bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adolescent alcohol‐use trajectories in the transition from high school
Authors: TOUMBOUROU JOHN WINSTON , WILLIAMS IAN R. , SNOW PAM C. , WHITE VICTORIA M.
Published: October 2003

A cohort of 3300 students from high schools across Victoria, Australia, were surveyed regarding their patterns of alcohol consumption from mid–1993 to 1995. The first wave of data was collected halfway through the students' final year of school (year 12). Students were then resurveyed 3 months following school completion and on two subsequent occasions, each separated by 6–month intervals. Analysis of the four waves of data indicated that five longitudinal patterns (trajectories) characterized temporal trends in male and female alcohol use through the transition from high school. Stable non‐use trajectories were evident for 17% of males and 16% of females. Trajectories of less than weekly use characterized 45% of females and 46% of males, and showed little tendency to escalate toward harmful use. Among those using alcohol on a weekly or more frequent basis in high school, with few exceptions, use continued with at least the same frequency, but the quantity of alcohol consumed tended to escalate over time toward harmful levels. Overall, findings indicate that patterns of alcohol use tend to be stable over time, and more frequent alcohol use during the final year of high school tends to precede potentially harmful alcohol use following high school. Encouraging those high school students who consume alcohol once per week or more often to use alcohol on a less than weekly basis may be a valuable yet neglected harm minimization strategy.
Family risk factors for cannabis use: a population‐based survey of Australian secondary school students
Authors: OLSSON C. A. , COFFEY C. , TOUMBOUROU J. W. , BOND L. , THOMAS L. , PATTON G.
Published: October 2003

The objective of this study was to investigate relationships between adolescent cannabis use and indices of parent – child attachment, family functioning and parent attitudes to drugs and delinquency. A total of 2848 year 9 and 2363 year 11 students participated in the Victorian Adolescent Health and Well‐Being Survey (1999). The study was a school‐based random sample of 535 metropolitan and rural, government and non‐government secondary schools throughout Victoria, Australia. Cannabis use was defined as ‘any’ and ‘weekly’ use in the last 30 days. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent associations between cannabis use and parent –child attachment, family functioning and parent attitudes to drugs and delinquency. Cannabis use in year 9 was associated with permissive parent attitudes to drugs and delinquency (any use: adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 8.1; weekly use: adjusted OR = 7.6), and was particularly sensitive to small changes in the quality of the parent – child relationship with risk increasing threefold for those describing their attachment as ‘good’ compared with ‘very good’ (any use: adjusted OR = 2.8, weekly use adjusted OR = 2.9). A similar, but more moderate pattern association was evident in year 11. After adjusting for other family and background factors, poor family functioning showed minimal association with level of cannabis use at both year levels. Results suggest that intervention efforts might sensibly target strengthening parent – children relationships and promoting less permissive parent attitudes to drug use.
Association of benzodiazepine injection with the prescription of temazepam capsules
Authors: DOBBIN MALCOLM , MARTYRES RAYMOND F. , CLODE DANIELLE , DE CRESPIGNY FLEUR E. CHAMPION
Published: October 2003

Temazepam capsules have become a popular choice for benzodiazepine injection by injecting drug users, and serious vascular and tissue damage leading to ulcers and gangrene can result. We compared the self‐reported benzodiazepine injecting behaviour of 91 heroin users with their Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) records for the preceding 5 years. We found that individuals prescribed PBS temazepam capsules were more likely to report injecting benzodiazepines than individuals who had either not been prescribed PBS temazepam capsules or had been prescribed PBS temazepam tablets. These results provide empirical support for the argument to limit the prescription and supply of temazepam capsules in Australia.
The costs of not treating hepatitis C virus infection in injecting drug users in New Zealand
Authors: SHEERIN IAN G. , GREEN F. TERRI , SELLMAN J. DOUGLAS
Published: October 2003

This paper estimates future health service costs of the current practice in New Zealand of not funding treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Costs are estimated separately for Māaori and non‐Māaori, male and female IDUs. Markov modelling is used to track the infection and progression of HCV to severe liver disease and death, and accumulated costs are estimated for the life of the cohort. Upper and lower estimates of costs are calculated based on different assumptions of the rate of progression of HCV to more severe liver disease. Costs are estimated at $24.6 million per 1000 non‐Māaori men IDUs (discounted at 3%), under progression assumptions based on liver clinic studies, compared with $10.3 million per 1000 using lower rates of progression based on community studies. Similarly, corresponding costs for non‐Māaori women are estimated at $27.6 million and $11.2 million per 1000 IDUs. Costs for women are higher because their greater life expectancy is associated with more cases of liver cirrhosis (LC) at older ages. Future costs for Māaori are lower than non‐Māaori, because Māaori are more likely to die at younger ages and hence fewer progress to more advanced liver disease. The current situation in New Zealand of not treating HCV infections will result in considerable future costs as some people with HCV progress to more severe liver disease. Provisional estimates are that the accumulated costs of HCV‐related liver disease for all IDUs currently infected will be between $166 million at lower rates of disease progression (discounted at 3%) to $400 million at upper rates. Some of the associated morbidity and mortality could have been avoided if the HCV infections had been treated.
Obstacles to carrying out brief intervention for heavy drinkers in primary health care: a focus group study
Authors: AALTO MAURI , PEKURI PETTERI , SEPPÄ KAIJA
Published: October 2003

