bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recipient Environment More Important than Community Composition in Determining the Success of an Experimental Sponge Transplant
Authors: Johnston Emma L. , Clark Graeme F.
Published: August 2010

Human activities have inflicted profound damage upon many ecosystems, and ecologists are now seeking effective means of restoring ecosystems to their natural state. Industrial ports and harbors are highly modified and often depauperate in native fauna. They are typically characterized by poor water quality and modified community composition, both of which may hinder attempts to reintroduce native species. Here, we conducted a field experiment to separate the effects of the recipient environment and community composition on the success of endemic sponge explants in Port Kembla Harbor, NSW, Australia. A reciprocal transplant was conducted between communities originating from six sites that varied in water quality and community composition, enabling us to assess the relative factors simultaneously. A colony of the endemic sponge Tedania anhelans was then inserted into the center of each community, and we quantified the survival, growth, and metal bioaccumulation of sponges over three months. Endemic sponges consistently performed better against resident assemblages when water quality was good. Sponges transplanted to cleaner sites had over double the survivorship and approximately three times the surface area of sponges transplanted to disturbed sites. These patterns were independent of community composition. Bioaccumulation of metals in sponges was correlated with survival; however, other factors such as turbidity may be required to explain sponge mortality at some sites. This study adds to evidence that remediation of the physical and chemical environments may be a prerequisite for biological remediation and demonstrates the value of experimental transplants in assessing restoration potential.
Restoration of Prairie Community Structure and Ecosystem Function in an Abandoned Hayfield: A Sowing Experiment
Authors: Foster Bryan L. , Murphy Cheryl A. , Keller Kane R. , Aschenbach Todd A. , Questad Erin J. , Kindscher Kelly
Published: August 2010

Using a multispecies seed sowing experiment, we investigated the roles of seed and microsite limitation in constraining the restoration of native prairie diversity and ecosystem function in an abandoned upland hayfield in northeastern Kansas. Seeds of 32 native and naturalized plant species from the regional pool were sown into undisturbed and experimentally disturbed field plots. After six growing seasons, experimental sowing led to major shifts in species and functional group composition, increases in native species abundance and floristic quality, declines in abundance of non‐native species, and increases in plant diversity. These changes in community structure led to significant changes at the ecosystem level including increases in light capture, peak biomass, primary production, litter biomass, root biomass, and C storage in roots. Our findings reveal the importance of seed limitations in constraining the natural recovery of prairie vegetation, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning in this grassland and confirm broadcast sowing as a useful tool for the restoration of upland hayfield sites.
Manipulating the Quantity, Quality, and Manner of C Addition to Reduce Soil Inorganic N and Increase C4:C3 Grass Biomass
Authors: Bleier Jonathan S. , Jackson Randall D.
Published: August 2010

Applying C to soils has been proposed as a plant community restoration tactic because it has been shown to immobilize inorganic N, which should confer a competitive advantage to slower growing plants that are often key components of the desired plant community. Disparate experimental and survey results have led to questions about the appropriate quality and quantity of C to apply. We conducted a single‐season glasshouse experiment in three soil types to determine how the quality (sugar, sawdust, sugar + sawdust), quantity (1 and 5 kg sugar or sawdust/m2), and mode of application (surface applied or mixed into soil) of C affected soil inorganic N pools, net mineralization rates, and aboveground biomass of coexisting C3 and C4 plant species. Carbon applied as sawdust mixed into the soil resulted in the highest level of immobilization in the short term (6 weeks), but all combinations and rates of sugar and sawdust application resulted in immobilization over this period. In the long term (24 weeks), most amendments immobilized N and suppressed aboveground biomass of the C3 grass,Bromus inermis, but the high rate of sugar resulted in the strongest immobilization and C3 suppression. However, this treatment also maintained the highest soil inorganic N pool at season’s end, which calls into question its effectiveness if longer‐term benefits are desired. Neither net mineralization rates nor soil inorganic N pools were correlated to the ratio of C4 to C3 plant biomass at season’s end indicating that the mechanisms for favorable plant response to C addition are not understood.
Common and Uncommon Understory Species Differentially Respond to Restoration Treatments in Ponderosa Pine/Douglas‐Fir Forests, Montana
Authors: Dodson Erich K. , Metlen Kerry L. , Fiedler Carl E.
Published: August 2010

