bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Discourses of Gender in the Contemporary British Army
Authors: Woodward Rachel , Winter Patricia
Published: May 2006

This article is about the discourses of gender which circulate within debates about the inclusion of women in the British Army. Drawing on material from elite policy debates within the British Ministry of Defence, Army, and Parliament, the article uses a methodology informed by theories of discourse analysis to examine how the figures of the male and female soldier are constructed. It focuses on three specific policy debates: the expansion in the number of posts open to women soldiers in the British Army, the introduction of “gender-free” physical tests as part of the selection process for the recruits to the Army, and the policy decision to exclude women from direct combat posts. The constructions of gender implicit within these policy debates are examined. The article concludes by considering these discursive constructions within the context of wider arguments about the changing practices of war and what these mean for women’s future military participation.
Legitimizing Force: A Lockean Account
Authors: Cresswell M. J.
Published: May 2006

John Locke’s political theory is usually not perceived to have consequences for international relations. In this article I show how—using the view that commonwealths are independent entities acting under the Law of Nature, and therefore have the right to punish transgressors under that law—the scope and limits of a legitimate defense force may be deduced. Locke’s theory is also shown to have consequences for the nature of such a force. The Lockean model works well on the assumption of a world of autonomous nation-states, but may be less successful in today’s global community.
Combat Casualties and Race: What Can We Learn from the 2003–2004 Iraq Conflict?
Authors: Gifford Brian
Published: May 2006

This study addresses concerns about the racial equity of military service in the United States by analyzing data on casualties from the 2003–2004 Iraq conflict. It proposes that the racial composition of combat casualties reflects three factors: the social processes that sort volunteers into various military units and occupational specialties; the mix of units and specialties that participate in military operations; and the battlefield conditions they encounter. The data reveal little evidence of disproportionate casualties among African Americans, but Hispanics are overrepresented compared to their participation in the military as a whole, and in Army and Marine Corps combat specialties. In general, casualties among minorities tend to be highest when combat conditions involve high-intensity, aggressive assault tactics by US ground combat forces. This is particularly true for Hispanics, partly due to their high participation rates in combat specialties and in the Marine Corps.
Lessons of Military Regimes and Democracy: The Turkish Case in a Comparative Perspective
Authors: Demirel Tanel
Published: May 2006

This article aims to highlight the point that the nature of an outgoing authoritarian regime does matter for a new democracy. It discusses the Turkish case. The military interludes in Turkey have hardly been perceived as highly repressive by a significant proportion of civilians, nor have those periods been regarded as failures in political, economic, or military terms. This very experience with the military regimes was one of the reasons why civilians and soldiers have found it difficult to see democracy as the only game in town. The lack of a negative evaluation of military rule has helped civilians and soldiers alike to consider the military intervention as a low-cost option, and this belief generated deleterious consequences for the democratic regime.
The Military as a Bridging Environment in Criminal Careers: Differential Outcomes of the Military Experience
Authors: Bouffard Leana Allen
Published: May 2006

Little research has examined the relationship between military service and criminal behavior, and what few studies exist have included a basic comparison of a group of men with military service and a group without service. This strategy fails to consider how the military experience may differ for different individuals. This study examines whether the relationship between military service and criminal behavior depends on sociodemographic characteristics. Results from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth suggest that, during the first few years of the all-volunteer force, some groups do appear to become involved in more violent offending after entering the military. On the other hand, military service may reduce the risk of violence for some groups, such as African Americans. Thus, the influence of military service on later offending does appear to depend on individual characteristics. In addition, this was a unique time in military history, and results may vary by historical period.
Will Citizens Be Soldiers? Examining Retention of Reserve Component Soldiers
Authors: Griffith James
Published: May 2006

In this study, past reserve retention studies are organized into perspectives, based on variables examined and underlying assumptions regarding reservists’ motivations to reenlist. Using these perspectives, analysis of survey data obtained from a sample of soldiers ( N 510) serving in the US Army National Guard identified the perspective associated most with reenlistment intention. Surveys were administered to soldiers right before and during combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Over two-thirds (71 percent) of the soldiers surveyed planned to reenlist and about one-third (29 percent) did not. The rational-incentive perspective had the greatest explanatory power in discriminating between soldiers who intended to reenlist and those who did not. Of the variables, wanting military experiences contributed most (positive direction) to intentions to reenlist, followed by joining for military experiences (negative direction), and by joining for monetary incentives (positive direction). The discriminant function analysis combining variables from all perspectives better classified soldiers’ reenlistment intentions (78 percent) than the rational-incentive perspective (71 percent) and the remaining perspectives (ranged from 56 percent to 64 percent). Of the variables in the analysis containing variables from all perspectives, wanting military experiences, again, contributed most to intentions to reenlist in reserve military service. Variables that followed in their strength of contribution to retention intentions were caring leaders, perceptions of combat-ready soldiers and equipment, and joining for money. Results portend an emerging paradigm regarding reserve military service; reserve component soldiers want more military experiences and better training and equipment preparation for combat.
Beyond the Soldier and the State: Contemporary Operations and Variance in Principal-Agent Relationships
Authors: Sowers Thomas S.
Published: May 2006

