bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Supply of Physicians and Physicians' Incomes: Some Projections
Authors: Katz Martha , Warner David C. , Whittington Dale
Published: January 2008

This study identifies trends that will lead to a dramatic increase in the number of active physicians in the United States during the next decade. The supply of active medical doctors (MDs) and doctors of osteopathy (DOs) as well as active post-graduate MDs and DOs in the U.S. is projected to increase by approximately 50 percent in the decade ending in 1985. The number of active physicians per 100,000 population is similarly expected to increase by approximately one-third. The production of surgical specialists, in particular, appears to be excessive. In response, the average length of physician graduate training programs is anticipated to be shortened as more MD and DO graduates enter shorter, general practice residencies. The authors expect that the effects of this projected increase in the supply of physicians may relieve geographic disparities in physician distribution, rationalize the organization of medical practice, and reduce physicians' incomes relative to other professional groups and possibly in absolute terms. The projected increases in the supply of physicians will give the federal government much more flexibility and bargaining power should it choose to implement a national health insurance program with salaried physicians.
National Health Insurance and Noncovered Services
Authors: Bayles Michael D.
Published: January 2008

This paper analyzes the political justifiability of not covering services under national health insurance. Policies are justified by what reasonable, informed, and self-interested persons with limited benevolence would accept. Three basic justifiable purposes of national health insurance are (a) to distribute health care costs over time, (b) to protect against rare but expensive illness, and (c) to provide everyone basic health care. Both cost sharing and maximum limits to coverage to contain costs fails to satisfy all three purposes.

The following principle of noncovered services is proposed: services for specific conditions under medically determined circumstances should not be covered by national health insurance if a substantial number of reasonable persons (more than 50 percent) would not choose them for themselves were they in similar situations, taking into consideration the proportional increase in the cost of insurance. Compulsory payment for coverage of such services appears to require that people have more concern for others' health than for their own. The principle's application to cosmetic, extraordinary, and diagnostic or preventive services is illustrated. It is suggested that the principle should be implemented by regional panels of representative citizens determining what services should be covered in their regions, given a proportional share of health insurance revenues. Other difficulties of implementation are considered.
Public Policy for Health Manpower: Nursing Student Loans
Authors: McKibbin Richard C.
Published: January 2008

This paper seeks to determine the extent to which the Nursing Student Loan program (NSL) has accomplished its primary objectives of increasing the supply and effecting a more equitable geographic distribution of nurses. The history and provisions of the program are discussed and data from a survey of nursing schools on students' incomes, borrowing practices and withdrawal rates are analyzed. The major conclusion of the paper is that although NSL has fallen far short of its principal goals, it has produced some secondary benefits. A review of the program is recommended as a means of determining which activities should be emphasized to maximize its overall effectiveness.
The New York State Nurses Association 1985 Proposal: Who Needs It?
Authors: Dolan Andrew K.
Published: January 2008

In 1974 the New York State Nurses Association passed a resolution requiring the bachelors in nursing degree as a condition for Registered Nurse licensure by the year 1985. This paper critically examines the rationale of this proposal as set out by the Association and other supporters, and offers an alternate mode of evaluating proposals for stricter requirements for professional licensure.

The three relevant issues to be explored in each case are: whether there is a proven connection between the proposed requirement and quality of care; what the cost of the change would be both in terms of cost of compliance with the new requirement and its impact on the supply of practitioners; and what impact the new requirement will have on accessibility to the profession, particularly for historically disadvantaged groups.

Only tentative answers to these questions are offered; the burden of proof is on the proposal's proponents to demonstrate that the requirement will improve the status quo in a cost-effective fashion. However, it is shown that on the basis of available information, the proposal “fails” all three of the suggested criteria.

Less costly mechanisms for improving the quality of license holders are recommended such as tougher and more relevant examination procedures, more rigorous accreditation of schools and more active post-licensing review. Output variables are preferable to input variables for insuring quality of care. In short, it is questionable whether professionals should be able to set entrance requirements to their professions without vigorous public evaluation of those requirements.
Community Mental Health Centers: Politics and Therapy
Authors: Rumer Richard
Published: January 2008

This paper traces the development of theory and public awareness of mental health from 1900 to 1960, with particular stress on the rise of social psychiatric models and the impact of events in and around World War Two. The federal legislative history of the Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) program through 1976 is then outlined with regard to particular social problems (e.g., alcoholism) and to domestic politics as they influenced the program's regulations and mandates. A brief critique of the CMHC program from both viewpoints follows, with emphasis on poor administration, lack of community control, and poor evaluation and accountability. This is the basis of an argument for a more egalitarian, explicitly political viewpoint and methodology as a start toward solving problems that chronically afflict the mental health system.
Consumer Attitudes toward Health Policy and Knowledge About Health Legislation
Authors: Riska Elainne , Taylor James A.
Published: January 2008

