bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changing Perceptions of Sexual Harassment in the Federal Workforce, 1987–94
Authors: PICKERILL J. MITCHELL , JACKSON ROBERT A. , NEWMAN MEREDITH A.
Published: June 2006

Recent criticisms of sexual harassment law and workplace training policies contend that they have “sanitized” the workplace through their stigmatization of sexual expression that does not amount to actual discrimination. This study assesses some of the empirical foundations for those normative arguments. Using data from the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board's 1987 and 1994 surveys, we examine differences over time in federal workers’ perceptions of what types of behavior constitute sexual harassment. The article draws on a sociolegal theory of the endogenous nature of law as well as research on perceptions of sexual harassment. We hypothesize that, because of increased attention to sexual harassment, and to the hostile environment theory specifically, by scholars, judges, and the news media, and related policy changes in workplace training programs, federal workers likely came to view a wider range of sexual conduct as constituting harassment during this time period. The results support our expectations. We also find that sexual harassment training in their agency increased workers’ likelihood of viewing both hostile environment behavior and quid pro quo behavior as harassment.
EDITORIAL: BETTER REGULATION WITHOUT THE STATE
Authors: Boyfield Keith
Published: June 2006

There has been mounting concern about the increasing level of regulation in the UK economy over the last decade or more. Regulation has significant costs and is difficult to repeal. The government has set up various bodies to examine deregulation and better regulation. This article and the other articles in this issue look at those approaches and ask whether the state should be involved to a lesser degree in regulation. In many areas, it may be appropriate for the state to withdraw altogether, either because the private sector can spontaneously develop better regulation than the state can or because the unintended costs of state regulation are so great.
FINANCIAL REGULATION, THE STATE AND THE MARKET: IS THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AUTHORITY AN UNNECESSARY EVIL?
Authors: Arthur Terry , Booth Philip
Published: June 2006

The most successful stock exchanges developed without detailed regulation by the state. This article examines the role of the FSA in regulating stock market activity and finds that the justification for a statutory regulator is very weak. Indeed, one of the functions of a stock exchange is the development of a safe (private) regulatory environment for those using the exchange. Stock exchanges should be allowed to compete on the basis of the regulatory services they provide as it is only through a process of competition that regulation can be improved.
REGULATION IN AN UNTRUSTING WORLD
Authors: Sklaroff Stephen
Published: June 2006

If trust could be rebuilt, it would be possible to develop a regulatory framework that was less detailed and intrusive. This article shows how this could be done in the financial services sector.
DEUS CARITAS EST: THE SOCIAL MESSAGE OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
Authors: Gregg Samuel
Published: June 2006

The first encyclical letter of Pope Benedict XVI contains many surprises, not least among which are observations about the nature of justice, the limits of the state, and the purpose and character of charitable organisations. This article analyses the encyclical by highlighting some of its underlying theological and philosophical influences as well as its practical implications for how Christians think about approaching poverty and the political order.
ARTHUR SELDON: GREAT EDITOR, THINKER AND RADICAL ECONOMIST
Authors: Harris Ralph , Waterhouse Stuart , Anderson Martin , Howe Geoffrey
Published: June 2006

Editor's note

Arthur Seldon, the founder editor of Economic Affairs and first Editorial Director of the IEA, died in October 2005, a few weeks before the 25th anniversary issue went to press. Many tributes have been paid to Arthur Seldon in obituaries in The Economist and the major national newspapers. In this special section of Economic Affairs we reproduce four of the speeches given at his memorial service on 15 January 2006. Respectively, they illustrate the fond affection for Arthur Seldon felt by Ralph Harris, the founder General Director of the IEA; Stuart Waterhouse, a fellow LSE student; Martin Anderson, who worked with Arthur Seldon editing Economic Affairs; and Geoffrey Howe, former Chancellor of the Exchequer. Three members of Arthur Seldon's family also spoke at the memorial service. Their talks concentrated on Arthur Seldon's family life, but the following more general thoughts particularly resonated with all present. His adopted son, Michael Perrott, commented that he was ‘a lion amongst thinkers, timeless and uncompromising’. Peter Seldon spoke of his father as ‘a visionary’ and ‘a genius’; he concluded, ‘we are all unique but the word could have been invented for Arthur’. Peter's brother Anthony Seldon commented that ‘he [Arthur] lives on in all of us’. – Philip Booth
EUROPE AND CHINA: THE FATAL CONCEIT1
Authors: Neil Andrew
Published: June 2006

China's recent economic growth has been driven by an apparent acceptance by the Chinese government of many of the key insights of Hayek's economic and social thought. Current Chinese economic policies stand in stark contrast to those being pursued by the EU and many European countries, where interventionist policies of the kind Hayek predicted would lead to relative impoverishment and declining freedom are being pursued. The long‐term consequence of these two trends is likely to be the economic dominance of China over Europe in the present century.
Abnormal Platelet Trace Amine Profiles in Migraine With and Without Aura
Authors: D'Andrea G , Granella F , Leone M , Perini F , Farruggio A , Bussone G
Published: June 2006

