bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Warm Melt Adhesives The Safe Way to Cut Costs and Improve Efficiency
Authors: Dahmane Hocine
Published: March 2007

For many years now the packaging industry has debated the need for an adhesive class that will have all the properties of the existing hot melt ad hesives, but that can be applied at much lower temperatures without the loss of performance and with the versatility of hot melts.
Break Out the Mint Juleps?
Authors: ADKINS RANDALL E. , DOWDLE ANDREW J.
Published: March 2007

Previous research demonstrated the possibility of forecasting presidential nominations by using the results of public opinion polls and Federal Election Commission records regarding the money presidential candidates raise during the year prior to the election (Mayer, 1996). To improve on these results, the authors incorporate three additional variables into two OLS models. The equations include data for contests from 1976 to 1996 where the incumbent did not sit for reelection. The results of the Mayer model and Model 1, which contain information available prior to the Iowa caucus, are compared to Model 2, which includes New Hampshire primary returns. While public opinion polls and early fundraising are important components of forecasting presidential nominations, cash reserves and regional uniqueness also affect the results. The evidence indicates the New Hampshire primary is the “primary” culprit sabotaging presidential nomination forecasting models from achieving the same degree of accuracy as the general election counterparts.
All is Not Fair
Authors: ANDERSON R. BRUCE
Published: March 2007

This article addresses the problem of the causes of party conflict in former one-party legislatures. Some argue that as the minority party gains ground in the legislature, partisan floor conflict will rise. Yet, literature on committees and the changing status of the committee system seems to suggest that conflict is lowered in chambers where the minority party participates in committee decision making. This study is based on tests of data from a 10-year time period. The author reports that the proportion of minority party membership on committees has a direct dampening effect on the level of conflict on the floor. This analysis also finds that the effect is variable by bill type and that the overall effect on conflict is greater than the effect of chamber share in determining the level of party conflict in the chamber.
Campaign Intensity and Voter Information
Authors: PARTIN RANDALL W.
Published: March 2007

Although campaigns for public office are popularly thought to “matter,” conventional academic wisdom suggests otherwise. However, an alternative perspective posits that campaigns, at a minimum, inform voters. I hypothesize that campaigns for governor in the American states raise levels of information among state voters. In particular, I expect that hard-fought contests will inform state voters, whereas low-key races will fail to inform the state electorate. I employ a standard ordinary least squares multivariate model of voter information, using data from a variety of sources, including the American National Election Study's Senate 1990 Study, campaign spending data on governors' races, and additional aggregate-level measures. I find that the level of information among state electorates is dependent on gubernatorial campaign intensity. These findings allow me to speculate on the possible relationship between campaign intensity and vote choice in these previously understudied and poorly understood contests.
Electoral Votes and Presidential Campaign Trails, 1932-1976
Authors: Tatalovich Raymond
Published: March 2007

This article studies the impact of the Electoral College system on presidential campaigning during 1932-1976. Three variables are analyzed: size, competition, and region. It is hypothesized that candidates will concentrate on larger, more competitive states. And the data show that both parties allocate proportionately more campaign "stops" to larger states than to medium-size or small states. However, when controls are imposed for both size and competition, it is determined that size is the stronger variable. When the context is less competitive, campaigning is still targeted to larger states, with their wealth of electoral votes. A partisan difference in strategy does exist, moreover. Democrats give propor tionately more attention than Republicans to the larger states whereas the GOP con centrates more campaigning on small states. A regional shift in campaigning is noted.
Divisive Presidential Primaries and Party Electoral Prospects, 1932-1976
Authors: Lengle James I.
Published: March 2007

Using two different units of analysis, this article examines the impact of divisive presidential primaries on party electoral prospects. First, an examination of state-level data from 1932 to 1976 shows that divisive presidential primaries hurt both parties' chances of winning those same states in the November general election. This effect is stronger for Democrats and remains even after controlling for incumbency and state party orientation. Second, an examination of survey data collected in 1972 and 1976 shows that supporters of losing contenders are likely to defect in general elections. Here again, the effect is present for both parties, but more pronounced for Democrats.
Candidate Evaluations and Turnout
Authors: Weisberg Herbert F. , Grofman Bernard
Published: March 2007

In this article, we consider the relationship between voter turnout and voter evaluations of the candidates. Using thermometer data and the 1976 voter validation study, we investigate the magnitude of indifference, alienation, and satisfaction effects. Overall, we find candidate-based abstention in 1976 to be minimal, suggesting that nonvoting in American presidential elections must be understood in terms of factors unrelated to parties' choices of nominees.
Oversight in State Legislatures
Authors: Lyons William , Thomas Larry W.
Published: March 2007

