bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Small Unit Cohesion: The Case of Fighter Squadron 3-Vl.G.IV
Authors: Boer Peter C.
Published: October 2005

Among military social scientists, cohesion in a small military unit is generally viewed as a key to military effectiveness. A conceptual model for developing combat proficiency in small units was published in 1991 by Bartone and Kirkland, and, although their article is about small army units, the model also seems valid for flying squadrons, specifically fighter squadrons. Newly established fighter squadrons in NATO need about the same period of time to "mature" to (limited) combat-ready status or initial operating capability status as do army companies, i.e., some 12 months. In World War II about six months were needed in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia to train fighter squadrons to combat readiness. Even this period could be much shortened, however, as was proven by fighter squadron 3-Vl.G.IV in the former Netherlands East Indies in 1942. The development of 3-V1.G.IV to a cohesive and combat effective squadron is analyzed using the Bartone and Kirkland model.
¿De Guatemala a Guate-Peor? Guatemalan Military Interventionism, 1944-1970
Authors: Trefzger Douglas W.
Published: October 2005

This article breaks with traditional interpretations of Latin American military politics and instead sees Guatemalan civil-military relations and military interventionism as an unintended result of the high-minded goals of Guatemala's 1944-1954 revolution, rather than as a function of illegitimate or unconstitutional aspirations for power. Beginning in 1945 and perceiving the military as the true defender of la Patria (the Fatherland), Guatemala's revolutionaries created a legal framework wherein an autonomous military could intervene against alleged arbitrary presidential behavior or perceived violations of the constitution. Seen in this light, the notion of military "antipolitics" moves beyond the realm of military overzealousness, and places intervention, at least in Guatemala, within the realm of legal justification and constitutional mandate.
A Comparative Study of Civil-Military Relations in Cuba and China: The Effects of Bingshang
Authors: Mora Frank O.
Published: October 2005

This article attempts to fill a methodological and analytical void in the study of civil-military relations in Cuba. Specifically, it examines the impact of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias (FAR)'s growing role in the economy on civilian/party control. The case of China and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) offers an interesting comparison because of the breadth and depth of economic reforms and military participation in the economy. The PLA's involvement in profit-making activities has had an eroding effect on professionalism, preparedness, and civilian/party control. Cuba has so far contained the dangers of bingshang (soldiers in business) by limiting and closely monitoring the military's role in the country's vacillating economic reforms. The comparison also demonstrates the importance of the generation of leadership attempting to readjust patterns of civil-military relations.
Israel's National Security Doctrine under Strain: The Crisis of the Reserve Army
Authors: Ben-Dor Gabriel , Pedahzur Ami , Hasisi Badi
Published: October 2005

Israel's national security doctrine necessitates a citizen's army ("nation-in-arms") based on universal conscription, requiring citizens to serve in the military reserves for many years. This reserve army is the mainstay of Israel's military. The willingness of citizens to serve in the army is analyzed here, using four approaches: the individual level, the institutional or organizational levels, competing commitments, and social conditions. This is the first empirical study to be published on this topic based on a representative sample of the relevant Israeli population.
Prospects for Genuine Reform in Ukraine's Security Forces
Authors: Parchomenko Walter
Published: October 2005

Despite a steady increase in official rhetoric about genuine reform in Ukraine's security services, the president and high command of the MOD and non-MOD security forces still do not see a need for dramatic changes in the country's excessive military organization and are not ready for far-reaching reforms. During 2001, defense spending is expected to increase only modestly in absolute terms, once again covering barely 50 percent of the military's needs. Given the harsh economic realities facing the country, and President Kuchma's profound reluctance to press for deep reductions and far-reaching optimization of all security forces, Ukraine in 2005 will likely still have huge, redundant security forces and a poorly trained and equipped military. The military can expect a survivalnot reformbudget well beyond 2005, and personnel cuts beyond those scheduled for the end of 2005 seem inevitable.
Developing Mature National Security Systems in Post-Communist States: The Czech Republic and Slovakia
Authors: Ulrich Marybeth Peterson
Published: October 2005

This article links underdeveloped national security systems with poor defense capabilities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The problems highlighted in the Czech and Slovak cases are indicative of the struggle across the postcommunist political space to grow mature national security systems. National security professionals' ability to participate collaboratively in the national security process is limited by the lack of professionals with specific and overlapping areas of political-military expertise. The article spells out specific deficiencies within the Czech and Slovak national security systems. Unfocused governmental leadership and guidance, the absence of involved and informed parliaments, the lack of professionally mature media capable of facilitating a national debate on defense issues, and defense ministries and general staffs resistant to reform all contribute to the underperformance of national security institutions. The current efforts to fundamentally transform the Czech and Slovak militaries are also addressed with an eye toward analyzing and predicting the obstacles to their implementation.
British Pakistani Muslims' Perceptions of the Armed Forces
Authors: Hussain Asifa , Ishaq Mohammed
Published: October 2005