Are all soldiers created equal to deal with the multiple relationships found in contemporary military operations? Principal-agent theory has long been used in understanding relationships within political environments, and was recently applied by Feaver to understand civil-military relations. While Feaver’s institutional application focuses on two actors, the soldier and the state, recent criticism of this two-actor approach requires an expansion to include the actors beyond the state (e.g., United Nations, coalitions) that influence contemporary military operations. This article adopts the principal-agent framework to examine the case of Kosovo, with quantitative and qualitative data collected from key military commanders from the United States and United Kingdom. Using their experience, this article explores the relationships found outside the two-actor model: between soldiers and actors beyond the state. We argue that variation exists in the relationships and that nationality provides some clues why this variation is observed. Furthermore, terms are introduced ( specified, implied, defied, and denied relationships) to more accurately describe these principal-agent relationships.
Cohesion during Military Operations
Authors: Ben-Shalom Uzi , Lehrer Zeev , Ben-Ari Eyal
Published: May 2006

Military leaders and social scientists often regard unit cohesion as the key element in combat motivation and fighting resilience. However, a close look at today’s battlefield calls for rethinking this assumption. This study is based on observations of combat units during the current Arab-Israeli conflict (the “Al-Aqsa Intifada”). In contrast to the usual depiction found in the scholarly literature, these units were characterized by some rather unique features. Instead of socially cohesive structures (based upon mutual, continuous, and common experiences), the action of these combat units during operations is based upon temporary frameworks based on short-term, ad hoc, and diverse components. In general, the components comprising these ad hoc frameworks do not have a common background and do not belong to the same organizational arms of the Israeli military. Nevertheless, the fighting power of the emergent amalgamations has not been diminished or damaged. Our study depicts several possible explanations for the social dynamics of such “instant units” and focuses on the importance of “swift trust” to their functioning.
Intercultural Learning among Russian Immigrant Recruits in the Israeli Army
Authors: Eisikovits Rivka A.
Published: May 2006

In Israel, where over one million immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU) arrived during the past decade, compulsory military service provides young immigrants with an opportunity for acculturation. These youth are regarded as a population at risk, as they both face the trials of adjustment to a newsociety and are in the midst of their identity formation, at decision-making crossroads regarding future life goals. The purpose of this phenomenological studywas to examine howa group of young immigrants from the FSU use their military conscription in the context of their acculturation, investigating its actual effect on their coping in the host society.
American Public Opinion toward the Military
Authors: Leal David L.
Published: May 2006

This article uses a national survey of Latinos, African Americans, and Anglos (non-Hispanic whites) to test multiple hypotheses for public support of military expenditures, enlistment in the military, and overall evaluations of the military. While polls show that the military is the most respected government institution, it is less clear whether particular sectors of the contemporary public are more or less supportive—especially the growing Latino population. This is important because an ethnic gap in public opinion might lead to future difficulties in securing funding as well as volunteers. The article also examines whether factors such as gender and class are related to military support. The results show that Latinos are more likely than Anglos to encourage young people to enlist, but Latinos are less supportive of military spending. Women are also more likely than men to oppose spending, while the African American and socioeconomic status variables are not significant.
American Empire and the American Military
Authors: Morgan Matthew J.
Published: May 2006

The concept of American empire has gained increasing popularity as a means of describing contemporary international relations. To the extent that an American imperial endeavor exists, this creates strain on the military, which, like the Roman legions of past millennia, is the ultimate means of enforcing an imperial will. There are several arguments that suggest the “empire of liberty” is a compelling description of America in the third millennium. This concept suggests a very active American military that may need to make adjustments due to the strain being placed upon it. Empire may not harm civilmilitary relations, but only if the United States can militarily resource its ambitions.
Why Do Youth Enlist?
Authors: Eighmey John
Published: May 2006

The U.S. military faces a substantial recruiting challenge stemming from the high percentage of youth pursuing education beyond high school, cyclical fluctuations in civilian job opportunities, and the occurrence of international and domestic events that can lead to periods of heightened concern. This article examines previous research and recent survey data to advance a conceptual framework concerning the themes found in youth goals relating to the possibility of military service. Using the data from the 2001, 2003, and 2004 Department of Defense Youth Polls, seven distinct motivational themes were identified and organized in the form of an Integrated Typology of Enlistment Themes. This typology shows how the concepts of “occupational” and “institutional” goals relate to tangible goals such as job benefits as well as to intangible goal themes such as “fidelity” and “dignity,” which were the two leading themes identified in the analysis of the Youth Polls.
“Too Sweet and Innocent for War”?
Authors: Sion Liora
Published: May 2006