Consumer attitudes toward key issues affecting health policy decisions in the local community have been ignored both by local health policy makers and by medical sociologists. The authors report an empirical analysis of: (1) consumer attitudes toward federal intervention in health care; (2) consumer perceptions of the free market philosophy of health providers; (3) consumer perceptions of their involvement in health policy making; (4) consumer confidence in present systems of health services delivery; and (5) consumer awareness of recent major health legislation. It was found that consumers are poorly informed about recent healh legislation. It was found that consumers are poorly informed about recent health care legislation. The authors compared the attitudes of consumers with those held by local hospital board members toward health policy issues. The differences for all comparisons were statistically significant. The authors argue that hospital board members attribute problems in health services delivery to demand dysfunctions while consumers perceive the problems to be a result of supply dysfunctions. Thus, failure to include consumers on health policy boards guarantees the absence of a solution-oriented dialogue and promotes the continuing predominance of a provider-biased ideology.
Marrying Regulatory and Competitive Approaches to Health Care Cost Containment
Authors: Kingsdale Jon M.
Published: January 2008

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that the problems which arise from simultaneously developing regulatory and competitive approaches to health care cost containment can be solved, if recognized, and that those problems deserve more systematic investigation than they have so far received. It is suggested that public regulation which accommodates the special characteristics of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) allows for effective competition. Although there are formidable difficulties in formulating the appropriate regulatory strategies, there are some encouraging signs, such as the renewed commitment of the Carter Administration and Congress to the development of HMOs and the active interest of the Federal Trade Commission in health care, that future policy may minimize conflict between regulation and competition.
Regulatory Policy and Abortion Clinics: Implications for Planning
Authors: Kay Bonnie J. , Neal James R.
Published: January 2008

The practicalities of formulating regulatory policy associated with elective abortion often place public health officials at the center of political controversy. Resulting conflicts can inhibit a rational consideration of long-term objectives in implementing a national policy which assures legal accessibility to all who would select abortion as an alternative to term birth. Regulation which uses primarily structural criteria for monitoring and evaluating services tends to de-emphasize the importance of contraceptive counseling as a component of abortion services. Our process/outcome evaluation of abortion clinics located in Chicago suggests that contraceptive counseling provided at the time of the abortion procedure has a potential long-term impact in terms of reducing the need for elective abortion. We suggest that regulation policy should include process and outcome criteria which support the eventual reduction in need for abortion as a long-range policy goal and suggest key issues for consideration when such a policy is formulated.
Laetrile and the Fda: A Case of Reverse Regulation
Authors: Cannizzaro John F. , Rosenfeld Madelon M.
Published: January 2008

After presenting a historical background, this paper examines several legal facets of the Laetrile controversy: the “new drug” designation and grandfather clause exemption; the notion of harm and its relationship to freedom of choice; the “informed consent” concept; the reliance on “expertise”; and issues involved in the burden of proof and the determination of jurisdiction over litigation. The authors conclude generally that Congress should act on the Laetrile question and they propose specific guidelines for such legislation, as well as for the appropriate role of the Food and Drug Administration.
A Model for the Coordination of International Donor Activities with National Government Health Services
Authors: Nalli G. A. , Pearson David A.
Published: January 2008

This study is a descriptive analysis of an attempt to coordinate donor agency and government activities in the national leprosy control program of the Philippine Islands. A twofold strategy is employed to realize this purpose: (1) the evolution of the present coordinated program as recorded in both published and unpublished documents is described, and (2) an opinion survey of Philippine personnel active in the present leprosy control program is reported.

The most significant finding, in terms of relating the Philippine experience to other areas of donor-recipient exchange, is the emergence of a model of coordinated effort where a donor agency's assistance to a foreign national government is transmitted through a third indigenous and intermediary organization. By advancing the interests of both donor and recipient organizations, this approach has the potential of promoting a successful coordination of activities which might not otherwise be attained.
A Primer on Antitrust and Hospital Regulation
Authors: Drake David F. , Kozak David M.
Published: January 2008

This paper begins with a comparison of the effects of regulation and antitrust litigation on general market dysfunction. The authors then describe the medical marketplace and the effects both regulation and antitrust efforts have had in this arena. They conclude that public policy probably will continue to be concerned with regulation, given that traditional forces do not, and apparently cannot be made to, operate in the health care market. However, through tax benefits, cost-sharing programs, etc., for other-than-traditional modes of care, regulation can be more an instrument for expanding the range of consumer choice than it historically has been.
Regulating Hospital Labor Costs: A Case Study in the Politics of State Rate Commissions
Authors: Schramm Carl J.
Published: January 2008

With the advent of various attempts to control hospital costs by direct state regulation, labor input costs have become a target of particular attention. This focus is due in part to the unique discretion administrators can exercise over labor factors, and in part to the large absolute part of hospital resources devoted to labor costs, conservatively estimated to be about 55 percent of total budget. This paper examines the impact of state efforts in prospectively setting rates on collective bargaining outcomes in the hospital sector. Specifically, bargaining in New York, Maryland and Connecticut is examined. The paper concludes that government attempts at controlling costs have, in all cases, required the regulatory bodies to consciously exert influence on the collective bargaining process. Further, while such attempts seem to be within the paradigm of multilateral bargaining, there are significant distinguishing features in the role hospital regulatory bodies play in the bargaining process. These variations from the multilateral paradigm may impede the long run ability of rate review efforts to control bargaining outcomes with respect to wages.
Quantitative Decision Techniques for the Health/Public Sector Policy-Maker: An Analysis and Classification of Resources
Authors: Parker Barnett R.
Published: January 2008

