bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reducing re-offending and structural change in the delivery of criminal justice social work in Scotland
Authors: Maybee James
Published: December 2006

After an extensive consultation, the Scottish Executive recently published its strategy to reduce re-offending. A key component is the reorganization of the ‘Tough Option’ local authority groupings established in 2002 into eight Community Justice Authorities (CJA). With the appointment of a chief officer, directly accountable to Scottish ministers for the delivery of a local offender management plan, there is a real opportunity for criminal justice social work services (CJSWS) to build on, and learn from, Tough Option. It is crucial that CJAs use the new legislation to radically overhaul delivery of CJSW by increasingly transferring resources into the CJA and taking direct responsibility for service delivery. This article sets out the background to the consultation, outlines the proposed changes and suggests how these could lead to more effective CJSW services.
The decline in crime and the rise of anti-social behaviour
Authors: Mooney Jayne , Young Jock
Published: December 2006

This article examines a phenomenon of our times: the decline in crime and the rise in concern with anti-social behaviour. We will examine both the evidence for and the causes of this shift, focusing on England and Wales and the USA.
Abolishing probation–a political crime?
Authors: Priestley Philip , Vanstone Maurice
Published: December 2006

Ironically, on the eve of its centenary, the probation service–despite its unique position within the criminal justice system–is in greater danger of extinction than at any time in its history. This article argues that populist-driven policies offer little in the way of public protection against crime or reduction in the harm caused by it. Instead, it promotes the case for a renewed political commitment to probation by arguing for a constructive, evidence-based approach to community sentences based on the principle of consent, community participation, and self-sentencing–probationers sharing responsibility for devising their own rehabilitation programmes that exploit their strengths rather than their weaknesses.
Spouses’ gender-typed attributes and their links with marital quality: A pattern analytic approach
Authors: Helms Heather M. , Proulx Christine M. , Klute Mary Maguire , McHale Susan M. , Crouter Ann C.
Published: December 2006

Using data from interviews with 194 midlife couples, we: (i) identified a typology of couple groups based on spouses’ gender-typed attributes; (ii) described couple groups in terms of individual, contextual, and attitudinal characteristics; and (iii) linked couple groups with emotional, cognitive, and behavioral qualities of marriage across 3 years. Four couple types that differed in spouses’ instrumental and expressive attributes were identified and replicated via cluster analysis. Gender-typed wives/extreme gender-typed-husband couples reported significantly lower levels of marital quality across the 3 years. Underscoring the importance of a dyadic approach, the research identifies common couple configurations based on spouses’ gender-typed attributes, identifies couples with lower marital quality, and offers insights into personal-social attributes that may be protective in marriage.
Measuring respect in close relationships
Authors: Hendrick Susan S. , Hendrick Clyde
Published: December 2006

We developed a brief rating scale to measure participants’ respect for their romantic partner. Factor analyses (including confirmatory factor analysis) and correlations of Study 1 ( N = 257 college participants) data provided initial validation of a 6-item scale entitled the Respect Toward Partner Scale. The scale correlated with several love and sexual attitudes, relationship satisfaction, commitment, and self-disclosure, as hypothesized. Study 2 ( N = 214 college participants) employed this new scale, the other measures used in Study 1, and Frei and Shaver’s (2002) Respect for Partner Scale. The two respect measures were correlated; other results were largely consistent with Study 1. Study 3 largely replicated previous results, but with an older, nonstudent sample ( N = 236). Respect merits increased attention in future relationship research.
Partners and others: Social provisions and loneliness among married Dutch men and women in the second half of life
Authors: Stevens Nan , Westerhof Gerben J.
Published: December 2006

The main goal of this article was to test whether the perceived availability of social provisions within and outside marriage in a representative Dutch sample of men and women in late adulthood would differ from findings from similar studies in the United States. We predicted that there would be more similarity between married men and women in self-reported social relationships, social provisions, and loneliness in the more feminine culture of The Netherlands than is often reported in research from the United States, where the dominant culture is more masculine. Data are from the Dutch Aging survey that involved a representative sample of 983 people between the ages of 40 and 85. As predicted, we found similarity between men and women in the size and composition of core networks, the provision of emotional support to and from the partner, and in the provision of instrumental support to others. Contrary to our hypothesis, women exchanged more emotional support with friends, children, and other family and identified these persons more often as companions in leisure activities. Despite the women’s greater reported involvement in other relationships, these men were not lonelier than were women. For both men and women, social provisions from close relationships beyond the partner relation contributed to alleviating loneliness.
Relational quality and communicative responses following hurtful events in dating relationships: An expectancy violations analysis
Authors: Bachman Guy Foster , Guerrero Laura K.
Published: December 2006

