bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rainfall and Water Resources Variability in Sub-Saharan Africa during the Twentieth Century
Authors: Conway Declan , Persechino Aurelie , Ardoin-Bardin Sandra , Hamandawana Hamisai , Dieulin Claudine , Mahé Gil
Published: June 2008

River basin rainfall series and extensive river flow records are used to characterize and improve understanding of spatial and temporal variability in sub-Saharan African water resources during the last century. Nine major international river basins were chosen for examination primarily for their extensive, good quality flow records. A range of statistical descriptors highlight the substantial variability in rainfall and river flows [e.g., differences in rainfall (flows) of up to −14% (−51%) between 1931–60 and 1961–90 in West Africa], the marked regional differences, and the modest intraregional differences. On decadal time scales, sub-Saharan Africa exhibits drying across the Sahel after the early 1970s, relative stability punctuated by extreme wet years in East Africa, and periodic behavior underlying high interannual variability in southern Africa. Central Africa shows very modest decadal variability, with some similarities to the Sahel in the adjoining basins. No consistent signals in rainfall and river flows emerge across the whole of the region.

An analysis of rainfall–runoff relationships reveals varying behavior including strong but nonstationary relationships (particularly in West Africa); many basins with marked variations (temporal and spatial) in strength; weak, almost random behavior (particularly in southern Africa); and very few strong, temporally stable relationships. Twenty-year running correlations between rainfall and river flow tend to be higher during periods of greater rainfall station density; however, there are situations in which weak (strong) relationships exist even with reasonable (poor) station coverage. The authors conclude for sub-Saharan Africa that robust identification and attribution of hydrological change is severely limited by data availability, conflicting behavior across basins/regions, low signal-to-noise ratios, sometimes weak rainfall–runoff relationships, and limited quantification of the magnitude and effects of land use change.
Snow Model Verification Using Ensemble Prediction and Operational Benchmarks
Authors: Franz Kristie J. , Hogue Terri S. , Sorooshian Soroosh
Published: June 2008

Hydrologic model evaluations have traditionally focused on measuring how closely the model can simulate various characteristics of historical observations. Although advancing hydrologic forecasting is an often-stated goal of numerous modeling studies, testing in a forecasting mode is seldom undertaken, limiting information derived from these analyses. One can overcome this limitation through generation, and subsequent analysis, of ensemble hindcasts. In this study, long-range ensemble hindcasts are generated for the available period of record for a basin in southwestern Idaho for the purpose of evaluating the Snow–Atmosphere–Soil Transfer (SAST) model against the current operational benchmark, the National Weather Service’s (NWS) snow accumulation and ablation model SNOW17. Both snow models were coupled with the NWS operational rainfall runoff model and ensembles of seasonal discharge and weekly snow water equivalent (SWE) were evaluated. Ensemble predictions from both the SAST and SNOW17 models were better than climatology forecasts, for the period studied. In most cases, the accuracy of the SAST-generated predictions was similar to the SNOW17-generated predictions, except during periods of significant melting. Differences in model performance are partially attributed to initial condition errors. After updating the SWE state in the snow models with the observed SWE, the forecasts were improved during the first 2–4 weeks of the forecast window and the skills were essentially equal in both forecasting systems for the study watershed. Climate dominated the forecast uncertainty in the latter part of the forecast window while initial conditions controlled the forecast skill in the first 3–4 weeks of the forecast. The use of hindcasting in the snow model analysis revealed that, given the dominance of the initial conditions on forecast skill, streamflow predictions will be most improved through the use of state updating.
Verification Techniques and Simple Theoretical Forecast Models
Authors: Fawcett Robert
Published: June 2008

This paper investigates the performance of some skill measures [e.g., linear error in probability space, (LEPS), relative operating characteristics score (ROCS), Brier scores, and proportion correct rates], commonly used in the validation and verification of seasonal climate forecasts, within the context of some simple theoretical forecast models. The models considered include linear regression and linear discriminant analysis types, where the forecasts are presented in the form of above/below median probabilities and tercile probabilities. Above and below the median categories are also explored within the context of stratified climatology models, while tail categories are explored within the context of the linear regression type. The skill scores for the models are calculated in each case as functions of a parameter that expresses the strength of the relationship between the predictor and predictand. The skill scores investigated are found to exhibit different dependencies on the model parameter, implying that a given skill score value (0.1 say) can imply a range of strengths in the relationship between predictor and predictand, depending on which skill score is being considered. On the other hand, interrelationships between pairs of skill scores are found to be similar across the different types of models, provided model reliability is preserved. The two-category and three-category LEPS skill scores are found to be on approximately the same scale for the linear regression–type model, thereby enabling a direct comparison.
Total Arterial Myocardial Revascularization
Authors: Chloroyiannis Ioannis A.
Published: June 2008