This paper focuses on how Muslims (of Pakistani origin) living in Britain perceive the British Armed Services as a career. The analysis draws on a survey of 300 individuals, who were interviewed personally, in three languages: English, Punjabi and Urdu, using semi-structured, open ended, in-depth interviews. The survey results reveled that the Muslims' interviewed are aware of the negative aspects of the forces such as racism and are largely unaware of the positive actions the British Armed Forces are doing to improve race relations and recruit more ethic minorities.
Theories of Democratic Civil-Military Relations
Authors: Burk James
Published: October 2005

This article reviews civil-military relations theory applied to mature democratic states. It assumes that the important theoretical problem is how to maintain a military that sustains and protects democratic values, showing how the classic and still influential theories of Huntington and Janowitz were rooted, respectively, in liberal and civic republican theories of democracy and, as a result, neither adequately solved this problem. The article then uses current research to pose new questions about the relations between military and political elites, the relations of civilians to the military and the state, and the multinational use of force. Based on the review, it concludes that a new theory of civil-military relations-one that accounts for the circumstances mature democracies presently face and tells how militaries can sustain as they protect democratic values cannot be derived from either liberal or civic republican models of democracy, as Huntington and Janowitz tried to do, but might be derived from federalist models.
Towards Civilian Supremacy: Civil-Military Relations in Taiwan's Democratization
Authors: Fravel M. Taylor
Published: October 2005

While Taiwan has rapidly democratized, civil-military relations have never been viewed as an independent variable that explains this success. Adopting Aguero's notion of civilian supremacy over the military, this article examines Taiwan's progress in the arenas of political neutrality, democratic control, and social impartiality of the armed forces. As the article demonstrates, Taiwan has made considerable progress toward achieving civilian supremacy since 1987. Active military officers no longer serve in positions in the civilian government, while the armed forces no longer oversee internal security or other aspects of domestic policy. The passage of the National Defense Law in 2000 and the growing oversight role of the Legislative Yuan have strengthened the institutions of democratic control. Reconciliation efforts for past abuses by the armed forces and the elimination of mandatory military education programs have increased social impartiality. I argue that four factors explain the progress that Taiwan has achieved towards establishing civilian supremacy over the military: regime preconditions, external threat, political leadership, and democratic institutionalization.
The Citizen-Soldier Tradition and Gender Integration of the U.S. Military
Authors: Snyder R Claire
Published: October 2005

Building on James Burk's contention that militaries must not only protect society from external enemies but also help sustain democratic values, this article reframes debates about women in the military that too often polarize conservatives who stress military effectiveness and liberals who advocate women's rights. Calling upon the citizen-soldier tradition, the article discusses gender integration in light of these civic premises: a) as democratic citizens, women are the civic equals of men; b) therefore, they must share responsibility for the military service; c) which is necessary to defend the United States of America against any forces, foreign or domestic, that threaten to undermine its democratic values. The article uses this "civic perspective" to analyze a variety of issues surrounding gender integration with a particular emphasis on debates about basic training.
Neutral Is Not Impartial: The Confusing Legacy of Traditional Peace Operations Thinking
Authors: Donald Dominick
Published: October 2005

For over forty years, impartiality (seen as synonymous with neutrality) was one of the three cardinal principles of traditional peacekeeping. But when the complex operational environments of the 1990s caused those concepts to be readdressed, impartiality was largely ignored. Those who deny the existence of a "Grey Area" between enforcement and traditional peacekeeping use traditional impartiality as a bulwark of their arguments. But a proper examination of the concept shows that neutrality and impartiality are not synonymous; that traditional impartiality is in reality neutrality; and that the naysayers have been defending the wrong concept. Only an understanding of the fundamental differences between the two principles, and a refusal to mix them in the field, can provide safe conceptual guidance for "Grey Area" operations.
Power Parity, Alliance, Differential Growth, and Great Power Wars: An Empirical Research Note
Authors: Heo Uk , Christensen Eben J. , Karaman Tatyana
Published: October 2005

Despite a volume of studies on the relationship between power distribution, the onset of war, and the impact of alliance and differential economic growth rate on the incidence of war, there is no strong conclusion about the issues. We reexamined the relationship between these variables and found that the differential growth rates in alliance-making affect the likelihood of war. This theoretically makes sense because nations are likely to try to increase their allies before they go to war, especially compared to their foes. This small but important finding adds to the literature.
Homeless Veterans of the Mil-Volunteer Force: A Social Selection Perspective
Authors: Tessler Richard , Rosenheck Robert , Gamache Gail
Published: October 2005