The objective of this study was to identify possible obstacles to carrying out competent early identification and brief intervention (EIBI) of heavy drinkers in primary health care. Qualitative focus group discussion method study applying the deductive framework approach. Six focus groups involving 18 general practitioners and 19 nurses were recruited from primary health care of the City of Tampere, Finland. Possible obstacles are: (1) confusion regarding the content of early‐phase heavy drinking, (2) lack of self‐efficacy among primary health care professionals, (3) sense of lacking time needed for carrying out brief intervention, (4) not having simple guidelines for brief intervention, (5) sense of difficulty in identifying of early‐phase heavy drinkers, and (6) uncertainty about the justification for initiating discussion on alcohol issues with patients. The main actions to be taken to promote brief intervention are to educate professionals about the content of early‐phase heavy drinking and to produce directing, but not excessively demanding guidelines for carrying out EIBI. Probably successful personal experiences carrying out EIBI can improve professionals' self‐efficacy and give to them final justification for discussion alcohol issues with their patients.
In‐patient benzodiazepine withdrawal: comparison of fixed and symptom‐triggered taper methods
Authors: MCGREGOR CATHERINE , MACHIN ALISON , WHITE JASON M.
Published: October 2003

Fixed and symptom‐triggered taper methods during in‐patient benzodiazepine withdrawal treatment were compared using a randomized controlled design. Forty‐four benzodiazepine users seeking in‐patient withdrawal treatment at two substance use treatment clinics in Adelaide, Australia were recruited. Measurements included the Severity of Dependence Scale and the SF–36. A scale comprising six items from the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment Scale—Benzodiazepines (CIWA‐B) was used to measure withdrawal symptoms. Participants were randomized to receive a fixed diazepam tapering regime or diazepam only in response to withdrawal symptoms (symptom‐triggered group). Results showed that there were no significant differences between treatment groups in terms of withdrawal severity, duration of in‐patient treatment, amount of diazepam administered, treatment attrition and benzodiazepine use at follow‐up. Both groups showed a reduction in benzodiazepine dosage of 86% over the first 8 days which was maintained at 1 month post‐discharge. Although there were improvements in some subscales of the SF–36 between baseline and follow‐up, values were significantly below age‐matched norms at both time‐points. This study showed that benzodiazepine users entering treatment have relatively poor health and that symptom‐triggered taper methods incorporating flexible dosing and flexible treatment duration are as effective as fixed dose taper methods for in‐patient benzodiazepine withdrawal treatment.
Aftercare attendance and post‐treatment functioning of severely substance dependent residential treatment clients
Authors: SANNIBALE C. , HURKETT P. , VAN DEN BOSSCHE E. , O'CONNOR D. , ZADOR D. , CAPUS C. , GREGORY K. , MCKENZIE M.
Published: October 2003

The present study evaluated the impact of a structured aftercare programme following residential treatment for severe alcohol and/or heroin dependent clients. Over 17 months, 77 participants were recruited to the study and allocated randomly to either a structured aftercare (SA) programme or to unstructured aftercare (UA) of crisis counselling on request. Independent clinicians interviewed participants and collaterals, at 4–month (median) intervals, for 12 months following residential treatment. SA compared to UA was associated with a fourfold increase in aftercare attendance and one‐third the rate of uncontrolled principal substance use at follow‐up. Participants who attended either type of aftercare relapsed a median of 134 days later than those who attended no aftercare. Overall, 23% of monitored participants remained abstinent throughout, 21% maintained controlled substance use and 56% relapsed, within a median of 36 days following residential treatment. The only significant predictor of days to relapse, controlling for age, was pretreatment use of additional substances. Participants with pretreatment additional substance use relapsed a median of 192 days earlier than those who had used no other substances. The degree of agreement between participant self‐reports and collateral reports was fair‐to–moderate and moderate among collaterals. Intention‐to–treat analyses revealed significant and clinically meaningful reductions in substance use in this sample of severely dependent residential treatment clients. The generalizability of these results is limited because of significant differences in age and presenting substance between the study sample and other clients admitted to the service during the study. This latter group of younger, male, heroin‐dependent clients with polydrug use who refuse opioid pharmacotherapy, are more likely to drop out of treatment or relapse early following treatment and continue to present a challenge to treatment services.
Pharmacotherapies to enhance smoking cessation during pregnancy
Authors: ONCKEN C. A. , KRANZLER H. R.
Published: October 2003