The present study uses expectancy violations theory to investigate hurtful events, relational quality, and communication in dating relationships. Participants ( N = 263) described a hurtful behavior performed by their dating partner and recalled their reaction to that behavior. When respondents evaluated the hurtful event as a highly negative expectancy violation and judged their partner as unrewarding, they were more likely to report breaking up, being less satisfied and committed, and using destructive rather than constructive communication. Individuals who were deeply hurt reported being slightly less likely to break up, more likely to be satisfied and committed, and more likely to use both constructive and destructive communication. Finally, victims who perceived their partners’ actions as intentional were more likely to report using destructive communicative responses.
Terror management and close relationships: Evidence that mortality salience reduces commitment among partners with different worldviews
Authors: Strachman Amy , Schimel Jeff
Published: December 2006

This study examined the effects of partner similarity versus differences from the perspective of terror management theory. Two hundred and sixty-six undergraduate students currently in a romantic relationship were randomly assigned to either a mortality salience or control condition, and a worldview prime condition in which they were asked to describe the similarities or differences between themselves and their partner. Following this procedure, participants’ commitment to their romantic partner was assessed. The results indicated that mortality salience reduced feelings of commitment to their partner if they were first asked to ponder worldview differences. The role of worldview compatibility under conditions of existential threat in relationships is discussed.
Breaking Out of the Linguistic Ghetto? The role of new media in facilitating international research
Authors: Johnson Ian M.
Published: December 2006

The paper reviews some of the challenges faced by researchers whose principal language is not English in accessing appropriate literature. Taking the experience of the Latin American countries as an example, it discusses the challenges implicit in the international ranking of scholarly journals, as well as the barriers imposed by print publishing and by existing indexing services. It considers critically the implications of the emergence of electronic journals, open access publishing, and the development of institutional repositories. Finally, it discusses the issues for researchers that are raised by the new media, including access, sustainability, quality control and the underpinning pedagogic culture. This paper draws on research undertaken in 2004 and 2005 by an international team supported by the European Commission's ALFA Programme. The research project, REVISTAS, investigated the feasibility of digitizing professional journals published in Spanish and Portuguese, particularly those published in Latin America, as a means of raising the quality of teaching and research.
University Libraries in the South: from virtual to real
Authors: Ahmed Ksibi
Published: December 2006

Deficiencies observed in the virtual library project in Tunisia led us to reflect on the networking of university libraries in the South that often experience “absolute deficiency”. Without rational management, virtualization through connectivity and the transitioning of activities to a non-physical, time-independent, uninhabitable cyberworld could result in information spaces that are increasingly ephemeral, even chaotic. Despite the launch in 1996 of the virtual library project called Bibliothèque Informatisée pour la Rénovation Universitaire [digital libraries for university renewal] (BIRUNI) and the acquisition of hardware and VIRTUA, the powerful, expensive software by VTLS, university libraries still suffer from inefficient information services and the increasing deterioration of their collections and resources. To overcome the current deficiencies, my aim is to identify the primary trends, tensions and problems in higher education to determine their impact on libraries and consider different perspectives. To accomplish that, it was necessary to establish several hypotheses, present a method and recall the basic principles. Among the hypotheses: this Tunisia case study, with a median sociocultural configuration, could postulate that the Tunisia experiment is a model for the Third World, and consequently the remarks and findings could be extrapolated to the Southern countries. There are three parts to the study: the first is devoted to trends in higher education and a status report of Southern university libraries in a context of increasing student enrolment and stagnation of public funding; the second involves the management of transitioning from computerization to connectivity for production, the dissemination of knowledge; the third is a normalization system to provide cultural and linguistic diversity and promote unanimity of spirit for the circulation of ideas and universal access to information.
The course of apraxia and ADL functioning in left hemisphere stroke patients treated in rehabilitation centres and nursing homes
Authors: Donkervoort Mireille , Dekker Joost , Deelman Betto
Published: December 2006

Objective: To study the course of apraxia and daily life functioning (ADL) in left hemisphere stroke patients with apraxia.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Rehabilitation centres and nursing homes.

Subjects: One hundred and eight left hemisphere stroke patients with apraxia, hospitalized in rehabilitation centres and nursing homes.

Measures: ADL-observations, Barthel ADL Index, Apraxia Test, Motricity Index.

Results: During the study period of 20 weeks, patients showed small improvements in apraxia (standardized mean differences of 0.19 and 0.33) and medium-sized improvements in ADL functioning (standardized mean differences from 0.37 to 0.61). About 88% of the patients were still apraxic at week 20. Less improvement in apraxia was observed in initially less severe apraxic patients. Less improvement in ADL functioning was found to be associated with more severe apraxia, a more independent initial ADL score, higher age, impaired motor functioning and longer time between stroke and first assessment.