Recent research has shown that men who served in the military during the early years of the all-volunteer force (AVF) have a higher risk of homelessness than do veterans of other eras and nonveterans of comparable ages. The current article draws on data from the 1996 National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients in order to examine differences between currently homeless veterans and nonveterans in the number of months they had been homeless at the time they were interviewed. A social selection perspective formed the basis for hypotheses about factors affecting variation in length of current homelessness. The results indicate that current episodes of homelessness were longest among veterans of the all-volunteer force, those with behavioral risk factors with possible early onset, and those who were lacking in social bonds to civilian society that are normally conferred by employment, marriage, and support from family of origin. Although recent age cohorts of enlistees in the all-volunteer force do not show the same pattern of vulnerabilities, the Department of Defense needs to continue to pay close attention to the screening of military applicants for mental health and substance use problems, and to invest in programs that give psychosocial support to those veterans whose connections to civilian society are most tenuous.
Deadly Transfers, National Hypocrisy, and Global Chaos
Authors: Mandel Robert
Published: October 2005

This study provides an integrated explanatory analysis of ominous covert transnational flows and their implications for international security. After delineating their scope and discussing their general causes and consequences, brief overviews of the four most important types of these transactions-clandestine conventional arms, illegal human migration, illicit psychoactive drugs, and unsanctioned hazardous waste-serve to illuminate the specific recent patterns of this activity. The article concludes with a probing exploration of how these flows highlight hypocrisy in national policy and dysfunction in global rules of the game, challenging the security of the existing world order.
From Integration to Segregation The Role of Religion in the IDF
Authors: Cohen Stuart A.
Published: October 2005

The role of religion in Israeli military service is so inherently complex that it resists classification in accordance with conventional paradigms. Although certainly the military arm of a secular and liberal state, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) makes no attempt to confine religious themes to the domain of the army chaplain. Rather, traditional Jewish motifs permeate multiple areas of military life and are frequently mobilized for military purposes.

Conventional wisdom has long asserted that religion plays an integrative role in Israeli military service, thereby contributing to cohesion within the ranks. After examining the basis for that claim, this article goes on to question its current accuracy. Specifically, attention is focused on evidence suggesting that the societal tensions created in Israel by differences of Jewish religious outlook and observance might now be affecting the IDF too. Three phenomena are examined: (1) non-service" on religious grounds; (2) "segregated service" on the part of national-religious troops; and (3) incipient signs of a form of "conditional service."
A Different Perspective: Cohesion, Morale, and Operational Effectiveness in the GermanArmy, Fali 1944
Authors: Rush Robert S.
Published: October 2005

This article analyzes cohesion, morale and operational effectiveness of the German LXXIV Korps during late 1944. Unlike other studies, this inquiry does not examine "elite" units such as panzer, falschirmjäger, SS, or divisions formed before the outbreak of war. Instead it examines those that, in Fall 1944, might be considered the norm for the German Army on the Western Front. The findings contradict portions of earlier studies conducted by Edward Shils and Morris Janowitz, Martin van Creveld, and Omar Bartov. It suggests that the portion of the Germany Army that was not refitting for the Ardennes Campaign was not only organizationally deficient but possessed morale reminiscent of the German Army in August 1918. The only difference was the willingness of the high command in 1944 to intimidate soldiers to continue the fight through threats against their families and through executions.
The Impact of Family Supportive Policies and Practices on Organizational Commitment to the Army
Authors: Bourg Chris , Segal Mady Wechsler
Published: October 2005

This article analyzes the effects of organizational support for families on the organizational commitment of male enlisted Army soldiers and their wives. Organizational support is measured as perceptions of the supportiveness of both formal Army level policies and informal unit leader practices towards families. Results of our path analysis indicate that perceptions of the supportiveness of both formal policies and informal practices have significant independent effects on the organizational commitment of soldiers. In addition, perceptions of the supportiveness of unit leader practices have significant effects on the organizational commitment of soldiers' wives. For both soldiers and wives, family support also has significant positive indirect effects on commitment, through reduced Army-family conflict. We suggest specific organizational policies and practices that can increase soldiers' and spouses' commitment to the military through support of families.
The Western Ethical Tradition and the Morality of the Warrior
Authors: Watson Bradley C. S.
Published: October 2005

The author argues that Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Machiavelli, Kant, and Nietzsche each contribute to the contemporary understanding of the warrior and his morality. However, none presents what we take to be a complete picture. Our views are a blend of classical and modern elements, and these views change and tend to emphasize various components of classical or modern theory depending on our level of optimism, or cynicism, with respect to the role of the United States in the world order. The article makes the case that by examining the Western ethical tradition as a whole, we will have a more comprehensive understanding of the potential virtues and vices of the warrior morality.
Why Don't They Fight Each Other? Cultural Diversity and Operational Unity in Multinational Forces
Authors: Elron Efrat , Shamir Boas , Ben-Ari Eyal
Published: October 2005

