bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Basic Health, Women’s Health, and Mental Health Among Internally Displaced Persons in Nyala Province, South Darfur, Sudan
Authors: Kim Glen , Torbay Rabih , Lawry Lynn
Published: December 2006

Objectives. We assessed basic health, women’s health, and mental health among Sudanese internally displaced persons in South Darfur.

Methods. In January 2005, we surveyed 6 registered internally displaced persons camps in Nyala District. Using systematic random sampling, we surveyed 1293 households, interviewing 1 adult female per household (N=1274); respondents’ households totaled 8643 members. We inquired about respondents’ mental health, opinions on women’s rights, and the health status of household members.

Results. A majority of respondents had access to rations, shelter, and water. Sixty-eight percent (861 of 1266) used no birth control, and 53% (614 of 1147) reported at least 1 unattended birth. Thirty percent (374 of 1238) shared spousal decisions on timing and spacing of children, and 49% (503 of 1027) reported the right to refuse sex. Eighty-four percent (1043 of 1240) were circumcised. The prevalence of major depression was 31% (390 of 1253). Women also expressed limited rights regarding marriage, movement, and access to health care. Eighty-eight percent (991 of 1121) supported equal educational opportunities for women.

Conclusions. Humanitarian aid has relieved a significant burden of this displaced population’s basic needs. However, mental and women’s health needs remain largely unmet. The findings indicate a limitation of sexual and reproductive rights that may negatively affect health.
Maternal Obesity in Early Pregnancy and Risk of Spontaneous and Elective Preterm Deliveries: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Smith Gordon C.S. , Shah Imran , Pell Jill P. , Crossley Jennifer A. , Dobbie Richard
Published: December 2006

Objectives. We sought to determine the association between maternal body mass index and risk of preterm delivery.

Methods. We assessed 187 290 women in Scotland and estimated adjusted odds ratios for spontaneous and elective preterm deliveries among overweight, obese, and morbidly obese women relative to normal-weight women.

Results. Among nulliparous women, the risk of requiring an elective preterm delivery increased with increasing BMI, whereas the risk of spontaneous preterm labor decreased. Morbidly obese nulliparous women were at increased risk of all-cause preterm deliveries, neonatal death, and delivery of an infant weighing less than 1000 g who survived to 1 year of age (a proxy for severe long-term disability). By contrast, obesity and elective preterm delivery were only weakly associated among multiparous women.

Conclusions. Obese nulliparous women are at increased risk of elective preterm deliveries. This in turn leads to an increased risk of perinatal mortality and is likely to lead to increased risks of long-term disability among surviving offspring.
Ethics in Public Health Research
Authors: Barr Donald A.
Published: December 2006

Public–private partnerships have become a common approach to health care problems worldwide. Many public–private partnerships were created during the late 1990s, but most were focused on specific diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

Recently there has been enthusiasm for using public–private partnerships to improve the delivery of health and welfare services for a wider range of health problems, especially in developing countries. The success of public–private partnerships in this context appears to be mixed, and few data are available to evaluate their effectiveness.

This analysis provides an overview of the history of health-related public–private partnerships during the past 20 years and describes a research protocol commissioned by the World Health Organization to evaluate the effectiveness of public–private partnerships in a research context.
Sexual and Drug Behavior Patterns and HIV and STD Racial Disparities: The Need for New Directions
Authors: Hallfors Denise Dion , Iritani Bonita J. , Miller William C. , Bauer Daniel J.
Published: December 2006

Objectives. We used nationally representative data to examine whether individuals’ sexual and drug behavior patterns account for racial disparities in sexually transmitted disease (STD) and HIV prevalence.

Methods. Data were derived from wave III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Participants were aged 18 to 26 years old; analyses were limited to non-Hispanic Blacks and Whites. Theory and cluster analyses yielded 16 unique behavior patterns. Bivariate analyses compared STD and HIV prevalences for each behavior pattern, by race. Logistic regression analyses examined within-pattern race effects before and after control for covariates.

Results. Unadjusted odds of STD and HIV infection were significantly higher among Blacks than among Whites for 11 of the risk behavior patterns assessed. Across behavior patterns, covariates had little effect on reducing race odds ratios.

Conclusions. White young adults in the United States are at elevated STD and HIV risk when they engage in high-risk behaviors. Black young adults, however, are at high risk even when their behaviors are normative. Factors other than individual risk behaviors and covariates appear to account for racial disparities, indicating the need for population-level interventions.
Best-Evidence Interventions: Findings From a Systematic Review of HIV Behavioral Interventions for US Populations at High Risk, 2000–2004
Authors: Lyles Cynthia M. , Kay Linda S. , Crepaz Nicole , Herbst Jeffrey H. , Passin Warren F. , Kim Angela S. , Rama Sima M. , Thadiparthi Sekhar , DeLuca Julia B. , Mullins Mary M.
Published: December 2006

Objectives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Synthesis Team conducted a systematic review of US-based HIV behavioral intervention research literature from 2000 through 2004 to identify interventions demonstrating best evidence of efficacy for reducing HIV risk.

