise timing of the return to work. In addition, a return to work following birth is often only temporary. The gradual decline in women's relative wages following the first birth appears to stem from the accumulation of several shorter periods of unusually low wage growth for women around the times of birth and school entry. There is also a sharp movement into part‐time work for women following childbirth and a transition towards non‐permanent positions and non‐supervisory roles at both critical points.
The Effective Tax Burden of Companies and of Highly Skilled Manpower: Tax Policy Strategies in a Globalised Economy*
Authors: Elschner Christina , Lammersen Lothar , Overesch Michael , Schwager Robert
Published: November 2006

Company taxes and taxes on highly skilled labour both influence the attractiveness of a particular region as a location for investment. We measure the effective tax burden on capital investment and on highly qualified labour in 33 locations across Europe and the United States. We then correlate both types of tax burden in order to study the different tax policy strategies applied in different countries. We find that effective tax rates on companies and on highly skilled employees are closely correlated for a number of countries. Ireland and most new EU Member States impose relatively lower taxes on capital investment than on highly skilled manpower. Conversely, in the US, companies are taxed heavily but the effective tax rate on highly skilled employees is moderate.
Separate Spheres: Analytical Persistence in United States Women's History
Authors: Warren Kim
Published: November 2006

Since the 1960s United States women's history has seen a dramatic rise in productivity, reclamation of the past, innovation of new theories and strategies, and analysis of the roles of women in society. Despite this growth, or perhaps because of it, a persistent debate about “separate spheres” has provided a common thread within scholarship of the past four decades. Original separate spheres scholarship demonstrated how the sexual division of labor intensified through industrialization in the mid‐nineteenth century. Subsequent scholarship critiqued separate spheres metaphors, calling attention to the ways in which women of color have rarely had the privilege of occupying a strictly domestic realm. Such arguments only encouraged more analysis and application of separate spheres metaphors until questions about women's and men's roles in society, private and public realms, domestic and political influence pervaded most scholarship about women regardless of race, class, and region.
Sport, Segregation and Space: The Historical Geography of Physical Recreation in the South African City of Pietermaritzburg
Authors: Merrett Christopher
Published: November 2006

Using the city of Pietermaritzburg as a case study, sport is treated as a lens through which to view aspects of the political, social and economic history of Natal and South Africa. Successive, reinforcing ideologies of imperialism, segregation and apartheid created a system of inclusion and exclusion through which the cohesion of White society was promoted by regarding sport as a social service; while Black communities were largely ignored. The authorities in the main spurned the opportunity to uplift these communities through provision of facilities for healthy exercise. Instead, their main concern was territorial segregation to control behaviour and particular instrumental use was made of municipal beerhalls, a form of recreation that produced revenue for general administrative purposes. However, the ambiguities of group areas legislation in relation to social apartheid did eventually provide scope for resistance. From the 1960s onwards the struggle over recreational facilities was an important part of the anti‐apartheid movement in Pietermaritzburg: through their campaigns non‐racial sports organisations challenged plans for autonomous, racially defined suburbs and promoted the idea that the city was no longer the preserve of Whites.
Sartre and Foucault on Bataille and Blanchot
Authors: Van Stralen Hans
Published: November 2006

In 1966, Sartre and Foucault conduct a debate that initiates a shift of convention in the French intellectual scene. From a Marxist point of view, Sartre feels that Foucault ignores the historical laws and the subsequent social developments. Foucault on his part considers Sartre's theory to be a failed effort at fixating reality in a coordinating framework, seen from the point of humanistic morals. The controversy becomes more insightful when the literary views of both thinkers are subjected to closer study. Sartre sees the literary work as a vehicle for opinions and, especially after 1945, he thinks that the author should accomplish social change by means of literature. Foucault, on the other hand, sees the literary text as a place where genuine speech reveals itself and which is essentially unfinished. Both philosophers have written about Bataille and Blanchot and these writings also show their deviating viewpoints. Sartre sees them from an ethical angle and he is negative about their impossible transgression. After all, this status cannot be described without abandoning it. Foucault, on the contrary, has enormous admiration for this project, because it is about a search for new paths after the death of God.1
Günter Grass: Hundejahre oder La diabolica commedia germanica
Authors: Arendt Dieter
Published: November 2006