Smoking during pregnancy is a significant public health concern. Maternal smoking increases the risk of spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, premature delivery, sudden infant death syndrome and learning and behavioral problems in the offspring. Unfortunately, the majority of pregnant women do not quit smoking during pregnancy. Although pharmacotherapy may improve smoking cessation rates in pregnancy, very few studies exist that have studied the safety and efficacy of medications to treat pregnant smokers. This article reviews the available safety and efficacy data for the use in pregnancy of the five first‐line therapies and two second‐line therapies that are recommended for smoking cessation in non‐pregnant smokers. Other promising nicotine replacement therapies are also reviewed. Ultimately, the choice whether to use pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation should be made jointly by the pregnant smoker and her health care provider. This article reviews factors that may be considered when prescribing pharmacotherapy to pregnant smokers (i.e. the role of behavioral counseling, identification of appropriate patients, potential advantages and disadvantages of each of the pharmacotherapies, proposed monitoring strategies, dose and duration and goals of treatment). More research regarding the safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapy during pregnancy is needed to define the risk/benefit profile of each medication for use in smoking cessation in pregnant women.
Review of bupropion for smoking cessation
Authors: RICHMOND ROBYN , ZWAR NICHOLAS
Published: October 2003

The advent of bupropion hydrochloride sustained release (Zyban) has heralded a major change in the options available for smoking cessation pharmacotherapy. Bupropion is a selective re‐uptake inhibitor of dopamine and noradrenalin which prevents or reduces cravings and other features of nicotine withdrawal. Bupropion is a useful oral and non‐nicotine form of pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation. For this review a total of 221 papers were reviewed plus poster presentations. This review examines in detail original clinical trials on efficacy, categorised according to whether they were acute treatment trials in healthy smokers; studies in specific populations such as people with depression, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or cardiovascular disease; or relapse prevention studies. Overall, these studies in varying populations comprising over four thousand subjects, showed bupropion consistently produces a positive effect on smoking cessation outcomes. The evidence highlights the major public health role that bupropion has in smoking cessation. The methodological issues of published clinical trials reporting one year outcomes were examined in detail including: completeness of follow‐up; loss to follow‐up; intention to treat analysis; blindness of assessment; and validation of smoking status. The review discusses contraindications, adverse effects, dose and overdose, addictive potential, and the role of bupropion in reducing cessation‐related weight gain. Bupropion combined with or compared to other pharmacotherapies (nicotine patch; nortriptyline) is considered. Impressive evidence exists for the use of bupropion in smoking cessation among difficult patients who are hard‐core smokers such as those with cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and depression. Bupropion reduces withdrawal symptoms as well as weight gain and is effective for smoking cessation for people with and without a history of depression or alcoholism. Serious side effects of bupropion use are rare. The major safety issue with bupropion is risk of seizures (estimated at approximately 0.1%) and it should not be prescribed to patients with a current seizure disorder or any history of seizures. In clinical trials of bupropion for smoking cessation no seizures were reported. Allergic reactions occur at a rate of approximately 3% and minor adverse effects are common including dry mouth and insomnia.
A pilot study of a computer‐assisted cell‐phone interview (CACI) methodology to survey respondents in households without telephones about alcohol use
Authors: WILKINS CHRIS , CASSWELL SALLY , BARNES HELEN MOEWAKA , PLEDGER MEGAN
Published: October 2003

An intrinsic drawback with the use of a computer‐assisted telephone interview (CATI) survey methodology is that people who live in households without a connected landline telephone are excluded from the survey sample. This paper presents a pilot of the feasibility of a computer‐assisted cell‐phone interview (CACI) methodology designed to survey people living in households without a telephone about alcohol use and be compatible with a larger telephone based alcohol sample. The CACI method was found to be an efficient and cost competitive method to reach non‐telephone households. Telephone ownership was found to make a difference to the typical occasion amount of alcohol consumed, with respondents from households without telephones drinking significantly more than those with telephones even when consumption levels were controlled for socio‐economic status. Although high levels of telephone ownership in the general population mean these differences may not have any impact on population alcohol measures they may be important in sub‐populations where telephone ownership is lower.
Costs and Paradoxes of Market Creation: Evidence and Argument from Brazil
Authors: Laplane Mariano F. , Sarti Fernando
Published: October 2003