Policy problems in the health and public sectors are quickly assuming a new level of complexity. Thus, the health/public sector analyst is being confronted with the task of identifying, formulating, evaluating, and making choices among larger and more complicated sets of decision alternatives. Given the context of such decisions, less-than-effective choices could adversely affect the health and social well-being of whole sections of a population. What seems to be needed, therefore, is an approach that would provide system and objectivity to the policy-making process. The use of quantitative techniques, so long applied to problems in the private and industrial sectors, would be the mainstay of such an approach. It is the goal of this article, therefore, to identify, classify, and briefly describe elements of the emerging set of materials (texts, edited readings, and monographs) which offer discussions of these techniques as they apply to problems in the health and public sectors. It is hoped that such a presentation will hasten the application of available analytic decision tools to the policy/decision problems of the public sector.
When a Solution Is Not a Solution: Medicaid and Health Maintenance Organizations
Authors: Spitz Bruce
Published: January 2008

Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) are repeatedly described as a general solution to the health care crisis and a specific solution to the problems confronting Medicare and Medicaid. The potential incorporation of HMOs into Medicaid has promised to improve the states' ability to accurately budget program expenditures, simplify management, eliminate abusive practices directly linked to fee-for-service (e.g., billing for undelivered services or providing unnecessary care) and, most important, contain costs. At the same time it has promised to increase access to mainstream medicine. Experience has shown, however, that the promise has often been severely compromised by unethical HMO marketing practices, inadequacy of services and excessive administrative costs. This article examines some of the reasons: the political process which created HMOs, the rhetorical claims which exaggerated the strengths of prepaid group practice and distorted the formulation of policy, and the peculiar characteristics of the Medicaid program which have caused Medicaid HMOs to deviate considerably from theoretical expectations.
Corporate Health Benefits and the Indexing of the Personal Income Tax
Authors: Morrisey Michael A.
Published: January 2008

This note focuses on the role of the personal income tax in reducing the effective price of health care benefits. Tax-bracket creep is shown to provide a cushion that absorbs relatively large increases in health benefit costs, thus reducing the impetus for employer initiatives to control health care costs. It is hypothesized that the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, with its provision for the indexing of tax brackets, will increase employer concern, and may therefore spur the development of effective employer initiatives to reduce the costs of health benefits.
Medicaid Reimbursement of Teaching Hospitals
Authors: Hadley Jack
Published: January 2008

This paper examines current Medicaid policies on the reimbursement of hospitals' medical education expenses. These policies are of interest because of the pressure on Medicaid programs to reduce expenditures. Data for the paper come mainly from two sources: a survey of Medicaid programs and a survey of teaching hospitals.

Teaching hospitals receive a disproportionate share, nearly 70 percent in 1978, of Medicaid short-term hospital payments. Nevertheless, most Medicaid programs either have no explicit policies in this area or have not acted aggressively to limit reimbursement of hospitals' teaching expenses. Revenues from Medicaid are most important to public teaching hospitals. Thus, across-the-board reductions in Medicaid's reimbursement of teaching expenses would most severely affect public institutions, many of which already face cuts in their local government appropriations. Savings to Medicaid would also be short-lived, since teaching hospitals would have the incentive to reduce teaching program size and substitute reimbursable personnel (nurses and staff physicians) for residents.
The Impact of Public Health Care Financing Policies on Private-Sector Hospital Costs
Authors: Hay Joel W.
Published: January 2008

Two of the best-known economic models of hospital behavior are utilized to examine theoretically the issue of cross-subsidization of hospital costs between public and private-pay patients. It is shown that the existence of public/private hospital-charge differentials does not, in itself, demonstrate that public programs are subsidized by the private sector. This differential is to be expected, whether hospitals are considered to be monopolistic profit maximizers or controlled by physicians. While cost-based hospital reimbursement may be dynamically inefficient, it is shown to have certain static efficiency properties when hospitals provide services to both public and private patients.
Bags, Buckles, and Belts: The Debate Over Mandatory Passive Restraints in Automobiles
Authors: Warner Kenneth E.
Published: January 2008

Seatbelt-wearing occupants of motor vehicles experience a death rate that is half that of nonbelted occupants, yet fewer than 10 percent of the population regularly wear their seatbelts. The potential of effective passenger-restraint systems to substantially reduce mortality and disability has led the federal government to consider requiring all new vehicles to come equipped with restraint systems that take effect without active participation from the passenger–airbags or automatic seatbelts. Since 1969, the government has issued several rulemakings to that effect, but each has been delayed or rescinded, the result of an ongoing debate about the policy's wisdom. Political and economic interests are at stake, as are matters of principle; and disputes over basic facts remain unresolved.

Both advocates and opponents of a mandatory passive-restraint requirement agree that restraints can prevent deaths and disabilities, though there are differences of opinion as to the degree of protection afforded. Opponents of the requirement concentrate their substantive concerns on the propensity of the public to disconnect passive belts and the reluctance of prospective car buyers to pay the additional cost that airbags would entail. Cost-benefit analyses of a passive-restraint requirement find the requirement socially desirable; but they fail to take distributional issues into account, and several of their assumptions have been challenged by the automobile industry, the only major organized opposition to the requirement.