Methods. Standard systematic review methods were used. Each eligible study was reviewed on the basis of Prevention Research Synthesis Team efficacy criteria that focused on 3 domains: study design, implementation and analysis, and strength of evidence.

Results. Eighteen interventions met the criteria for best evidence. Four targeted HIV-positive individuals. Of those targeting populations at risk for HIV, 4 targeted drug users, 6 targeted adults at risk because of heterosexual behaviors only, 2 targeted men who have sex with men, and 2 targeted youths at high risk. Eight interventions focused on women, and 13 had study samples with more than 50% minority participants. Significant intervention effects included increased condom use and reductions in unprotected sexual intercourse, number of sexual partners, injection drug use or needle sharing, and newly acquired sexually transmitted infections.

Conclusions. Most of the best-evidence interventions are directly applicable for populations in greatest need of effective prevention programs; however, important gaps still exist.
Assessment of HIV Testing of Urban Injection Drug Users: Implications for Expansion of HIV Testing and Prevention Efforts
Authors: Heimer Robert , Grau Lauretta E. , Curtin Erin , Khoshnood Kaveh , Singer Merrill
Published: December 2006

Objectives. We sought to determine the extent of HIV testing among urban injection drug users (IDUs) to assess whether an expansion of targeted testing programs would be consistent with national goals to identify previously undetected infections.

Methods. IDUs in 5 US cities (Oakland, Calif; Chicago, Ill; Hartford and New Haven, Conn; and Springfield, Mass) were recruited either by chain referral or time–location sampling. The IDUs were questioned about HIV testing, and factors associated with HIV testing were analyzed.

Results. Ninety-three percent of 1543 IDUs had been tested. Among those tested but who did not report having been told that they were HIV seropositive, 90% had been tested within the past 3 years. Women and syringe-exchange customers were more likely to have been tested ever and in the recent past. We estimated the number of undetected infections among urban IDUs in the United States to be less than 40000.

Conclusions. Testing for HIV has reached the vast majority of IDUs through the current options. Expending scarce prevention money to expand testing of IDUs is unlikely to be productive. Instead, resources should be used for proven HIV-prevention strategies including syringe exchange, drug treatment, and secondary prevention for those who are HIV positive
Transnational Tobacco Company Influence on Tax Policy During Privatization of a State Monopoly: British American Tobacco and Uzbekistan
Authors: Gilmore Anna , Collin Jeff , Townsend Joy
Published: December 2006

Objectives. The International Monetary Fund encourages privatization of state-owned tobacco industries. Privatization tends to lower cigarette prices, which encourages consumption. This could be countered with effective tax policies. We explored how investment by British American Tobacco (BAT) influenced tax policy in Uzbekistan during privatization there.

Methods. We obtained internal documents from BAT and analyzed them using a hermeneutic process to create a chronology of events.

Results. BAT thoroughly redesigned the tobacco taxation system in Uzbekistan. It secured (1) a reduction of approximately 50% in the excise tax on cigarettes, (2) an excise system to benefit its brands and disadvantage those of its competitors (particularly Philip Morris), and (3) a tax stamp system from which it hoped to be exempted, because this would likely facilitate its established practice of cigarette smuggling and further its competitive advantage..

Conclusions. Privatization can endanger effective tobacco excise policies. The International Monetary Fund should review its approach to privatization and differentiate the privatization of an industry whose product kills from privatization of other industries.
Informed Consent: An International Researchers’ Perspective
Authors: Rivera Roberto , Borasky David , Rice Robert , Carayon Florence , Wong Emelita
Published: December 2006

We reported 164 researchers’ recommendations for information that should be included in the informed consent process. These recommendations were obtained during training workshops conducted in Africa, Europe, and the United States.

The 8 elements of informed consent of the US Code of Federal Regulations were used to identify 95 items of information (“points”), most related to benefits and research description. Limited consensus was found among the 3 workshops: of the 95 points, only 27 (28%) were identified as useful by all groups.

These points serve as a springboard for identifying information applicable in different geographic areas and indicate the need for involving a variety of individuals and stakeholders, with different research and cultural perspectives, in the development of informed consent, particularly for research undertaken in international settings.
Promises and Challenges of Faith-Based AIDS Care and Support in Mozambique
Authors: Agadjanian Victor , Sen Soma
Published: December 2006

Objectives. We sought to examine the role of religious organizations in the provision of HIV/AIDS-related assistance in Africa.

Methods. We used data collected from Christian religious organizations in southern Mozambique. Bivariate comparisons and logistic regression analysis of survey data were performed. We conducted an analysis of the qualitative data to complement the quantitative results.