This article examines legislative oversight activity at the state level. The interaction between a state's capacity to conduct oversight and the forces motivating oversight activity are analyzed in three states-Missouri, Tennessee, and Florida. Findings substantiate the proposition that oversight activity in legislatures in which review procedures have been institutionalized is similar to other lawmaking functions-motivated by constituency and partisan concerns. On the other hand, oversight activity in legislatures not so equipped is more a function of individual lawmakers' own norms concerning oversight.
Turnover and Voting Stability in the Senate
Authors: Brunk Gregory G.
Published: March 2007

Little is known about the senators who change their voting positions during normal political times, but it is generally assumed that incumbents have very stable voting records and that vote changes come primarily from the replacement of personnel. This article examines how turnover is related to Senate voting shifts on a variety of issues. The majority of vote changes come from incumbents rather than freshmen. Further, there is no overall difference in the proportion of vote changes made by party turnovers and intraparty replacements.
The Dimensionality of Partisan and Ideological Affect
Authors: Knight Kathleen
Published: March 2007

This article evaluates some of the statistical evidence offered in support of the need for multidimensional conceptualizations of partisan and ideological identification, with primary emphasis on the "partisan continuum." It presents a test of the dimensionality of partisan and ideological affect that confirms that unidimensional conceptualization is associated with higher levels of political sophistication. It further suggests that the lack of strong negative correlations between "feeling thermometer" stimuli analytically conceived as polar opposites is the result of a pervasive positivity bias in political evaluations. Once positivity is taken into account, the notion that the two parties occupy different points on the same continuum appears to be readily grasped by the public in general. By contrast, familiarity with the concept of a liberal-conservative continuum does seem to require some minimal level of sophistication. These findings suggest that for most analytic purposes there is little need to reconceptualize the traditional index of partisanship.
Party, Political Liberalism, and Redistribution
Authors: Plotnick Robert D. , Winters Richard F.
Published: March 2007

Scholars have devoted substantial effort to studying the conditions under which political party control affects public policy. One among several advantages for assessing party-policy impacts at the subnational level in the American federal system is the existence of a well-known and easily quantifiable decision by the 50 state governments on an important redistributive policy change, the amount of aid each state "guarantees" its "families with dependent children." Earlier efforts at establishing the effects of party on redistributive policy in the American states have been mixed. The authors suggest that the conditions for party impact can best be represented as the interaction of party, liberal/conservative party ideology, and the closeness or competitiveness of the parties. Given existing theoretical arguments in the literature, the authors model these interactions as characterizing either the party in control or the party system as a whole. The authors test for which of the models is superior in predicting changes in welfare policies and find, on balance, the systemic model is superior to the control model.
Human Rights and Foreign Aid
Authors: Hofrenning Daniel J.B.
Published: March 2007

Although President Carter spoke forcefully about the importance of human rights in his foreign policy, President Reagan disavowed such a claim. A number of scholars have gone beyond the rhetoric and estimated the relationship between foreign aid allocations and human rights in the two administrations; few have found significant differences. This research differs from past work by using data from all but two of the recipient countries of U.S. aid and by employing an incremental model of decision making to explain the pattern of aid allocations. Contrary to the author's expectations, the author concludes that a concern for human rights was more prevalent in the foreign aid allocations of the Reagan administration than in the aid allocations of the Carter administration.
Why Crossover Voters Are Not "Mischievous Voters"
Authors: Wekkin Gary D.
Published: March 2007

Although extensive crossover voting in open primaries has been documented, scholars have never found empirical support for the allegation that considerable mischievous crossover voting occurs in such circumstances. Formal theorists have argued that such voting is not consistent with the voting decision logic that most voters practice, others have inferred that most voters are not equal to the sophistication of the calculations requisite to strategic voting, and still others have hypothesized that voters are induced to cross over by candidates' personalities or issues. This exploratory study presents and examines the hypothesis that mischievous crossover voting is limited because most crossover voters are segmented-partisan identifiers who at some level of the federal polity actually identify with the party whose primary they invade. Segmented partisans do cast most crossover votes, and are more likely than consistent partisans to evaluate the opposing party favorably on thermometer scales, to evaluate favorably its past governing performance, and to defect to its ticket during general elections. The hostility toward the partisan out-group, posited in The American Voter and supporting studies, thus is not characteristic of most of those who cast crossover votes.
Saying No
Authors: Hoff Samuel B.
Published: March 2007