Hundejahre– der Titel ist beredt: Jahre der Not und des Elends, etwa Kriegsjahre oder Nachkriegsjahre. Hunde spielen ihren Part, nicht zuletzt ein Hund, ein schwarzer deutscher Schäferhund. Assoziationen sind vielfältig: Rannte nicht ein schwarzer Hund durch Saat und Koppeln und entpuppte sich als diabolischer Scholastikus? Hält nicht ein schwarzer Hund Wache vor den Toren des Orkus? Und hatte nicht ein oberster Kriegsherr einen schwarzen Schäferhund?

Die Hysteron‐Proteron‐Erzählweise ist ein adäquater Kunstgriff für die schleichende Dämonisierung des kleinbürgerlichen Alltags an der Weichsel. Die Rollen‐Erzähler waren dort Kinder und kennen sich bestens aus hinter den Deichen und als Gymnasiasten in der nahen Stadt – und hinter ihnen steht ein orts‐ und zeitkundiger Autor. An den Fäden des halbjüdischen Redakteurs und Regisseurs Brauxel oder Brauchsel – wie Weichsel – hängen und agieren die tagblinden Primaner‐Soldaten und die bramarbasierenden Partei‐Bonzen. Sie erinnern sich genau, aber ihr Gedächtnis ist ein blinder Spiegel.

Brauxel fabriziert in seinem Bergwerk – wie als Junge schon an der Weichsel – Scheuchen als gespenstische Karikaturen der historischen und zeitgenössischen Heroen. Erst als er im Bergwerk seinen Scheuchen‐Reigen vor Augen führt, dämmert im Zwielicht der Karbidlampe die deutsche Historie als Karneval der Welt‐ Geschichte.

Dem Titel Hundejahre korrespondiert in spiegelbildlicher Analyse der wortkarge Epilog: ,,Der Orkus ist oben.‘‘
To Approach, to Welcome, to Contest
Authors: Levy Karen D.
Published: November 2006

As Jacques Derrida emphasizes in his eloquent funeral tribute to Emmanuel Levinas, “welcome” is one of the most frequently used words in Totalité et infini. In the early pages of this work Levinas insists on the broadly framed significance of welcoming and teaching as manifestations of the ethical encounter. In later sections, however, he carefully distinguishes between the discreet welcome of the feminine whose language is silent and without teaching, and the approach of an absolute Other, who teaches transcendence itself. Levinas privileges the masculine when referring to the Other who teaches and seems to relegate the feminine to a silent presence whose welcome sets the stage for the ethical experience but who lacks the capacity to accept this challenge.

The role and status of sexual difference in relation to the ethical is perhaps the most highly contested aspect of Levinas's writings, and since the late 1980s women scholars have ever more boldly probed the tensions in Levinas's writings with respect to these issues. Their commentaries, written from a variety of perspectives, force us to acknowledge Levinas's shortcomings. At the same time they enable us to appreciate more specifically the significance of Le Clézio's own undertaking, which changed form dramatically following his years with the Indians in Panama to assume an openly acknowledged ethical dimension. The works from the last two decades that most daringly concretize the process of refusing or accepting the summons of an Other are the Mauritian sagas of Le chercheur d'or, La quarantaine, and Révolutions. These works both valorize the welcome of the Levinasian feminine and embody teaching in female characters, such as Ouma, Suryavati, Ananta, Anna Archambeau, and Catherine Marro. The male protagonists in these works, Alexis L'Étang, Léon Archambeau, and Jean Marro, either reject their teaching outright, preferring to remain enclosed in the solitude of the Same, or in different ways, accept the possibility of re‐commencement as Other, which Le Clézio himself so eagerly embraced.
Native/American Digital Storytelling: Situating the Cherokee Oral Tradition within American Literary History
Authors: Powell Timothy B. , Weems William , Owle Freeman
Published: November 2006