In the early 1990s, the Brazilian car industry gradually began to be regarded, in both Brazil and abroad, as a “promising emerging market”. Heavy cross subsidy and subvention were involved in the attempt to realise what was perceived as a “market opportunity” for the Brazilian car industry. Massive income transfers occurred among consumers, producers, workers and government in Brazil, as well as between local actors and companies and, rentiers abroad. In short, the process of market creation involved heavy social costs. This paper maps several dimensions of the process of market creation as well as the social costs and the paradoxes involved. It raises issues of policy design for market creation, particularly in developing countries, and underlines the need to include market creation mechanisms in the research agenda of the automobile industry.
New Agendas for Auto Research: Financialisation, Motoring and Present Day Capitalism
Authors: Froud Julie , Johal Sukhdev , Williams Karel
Published: October 2003

This review article introduces a journal special issue on new agendas for auto research. It argues that old 1990s research agenda about factories, process and product has been rendered obsolete by developments in present day capitalism. The new research agendas for the 2000s are about financial issues: first, the nature and extent of capital market pressure on the assemblers for higher profits; second, multiple conflicts and cost passing behaviour involving government and consumers as much as corporate players. This review article surveys recent literature on these themes and explains how the articles in this special issue make distinctive contributions to our empirical understanding and conceptualisation of these developments.
The Power of Financial Markets and the Resilience of Operations: Argument and Evidence from the German Car Industry
Authors: Kädtler Jürgen , Sperling Hans Joachim
Published: October 2003

The paper deals with the implications of the increasing influence of financial markets or financial agents on the automotive industry, focusing on the field of operations. It is argued that, while the power of finance and the requirements of financial investors increase, car companies have to deal with persistent or even increasing productionist requirements at the same time. This argument is based on the distinction between external and internal financialisation and on the concept of product strategies, defined by qualitatively different markets and production requirements. The paper is developed with reference to case study material from German automotive companies and concludes that, although there is no smooth financialisation of automotive operations, there is the need to find a new balance between financial and productionist logics. The alternative would be a destabilisation of car companies and the increasing disconnection between top-management and operational management can be taken as an indicator of such a tendency.
The Arrival of Shareholder Value in the European Auto Industry a Case Study Comparison of Four Car Makers
Authors: Jürgens Ulrich , Lung Yannick , Volpato Giuseppe , Frigant Vincent
Published: October 2003

The paper deals with changes in the corporate governance systems of major European flagship companies in the car industry – Fiat, PSA, Renault and Volkswagen. While all four companies are protected from immediate capital market pressures either by family or state ownership, they have clearly opened up to shareholder value principles in recent years. The central questions of the paper are: to what extent traditional characteristics of corporate governance have converged under the pressure of capital markets; the different approaches companies take to governance and how this affects their performance. To answer these questions, the paper discusses the recent developments of a shareholder value policy and the corresponding changes of targets and controls, as well as of incentive systems, in these companies. The paper also assesses what these companies use the capital markets for: do companies need the stock market to finance their operations? Or does the importance of the stock market rather lie in its function as a market for corporate control? What comes out clearly from the analysis is that none of the companies used the stock market for their operational activities, including major investments. The most important influence of the stock markets lies in the potential for hostile takeover. Even though all four companies investigated are to some degree protected by family or state ownership, they feel the need to raise a defence against this potential danger. As to performance indicators, the analysis shows that a shareholder value policy does not necessarily lead to better economic performance. On the contrary, the analysis shows that the more engaged companies are towards shareholder value policy, the less well they performed in terms of profit margins and returns on capital.
Consumer vs. Manufacturer or Consumer vs. Consumer? The Implications of a Usage Analysis of Automobile Systems
Authors: Jullien Bernard
Published: October 2003

The aim of this paper is to highlight how re-posing the question of car usage in broader terms than usually tends to be the case, repositions the debate both practically and ideologically. The European Union's (EU) problem of obtaining cheaper cars for the consumer in such a context thus becomes a more nuanced question of understanding how the consumption patterns of richer consumers are being cross-subsidised by those of poorer consumers. Empirical data concerning household expenditure in France and trade data from car distributors are used to highlight this cross-subsidisation effect, which is insufficiently represented in the current EU debate.
Not Enough Money: The Resources and Choices of the Motoring Poor
Authors: Froud Julie , Johal Sukhdev , Leaver Adam , Williams Karel
Published: October 2003

This paper helps to develop the social aspect of a new agenda for automobile research through focusing on motoring expenditure in the UK by poor households. It moves the social exclusion debate on by going back to Rowntree's 1901 survey, which established that poverty entailed not having enough resources to meet the needs of the household. Rowntree's analysis of primary and secondary poverty is updated here through the focus on the resources and choices of poor households, which incur significant motoring costs as the price of participation. Statistical sources and interviews in Inner and Outer London are used to explore these issues and the analysis shows that the story is one of constraint, sacrifice and precariousness. Car ownership imposes large costs on poor households, which limit other consumption opportunities. Labour market participation may depend on such sacrifices where public transport and local employment opportunities are limited. This locks poor households into a precarious cycle whereby the car is necessary to get to work and the job is necessary to keep the car on the road. Using Rowntree by analogy, the paper argues that, as well as improving public transport provision policy makers must also recognise the problem of poverty.
Institutional Investors and the Car Industry Geographic Focalisation and Industrial Strategies
Authors: Dupuy Claude , Lung Yannick
Published: October 2003