This article poses the question of how multinational forces can achieve a working level of cooperation and coordination despite their high cultural diversity? It first illustrates the range of cultural diversity in multinational forces. Then, relying on the literature on diversity in organizations and cross-cultural differences in value priorities, and on an analysis of the circumstances under which such forces operate, the possible implications of high diversity for their operations are discussed. On the basis of further theoretical analysis, as well as existing literature and documents, a number of possible integrating conditions and integrating mechanisms are described that enable the forces to function as integrated units. Finally, the article suggests a number of research questions derived from our theoretical analysis.
Adjusting to the Post-U.S. Bases Era: The Ordeal of the Philippine Military's Modernization Program
Authors: De Castro Renato Cruz
Published: October 2005

Despite facing a regional arms build-up and an emerging regional power (the People's Republic of China), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) found it difficult to convince the Philippine government of the need to modernize its obsolete military hardware. It took the Philippine government nearly four years before it approved a modest arms acquisition program for its armed forces. This article discusses how democratic institutions and practices have delayed and precipitated a drastic modification of the AFP modernization program.
Gender in Cohabitation and Marriage
Authors: Cunningham Mick
Published: October 2005

The analysis examines the direct and indirect influences of early gender socialization on the allocation of routine housework later in the life course. The study articulates hypotheses suggesting that the relationship between gender socialization early in adulthood and housework allocation later in adulthood is moderated by gender and union type and is mediated by subsequent contextual characteristics of the couple. The analysis draws on panel data from a sample of 586 young adults spanning 31 years. Findings indicate that married men's attitudes about gender early in adulthood are more influential for the later division of labor than are married women's attitudes, but gender differences in the influence of early attitudes on later housework patterns are not present among cohabitors. The influence of early gender socialization on later housework allocation is mediated by couple-level resources and time availability among cohabitors but not among married individuals.
Friendly and Antagonistic Contact Between Former Spouses After Divorce
Authors: Fischer Tamar F. C. , de Graaf Paul M. , Kalmijn Matthijs
Published: October 2005

This study presents descriptive and explanatory analyses of contact between former spouses, using data on 1,791 previously married men andwomen in the Netherlands. The authors employ a typology of relationships between former spouses, differentiating between friendly contact, antagonistic contact, and no contact. Ten years after divorce, still almost half of the respondents report contact with their former spouse. Especially the number of former couples with antagonistic contact decreases strongly over time. In multivariate models, we examine six hypotheses concerning (a) duration, (b) prior attachments, (c) prior conflicts, (d) life-course events after divorce, (e) liberal family values, and (f) personality. Important predictors of postdivorce contact are duration since divorce, prior economic ties, the presence of joint children, marital duration, marital conflicts, a newrelationship, and liberal values. Couples with joint children have both more friendly contact and more antagonistic contact than other couples. This difference is largest for antagonistic contact.
Animal Cruelty Motivations
Authors: Hensley Christopher , Tallichet Suzanne E.
Published: October 2005

Few studies have examined childhood and adolescent animal cruelty motives. Using a sample of 261 inmates surveyed at both medium and maximum security prisons ina southern state, the present study examined the impact of demographic attributes and situational factors relating specifically to a range of animal cruelty motivations. Almost half of the inmates who engaged in animal abuse reported committing some of the acts out of anger, whereas more than a third did so for fun. Regression analyses revealed that the most statistically salient variable in 7 of the 10 motivational models was whether animal cruelty was committed alone. Respondentswho reported hurting or killing animals alone were more likely to commit the acts out of anger but less likely to have committed them to impress others, for sex, or to imitate others.
The Relationship Between Life Satisfaction, Risk-Taking Behaviors, and Youth Violence
Authors: MacDonald John M. , Piquero Alex R. , Valois Robert F. , Zullig Keith J.
Published: October 2005

This study builds on existing criminological theories and examines the role of life satisfaction and self-control in explaining youth violence. Using data from a stratified cluster sample of 5,414 public high school students who responded to the South Carolina Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the study examines the relationship between adolescents'perceptions of life satisfaction, behavioral risky acts, and self-reported acts of violence. Analyses indicate that higher levels of life satisfaction are associated with lower violence. Participation in work and involvement in health-related risk-taking behaviors pertaining to sex, drugs, and alcohol are also associated with increased violence. The implications of these findings for criminological theory and for school-based violence prevention programs are discussed.
Preliminary Evidence for an Automatic Link Between Sex and Power Among Men Who Molest Children
Authors: Kamphuis Jan H. , De Ruiter Corine , Janssen Bas , Spiering Mark
Published: October 2005