Based on anthropological fieldwork, this article studies the experience of two Dutch peacekeeping units: the “Grizzly” artillery battery that was deployed to Kosovo in 1999 (KFOR2) and the “Bulldog” infantry company that was deployed to Bosnia in 2000 (SFOR8). By examining the units’ experience from training through deployment, this article argues that the Dutch army is a threatened organization that suffers from a relatively low status in society. The army gains support mainly by performing peace missions, which soldiers perceive as “feminine” and therefore inappropriate. This article examines how Dutch soldiers train for peacekeeping missions and demonstrates that this training takes the shape of infantry combat exercises, a characteristic that negatively influences the soldiers’ level of satisfaction during deployments.
From Binarism Back to Hybridity: A Postcolonial Reading of Management and Organization Studies
Authors: Frenkel Michal , Shenhav Yehouda
Published: May 2006

Drawing on recent theoretical developments in postcolonial research, we examine the effect of the colonial encounter on the canonization of management and organization studies (MOS) as well as the field’s epistemological boundaries. In contrast to Orientalism, which is founded on a neat, binary, division between West and East, we offer (following Latour) a hybrid epistemology, which recognizes that the history of management and organizations should include the fusion between the colonizer and the colonized and their mutual effects on each other. Thus, while we discern the Orientalist assumptions embedded in the writing of management scholars, we also show that certain texts and practices that emerged during the colonial, as well as neo-colonial, encounter were excluded from the field, resulting in a ‘purified canon’. We conclude by arguing that hybridization between the metropole and colonies, and between western and non-western organizational entities, needs to be acknowledged by students of cultural diversity, and of critical management.
Study on the Composites of Two Sized Silica Filled in PTFE
Authors: Huang Shi-Ing , Chen Tzu-Hsiu , Chen Hui
Published: May 2006

A study on poly tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) reinforced with two nano-sized silica is described in this article. This includes the discussion of thermal, mechanical, and dielectric properties of the PTFE-silica composites. In this study, it is found that the composites filled with 2wt% nano-sized silica (20 nm) and 33wt% micron-sized silica (5 mm) have the best modulus. Furthermore, the Z-direction coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEz) decrease with the increasing concentration of nano-sized silica in the composites. The higher the content of nano-sized silica added in the PTFE results in the porous morphology, and lowers the dielectric constant.
Heat Transfer Studies on Glass Epoxy Composite Laminates - Effects of Heating Rate and Fiber Fraction
Authors: Vauhini R. M. , Srinivasan Vidya , Panchagavi Vijay S. , Karthik N. , Suresh R. , Srikanth L. , Vanaja A.
Published: May 2006

Experimental studies are carried out on heat transfer characteristics of RT-cured glass epoxy composite laminates of varied fiber fraction (0.2, 0.32, and 0.5), subjected to different heating rates (2, 6, and 10 C/min). The studies include laminates of different thicknesses (2, 4, and 6 mm), and laminate front wall temperatures (50 and 70 C). The ‘temperature-time profiles’ generated as functions of these parameters, using a custom-built laminate heating system, are discussed considering the effective thermal conductivity of the composite as a deterministic factor. The heat transport process has been analyzed in terms of two significant characteristics quantifying how fast and how close the laminate back wall temperature reaches a set front wall temperature. It has been found that the heating rate, R, and the composite fiber fraction, vf, significantly influence the heat transport characteristics of the composite.
Effect of Different Woven Linear Densities on the Properties of Polymer Composites
Authors: Eng K. M. , Mariatti M. , Wagiman N. R. , Beh K. S.
Published: May 2006

In this study the effect of different linear densities of woven fabric and number of stacking laminate on the properties of woven fabric reinforced epoxy is investigated. In this study, woven fabrics with different linear densities of 50, 150, and 200 g/m2 are used as reinforcements in epoxy resin. The thermal, flexural, and physical properties are evaluated. The results show that a further increase of the fiber content increases the flexural properties of the composites. For example, 200 g/m2 exhibits higher fiber content than those of 150 and 50 g/m2, this in turn results in higher flexural properties. As expected, the flexural properties are governed by the number of stacking laminate. Here, the flexural strength and modulus increase with the increasing number of ply used in the laminate system. It is also observed that the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the material decreases with the increase in fiber content.
Increasing Flt3L availability alters composition of a novel bone marrow lymphoid progenitor compartment
Authors: Ceredig Rhodri , Rauch Melanie , Balciunaite Gina , Rolink Antonius G.
Published: May 2006