This article utilizes digital video of the Cherokee storyteller Freeman Owle and Flash presentation of historic maps to explore how digital technology can be employed to situate Native American oral storytelling in relation to American literary history more accurately and effectively. The goal of this analysis is to expand the definition of “literature” beyond the narrow margins of the white page and to free “American literary history” from the constrictive confines of a chronological timeline that begins with European colonization. In doing so, the exegesis seeks to encourage Americanists to rethink the temporal borders of the field and to recognize thousands of years of Native American literature that have been previously overlooked by literary scholars.
The Politicization of Science and Technology: Its Implications for Nanotechnology
Authors: Jotterand Fabrice
Published: November 2006

Nanotechnology represents, in part, a technological revolution in the sense that it allows highly innovative applications of various areas of the physical and life sciences. The development of nanotechnology and nanoscience, however, intensifies challenges to the traditional understanding of how to pursue scientific and technological knowledge. Science (in its broad meaning) can no longer be construed simply as the ideal of the quest for truth (i.e., “pure science”). Science, through its technological applications, has become the source of economic power and, by extension, political power. Science, with its political implications, has entered what John Ziman calls the era of “post-academic science.”

In this paper, I argue that nanotechnology is a cardinal exemplar of this politicization, that is, the convergence of science, technology, politics, and economics for social and governmental purposes. At the same time, I assert that this new scientific ethos offers the possibility of abetterintegration of ethical and philosophical reflections at the core of scientific and technological development.
Cognitive Barriers in Perception of Nanotechnology
Authors: Grinbaum Alexei
Published: November 2006

A number of recent reports and overviews on the ethical and societal problems of nanotechnology present a public that is polarized about nanotechnology. Very little responsible analysis can be found between those poles for two reasons. First, the debate about the highly controversial notion of molecular manufacturing introduced by Eric Drexler shaped much of the early discussion. Second, the polarization can be seen as a consequence of uncertainty about nanotechnology compounded by cognitive barriers. A reporter to UNESCO acknowledges that “…Assessments of nanotechnology tend to radically diverge…These radically diverging assessments that have thus far dominated the debate on nanotechnology seem to be due to a lack of common ground.” The “lack of common ground” is not unprecedented in the history of technology, and scientists rightfully fear a new “GMO debacle.”
Using Trading Zones and Life Cycle Analysis to Understand Nanotechnology Regulation
Authors: Wardak Ahson , Gorman Michael E.
Published: November 2006

Productive work on societal implications needs to be engaged with the research from the start. Ethicists need to go into the lab to understand what's possible. Scientists and engineers need to engage with humanists to start thinking about this aspect of their work. Only thus, working together in dialog, will we make genuine progress on the societal and ethical issues that nanotechnology poses.

Davis Baird, in testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, May 1, 2003

Federal funding of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) has averaged roughly $1 billion annually for the last three years, from 2004 to 2006. Society is poised to see more realistic nano-scale devices enter the marketplace, along with futuristic depictions of nanotechnology. For this reason, serious thought must be given to the societal impact of nanotechnology.
Transnational Models for Regulation of Nanotechnology
Authors: Marchant Gary E. , Sylvester Douglas J.
Published: November 2006

There is much we do not know about nanotechnology. Despite its tremendous promise, nanotechnology today is mostly forecast and fervent hope. Predictions that spending on nanotechnology will increase from current levels of $13 billion to more than $1 trillion by 2015 are no more than that – simply predictions. Hopes that nanotechnology will be an essential part of solving the globe's energy, food, and water problems should be tempered by recalling a century of revolutionary technologies that failed to live up to their early promise such as nuclear energy, supersonic airplanes, or gene therapy. Many other questions continue to nip at nanotechnology's heels, not the least of which are debates about what is and is not technically feasible. Despite these uncertainties, we can have complete confidence in one aspect of nanotechnology's future – it will be subject to a host of regulations.
Converging NBIC Technologies for Improving Human Performance: A Critical Assessment of the Novelty and the Prospects of the Project
Authors: Gordijn Bert
Published: November 2006