Failure of saphenous vein graft conduits is the most common indication for coronary artery reintervention after coronary artery bypass surgery. To estimate the feasibility and efficacy of total arterial myocardial revascularization in our patients, routine use of pedicled bilateral internal mammary arteries with or without a radial artery was applied in our department for the past 7 years in 1825 consecutive patients. Total arterial revascularization was achieved in 1817 of 1825 consecutive patients (99.5%), with 5815 coronary anastomoses using only bilateral mammary arteries with or without a radial artery. Combined procedures were performed in 345 (18.9%) of the cases. Preoperative mean additive Euroscore was 7.4, and the early mortality rate was 2.6%. Regular use of both mammaries and radial artery in patients requiring myocardial revascularization is a feasible and efficient technique, and it is highly recommended as a gold standard.
Talented Students in an Exemplary Career and Technical Education School
Authors: Gentry Marcia , Saiying Hu  , Peters Scott J. , Rizza Mary
Published: June 2008

Outstanding talents exist in all areas of human endeavor, yet little information exists concerning gifted and talented students in career and technical education (CTE) settings. This qualitative study investigated an exemplary CTE center and the experiences of the rural secondary students who were identified as talented in this setting. Four themes emerged and paralleled suggested practices in gifted education: individualization, student-centered meaningful choices, instructors as developers of talent, and participation in career and technical student organizations. Results offer methods that secondary educators can use to recognize and identify talented CTE students and engage them in challenging, meaningful learning. Findings of positive experiences of talented students in this setting led to the conclusions that CTE programs should be included as part of the continuum of services for gifted and talented youth and that CTE programs should identify, recognize, and serve gifted and talented students.

Putting the Research to Use: With the current U.S. Department of Education's definition of gifted and talented including all areas of human endeavor, career and technical education areas need to be included among programming options for gifted and talented students. The results of this study indicate that not all students with gifts or talents have skills in the traditional academic areas. Some prefer applied content areas taught in hands-on, student-centered classrooms, such as those found in the career and technical education center described in this study. Teachers of traditional academic subjects can use this research to engage their students in meaningful learning by providing them with choices, encouraging their self-direction, and presenting content in a relevant manner. This study also reinforces the value that students place on teachers who care about and connect with them on personal levels.
Teachers' Negative Affect Toward Academically Gifted Students
Authors: Geake John G. , Gross Miraca U. M.
Published: June 2008

A frequent reason for teachers not making special provisions for a gifted child is that the child is “not fitting in socially.” The conjecture that a psychological source of such negative affect has evolved along with human language was tested with a large sample ( N = 377) of teachers in England, Scotland, and Australia who were undertaking continuing professional development (CPD) in gifted education. Quantitative indicators of teachers' subconscious feelings toward gifted children were measured using a five-dimensional semantic differential instrument. Oblique factor analysis produced a three-factor structure, namely, general characteristics of gifted children including high cognitive abilities, social misfits, and antisocial leaders. Teachers' negative affect toward gifted children concerns the potential use of high intelligence toward social noncompliance. The factor scores for teachers completing the CPD programs were lower for the social noncompliance factors and higher for the general factor compared with scores of teachers commencing the programs.

Putting the Research to Use: The results of this research can be used by designers and presenters of teacher professional development (PD) programs in gifted education to address implicit negative attitudes of teachers toward gifted students. The major cause of such negative affect is a deep concern about potential antisocial applications of the intelligence of gifted students, and this should be made explicit to PD participants. The results show that teachers' unconscious negative attitudes can be reduced through PD courses in which teachers become more familiar with the characteristics of gifted students and their learning needs. In future PD programs, teachers could be asked to reflect on their personal responses to questions based on this research: Are gifted students potential social misfits? Are gifted students disrespectful of authority? Are gifted students sensitive to the feelings of others? Could gifted students use their intelligence for antisocial leadership? Would gifted students make good schoolteachers?
A Narrow Escape
Authors: Hertberg-Davis Holly , Callahan Carolyn M.
Published: June 2008

Although limited research exists on the appropriateness of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs for gifted secondary learners, these courses serve as the primary methods of meeting the needs of gifted students in most high schools. This qualitative study investigates how a broad range of gifted secondary students perceives and evaluates the curriculum, instruction, and environments within AP and IB courses. Interviews with 200 students in 23 U.S. high schools revealed that although students believe that AP and IB courses provide a greater level of academic challenge and more favorable learning environments than other existing high school courses, the curriculum and instruction within AP and IB courses are not a good fit for all learners, particularly those from traditionally underserved populations. Recommendations for increasing the fit of AP and IB courses for—and consequently for increasing the participation of—students from traditionally underserved populations are discussed.