Trace amines, including tyramine, octopamine and synephrine, are closely related to classic biogenic amines. In one study, where these substances were found elevated in plasma of migraineurs, it was hypothesized that trace amine metabolism is deranged in migraine. To confirm these findings, we studied, using a multichannel electrochemical high-performance liquid chromatography system, the concentrations of trace amines in platelets of migraine without aura (MoA) and migraine with aura (MA) patients in headache-free period, compared with controls. Platelet concentrations of trace amines, although elevated in both migraine types, showed a different profile in MoA and MA. Octopamine was significantly higher in MoA sufferers (0.69 ± 0.43 ng/108 platelets) compared with both control subjects (0.22 ± 0.16 ng/108 platelets) and MA patients (0.39 ± 0.37 ng/108 platelets). Synephrine was significantly higher in MA patients (0.72 ± 0.44 ng/108 platelets) with respect to both controls (0.33 ± 0.25 ng/108 platelets) and MoA sufferers (0.37 ± 0.29 ng/108 platelets). These results strengthen the hypothesis that tyrosine metabolism is deranged in migraine and may participate in its pathophysiology.
Mechanical disruption of seagrass in the digestive tract of the dugong
Authors: Lanyon J. M. , Sanson G. D.
Published: June 2006

The cheek teeth in dugongs are considered to be largely non‐functional whereas the oral horny pads are important both in mechanical disruption of the diet and in conveying seagrass through the mouth. Particle size distributions of digesta from 41 dead stranded dugongs were examined to investigate the relationship between degree of food breakdown, gut region and functional surface area of the mouthparts. The in vitro ease of fracture of major dietary seagrass species were compared. The rate of food breakdown through the gut appears to be more closely linked to fibre level of the diet than to size or age of the dugong and its mouthparts. Low fibre seagrass, for example Halophila ovalis, breaks down at a faster rate than high fibre seagrass, for example Zostera capricorni both in dugong guts and in vitro. Several structural characteristics of seagrass, including level and arrangement of fibre, and water content, make it particularly amenable to mechanical breakdown. The soft mouthparts of the dugong are highly modified so that the entire oral cavity functions to crush low fibre seagrasses. Thus, the dugong has developed an efficient method of food ingestion and mastication that is suited to processing large quantities of soft seagrass during short dive times. The potential cost to the dugong in having lost its hard dental surfaces is that it has become restricted to a low fibre diet.
Sleeping sites of black‐and‐white snub‐nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) at Baima Snow Mountain, China
Authors: Cui L.‐W. , Quan R.‐C. , Xiao W.
Published: June 2006

Data on sleeping sites of a group of black‐and‐white snub‐nosed monkeys Rhinopithecus bieti (Colobinae, Primates) were collected between April–July and September–December 2001 to try to determine the factors affecting site selection at Nanren (99°04′E, 28°34′N, Baima Snow Mountain, China). Sleeping trees were tall emergents (27.5±3.2 m) with large diameter at breast height (57.9±16.9 cm) and broad crown diameters (6.3±1.4 m), and significantly larger than other trees. The use of large sleeping trees could provide effective shelters from attacks of terrestrial and aerial predators, heavy snow and rain. Sleeping sites were changed nightly and located at significantly lower altitudes in winter months than in other seasons, which might be a thermoregulatory adaptation or related to snow covering. Such sites tended to be at the middle of sun‐oriented slopes, possibly trading off predator avoidance and foraging efficiency.
Penile morphology of African mole rats (Bathyergidae): structural modification in relation to mode of ovulation and degree of sociality
Authors: Parag A. , Bennett N. C. , Faulkes C. G. , Bateman P. W.
Published: June 2006

The penile morphology and bacular structure of five species of African mole rat are described in relation to the method of ovulation, degree of sociality and polygynandry. We predicted that, with an increase in sociality, and a concomitant decrease in polygynandry and sperm competition, there would be a decrease in penis ornamentation (spinosity) and baculum size. In solitary species of African mole rat with marked seasonal reproduction and induced ovulation (Bathyergus suillus and Georychus capensis), males have numerous epidermal spines on the penis. Social, seasonally breeding, induced ovulating mole rats Cryptomys hottentotus natalensis possess less elaborate ornamentation in the form of small protrusions that are rounded at the apex. Two aseasonally breeding eusocial species with spontaneous ovulation Cryptomys damarensis and Heterocephalus glaber have ridges on the penis but lack any elaborate ornamentation. Baculae, however, showed a trend to become proportionally smaller in the solitary species. Our prediction that, with an increase in sociality and a move from induced to spontaneous ovulation, the amount and degree of penile ornamentation declines was, therefore, generally supported.
Selective foraging on woody plant species by the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) in Telemark, Norway
Authors: Haarberg O. , Rosell F.
Published: June 2006