Results. Our analysis revealed little involvement of religious organizations in provision of assistance. Most assistance was decentralized and consisted of psychological support and some personal care and household help. Material or financial help was rare. Assistance to nonmembers of congregations was reported more often than to members. Members of larger and better–secularly connected congregations were more likely to report assistance than were members of smaller and less–secularly engaged ones. Assistance was reported more in cities than in rural areas. Women were more likely than men to report providing assistance to congregation members, and the reverse was true for assistance provided to nonmembers. The cooperation of religious organizations in provision of assistance was hindered by financial constraints and institutional rivalry.

Conclusions. Policy efforts to involve religious organizations in provision of HIV/AIDS-related assistance should take into account that organization’s resources, institutional goals, and social characteristics.
Correlates of Past-Year Mental Health Service Use Among Latinos: Results From the National Latino and Asian American Study
Authors: Alegría Margarita , Mulvaney-Day Norah , Woo Meghan , Torres Maria , Gao Shan , Oddo Vanessa
Published: December 2006

Objectives. We examined correlates and rates of past-year mental health service use in a national sample of Latinos residing in the United States.

Methods. We used data from the National Latino and Asian American Study, a national epidemiological household survey of Latinos.

Results. Cultural factors such as nativity, language, age at migration, years of residence in the United States, and generational status were associated with whether or not Latinos had used mental health services. However, when the analysis was stratified according to past-year psychiatric diagnoses, these associations held only among those who did not fulfill criteria for any of the psychiatric disorders assessed. Rates of mental health service use among those who did not fulfill diagnostic criteria were higher among Puerto Ricans and US-born Latinos than among non–Puerto Ricans and foreign-born Latinos.

Conclusions. Rates of mental health service use among Latinos appear to have increased substantially over the past decade relative to rates reported in the 1990s. Cultural and immigration characteristics should be considered in matching mental health services to Latinos who need preventive services or who are symptomatic but do not fulfill psychiatric disorder criteria.
Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders Across Latino Subgroups in the United States
Authors: Alegría Margarita , Mulvaney-Day Norah , Torres Maria , Polo Antonio , Cao Zhun , Canino Glorisa
Published: December 2006

Objectives. We examined the prevalence of depressive, anxiety, and substance use disorders among Latinos residing in the United States.

Methods. We used data from the National Latino and Asian American Study, which included a nationally representative sample of Latinos. We calculated weighted prevalence rates of lifetime and past-year psychiatric disorders across different sociodemographic, ethnic, and immigration groups.

Results. Lifetime psychiatric disorder prevalence estimates were 28.1% for men and 30.2% for women. Puerto Ricans had the highest overall prevalence rate among the Latino ethnic groups assessed. Increased rates of psychiatric disorders were observed among US-born, English-language-proficient, and third-generation Latinos.

Conclusions. Our results provide important information about potential correlates of psychiatric problems among Latinos that can inform clinical practice and guide program development. Stressors associated with cultural transmutation may exert particular pressure on Latino men. Continued attention to environmental influences, especially among third-generation Latinos, is an important area for substance abuse program development.
The Mental Health of Black Caribbean Immigrants: Results from the National Survey of American Life
Authors: Williams David R. , Haile Rahwa , González Hector M. , Neighbors Harold , Baser Raymond , Jackson James S.
Published: December 2006

Objectives. We examined the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among Black Caribbean immigrant (“Caribbean Black”) and African American populations and the correlates of psychiatric disorders among the Caribbean Black population.

Methods. We conducted descriptive and age-adjusted analyses of the data from the National Survey of American Life—an in-person household mental health survey of noninstitutionalized US Blacks. We assessed psychiatric disorders as defined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview.

Results. Compared with African American men, Caribbean Black men had higher risks for 12-month rates of psychiatric disorders. Caribbean Black women had lower odds for 12-month and lifetime psychiatric disorders compared with African American women. Risks varied by ethnicity, immigration history, and generation status within the Caribbean sample. First-generation Caribbean Blacks had lower rates of psychiatric disorders compared with second- or third-generation Caribbean Blacks, and, compared with first-generation Carribbean Blacks, third-generation Caribbean Blacks had markedly elevated rates of psychiatric disorders.

Conclusions. Mental health risks were associated with ethnic diversity within the US Black population. Increased exposure to minority status in the United States was associated with higher risks for psychiatric disorders among Black Caribbean immigrants, which possibly reflects increased societal stress and downward social mobility associated with being Black in America.
Immigration-Related Factors and Mental Disorders Among Asian Americans
Authors: Takeuchi David T. , Zane Nolan , Hong Seunghye , Chae David H. , Gong Fang , Gee Gilbert C. , Walton Emily , Sue Stanley , Alegría Margarita
Published: December 2006

Objectives. We examined lifetime and 12-month rates of any depressive, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders in a national sample of Asian Americans. We focused on factors related to nativity and immigration as possible correlates of mental disorders.

Methods. Data were derived from the National Latino and Asian American Study, the first national epidemiological survey of Asian Americans in the United States.