This paper analyses the role of institutional investors in the car industry using original data on their investments in the world's top 16 companies in this sector. It reveals the limitations of the notion of “globalised finance” in this industry and the permanence of national proximity in the context of capital markets. The paper then details the activities of institutional investors and a typology is proposed to measure their concentration and to characterise their dualistic nature. The importance of institutional investors in the ownership structure of car assemblers is then considered, along with a discussion of their possible impact on industrial strategies.
Shareholder Value in the Japanese Context
Authors: Morgan Glenn , Takahashi Yuko
Published: October 2003

The paper argues that for the discourse of shareholder value to be significant and effective, there needs to be an institutional structure which supports it. This institutional matrix consists of the interaction of the following features: firstly, the dominance of forms of collective investment in equities and bonds, managed by institutional investors competing for funds from savers; secondly, the existence of liquid markets in shares and bonds which enables institutional investors to exercise choice; thirdly, the provision of information to outsiders enabling choice to be exercised on the basis of existing performance as reflected (and constructed) in financial accounting data; fourthly, the power of managers to exercise choice over patterns of merger, acquisition and organizational restructuring in order to meet shareholder requirements; finally, the development of senior management compensation schemes and career hierarchies which links incentives to share prices. The paper examines how this institutional matrix contributes to the formation of shareholder value. It then considers the specific example of Japan and shows that in spite of some commitment to the rhetoric of shareholder value and the existence of certain tensions and changes, these institutional conditions do not exist and therefore there is no prospect of Japan moving to a shareholder value based model in the foreseeable future.
Understanding Capitalism: Crises and Passive Revolutions
Authors: Li Xing , Hersh Jacques
Published: October 2003

This article has two objectives: First, it attempts to provide a framework for understanding capitalism's resilient adaptability through analysing the roles of liberal democracy and ecological environmentalism. Both are conceptualised as capitalism's passive revolutions in response to emerging crises – processes of constituting and reconstituting conditions for production and reproduction. Liberal democracy is seen as a political restructuring strategy aimed at producing social control with less coercive measures as well as depolitising social contradictions and economic crises. Ecological environmentalism is argued to be capitalism's ecological restructuring attempt at the economic level in order to rescue an economic system at an impasse and to resolve the contradictions between production relations/forces and the externalities of production.

Second, the article aims to conduct a critical analysis of what are considered to be passive revolutions taking place within capitalism in order to uncover their hidden mystifications, contradictions and distortions in the promotion of certain policies, practices, values, cognitions and symbols which are considered to be supportive of the existing capitalist political and economic system. The working assumption is that, due to capitalism's modus operandi which is primarily based on capital accumulation, democratic principles and environmental concerns will eventually have to submit to this inherent imperative.
The Diffusion of an Organisational Innovation: Adopting ‘Patient-Focused Care’ in an N.H.S. Hospital Trust
Authors: Howorth Chris , Mueller Frank , Harvey Charles
Published: October 2003

This paper deals with the diffusion and adoption of an organisational innovation, ‘Patient Focused Care’, at a British Hospital Trust. We will be discussing how PFC emerged in the U.S. context, was propagated by policy-makers, and judged worth adopting by organisational decision-makers. In providing an analysis of the case, we are attempting to bridge the gap between the policy context on the one hand, the organisational context on the other hand. The paper shows the importance of the ‘local’ context in shaping the adoption of a ‘global’ organisational innovation. The ‘appropriation process’ will play out in context-specific ways in terms of conflicts between managers and expert professionals; the way the ‘foreignness’ of the innovation plays out; and the way public policy-makers can influence the appropriation process. Most importantly, the paper intends to show how the cognitive boundaries of the N.H.S. as an ‘organisational field’ are beginning to move beyond national borders.
After Globalisation and Financialisation: Logics of Bargaining in the German Automotive Industry
Authors: Kädtler Jürgen , Sperling Hans Joachim
Published: October 2003

The article is focused on actual and future importance of collective bargaining at plant and company level in the German automotive industry. The impacts of restructuring of business processes, which are connected with trends towards globalisation and financialisation, are described and analysed. Empirical evidence is based on case studies in German based automobile companies. It is argued, that globalisation and financialisation are changing the balance of power within enterprises, the issues over which bargaining is taking place and the significance of certain arenas for negotiation. The paper concludes that collective bargaining still matter, and the locally embedded collective skills and cooperation play an important role in strategic choices of corporate management towards restructuring and globalisation and thereby give room to maneuver for employees' representation.
Whether by Visible or Invisible Hand: The Intractable Problem of Russian and East European Catch up
Authors: Haynes Michael , Husan Rumy
Published: October 2003