Restoration treatments have been widely advocated to address declining conditions inPinus ponderosaforests throughout the western United States. However, few studies have examined treatment effects on individual plant species or whether responses differ for common species and uncommon species (those with low abundance in the community)—information that may be critical in managing for long‐term biodiversity. We investigated understory species responses to restoration treatments in ponderosa pine/Douglas‐fir forests using a randomized block experimental design with three blocks and four treatments (control, burn‐only, thin‐only, and thin‐burn). Understory vegetation was sampled before treatment and for three consecutive years after treatment. We used richness and an index of uniqueness to compare responses of common and uncommon native understory species among treatments, and indicator species analysis to identify individual species that responded to each treatment. Treatments that included thinning had significantly more unique species assemblages than the control. The thin‐only treatment increased common native species richness, whereas all active treatments significantly increased uncommon native species richness over the control, especially the thin‐burn. Generally, life‐forms did not explain the responses of individual species, though in the final sampling year several graminoids were exclusively indicative of treatments that included thinning. Very few species had reduced abundance in the thinning and burning treatments by the final sample year, whereas many uncommon and short‐lived species benefited from active treatments, especially the combined thin‐burn treatment. Active restoration treatments in these forests may foster plant diversity by minimally impacting common species while significantly benefiting disturbance‐dependent native species.
Estimating the Effect of Cropland to Prairie Conversion on Peak Storm Run‐Off
Authors: Gerla Philip J.
Published: August 2010

Much of the original U.S. grassland has undergone conversion to cropland. During the last few years, large first‐ and second‐order watershed scale projects have begun to reconstruct the native tallgrass prairie cover and biodiversity. The effect on watershed hydrological budget is largely unknown, especially concerning storm run‐off. Curve number variability is used to estimate the uncertainty of peak run‐off following the change in cover, given rainfall recurrence and watershed size. The method involves three steps: (1) estimate the time‐of‐concentration for many similar sized watersheds in the region, (2) define the probability distribution for time‐of‐concentration, curve numbers, and watershed area, (3) with these data, generate input variables for a Monte Carlo analysis, which can then be used to predict the mean and confidence interval of peak run‐off. As an example, spatial and hydrological characteristics of first‐ and second‐order watersheds ranging from 2 to 50 km2 in the Red River of the North basin provide a log normal probability distribution for time‐of‐concentration. Using the range of watershed area and a β probability distribution for curve number uncertainty, the analysis predicts the change in peak run‐off from an ensemble of watershed realizations that characterize cropland to grassland conversion. Results suggest that given five‐ and 25‐year, 24‐hour rainfall recurrence, average reduction in peak run‐off will range from 50 to 55% and 40 to 45%, respectively, for the basin. A large range of uncertainty at the 80% confidence interval, however, indicates that an accurate prediction requires analysis for specific watersheds.
Bauxite Mining Restoration by Alcoa World Alumina Australia in Western Australia: Social, Political, Historical, and Environmental Contexts
Authors: Gardner John H. , Bell David T.
Published: August 2010

Alcoa World Alumina Australia mines bauxite under lease agreements with the Government of Western Australia. The leases lie in the Darling Range to the east of Perth, the capital and major population center. In addition to bauxite and other mineral ores, the Darling Range is a major potable water source and harbors a species‐rich forest dominated by Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata), a significant commercial timber. Conservation and recreation are important land uses in the region. Social and political pressures have led to stringent governmental requirements for restoration. In addition, a summer drought period, a soil deficient in most nutrients, water management challenges, an introduced disease, caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands, and a post‐mining ecosystem that must be conducive to the prescribed burning management of the region pose significant challenges to successful restoration. Alcoa presently mines and restores approximately 550 ha per annum. Although the “footprint” at the end of the life of the mining operations represents only about 4% of the total forest estate, Alcoa is committed to restoring the forest values of the region of all lands impacted by mining. The major objective of restoration is to enhance or maintain forest values by restoring habitat and structural characteristics of the native forest environment. Completion criteria for Alcoa’s mine restoration have been developed. The original Alcoa mine at Jarrahdale has been rehabilitated, and in 2005, a 975‐ha area received a “certificate of completion” and was returned to the management control of the State of Western Australia.
Restoring a Jarrah Forest Understorey Vegetation after Bauxite Mining in Western Australia
Authors: Koch John M.
Published: August 2010

The Southwest of Western Australia is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. In the jarrah forest there are at least 300–400 plant species in vegetation that is typically mined and as many as 163 species per 0.1 ha. Hence, restoring the plant species to post‐mining areas is seen as a priority. Approximately 70% of understorey richness is returned via the direct transfer of fresh topsoil. Additions of provenance‐correct seeds of between 78 and 113 native jarrah forest species add significantly to post‐mining species richness. Many of the broadcast seeds receive a prebroadcast heat or smoke treatment to increase germinability. Approximately 20 additional species are produced by vegetative multiplication or tissue culture and planted into restored areas. Though sequential improvements during the past 30 years, Alcoa now achieves its target to establish in restored areas the same number of native plant species per 80 m2 as the natural forest. Resampling of permanent plots revealed that species composition of older post‐mining areas does not become more similar to unmined forest over one to three decades. Few species (mostly orchids) establish after the first year of restoration and adherence to the initial floristic composition model of forest succession applies to jarrah forest mine site restoration in Western Australia. Alcoa’s strategy, therefore, is to maximize the diversity of understorey species in newly restored sites at the first attempt. Future research will investigate methods to further increase the density of the fire resprouter species, a group of species currently under‐represented in the restored bauxite mining sites.
Minimizing the Spread of a Soil‐Borne Plant Pathogen during a Large‐Scale Mining Operation
Authors: Colquhoun Ian J. , Kerp Naomi L.
Published: August 2010