Results. The relationships between immigration-related factors and mental disorders were different for men and women. Among women, nativity was strongly associated with lifetime disorders, with immigrant women having lower rates of most disorders compared with US-born women. Conversely, English proficiency was associated with mental disorders for Asian men. Asian men who spoke English proficiently generally had lower rates of lifetime and 12-month disorders compared with nonproficient speakers.

Conclusions. For Asian Americans, immigration-related factors were associated with mental disorders, but in different ways for men and women. Future studies will need to examine gender as an important factor in specifying the association between immigration and mental health.
Explaining Recent Declines in Adolescent Pregnancy in the United States: The Contribution of Abstinence and Improved Contraceptive Use
Authors: Santelli John S. , Lindberg Laura Duberstein , Finer Lawrence B. , Singh Susheela
Published: December 2006

Objectives. We explored the relative contributions of declining sexual activity and improved contraceptive use to the recent decline in adolescent pregnancy rates in the United States.

Methods. We used data from 1995 and 2002 for women 15 to 19 years of age to develop 2 indexes: the contraceptive risk index, summarizing the overall effectiveness of contraceptive use among sexually active adolescents (including nonuse), and the overall pregnancy risk index, calculated according to the contraceptive risk index score and the percentage of individuals reporting sexual activity.

Results. The contraceptive risk index declined 34% overall and 46% among adolescents aged 15 to 17 years. Improvements in contraceptive use included increases in the use of condoms, birth control pills, withdrawal, and multiple methods and a decline in nonuse. The overall pregnancy risk index declined 38%, with 86% of the decline attributable to improved contraceptive use. Among adolescents aged 15 to 17 years, 77% of the decline in pregnancy risk was attributable to improved contraceptive use.

Conclusions. The decline in US adolescent pregnancy rates appears to be following the patterns observed in other developed countries, where improved contraceptive use has been the primary determinant of declining rates.
Use of Mental Health–Related Services Among Immigrant and US-Born Asian Americans: Results From the National Latino and Asian American Study
Authors: Abe-Kim Jennifer , Takeuchi David T. , Hong Seunghye , Zane Nolan , Sue Stanley , Spencer Michael S. , Appel Hoa , Nicdao Ethel , Alegría Margarita
Published: December 2006

Objectives. We examined rates of mental health–related service use (i.e., any, general medical, and specialty mental health services) as well as subjective satisfaction with and perceived helpfulness of care in a national sample of Asian Americans, with a particular focus on immigration-related factors.

Methods. Data were derived from the National Latino and Asian American Study (2002–2003).

Results. About 8.6% of the total sample (n=2095) sought any mental health–related services; 34.1% of individuals who had a probable diagnosis sought any services. Rates of mental health–related service use, subjective satisfaction, and perceived helpfulness varied by birthplace and by generation. US-born Asian Americans demonstrated higher rates of service use than did their immigrant counterparts. Third-generation or later individuals who had a probable diagnosis had high (62.6%) rates of service use in the previous 12 months.

Conclusions. Asian Americans demonstrated lower rates of any type of mental health–related service use than did the general population, although there are important exceptions to this pattern according to nativity status and generation status. Our results underscore the importance of immigration-related factors in understanding service use among Asian Americans.
Trade Openness and Preferences for Redistribution: A Cross-National Assessment of the Compensation Hypothesis
Authors: Balcells Ventura Laia
Published: December 2006

Compensation hypothesis, which has established a link between trade openness of countries and levels of government spending, has been widely accepted in the literature on trade policy and international globalization. However, the nature of the distribution effects produced by trade is likely to determine the existence of more or less redistribution demands from the median voter, and therefore government growth. In this paper I hypothesize that the effects of trade openness on redistribution demands are not homogeneous between countries, and I argue that they depend both on the type-of-factor endowment of the economy and the size of the sectors more likely to be affected by trade. I test this hypothesis with ISSP data for 23 countries, both with a country level and an individual level analysis. The results show that redistribution demands issued from trade openness of the median voter of a country are largely conditional on GDP per capita and size of potential loser sectors such as manufacturing: while trade has a negative effect on pro-redistribution preferences in “poor” and/or in “low manufacturing” countries; it positively affects pro-redistribution preferences in “rich” and/or in “high manufacturing” countries. Additionally, I empirically observe that the size of the loser sector plays a more important mediating role than the type-of-factor endowment of the economy.
Does Firm Size Matter? Analyzing Business Lobbying in the United States
Authors: Drope Jeffrey M. , Hansen Wendy L.
Published: December 2006

In the study of corporate political activity in the United States, scholars have consistently relied on samples comprised entirely or principally of large firms. While scholars have raised the issue of bias in these samples, there have been no systematic examinations of the consequences for causal inference. We address this issue directly by comparing the results of comprehensive models that examine corporate lobbying using both large-firm and randomly-generated samples. We find that while there are some notable differences, they are certainly not so large as to lead us to question fundamentally the results of decades of scholarship. In short, the results generated using a random sample lead to causal inferences largely consistent with those in the theoretical and empirical literature. In particular, firms' resources and interactions with government condition both their decisions to lobby and the level of their activity.
Status Concerns and Occupational Choice Under Uncertainty
Authors: Clemens Christiane
Published: December 2006