Understanding critical motivational processes of sexual offenders may ultimately provide important clues to more effective treatments. Implicit, automatic cognitive processes have received minimal attention; however, a lexical decision experiment revealed automatic links between the concepts of power and sex among participants who self-reported attraction to sexual aggression. The current study replicates this experiment with a group of male child molesters and forensic and analogue controls. Subliminally presented sex words elicited a facilitation effect for power words among child molesters only; that is, sex to power associations were evident, as well as a trend for the reverse. These results provide preliminary evidence for an automatic sex-power association in child molesters and may point to a crucial pathological link in the cognitive schemata of sex offenders. As well, the current study suggests that paradigms from cognitive psychology may contribute to multimodal (risk) assessment of sexual offenders.
The Metaphor of Nurse as Guest With Ethical Implications for Nursing and Healthcare
Authors: Milton Constance L.
Published: October 2005

Current healthcare advertising and customer relations terminology acknowledge that healthcare providers, including nurses, are to act as hosts for persons who enter into healthcare agencies and institutions. Indeed, much has been written aligning nursing and other healthcare services with consumer-oriented roles of the hospitality service industry commonly associated with hotels and restaurants. From a human becoming perspective, this article discusses possible ethical, administrative, and practice implications of nurses acting as guests entering into the lives of those we serve.
Cross-Cultural Analysis for Conceptual Understanding: English and Spanish Perspectives
Authors: Frederickson Keville , Acuña Valentina Rivas , Whetsell Martha , Tallier Peggy
Published: October 2005

Culture and primary language provides the context for understanding between the patient and the nurse and therefore is part of the foundation for nursing care. Knowledge development in nursing is predicated on mutual understanding and interpretation of language. Concept development has been identified as one of the approaches to the development of nursing knowledge. Since the process of concept analysis is based on understanding a phenomenon through language and experiences, this process is culture-bound and language-specific. The purpose of this column is to discuss the value of interviews with people from two different cultures resulting in an attempt to develop nursing knowledge with international relevance. An example of an analysis of a concept, worry, is provided, and the effects of culture and language on this nursing concept are discussed. The analysis was the result of collaboration among nurses from Mexico and the United States of America.
Nursing as Caring Theory: Living Caring in Practice
Authors: Bulfin Susan
Published: October 2005

This column features a report of a research project in a community hospital. Staff members were given opportunities to engage and act on the ideas of Boykin and Schoenhofer in their nursing as caring theory. Feedback from patients, family members, and all staff who touched patients informed the creation of a new model of care that positively transformed the workplace in the hospital setting. Strategies that were implemented to guide the values of nursing as caring theory are described. The result of the project was an environment that nurtures persons in their caring and growing in caring while illuminating the fullness of nursing.
Experiencing Community Through the Eyes of Young Female Offenders
Authors: Smith Paula , Smith William A.
Published: October 2005

Over the past decade, the number of girls involved with the juvenile justice system has risen rapidly and substantially. Despite the attention given to these increases, little research has documented the experiences of this population in these environments and their effect in developing a sense of community. Using data from an in-depth, qualitative interview study of 30 young women in the custody of youth corrections, this article describes the experiences of girls in genderspecific placements. Findings suggest that gender-specific services foster an increased sense of community, which has been linked to developing and integrating a healthy identity in adolescents. These findings have implications for policy and programming decisions as administrators and policy makers seek to stem the tide of female youthful offenders.
Life Plus 99 Years
Authors: Duchowny Laurel
Published: October 2005

This article examines the construction of a narrative of self through the published autobiography of Nathan Leopold, of Leopold and Loeb fame, known for the 1924 killing of their young neighbor Bobby Franks. While in prison, Leopold had extensive contact with prominent sociologists from the University of Chicago. It is the author's contention that this contact made possible a narrative of self, in the form of autobiography, which is distinctly sociological in character. The author believes his use of a sociological framework allowed him to (a) be heard in the language of the parole board, then headed by a sociologist, thus minimizing his separation with the group in power (the parole board) and maximizing his separation from those he did not want to be identified with (the other inmates); and (b) separate himself from the moral implications of his crime, thus rendering practically inconsequential that which would otherwise have been a defining moment in the construction of the self.
Measuring Cultural Consonance: Examples with Special Reference to Measurement Theory in Anthropology
Authors: Dressler William W. , Borges Camila D. , Balieiro Mauro C. , dos Santos José Ernesto
Published: October 2005

A valid and reliable anthropological measurement must be culturally appropriate for a particular social setting. Justifying the appropriateness of a measurement often depends on the skill of the researcher in describing the ethnographic setting. This has resulted in valuable research, but it is difficult to systematize and lacks transparency. Here the authors present a measurement model for anthropology that links structured ethnographic methods—cultural domain analysis and cultural consensus analysis—to the assessment of individual behavior and personal beliefs. These procedures are illustrated with the concept of cultural consonance, or the degree to which an individual approximates in his or her own behavior or belief the shared cultural model in some domain. The concrete steps taken to develop measures of cultural consonance in four domains (lifestyle, social support, family life, and national characteristics) are described, and the reliability and validity of these measures are evaluated. This describes a measurement model for anthropology.
Scale Adaptation and Ethnography
Authors: Kennedy David P.
Published: October 2005