Conclusions: Apraxia in stroke patients is a persistent disorder, which has an adverse influence on ADL recovery.
Limited dose response to Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy in patients with chronic stroke
Authors: Richards Lorie , Gonzalez Rothi Leslie J , Davis Sandra , Wu Samuel S , Nadeau Stephen E
Published: December 2006

Objective: To compare outcomes in motor skill, perceived amount of use and ability of the paretic arm in daily activities between traditional Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy, consisting of 6 hours of in-clinic, therapist-guided task practice, and a shortened Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy, consisting of 1 hour of in clinic, therapist-guided task practice coupled with 5 hours of unsupervised practice at home.

Design: A secondary analysis of two previous randomized, controlled, double-blind, parallel group studies.

Setting: A research clinic.

Participants: Thirty-nine individuals with hemiparesis from a chronic unilateral stroke who were able to extend the wrist 10° and the fingers and thumb 10° from a flexed position and were participants in one of the two studies examining the efficacy of adding neuroplasticity adjuvants to Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy.

Main outcome measures: The Wolf Motor Function Test was used to assess motor skill and the Motor Activity Log amount of use and quality of movement scales were used to assess perceived amount of use and ability respectively.

Interventions: Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy plus donepezil in the CIMT-6 study (the traditional 6 hours of in-clinic task practice) and Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy plus repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the CIMT-1 study (1 hour of in-clinic task practice).

Results: Motor skill gains after two weeks of therapy were equivalent for both groups (n=39; mean difference=2.81, P>0.22), but gains were not maintained six months later with either intervention protocol. Despite this, participants in the CIMT-6 group reported greater use (mean difference=1.52, P<0.001) and movement quality (mean difference=0.95, P<0.004) than those with less therapist-guided practice. Both groups had regressed somewhat in use and ability at the six-month follow-up.

Conclusion: These results suggest that 6 hours of therapist-guided practice may not be necessary to facilitate motor skill gains, but may influence patterns of use.
A randomized controlled pilot study to obtain the best estimate of the size of the effect of a thermoplastic resting splint on spasticity in the stroke-affected wrist and fingers
Authors: Sheehan J L , Winzeler-Merçay U , Mudie M H
Published: December 2006

Objective: To obtain the best estimate of the size of the effect of a thermoplasticresting splint on spasticity in the stroke-affected upper limb.

Design: A randomized controlled intervention involving 14 adults affected by stroke,allocated to two groups.

Setting: Inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation departments.

Intervention: Following one week of baseline when neither group wore a splint, group 1 continued without a splint for week 2 and then wore a splint during week 3.Group 2 wore a splint during weeks 2 and 3. Both groups then wore a splint through weeks 4-7.

Main measures: A computerized torque apparatus was used to measure resistance at the wrist in newtons at every one-degree angle through the range of extension.Amount and rate of change in resistance was compared between the groups to obtain the best estimate of the size of the effect of splinting.

Results: Effect sizes were small and failed to reach the suggested smallest clinically worthwhile effect size for amount and rate of change in resistance in the short term. However, the average estimated size of the effect for rate of change with longer term splinting exceeded the smallest clinically worthwhile effect.

Conclusions: These findings and the fact that confidence intervals overlapped the smallest clinically worthwhile size of the effect for amount and rate of change in both short and long term suggest that a study with a larger sample is warranted.
Studying communication in oncologist-patient encounters: The SCOPE Trial
Authors: Koropchak Celine M , Pollak Kathryn I , Arnold Robert M , Alexander Stewart C , Skinner Celette Sugg , Olsen Maren K , Jeffreys Amy S , Rodriguez Keri L , Abernethy Amy P , Tulsky James A
Published: December 2006

Study objective: Most oncologists have not received adequate training in physician-patient communication, and existing effective courses tend to be time and resource intensive. We are developing and testing a tailored CD-ROM educational intervention that includes feedback on oncologists’ own audio-recorded conversations with their advanced cancer patients. In this report, we describe the study methods and identify challenges to implementation and how these were overcome.

Study design: A three-phase, randomized, controlled trial. In Phase 1, we audio-recorded oncologist-patient clinic encounters. In Phase 2, oncologists were randomly assigned to a communication CD-ROM intervention or control. Phase 3 consisted of audio-recording all participating oncologists conversing with a new sample of patients, two to 12 months after the intervention, to assess its effectiveness.

Setting: Oncology clinics at Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DVAMC) in Durham, NC, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in Pittsburgh, PA.

Participants: Medical, radiation and gynecological oncologists and their patients with advanced cancer.

Intervention: A tailored CD-ROM that contains an interactive educational interface with reference materials and video-clips of model conversations, along with the oncologists’ own Phase 1 audio-recorded conversations.