We have recently described a CD19– B220+CD117low bone marrow subpopulation with B, T, and myeloid developmental potential, which we have called “early progenitors with lymphoid and myeloid potential” or EPLM. These cells also expressed Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3, Flt3, or CD135. Treatment of mice with the corresponding ligand, Flt3L, showed a 50-fold increase in EPLM. In addition to the expected increase in dendritic cell numbers, Flt3L treatment had a reversible inhibitory effect on B lymphopoiesis. Limiting dilution analysis of sorted EPLM from Flt3L-treated mice showed that B-lymphocyte progenitor activity was reduced 20-fold, but that myeloid and T-cell progenitor activity was largely preserved. EPLM from treated mice transiently reconstituted the thymus and bone marrow of recipient mice, generating cohorts of functional T and B cells in peripheral lymphoid organs. Thus, Flt3L treatment results in a dramatic increase in a novel bone marrow cell with lymphoid and myeloid progenitor activity.
Dendritic cells and HIV-specific CD4+ T cells: HIV antigen presentation, T-cell activation, and viral transfer
Authors: Moris Arnaud , Pajot Anthony , Blanchet Fabien , Guivel-Benhassine Florence , Salcedo Margarita , Schwartz Olivier
Published: May 2006

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific CD4+ lymphocytes are preferentially infected in HIV-positive individuals. To study this preferential infection, we have derived several HIV-specific (HS) CD4+ clones. We show that in dendritic cells (DCs), HIV virion capture led to major histocompatibility complex class-II (MHC-II)-restricted viral antigen presentation and to activation of HS cells. In contrast, neither cell-free virions nor infected lymphocytes activated HS cells. In DCs, the dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule 3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN/CD209), which internalizes virions, promoted MHC-II presentation of HIV antigens. Activation of HS cells by HIV-exposed DCs triggered an efficient viral spread in lymphocytes. CD4+ clones with irrelevant antigenic specificities were not activated by HIV-exposed DCs and poorly supported viral replication under this setting. Our results unravel the mechanisms of MHC-II-restricted HIV antigen presentation by DCs and describe how HIV gains access to the very cells designed by the immune system to counteract this pathogen.
Network motifs: structure does not determine function
Authors: Ingram Piers J , Stumpf Michael PH , Stark Jaroslav
Published: May 2006

Background

A number of publications have recently examined the occurrence and properties of the feed-forward motif in a variety of networks, including those that are of interest in genome biology, such as gene networks. The present work looks in some detail at the dynamics of the bi-fan motif, using systems of ordinary differential equations to model the populations of transcription factors, mRNA and protein, with the aim of extending our understanding of what appear to be important building blocks of gene network structure.

Results

We develop an ordinary differential equation model of the bi-fan motif and analyse variants of the motif corresponding to its behaviour under various conditions. In particular, we examine the effects of different steady and pulsed inputs to five variants of the bifan motif, based on evidence in the literature of bifan motifs found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (commonly known as baker's yeast). Using this model, we characterize the dynamical behaviour of the bi-fan motif for a wide range of biologically plausible parameters and configurations. We find that there is no characteristic behaviour for the motif, and with the correct choice of parameters and of internal structure, very different, indeed even opposite behaviours may be obtained.

Conclusion

Even with this relatively simple model, the bi-fan motif can exhibit a wide range of dynamical responses. This suggests that it is difficult to gain significant insights into biological function simply by considering the connection architecture of a gene network, or its decomposition into simple structural motifs. It is necessary to supplement such structural information by kinetic parameters, or dynamic time series experimental data, both of which are currently difficult to obtain.
Direct hospital costs of chest pain patients attending the emergency department: a retrospective study
Authors: Forberg Jakob L , Henriksen Louise S , Edenbrandt Lars , Ekelund Ulf
Published: May 2006

Background

Chest pain is one of the most common complaints in the Emergency Department (ED), but the cost of ED chest pain patients is unclear. The aim of this study was to describe the direct hospital costs for unselected chest pain patients attending the emergency department (ED).

Methods

1,000 consecutive ED visits of patients with chest pain were retrospectively included. Costs directly following the ED visit were retrieved from the hospital economy system.

Results

The mean cost per patient visit was 26.8 thousand Swedish kronar (kSEK) (median 7.2 kSEK), with admission time accounting for 73% of all costs. Mean cost for patients discharged from the ED was 1.4 kSEK (median 1.3 kSEK), and for patients without ACS admitted 1 day or less 7.6 kSEK (median 6.9 kSEK). The practice in the present study to admit 67% of the patients, of whom only 31% proved to have ACS, was estimated to give a cost per additional life-year saved by hospital admission, compared to theoretical strategy of discharging all patients home, of about 350 kSEK (39 kEUR or 42 kUSD).

Conclusion

Costs for chest pain patients are large and primarily due to admission time. The present admission practice seems to be cost-effective, but the substantial overadmission indicates that better ED diagnostics and triage could decrease costs considerably.
Analysis of common PTPN1gene variants in type 2 diabetes, obesity and associated phenotypes in the French population
Authors: Cheyssac Claire , Lecoeur Cécile , Dechaume Aurélie , Bibi Amina , Charpentier Guillaume , Balkau Beverley , Marre Michel , Froguel Philippe , Gibson Fernando , Vaxillaire Martine
Published: May 2006

Background

The protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B, a negative regulator for insulin and leptin signalling, potentially modulates glucose and energy homeostasis. PTP1B is encoded by the PTPN1 gene located on chromosome 20q13 showing linkage with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in several populations. PTPN1 gene variants have been inconsistently associated with T2D, and the aim of our study was to investigate the effect of PTPN1 genetic variations on the risk of T2D, obesity and on the variability of metabolic phenotypes in the French population.