The challenge for Alcoa’s mining operation is simply stated but not so simple to implement; to be able to extract bauxite in large open‐cut mine pits without spreading the soil‐borne pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi. The mining operation clears about 550 ha of Jarrah forest a year and moves about 6 million m3 of soil. Phytophthora cinnamomi has a scattered distribution in the Jarrah forest that results in most mine pits having infested and uninfested portions. Also, there are generally large areas of uninfested forest adjacent to mine pits. Consequently, the potential to spread the pathogen into uninfested forest is very high. This paper describes the development of protocols to prevent spread of P. cinnamomi during mining and restoration, and tools used to assess the success of the program. Monitoring 169 km of the perimeter of mine pits for the introduction of the pathogen to uninfested forest showed very low levels of spread; 0.0006 ha for every hectare mined. The potential for further spread from the new infestation was also estimated by calculating the area of uninfested forest directly downslope from the infestation; this level of spread was 0.002 ha for every hectare mined. We believe that the findings of this study go beyond the issue of disease management during mining. We believe that it is an example of the mining industry recognizing a large threat to the environment and, through a systematic and committed approach, dramatically decreasing the size of the threat to achieve a successful outcome.
Invertebrates and the Restoration of a Forest Ecosystem: 30 Years of Research following Bauxite Mining in Western Australia
Authors: Majer Jonathan D. , Brennan Karl E. C. , Moir Melinda L.
Published: August 2010

Restoration needs to consider more than just soils and plants. The role of terrestrial invertebrates in the restoration of Alcoa’s bauxite mines in the Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest of Western Australia has been the subject of over 20 individual studies. Projects range from arthropods in soil and leaf litter, to the understorey vegetation, and the tree canopy. Moreover, projects span a range of trophic groups, including decomposers (e.g., springtails and termites), predators (e.g., ants and spiders), and herbivores (e.g., true bugs and ants preying on seeds). Elucidation of recolonization trajectories uses both space‐for‐time substitutions and long‐term regular sampling. Importantly, many studies are at species level rather than coarser taxonomic ranks. This paper provides an historical account and an integrated review of this research. The role of ants as seed predators and as indicators of ecosystem health is described. Successional data for other groups, when measured by species richness (ants, spiders, and hemipterans) and composition (ants and spiders), show their reassembly trajectories tracking toward unmined reference areas. Hemipteran species composition tracks the vegetation reassembly trajectory but not toward unmined reference areas. Studies also have revealed optimal sampling methods for surveying invertebrates and their rich biodiversity in southwestern Australia. In restored mine pits burnt to reduce fuel loads, the response of spiders to this additional disturbance was retrogression/alteration of the post‐mining trajectory. Finally, attention is drawn to research areas receiving limited scrutiny to date, such as the contribution of terrestrial invertebrates to ecosystem function and taxonomic groups not yet studied.
Vertebrate Fauna Recolonization of Restored Bauxite Mines—Key Findings from Almost 30 Years of Monitoring and Research
Authors: Nichols Owen G. , Grant Carl D.
Published: August 2010

Studies into the processes of vertebrate fauna colonization of Alcoa’s restored bauxite mines began around 1975. This recognized the key role of vertebrate fauna in jarrah forest ecosystem processes, and also the fact that some species were rare, so priority was given to determining their status in unmined forest, and promoting their return to restored areas following mining. Long‐term studies have since taken place on mammals, birds, and reptiles both in unmined forest and in restored areas of varying ages and techniques. Mammal recolonization varies between species depending on species’ food and shelter requirements and their distribution and abundance in the surrounding forest. Birds rapidly recolonize and 95% of species have been recorded in restoration. Bird community structure changes with restoration type and age, and in current restoration, it is similar to that of unmined forest by the age of 10 years. Studies on reptiles have shown that 21 of 24 species have recolonized. The remaining three include one legless lizard and two snakes, all of which feed on small vertebrates (e.g., skinks) and require shelter in the form of logs, stumps, and coarse woody debris. Some other reptile species consistently occur in restoration in lower densities than in unmined forest, and current studies are investigating the causes of this. Together, studies on these three vertebrate fauna groups have provided valuable, complementary information on their habitat requirements, and the extent to which Alcoa’s restoration program has been successful in reestablishing this important component of the jarrah forest’s biodiversity.
Hurricane Katrina: African American Children's Perceptions of Race, Class, and Government Involvement Amid a National Crisis
Authors: Brown Christia Spears , Mistry Rashmita S. , Bigler Rebecca S.
Published: August 2010