Can a strong convergence process be set in motion which will give hope that transition countries begin to catch up with the Western world? The collapse of Soviet control in Eastern Europe in 1989, and the subsequent disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, led everywhere to a re-evaluation of the past and a more optimistic appreciation of the pre-1945 potential of this part of the European economy. Specifically, what has been suggested is that before 1945 the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were already well into the process of modern economic growth and towards convergence with the advanced West, and that the subsequent imposition of centralised planning did long term harm to the region's prospects. Envious comparisons have been made with near neighbours such as Austria or more distant examples such as Spain and Italy. This historical revisionism has been used to support the view that, once they were freed from state control in the 1990s, these new market economies would have bright prospects. Nowhere, however, have these high hopes been borne out. This paper argues that a precondition for the explanation of this failure has to be a recognition that this optimistic view of the past is false, and that these economies have been and continue to be the victims of much longer run inequalities in the world economy.
Asian Tigers, Russian Bear and International Vets? An Excursion in the 1997–98 Financial Crises
Authors: Nesvetailova Anastasia
Published: October 2003

The article sets out a controversial task of looking at the Russian and East Asian episodes of the 1997–98 international financial upheaval. It argues that despite the palpable differences in the economic structures of the two regions, the similarity in the circumstances and aftermaths of the crashes requires a re-conceptualisation of the role of financial capital in framing dependent development patterns in global capitalism. The paper looks at the following issues. First, it discusses the role of domestic monetary policies, external financial openness and export-oriented development strategies in contributing to the crises. Second, the analysis discloses the nature and role of financial indebtedness in the two cases, pointing to the fundamental problem of the finance-real economy disjuncture that had been at the centre of the two crises. Third, the paper reveals the importance and similarity of national politico-economic structures, their links to the world ruling elites in shaping the countries' models of dependent capitalism. The article argues that through a complex multi-level fusion, these factors render current plans to eliminate world inequality and restore world financial stability, largely futile.
At the Cutting Edge? Financialisation and UK Clothing Retailers' Global Sourcing Patterns and Practices
Authors: Gibbon Peter
Published: October 2003

This paper examines the relation between financialisation and firm-level management decision-making in a specific sector and in relation to a specific area of decision-making (sourcing), drawing on evidence from interviews, unpublished UK trade data and company annual reports. It argues that, while requirements for higher returns on capital employed have been internalised at firm-level, these are compatible with a variety of general strategic responses and more practical decisions. Firms have selected between these largely on the basis of considerations that are best described as ‘retailerist’, as opposed to strictly ‘financialist’. Thus while financialisation matters, it only does so in ways that are highly mediated.
Shareholder Value, Management Culture and Production Regimes in the Transformation of the German Chemical-Pharmaceutical Industry
Authors: Vitols Sigurt
Published: October 2003

One of the greatest points of controversy in the recent literature in political economy is the extent to which “shareholder value” oriented institutional investors are drivers of change in national systems of corporate governance. This article argues that the key question is how management cultures shape managerial responses to pressures for change from capital markets. Empirical evidence for this argument is provided through an examination of changes since the mid-1990s at the “Big Three” German integrated chemical/pharmaceutical companies: Hoechst, Bayer and BASF. Despite facing similar demands from shareholder-value oriented investors, management at the three companies have pursued quite different strategies. The end result, however, may be the same from a production regime perspective, that is, the long-run withdrawal of “Big Pharma” from Germany as a location for R&D due to a more favorable institutional framework in the US.
Selenium in municipal wells in the Irapuato City — spectrofluorimetric determination with 2,3-diaminonaphthalene
Authors: Wróbel K. K. , López-de-Alba P.L. , Wróbel Z. K. , López-Martínez L. , Villagómez L.E. Pantoja
Published: October 2003

A chromatographic procedure with spectrofluorimetric detection (λ = 257 nm, λ = 548 nm) is proposed in this work for Se determination in well water after formation of a piazselenol compound. The low detection limit obtained (15 ng·l-1 ) enabled minimisation of the sample size and, consequently, smaller amounts of reagents were needed. Selenium content was confirmed using standard reference material. The proposed procedure was applied for the determination of Se in municipal wells in Irapuato city (Lerma-Chapala basin) and the obtained results showed that 52.5% of the analysed wells contained amounts higher than the limit 10 μg·l-1 of selenium as recommended by the World Health Organisation for drinking water. The high selenium levels were found only in the wells of the city of Irapuato (concentration range 12 – 223 μg l-1 ), not in the wells in other cities of the State of Guanajuato. No contamination by other trace elements (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, iron, manganese, lead) was found in Irapuato wells.
Factors limiting phytoplankton productivity in 49 shallow reservoirs of North Côte d'Ivoire (West Africa)
Authors: Arfi R. , Bouvy M. , Cecchi P. , Pagnao M. , Thomas S.
Published: October 2003