In recent times, optimistic views have been advanced about the convergence of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, and cognitive science and the way in which this so-called “NBIC convergence” could and should be used to enhance human performance, such as to improve our sensory, motorial and/or cognitive abilities, as well as our moods and physical appearance. These ideas have been elaborately developed and presented in several “NBIC workshops” in the US. This contribution focuses on two claims made by the proponents of the NBIC convergence. First, it is argued that the project of “Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance” represents something genuinely new and quite unique. Second, it is maintained that the future prospects of this project are extraordinarily positive. In order to critically assess these two claims I will first focus on the question of whether there is indeed anything genuinely new about the project of improving human performance by means of converging NBIC technologies. Next I will analyze whether the project warrants that we be optimistic about its future prospects.
Regulation of Firearm Dealers in the United States: An Analysis of State Law and Opportunities for Improvement
Authors: Vernick Jon S. , Webster Daniel W. , Bulzacchelli Maria T. , Mair Julie Samia
Published: November 2006

Firearms were associated with 30,136 deaths in the United States in 2003; of these, 11,920 were homicides. For every firearm homicide, there are four people who suffer non-fatal firearm assaults. Like many other consumer products in the US, most guns are initially sold to the public through a network of retail dealers. Persons in the business of selling firearms must obtain a federal firearm dealer's license. There were more than 54,000 federally licensed gun dealers in the United States in 2005, though this reflects a seventy-eight percent decline since 1994. Some states also require a state license to sell firearms.

Licensed firearm dealers are an important source of guns for criminals and gun traffickers. In one analysis of gun trafficking investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), licensed dealers accounted for a plurality of all guns diverted to the illegal market.
Supernumerary Pregnancy, Collective Harm, and Two Forms of the Nonidentity Problem
Authors: Roberts M. A.
Published: November 2006

A serious risk associated with some treatments for infertility is multiple birth pregnancy. The term “supernumerary pregnancy” aptly conveys the idea of too much or too many in this context: too many fetuses developing in the womb to secure a reasonable probability of a good outcome for each. A supernumerary pregnancy can occur, for example, when infertility is treated by the aggressive use of ovulation-stimulating hormones. If pregnancy is then achieved either naturally or artificially, or if large numbers of eggs are retrieved, fertilized in vitro, and then transferred to the uterus in a single cycle, the risk of supernumerary pregnancy is increased. Egg donation coupled with artificial insemination, or straight embryo donation, followed in each case by the transfer of more than two or three embryos to the uterus can also increase the risk for supernumerary pregnancy.
Currents in Contemporary Ethics
Authors: McGuire Amy L. , Gibbs Richard A.
Published: November 2006

The promise of personalized medicine and the quest for a greater understanding of the genetic basis of disease has transformed the research enterprise. The Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., recently predicted “that comprehensive, genomics- based health care will become the norm, with individualized preventive medicine and early detection of illnesses.” This excitement about the potential scientific and clinical advances that may come from genomics- based research has led several NIH institutions to launch initiatives for genome-wide association studies (GWAS), calling on researchers and institutions to utilize the new DNA analysis technologies to study the genetic variation between individuals with a particular illness and healthy controls.
The Ethical Health Lawyer
Authors: Winslade William , McKinney E. Bernadette
Published: November 2006