This paper examines the central issues and evidence in the debate, including a consideration of alternative means of achieving effective, efficient passenger restraint.
Informed Consent: Ambiguity in Theory and Practice
Authors: White W. D.
Published: January 2008

The law of informed consent expresses in legal form the ethical principle of autonomy and respect for autonomy. It is intended to enhance self-determination and rational decision-making in medicine. Three tests might be made of whether a law is a good law: (1) Is it clear and unambiguous enough to admit of fair, equal, and consistent enforcement? (2) Does it gain compliance, and widespread ideological agreement? (3) Does it enjoy a measure of success in achieving its intended goals? The law of informed consent does not impressively pass any one of these tests. It is deeply ambiguous, both in its formal structure and its pragmatic implementation. It has not won ideological agreement, doctors having been openly hostile to it, and legislatures having written statutes limiting it. There is little evidence that it has succeeded in its goals. Paradoxically, its pragmatic value might be rooted in its ostensible weakness, its ambiguity, in that this very quality keeps the discussion going. Perhaps the essential problem lies in the fact that the philosophical notion of autonomy is not a phenomenologically accurate description of the condition of the person who seeks medical help–the map is not the territory.
It's Time to Fund Physician Shortage Programs by Abandoning Unrestricted State Subsidies to Medical Schools
Authors: Bernstein Bill , Ensminger Barry
Published: January 2008

Last fiscal year, New York State spent more than $135 million to subsidize medical education. More than 95 percent of these funds were used to defray the general operating costs of the state's nine private and four public medical schools. Only $7 million was spent directly to support physician shortage and minority recruitment programs. This article argues that unrestricted subsidies are inequitable, wasteful, unnecessary, and inflationary; therefore they should be abandoned, in favor of programs that contribute directly to the supply of primary care physicians in medically underserved areas.
Governmental Responsibility for Victims of Atomic Testing: A Chronicle of the Politics of Compensation
Authors: Titus A. Costandina
Published: January 2008

Since 1945 the U.S. government has conducted extensive atomic testing for purposes of protecting the national security and developing industrial uses of nuclear power. Newly available information indicates that many citizens were unwittingly harmed by exposure to radioactive fallout from this testing. The victims are pressuring the government to accept liability for its actions and offer compensation for the damages. To date, however, their efforts have been largely unsuccessful. This article analyzes the politics of the atomic compensation movement, from its beginnings through the 97th Congress. It concludes that, barring the enactment of specific legislation, atomic victims stand little chance of gaining financial compensation or moral satisfaction.
Legal Issues Raised by Private Review Activities of Medical Peer-Review Organizations
Authors: Hastings Douglas A.
Published: January 2008

Increasingly, medical peer-review organizations are entering into contracts with insurance companies and self-insured employers to conduct utilization reviews and quality-of-care assessments. Such private review activities raise new legal issues, requiring analysis of state law as well as federal law. This paper analyzes several of the most important of these legal issues, and suggests some directions for peer-review organizations to take in order to avoid unnecessary legal problems.
Certificate-of-Need in an Antitrust Context
Authors: James A. Everette , Sloan Frank , Blumstein James , Winfield Alan C. , Pendergrass Henry P.
Published: January 2008

Recent cases such as National Gerimedical Hospital and Gerontology Center v. Blue Cross of Kansas City have found that certificate-of-need (CON) legislation did not intend to remove antitrust considerations. This note discusses the exemptions from antitrust provided by the state action doctrine of Parker v. Brown as well as the Noerr-Pennington doctrine, both of which appear to protect provider input into the CON process. Providing information that assists decision-making must be carefully distinguished from providing data that serve the interests of physicians and hospitals.
Measuring Elusive Benefits: On the Value of Health
Authors: Mendeloff John
Published: January 2008

Can analysts provide better guidance to policymakers about the valuation of health effects? This paper argues that valuation questions usually cannot be easily sidestepped by the use of cost-effectiveness analysis. Valuations are implicit in the measures of program outcome that we use, as illustrated by an examination of a policy of maximizing discounted quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). The paper concludes that surveys focused directly on the questions that health and safety policymakers face could be a most fruitful source of guidance.
The Private Sector and Competition in Health Care Markets
Authors: Schlenker Robert E. , Shanks Nancy H.
Published: January 2008

This paper reviews the historical trends in the regulatory and competitive approaches to containment of health care costs, covering efforts in both public and private sectors. The current interest in the potential of private-sector initiatives to stimulate competition in health care insurance and provider markets is highlighted. Since neither the workings of competition in health care nor the role and impact of the private sector in stimulating such competition are well understood, the concluding section discusses important research issues surrounding these topics.
State Responses to the Malpractice Insurance “Crisis” Of the 1970s: An Empirical Assessment
Authors: Sloan Frank A.
Published: January 2008