The devastation associated with Hurricane Katrina raised several issues related to race, class, and the government in the United States. We examined African American children's (a) knowledge of demographic characteristics of the victims, (b) beliefs about the role of race and class biases in the delayed relief efforts, and (c) views of the role and effectiveness of the government in response to the disaster. Overall, results indicated that older African American children were less likely to attribute the delayed relief to individual culpability, and slightly more likely to attribute it to racial discrimination, than were younger African American children. All youth believed in a strong, but nuanced, role of the government, but younger children were more likely to rate it as effective. Among those children who had discussed the disaster with a parent, children's attributions for the delayed relief were associated with their political views.
Big Business and Community Welfare
Authors: Lyson Thomas A.
Published: August 2010

Abstract.  Building on research published by C. Wright Mills and Melville Ulmer in 1946, the relationships among community welfare and civic engagement, the independent middle class, and big business are examined. Manufacturing‐dependent counties are the units of analysis. Partial correlation analysis is used to identify the effects of the independent and mediated effects of big business, civic engagement, and the independent middle class on community welfare. Results show that a local economy organized around smaller‐scale, diversified enterprises has more favorable outcomes than one dominated by one or more large corporations.
Special Interest Protectionism and the Antebellum Woolen Textile Industry
Authors: Forsyth Grant D.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. Academic and nonacademic work focusing on special interest lobbying tends to ignore America's early history in favor of the 20thcentury, leaving the origins of the organized commercial lobby vague. Using the antebellum woolen textile industry as a case study, this article finds that this industry was one of the first to demonstrate the potential benefits of interstate, interindustry coalitions for rent‐seeking activities. Using pressure tactics frequently observed today, but innovative for the time, the industry was not only successful in obtaining relatively high legislated tariffs by 1828, it also altered the traditional congressional avenues for obtaining information from aggrieved parties. This article clearly demonstrates that organized and public lobbying by commercial interests has a longer history than is typically recognized.
The Moral Economy of Parallel Currencies
Authors: Peacock Mark S.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. This article offers a monetary analysis of Local Exchange Trading Systems (LETS) and examines both their moral and economic significance as well as the way in which these two aspects may conflict. After considering LETS' principles and history, I review three monetary theories in order to ascertain how one might best explore these phenomena. By drawing on the “Chartalist” tradition in monetary theory, I show (1) how strongly oriented LETS are to the formal market economy, from which, it is held, they detach themselves, and (2) that they do not effect a return to barter or an abolition of money, as is sometimes claimed. Both points become clear when one pays due attention to the primary function of money as money‐of‐account. In the final section, I consider LETS empirically and compare their structural potentials with their concrete form. LETS' members are motivated less by pecuniary gain than by the desire to build community and realize certain values. Participants have little motivation to expand LETS, which are therefore destined to remain small and ineffectual in offering an alternative to the unemployed and less well‐off. Indeed, were LETS to grow in size, the moral commitment required of members would come into conflict with the growing financial interests at stake.
Max Weber and Economic Sociology
Authors: Parsons Stephen D.
Published: August 2010

Abstract.  Peukert (2004) argues that Weber's work is only of limited relevance to present‐day economic sociology because it incorporates “a rather narrow and static understanding of rationality and the economy.” This article disputes that claim. It is argued that Weber differentiates between economic and sociological perspectives on the economy through incorporating uncertainty into the latter. Hence Weber's economic sociology develops the distinction between “before” and “after” perspectives on action, incorporates expectations, and defines capital with reference to time and uncertainty. Furthermore, Weber's analysis of formal rationality presupposes uncertainty. Weber's economic sociology thus assumes a dynamic economy, where uncertainty is prevalent, and formal rationality can reduce uncertainty. Peukert's analysis thus (a) fails to consider Weber's differentiation between economic and sociological investigations, and (b) does not engage with Weber's knowledge of Austrian economics.
Hostile Territory: High‐Tension Religion and the Jewish Peddler
Authors: Berndt Colleen E. H.
Published: August 2010

Abstract.  Scholars have long explored the role that reputation plays in the facilitation of exchange. Some attention has also been paid to the way in which religions serve as a proxy for reputation or as a mechanism for enforcement of exchange agreements. These reputation and enforcement mechanisms enhance the ability of the members of certain religious groups to perform economic roles where such secular‐based mechanisms fail or are absent. In this article, I explore the ways in which hostility toward members of high‐tension religions makes them uniquely well suited to the economic role of middlemen. As illustration, I explore the particular case of the 19th‐century German Jewish peddler in the young United States.
Changes in the Effectiveness of State Medicaid Drug Program Cost‐Containment Policies Following OBRA 1990
Authors: Moore William J. , Pracht Etienne E.
Published: August 2010

Abstract.  Containment of Medicaid pharmaceutical drug program costs continues to be an important policy problem. Perhaps the most important policy of the past two decades with significant implications for Medicaid pharmaceutical drug programs was the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1990. This study analyzes Medicaid drug spending data from 1985 to 1997 to determine how OBRA 1990 influenced the effectiveness of existing drug cost‐containment policies and if the Act produced its anticipated cost savings. The descriptive evidence indicates that reductions in drug expenditure growth rates, following the passage of OBRA 1990, resulted from factors that are independent from that Act. Furthermore, the analytical evidence shows that changes in the effectiveness of major cost‐containment policies (drug formularies, drug utilization review programs, and reimbursement rates) offset, at least in part, savings from the drug rebate program included in OBRA 1990.
The Dangers of Automobile Travel: A Reconsideration
Authors: Roots Roger
Published: August 2010

Abstract.  America's reliance on automobile transportation has attracted the scorn of academics for decades. Automobiles, it is said, are dangerous to life and limb, environmentally unfriendly, and wasteful of space and resources. Moreover, say the critics, automobiles produce inefficient individualistic social behavior that balkanizes communities and shatters the otherwise cohesive nature of American life.