BeaversCastorspp. are generalist herbivores, feeding on the bark, shoots and leaves of woody plants, terrestrial herbs and forbs, ferns and aquatic vegetation. As central‐place foragers, beavers move out from water to select and cut trees and vegetation, and then transport it back to their refuge. These terrestrial forays are energetically costly; therefore, beavers should concentrate their foraging activity near the central place and increase the degree of selectivity for specific sizes or species of food with increasing distance from the water. The aim of this study was to test the predictions of the central place and the optimal foraging theories for the food selection of the Eurasian beaverCastor fiber, and show the foraging preferences of the focal species in the boreal conifer forest zone of Europe. Foraging intensity by beavers and the abundance of woody species were surveyed in transects positioned randomly at seven beaver territories. In compliance with the central‐place foraging theory, the foraging intensity declined with increasing distance from the river. Beavers fed preferentially on willows (Salix), rowan (Sorbus) and birches (Betula), although alders (Alnus) dominated their diet. Size selectivity showed similar patterns to previous North American studies, which were also carried out in habitats with predominantly small saplings. The probability of selection of small saplings dropped as distance increased, which is consistent with the predictions of optimal foraging models that larger prey items are more likely to be favoured with increasing provisioning distance.
Setting or mixed ability?: pupils’ views of the organisational arrangement in their school
Authors: Smith Chris M. M. , Sutherland Margaret J.
Published: June 2006

In 1996 Her Majesty's Inspectors of schools published a report entitled Achievement for All (SOEID, 1996). This report identified a number of key principles governing the organisation of pupils by class, or within class, in Scottish schools and concluded that:

The application of these principles does not give rise to one, universally best method of organising pupils into classes. If used effectively, both mixed ability and setting may be appropriate forms of organisation (5.4).

A study was undertaken to investigate the perceptions of various groups (teachers, parents and pupils) of how well the arrangements in place were working. A total of 13 schools were included in the investigation (4 primary and 9 secondary). Groups of between 6 and 12 pupils were interviewed in each school. This paper will present the perceptions of these pupils on the setting arrangements in place in their schools.
Research on interventions for children and young people on the autistic spectrum: a critical perspective
Authors: Humphrey Neil , Parkinson Gill
Published: June 2006

Developing, implementing and evaluating programmes of intervention for children and young people on the autistic spectrum are challenging endeavours. In this paper, we adopt a critical approach to research in this area, and attempt to offer an alternative perspective for understanding and interpreting empirical evaluations. We outline and discuss theoretical, methodological and practical issues and limitations associated with the current research body, and provide illustrative examples of gaps in the current literature.
School phobia: understanding a complex behavioural response
Authors: Chitiyo Morgan , Wheeler John J.
Published: June 2006

School phobia affects about 5% of the school‐age population. If left untreated, school phobia can have devastating long‐term consequences in children challenged by this condition. Various treatment approaches have been used to explore this complex behavioural response, major among them being the psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, pharmacological and behavioural approaches. Different therapeutic interventions have developed as outgrowths of these approaches; however, the utility of most of these approaches is still controversial. This paper explores current research on school phobia in a North American context and these writers propose extending research on the application of positive behaviour supports (PBS) as a treatment modality for addressing the behavioural support needs of children affected by school phobia.
For social justice and inclusion: engaging with the other
Authors: Forbes Joan
Published: June 2006

This paper opens with a discussion of the relevance of service integration to the successful implementation of the Integrated Community Schools (ICS) policy in Scotland. It continues to offer an overview of the teacher/speech and language therapist (SLT) collaboration policy context and introduces some of the relevant wider children's services integration policy themes. The approach and aim of a discourse‐based analysis are then discussed and the paper continues to suggest how such an approach may be used to uncover individuals’ identifications and subject positions. The analytical framework of five dimensions of power is introduced, empirical data are analysed to demonstrate how collaboration operates in practice in one specific collaboration relationship, and the issues of power which were uncovered are examined. The analysis would suggest that while policy discourses construct collaboration in particular ways, practitioners differentially appropriate collaboration and other professional discourses as resources with which to construct acceptable identities.
Some ideologies of disability
Authors: Low Colin
Published: June 2006

The paper analyses the “separate systems of honour” which constitute the ideologies surrounding disability. After critiquing traditional (false conscious and liberal) and radical (separate development and pseudo‐radical) responses to the disadvantaged and humiliating situation of disability, it concludes by advancing a genuinely radical response of its own.
Utilization of the Rhs core region of tc‐sepC orthologues as a degenerate system for the rapid amplification of insecticidal genes
Authors: BOCKETT N. A. , BECHER S. A. , HURST M. R. H.
Published: June 2006

We have developed a rapid procedure to identify the DNA sequence of candidate insecticidal genes belonging to the toxin complex (Tc) family. Using degenerate primers designed to the conserved core region of a component of the toxin complexes, we obtained consistent amplification of a ∼910 bp DNA segment of the tc‐sepC gene from various bacterial genomes. This technique not only defines whether a putative insecticidal bacterium is a member of the Tc family, but will facilitate the isolation of neighbouring genes that may encode the full compliment of tc‐like genes.
Development of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and their use in identification of Dendrobium varieties
Authors: YUE G. H. , LAM‐CHAN L. T. , HONG Y.
Published: June 2006