The presidential veto is an influential yet relatively ignored power of the chief executive. To date, only three empirical studies have analyzed influences on veto use. All have been flawed in several respects. This study formulates a presidential support model to examine factors relating to veto frequency over the last century. Multiple regression analysis reveals that five variables — the term in which the president is serving, the year within the term, annual percentage of unemployment, a succession president, and the average number of yearly public laws—significantly increase annual veto frequency, whereas percentage of partisans in Congress significantly reduces the yearly number of vetoes.
No Longer Gaining Ground
Authors: Meier Kenneth J. , Holbrook Thomas M.
Published: March 2007

Copeland and Meier's (1987) analysis of infant mortality rates in the United States found that the Medicaid program significantly reduced the infant mortality rate among both white and nonwhite infants but the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women Infants, and Children (WIC) only significantly reduced the infant mortality rate among white infants. This analysis updates Copeland and Meier's time-series analysis of infant mortality and expands the cross-sectional analysis of the distribution of WIC funds. The results of the analysis indicate that WIC funds have become less effective in combating infant mortality. The cross-sectional evidence suggests that one explanation for this is that the distribution of WIC funds is driven primarily by bureaucratic inertia rather than need-related criteria.
Nonincremental Policy-Making Under Divided Party Control
Authors: Rudder Catherine E.
Published: March 2007

According to conventional wisdom, policy-making tends to be incremental in character except under conditions of united party control of the presidency and Congress and, in particular, after a critical or realigning election. The 1986 Tax Reform Act violates this expectation. This case study examines the act to understand its passage and develops an alternative to the party government model to explain innovative policy-making under conditions of divided party government.
Corporate Taxation in Pursuit of Growth
Authors: Martin Cathie Jo
Published: March 2007

Popular demand for greater equity in the tax code is credited for the enactment of the Tax Reform of 1986. An exclusive focus on fairness, however, obscures the importance of growth as a causal factor. It is argued here that the radical transformation of the corporate code was based on a vastly different strategy for economic growth and productive investment. Conventional wisdom also has it that the reform effort represented the triumph of ideas over special interests. But this article suggests that a new industrial coalition of business supporters was critical to the enactment of this alternative growth strategy.
Where's the Party?
Authors: Dwyre Diana , Stonecash Jeffrey M.
Published: March 2007

The condition of state party organizations is unclear. Some argue they are declining, whereas others argue they are making a comeback. Some of the ambiguity stems from incomplete information, but some of it stems from changes in the organization of the "state party." New organizations have emerged and our organizational assessments have not incorporated the changing reality. The traditional state party committees have been joined by legislative party campaign committees, and party resources have become more dispersed. The state party organization is no longer defined by just the traditional state party organization. This article presents a comprehensive case study of these changes. It examines the condition and growth of all state party organizations in New York across three election cycles. The legislative party committees are better financed than the traditional state party committees, and they play a major role in financing state legislative candidates. The focus, it appears, should be as much on the legislative party campaign committees as on the traditional state party committees when trying to understand the condition of state party organizations.
Testing Assumptions of the Totality-of-the-Circumstances Test
Authors: Bullock Charles S. , MacManus Susan A.
Published: March 2007

The effect of each element of the Voting Rights Act's totality-of-the-circumstances test on black city council membership is analyzed in 946 cities with 1980 populations exceeding 25,000. Several structural elements, namely, staggered terms, majority vote requirements, large councils, and longer terms for council members, do not significantly reduce rates of black membership. There is some evidence, however, that the proportion black on a council is higher when representation is from single-member districts, at least in the South. Even in the South, the advantages of single-member elections vis-à-vis at-large elections do not apply to all types of citywide voting. Black office holding in at-large southern cities with residency requirements or that combines staggered terms with pure at-large elections is very similar to that in single-member district cities.
Electoral Consequences of Scandal and Reapportionment in the 1992 House Elections
Authors: Banducci Susan A. , Karp Jeffrey A.
Published: March 2007

The authors examine the electoral effects of political scandal and redistricting, two conventional wisdom explanations for 1992's higher than usual House turnover. They use the strategic politician theory as a basis for their analysis to examine retirements, primary outcomes, and general election outcomes. The theory assumes that politicians (both incumbents and challengers) behave strategically and will run or not run based on the prevailing political climate. The authors find support for the theory with regard to retirements; embattled incumbents are more likely to retire. Their analysis of the primary and general election outcomes, however, finds mixed support for the theory. Nevertheless, the check scandal and redistricting had a direct impact on the incumbent's vote margin, making the elections more competitive.
Lust and Avarice in Politics
Authors: Chanley Virginia , Sullivan John L. , Gonzales Marti Hope , Kovera Margaret Bull
Published: March 2007