This article examines the costs and benefits of U.S. automobile travel from a historic perspective. First, it compares the safety of automobile travel with the horse and steam‐powered travel that preceded it. It then briefly addresses the changes wrought by American automobiles in terms of their impact on American life, economics, social mobility, and ecology. It concludes that the dangers of automobile use are substantially lower than the dangers posed by early horse‐driven and steam‐driven transportation methods, especially in terms of fatalities per mile. It finds that on a per‐mile or per‐trip basis, automobile travel is safer than virtually any other means of travel used popularly in U.S. history, and that the other contributions of automobile transportation have been seriously overlooked by transportation scholars.
Against Both Private and Public Counterfeiting
Authors: Machaj Mateusz
Published: August 2010

Abstract.  In his highly provocative and otherwise brilliant book Defending the Undefendable (1991), Walter Block defends the private counterfeiting of state‐counterfeited money. His argument fallaciously relies on an idiosyncratic linguistic definition of the counterfeiter, which is invalid from a legal point of view. In this short response, we analyze private counterfeiting in legal and economic terms rather than linguistic, and show why the behavior of the private counterfeiter should not be considered acceptable, let alone heroic, as claimed by Block. The present article is strongly influenced by Rothbard (1982).
Constructing a World Fit for Marxism: Utopia and Utopistics of Professor Wallerstein
Authors: Savchenko Andrew
Published: August 2010

Abstract.  World system theory, founded and developed by Immanuel Wallerstein, continues Marx's original vision of modern economy as a zero‐sum game based on exploitation. Ignoring convincing criticism of Marx's economics, Wallerstein broadens spatial confines of the applicability of Marxist economics to include the whole world. Imaginatively combining Marxist and postmodernist frames of reference, Wallerstein constructs a future economic and social system reminiscent of a classical Marxist utopia. This endeavor, which Wallerstein calls “utopistics,” provides a logical conclusion to world system theory, as it finalizes a practice of defending Marxian analysis of the past and the present in terms of an imagined future.
The Welfare Effects of the National Cooperative Research Act (NCRA) of 1984 and the National Cooperative Production Amendments (NCPA) of 1993
Authors: Liu Yi , O’Reilly‐Allen Margaret , Zantout Zaher
Published: August 2010

Abstract.  Cooperative R&D and production joint ventures may enable firms to achieve significant cost efficiencies. However, they can also be a means of controlling industry output and raising product prices. A review of the literature on the welfare implications of allowing rival firms to cooperate in the R&D and production stages indicates that the issue is controversial from a theoretical perspective. There is need to examine the motivations of R&D and production joint ventures in order to assess the welfare implications of the National Cooperative Research Act (NCRA) of 1984 and National Cooperative Production Amendments (NCPA) of 1993, which relaxed the antitrust treatment of R&D and production joint ventures. Using samples of 127 cooperative R&D joint ventures and 342 cooperative production joint ventures announced by U.S. domestic firms during 1979–1999, this article finds that these endeavors do not meet the criteria for collusive behavior specified by the market power doctrine. We interpret these findings as suggesting that cooperative R&D and production joint ventures are motivated by cost efficiencies and are, therefore, welfare enhancing. Our results pose some challenges to the doctrine that antitrust actions by regulatory authorities are always welfare improving.
Aristotle and the Eleatic Stranger on the Nature and Purpose of Political Life
Authors: Cherry Kevin M.
Published: August 2010

This article argues that Book I of the Politics represents Aristotle's critique of Plato's Eleatic Stranger on the specific character of political rule and the knowledge required for political rule, and that this critique produces a different understanding of the proper division of regimes and the relationship between political theory and practice. These differences can be traced to a more fundamental disagreement about nature: Aristotle sees nature as generally hospitable to human life and argues that the natural end or goal of political association is not mere life but the good life, while the Eleatic perceives nature as hostile and proposes a minimalist politics, aimed primarily at preserving life. Although the Eleatic's view of nature might appear to be closer to and more compatible with modern political thought, the conception of nature Aristotle presents in his Politics offers richer possibilities for political theory and political life.
Democracy and Economic Growth: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Doucouliagos Hristos , Ulubaşoğlu Mehmet Ali
Published: August 2010