In this article, the author discusses his experience adapting a scale while conducting an ethnography of childbearing motivation in central Honduras. He argues that the goals of scale adaptation and ethnography overlap and that the combination of both activities improves field data collection. The author discusses how this combination improves validity and reliability in ethnographic fieldwork. He presents this argument with a detailed description of the steps he took to adapt an instrument to measure what he calls “natality culture” in central Honduras.
Prevention of acute cadmium toxicity by Picroliv
Authors: Yadav N , Dogra R K S , Khan M Y , Khandelwal S
Published: October 2005

The potential of Picroliv, a herbal extract against acute cadmium (Cd) intoxication, was evaluated in male rats. Biochemical and histopathological profile in rats pretreated with Picroliv (12 mg/kg, oral) followed by a single dose of Cd as cadmium chloride (CdCl2) (3 mg/kg, ip) revealed marked suppression of oxidative stress in liver and testes. The Cd-induced enhanced levels of lipid peroxidation, membrane fluidity and reduced levels of nonprotein sulphydryls and Na+K+ATPase were significantly restored to near normal by Picroliv pretreatment. In addition, the Cd-induced serum levels of glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate pyruvate transaminase, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase and lactate dehydrogenase were restored to near basal levels. Hepatic and testicular histopathological damage was also minimized. The results strongly suggest definite hepatoand testicular protection by Picroliv. The antioxidant potential of the herbal extract in the major part, and not its chelating property, seems to be responsible for its ameliorative action.
Uncoupling heart cell specification and migration in the simple chordateCiona intestinalis
Authors: Davidson Brad , Shi Weiyang , Levine Michael
Published: October 2005

The bHLH transcription factor Mesp has an essential but ambiguous role in early chordate heart development. Here, we employ the genetic and morphological simplicity of the basal chordate Ciona intestinalis to elucidate Mesp regulation and function. Characterization of a minimal cardiac enhancer for the Ciona Mesp gene demonstrated direct activation by the T-box transcription factor Tbx6c. The Mespenhancer was fused to GFP, permitting high-resolution visualization of heart cells as they migrate and divide. The enhancer was also used to drive targeted expression of an activator form of Mesp, which induces heart formation without migration. We discuss the implications of Tbx6-Mespinteractions for the evolution of cardiac mesoderm in invertebrates and vertebrates.
Rho1 regulatesDrosophilaadherens junctions independently of p120ctn
Authors: Fox Donald T. , Homem Catarina C. F. , Myster Steven H. , Wang Fei , Bain E. Eugene , Peifer Mark
Published: October 2005

During animal development, adherens junctions (AJs) maintain epithelial cell adhesion and coordinate changes in cell shape by linking the actin cytoskeletons of adjacent cells. Identifying AJ regulators and their mechanisms of action are key to understanding the cellular basis of morphogenesis. Previous studies linked both p120catenin and the small GTPase Rho to AJ regulation and revealed that p120 may negatively regulate Rho. Here we examine the roles of these candidate AJ regulators during Drosophila development. We found that although p120 is not essential for development, it contributes to morphogenesis efficiency, clarifying its role as a redundant AJ regulator. Rho has a dynamic localization pattern throughout ovarian and embryonic development. It preferentially accumulates basally or basolaterally in several tissues, but does not preferentially accumulate in AJs. Further, Rho1 localization is not obviously altered by loss of p120 or by reduction of core AJ proteins. Genetic and cell biological tests suggest that p120 is not a major dose-sensitive regulator of Rho1. However,Rho1 itself appears to be a regulator of AJs. Loss of Rho1 results in ectopic accumulation of cytoplasmic DE-cadherin, but ectopic cadherin does not accumulate with its partner Armadillo. These data suggest Rho1 regulates AJs during morphogenesis, but this regulation is p120 independent.
Genetic and biochemical analysis of the role of Egfr in the morphogenetic furrow of the developingDrosophilaeye
Authors: Rodrigues Aloma B. , Werner Erica , Moses Kevin
Published: October 2005

A key event in patterning the developing Drosophila compound eye is the progressive restriction of the transcription factor Atonal in the morphogenetic furrow. The Atonal pattern evolves from expression in all cells to an over-dispersed pattern of single founder cells (the future R8 photoreceptors). This restriction involves Notch-mediated lateral inhibition. However, there have been inconsistent data on a similar proposed role for the Egf receptor (Egfr). Experiments using a conditional Egfr mutation(Egfrtsla) suggested that Egfr does not regulate Atonal restriction, whereas experiments using Egfr-null mosaic Minute+ clones suggested that it does. Here, we have re-examined both approaches. We report that the lesion in Egfrtslais a serine to phenylalanine change in a conserved extracellular ligand-binding domain. We show by biochemical and genetic approaches that the Egfrtsla protein is rapidly and completely inactivated upon shift to the non-permissive temperature. We also find that on temperature shift the protein moves from the cell surface into the cell. Finally, we report a flaw in the Egfr-null mosaic Minute+ clone approach. Thus, we demonstrate that Egfr does not play a role in the initial specification or spacing of ommatidial founder cells.
Effects of sister chromatid cohesion proteins oncutgene expression during wing development inDrosophila
Authors: Dorsett Dale , Eissenberg Joel C. , Misulovin Ziva , Martens Andrew , Redding Bethany , McKim Kim
Published: October 2005