Almost all states enacted legislation in response to the rapid rise in malpractice insurance premiums which occurred during the mid-1970s. After describing the types of statutory changes enacted, this study evaluates the influence of these changes on levels and growth of premiums paid by general practitioners, ophthalmologists, and orthopedic surgeons during 1974–78. The empirical results of the study presented here give no indication that individual state legislative actions, or actions taken collectively, had their intended effects on premiums. Several explanations for this result are explored.
Skeletal Fluorosis From Instant Tea
Authors: Whyte Michael P , Totty William G , Lim Vivienne T , Whitford Gary M
Published: January 2008

Introduction: Skeletal fluorosis (SF) can result from prolonged consumption of well water with >4 ppm fluoride ion (F−; i.e., >4 mg/liter). Black and green teas can contain significant amounts of F−. In 2005, SF caused by drinking 1–2 gallons of double-strength instant tea daily throughout adult life was reported in a 52-yr-old woman.

Materials and Methods: A 49-yr-old woman developed widespread musculoskeletal pains, considered fibromyalgia, in her mid-30s. Additionally, she had unexplained, increasing, axial osteosclerosis. She reported drinking 2 gallons of instant tea each day since 12 yr of age. Fluoxetine had been taken intermittently for 5 yr. Ion-selective electrode methodology quantitated F− in her blood, urine, fingernail and toenail clippings, tap water, and beverage.

Results: Radiographs showed marked uniform osteosclerosis involving the axial skeleton without calcification of the paraspinal, intraspinal, sacrotuberous, or iliolumbar ligaments. Minimal bone excrescences affected ligamentous attachments in her forearms and tibias. DXA Z-scores were +10.3 in the lumbar spine and +2.8 in the total hip. Her serum F− level was 120 μg/liter (reference range, 20–80 μg/liter), and a 24-h urine collection contained 18 mg F−/g creatinine (reference value, <3). Fingernail and toenail clippings showed 3.50 and 5.58 mg F−/kg (control means, 1.61 and 2.02, respectively; ps < 0.001). The instant tea beverage, prepared as usual extra strength using tap water with ∼1.2 ppm F−, contained 5.8 ppm F−. Therefore, the tea powder contributed ∼35 mg of the 44 mg daily F− exposure from her beverage. Fluoxetine provided at most 3.3 mg of F− daily.

Conclusions: SF from habitual consumption of large volumes of extra strength instant tea calls for recognition and better understanding of a skeletal safety limit for this modern preparation of the world's most popular beverage.
Peter Sprengel, Geschichte der deutschsprachigen Literatur 1900–1918. Von der Jahrhundertwende bis zum Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges. 2004
Authors: Berbig Roland
Published: January 2008

Wer diesen in jeder Hinsicht Respekt erheischenden neuen Band der traditionsreichen und von Helmut de Boor und Richard Newald begründeten Geschichte der deutschen Literatur von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart in der Hand wägt, wird schon aufgrund seines voluminösen Umfangs im Nachhinein Autor und Verlag dankbar sein, daß der ursprüngliche Plan, die komplette Zeitspanne zwischen 1870/71 und 1918 in einem Buch abzuhandeln, aufgegeben wurde. Er wird es um so mehr, weil ihm Sprengel, Verfasser auch des Vorgängers, erneut Mustergültiges bietet. Das bewährte Modell aufgreifend und fortsetzend, stellt er mit großer Selbstverständlichkeit ohne unnötige Umwege oder umständliche Erklärungen den Anschluß her. Er fährt, so scheint es, unbeirrt fort, wo er eben gerade aufgehört hatte. Die Anlage des vorangegangenen Bandes war von Kritik und Benutzer begrüßt worden, ebenso die Gediegenheit der Ausführung und die Tauglichkeit des Apparats wie etwa die Register und die Auswahlbibliographie.
Sara S. Poor, Mechthild of Magdeburg and Her Book. Gender and the Making of Textual Authority. 2004
Authors: Stridde Christine
Published: January 2008

Sara S. Poor legt eine Studie über Strategien von Autorschafts- und Autoritätskonstruktion in Mechthilds von Magdeburg Fließendem Licht der Gottheit (= FL) und dessen Rezeption vor und knüpft damit an frühere Untersuchungen zu Frauenforschung, Überlieferungs- und Kompilationskonzepten an. Das Buch behandelt also ein Thema, das sich nicht, wie der Großteil der Mechthild-Forschung, der Überlieferung oder dem mystischen Gehalt der Visionen widmet, sondern zum einen stärker kulturwissenschaftlich orientierte Fragestellungen zu produktions- und rezeptionsästhetischen Problemen verfolgt und zum anderen eine kulturanthropologische Position einnimmt. Denn die Frage nach der Autorschaft ist geleitet von derjenigen nach der Weiblichkeit der mittelalterlichen Autorin. Diese feministische Perspektive – so Poor – „matters to us, first, because a literary history that more accurately reflects women's participation in the complex changes in literary production and reception over time can, I believe, raise awareness about what it means to be a woman both historically and now and thereby help to shape and change current ideological attitudes toward women for the better“ (S. 15).
Mino Gabriele, Alchimia e Iconologia. 1997 – Joachim Telle, Buchsignete und Alchemie im XVI. und XVII. Jahrhundert. Studien zur Frühneuzeitlichen Sinnbildkunst. 2004
Authors: Reiser Thomas
Published: January 2008