Conclusion: We present challenges and solutions to oncologist recruitment, identifying appropriate patients with advanced cancer, adapting to clinic flow, and developing a self-administered communications intervention.
Discourse analysis: examining the potential for research in palliative care
Authors: O’Connor Margaret , Payne S
Published: December 2006

Qualitative research methods are an appropriate way to address questions on understandings, feelings and experiences of people in the context of palliative care. They make an assumption that language reflects objective reality. An alternative position is taken by discourse analysis methods, which are concerned with investigating how language and written texts are used to shape and influence behaviours, and provide ways of constructing the world. This paper argues that discourse analysis has benefits in revealing taken-for-granted and hidden aspects of palliative care. These advantages include revealing how common words and terms are used to invoke social practices, knowledge and power, which shape the meaning and delivery of palliative care in different contexts. Advice on conducting discourse analysis is provided, along with two exemplar studies. Finally, we indicate the potential contributions, the disadvantages and the ethical considerations required in using this approach to research.
Methods for handling missing data in palliative care research
Authors: Fielding S , Fayers P M , Loge J H , Jordhøy M S , Kaasa S
Published: December 2006

Missing data is a common problem in palliative care research due to the special characteristics (deteriorating condition, fatigue and cachexia) of the population. Using data from a palliative study, we illustrate the problems that missing data can cause and show some approaches for dealing with it. Reasons for missing data and ways to deal with missing data (including complete case analysis, imputation and modelling procedures) are explored. Possible mechanisms behind the missing data are: missing completely at random, missing at random or missing not at random. In the example study, data are shown to be missing at random. Imputation of missing data is commonly used (including last value carried forward, regression procedures and simple mean). Imputation affects subsequent summary statistics and analyses, and can have a substantial impact on estimated group means and standard deviations. The choice of imputation method should be carried out with caution and the effects reported.
Methodological and structural challenges in palliative care research: how have we fared in the last decades?
Authors: Kaasa Stein , Hjermstad Marianne Jensen , Loge Jon Ha°vard
Published: December 2006

The heterogeneity of the palliative care population represents challenges to research methodology, including study design, informed consent (and ethical issues in general), assessment and classification of symptoms and signs, as well as practical issues in the clinic.

The aim of this report is to describe and examine the status of palliative care research in Europe by means of a survey and a literature review.

Only one European country, the UK, has taken a national initiative to stimulate and promote palliative care research through the supportive and palliative care collaboratives (SUPAC) in 2005. There are few European research groups in palliative care reaching a critical size, several countries do not have academic chairs in palliative care, and there is no clear trend that chairs are emerging in general. There is little public funding for palliative care research. Palliative care researchers need to compete on the ‘open market’ or rely on private foundations.

There has been a steady increase in the number of abstracts for presentation at the EAPC Research Forums, from 200 in 2000, to 480 in 2006. The literature review indicated that the majority of publications are surveys and descriptive/observational studies, and few randomised, controlled, studies were published.

In conclusion, the quantity of research seems to be steadily increasing. There may be a need for larger multi-centre studies, and in order to perform such studies, national and international structures, encompassing research above the critical size, with a multi-disciplinary background including both basic scientists and clinicians is required.
How to involve cancer patients at the end of life as co-researchers
Authors: Wright David NM , Hopkinson Jane B , Corner Jessica L , Foster Claire L
Published: December 2006

The importance of user involvement in the organisation and delivery of health services and the conduct of research has increased over recent decades. Involving people at the end of life in research remains an under-developed area of research activity. The Macmillan Listening Study, a UK-wide study exploring research views and priorities of people affected by cancer, adopted a participatory research approach. Patients and carers, including two participants receiving palliative care services, collaborated in all aspects of the study as co-researchers. In this paper, we discuss the experience of working with co-researchers to collect data from two hospices. We will discuss practical, ethical and methodological challenges, including specific training needs and the emotional demands of conducting the research. Recommendations are made to facilitate successful collaboration with palliative care service users in end of life research.
Asymmetrical Continuity of Love and Law between the Old and New Testaments: Explicating the Implicit Side of a Hermeneutical Bridge, Leviticus 19.11-18
Authors: Allbee Richard A.
Published: December 2006

This study contends that there is a considerable, albeit asymmetrical, continuity between the Old and New Testaments with respect to love and law. The Old Testament’s emphasis and contribution to this continuity is that by placing the love of neighbor in a legal context it demonstrates that love should extend to the type of societal relations that are commonly regulated by law. Leviticus 19.11-18 contains an impressive array of social commandments prohibiting all manner of theft, oppression, injustice and hatred. Conversely it commands the love of neighbor, which is the positive counterpart to the pericope’s prohibitions, as well as their unifying principle. The New Testament’s contribution highlights the interpersonal nature of love.
‘Thus you will say to them’: A Cross-Cultural Confessional Polemic in Jeremiah 10.11
Authors: Reid Garnett
Published: December 2006