The cohesin protein complex is a conserved structural component of chromosomes. Cohesin binds numerous sites along interphase chromosomes and is essential for sister chromatid cohesion and DNA repair. Here, we test the idea that cohesin also regulates gene expression. This idea arose from the finding that the Drosophila Nipped-B protein, a functional homolog of the yeast Scc2 factor that loads cohesin onto chromosomes, facilitates the transcriptional activation of certain genes by enhancers located many kilobases away from their promoters. We find that cohesin binds between a remote wing margin enhancer and the promoter at the cut locus in cultured cells, and that reducing the dosage of the Smc1 cohesin subunit increases cut expression in the developing wing margin. We also find that cut expression is increased by a unique pds5 gene mutation that reduces the binding of cohesin to chromosomes. On the basis of these results, we posit that cohesin inhibits long-range activation of the Drosophila cut gene, and that Nipped-B facilitates activation by regulating cohesin-chromosome binding. Such effects of cohesin on gene expression could be responsible for many of the developmental deficits that occur in Cornelia de Lange syndrome, which is caused by mutations in the human homolog of Nipped-B.
FGFR1 function at the earliest stages of mouse limb development plays an indispensable role in subsequent autopod morphogenesis
Authors: Li Cuiling , Xu Xiaoling , Nelson Danielle K. , Williams Trevor , Kuehn Michael R. , Deng Chu-Xia
Published: October 2005

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and their receptors have been implicated in limb development. However, because of early post-implantation lethality associated with fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) deficiency, the role of this receptor in limb development remains elusive. To overcome embryonic lethality, we have performed a conditional knockout of Fgfr1 using the Cre-LoxP approach. We show that Cre-mediated deletion of Fgfr1 in limb mesenchyme, beginning at a time point slightly after the first sign of initial budding, primarily affects formation of the first one or two digits. In contrast, deletion of Fgfr1 at an earlier stage, prior to thickening of limb mesenchyme, results in more severe defects,characterized by malformation of the AER, diminished Shh expression and the absence of the majority of the autopod skeletal elements. We show that FGFR1 deficiency does not affect cell proliferation. Instead, it triggers cell death and leads to alterations in expression of a number of genes involved in apoptosis and digit patterning, including increased expression of Bmp4, Dkk1 and Alx4, and downregulation of MKP3. These data demonstrate that FGF/FGFR1 signals play indispensable roles in the early stages of limb initiation, eliciting a profound effect on the later stages of limb development, including cell survival, autopod formation and digit patterning.
Chaotic Motions in Resonant Separatrix Zones of Periodically Forced, Axially Travelling, Thin Plates
Authors: Luo A C J
Published: October 2005

The analytical conditions for chaotic motions of axially travelling, thin plates are obtained from the incremental energy approach. A numerical prediction of chaotic motions from the scenario of the conservative energy varying with excitation amplitude is also presented through the symplectic Runge-Kutta method. The chaotic motions in the primary resonant and homoclinic separatrix zones of axially travelling plates are exhibited through Poincaré mapping sections. From this study, chaotic motion might occur in the small-amplitude oscillations of the axially travelling, thin plates once the geometrical nonlinearity is considered. The chaotic motions of post-buckled plates are much more easily observed than pre-buckled plates. Because the buckling of travelling plates is caused by high translation speeds, chaotic motions of thin plates travelling with high transport speeds can be easily observed.
Coupled Torsional and Transverse Vibration of a Back-to-Back Gearbox Rig
Authors: Sargeant M A , Drew S J , Stone B J
Published: October 2005

The coupled torsional and transverse vibration of a back-to-back gearbox system has been investigated experimentally and analytically. Receptance methods were used to model the system, and were shown to be effective. A detailed experimental modal analysis was performed using the swept-sine technique with an a.c. servomotor torsional exciter. Torsional excitation allowed for the dynamic response to be measured up to 1600 Hz. The model included a combination of lumped mass elements and continuous shafts with distributed inertia and damping. The bearings were modelled as having both radial and tilt stiffness and damping elements. The model simulated the experimental results well and predicted each of the first 11 natural frequencies to within 8 per cent. Of the 11 natural frequencies, 9 simulated deflected shapes matched very well, validating the modelling approach taken for the project together with the assumptions made in the derivation of the model. This paper presents the detailed results of a full torsional/transverse model analysis of the gearbox system.
Using pharmacy data to identify those with chronic conditions in Emilia Romagna, Italy
Authors: Maio Vittorio , Yuen Elaine , Rabinowitz Carol , Louis Daniel , Jimbo Masahito , Donatini Andrea , Mall Sabine , Taroni Francesco
Published: October 2005