Several hundred ranching reservoirs are scattered in North Côte d'Ivoire, where they have an increasing economical importance as water resources during the dry season. To obtain a synoptic view of their limnological characteristics and to identify key factors limiting algal productivity, 49 of these shallow reservoirs were sampled once in 1997 at the end of the dry season. They showed low conductivity (range 40-230 µS cm-1 ) and low pH (range 5.1-7.3), and lakes deeper than 2 m were stratified. Most lakes had low nutrient concentrations (median: 0.09, 3.49 and 0.44 µM, for NO3-N, NH4-N and PO4-P, respectively). They were very turbid, with most of Secchi depths ranging between 0.1 and 0.4 m, and had high seston weights (median, 45 mg l-1). Many lakes had high chlorophyll concentrations (median, 106 µg l-1 ), and some of them featured algal blooms, while many lakes had primary production value <1000 mg C m-2 d-1. Algae of size >10 µm represented about 50 percent of the chlorophyll biomass and phytoplankton production. Classification on hydrological and particle data identified five groups based on depth, turbidity and productivity. During the dry season, the initial nutrient pulse linked to the annual flood is exhausted. At this time of the year, phytoplankton production was nitrate limited in some lakes, while in some others, phosphorus was limiting. Deep sites (>2 m) were less turbid and less productive than shallow ones (<2 m). In shallow unstratified lakes showing a nutrient-rich bottom layer, easy vertical mixing allow a regular enhancement of the algal productivity. In deeper and stratified lakes, nutrient enrichment only occurs when high intensity winds induce vertical mixing, and their productivity is directly related to these episodic nutrient pulses.
Comparison of fish and macroinvertebrate bioassessments from South Carolina coastal plain streams
Authors: Paller Michael H.
Published: October 2003

Stream bioassessments are usually based on a single taxonomic assemblage, often fishes or macroinvertebrates, with the assumption that this assemblage is representative of ecological conditions. However, ecological and physiological differences between taxonomic groups may result in different assessment results. In this study, concurrent fish and macroinvertebrate bioassessments from South Carolina coastal plain streams were compared on the basis of precision, sensitivity, accuracy, and agreement. Multimetric indices used in this comparison were a modified Index of Biotic Integrity based on electrofishing data and a benthic macroinvertebrate multimetric index based on data collected with Hester-Dendy artificial substrates. Benthic macroinvertebrates were also collected from natural substrates for comparative purposes. The Index of Biotic Integrity was more precise than the HesterDendy multimetric index but the average difference between disturbed and reference sites was greater for the latter resulting in equal sensitivity (i.e., ability to measure disturbance in relation to index variability). The two indices were significantly correlated (r=0.62, p <0.001), but agreement between them was weak for slightly and moderately disturbed sites. Analysis of species richness and abundance data indicated that fish and macroinvertebrates responded differently to some disturbances regardless of whether macroinvertebates were collected from HesterDendy samplers or natural substrates. Disagreement between macroinvertebrate and fish assessments at moderately disturbed sites indicated that biological condition could not always be adequately evaluated from a single taxonomic group. Identification of disturbed sites was most accurate when based on both indices suggesting that future research should emphasize cost-effective sampling and integration of information from multiple taxonomic groups.
Sediment elutriate toxicity testing with embryos of sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus)
Authors: Marin M.G. , Da Ros L. , Moschino V. , Campesan G.
Published: October 2003

Several laboratory conditions for preparing and testing of elutriates from sediments of industrial and urban contaminated areas of the Lagoon of Venice (Italy) were assessed in experiments using embryos of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus.

Elutriates were obtained by mixing of aerated offshore sea water and fresh aliquots of sediments (5, 20, 200 g l-1) for four hours. Sediments were then allowed to settle for 12 hours, the supernatant was filtered (at 1 µm) and subsequently tested, undiluted and diluted, at ratios of 1:4 and 1:10. Each diluted sample was again tested after further filtering at 0.45 µm.

Bioassays were carried out on embryos from post-fertilisation to the pluteus stage. The following parameters were observed: survival, frequency of developmental stages, and embryonic growth. The latter was most sensitive to varying experimental conditions, as the length of the skeletal somatic rods of plutei decreased significantly with increasing sediment concentration. Percent survival was slightly reduced in non-diluted and non-filtered treatments only. The frequency of developmental stages was always significantly different in 200 g l -1 elutriates 24 hours after fertilisation.