In Alchimia e Iconologia führen zehn bisher teils unveröffentlichte Aufsätze des Udiner Professors für Ikonographie den Leser durch die Geschichte der Alchemie und ihrer Bildlichkeit vom alten Ägypten ins Rom des 17. Jahrhunderts. Das erste Kapitel „Al-Kīmijā“ gehört ganz der Etymologie. Auf nur sieben Seiten gelingt es dem Verfasser, sowohl die Herkunft des Wortes Alchemie als auch ein breites Spektrum an Herkunftstheorien verständlich darzulegen. Hierauf folgt im zweiten Kapitel „Quintessenza“ die historische Semantik. Gabriele führt vor, wie die ursprüngliche Bezeichnung eines Destillationsprodukts beziehungsweise experimentellen Verfahrens nach und nach von verschiedenen philosophischen Schulen als Terminus vereinnahmt wird. Über den in der mittelalterlichen Alchemie gezogenen Vergleich der Quintessenz, als Medium der sympathetischen Planetenwirkungen, mit der aurea catena im achten Buche der Ilias, leitet-Gabriele zur alchemischen Bildlichkeit über, welcher er sich zuerst im dritten Kapitel über die Untersuchung der Wechselwirkung von „Iconografia alchemica e immaginazione creatrice“ (S. 27) annähert.
Ursula Kundert, Konfliktverläufe. Normen der Geschlechterbeziehungen in Texten des 17. Jahrhunderts. 2004
Authors: Braun Manuel
Published: January 2008

Seit Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts beschäftigt sich die Mittelalter- und Frühneuzeitforschung mit Entwürfen des Zusammenlebens von Mann und Frau. An Dynamik gewonnen hat dieses Feld allerdings erst in den letzten Jahren, angestoßen durch die gender-Theorie. Ihm ordnet sich auch die vorliegende Studie, ursprünglich eine Züricher Dissertation, zu, besetzt aber eine erkennbar eigenständige Position. Ihre Originalität beruht auf dem untersuchten Material, auf der Perspektive, die sie diesem gegenüber einnimmt, und, damit zusammenhängend, auf ihrer theoretischen Grundlegung.
Merio Scattola, L'utopia delle passioni. Ordine della società e controllo degli affetti nell'Isola di Felsenburg (1731–1745) di Johann Gottfried Schnabel. 2002
Authors: Angelis Simone De
Published: January 2008

Dieses Buch liefert erstmals die überzeugende Begründung dafür, daß Johann Gottfried Schnabel als Autor der Frühaufklärung gelten kann, und erklärt gleichzeitig, weshalb ihm aber dieses literaturgeschichtliche Etikett nicht gänzlich gerecht wird. Es ist vielleicht kein Zufall, daß eine neue, differenziertere Sicht auf Schnabel von einem profilierten Historiker der politischen Theorien der frühen Neuzeit kommt, der nicht von vornherein geneigt ist, Schnabels Werk Insel Felsenburg allein in den Grenzen der literarischen Gattung Roman als Utopie und Robinsonade zu lesen, wie es die germanistische Literaturwissenschaft lange getan hat. Vielmehr berücksichtigt Merio Scattola die doppelte epistemische Schwelle, welche die deutschen Romane des frühen 18. Jahrhunderts noch nicht überschritten hatten: die der Literaturproduktion unter den Bedingungen der entstehenden Nationalphilologien des 19. sowie die der Autonomieästhetik am Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts (S. 16f.). So kommt er im Blick auf sein Forschungsobjekt denn auch auf andere Wege und Fragen.
Helen Müller, Wissenschaft und Markt um 1900. Das Verlagsunternehmen Walter de Gruyters im literarischen Feld der Jahrhundertwende. 2004
Authors: Hartmann Heiko
Published: January 2008

Es ist das Anliegen der Dissertation von Helen Müller, die Gründung und programmatische Entwicklung des Berliner Verlages Walter de Gruyter, eines der bis heute wichtigsten deutschen Wissenschaftsverlage, in den politischen, wirtschaftlichen und wissenschaftlichen Kontext im ersten Drittel des 20. Jahrhunderts einzuordnen. Es geht der Verfasserin um „das perspektivische Wechselspiel zwischen Wissenschaft, (liberaler) Politik und öffentlicher Wirkungsmöglichkeit“ (S. 204). In der Reihe Studien und Texte zur Sozialgeschichte der Literatur erschienen, handelt es sich in erster Linie um eine verlags- und wissenschaftsgeschichtliche Untersuchung, die im Rahmen des DFG-Schwerpunktprogramms Ideen als gesellschaftliche Gestaltungskraft im Europa der Neuzeit an der Europa-Universität Viadrina (Frankfurt/O.) erarbeitet wurde.
Friedemann Spicker, Der deutsche Aphorismus im 20. Jahrhundert. Spiel, Bild, Erkenntnis. 2004
Authors: Fricke Harald
Published: January 2008