The aim of this study was to develop simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for Dendrobium varieties/species, many of which have medicinal and horticultural values. Two genomic DNA libraries of Dendrobium Sonia enriched with GA repeats and CA repeats were constructed. Fourteen polymorphic SSR markers were identified when screened against 42 popular commercial Dendrobium hybrids. The average allele number was 12.0 ± 1.9 and the observed heterozyosity was averaged at 0.70. All 42 hybrids tested, except for two tissue culture mutants, were uniquely identified with the markers used. Sibling hybrids were closely clustered. Hybrids were also closer to parents. These SSR markers can be used for molecular ecology research, genetic mapping and marker‐assisted breeding. They can also help protection for new Dendrobium varieties.
Potential loss of nutrients from different rearing strategies for fattening pigs on pasture
Authors: Eriksen J. , Hermansen J. E. , Strudsholm K. , Kristensen K.
Published: June 2006

Nutrient load and distribution on pasture were investigated with fattening pigs that: (1) spent a proportion of or their entire life on pasture; (2) were fed either restrictively orad libitum; and (3) were weaned at different times of the year. N and P retention in pigs decreased the longer they were kept on pasture. The contents of soil inorganic N and exchangeable K were significantly raised compared with the soil outside the enclosures but with no differences between treatments. Pig grazing did not affect extractable soil P. Regular moving of huts, feeding and water troughs was effective in ensuring that nutrients were more evenly distributed on the paddocks. Grass cover, as determined by spectral reflectance, was not related to the experimental treatments but only to the time of year. During spring and summer, grass was present in parts of the paddocks, whereas during autumn and winter, the pigs kept grass cover below 10%. Fattening pigs on pasture carry a high risk of nutrient loss and it is concluded that the most environmentally acceptable way of keeping them on pasture involves a combination of reduced dietary N intake, reduced stocking rate and seasonal rather than round the year production.
Geographies of cultural capital: education, international migration and family strategies between Hong Kong and Canada
Authors: Waters Johanna L
Published: June 2006

This paper intervenes in debates on education and social reproduction, developing the link between ‘parental choice’, class status and spatial mobility. Drawing on research in Canada and Hong Kong with migrant students and ‘returnee’ graduates, it demonstrates the relationship between ‘choice’, social class and international mobility, arguing that geographies of middle‐class decisionmaking in education have been recently transformed with the growth of a multi‐billion dollar international education market. The paper unpacks the meanings and consequences of international education in Hong Kong, revealing how migration to Canada has enabled middle‐class families to accumulate a more valuable form of cultural capital in a ‘Western’ university degree. It argues for a geographically sensitive account of the relative value of international education and its close links with both class reproduction and place‐based transnational social networks.
Geomorphological equilibrium: myth and metaphor?
Authors: Bracken Louise J , Wainwright John
Published: June 2006

Equilibrium is a central concept in geomorphology. Despite the widespread use of the term, there is a great deal of variability in the ways equilibrium is portrayed and informs practice. Thus, there is confusion concerning the precise meanings and usage of the concept. This confusion has arisen because of the enshrinement of Gilbert's original ideas as a myth that supports a narrow, short‐termist, process‐based approach to geomorphology that developed following the quantitative revolution, and is furthermore essentially untestable. It may be better to represent equilibrium as a metaphor that underpins many geomorphological concepts and ideas, which are utilized in our everyday practice and which are built upon a relatively narrow, modernist perspective of the discipline.
Tales of an island‐laboratory: defining the field in geography and science studies
Authors: Greenhough Beth
Published: June 2006

This paper investigates the ways in which field sites are defined in both science and science studies. Drawing on the example of how Iceland became a laboratory for both genetic science and science studies, it suggested that the spaces of science social scientists critique are also, to some extent, endorsed and reproduced through their own critical representations and practices. It is argued that this complicity between science studies and science both poses challenges and offers opportunities for geographers studying the relationship between life sciences, science studies and space.
“A Mission‐Driven Discipline”: the Growth of Conservation Biology
Authors: MEINE CURT , SOULÉ MICHAEL , NOSS REED F.
Published: June 2006

Abstract: Conservation biology emerged in the mid‐1980s, drawing on established disciplines and integrating them in pursuit of a coherent goal: the protection and perpetuation of the Earth's biological diversity. Opportunistic in its borrowing and application of knowledge, conservation biology had its roots within the established biological sciences and resource management disciplines but has continually incorporated insights from the empirical experience of resource managers, from the social sciences and humanities, and from diverse cultural sources. The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) has represented the field's core constituency, while expanding that constituency in keeping with the field's integrative spirit.Conservation Biologyhas served as SCB's flagship publication, promoting research, dialog, debate, and application of the field's essential concepts. Over the last 20 years the field, SCB, and the journal have evolved to meet changing conservation needs, to explore gaps in our knowledge base, to incorporate new information from related fields, to build professional capacity, and to provide expanded opportunities for international participation. In turn, the field, SCB, and journal have prompted change in related fields, organizations, and publications. In its dedication to advancing the scientific foundations of biodiversity conservation and placing that science at the service of society in a world whose variety, wildness, and beauty we care for, conservation biology represents both a continuation and radical reconfiguration of the traditional relationship between science and conservation.
Designing Systematic Conservation Assessments that Promote Effective Implementation: Best Practice from South Africa
Authors: KNIGHT ANDREW T. , DRIVER AMANDA , COWLING RICHARD M. , MAZE KRISTAL , DESMET PHILIP G. , LOMBARD AMANDA T. , ROUGET MATHIEU , BOTHA MARK A. , BOSHOFF ANDRE F. , CASTLEY J. GUY , GOODMAN PETER S. , MACKINNON KATHY , PIERCE SHIRLEY M. , SIMS‐CASTLEY REBECCA , STEWART WARRICK I. , VON HASE AMREI
Published: June 2006