In bioassays, no direct relationship was observed between sediment concentrations in elutriates and toxic effects, fitting the contamination levels revealed by chemical analysis of elutriates.

When short mixing times were used, the most convenient sediment:water ratio was 1:4 (without further dilution or filtering) which more clearly showed the different degrees of toxicity among sediments.

The elutriate bioassay with lividus embryos is proposed as a rapid and highly sensitive approach for monitoring sediment toxicity in water-column organisms.
Residues of chlorinated hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in some marine organisms in Lake Temsah, Suez Canal, Egypt
Authors: Ahmed Mohamed Tawfic , Loutfy Naglaa , Youssof Y. , El Shiekh E. , Eissa I. A
Published: October 2003

Lake Temsah is the end point where some municipal, agricultural and industrial wastewaters are discharged. The lake is connected to the Suez Canal where large volumes of petroleum oil are passed from producing countries in the Arab Gulf to Europe and North America. The lake is the main source of fish for the area of Ismailia and a recreational site where the tourism industry thrives. Recently, numerous complaints have been made about the level of pollution in the lake which affects to a significant extent fishing and tourism industries. In the present study, residues of some chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls were monitored in some of the lake's organisms. Mullet (Mugil cephalus, usually living in the water column), crab (Lupa pelagcus, an intertidal organism) and a bivalve (Ruditapes decussata, a benthic sedentary organism) were selected as representatives of various strata of the lake ecosystem. Residues of an endosulfan, DDE, Dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide and Dicofol were detected. Aroclor residues were not seen. Endosulfan had the highest detected concentration of all organochlorines: concentrations were 24.1, 52.3, 124.8, and 65.6 µg kg−1 in fish skin, fish gills, fish muscles and bivalves respectively. DDE was the most frequent detected organochlorine, detected in all samples, while Dieldrin was only detected in bivalves and crab. The concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was lowest in fish skin, 2.7 µg kg−1, and highest in bivalves, 48.9 µg kg−1. Fluorine and anthracene were the most frequently detected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons compounds, while acenaphthene was the least detected. The highest concentrations of organochlorines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 108 and 48.9 µg kg−1, respectively, were detected in bivalves. Bivalves also had the widest spectrum of detected organochlorines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. All tested organisms showed a higher ability to accumulate organochlorines in comparison to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Results also showed some indications that factors other than fat content may have some influence on the accumulation of persistent contaminants in biological tissues.
Condition index and growth rates of field caged Corbicula fluminea (Bivalvia) as biomarkers of pollution gradients in the Paraná river delta (Argentina)
Authors: Cataldo Daniel H. , Boltovskoy Demetrio , Stripeikis Jorge , Pose Mónica
Published: October 2003

In 1995-1996, Corbicula fluminea was collected at monthly intervals at two sites in the delta of the lower Paraná river (Argentina), at the confluence of the San Antonio and Vinculación rivers, and from the Paraná de las Palmas river close to its outlet into the Río de la Plata estuary. The San Antonio site is located in the vicinity of sources of industrial and sewage effluents, whereas the more remote Paraná de las Palmas river sampling location is considerably less polluted. Growth rates of caged individuals at the two sites also monitored during the same period, and Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn were measured monthly in the water and in tissue of animals. Throughout the year concentrations of all metals in water, as well as Pb and Zn in tissue, varied irregularly and their levels at the two sites were roughly similar; on the other hand, Cu and Cd in tissue of animals from the polluted site were consistently and significantly higher than in those from the remote site. Changes in the size-frequency of clams from Paraná de las Palmas river throughout the period surveyed clearly indicated a highly structured population with a single well defined reproduction period in October-November. In contrast, shell lengths at San Antonio changed very little throughout the 13 month period, with over 88% of the clams varying between 18 and 20 mm in length; no discernible cohorts were recorded. Growth rates of caged clams were very significantly lower at the polluted site, with the remote site latter yielding comparable values to those obtained from the remote site cohort analysis data. Highest growth rates (around 10 mm) were attained by the smallest (about 7-8 mm) clams reared in Paraná de las Palmas river waters, whereas 23 to 25 mm organisms maintained in San Antonio waters grew only 2 to 3 mm in the same period. Of the 57 animals which survived throughout the caging experiment, those below 10 mm at the outset increased, on average, 8.2 mm in length after 13 months, whereas clams less than10 mm in length grew only 4.2 mm. The condition index (i.e., dry tissue weight divided by shell length) of clams from San Antonio was consistently about 50% lower than that of clams from the Paraná de las Palmas river.It is concluded that delayed growth, poorer condition index, and the abnormal population structure at San Antonio are due to enhanced pollution in this area as compared with the Paraná de las Palmas river, and that all three traits constitute a more useful biomarker of contaminants.