Methods

Fourteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning the PTPN1 locus were selected from previous association reports and from HapMap linkage disequilibrium data. SNPs were evaluated for association with T2D in two case-control groups with 1227 cases and 1047 controls. Association with moderate and severe obesity was also tested in a case-control study design. Association with metabolic traits was evaluated in 736 normoglycaemic, non-obese subjects from a general population. Five SNPs showing a trend towards association with T2D, obesity or metabolic parameters were investigated for familial association.

Results

From 14 SNPs investigated, only SNP rs914458, located 10 kb downstream of the PTPN1 gene significantly associated with T2D (p = 0.02 under a dominant model; OR = 1.43 [1.06–1.94]) in the combined sample set. SNP rs914458 also showed association with moderate obesity (allelic p = 0.04; OR = 1.2 [1.01–1.43]). When testing for association with metabolic traits, two strongly correlated SNPs, rs941798 and rs2426159, present multiple consistent associations. SNP rs2426159 exhibited evidence of association under a dominant model with glucose homeostasis related traits (p = 0.04 for fasting insulin and HOMA-B) and with lipid markers (0.02 = p = 0.04). Moreover, risk allele homozygotes for this SNP had an increased systolic blood pressure (p = 0.03). No preferential transmission of alleles was observed for the SNPs tested in the family sample.

Conclusion

In our study, PTPN1 variants showed moderate association with T2D and obesity. However, consistent associations with metabolic variables reflecting insulin resistance and dyslipidemia are found for two intronic SNPs as previously reported. Thus, our data indicate that PTPN1 variants may modulate the lipid profile, thereby influencing susceptibility to metabolic disease.
Expression of Vesicular Glutamate Transporter-2 in Gonadotrope and Thyrotrope Cells of the Rat Pituitary. Regulation by Estrogen and Thyroid Hormone Status
Authors: Hrabovszky Erik , Kalló Imre , Turi Gergely F. , May Katalin , Wittmann Gábor , Fekete Csaba , Liposits Zsolt
Published: May 2006

Immunocytochemical studies of the rat adenohypophysis identified a cell population that exhibits immunoreactivity for type-2 vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT2), a marker for glutamatergic neuronal phenotype. The in situ hybridization detection of VGLUT2 mRNA expression in adenohypophysial cells verified that VGLUT2 immunoreactivity is due to local synthesis of authentic VGLUT2. Dual-immunofluorescent studies of the hypophyses from male rats showed the presence of VGLUT2 in high percentages of LH (93.3 ± 1.3%)-, FSH (44.7 ± 3.9%)-, and TSH (70.0 ± 5.6%)-immunoreactive cells and its much lower incidence in cells of the prolactin, GH, and ACTH phenotypes. Quantitative in situ hybridization studies have established that the administration of a single dose of 17-β-estradiol (20 μg/kg; sc) to ovariectomized rats significantly elevated VGLUT2 mRNA in the adenohypophysis 16 h postinjection. Thyroid hormone dependence of VGLUT2 expression was addressed by the comparison of hybridization signals in animal models of hypo- and hyperthyroidism to those in euthyroid controls. Although hyperthyroidism had no effect on VGLUT2 mRNA, hypothyroidism increased adenohypophysial VGLUT2 mRNA levels. This coincided with a decreased ratio of VGLUT2-immunoreactive TSH cells, regarded as a sign of enhanced secretion. The presence of the glutamate marker VGLUT2 in gonadotrope and thyrotrope cells, and its up-regulation by estrogen or hypothyroidism, address the possibility that endocrine cells of the adenohypophysis may cosecrete glutamate with peptide hormones in an estrogen- and thyroid status-regulated manner. The exact roles of endogenous glutamate observed primarily in gonadotropes and thyrotropes, including its putative involvement in autocrine/paracrine regulatory mechanisms, will require clarification.
Evidence of Altered Brain Sexual Differentiation in Mice Exposed Perinatally to Low, Environmentally Relevant Levels of Bisphenol A
Authors: Rubin Beverly S. , Lenkowski Jenny R. , Schaeberle Cheryl M. , Vandenberg Laura N. , Ronsheim Paul M. , Soto Ana M.
Published: May 2006