„Darf man über eine literarische Kleinigkeit wie den Aphorismus ein Buch von tausend Seiten schreiben?“ – Man darf, wenn man so viele Aphorismen-Bücher kennt, so viel Interessantes darüber zu sagen weiß und so gut darüber schreibt wie Friedemann Spicker. Was wäre die Aphorismus-Forschung ohne diesen (ich sage es nicht leicht, aber die Wahrheit muß heraus:) konkurrenzlos gründlichen Kenner und unermüdlichen wissenschaftlichen Durchpflüger des ganzen, noch immer überaus fruchtbaren Feldes? Neben einer vortrefflichen Anthologie zur aphoristischen Weltliteratur und zahlreichen, breit gestreuten Aufsätzen (im Buch S. 978 zusammengestellt) ist dies bereits die dritte Monographie, die Spicker unserem kleinen Liebling gewidmet hat: dem literarischen Aphorismus mit seiner großen Tradition. Die zweite Monographie, die deutlich schmalere, ist nun partiell im neuen Gesamtband aufgehoben (in anerkennenswerter Weise vom selben Verlag nach nur 4 Jahren akzeptiert!); und insgesamt darf die deutschsprachige Gattungsgeschichte damit als flächendeckend ausgeforscht gelten – nämlich zunächst „von der Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts bis 1912“ und nunmehr „im 20. Jahrhundert“, das heißt vom späten 19. bis ins frühe 21. hinein.
The Changing Definition of U.S. Libraries
Authors: Hartman Tracy
Published: January 2008

American libraries currently face a dramatic shift in how they are perceived, both by the public and by lawmakers. In order to preserve the traditional values observed by librarians, such as patron privacy and access to information, libraries must also preserve the traditional associations that have defined them. The value of libraries has been undermined by the threat of terrorism and the subsequent political pressure to find blame for the terrorist attacks. Librarians must choose whether or not to stick to the traditional library brand, or evolve and market libraries as something else. Without public support, definitions will not change easily. The American public still views the library as a place to read and find books, and this definition must prevail for libraries to retain their relevance in American life.
Wahrscheinlichkeitsbasierte Modellverifikation Netzbasierter Automatisierungssysteme (Probabilistic Model Checking of Networked Automation Systems)
Authors: Greifeneder Jürgen , Frey Georg
Published: January 2008

In diesem Artikel werden die Möglichkeiten von Probabilistic Model Checking als formale Methode zur Analyse von Netzbasierten Automatisierungssystemen (NAS) diskutiert. Hierbei wird zunächst ein Überblick über vorhandene Analysemethoden gegeben und anschließend die Anforderungen an eine Modellform für NAS analysiert. Es wird gezeigt, dass sich die Verlässlichkeitsanalyse von NAS auf die Diskussion von Antwortzeiten zurückführen lässt. Anhand eines für die Automatisierungstechnik typischen Anwendungsbeispiels wird schrittweise der Einfluss unterschiedlicher Effekte auf die Performanz erläutert und diskutiert.
Allgemeine Polvorgabe für zeitdiskrete PMD Prozesse (General Pole Assignment for Discrete-time PMD Processes)
Authors: Lampe Bernhard P. , Rosenwasser Efim N.
Published: January 2008

Es wird die vollständige Lösung des Polvorgabe-Problems für allgemeine zeitdiskrete inhomogene PMD (Polynomial Matrix Description) Prozesse in backward Form abgeleitet. Neben Bedingungen für die Lösbarkeit wird die Menge aller Regler angegeben, die eine vorgegebene Lage der Pole des geschlossenen Regelkreises garantieren. Weiterhin wird das kausale Polvorgabeproblem für inhomogene PMD formuliert und dessen vollständige Lösung unter praktisch relevanten Bedingungen angegeben. Als Anwendung wird die Menge aller kausalen stabilisierenden Regler zu einem beliebig vorgegebenen streng kausalen inhomogenen PMD-Prozess konstruiert. Die Vorgehensweise wird an einem Beispiel erläutert.
Effect of prenatal exposure to the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A on mammary gland morphology and gene expression signature
Authors: Moral Raquel , Wang Richard , Russo Irma H , Lamartiniere Coral A , Pereira Julia , Russo Jose
Published: January 2008

Bisphenol A (BPA), known as an environmental endocrine disruptor, is widely used as a plasticizer. This study aims to investigate whether exposure in utero to BPA alters the architecture, proliferative index, and genomic signature of the rat mammary gland during critical stages of development. Pregnant rats were gavaged with 25 μg BPA/kg body weight (BW; low-dose group) or 250 μg BPA/kg BW (high-dose group) from day 10 post-conception to delivery. Female litters were euthanized at 21, 35, 50, and 100 days, and mammary glands were collected. Analysis of gland morphology was performed from whole-mounted mammary tissue, while proliferative index was determined by detection of bromodeoxyuridine incorporation in the epithelial cells. Genomic profiles were obtained by microarray analysis, and some genes were validated by real-time RT-PCR. BPA exposure induced changes in the mammary gland that were time and dose specific. High-dose exposure resulted in architectural modifications, mainly in the number of undifferentiated epithelial structures of the breast tissue. Proliferative index did not show remarkable differences by the effect of BPA. Low and high doses of BPA changed the gene expression signature of the mammary gland following a different fashion: low dose had the highest effect by 50 days, while high dose had a highest influence on gene expression by 100 days. Both doses presented a significant cluster of up-modulated genes related to the immune system at the age of maximal changes. Moreover, high-dose exposure induced changes in genes related to differentiation suggesting alterations in the normal development of the gland. The increase of undifferentiated structures and the changes in the gene expression profile at different ages suggest that prenatal exposure to BPA can affect the susceptibility of the mammary gland to transformation.
Testosterone-stimulated growth of the rat prostate may be driven by tissue hypoxia and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α
Authors: Rudolfsson Stina Häggström , Bergh Anders
Published: January 2008