Politicians, like others caught in embarrassing situations, often attempt to explain their actions in such a way as to mitigate the negative effects. Whether politicians involved in scandal are able to maintain their political careers depends, at least in part, on how voters respond to the public explanations that these politicians provide. Previous work that has examined responses to the accounts provided by errant politicians (e.g., those who have made unpopular roll call votes or those who have been accused of inappropriate behavior) has studied the effects of hypothetical accounts provided by fictitious politicians. The authors of the present article examined responses to the accounts provided by actual politicians who were charged with unethical behavior. Their findings suggest that politicians who made reference to moral and ethical principles in their explanations for their behavior or who focused on the benefits to be gained by their actions tended to be evaluated more positively than politicians who denied that they had committed a questionable act. The authors also examined the effects of partisanship and political expertise on respondents' evaluations of politicians accused of wrongdoing.
Campaigns, Careerism, and Constituencies
Authors: Clingermayer James C. , Feiock Richard C.
Published: March 2007

In this article we examine the claim that certain characteristics of a community's political environment and specific attributes of a citizen's social context may stimulate participation in local economic development policy-making. Using data from a national survey of city council members, we find that several contextual and institutional factors affect the extent of citizen contacting regarding economic development policy. In particular, the diversity of campaign support received by council members and the amount of time that they devote to council duties tend to stimulate citizen contacts. Ward or district representation tends to increase contacting, ceteris paribus, but contacting of ward representatives tends to diminish as they serve more years on the city council.
Party Images and the American Electorate
Authors: Baumer Donald C. , Gold Howard J.
Published: March 2007

This article investigates the presence of widely recognized images of the two major political parties, using the Center for Political Studies' (CPS) open-ended questions on party likes and dislikes. The authors find that a very substantial portion of the CPS samples (from 1976 to 1992) can articulate substantive images of the parties, and that the content of these images is both specific and enduring. Democrats are seen as the party of inclusion and government spending, whereas Republicans are viewed as allies of the wealthy and opponents of government spending and intervention. The images change at the margins as major political events and experiences sink into the public consciousness. Multivariate analysis allows the authors to identify with some precision those who hold what they call dominant images of the parties and those who do not. In general, people who are strongly partisan, well educated, and follow politics are highly likely to view the parties in the way the authors have postulated. Roughly two thirds of likely voters articulate dominant images of the parties. The authors' findings help to clarify what the "running scorecard" concept of partisan affiliation means to most voters in the contemporary period. Party images provide a widely recognized and well-understood framework for evaluating candidates and parties.
Redistricting and the Congressional Black Caucus
Authors: Canon David T.
Published: March 2007

In this article I explore the impact of the new Black-majority House districts on the power of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the nature of Black representation in those districts. These districts are controversial, largely because they are viewed as an embodiment of a "politics of difference" (i.e., Blacks must represent Blacks), rather than a "politics of commonality." My preliminary research contradicts this common view. I conclude that (a) the new size of the CBC has substantially increased its political clout while simultaneously pushing it into the political mainstream; and (b) newly elected African Americans in Congress are more likely to promote the politics of commonality than the politics of difference. These conclusions are based on an examination of the CBC's role in passing legislation, their patterns of roll call voting, committee assignments, and participation in the Democratic party leadership.
Investing in the Future
Authors: Gaddie Ronald Keith
Published: March 2007

The preponderance of literature on political action committees (PACs) focuses on the incumbent-oriented contribution strategies of PACs. Contributions to open-seat candidates remain unexplored. This study examines contributions by four major economic PAC cohorts to open-seat House campaigns from 1982 to 1988. Political action committees pursued precise contribution strategies when giving to open-seat candidates and responded to a variety of candidate attributes and national electoral influences. Corporate and trade PACs displayed evolving, bipartisan strategies, whereas labor PACs exclusively supported Democrats. These results suggest that interest groups pursue sophisticated contribution strategies in open-seat elections that resemble the influence and access strategies pursued when giving to incumbents. Interest group-legislator relationships exist before new members assume office, and these preexisting relationships merit consideration in efforts at congressional electoral reform. In particular, the claim that term limit reforms will break interest group linkages to Congress may be unfounded and merits further exploration.
The Role of Vice Presidential Candidate Ratings in Presidential Voting Behavior
Authors: Wattenberg Martin P.
Published: March 2007