Humans are routinely exposed to bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogenic chemical present in food and beverage containers, dental composites, and many products in the home and workplace. BPA binds both classical nuclear estrogen receptors and facilitates membrane-initiated estrogenic effects. Here we explore the ability of environmentally relevant exposure to BPA to affect anatomical and functional measures of brain development and sexual differentiation. Anatomical evidence of alterations in brain sexual differentiation were examined in male and female offspring born to mouse dams exposed to 0, 25, or 250 ng BPA/kg body weight per day from the evening of d 8 of gestation through d 16 of lactation. These studies examined the sexually dimorphic population of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) neurons in the rostral periventricular preoptic area, an important brain region for estrous cyclicity and estrogen-positive feedback. The significant sex differences in TH neuron number observed in control offspring were diminished or obliterated in offspring exposed to BPA primarily because of a decline in TH neuron number in BPA-exposed females. As a functional endpoint of BPA action on brain sexual differentiation, we examined the effects of perinatal BPA exposure on sexually dimorphic behaviors in the open field. Data from these studies revealed significant sex differences in the vehicle-exposed offspring that were not observed in the BPA-exposed offspring. These data indicate that BPA may be capable of altering important events during critical periods of brain development.
Characterization of a Novel Tonic γ-Aminobutyric AcidA Receptor-Mediated Inhibition in Magnocellular Neurosecretory Neurons and Its Modulation by Glia
Authors: Park Jin Bong , Skalska Silvia , Stern Javier E.
Published: May 2006

In addition to mediating conventional quantal synaptic transmission (also known as phasic inhibition), γ-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptors have been recently shown to underlie a slower, persistent form of inhibition (tonic inhibition). Using patch-clamp electrophysiology and immunohistochemistry, we addressed here whether a GABAA receptor-mediated tonic inhibition is present in supraoptic nucleus (SON) neurosecretory neurons; identified key modulatory mechanisms, including the role of glia; and determined its functional role in controlling SON neuronal excitability. Besides blocking GABAA-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents, the GABAA receptor blockers bicuculline and picrotoxin caused an outward shift in the holding current (Itonic), both in oxytocin and vasopressin neurons. Conversely, the high-affinity antagonist gabazine selectively blocked inhibitory postsynaptic currents. Under basal conditions, Itonic was independent on the degree of synaptic activity but was strongly modulated by the activity GABA transporters (GATs), mostly the GAT3 isoform, found here to be localized in SON glial cells/processes. Extracellular activation of GABAergic afferents evoked a small gabazine-insensitive, bicuculline-sensitive current, which was enhanced by GAT blockade. These results suggest that Itonic may be activated by spillover of GABA during conditions of strong and/or synchronous synaptic activity. Blockade of Itonic increased input resistance, induced membrane depolarization and firing activity, and enhanced the input-output function of SON neurons. In summary, our results indicate that GABAA receptors, possibly of different molecular configuration and subcellular distribution, mediate synaptic and tonic inhibition in SON neurons. The latter inhibitory modality plays a major role in modulating SON neuronal excitability, and its efficacy is modulated by the activity of glial GATs.
Specificity and Clinical Utility of Methods for the Detection of Macroprolactin
Authors: Kavanagh Lucille , McKenna T Joseph , Fahie-Wilson Michael N , Gibney James , Smith Thomas P
Published: May 2006

Background: Increased serum concentrations of macroprolactin are a relatively common cause of misdiagnosis and mismanagement of hyperprolactinemic patients.

Methods: We studied sera from a cohort of 42 patients whose biochemical hyperprolactinemia was explained entirely by macroprolactin. Using 5 pretreatments, polyethylene glycol (PEG), protein A (PA), protein G (PG), anti-human IgG (anti-hIgG), and ultrafiltration (UF), to deplete macroprolactin from sera before immunoassay, we compared residual prolactin concentrations with monomer concentrations obtained by gel-filtration chromatography (GFC). A monomeric prolactin standard was used to assess recovery and specificity of the pretreatment procedures.

Results: Residual prolactin concentrations in all pretreated sera differed significantly (P <0.001) from monomeric concentrations obtained after GFC. PEG underestimated (mean, 75%), whereas PA, PG, anti-hIgG, and UF overestimated (means, 178%, 151%, 178%, and 112%, respectively) the amount of monomer present. Of the 5 methods examined, PEG correlated best with GFC (r = 0.80) followed by PG (r = 0.78), PA (r = 0.72), anti-hIgG (r = 0.70), and UF (r = 0.61). After UF or pretreatment with anti-hIgG or PEG, recovery of monomeric prolactin standard was low: 60%, 85%, and 77% respectively. In contrast, pretreatment with PA or PG gave almost quantitative recovery.

Conclusions: None of the methods examined yielded results identical to the GFC method. PEG pretreatment yielded results that correlated best and is recommended as the first-choice alternative to GFC.
Diagnostic Performance of Urinary Resveratrol Metabolites as a Biomarker of Moderate Wine Consumption
Authors: Zamora-Ros Raul , Urpí-Sardà Mireia , Lamuela-Raventós Rosa M , Estruch Ramón , Vázquez-Agell Mónica , Serrano-Martínez Manuel , Jaeger Walter , Andres-Lacueva Cristina
Published: May 2006

Background: Nutritional biomarkers may be better measures of dietary exposure than self-reported dietary data. We evaluated resveratrol metabolites, potential biomarkers of wine consumption, in humans after moderate consumption of sparkling, white, or red wines.