Abstract: Systematic conservation assessment and conservation planning are two distinct fields of conservation science often confused as one and the same. Systematic conservation assessment is the technical, often computer‐based, identification of priority areas for conservation. Conservation planning is composed of a systematic conservation assessment coupled with processes for development of an implementation strategy and stakeholder collaboration. The peer‐reviewed conservation biology literature abounds with studies analyzing the performance of assessments (e.g., area‐selection techniques). This information alone, however, can never deliver effective conservation action; it informs conservation planning. Examples of how to translate systematic assessment outputs into knowledge and then use them for “doing” conservation are rare. South Africa has received generous international and domestic funding for regional conservation planning since the mid‐1990s. We reviewed eight South African conservation planning processes and identified key ingredients of best practice for undertaking systematic conservation assessments in a way that facilitates implementing conservation action. These key ingredients include the design of conservation planning processes, skills for conservation assessment teams, collaboration with stakeholders, and interpretation and mainstreaming of products (e.g., maps) for stakeholders. Social learning institutions are critical to the successful operationalization of assessments within broader conservation planning processes and should include not only conservation planners but also diverse interest groups, including rural landowners, politicians, and government employees.
Effects of Variation at theALDH2Locus on Alcohol Metabolism, Sensitivity, Consumption, and Dependence in Europeans
Authors: Dickson Peter A. , James Michael R. , Heath Andrew C. , Montgomery Grant W. , Martin Nicholas G. , Whitfield John B. , Birley Andrew J.
Published: June 2006

Background:The low‐activity variant of the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) gene found in East Asian populations leads to the alcohol flush reaction and reduces alcohol consumption and risk of alcohol dependence (AD). We have tested whether other polymorphisms in theALDH2gene have similar effects in people of European ancestry.

Methods:Serial measurements of blood and breath alcohol, subjective intoxication, body sway, skin temperature, blood pressure, and pulse were obtained in 412 twins who took part in an alcohol challenge study. Participants provided data on alcohol reactions, alcohol consumption, and symptoms related to AD at the time of the study and subsequently. Haplotypes based on 5 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used in tests of the effects of variation in theALDH2gene on alcohol metabolism and alcohol's effects.

Results:The typed SNPs were in strong linkage disequilibrium and 2 complementary haplotypes comprised 83% of those observed. Significant effects ofALDH2haplotype were observed for breath alcohol concentration, with similar but smaller and nonsignificant effects on blood alcohol. Haplotype‐related variation in responses to alcohol, and reported alcohol consumption, was small and not consistently in the direction predicted by the effects on alcohol concentrations.

Conclusions:Genetic variation inALDH2affects alcohol metabolism in Europeans. However, the data do not support the hypothesis that this leads to effects on alcohol sensitivity, consumption, or risk of dependence.
Striatal Dopamine Release and Family History of Alcoholism
Authors: Munro Cynthia A. , McCaul Mary E. , Oswald Lynn M. , Wong Dean F. , Zhou Yun , Brasic James , Kuwabara Hiroto , Kumar Anil , Alexander Mohab , Ye Weiguo , Wand Gary S.
Published: June 2006

Background:The offspring of alcohol‐dependent individuals are at increased risk for alcoholism. The present study was designed to determine whether mesolimbic dopamine binding potential (BP), dopamine release, stress hormones, and subjective responses to intravenous amphetamine are different in nonalcoholic offspring from families with a history of alcohol dependence [family history positive (FHP)] than in nonalcoholic offspring without a family history of alcohol dependence [family history negative (FHN)].

Methods:Participants were 41 healthy men and women (11 FHP, 30 FHN; age range 18–29). After completing baseline psychiatric symptom and personality measures, striatal D2/D3dopamine BP and dopamine release in response to an amphetamine challenge were measured with positron emission tomography (PET) using the D2/D3dopamine (DA) receptor radioligand [11C]raclopride. Binding potential was defined asBmax/KD, percent change in BP from baseline defined dopamine release. During the scans, subjects rated the degree to which they were experiencing each of 10 possible drug effects. Plasma cortisol and growth hormone (GH) were also measured at scheduled intervals during the scans.

Results:Neither baseline BP nor dopamine release differed by family history. Similarly, subjective responses to amphetamine did not differ by a family history of alcoholism. Although both cortisol and GH increased following administration of amphetamine, these increases did not differ between family history groups.