With the increased attention paid to vice presidential candidates in recent years, research is still scanty on the question of whether candidates for this office affect the presidential vote at all. In this article the author employs feeling thermometer data from 1968 to 1992 to isolate a small segment of the voters (typically about 10%) for whom vice presidential preferences do not coincide with presidential preferences. When voters prefer a presidential candidate of one party and a vice presidential candidate of the other party, the former preference dominates the decision-making process. Yet the frequency with which second slot preferences are consequential is sufficient to warrant serious attention. Multivariate analysis confirms that vice presidential candidates are a significant factor in voting behavior even after controlling for party, ideology, and likes and dislikes of the presidential candidates.
Economic Salience and Differential Abstention in Presidential Elections
Authors: Southwell Priscilla L.
Published: March 2007

Previous studies of American voting behavior have assumed that variations in turnout across election years are the result of fluctuations in the determinants of the voting decision. In this article I suggest that levels of turnout may also vary from year to year because of shifting relationships between economic variables and the voting decision. I use pooled cross-sectional data from the 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992 American National Election Studies to test the hypothesis that Black, working-class, and unemployed individuals who stayed home from the polls in 1980 and 1988 became mobilized during the 1984 and 1992 presidential elections because of the nature of the economy and the party of the incumbent president. I extend this analysis to include athtudinal variables that measure perceptions about the state of the national economy and the effect of national policies on one's personal financial well-being. The results of the probit analyses suggest that (a) working-class individuals were less likely to vote in the 1980 and 1988 elections, but this variation vanished in 1984 and 1992, and (b) both "pocketbook" and "sociotropic" concern regarding unemployment led to increased participation in the 1984 and 1992 elections, in contrast to the 1980 and 1988 elections.
Modeling State Representation On Defense Committees in Congress, 1959-1989
Authors: Rundquist Barry , Rhee Jungho , Lee Jeong-Hwa , Fox Sharon E.
Published: March 2007

Since World War II, why have defense committees in Congress tended to represent some states rather than others? To address this question we use a variation of two-stage least squares (2SLS) to analyze the effects of each state's share of prime military contracts, military payrolls, delegation size, and legislator ideology on representation on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and the Appropriations Subcommittees of the Department of Defense. We find that during the period 1959-1989 defense committees have been dominated by large ideologically conservative states that received the largest shares of defense contracts and payrolls. The only exception is Democrats on these committees, who did not tend to overrepre sent states with above average levels of defense contracts. These findings correct earlier studies that have stressed the influence of only some of these factors (ideology or payrolls) in models of defense committee membership.
Explaining Government Productivity
Authors: Taylor Andrew J.
Published: March 2007

This article revises our understanding of the conditions under which the federal government produces important legislation. I reevaluate and only mildly vindicate Mayhew's findings about the effect public opinion has on the productivity of the federal government. By revealing the size of the nation's debt to be an important determinant of productivity, however, I suggest that Mayhew's work overlooked the relationship between fiscal conditions and policy output. I also examine empirically the claims of Krehbiel's theoretical work about gridlock.
Report from Capitol Hill
Authors: Gordon Rena J.
Published: March 2007

To keep readers informed of policy initiatives at the national level, the editor will provide information that is pertinent as it becomes available. Press releases from the White House Office of the Press Secretary dated July 13 and 24, 2000 report that President Clinton appointed members to the White House Commission on Complemen tary and Alternative Medicine Policy. The Commission was created by executive order on March 8, 2000. According to the White House, the four major issues to be discussed by the Commission are:
Naturopathic Medical Education: Where Conventional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine Meet
Authors: Poorman Douglas , Kim Linda , Mittman Paul
Published: March 2007

Background on the philosophy of naturopathic medicine and the six principles basic to its practice are presented. Naturopathic medical education is discussed with examples of the didactic and clinical curriculum at Southwest College of Naturo pathic Medicine and Health Sciences, located in Tempe, Arizona. The range of therapeutic modalities included in naturopathic medicine and integrative clinical training are discussed.
fMRI Response During Visual Motion Stimulation in Patients with Late Whiplash Syndrome
Authors: Freitag P. , Greenlee M.W. , Wachter K. , Ettlin Th.M. , Radue E.W.
Published: March 2007