Methods: We performed 2 randomized, crossover trials and a cohort study. In the first study, 10 healthy men consumed 30 g of ethanol/day as sparkling wine or gin for 28 days. In the second trial, 10 healthy women consumed 20 g of ethanol/day as white or red wine for 28 days. We also evaluated 52 participants in a study on the effects of a Mediterranean diet on primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (the PREDIMED Study). We used liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry to analyze urinary total resveratrol metabolites (TRMs) and predictive values and ROC curve analyses to assess the diagnostic accuracy.

Results: We observed significant increases in TRMs [72.4 (95% confidence interval, 48.5–96.2; P = 0.005), 211.5 (166.6–256.3; P = 0.005), and 560.5 nmol/g creatinine (244.9–876.1; P = 0.005)] after consumption of sparkling, white, or red wine, respectively, but no changes after the washout or gin periods. In the cohort study, the reported daily dose of wine consumption correlated directly with TRMs (r = 0.654; P <0.001). Using a cutoff of 90 nmol/g, we were able to use TRMs to differentiate wine consumers from abstainers with a sensitivity of 72% (60%–84%); and a specificity of 94% (87%–100%).

Conclusions: Resveratrol metabolites in urine may be useful biomarkers of wine intake in epidemiologic and intervention studies.
Inflammation and Changes in Metabolic Syndrome Abnormalities in US Adolescents: Findings from the 1988–1994 and 1999–2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys
Authors: de Ferranti Sarah D , Gauvreau Kimberlee , Ludwig David S , Newburger Jane W , Rifai Nader
Published: May 2006

Background: Understanding of C-reactive protein (CRP) in adult metabolic syndrome is increasing; however, this relationship in children is less clear.

Methods: We compared the prevalence of metabolic abnormalities and metabolic syndrome in fasting 12- to 19-year-olds from the 1999–2000 and 1988–1994 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). In the more recent dataset we explored the relationship between metabolic abnormalities and CRP as measured by a high-sensitivity assay.

Results: The prevalence of central obesity, low HDL-cholesterol, and hypertension increased between the 2 surveys. Three or more abnormalities (metabolic syndrome) were found in 12.7% [95% confidence interval (CI), 10.0%–15.4%] of fasting adolescents from the 1999–2000 survey, compared with 9.2% (95% CI, 7.8%–10.6%; P <0.001) in the 1988–1994 dataset, with increases also seen in sex and ethnic/racial subgroups. Increases in metabolic syndrome were primarily attributable to increasing body mass index (BMI); prevalence of BMI at or above the 85th percentile increased from 25.9% to 30.5%. Metabolic syndrome was much more prevalent in overweight compared with normal-weight adolescents (38.6% vs 1.4%; P <0.001). Median CRP increased with increasing numbers of metabolic abnormalities and was higher in adolescents with metabolic syndrome than in those without. CRP was higher in adolescents with BMI at or above the 85th percentile than those with normal BMI.

Conclusions: Metabolic abnormalities and the metabolic syndrome phenotype are increasingly prevalent in US adolescents, attributable in part to the increasing incidence of overweight. Adolescents with more metabolic abnormalities have higher CRP, which may be an indicator of greater metabolic derangement and future cardiovascular risk.
Child Poverty in Rich Countries, 2005, Part I
Authors: McMahon Jean
Published: May 2006

Protecting children from the sharpest edges of poverty during their years of growth and formation is both the mark of a civilized society and a means of addressing some of the evident problems that affect the quality of life in the economically developed nations. The proportion of children living in poverty has risen in a majority of the world's developed economies over the past decade. This report asks what is driving poverty rates upwards and why some OECD countries are doing a much better job than others in protecting children at risk.
Working for Equality and Diversity in Adult and Community Learning: Leadership, Representation and Racialised ‘Outsiders Within’
Authors: Hunter Shona
Published: May 2006

This article uses empirical material from a qualitative study of adult and community learning (ACL) to explore issues around leading for equality and diversity in educational organisations. What the author is interested in is the way that the commitment to a ‘community’ context in ACL opens up (or keeps open) certain possibilities for ‘diverse’ educational leaders because of the connection it draws between pedagogic practice and the politics of equality. By calling for a mainstreaming of political knowledge around unequal social relations, participants problematise notions of leadership currently circulating in education. Whilst homogenising tendencies in their accounts may be read as going against the very grain of contemporary debates around the recognition of ‘difference’ and diversity, they also pose significant challenges to neo-liberal imaginings of diversity.
Teaching Diversity — Im/Possible Pedagogy
Authors: Sharma Sanjay
Published: May 2006