Conclusions:Using amphetamine to provoke mesolimbic dopamine, we did not show significant differences in dopamine release, subjective responses, or stress hormone measures as a function of family history of alcoholism.
Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters in Meconium: Are They Biomarkers of Fetal Alcohol Exposure and Effect?
Authors: Ostrea Enrique M. , Hernandez Joel D. , Bielawski Dawn M. , Kan Jack M. , Leonardo Gregorio M. , Abela Michelle Buda , Church Michael W. , Hannigan John H. , Janisse James J. , Ager Joel W. , Sokol Robert J.
Published: June 2006

Background: Biomarkers of fetal exposure to alcohol are important to establish so that early detection and intervention can be made on these infants to prevent undesirable outcomes. The aim of this study was to analyze long‐chain fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) in meconium as potential biomarkers of fetal alcohol exposure and effect.

Methods: Fatty acid ethyl esters were analyzed in the meconium of 124 singleton infants by positive chemical ionization gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and correlated to maternal ethanol use.

Results: A total of 124 mother/infant dyads were enrolled in the study: 31 were in the control group and 93 were in the alcohol‐exposed group. The incidence (28% vs 9.7%, p=0.037) of ethyl linoleate detected in meconium was significantly higher in the alcohol‐exposed groups than the control groups. Similarly, when the concentrations of ethyl linoleate in meconium were grouped (trichotomized), there was a significant linear by linear association between alcohol exposure and group concentrations of ethyl linoleate (p=0.013). Furthermore, only alcohol‐exposed infants were found in the group with the highest ethyl linoleate concentration. The sensitivity of ethyl linoleate in detecting prenatal alcohol exposure was only 26.9%, and its specificity and positive predictive value were 96.8 and 96.2%, respectively. There was no significant correlation between the concentration of ethyl linoleate in meconium and absolute alcohol consumed (oz) per drinking day across pregnancy, although a trend toward a positive correlation is seen at lower amounts of alcohol consumed. Among the polyunsaturated, long‐chain FAEEs, there was weak evidence that the incidence (21.5% vs 6.5%, p=0.057) and concentration (p=0.064) of ethyl arachidonate (AA) were significantly higher in the alcohol‐exposed groups than the control groups. Ethyl linolenate and ethyl docosahexanoate (DHA) in meconium were found only in the alcohol group, although not at statistically significant levels. Highly significant correlations were found among the concentrations of ethyl linoleate, ethyl linolenate, ethyl AA, and ethyl DHA in meconium (correlations ranged between rs=0.203, p=0.024; and rs=0.594, p<0.001).

Conclusion: We conclude that FAEEs in meconium, particularly ethyl linoleate and ethyl AA, are biomarkers of high specificity for prenatal exposure to alcohol in newborn infants. We also propose that ethyl AA and DHA could be potential biomarkers of fetal alcohol effects on the developing fetal brain and should be investigated further.
Disruptions in Sleep Time and Sleep Architecture in a Mouse Model of Repeated Ethanol Withdrawal
Authors: Veatch Lynn M.
Published: June 2006

Background: Insomnia and other sleep difficulties are perhaps the most common and enduring symptoms reported by alcoholics undergoing detoxification, especially those alcoholics with a history of multiple detoxifications. While some studies have reported sleep disruptions in animal models after chronic ethanol exposure, the reports are inconsistent and few address sleep architecture across repeated ethanol exposures and withdrawals. The present study evaluated sleep time and architecture in a well‐characterized mouse model of repeated chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal.

Methods: C57BL6/J mice were fitted with electrodes in frontal cortex, hippocampus, and nuchal muscle for collection of continuous electroencephalogram (EEG)/electromyogram (EMG) data. Baseline data were collected, after which mice received 4 cycles of 16‐hour exposure to alcohol (ethanol: EtOH) vapor separated by 8‐hour periods of withdrawal or similar handling in the absence of EtOH vapor. Ethanol‐exposed mice attained a blood ethanol concentration of 165 mg%. Upon completion of vapor exposure, EEG/EMG data were again collected across 4 days of acute withdrawal. Data were subjected to automated analyses classifying 10‐second epochs into wake, non–rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, or REM sleep states.

Results: Mice in withdrawal after chronic EtOH exposure showed profound disruptions in the total time asleep, across the acute withdrawal period. Sleep architecture, the composition of sleep, was also disrupted with a reduction in non‐REM sleep concomitant with a profound increase in REM sleep. While altered sleep time and non‐REM sleep loss resolved by the fourth day of withdrawal, the increase in REM sleep (“REM rebound”) persisted.

Conclusions: These results mirror those reported for the human alcoholic and demonstrate that EtOH withdrawal–induced sleep disruptions are evident in this mouse model of alcohol withdrawal–induced sensitization. This mouse model may provide mechanisms to investigate fully the high correlation between unremitting sleep problems and increased risk of relapse documented clinically.
Chronic Ethanol Treatment Impairs Rac and Cdc42 Activation in Rat Hepatocytes
Authors: Schaffert Courtney S. , Todero Sandra L. , Casey Carol A. , Thiele Geoffrey M. , Sorrell Michael F. , Tuma Dean J.
Published: June 2006

Background: The effects of chronic ethanol feeding on rat hepatocytes have been shown to include impaired cell–extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion events, such as decreased attachment and spreading as well as increased integrin–actin cytoskeleton association. These results, observed previously by this laboratory, are highly suggestive of impaired actin cytoskeleton reorganization, an event mediated by differential activation of the Rho family GTPases Rac, Cdc42, and RhoA. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of chronic ethanol administration on these GTPases.