After whiplash trauma, up to one fourth of patients develop chronic symptoms including head and neck pain and cognitive disturbances. Resting perfusion single-pho ton-emission computed tomography (SPECT) found decreased temporoparietooccipi tal tracer uptake among these long-term symptomatic patients with late whiplash syn drome. As MT/MST (V5/V5a) are located in that area, this study addressed the question whether these patients show impairments in visual motion perception. We examined five symptomatic patients with late whiplash syndrome, five asymptomatic patients after whiplash trauma, and a control group of seven volunteers without the history of trauma. Tests for visual motion perception and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measurements during visual motion stimulation were performed. Symptomatic patients showed a significant reduction in their ability to perceive coherent visual motion com pared with controls, whereas the asymptomatic patients did not show this effect. fMRI activation was similar during random dot motion in all three groups, but was signifi cantly decreased during coherent dot motion in the symptomatic patients compared with the other two groups. Reduced psychophysical motion performance and reduced fMRI responses in symptomatic patients with late whiplash syndrome both point to a functional impairment in cortical areas sensitive to coherent motion. Larger studies are needed to confirm these clinical and functional imaging results to provide a possi ble additional diagnostic criterion for the evaluation of patients with late whiplash syn drome. Key Words: Whiplash—fMRI—Visual motion perception.
Transplantation of Genetically Modified Fibroblasts Expressing BDNF in Adult Rats with a Subtotal Hemisection Improves Specific Motor and Sensory Functions
Authors: Kim D. , Schallert T. , Yi Liu  , Browarak T. , Nayeri N. , Tessler A. , Fischer I. , Murray M.
Published: March 2007

Objective: We have previously reported that grafting fibroblasts genetically mod ified to express brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) into a subtotal cervical hemisection site that destroys the entire lateral funiculus will promote regeneration of rubrospinal axons and growth of other axons, prevent atrophy and death of axo tomized red nucleus neurons, and improve forelimb use during spontaneous vertical exploration. We have now extended these studies by using additional sensorimotor tests to examine recovery. Methods: The range of tests used included those in which the intervention did not improve recovery, those in which the intervention was as sociated with recovery, and those that showed little deficit. The selected tasks tested both sensory and motor functions and both forelimb and forelimb function. We used the open-field locomotor rating scale (BBB), locomotion on a narrow beam, forelimb use during swimming, horizontal rope walking, and a somatosensory asymmetry (patch- removal) test. After testing during an 8-week recovery period, a second lesion was made just rostral to the initial lesion/transplant site to test the role of the transplant in recovery. The rats were then retested for a further 5 weeks after the repeated le sion. Results: The horizontal rope, swim, and patch-removal tests were reliably sen sitive to the subtotal hemisection injury. Fb/BDNF-transplanted animals recovered motor functions on the horizontal rope-crossing test, and this recovery was abolished by a second lesion just rostral to the first lesion/transplant. In the patch-removal test, the latency to contact the affected limb was shorter in Fb/BDNF-treated rats than in the control group, and this effect was completely abolished by a second lesion. Con clusions : The rope-crossing and patch-removal tests are particularly useful tasks for assessing the beneficial effects of BDNF-expressing grafts in this injury model. Key Words: BDNF—Fibroblasts—Transplants—Recovery of function.
Validation of a Procedure for Predicting the Oxygen Transmission Rates of Multilayer Packaging Materials Containing Water Sensitive Layers Under Humid Conditions
Authors: LeRoy Pike  , Wofford George D.
Published: March 2007

A procedure for predicting the oxygen transmission rates of multilayer packaging materials containing water sensitive layers under humid conditions has been vali dated by derivation of the equation used and comparison of predicted rates with measured rates on a specially prepared multilayer material. A computer program which aids in making the required calculations is included. Excellent agreement between predicted and measured rates was obtained.
Comparative Effects of Applying Imazalil By Dipping or By Incorporation Into the Plastic Film On Decay Control, Distribution and Persistence of This Fungicide in Shamouti Oranges Individually Seal-Packaged
Authors: Ben-Yehoshua Shimshon , Shapiro Boris , Gutter Yakir , Barak Eran
Published: March 2007

Seal-packaging presents another practical way of providing fungicides to individual fruits by incorporating the fungicide in the packaging film. Imazalil-containing film prevented the development of Penicillium digitatum and significantly inhibited that of Diplodia natalensis and Alternaria citri in petri dishes; this indicates that imazalil exerts its action through the vapor phase. Film containing imazalil (at concentration of 2000μg/g) markedly reduced the decay of Shamouti oranges inoculated with P. digitatum if the sealing was done immediately following the inoculation, and only slightly if sealing was delayed 24 h. Disinfection with sodium orthophenylphenate combined with sealing in imazalil-containing film provided further reduction in decay, even if the film was applied 24 h after inoculation. The effectiveness of fungi cides, whether applied to the fruit directly or in the film, was not affected by sealing. Distribution of imazalil among the film, flavedo and albedo was monitored through out the storage period of sealed fruit. The film could serve as a reservoir releasing the fungicide gradually, so that its antifungal activity may replace that previously provid ed by waxing without the risk of excessive toxic residues.
Food/Package Compatibility and Migration
Authors: Koszinowski J. , Piringer O.
Published: March 2007