When a health care professional contacts a health care attorney for advice about how to deal with a medical error involving a patient, what is the most ethically appropriate response? Honesty is the best policy; the ethical health lawyer should advise the client to tell the patient the truth. This advice is neither naïve nor impractical, as we will show. More importantly, it is without question the right thing to do for a number of sound reasons. It may not be a natural inclination or an easy task to accomplish; several countervailing factors discourage health professionals from telling patients the truth about medical errors. However, we will argue that resistance to truthful disclosure can and should be overcome by rational arguments that also take into consideration the psychodynamics of the patient-health professional relationship.
Recent Developments in Health Law: Constitutional Law: Despite Reservations, the Second Circuit Defers to State Court's Determination That a Preponderance of the Evidence Standard is Constitutional for Recommitment of NRRMDD Defendants –Ernst J. v. Stonea
Authors: Wilkinson Erika
Published: November 2006

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently upheld United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York Judge's denial of petitioner's application for a writ of habeas corpus. The Court held that it was not objectively unreasonable for the Appellate Division to conclude, in light of clearly established federal law as expressed by the Supreme Court of the United States, that a New York statute providing for the recommitment of specific defendants who plead not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect (NRRMDD) under a mere “preponderance of the evidence” standard does not violate either due process or the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Recent Developments in Health Law: ERISA: Subrogation, Sereboff, and the “Make Whole” Doctrine: The D.C. Circuit Defines Ambiguity in ERISA Subrogation Clauses—Moore v. Capital Care, Inc.
Authors: Polak Katherine
Published: November 2006

On August 29, 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that an injured ERISA plan beneficiary need not be “made whole” by any injury-related recovery from a third party in order for her ERISA plan to assert subrogation or reimbursement rights if the plan's terms either 1) “unambiguously establish a plan priority” to any funds a beneficiary recovers from a third party, or 2) are reasonably interpreted to establish such a priority by an ERISA plan fiduciary clearly authorized to do so.

In 1991, appellants William and Judith Moore (the Moores) purchased an ERISA health insurance policy (the plan) from Blue Cross Blue Shield of the National Capital Area and its wholly-owned subsidiary CapitalCare (CC/BCBS). On September 10, 1992, the Moores’ daughter Alistaire, a plan beneficiary, was seriously injured in an automobile accident.
Recent Developments in Health Law: Civil Rights: Prisoners’ Right to Treatment Information under Pabon v. Wright
Authors: Wilansky Daniel P.
Published: November 2006

In Pabon v. Wright, the Second Circuit held that the Fourteenth Amendment right to refuse medical treatment contained a corollary right to the information necessary to make an informed decision. Plaintiff, William Pabon, was an inmate at Green Haven Correctional Facility in New York (Green Haven). He named two groups of defendants: his doctors and nurses at Green Haven and his doctors at Dutchess Gastroenterologists, P.C. (Dutchess).

In October 1996, a laboratory test indicated that Plaintiff may have contracted Hepatitis C. The Green Haven doctors referred Plaintiff to Dutchess for additional testing, where additional tests confirmed that Plaintiff had Hepatitis C. In July 1997, Plaintiff returned to Dutchess for additional evaluation, and the physicians told him that he must undergo a liver biopsy in order to receive treatment for his condition.
What Is Natural? The Need for a Long-Term Perspective in Biodiversity Conservation
Authors: Willis K. J. , Birks H. J. B.
Published: November 2006

Ecosystems change in response to factors such as climate variability, invasions, and wildfires. Most records used to assess such change are based on short-term ecological data or satellite imagery spanning only a few decades. In many instances it is impossible to disentangle natural variability from other, potentially significant trends in these records, partly because of their short time scale. We summarize recent studies that show how paleoecological records can be used to provide a longer temporal perspective to address specific conservation issues relating to biological invasions, wildfires, climate change, and determination of natural variability. The use of such records can reduce much of the uncertainty surrounding the question of what is “natural” and thereby start to provide important guidance for long-term management and conservation.
Ongoing Buildup of Refractory Organic Carbon in Boreal Soils During the Holocene
Authors: Smittenberg R. H. , Eglinton T. I. , Schouten S. , Damsté J. S. Sinninghe
Published: November 2006