This paper examines the consequences of status preferences on entrepreneurial risk-taking in a general equilibrium model of occupational choice. We distinguish between two frames of reference. In the first, status is derived from class-membership, the economic indicator of which is the expected relative income of the person's occupation. In the second, status is tied to individual income relative to the mean. We find that the effect of status needs depends on whether or not the status variable itself is subject to risk. While social status increases entrepreneurial risk-taking in the first case, the effect is ambiguous in the second and crucially depends on how status preferences alter the effective degree of risk aversion. The results carry over to the distributional consequences, where status preferences have an equalizing effect only if certain conditions are met.
A Spatial Election with Common Values
Authors: Maravall-Rodriguez Carlos
Published: December 2006

This paper extends the Downsian-Hotelling model of electoral competition to allow for unobserved qualitative differences between candidates. I show that these underlying qualitative differences generate pure strategy Nash equilibria, even if policies are defined in a multidimensional space, and explain platform divergence from the median. Moreover, the extension gives content to a second (well-known) role elections play apart from bridging conflict: to reveal information about candidates.
Endogenous Favoritism in Organizations
Authors: Kwon Illoong
Published: December 2006

This paper shows that favoritism can arise endogenously as an optimal decision rule in a symmetric model with an ex-ante impartial principal. Furthermore, favoritism dominates fairness specifically when the favorite promotes his own idea and ignores the other's idea so that the non-favorite loses motivation. Our model also provides new insights on hierarchical communication structure and group authority.
Auction Bids and Shopping Choices
Authors: Lusk Jayson L , Schroeder Ted C.
Published: December 2006

Economists and marketers are often interested in estimating demand for new products and in valuing other non-market goods. Due to the increasing recognition that elicited valuations are sensitive to whether decisions are hypothetical, economists have begun to utilize incentive compatible mechanisms with real goods and real money. This paper investigates preferences expressed in two of the most popular elicitation formats: experimental auctions and discrete choice experiments. We compare the bidding behavior of consumers in four different incentive compatible auctions to the behavior of consumers who made non-hypothetical discrete choices between five goods. Despite the fact that the choice task and auction mechanisms are incentive compatible, we find that auction bids were significantly lower, as much as two times lower in many cases, than valuations implied from choices. We also find that auction data imply own-price elasticities of demand for higher quality products that are significantly more elastic than those implied from choice data. Nevertheless, for the five goods evaluated, individuals' preference orderings were consistent across value elicitation methods. These findings hold important implications for economists' view of preferences and may provide some insight into retailers' prevalent use of markets with posted-prices: individuals were more willing to part with their cash when making choices versus bids.
Does the Open Economy Assumption Really Mean That Labor Bears the Burden of a Capital Income Tax?
Authors: Gravelle Jane G , Smetters Kent A.
Published: December 2006

The conventional view holds that domestic labor, not domestic capital, bears most of the long-run burden of a corporate income tax in an open economy due to the ability of capital to move across borders. This result assumes that domestic and foreign products (as well as investments) are perfect substitutes. This paper includes imperfect product substitution within a multi-sector open-economy model, and shows that much of the burden may fall on capital. To be sure, if savings falls sufficiently, much of the burden shifts to labor, but this fact also holds in a closed economy. Hence, the debate about tax incidence must focus more on the savings response and less on whether an economy is open or closed.
Consumer Product Labels, Child Labor and Educational Attainment
Authors: Brown Drusilla K
Published: December 2006

Child labor-free product labels are efficiency-enhancing when child welfare is a public good only if resources are generated to enhance the well-being of children. However, for a small price-taking economy with at least as many goods as factors and competitively supplied labels, the premium paid by consumers is dissipated by a production inefficiency associated with the adult-only technology. Child labor will decline if labeling firms bid the adult wage above the threshold at which families begin to withdraw their children from the workforce. Alternatively, monitoring agencies may offer consumers a donation label, which claims that some fraction of the purchase price will be donated to a child-welfare fund. A donation label is more efficient than the child labor-free label as it eliminates the production inefficiency and the inefficient competition among certification agencies. The standard contract offered in the child labor free labeling sector has elements of a donation label.
A Dynamic Analysis of Child Labor with a Variable Rate of Discount: Some Policy Implications
Authors: Das Satya P , Deb Rajat
Published: December 2006

This paper analyzes the problem of child labor in an infinite-horizon dynamic model with a variable rate of time preference and credit constraints. The variability in the rate of time preference leads to the possibility of multiple steady states and a poverty trap. The paper considers the long-run and short-run effects of an array of policies like enrollment subsidy, improvement in primary education infrastructure, lump-sum subsidy, and variations in loan market parameters. We distinguish between policies that reduce child labor in the long run only in the presence of a variable discount rate and other policies which work whether or not the discount rate is variable. Credit-related policies belong to the former group. Policies that reduce child labor and increase family consumption in the long run may have an adverse effect of lowering consumption in the short run.
Capital Movements and the Political Economy of Trade Policy
Authors: Gomes Neto Delfim
Published: December 2006