Testosterone-stimulated growth of the ventral prostate (VP) in castrated rats is preceded by angiogenesis, but the mechanisms coordinating vascular and tissue growth are unknown. Adult rats were castrated and some treated with testosterone. Tissue hypoxia was studied morphologically using the hypoxia marker pimonidazole (Hypoxyprobe), hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) α, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and carbonicanhydrase 9 (CA-9) levels by western blotting and quantitative RT-PCR. In the intact untreated prostate, most glands were unstained by the hypoxia marker but already 1 day after castration most epithelial cells in the VP were stained. Seven days after castration prostate glands were apparently normoxic again, and HIF-1α, VEGF, and CA-9 were decreased. Treatment of 7-day castrated rats with testosterone resulted in increased epithelial hypoxyprobe staining and increased HIF-1α, VEGF, and CA-9 levels. The transient increase in tissue hypoxia after testosterone treatment is probably caused by a temporary mismatch between oxygen consumption and supply. Treatment of prostate epithelial cells in vitro under normoxic conditions also increased HIF-1α, and this could be blocked if epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling was blocked with gefitinib. In vivo gefitinib could, however, not block the testosterone induced increase in HIF-1α. Testosterone may thus induce HIF-1α and its downstream angiogenesis promoting genes by at least two mechanisms, hypoxia and EGFR signaling. Transient epithelial cell hypoxia could by rapidly increasing HIF-1α and VEGF be an essential coordinator of testosterone-stimulated vascular and glandular growth.
Congenital vasopressin deficiency and acute and chronic opiate effects on hypothalamo-pituitary–adrenal axis activity in Brattleboro rats
Authors: Domokos Ágnes , Mergl Zsuzsa , Barna István , Makara Gábor B , Zelena Dóra
Published: January 2008

A growing body of evidence suggests that vasopressinergic activity in the hypothalamus is important in stress-related behaviors (like drug abuse) in line with a role in the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA). We hypothesized that in the naturally vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro rat, acute and chronic morphine treatment may lead to reduced HPA axis activity. Rats were treated either with a single dose of morphine (10 mg/kg subcutaneously) and serial blood samples were taken or were treated twice daily with increasing doses of morphine (10–100 mg/kg subcutaneously) for 16 days and animals were killed by decapitation 4 or 16 h after the last injection. Single morphine injection induced a biphasic ACTH and corticosterone elevation with smaller increases in vasopressin-deficient rats. Chronic morphine treatment induced the typical somatic and HPA axis changes of chronic stress; the absence of vasopressin did not prevent these changes. In rats repeatedly treated with morphine plasma, ACTH and corticosterone levels were elevated both 4 and 16 h after the last injection (short and long withdrawal) and the absence of vasopressin attenuated this response. Our data suggest that vasopressin plays a prominent role in morphine treatment and withdrawal-induced acute hormonal changes, but does not affect development of chronic hyperactivity of the HPA axis.
Evidence of a possible role for Lys-γ3-MSH in the regulation of adipocyte function
Authors: Harmer Stephen C , Pepper David J , Cooke Katy , Bennett Hugh P J , Bicknell Andrew B
Published: January 2008

Lys-γ3-MSH is a melanocortin peptide derived from the C-terminal of the 16 kDa fragment of POMC. The physiological role of Lys-γ3-MSH is unclear, although it has previously been shown that, although not directly steroidogenic, it can act to potentiate the steroidogenic response of adrenal cortical cells to ACTH. This synergistic effect appears to be correlated with an ability to increase the activity of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) and therefore the rate of cholesterol ester hydrolysis. Ligand binding studies have suggested that high-affinity binding sites for Lys-γ3-MSH exist in the adrenal gland and a number of other rat tissues that express HSL, including adipose, skeletal muscle and testes. To investigate the hypothesis that Lys-γ3-MSH may play a wider role in cholesterol and lipid metabolism, we tested the effect of Lys-γ3-MSH on lipolysis, an HSL-mediated process, in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In comparison with other melanocortin peptides, Lys-γ3-MSH was found to be a potent stimulator of lipolysis. It was also able to phosphorylate HSL at key serine residues and stimulate the hyperphosphorylation of perilipin A. The receptor through which the lipolytic actions of Lys-γ3-MSH are being mediated is not clear. Attempts to characterise this receptor suggest that either the pharmacology of the melanocortin receptor 5 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes is different from that described when expressed in heterologous systems or the possibility that a further, as yet uncharacterised, receptor exists.