A turn to ‘cultural diversity’ in the curriculum offers a multitude of opportunities for educational practitioners: questioning Eurocentric knowledge; deconstructing ‘marginality’; recognising the ensuing hybridities, intercultural dialogues and encounters in a globalizing world. However, this article questions the current representational pedagogies of cultural and media studies in relation to how they address the epistemic and political grounds upon which the antagonisms of multiculture are played out. It argues that a point of departure for teaching diversity needs to acknowledge the contestations of racialized difference, and the pedagogic im/possibility of encountering otherness outside of domination. A key aim of the article is to explore the entangled politics and practice of teaching diversity, through scrutinizing the challenges of using a ‘multicultural’ film such as Bend it Like Beckham (dir. Gurinder Chadha, 2002). It has become increasingly common in cultural and media studies to use ‘ethnically marked’ texts to examine and deconstruct the dynamics of cultural-racial identity formation and representations of otherness. The article interrogates the productive possibilities and limits of such approaches.
The Constitution of China
Authors: Quigley Harold Scott
Published: May 2006

On October 10, 1923, the permanent constitution of the republic of China was promulgated. The “Double Ten,” already a national commemoration day, becomes fittingly the date of the long-awaited culmination of the constitutional movement inaugurated by the revolution of 1911. Although the national assembly was the same legislature which, sitting as a constituent body, completed the first draft of the constitution in 1913 and passed the larger part of it through its second reading in 1916–17, the actual periods devoted to committee work and discussion were limited to the time, not amounting altogether to three years, during which the assembly was permitted by military and political exigencies to remain in session.
The United States and World Organization
Authors: Dickinson Edwin D.
Published: May 2006

On what conditions should the United States enter a world organization for the maintenance of peace? Viewing the question broadly, should not the United States enter world organization upon one condition, namely, that the organization give promise of the utmost achievement in the maintenance of peace? Unless we are prepared to repudiate the avowals of our statesmen and reverse what is perhaps the oldest and most fundamental tradition of our foreign policy, can we consistently insist upon any other condition than this one?

A good deal has been said of late about the “American idea” in international relationships. It has been suggested that the “American idea” was defined in Washington's farewell address, in the Monroe Doctrine, or in America's participation in the peace conferences held at The Hague. It seems evident, however, that this involves a confusion of the idea with its occasional manifestation in action. If there is any one outstanding “American idea” which has inspired our foreign policy from the beginning—any quintessence of principle which may be derived alike from the first neutrality proclamation, the farewell address, Monroe's message, Hay's pronouncement for the open door, or America's participation in the conferences at The Hague—that idea is the maintenance of just and honorable peace.
The Veto Power of the State Governor
Authors: Fairlie John A.
Published: May 2006

The term “veto” has been traced from the power of the tribune of the plebs in ancient Rome to annul or suspend the acts of other public authorities. From the establishment of the Roman tribune, that official had the right of intercession (intercessio), to cancel any command of a consul which infringed the liberties of a citizen; and this was gradually extended to other administrative acts and even to decrees of the senate. The word veto (I forbid) was at least occasionally used by the tribune in such cases.

But historically what is called the veto power of American executives is derived from the legislative power of the British Crown. Until the fifteenth century statutes in England were enacted by the king on his own initiative or in response to petitions. From that time parliament presented bills in place of petitions; and statutes were enacted by the king “by and with the advice and consent of the lords …. and the commons …. and by the authority of the same.” The king's assent was still necessary; and without this assent a bill was not law. For two hundred years the Crown continued to exercise the negative power of declining to accept bills, not by any formal act of disapproval, but by the polite response in old Norman French, “le roy s'avisera.” Since the beginning of the eighteenth century no bill which has passed parliament has failed to receive the royal assent; but the old form of enacting laws is still in use.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives
Authors: Hinds Asher C.
Published: May 2006

It is not surprising that the procedure of the American house of representatives should be subject to frequent outbreaks of criticism. The house is the organ which voices the immediate wishes of eighty millions of very active people, who are not the least of humanity in their desire to have what they want. As they usually do not agree as to what they want, and as what they shall have must be determined by a majority of their representatives, there must necessarily be from time to time large minorities of dissatisfied persons. Some of these will, according to the laws of human nature, complain of the processes by which the representatives have attained the result. Just at present we are witnessing an active recurrence of this criticism, accompanied by some interesting prescriptions for alleged troubles. Whether or not the troubles exist and the nature of the proposed remedies are important subjects for examination.

At the outset it is necessary to inquire as to the exact relations of the house of representatives to our form of government. This will sweep away some of the plausible but very superficial theories of those who conceive it a disadvantage that our speakership should differ from the speakership of the house of commons, and who seem to think that our house might easily be directed in its procedure by the president's cabinet, as the house of commons is directed by the mininstry of the crown. We are told with great jauntiness that in the early years of the republic the speaker of the house was simply a presiding officer like the speaker of the house of commons, and not at all a political leader.