The unexpected presence of Aramaic in Jer. 10.11 has prompted some scholars to conclude: (1) that the verse is an intrusive insertion into the 10.1-16 unit; and (2) that the entire poem lacks cohesion and is ill-fitting in its context. This study contends that, in response to the latter charge, rhetorical order is evident in the structure of 10.1-16. Furthermore, the claim that v. 11 is out of place fails to consider both its pivotal position and kerygmatic intent within the pre-captivity Jeremianic setting. Shared themes link the larger poem with its context, while clearly delineated rhetorical devices demonstrate its structural cohesion. Verse 11 serves as the architectural axis of the unit. Its Aramaic rendering is crucial given its intended use as a polemical summary of the Hebrews’ theology, designed as a kerygmatic challenge they are to deliver to their Babylonian captors proclaiming Yahweh as the true God.
Environmental Analysis of Textile Products
Authors: Chen Hsiou-Lien , Burns Leslie Davis
Published: December 2006

The increasing public awareness and sense of social responsibility related to environmental issues have led the textile industry to manufacture products with improved environmental profiles. This article evaluates processes used to produce cotton, wool, nylon, polyester, rayon, lyocell (Tencel®), and leather, and their potential environmental impacts using selected criteria. An analysis of the measures the textile industry has taken to reduce the adverse environmental impacts is provided. Finally, the textile industry's and consumers' responsibilities in moving toward the production of environmentally sound textile products are discussed. The assessment of the environmental impact of a product is a complex issue, and solutions cannot be achieved without action by the government, industry, and the consumers.
Design Piracy and Self-Regulation: The Fashion Originators' Guild of America, 1932-1941
Authors: Marcketti Sara B. , Parsons Jean L.
Published: December 2006

The concept of copying or “knocking off” another designer's idea is an accepted practice in the apparel industry. Legally, designers and manufacturers have had tenuous success in proving their work “original and novel” as required by U.S. patent laws, and copyright laws often do not apply to apparel. The speed of fashion change and reliance on repetition of ideas at various price points makes design protection difficult and controversial. Historically, arguments for and against measures to control copying of apparel most frequently divided along price lines. The Fashion Originators' Guild of America (FOGA, 1932-1941) developed one of the more successful attempts to control design piracy in the dress industry. This article examines the ethical, economic, and social considerations in arguments for and against design protection and analyzes the role of designers, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers in the initial success and ultimately the failure of the FOGA.
The Rules of Forced Engagement
Authors: Naber Nadine
Published: December 2006

Based on ethnographic research on the impact of the aftermath of 11 September 2001 on Arab immigrant communities in San Francisco, this essay explores the ways that the Bush administration's ‘war on terror’ has taken on local form in everyday life. I argue that the post-9/11 backlash is not a historical anomaly, but represents a recurring process of the construction of the Other within liberal polities in which long-term trends of racial exclusion become intensifi ed within moments of crisis within the body politic. I further argue that class, gender, sexuality, religion, and citizenship simultaneously operated intersectionally to produce a variety of engagements with anti-Arab/anti-Muslim racism. Finally, I argue that, together, state policies and everyday forms of harassment have produced an ‘internment of the psyche’, or an emotive form of internment that engenders multiple forms of power and control in the realm of the psyche.
Producing The Spectacle of Kamathipura
Authors: Shah Svati P.
Published: December 2006

In this article, I discuss the ways in which prostitution in Mumbai's main red light area is produced and functions as a spectacle. I examine several instantiations of discourses on prostitution in the city, including the press, and a 2003 HIV/AIDS prevention campaign which targeted female sex workers and their clients. I argue that the spectacle of prostitution in Mumbai is framed by international discourses of trafficking, as well as the local dialectics of stigma and honor. I conclude by discussing prostitution in other parts of India, where there is a greater degree of rights-based organizing.
Acknowledging Afghanistan
Authors: Daulatzai Anila
Published: December 2006

This article questions the privileging of gender as the primary axis along which the experience of being a woman in Afghanistan can be understood and attended to. I argue that the privileging of gender is part of a two-pronged problem: first, there is a substantial lack of current knowledge on everyday life and subjectivity of Afghans, and second, this lack of knowledge is held in abeyance, while a limited set of analytical concepts and clichés—especially gender and Islamic fundamentalism—occupy the respective discursive space. My claim is that knowledge of Afghanistan that lays emphasis on a limited set of analytical parameters ultimately results in an impossibility of acknowledging the experiences of Afghans—men and women alike. A discussion of ongoing ethnographic work in a widow-run bakery in Kabul will serve as an entry point to reconsider the ways in which Afghanistan may inhabit our imagination.
Habitus and the practice of public service
Authors: McDonough Peggy
Published: December 2006