Despite a sizeable theoretical and empirical literature, no firm conclusions have been drawn regarding the impact of political democracy on economic growth. This article challenges the consensus of an inconclusive relationship through a quantitative assessment of the democracy‐growth literature. It applies meta‐regression analysis to the population of 483 estimates derived from 84 studies on democracy and growth. Using traditional meta‐analysis estimators, the bootstrap, and Fixed and Random Effects meta‐regression models, it derives several robust conclusions. Taking all the available published evidence together, it concludes that democracy does not have a direct impact on economic growth. However, democracy has robust, significant, and positive indirect effects through higher human capital, lower inflation, lower political instability, and higher levels of economic freedom. Democracies may also be associated with larger governments and less free international trade. There also appear to be country‐ and region‐specific democracy‐growth effects. Overall, democracy's net effect on the economy does not seem to be detrimental.
The Personal Vote and the Efficacy of Education Spending
Authors: Hicken Allen , Simmons Joel W.
Published: August 2010

In this article we explore the ways in which incentives to cultivate a personal vote affect the efficiency of education spending in developing democracies. We argue that where the electoral system provides incentives for political particularism, resources are allocated less efficiently and the effect of increased spending on literacy is diminished. We test our hypotheses using data on education spending and performance in over 40 developing democracies since 1980. We find that though personal vote systems spend just as much on education as party vote systems, particularism in personal vote systems dampens the marginal effect of increased education spending on illiteracy and at its highest levels, incentives to cultivate a personal vote completely undermine the positive effects of increased education spending on literacy.
Field Experiments Testing the Impact of Radio Advertisements on Electoral Competition
Authors: Panagopoulos Costas , Green Donald P.
Published: August 2010

Results from previous studies of campaign spending imply that equal‐sized grants to both incumbents and challengers are a net benefit to challengers, who on average spend less money and derive greater marginal returns from each additional dollar. This study provides an experimental test of this proposition. Cities holding mayoral elections in November 2005 and 2006 were randomly assigned to broadcast nonpartisan radio ads that stated the names of the mayoral candidates, reminded listeners about the date of the upcoming election, and encouraged them to vote. Consistent with the findings of previous studies on the differential effects of incumbent and challenger campaign spending on election outcomes, we find that these radio ads produced substantially more competitive elections. The borderline statistical significance of our results, however, invites replication of this experiment.
Money, Time, and Political Knowledge: Distinguishing Quick Recall and Political Learning Skills
Authors: Prior Markus , Lupia Arthur
Published: August 2010

Surveys provide widely cited measures of political knowledge. Do seemingly arbitrary features of survey interviews affect their validity? Our answer comes from experiments embedded in a representative survey of over 1200 Americans. A control group was asked political knowledge questions in a typical survey context. Treatment groups received the questions in altered contexts. One group received a monetary incentive for answering the questions correctly. Another was given extra time. The treatments increase the number of correct answers by 11–24%. Our findings imply that conventional knowledge measures confound respondents' recall of political facts with variation in their motivation to exert effort during survey interviews. Our work also suggests that existing measures fail to capture relevant political search skills and, hence, provide unreliable assessments of what many citizens know when they make political decisions. As a result, existing knowledge measures likely underestimate people's capacities for informed decision making.
Taking Time Seriously
Authors: De Boef Suzanna , Keele Luke
Published: August 2010

Dramatic world change has stimulated interest in research questions about the dynamics of politics. We have seen increases in the number of time series data sets and the length of typical time series. But three shortcomings are prevalent in published time series analysis. First, analysts often estimate models without testing restrictions implied by their specification. Second, researchers link the theoretical concept of equilibrium with cointegration and error correction models. Third, analysts often do a poor job of interpreting results. The consequences include weak connections between theory and tests, biased estimates, and incorrect inferences. We outline techniques for estimating linear dynamic regressions with stationary data and weakly exogenous regressors. We recommend analysts (1) start with general dynamic models and test restrictions before adopting a particular specification and (2) use the wide array of information available from dynamic specifications. We illustrate this strategy with data on Congressional approval and tax rates across OECD countries.
Democracy as a Latent Variable
Authors: Treier Shawn , Jackman Simon
Published: August 2010

We apply formal, statistical measurement models to the Polity indicators, used widely in studies of international relations to measure democracy. In so doing, we make explicit the hitherto implicit assumptions underlying scales built using the Polity indicators. Modeling democracy as a latent variable allows us to assess the “noise” (measurement error) in the resulting measure. We show that this measurement error is considerable and has substantive consequences when using a measure of democracy as an independent variable in cross‐national statistical analyses. Our analysis suggests that skepticism as to the precision of the Polity democracy scale is well founded and that many researchers have been overly sanguine about the properties of the Polity democracy scale in applied statistical work.
Re‐Framing the Question: How Can We Construct a Theology of Religions?
Authors: Peters Ted
Published: August 2010