We develop a political economy model of trade policy using a sector specific factor model with international capital mobility, looking for the relationship between protection and the composition of foreign capital. As foreign direct investment is remunerated at the marginal productivity of capital, an increase of the tariff raises its remuneration, increasing also the transfer of resources abroad. This is an additional cost of the tariff in terms of welfare. As external debt is remunerated at a given international interest rate, the additional cost of protection in terms of welfare does not appear. Then the equilibrium tariff with external debt is higher than with foreign direct investment. We present evidence for a panel of developing countries observed between 1970 and 1998 giving support to the main implication of the model. We find a significant effect of the composition of foreign capital on trade policy, implying that countries which have relatively more foreign direct investment than external debt also have less protection.
Academic Performance and Part-Time Employment among High School Seniors
Authors: DeSimone Jeff
Published: December 2006

This study estimates the effect of hours worked at a part time job on GPA among 12th grade respondents to the annual 19912004 Monitoring the Future surveys. I use two stage least squares (2SLS) with indicators for various levels of unearned income, which are strong predictors of hours worked, as instruments. Results show that GPA increases with additional work hours up to 15 per week and then declines. 2SLS estimates are substantially larger than those from ordinary least squares and robust to exclusion restrictions variations. Working has a small negative impact on educational time, but a much larger quadratic impact, which is negative up to 1520 hours per week, on time spent watching television and in social activities. Effects are stable across the sample period, larger for females, non-whites and metropolitan area residents, and linearly positive but substantially smaller for students with high future discount rates.
Effect of Silica Support on V-Mg-O Catalysts during ODH of Propane: Experimental and Modeling using Genetic Algorithms
Authors: Kumar B Ravi
Published: December 2006

The effect of silica support on the V-Mg-O catalyst is studied for conducting the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of propane on unsupported 30% V-Mg-O catalyst and the effect of silica support on the activity and selectivity of 30% V-Mg-O catalyst. Among the different loadings of support, the most selective catalyst is chosen for kinetic investigation using Genetic Algorithms. This also includes the effect of parameters like Propane to Oxygen ratio, Contact time and Temperature on the performance of catalysts. Later it is extended to other catalysts also. Modeling was done in the light of experimental data and the parameters in these models were estimated. The characterization of the catalysts was done to understand the behavior of the catalyst.
Well Dispersed Co0 by Reduction of LaCoO3 Perovskite
Authors: Echchahed Bousselham , Kaliaguine Serge , Alamdari Houshang
Published: December 2006

A well dispersed Co0 supported on deficient LaCo1-xO3-delta perovskite was formed after reduction of LaCoO3 by hydrogen. The formation of some metal cobalt was achieved at the first step of reduction corresponding to reduction of bulk Co3+ to Co2+. The LaCoO3 perovskites were synthesized by reactive grinding, a technique which allows the preparation of nanocrystalline mixed oxides. The H2 reduction of Co is easier in the perovskites prepared this way, due to high surface area and small perovskite crystal domains. The reduction thus happens at lower temperature which helps avoiding metal sintering. This work is a systematic study of the cobalt metal masses generated in strictly controlled reduction conditions. It shows that the perovskites made by reactive grinding are potentially significant for the preparation of supported transition metals with possible applications in several environmental catalysis processes.
A Numerical Algorithm for the Analysis of the Bubble Dynamics in Two-Dimensional Fluidized Beds Simulated by Means of CFD Multiphase-Flow Codes
Authors: Mazzei Luca , Lettieri Paola
Published: December 2006

The present article describes an algorithm developed for computing the position and the equivalent diameter of bubbles featuring in two-dimensional fluidized beds simulated by means of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) multiphase-flow codes. The program is presented for two-dimensional systems; nevertheless, following the same logic herein outlined, it can be easily extended to the more general case of three-dimensional beds. In this work, by equivalent diameter it is meant the diameter of the circle having the same area as the bubble. The procedure is intended as a useful tool in the validation of the results of numerical simulations aimed at investigating the fluid-dynamic behavior of fluidized beds operating in the bubbling regime. The algorithm, presented here without making reference to any specific programming language, can be run in any CFD commercial code, provided that the language and the syntax used are consistent with those required by the particular code adopted. The logic of the program is first illustrated in general terms, and afterwards by making reference to an illustrative example regarding a Geldart Group B powder fluidized by means of air. In this specific case, the equations of motion used to describe the dynamics of the system have been based on the work by Mazzei et al. (2006), the commercial CFD code used has been CFX 4.4 and the programming language applied to implement the algorithm has been Visual Fortran 6.6.
Catalytic Cracking of Plastic Pyrolysis Waxes with Vacuum Gasoil: Effect of HZSM-5 Zeolite in the FCC Catalyst
Authors: Torre Iker , Arandes Jose M. , Castano Pedro , Azkoiti Miren , Bilbao Javier , de Lasa Hugo Ignacio
Published: December 2006