This article presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of the public service ethos under municipal government restructuring. Using Bourdieu’s theory of practice, it suggests, first, that public service makes public servants through socialization in the public service habitus.This gives practice a prereflective, embodied and immediate character. Second, it links the public service habitus to field struggles over the definition of the public good. Front-line workers’ tacit recognition of a ‘traditional’ vision of the universal good means that they will defend it in the face of threats by those attempting to impose alternative visions of the state as an extension of the market. Finally, the article offers an empirically grounded understanding of public servants making public service.Through their daily practices, including the practical practice of public service, embodied public service and defence of public service, workers reproduce, usually unconsciously, this traditional vision of the public good.
Origin, employment status and attitudes towards work: immigrants in Vancouver, Canada
Authors: Bauder Harald
Published: December 2006

It is often implied in academic and public debate that non-immigrants and immigrants of various origin harbour different attitudes towards work. To examine whether these differences relate to men and women’s origin, labour market status, and length of time living at the place of settlement, an interview survey of 509 individuals was conducted in a predominantly Chinese-speaking neighbourhood, a Punjabi-speaking area and an English-speaking neighbourhood in Vancouver, Canada. The results of the survey are critically interpreted in light of Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus. Although the study reveals origin-based differences in work attitudes, the article rejects the cultural essentialism that could be used to explain differences in economic performance.
Framing comparisons: gendering perspectives on cross-national comparative research on work and welfare
Authors: O’Reilly Jacqueline
Published: December 2006

This article critically reviews a range of analytical frameworks used in cross-national comparative employment and welfare state research. The approaches examined include the societal effect, varieties of capitalism, welfare state regimes and benchmarking approaches, and their feminist critiques.The article concludes by assessing the critical merits and implicit assumptions of using such frameworks to examine the differential impact of work and welfare for men and women in different societies.
Mid-latitude shelf seas: a NW European perspective on the seasonal dynamics of temperature, salinity and oxygen isotopes
Authors: Austin W. E. N. , Cage A. G. , Scourse J. D.
Published: December 2006

Pronounced seasonal variability, particularly in the surface ocean heat flux, imparts an important control that drives thermal stratification of the tide-dominated middle-and high-latitude shelf seas. Bottom water temperature and salinity data, resolved on a grid 20’ latitude by 30’ longitude, were combined with a regional synthesis of the salinity: δ18O relationship in order to generate a spatial and temporal understanding of oxygen isotopes in seawater around the shelf seas of NW Europe. The data are expressed according to equilibrium calcite (δ18OEq.calcite) and, in the shallow mixed water column, exhibit large seasonal changes that are primarily driven by bottom water temperature. Annual bottom water temperature varies from < 3°C to >17°C in the southern North Sea, generating a seasonal δ18OEq.calcitesignal of up to 3.2%. The amplitude of the seasonal d18OEq.calcite signal is significantly damped (0.1 - 0.2o/oo) in deeper, thermally stratified shelf waters. Maps of the monthly distribution δ18OEq.calciteprovide the first systematic overview of the spatial and temporal changes on the NW European shelf and highlight the importance of understanding seasonal growth on the incorporation of geochemical signatures into marine organisms.
Late Holocene coastal hydrographic and climate changes in the eastern North Sea
Authors: Hebbeln Dierk , Knudsen Karen-Luise , Gyllencreutz Richard , Kristensen Peter , Klitgaard-Kristensen Dorthe , Backman Jan , Scheurle Carolyn , Jiang Hui , Gil Isabelle , Smelror Morten , Jones Phil D. , Sejrup Hans-Petter
Published: December 2006

We present a high-resolution palaeoenvironmental reconstruction covering the late Holocene from the Skagerrak and other sites in the North Sea area. The data, which are based on the analyses of marine sediment cores, reveal a marked environmental shift that took place between AD 700 and AD 1100, with the most pronounced changes occurring at AD 900. Both surface and bottom waters in the Skagerrak were subject to major circulation and productivity changes at this time due to an enhanced advection of Atlantic waters to the North Sea marking the beginning of the ‘Mediaeval Warm Period’ (MWP). The observed increase in bottom current strength is especially remarkable as there is hardly any comparable signal in the older part of the record going back to 1000 BC. At the transition to the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA) the bottom current strength remains at a high level, now probably forced by atmospheric circulation. Thus, despite opposite temperature forcing, these two consecutive climate scenarios are apparently able to generate distinctly stronger bottom currents in the Skagerrak than observed in the preceding 2000 years, and demonstrate the significance of climatic forcing in shaping the marine environment. Indeed, both the MWP and the LIA are reported as strong climatic signals in northwest Europe, being the warmest (except the late twentieth century) and coldest periods, respectively, during at least the last 2000 years.
Variability of the North Atlantic Current during the last 2000 years based on shelf bottom water and sea surface temperatures along an open ocean/shallow marine transect in western Europe
Authors: Eiríksson Jón , Bartels-Jónsdóttir Helga Bára , Cage Alix G. , Gudmundsdóttir Esther Ruth , Klitgaard-Kristensen Dorthe , Marret Fabienne , Rodrigues Teresa , Abrantes Fatima , Austin William E. N. , Jiang Hui , Knudsen Karen-Luise , Sejrup Hans-Petter
Published: December 2006