Methods: Male Wistar rats were pair‐fed 4 to 5 weeks with a liquid diet containing either ethanol (as 36% of total calories) or isocaloric carbohydrate. Hepatocytes were isolated and plated on collagen IV up to 24 hours. At specific times, the hepatocytes were lysed and these lysates were analyzed for RhoA, Cdc42, and Rac activation.

Results: In freshly isolated hepatocytes from ethanol‐fed rats, the GTP‐bound (active) forms of Rac and Cdc42 were significantly decreased compared with pair‐fed control rats, while the GTP‐bound form of RhoA was not significantly altered. These ethanol‐induced impairments in Rac and Cdc42 activation persisted even after plating the hepatocytes on collagen IV. Additionally, chronic ethanol treatment did not directly affect GTP binding of Cdc42 and Rac, as incorporation of GTPγS was not affected.

Conclusions: Chronic ethanol administration selectively impairs Rac and Cdc42 activation in rat hepatocytes. As activation of these 2 GTPases is crucial for efficient cell attachment and spreading on ECM substrates, the results from this study suggest that the ethanol‐induced impairments in Rac and Cdc42 activation are responsible for the impaired hepatocyte–ECM adhesion events observed previously by our laboratory. Furthermore, these results raise the intriguing possibility that these GTPases are involved in other ethanol‐induced functional impairments, such as protein trafficking and receptor‐mediated endocytosis.
Cooperative Strategy Training and Oral Interaction: Enhancing Small Group Communication in the Language Classroom
Authors: NAUGHTON DIANE
Published: June 2006

This study focused on the effect of a cooperative strategy training program on the patterns of interaction that arose as small groups of students participated in an oral discussion task. The underlying assumption was that students could be taught to engage with each other and with the task in a way that would foster the creation and exploitation of learning opportunities. Intact classes were randomly assigned to the experimental or control condition, and triads from within each group were videotaped at the beginning and end of the experimental intervention. Data taken from the videotapes were analyzed in order to measure changes in overall participation, strategic participation, and the use of the individual strategies included in the program. The pretest showed that prior to strategy training, interaction patterns frequently did not reflect those interactions deemed important for language acquisition as identified within both traditional second language acquisition (SLA) and sociocultural research. The posttest revealed, however, that the strategy training program was largely successful in encouraging students to engage in these types of interactional sequences.
The Line‐Item Veto in Georgia: Fiscal Restraint or Inter‐Branch Politics?
Authors: LAUTH THOMAS P. , REESE CATHERINE C.
Published: June 2006

This article about use of the line‐item veto in Georgia concludes that the item veto has been used not as an instrument for reducing the budget total or the size of state government, but as an instrument for protecting the executive budget. Using appropriations data and drawing upon interviews with participants in the budget process, including seven governors, the authors present evidence that in Georgia the item veto (1) is not frequently used, (2) when used, is more likely to remove legislative language than delete dollar amounts, and (3) enables the spending priorities and fiscal policy preferences of the governor to prevail as state policy.
Spending Preferences of Public Sector Officials: Survey Evidence from Finland
Authors: VENETOKLIS TAKIS , KIANDER JAAKKO
Published: June 2006

We examine the determinants that shape the spending preferences of public sector officials on several budgetary appropriations. Following Niskanen's budget‐maximizing theory, we test whether these officials prefer larger budgetary appropriations rather than less. We measure their preferences to increase their own bureau's appropriations and compare those against their preferences for other bureaus' appropriations. The empirical evidence is gathered via a mail survey targeting high‐level officials from different ministries in Finland. The analysis of the responses suggests that Niskanen's theory is in part supported.
Banking on Accountability? Strengthening Budget Oversight and Public Sector Auditing in Emerging Economies
Authors: SANTISO CARLOS
Published: June 2006

This study reviews a decade of support by the World Bank and the Inter‐American Development Bank to parliaments and external audit agencies in Latin America. It underscores recent developments in development finance reflecting a broader understanding of the determinants of fiscal credibility and financial integrity. It reveals a learning curve in multilateral assistance to budget oversight institutions. It argues that there exists unexplored potential to improve the effectiveness of multilateral assistance to budget oversight institutions, including in the choice of strategies and instruments. More fundamentally, it underscores the need to tackle the underlying political economy of public finance accountability.
Linking Accounting and Budget Data: A Discourse
Authors: HOGE JEFF , MARTIN ED
Published: June 2006

Although the federal government has long been required to provide a reliable linkage between its accounting and budget data, it has only recently developed tools that can provide a consistent, government‐wide solution. This article analyzes these tools by a discussion of the criteria necessary for linkage and by providing examples of certain key budget linkages. In addition, the history of the development of these linkage tools is discussed. This article was developed from ideas presented by the authors while participating on a Linking Accounting and Budget panel at the Fall 2001 American Association for Budget and Program Analysis (AABPA) Symposium.
Proposals for Improving GPRA Annual Performance Plans
Authors: BINGMAN CHARLES F.
Published: June 2006