Abstract:  The existing framework—the typology of exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism—seems inadequate for resolving the dilemma Lutheran theologians confront: how to show respect for believers of the world's religions while still retaining the Christian commitment to mission. A substitute typology is proffered that distinguishes confessional exclusivism, confessional universalism, and supra‐confessional universalism. The option of confessional universalism provides a path for affirming a specific religious commitment—that in Jesus Christ God has been revealed as gracious—that is universally applicable; yet, holders of this position can demonstrate respect for, and cooperate with, members of other religious traditions who see matters differently.
Lutheran Theology in Engagement with World Religions
Authors: Chung Paul S.
Published: August 2010

Abstract:  When Lutheran theology engages the world religions, it can offer valuable insights into God's word in action which could come from outside the church. In light of God's Word in action which is an indispensable part of Martin Luther's theology, the author draws special attention to Lutheran irregular theology in connection with a universal dimension of God's grace, theologia crucis, and God's reconciliation with the world. Thus, Lutheran theology is of pro‐Old Testament orientation in relationship with Israel, and also of dialogical and public character in dealing with the issue of religious pluralism.
Luther's Small and Large Catechisms: Defining and Confessing Christian Faith From the Centre in a Religiously Plural World
Authors: Persaud Winston D.
Published: August 2010

Abstract:  In this article, the author argues that in his Small and Large Catechisms, which were both written in 1529, Martin Luther centres the Christian faith in a way that others can recognise as authentic and faithful to the Gospel vis‐à‐vis the relativism that is posited as the appropriate Christian articulation of the Gospel in a world of religious diversity. Luther's non‐negotiable centring on God for us in Jesus Christ, through whom God is uniquely and decisively revealed, speaks to the contemporary intra‐Christian and inter‐religious questions. The author finds evangelical and persuasive resonance in Lesslie Newbigin's call to indwell the Christian story and George Lindbeck's argument to attend to the grammar of the faith.
Encountering The World's Religions: Nathan Söderblom and the Concept of Revelation
Authors: Nelson Derek R.
Published: August 2010

Abstract:  Nathan Söderblom's research on the Christian concept of revelation vis‐à‐vis the encounter of Christianity and the world's religions is identified as a rich historical resource for the contemporary discussion on that topic. An appropriation of Söderblom's thought is proposed, particularly by recontextualizing the issue of non‐Christian religions as an opportunity for the doctrine of revelation rather than a “problem” for soteriology. The article makes special mention of Söderblom's writings on revelation as “genius,” as experiencing holiness, and as intrinsic to the task of theology, and concludes with strategies for a practical appropriation of Söderblom.
Pastor, are You a Religious Illiterate?
Authors: Gutzler Michael , Penumaka Moses , Erisman Daren
Published: August 2010

Abstract:  The growing religious diversity of the United States forces pastors into the role of spokesperson for the Christian faith along with becoming chief educator about other religious traditions for the congregation. Pastors, now more than ever, have the responsibility to become educated about the world's religions and to share this knowledge with their parishioners. To prepare clergy for these new responsibilities, three Lutheran pastors speak from their own experiences of deliberately engaging and studying diverse religious communities. With special focus on Islam and Hinduism, the pastors provide resources for further reading and study. This collaborative effort aims to encourage and empower pastors to embrace these new components of their calling by openly and regularly interacting with their religious neighbors.
The “New Cognitive Science of Religion” and Religious Pluralism
Authors: Benson John E.
Published: August 2010

Abstract:  The “new cognitive science of religion” (Lawson, McCauley, Boyer, Sperber, Tremlin, Pysiäinen, Hinde) finds that certain of the brian's “inference systems” press us to postulate gods or other supernatural agents where knowledge and control are lacking. In this article we explore the implications of this new “explanatory” appraoch for Christian theology, pluralism, and worship life.
Imagining Beyond “God's Warriors”
Authors: Veninga Jennifer Elisa
Published: August 2010

Abstract:  This article provides a review of the CNN TV series, “God's Warriors,” by Christiane Amanpour.
Prediction of Interatrial and Interventricular Electromechanical Delays from P/QRS Measurements: Value for Pacemaker Timing Optimization
Authors: CHIRIFE RAUL , PASTORI JULIO , MOSTO HUGO , ARRASCAITE MÓNICA , SAMBELASHVILI ALEKSANDRE
Published: August 2010

Summary:

Cardiac pacing creates spurious delays between and within the cardiac chambers. These are: 1. Left atrial (LA) transport delay (ATD) either sensed (s) or paced (p), (time from right atrial P‐wave to the end of LA transport (mitral Doppler A‐wave)). 2. Interventricular delay (IVD), (time from onsets of right (RV) to left ventricular (LV) contractions). 3. P‐sense offset (PSO), (time from P‐onset to P‐detection). Thus, restoration of left heart atrioventricular (AV) synchrony can be accomplished by compensating above delays, according to a previously published equation: RAV = ATD‐IVD‐PSO, where RAV = right heart AV.