Marine localities on the west European shelf have been studied to reconstruct the nearshore palaeoceanography of the last two millennia. The sites form a transect from the Iberian margin northeastward via Scotland to western Norway and Iceland. Proxies used for palaeoclimatic reconstructions include stable isotopes, benthic and planktonic foraminfera, diatoms, dinoflagellates, as well as geochemical and sedimentological parameters. Major changes as well as long-term trends in oceanographic conditions are observed in the records, including a general cooling trend through much of the last millennium. There is a clear linkage between the atmospheric processes and the oceanic circulation, and the ocean temperature variability in the records can be correlated with the so-called ‘Mediaeval Warm Period’ and ‘Little Ice Age’. These oscillations are, however, by no means unique within the last two millennia. As an example, sea surface temperatures to the north of Iceland and on the Iberian margin were higher in the Roman Warm Period than at any time during the ‘Mediaeval Warm Period’. However, the palaeoceanographic record generally supports a distinct cooling at the transition between the ‘Mediaeval Warm Period’ and the ‘Little Ice Age’. While a number of records indicate a warming of coastal and shelf waters during the last 200 years, the twentieth century does not appear to be unusual when the proxy records spanning the last two millennia are examined.
Research students and the Loughborough institutional repository
Authors: Pickton Margaret , McKnight Cliff
Published: December 2006

This article investigates the potential role for research students in an institutional repository (IR). Face-to-face interviews with 34 research students at Loughborough University were carried out. Using a mixture of closed and open questions, the interviews explored the students’ experiences and opinions of publishing, open access and the proposed Loughborough repository. As both authors and readers, students were most interested in access to complete theses, postprints and conference papers. The ability to disseminate their work and to receive feedback and commentary were the most important motivators to students depositing work in the IR, closely followed by the principle of open access. The greatest deterrents were the risk of being unable to publish elsewhere later, the ownership of copyright and plagiarism. Appropriate recommendations are made for the implementation of an institutional repository.
Understanding information inequality: Making sense of the literature of the information and digital divides
Authors: Yu Liangzhi
Published: December 2006

This paper reviews related research since the early 1990s on the information and digital divides. It shows that, despite their shared concerns with illustrating social inequality through the lens of information resource distribution, the two areas in effect represent two overlapping research communities. The research focus and discourse of the former were primarily shaped by three different theoretical perspectives and were inspired by a fairly strong sense of ethical principles; those of the latter, on the other hand, were shaped primarily by four different political standpoints and were imbued with a fairly strong concern for political and economical interests. The co-existence of multifarious perspectives and standpoints has produced divergent, and sometimes contradictory, research findings and policy recommendations, which inevitably perplex researchers and policy makers. The paper concludes with some suggestions for future research and policy making.
Further description of early clinically silent lupus nephritis
Authors: Zabaleta-Lanz M E , Muñoz L E , Tapanes F J , Vargas-Arenas R E , Daboin I , Barrios Y , Pinto J A , Bianco N E
Published: December 2006

Thirty silent lupus nephritis (SLN) patients were compared to 16 individuals bearing overt lupus nephritis (OLN). Results included: years of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) diagnosis were significantly earlier (4.6 ± 2.8 years) in SLN than in OLN (7.18 ± 3.61) ( P < 0.05). Neurological compromise, hypertension, normocitic anemia and lymphopenia were significantly prevalent in OLN than in SLN ( P < 0.05). Beside normal urinary sediment and renal function tests, the SLN group showed a moderate increase of both activity (AI) and chronicity (CI) renal pathology index when compared to highly increased AI and CI in OLN ( P < 0.05). Seventy percent of SLN patients were ISN/RPS Classes I (6.6%) and II (63.3%) while 81% of OLN cases were Classes III, IV (37.5%) and V. IgG, IgA, IgM, λchain, C3 and fibrinogen immune deposits were found in 90% or over in both SLN and OLN individuals while in 60% or over, both groups also showed K chain, C1q and C4 deposits. While prevalence of ANA, anti-dsDNA and anti-C1q antibodies were similar in both groups, anti-histone, anti-RNP, CIC and CH50 serum levels were significantly different in OLN versus SLN ( P < 0.05). We strongly suggest that indeed SLN is the earliest stage in the natural history of lupus nephritis.
Stress as a predictor of cognitive functioning in lupus
Authors: Peralta-Ramírez M I , Coín-Mejías M Á , Jiménez-Alonso J , Ortego-Centeno N , Callejas-Rubio J L , Caracuel-Romero A , Pérez-García M
Published: December 2006