The Government Performance and Results Act process is now well embedded in the departments and agencies, and it is now timely to consider ways to improve the value of agency plans and reports, both to the Congress and to agency managers. This article offers several recommendations about how Annual Performance Plans can be made more valuable.
Synthesis of γ‐Ga2O3–Al2O3 Solid Solutions by the Glycothermal Method
Authors: Takahashi Masaru , Inoue Noriyuki , Takeguchi Tatsuya , Iwamoto Shinji , Inoue Masashi , Watanabe Tsunenori
Published: June 2006

The reaction of mixtures of aluminum isopropoxide and gallium acetylacetonate in 1,4‐butanediol or 1,5‐pentanediol at high temperatures (glycothermal reaction) directly gave the γ‐Ga2O3–Al2O3 solid solutions, which had high catalytic activities for selective reduction of NO using methane as the reducing agent. However, the reaction with a higher Al/(Ga+Al) charged ratio yielded the glycol derivative of boehmite as a by‐product and the catalytic activity of the solid solution decreased. Therefore, synthesis of the solid solution using various glycols was examined and it was found that solid solutions with high Al contents without contamination of the glycol derivative of boehmite were obtained by using 1,6‐hexanediol as a reaction medium. The solid solution exhibited a higher NO conversion than that synthesized in other glycols.
Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy of Commercial AlN Powders in Vacuum up to 700°C
Authors: Li Jinwang , Matsumaru Koji , Ishizaki Chanel , Ishizaki Kozo
Published: June 2006

AlN powders produced via three major industrial processes, i.e., chemical vapor deposition (CVD) from triethyl aluminum, carbothermal reduction and nitridation of alumina, and direct nitridation of aluminum, are analyzed by using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy with in situ heating in vacuum up to 700°C. Powders from the CVD and direct nitridation processes showed OHs over tetrahedrally coordinated Al ions (AlIV) above 250°C, indicating a boehmite (AlOOH)‐like surface oxide structure on the surfaces of original powders, while the powder from the carbothermal process did not present an apparent AlIV–OH band, implying a θ‐Al2O3‐like surface oxide structure. The bands at 2245 and 2120 cm−1 appearing above 200°C, which were not identified previously, might be assigned to cyanato and cyano groups, respectively.
Comorbid personality disorder and treatment use in a community sample of youths: a 20‐year follow‐up
Authors: Kasen S. , Cohen P. , Skodol A. E. , First M. B. , Johnson J. G. , Brook J. S. , Oldham J. M.
Published: June 2006

Objective:  The impact of comorbid personality disorder (PD) on subsequent treatment and psychotropic drug use was examined in a representative sample of over 700 individuals.

Method:  Axis I disorders and PD were assessed by self‐ and mother‐report at mean ages 13 and 22 years, and by self‐report at mean age 33. Mothers reported treatment use by participants before mean age 33; participants reported treatment and psychotropic drug use at mean age 33.

Results:  Individuals with multiple axis I disorders without PD, axis I disorder–PD comorbidity, and single disorders were compared simultaneously to individuals not diagnosed. Overall, odds of subsequent and past year treatment or psychotropic drug use or both were highest when PD co‐occurred with a mood, an anxiety, a disruptive, or a substance use disorder.

Conclusion:  Co‐occurring personality pathology may contribute to elevated mental health service use, including use of psychotropic drugs, among young adults in the community.
Enhanced susceptibility to periodontitis in an animal model of depression: reversed by chronic treatment with the anti‐depressant tianeptine
Authors: Breivik Torbjørn , Gundersen Yngvar , Myhrer Trond , Fonnum Frode , Osmundsen Harald , Murison Robert , Gjermo Per , Von Hörsten Stephan , Opstad Per Kristian
Published: June 2006

Objective:To test the hypothesis that the olfactory bulbectomy model of depression in rats could influence susceptibility to ligature‐induced periodontitis, and that chronic treatment with the anti‐depressant drug tianeptine could attenuate this effect.

Material and Methods:Tianeptine was given twice daily (10 mg/kg, i.p.) during the entire experiment, starting 29 days before induction of olfactory bulbectomy and periodontitis. Olfactory bulbectomized (OB) rats and sham‐operated rats were given saline in a similar manner. Periodontal disease was assessed when the ligatures had been in place for 21 days. Two hours before decapitation, rats were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS;100 μg/kg, i.p.) to induce a robust immune and stress response.

Results:Compared with sham‐operated controls, OB rats developed significantly more periodontal bone loss, exhibited characteristic behavioural responses in a novel open field test, and showed a decreased expression of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) in the hippocampus. LPS provoked a significantly larger increase in circulating levels of the stress hormone corticosterone and the cytokine transformation growth factor (TGF)‐1β but smaller tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α levels. Tianeptine treatment of OB rats significantly inhibited peridodontal bone loss, normalized behavioural responses, enhanced TGF‐1β levels, and abolished TNF‐α decrease, but did not attenuate the increased corticosterone response and the decreased hippocampal GR expression.

Conclusions:These experimental results are consistent with an emerging literature showing that life stress, anxiety, depression, pathological grief, and poor coping behaviour may dysregulate regulatory mechanisms within the brain involved in immune regulation, and thereby alter immune responses and influence the susceptibility/resistance to inflammatory disorders.