Radiocarbon ages of vascular plant wax–derived
n
-alkanes preserved in well-dated Holocene sediments in an anoxic fjord (Saanich Inlet, Canada) were found to be not only substantially older than the depositional age but increasingly so during the Holocene. Assuming that
n
-alkanes serve as a proxy for recalcitrant terrigenous organic matter, this indicates that the accumulation of refractory organic carbon in soils that developed after the deglaciation of the American Pacific Northwest is ongoing and may still be far from equilibrium with mineralization and erosion rates.
Response to Comment on Suri
et al
. on Diabetes Reversal in NOD Mice
Authors: Suri Anish , Unanue Emil R
Published: November 2006

Faustman
et al
. present no new information to explain why three independent laboratories failed to reproduce their previous results implicating spleen cell transdifferentiation in the reversal of murine type 1 diabetes. Modulation of the immunological process in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice has been accomplished by many laboratories using different protocols and does not represent a novel finding in their work.
A Bacterial Protein Enhances the Release and Efficacy of Liposomal Cancer Drugs
Authors: Cheong Ian , Huang Xin , Bettegowda Chetan , Diaz Luis A. , Kinzler Kenneth W. , Zhou Shibin , Vogelstein Bert
Published: November 2006

Clostridium novyi-NTis an anaerobic bacterium that can infect hypoxic regions within experimental tumors. BecauseC. novyi-NTlyses red blood cells, we hypothesized that its membrane-disrupting properties could be exploited to enhance the release of liposome-encapsulated drugs within tumors. Here, we show that treatment of mice bearing large, established tumors withC. novyi-NTplus a single dose of liposomal doxorubicin often led to eradication of the tumors. The bacterial factor responsible for the enhanced drug release was identified as a previously unrecognized protein termed liposomase. This protein could potentially be incorporated into diverse experimental approaches for the specific delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to tumors.
Dissecting the Functions of the Mammalian Clock Protein BMAL1 by Tissue-Specific Rescue in Mice
Authors: McDearmon Erin L. , Patel Kush N. , Ko Caroline H. , Walisser Jacqueline A. , Schook Andrew C. , Chong Jason L. , Wilsbacher Lisa D. , Song Eun J. , Hong Hee-Kyung , Bradfield Christopher A. , Takahashi Joseph S.
Published: November 2006

The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH)–Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain transcription factor BMAL1 is an essential component of the mammalian circadian pacemaker.
Bmal1
–/–
mice lose circadian rhythmicity but also display tendon calcification and decreased activity, body weight, and longevity. To investigate whether these diverse functions of BMAL1 are tissue-specific, we produced transgenic mice that constitutively express
Bmal1
in brain or muscle and examined the effects of rescued gene expression in
Bmal1
–/–
mice. Circadian rhythms of wheel-running activity were restored in brain-rescued
Bmal1
–/–
mice in a conditional manner; however, activity levels and body weight were lower than those of wild-type mice. In contrast, muscle-rescued
Bmal1
–/–
mice exhibited normal activity levels and body weight yet remained behaviorally arrhythmic. Thus,
Bmal1
has distinct tissue-specific functions that regulate integrative physiology.
Effective Enforcement in a Conservation Area
Authors: Hilborn Ray , Arcese Peter , Borner Markus , Hando Justin , Hopcraft Grant , Loibooki Martin , Mduma Simon , Sinclair Anthony R. E.
Published: November 2006

Wildlife within protected areas is under increasing threat from bushmeat and illegal trophy trades, and many argue that enforcement within protected areas is not sufficient to protect wildlife. We examined 50 years of records from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and calculated the history of illegal harvest and enforcement by park authorities. We show that a precipitous decline in enforcement in 1977 resulted in a large increase in poaching and decline of many species. Conversely, expanded budgets and antipoaching patrols since the mid-1980s have greatly reduced poaching and allowed populations of buffalo, elephants, and rhinoceros to rebuild.
A NAC Gene Regulating Senescence Improves Grain Protein, Zinc, and Iron Content in Wheat
Authors: Uauy Cristobal , Distelfeld Assaf , Fahima Tzion , Blechl Ann , Dubcovsky Jorge
Published: November 2006