The objective of this study was to investigate the possible effects of the daily stress experienced during a six-month period on the cognitive functioning of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). For this purpose, we evaluated the daily stress of 21 patients with lupus every day for six months. Later, we carried out a neuropsychological exam that included an evaluation of attention and memory. At the same time, scores on depression and anxiety were recorded with the objective of controlling other emotional variables that might be influencing these cognitive processes. The results show that daily stress was able to predict the scores on the neuropsychological variables studied. Specifically, the daily stress experienced in the previous six months is the variable with the greatest explanatory-predictive power on the scores for delayed recall visual memory, visual fluency and attention speed. This relationship proved to be negative in all three cases ( R2 corr = 0.290; t = −2.712, P < 0.014); ( R2 corr = 0.318; t = −2.818, P < 0.012); ( R2 corr = 0.319; t −2.906, P < 0.009), which means that the greater the daily stress, the lower the score on visual memory, fluency and total attention speed. We can state that daily stress is related to impairments in visual memory, fluency and attention in patients with SLE. This effect was not found with other emotional variables, such as depression and anxiety.
Primary lymphoma of CNS, mycophenolate mofetil and lupus
Authors: Finelli P F , Naik K , DiGiuseppe J A , Prasad A
Published: December 2006

Lymphoproliferative disorders are known to complicate immunosuppressive therapy and two cases of primary lymphoma of CNS (PCNSL) have previously been described in association with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) treatment. We report the third case of PCNSL in a patient with lupus nephropathy while on MMF treatment. PCNSL may be seen more frequently considering the increased use of MMF in immunosuppressant responsive conditions.
Bayesian approach to determine the number of subsequent users of a new treatment
Authors: Pezeshk Hamid , Gittins John
Published: December 2006

The aim of this article is to discuss the distribution function of the number of subsequent users of a new treatment. A Bayesian approach is applied. Using the fact that the number of subsequent users of the new treatment will not be high, unless it is, in the statistical and also in the clinical sense, significantly better than the existing one, we obtain the distribution function of the number of subsequent users of a new treatment for which we assume the data have come from a normal distribution.
Turkey and the EU After the First Year of Negotiations: Reconciling Internal and External Policy Challenges
Authors: Aybet Gülnur
Published: December 2006

The EU’s commencement of accession negotiations with Turkey in October 2005 represents a watershed in Turkish-EU relations. However, even in the area of straightforward technicalities, the negotiations are linked to a wider set of unresolved and highly sensitive political issues, of which the Cyprus question is the most significant. Unresolved Aegean disputes with Greece and the Armenian issue form another set of wider external issues that affect the day-to-day framework of the negotiations. Internal issues that can have repercussions on the negotiations include Kurdish minority rights and the decision of the European Court of Human Rights calling for a retrial of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. The EU accession process has left Turkey with the dilemma of how to reconcile its internal and external policy challenges. Traditionally, Turkey has separated its internal security challenges, such as Kurdish separatism and Islamic fundamentalism, from its external security relations, which are based on state-centric security relationships. This situation is being superseded by an emergent discourse on Turkish foreign policy, as Euro-sceptics who frame Turkey’s national security within a traditionalist military-dominant perspective are challenged by pro-EU actors who view economic instability as more significant than traditional military threats. While Turkey’s uniqueness -such as the special place of its military within the state and society -is difficult for the EU to grasp, the very speciality of the Turkish case does not in itself warrant an alternative to full membership, such as privileged partnership. All previous accession negotiations have ended in full membership. If Turkey were to become an exception after it has made headway in implementing EU criteria, this would have wider repercussions for Turkey’s relations with the West and the EU’s image in the Islamic world at large. Thus, the Turkish case probably constitutes the greatest challenge the EU has had to face in dealing with an accession country.
Forecasting in Sport
Authors: Yiannakis Andrew , Selby Michaël J.P. , Douvis John , Han Joon Young
Published: December 2006

The rationalization of modern sport has made it possible for social scientists to predict the results of sports events with greater accuracy. In this study we applied multivariate time series analysis to determine the degree to which soccer results could be predicted with three teams in the English Premier League. Success was based on the model's ability to predict the outcome for each of three dependent binary variables; that is, to win, to lose or to draw in the last 10 games of the season. Multivariate ARIMA correctly predicted the outcome with a success rate of nine out of 10 for Winning, eight out of 10 for Losing and nine out of 10 for Drawing. A mix of both shared and new variables in different sets of interactions help predict Winning, Losing and Drawing. A theory of team empowerment is proposed to better explain the utility of the input variables in predicting game outcome. The authors also suggest that multivariate time series analysis may hold promise as an effective forecasting tool in the sociological analysis of sport.