Background and objectives: Automated pharmacy data have been used to develop a measure of chronic disease status in the general population. The objectives of this project were to refine and apply a model of chronic disease identification using Italian automated pharmacy data; to describe how this model may identify patterns of morbidity in Emilia Romagna, a large Italian region; and to compare estimated prevalence rates using pharmacy data with those available from a 2000 Emilia Romagna disease surveillance study.

Methods: Using the Chronic Disease Score, a list of chronic conditions related to the consumption of drugs under the Italian pharmaceutical dispensing system was created. Clinical review identified medication classes within the Italian National Therapeutic Formulary that were linked to the management of each chronic condition. Algorithms were then tested on pharmaceutical claims data from Emilia Romagna for 2001 to verify the applicability of the classification scheme.

Results: Thirty-one chronic condition drug groups (CCDGs) were identified. Applying the model to the pharmacy data, approximately 1.5 million individuals (37.1%) of the population were identified as having one or more of the 31 CCDGs. The 31 CCDGs accounted for 77% (E556 million) of 2001 pharmaceutical expenditures. Cardiovascular diseases, rheumatological conditions, chronic respiratory illness, gastrointestinal diseases and psychiatric diseases were the most frequent chronic conditions. External validation comparing rates of the diseases found through using pharmacy data with those of a 2000 Emilia Romagna disease surveillance study showed similar prevalence of illness.

Conclusions: Using Italian automated pharmacy data, a measure of population-based chronic disease status was developed. Applying the model to pharmaceutical claims from Emilia Romagna 2001, a large proportion of the population was identified as having chronic conditions. Pharmacy data may be a valuable alternative to survey data to assess the extent to which large populations are affected by chronic conditions.
Interaction of Hypertext Forms and Global versus Sequential Learning Styles
Authors: DÜnser Andreas , Jirasko Marco
Published: October 2005

In this study, the relevance of the distinction between sequential and global learners in the context of learning with hypertext was investigated. Learners with global learning style were expected to produce better results when learning with hypertext, whereas learners with sequential learning style should profit from a structural aid in form of a suggested path through the document. In a learning experiment the influence of learning style (global versus sequential) and an additional suggested path through the document on learning achievement with hypertext was empirically tested. The main result was that sequential learners showed poorer results when learning without suggested path, global learners achieved the same results in both text conditions. When learning with a suggested path, both learning styles achieved equal results. We conclude that students with sequential learning style are at no disadvantage when learning with hypertext as long as they can rely on an additional path.
An Exploratory Study Examining the Spatial Dynamics of Illicit Drug Availability and Rates of Drug Use
Authors: Freisthler Bridget , Gruenewald Paul J. , Johnson Fred W. , Treno Andrew J. , Lascala Elizabeth A.
Published: October 2005

This study examines the spatial relationship between drug availability and rates of drug use in neighborhood areas. Responses from 16,083 individuals were analyzed at the zip code level ( n = 158) and analyses were conducted separately for youth and adults using spatial regression techniques. The dependent variable is the percentage of respondents using drugs in the past year. Neighborhood drug availability (the major independent variable) was measured by the percentage of non-drug users who had been approached to purchase drugs. Data were obtained as part of the Fighting Back community evaluation. For youth (aged 12 to 18), drug sales in adjacent and surrounding areas were positively associated with self-reported drug use in areas where youth were residents. For adults, drug sales within the neighborhood were negatively associated with drug use, while drug sales in immediately adjacent neighborhoods were positively related to self-reports of drug use. Findings suggest that the areas where rates of drug users are greatest are not necessarily the same area where drugs are sold. Designing strategies to reduce the supply of drugs should receive input from city and regional planners and developers, as well as law enforcement and public health professionals.
An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Telephone Intervention in Reducing Absences and Improving Grades of College Freshmen
Authors: Richie Sarah D. , Hargrove David S.
Published: October 2005

A telephone intervention to reduce student absences was implemented during the 2000–2001 academic year in freshmen English classes at a southern university. A total of 345 students were included in 2 experimental studies. Students in the intervention group who obtained more absences than allotted by class professors received telephone intervention, whereas students with excessive absences in the control group did not receive telephone intervention. Results revealed that students in the intervention groups had significantly fewer absences and higher grades ( p < .01) than students in the control groups during both semesters of the study. Also, more students in the intervention group were retained from the Spring 2001 semester to the Fall 2001 semester as compared to students in the control groups.