Catalytic cracking of waste plastics is an interesting option for selectively recovering raw materials or for obtaining fuels. In this paper, a new recycling strategy is proposed, which consists of upgrading the waxes obtained by flash pyrolysis of polyolefins in a FCC (Fluidized Catalytic Cracking) unit. The waxes have been obtained by flash pyrolysis of polypropylene at 500 ºC and they have been dissolved (20 wt% wax) in the vacuum gasoil (VGO) of a FCC unit. The runs have been carried out in a CREC-UWO Riser Simulator Reactor (atmospheric pressure; 500-550 ºC; C/O = 5.5; contact times, 3-12 s). A commercial catalyst and a hybrid one (containing HZSM-5 zeolite) have been used. The cracking of the mixture leads to higher yield of gasoline than in the cracking of VGO with a higher content of olefins. The results of the effect of the operating conditions (temperature and contact time) are qualitatively similar to those corresponding to standard feed. Consequently, no difficulties inherent to the presence of waxes in the feed are expected in the treatment of mixtures at industrial conditions. The presence of HZSM-5 zeolite in the catalyst causes a significant increase in the amount of LPG (especially C3-C4 olefins), at the expense of a decrease in the gasoline fraction, whose RON is 1-2 points higher than that corresponding to the commercial catalyst. The gasoline obtained also has a higher content of olefins (especially C5-C7) and benzene at the expense of a decrease in the amount of C6-C10 i-paraffins.
Axial and Radial Investigation of Hydrodynamics in a Bubble Column; Influence of Fluids Flow Rates and Sparger Type
Authors: Chaumat Hélène , Billet Anne-Marie , Delmas Henri
Published: December 2006

A detailed investigation of local hydrodynamics in a pilot plant bubble column has been performed using various techniques, exploring both axial and radial variations of the gas hold-up, bubble average diameter and frequency, surface area. A wide range of operating conditions has been explored up to large gas and liquid flow rates, with two sparger types. Two main complementary techniques were used: a quasi local measurement of gas hold-up via series of differential pressure sensors to get the axial variation and a double optic probe giving radial variations of gad hold-up, bubble average size and frequency and surface area.According to axial evolutions, three zones, where radial evolutions have been detailed, have been separated: at the bottom the gas injection zone, the large central region or column bulk and the disengagement zone at the column top. It was found that significant axial and radial variations of the two phase flow characteristics do exist even in the so called homogeneous regime. The normalized profiles of bubble frequency appear sparger and gas velocity independent contrary to bubble diameter, gas hold-up and interfacial area normalized profiles. In any case bubbles are larger in the sparger zone than elsewhere.The main result of this work is the very strong effect of liquid flow on bubble column hydrodynamics at low gas flow rate. First the flow regime map observed in batch mode is dramatically modified with a drastic reduction of the homogeneous regime region, up to a complete heterogeneous regime in the working conditions (uG> 0.02 m/s). On the contrary, liquid flow has limited effects at very high gas flow rates.A large data bank is provided to be used for example in detailed comparison with CFD calculations.
Improvement of the Performances of a Gas-Inducing System for Application in Wastewater Treatment
Authors: Sardeing Rodolphe , Xuereb Catherine , Poux Martine
Published: December 2006

Turboxal, a mixing system used for the oxygenation and the mixing of wastewater biological treatment tanks previously studied, shows a low gas flooding rate. In order to increase the gas flooding rate, two of the three impellers used are replaced by only one new turbine. This new turbine comes from a previous work and has been designed partially by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The gas flooding rate of the new system, called Turboxal-2, is increased of about 120% on average compared to the Turboxal standard and the mass transfer capacities of the new system are quite similar to those of the previous device.
Magazines and their Companion Websites: Competing Outlet Channels?
Authors: Kaiser Ulrich
Published: December 2006

This paper provides empirical evidence for the widespread belief that a magazine's companion website induces channel competition on its print version. The analysis is based on aggregated quarterly magazine-specific data on circulation, a broad variety of magazine characteristics, consumer characteristics and information on a magazine's website presence.The data spans the period I/1996 to IV/2004. Nested logit-type models of demand for differentiated products are used in the empirical analysis. A main result of this paper is that magazines that run an online companion on average lose 4.2 percent of their potential consumers. This effect varies substantially across different consumer age groups and across time.
Fostering Academic Success of Mexican Americans in a BSN Program: An Educational Imperative
Authors: Taxis J. Carole
Published: December 2006