Putting the Research to Use: Nearly all of the students in our study indicated that AP and IB courses were the first courses in which they experienced genuine challenge, and the first academic environments in which they felt comfortable with their advanced abilities and academic interests. This indicates that many gifted students have to wait until the last few years of their school careers to encounter courses appropriately matched to their needs. Infusing greater rigor into the K-12 curriculum and allowing gifted students to spend at least part of the day with like-ability peers would go a long way in ensuring that gifted students' academic and social/emotional needs are being met throughout their school careers. Additionally, many former AP and IB students indicated that these lecture-heavy courses were not a good fit for their preferred modes of learning, suggesting a need for a broader range of gifted services at the high school level than AP and IB courses alone.
The politics of poverty and social development
Authors: Correll Denys
Published: June 2008

English

The Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development established detailed commitments to facilitate social development. In 2000 these commitments were replaced by random and minimalist targets that became known as the Millennium Development Goals. Leading acade mics, policy-makers and the International Council on Social Welfare are seeking to re-establish the commitments made in Copenhagen.

French

Le sommet mondial de Copenhague pour le développement social établit des engagements détaillés afin de faciliter le développement social. En 2000 ces engagements ont été remplacés par des buts aléatoires et minimalistes devenus connus sous l'appellation d'Objectifs de Développement du Millénaire. Des universitaires importants, des décideurs politiques et le Conseil International de la Protection sociale cherchent à rétablir les engagements pris à Copenhague.

Spanish

La Cumbre Mundial para el Desarrollo Social, de Copenhague, estableció compromisos detallados para facilitar el desarrollo. En al año 2000, tales compromisos fueron remplazados con objetivos tomados al azar y minimalistas, conocidos como los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. Líderes académicos, políticos y el Concilio Internacional de Bienestar Social intentan restablecer los compromisos tomados en Copenhague.
Microenterprise, global poverty and social development
Authors: Midgley James
Published: June 2008

English

Microenterprise and microfinance are widely promoted today as comprising an important anti-poverty strategy. While they have a role to play, this article shows that claims about their successes are exagge rated. It concludes that these programmes are most effective when incorporated into a wider set of social development policies and programmes specifically designed to address the problem of global poverty.

French

Micro-entreprise et micro-finance sont généralement présentées aujourd'hui comme faisant partie d'une importante stratégie anti-pauvreté. Bien qu'elles jouent effectivement un rôle, ce papier montre que leurs prétentions aux succés en la matiére sont exagérées. L'article conclut sur le fait que ces méthodes sont le plus efficaces lorsqu'elles sont intégrées dans un ensemble plus large de politiques de développement social et de programmes visant spécifiquement à résoudre le probléme de la pauvreté mondiale.

Spanish

Hoy se promueve ampliamente la pequeña empresa y el pequeño crédito como estrategia importantes en contra de la pobreza. Aunque dichas estrategias tienen un papel que cumplir, este ensayo muestra que se exageran sus éxitos. Se concluye que tales programas son más efectivos cuando se les incorpora a un conjunto más amplio de políticas sociales y programas específicamente diseñados para bregar con el problema de pobreza global.
Globalization
Authors: Triegaardt Jean D.
Published: June 2008

English

Globalization is affecting South Africa's sense of national identity and social policies. In spite of increasing social expenditure, poverty and unemployment continue at a high rate. Social work's response to poverty and unemployment is examined and it is suggested that a multiplicity of responses and interventions are required in the context of globalization.

French

La mondialisation affecte l'identité nationale et les politiques sociales d'Afrique du Sud. En dépit d'une dépense sociale croissante la pauv reté et le chômage se maintiennent à des taux élevés. La réponse du travail social à la pauvreté et au chômage est examinée et il est suggéré qu'une multiplicité de réponses et d'interventions soit requise dans le contexte de la mondialisation.

Spanish

La globalización afecta la identidad nacional de Sudáfrica y sus políticas sociales. A pesar de un gasto social creciente, la pobreza y el desempleo continúan en una proporción alta. Se examina la respuesta del trabajo social a la pobreza y al desempleo, y se sugiere que en el contexto de la globalización, hace falta una multiplicidad de respuestas.
The unconditional basic income guarantee
Authors: Caputo Richard K.
Published: June 2008

English

This article describes a loosely affiliated network of international organizations, the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), dedicated to enacting legislation for an unconditional guaranteed income for citizens of their respective countries. Three basic income guarantee (BIG) schemes are presented and suggestions are made for overcoming shortcomings identified in each model.