Enhancing the nutritional value of food crops is a means of improving human nutrition and health. We report here the positional cloning of
Gpc-B1
, a wheat quantitative trait locus associated with increased grain protein, zinc, and iron content. The ancestral wild wheat allele encodes a NAC transcription factor (
NAM-B1
) that accelerates senescence and increases nutrient remobilization from leaves to developing grains, whereas modern wheat varieties carry a nonfunctional
NAM-B1
allele. Reduction in RNA levels of the multiple
NAM
homologs by RNA interference delayed senescence by more than 3 weeks and reduced wheat grain protein, zinc, and iron content by more than 30%.
Abundance Distributions Imply Elevated Complexity of Post-Paleozoic Marine Ecosystems
Authors: Wagner Peter J. , Kosnik Matthew A. , Lidgard Scott
Published: November 2006

Likelihood analyses of 1176 fossil assemblages of marine organisms from Phanerozoic (i.e., Cambrian to Recent) assemblages indicate a shift in typical relative-abundance distributions after the Paleozoic. Ecological theory associated with these abundance distributions implies that complex ecosystems are far more common among Meso-Cenozoic assemblages than among the Paleozoic assemblages that preceded them. This transition coincides not with any major change in the way fossils are preserved or collected but with a shift from communities dominated by sessile epifaunal suspension feeders to communities with elevated diversities of mobile and infaunal taxa. This suggests that the end-Permian extinction permanently altered prevailing marine ecosystem structure and precipitated high levels of ecological complexity and alpha diversity in the Meso-Cenozoic.
An Unpredictable Future Should Not Stop You from Planning
Authors: Perepichka Dmitrii F.
Published: November 2006

Survival Skills for Scientists
.
By Federico Rosei and Tudor Johnston
. Imperial College Press, London, 2006. 227 pp. $38, £22. ISBN 1-86094-640-2. Paper, $24, £14. ISBN 1-86094-641-0.

The authors provide a thought-provoking yet amusing perspective on opportunities and pitfalls encountered while building a career in science.
Learning to Become a "Good" Citizen
Authors: Blais André
Published: November 2006

Why We Vote
. How Schools and Communities Shape Our Civic Life.
By David E. Campbell
. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2006. 283 pp. $39.50, £26.95. ISBN 0-691-12525-2.

Exploring why people get involved in civic and political activities, the author argues that adolescent experience (especially in schools) exerts a substantial and long-lasting influence.
Evaluation of a Wipe Surface Sample Method for Collection of
Bacillus
Spores from Nonporous Surfaces
Authors: Brown Gary S. , Betty Rita G. , Brockmann John E. , Lucero Daniel A. , Souza Caroline A. , Walsh Kathryn S. , Boucher Raymond M. , Tezak Mathew , Wilson Mollye C. , Rudolph Todd
Published: November 2006

Polyester-rayon blend wipes were evaluated for efficiency of extraction and recovery of powdered
Bacillus atrophaeus
spores from stainless steel and painted wallboard surfaces. Method limits of detection were also estimated for both surfaces. The observed mean efficiency of polyester-rayon blend wipe recovery from stainless steel was 0.35 with a standard deviation of ±0.12, and for painted wallboard it was 0.29 with a standard deviation of ±0.15. Evaluation of a sonication extraction method for the polyester-rayon blend wipes produced a mean extraction efficiency of 0.93 with a standard deviation of ±0.09. Wipe recovery quantitative limits of detection were estimated at 90 CFU per unit of stainless steel sample area and 105 CFU per unit of painted wallboard sample area. The method recovery efficiency and limits of detection established in this work provide useful guidance for the planning of incident response environmental sampling following the release of a biological agent such as
Bacillus anthracis
.