Hispanic/Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. and the most underrepresented in the U.S. nursing workforce. Although a body of knowledge is growing regarding factors that foster academic success of undergraduate nursing students of color, there is limited information about Hispanic students in general, and Mexican American students in particular in BSN programs. Explored in this qualitative study, were perceived influences of institutional and interpersonal factors on retention and graduation of nine Mexican American students from a predominantly White BSN program. The key findings include adequate financial assistance, maintaining bicultural relations, and experiencing authentic caring relationships from institutional agents, family, and peers as crucial factors in academic success. Recommendations for nursing faculty and administrators are offered.
CAN-Care: An Innovative Model of Practice-Based Learning
Authors: Raines Deborah A.
Published: December 2006

The "Collaborative Approach to Nursing Care" (CAN-Care) Model of practice-based education is designed to meet the unique learning needs of the accelerated nursing program student. The model is based on a synergistic partnership between the academic and service settings, the vision of which is to create an innovative practice-based learning model, resulting in a positive experience for both the student and unit-based nurse. Thus, the objectives of quality outcomes for both the college and Health Care Organization are fulfilled. Specifically, the goal is the education of nurses ready to meet the challenges of caring for persons in the complex health care environment of the 21st century.
Decreased protein nitration in macrophages that overexpress indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase
Authors: Keskin Derin , Marshall Brendan , Munn David , Mellor Andrew , Gearhart Debra
Published: December 2006

The activity of indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO; E.C. 1.13.11.42) catalyzes the oxidative cleavage of tryptophan to form kynurenine. IDO activity consumes superoxide anions; therefore, we postulated that over-expression of IDO might mitigate superoxide-anion dependent, oxidative modification of cellular proteins in vitro. We prepared and characterized RAW 264.7 macrophages that were stably transfected with either an IDO expression vector or the control (empty) vector. We detected IDO mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity in the IDO-transfected macrophages, but not in the macrophages transfected with the empty vector. To generate superoxide anions in situ, we treated the IDO-and control-transfected cultures with xanthine or hypoxanthine, and then used ELISA methods to quantitate the relative levels of oxidatively modified proteins in total cell lysates. The levels of protein carbonyls were similar in IDO-transfected and vector-transfected macrophages; however, protein nitration was significantly less in IDO-transfected cells compared to control transfectants. In addition, steady-state levels of superoxide anions were significantly lower in the IDO-transfected cultures compared with control transfectants. Our results are consistent with the concept that, besides degrading tryptophan, IDO activity may protect cells from oxidative damage.
Influences of Lovastatin on membrane ion flow and intracellular signaling in breast cancer cells
Authors: Wei Na , Mi Man , Zhou Yong
Published: December 2006

Lovastatin, an inhibitor of cellular cholesterol synthesis, has an apparent anti-cancer property, but the detailed mechanisms of its anti-cancer effects remain poorly understood. We investigated the molecular mechanism of Lovastatin anti-tumor function through the study of its effect on membrane ion flow, gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC), and the pathways of related signals in MCF-7 mammary cancer cells. After treatment for 24–72 h with 4, 8 or 16 μmol/L Lovastatin, cellular proliferation was examined via the MTT assay, and changes in membrane potential and cellular [Ca2+]i were monitored using confocal laser microscopy. In addition, the expression of plasma membrane calcium ATPase isoform 1 (PMCA1) mRNA was analyzed via RT-PCR, the GJIC function was examined using the scrape-loading dye transfer (SLDT) technique, and MAPK phosphorylation levels were tested with the kinase activity assay. The results showed that Lovastatin treatment significantly inhibited the growth of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. It also increased the negative value of the membrane potential, leading to the hyperpolarization of cells. Moreover, Lovastatin treatment continuously enhanced [Ca2+]i, although the levels of PMCA1 mRNA were unchanged. GJIC was also upregulated in MCF-7 cells, with transfer of LY Fluorescence reaching 4 to 5 rows of cells from the scraped line after treatment with 16 μmol/L Lovastatin for 72 h. Finally, downregulation of ERK1 and p38MAPK phosphorylation were found in Lovastatin-treated MCF-7 cells. It could be deduced that Lovastatin can induce changes in cellular hyperpolarization and intracellular Ca2+ distributions, and increase GJIC function. These effects may result in changes in the downstream signal cascade, inhibiting the growth of MCF-7 cells.
Genetic diversity of SIRE-1 retroelements in annual and perennial glycine species revealed using SSAP
Authors: Chesnay Catherine , Kumar Amar , Pearce Stephen
Published: December 2006

Sequence Specific Amplification Polymorphisms (SSAP) were used to measure the distribution and structure of SIRE-1 retroelement populations in annual and perennial Glycine species. For SSAP analysis, primers corresponding to a region immediately upstream of the 3’LTR of the soybean retroelement SIRE-1 were chosen. Analysis reveals that SIRE-1 is present throughout the Glycine genus and shows that the annual species have similar SIRE-1 populations whilst the perennial species have much more distinct and diverse populations. The high number of species-specific subgroups suggest that SIRE-1 has been active and evolving independently in each species during the course of Glycine evolution.