Physical/chemical compatibility is discussed as the primary factor in minimizing the reaction and interaction of components of the food with components of the pack aging material. The key variables which determine the interaction are diffusion, par tition, sorption and desorption constants. Examples are given for the migration and permeation of volatile and non-volatile compounds. An example shows the impor tance of considering the possibility of harmless components of the packaging material reacting to form organoleptic-active substances.
The Influence of Extruder Residence Time Distribution On Polymer Degradation
Authors: Butler Thomas I.
Published: March 2007

The determination of the Residence Time Distribution (RTD) is impor tant in understanding polymer degradation during processing. Most polymers are temperature sensitive and will degrade with prolonged exposure to the high temper atures found in the extrusion process. This paper discusses a method where RTD can be estimated by introduction of a tracer into the process and measuring the response. The measurement of the RTD of Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) in the blown film process has been determined for various operating conditions. Under standing the flow characteristics of the extruder and the die can help in controlling degradation and assisting in determination of better operating procedures.
Some Meanings of `the Private' in Sociological Thought
Authors: Bailey Joe
Published: March 2007

The public/private distinction has been an important, generative but relatively unexplicated and unstable background assumption in sociological thinking. This paper describes some of the significances of this dualism in the context of a contemporary anxiety about the public sphere and a turn to the private, the subjective and the individual, not least for sociology. Popular and materialistic meanings of `the private' are distinguished from possible sociological analytical uses. The increasing sociological interest in various forms of subjectivity is taken to be one characteristic version of the private within the current public/private dualism. A range of well-known formative sociological theorising is described, which provides implicit versions of the relation between the private and the public. These are a resource for rethinking what the private might now refer to in sociology. Three dimensions of the sociological private are proposed - intimate relationships, the self and the unconscious - as marking the sociological terrain of the private now and as directions for research. It is sugguested that the hitherto secondary quality of the private within a sociology which has traditionally privileged the public realm may now be changing and that discourses of the private are affecting the public agenda.
The Division of Domestic Labour: Twenty Years of Change?
Authors: Sullivan Oriel
Published: March 2007

This paper addresses two important questions in the area of the division of domestic labour. Firstly, what change is observable in the patterns of men and women's time spent in domestic labour over the past twenty years, when taking into account structural factors such as employment patterns and social class? Secondly, among which groups of the population of couples can change be identified? One of the problems of this area of research has been that relatively few studies have systematically analysed change over time using directly comparable large-scale data. Here I present a detailed examination of the nature and pattern of change in the domestic division of labour among couples in Britain based on nationally representative time-use diary data collected in 1975, 1987 and 1997. The data are drawn from a cross-national data archive held by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex. Notwithstanding the fact that in 1997 women still performed the bulk of domestic work, it is found that, in relation to changes in time use in other areas of life, the increase in men's participation in domestic work (at least as measured in terms of time contributed) should be regarded as significant. In support of this, there had been (i) a reduction in gender inequality in the performance of some of the normatively feminine-associated tasks, (ii) a larger proportional increase in the time contributed to domestic work tasks by men from lower socio-economic strata, to a position of near equality with men from higher socio-economic positions, and (iii) a substantial increase in more `egalitarian' couples.
Anti-Reductionist Sociology
Authors: Sibeon Roger
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this paper is to describe an integrated (meta) theoretical framework that I call anti-reductionist sociology: this entails a focus on agency, structure (the `conditions-of-action'), and social chance; micro-macro; and time-space. What follows allows only for a sketch of the framework; I have published fuller theoretical, methodological and policy-related accounts elsewhere. Anti-reductionist sociology is a sensitising theoretical perspective, not a body of substantive theory. This differentiation has an affinity with Mouzelis's (1993:684) distinction between methodological generalisations and substantive generalisations, the present paper being concerned with the former. In Cohen's terminology (1987:279-80) the approach outlined in the paper is ontologically flexible and in some sense electic: while explicitly excluding reductionist, essentialist, reified and teleological formulations, anti-reductionist sociology is a synthetic metatheoretical framework designed to encourage the development of substantive theories that are not necessarily tied to any particular paradigm.
Interaction in Isolation: The Dislocated World of the London Underground Train Driver
Authors: Heath Christian , Hindmarsh Jon , Luff Paul
Published: March 2007

We have recently witnessed the emergence of a range of naturalistic studies concerned with work, interaction and technology in complex organisational environments. In this paper we examine a seemingly individual and isolated activity, which involves the use of relatively basic technology to guide a vehicle in accord with a highly regulated signalling system. The paper considers the ways in which operating a vehicle is systematically co-ordinated with the actions of others. These actions, whether by passengers or colleagues, are only `visible' by virtue of various technologies; technologies that offer restricted and even distorted access to people and their conduct. In one sense, therefore, the essay is concerned with explicating the socially organised and interactionally sensitive `intelligence' which features in the day-to-day work of drivers on London Underground; a rapid urban transport system which carries more than a million passengers a day.
Dialogue Across the Divides: `Moments of Rapport' and Power in Feminist Research with Anti-Feminist Women
Authors: Luff Donna
Published: March 2007