Objective:

To test the hypothesis that ATD could be predicted from Ps and Pp, and that interventricular delay (IVD) could be predicted from QRSp, using three‐lead surface electrocardiograms (ECGs).

Methods:

Thirty‐six patients aged 63.5 ± 15.5 years, 64% males, all with previously implanted DDD pacemakers, were studied by echo‐Doppler and surface ECG obtained with a pacemaker programmer. Measurements included Ps; Pp; intrinsic QRSs; and paced QRSp, ATDs, ATDp, and IVD (difference between RVp and RVs left preejection intervals, PEI). Regressions between ECG and echo‐Doppler intervals were calculated.

Results:

Regressions and correlation coefficients: ATD (s+p) = 0.96*P + 55 (R = 0.94, P < 0.0001); PEIp = 0.75 * QRSp + 34.8 (R = 0.89, P< 0.0001); IVD = 0.39 *QRSp – 7.9 ms (R = 0.87, P = 0.002).

Conclusions:

Inter‐atrial and inter‐ventricular electromechanical delays can be predicted from P‐wave and QRS durations. These measurements allow AV delay optimization in DDD and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices with no need of Doppler echocardiography.
Electromagnetic Device‐Device Interaction between a New Generation Implantable Pacemaker and Left Ventricular Assist Device: Recognition and Potential Solutions
Authors: REDDY PREETHAM , BENDITT DAVID G. , ADABAG SELCUK
Published: August 2010

An electromagnetic interaction between St. Jude Medical Inc. (St. Paul, MN, USA) permanent pacemakers and HeartMate II left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) (Thoratec Inc., Pleasanton, CA, USA) has been reported before, but the problem was thought to be resolved in the St. Jude Medical's most recently released pacemaker platform. We report a case of interference between the HeartMate II LVAD and the most recently released St. Jude Medical pacemaker (model no. PM3210; Anthem) and review new developments to overcome the electromagnetic interference problem in this setting. (PACE 2010; 1–3)
Dual Epicardial Ventricular Tachycardia: A Tale of Two VTs
Authors: GLOVER BENEDICT M. , DOWNAR EUGENE , HAMEEDULLAH IMAD , CREAN ANDREW , CHAUHAN VIJAY S.
Published: August 2010

A young female with isolated ventricular noncompaction and acute myocarditis presented with incessant dual epicardial ventricular tachycardia consisting of a manifest reentrant circuit and a shorter cycle length concealed circuit. A single radiofrequency terminated both tachycardias. (PACE 2012; 35:e1–e5)
Comparative Effects of l‐Tryptophan and 1‐Methyl‐Tryptophan on Immunoregulation Induced by Sperm, Human Pre‐implantation Embryo and Trophoblast Supernatants
Authors: Gutiérrez G. , Fitzgerald J. S. , Pöhlmann T. , Hoppe I. , Markert U. R.
Published: August 2010

Problem: The hypothesis that indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO) is necessary to regulate lymphocyte functions at the feto‐maternal interface has been postulated, although a possible role of tryptophan (Trp) depletion in the T‐cell tolerance during insemination as well as implantation has not been previously investigated.

Method of study: Allogeneic phytohaemagglutinin stimulated lymphocytes were supplemented with pre‐implantation embryo supernatant (PES), seminal plasma (SP), spermatozoa culture supernatant (SCS), spermatozoa, trophoblast cells, or placenta explant culture supernatants, and analyzed for expression of CD25, CD71, and CD69. Trp‐degrading activity was assessed by addition of 1‐methyl‐Tryptophan or l‐Trp.

Results: PES, SP, trophoblast, and explant supernatants reduced the expression of CD25 in CD3 lymphocytes. Inhibition of IDO as well as Trp supplementation prevented these effects.

Conclusions: These data suggest that the expression of interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) receptor in maternal T lymphocytes is normally suppressed by Trp catabolism, and that either abnormal IDO levels or substances influencing IDO activity might lead to non‐adequate immune responses on sperm, harm the conceptus or even initiate fetal rejection.
Agricultural growth and economic development: a view through the globalization lens
Authors: Pingali Prabhu
Published: August 2010

This article re‐visits the age‐old proposition that agriculture growth contributes to overall economic development, and asks whether the relationship still holds in an increasingly globalized world. There is overwhelming empirical support for the above proposition, indeed, it is hard to find exceptions, barring a few city states, where sustained economic development has not been preceded by robust agricultural growth. However, there are a large number of countries that have witnessed neither agricultural growth nor economic development. Even in countries where agricultural growth has been significant, dramatic inter‐regional differences persist. This article examines the factors that contribute to or constrain the process of agricultural transformation. Does the process of globalization, and the resultant changes in agrifood systems, offer new opportunities for agriculture‐led growth, or will it further marginalize excluded countries, regions, and groups? The factors that cause exclusion are examined both in terms of globalization forces and in terms of domestic shortcomings in policies and governance. Policy interventions that attempt to reduce the costs of transition to a globalized agricultural system are explored, including safety nets for those left behind.