The article describes the dilemmas raised in conducting a feminist research project with `anti-feminist' women. Drawing on a qualitative study of the perspectives of women in the British moral lobby, the author raises questions about the applicability of the existing feminist methodological literature to research with relatively powerful and potentially hostile women. In particular, a discussion of interview rapport in terms of `moments' of understanding and disjuncture, based on a recognition of the fractured and often contradictory subjectivities of researcher and researched, is presented as a contribution to debates about feminist standpoint research. Concerns about the desirability of research participants as active subjects at all stages of the research process and reflections on the fluctuating nature of power are also presented.
A Study of Practitioners' Opinions Regarding Desirability of Selected Future Events, Time Period Predictions, and Choice of Actions in the Field of Adult Education
Authors: Hoare Carol H.
Published: March 2007

In this study, 15 future events were incorporated into a questionnaire which asked practitioners to state opinions regarding desirability and projected time periods for the occurrence of events and to indicate actions that should be taken in adult education to plan for those futures. The instrument was mailed to 601 randomly selected practitioners, from the individual membership of the Adult Education Association of the U.S.A. A response rate of 86% was obtained.

Data analysis led to the following interpretations: (1) Denial of the proximity and intensity of change is apparent in many practitioners' responses. (2) Changes in work which provide release time for study or leisure are viewed as predominantly desirable while events which portray constriction of work opportunities are undesirable. (3) Unless actions are directed to the elderly, work, or educational events, practitioners do not uniformly see themselves involved in social events. (4) A limited role is perceived for adult education in a global context.
Perspectives On Self-Directed Learning
Authors: Oddi Lorys F.
Published: March 2007

Self-directed learning in adults is considered predominantly a process of self-instruction. This conception is inadequate because it fails to account for persistence in learning and excludes adults who are unable to plan self-instruction. These inadequacies, however, can be addressed by studying self-directed learning as it relates to the learner's personality. Linking self-directed learning and personality has several advantages: Self-directed learning could be studied independent of the mode of learning an individual selects, a relatively stable indicator of self-directed learning-personality-would be available for study, and the personality characteristics leading an individual to initiate and persist in learning would provide a more unified and comprehensive focus for the study of self-directed learning.
Prison Education: A Substantial Metaphor for Adult Education Practice
Authors: Collins Michael
Published: March 2007

This study shows how education and training in prison is essentially accommodative, an adjunct to the overall apparatus of surveillance, regulation, and punishment. Further, prisons are presented as something more than just another relevant context for the deployment of adult education methods and materials. The analysis, informed by critical theory perspectives and on-site investigations with both inmates and prison educators, yields disturbing insights on how the kind of power relationships and coercive structures that impinge, with more immediacy, on prison education also shape much of the modern practice of adult education; in particular, that which is characterized as self-directed learning. Some alternative strategies to an accommodative practice of adult education in the prisons and on the outside are identified.
Predicting and Explaining Intentions to Participate in Continuing Education: An Application of the Theory of Reasoned Action
Authors: Pryor Brandt W.
Published: March 2007

This study tested the predictive and explanatory utility of the theory of reasoned action for research on participation in continuing education (CE). Data were collected from 110 subjects. They were analyzed by multiple regression of intention on the predictor variables of attitude and subjective norm and by correlation of direct measures of these predictors of intention with their theoretical determinants. The theory accounted for over 41% of the variance in intentions to participate, demonstrating its predictive utility. The theory explained intentions to participate as virtually controlled by attitude, and attitude as determined by strength of belief in five positively-evaluated, and one negatively-evaluated, outcomes of participating. These results provide support for the theory's utility for investigating CE participation.
On the Normative Aspects of Adult Education Taxonomies
Authors: Bagnall Richard G.
Published: March 2007

This paper explicates the normative nature of taxonomies in adult education and explores the practical implications of this property. Such taxonomies are argued to be unavoidably in- fused with recommendations of what ought, or ought not, to be done or be the case, with respect to the realities that they classify. Any use of a descriptive taxonomy may be expected to have a normatively conservative effect, independent of user intentions, on that part of the future which is structured through its application. Alternative possible futures which are incongruent with the principles underlying the classified reality will be excluded from consideration. Accordingly, when developing or using a taxonomy we must be clear and informed about its normative features.