French

Ce papier décrit un réseau trés ténu d'organisations internationales: le BIEN (Basic Income Earth Network = Réseau du Revenu Basique pour la Terre), dédié la création d'une législation pour un revenu garanti inconditionnel pour les citoyens de leurs pays respectifs. Trois schémas de garanties de revenu de base (Basic Income Guarantee: BIG) sont présentés et des suggestions sont faites pour surmonter des défauts identifiés dans chaque modéle.

Spanish

Se describe una red abierta de organizaciones internacionales, el Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) (Red Terrestre de Ingresos Base). Se dedica esta red a promover legislaciones que garanticen incondicionalmente ingresos para los ciudadanos de sus respectivos países. Se presentan tres modelos y se hacen sugerencias para superar las deficiencias de cada uno.
Poverty and its alleviation
Authors: Ewhrudjakpor Christian
Published: June 2008

English

Nigeria has remained socio-economically underdeveloped and pauperized amid immense oil wealth and 70 percent of the population is still trapped in poverty. This study analyzes the experience of government policies on poverty. This article argues that to alleviate poverty, government must legislate against inappropriate behavior (corruption and ineptitude) of government officials.

French

Le Nigeria est resté un pays socio-économiquement sous développé et paupérisé malgré une immense richesse pétroliére et 70 pourcent de sa population est encore piégée dans la pauvreté. Cette étude analyse l'expérience des politiques de la pauvreté menées par le gouvernement. Ce papier soutient que pour réduire la pauvreté, le gouvernement doit légiférer contre les comportements inappropriés (corruption et incon venance) des fonctionnaires du gouvernement.

Spanish

En medio de una gran riqueza petrolífera Nigeria permanece subdesarrollada y empobrecida social y económicamente. El 70% de la población continúa apresada en la pobreza. Este estudio analiza la experiencia de las políticas gubernamentales dirigidas a la pobreza. Se arguye que para aliviar la pobreza el gobierno debe legislar en contra de la corrupción e ineptitud de los oficiales del gobierno.
Reviving India's grassroots social work for sustainable development
Authors: Agoramoorthy Govindasamy , Hsu Minna J.
Published: June 2008

English

This article presents data on simple rainwater harvesting practiced by a nonprofit agency in India. By constructing cost-effective check dams and liftirrigation systems, rural agriculture was improved and this ultimately relieved poverty and rejuvenated grassroots socioeconomic and sociopolitical changes in the least developed tribal drylands of western India.

French

Ce papier présente des données sur la récolte de la simple eau de pluie pratiquée par une agence à but non lucratif en Inde. En construisant des barrages contrôlés rentables et des systémes d'irrigation ascensionnelle, l'agriculture rurale a été améliorée, ce qui a soulagé la pauvreté au bout du compte, et régénéré des changements socio-économiques et sociopolitiques dans les zones dagriculture tribales les moins développées de l'Inde occidentale.

Spanish

Se presentan datos sobre una simple práctica de recogida de lluvia en la India por una no lucrativa agencia. La construcción de poco costo de pantanos de control y sistemas de irrigación con aguas subterráneas mejoró la agricultura rural de tal manera que alivió la pobreza y rejuveneció cambios socio económicos y sociopolíticos en la base, en las zonas tribales de sequío y menos desarrolladas del Occidente de la India.
From noise to voice
Authors: Krumer-Nevo Michal
Published: June 2008

English

The voice of poor people is heard very often as mere noise, signifying nothing, or at best as reflecting knowledge which is irrelevant. This is to be seen in public attitudes and also in professional settings. This article exemplifies the contribution made by listening to knowledge possessed by people living in poverty.

French

La voix des personnes pauvres est le plus souvent entendue comme du bruit, sans signification, ou bien au mieux comme une réflexion du savoir, ce qui est inadéquat. On rencontre ces représentations aussi bien dans les attitudes du grand public que chez les professionnels. Cet article exemplifie la contribution qu'apporte l'écoute du savoir possédé par les gens vivant dans la pauvreté.

Spanish

La voz del pobre se oye a menudo como si fuera ruido, sin significado, o en el mejor de los casos como sabiduría inútil. Esto se ve no sólo en la actitud del público, sino también en los ambientes profesionales. Este trabajo es un ejemplo de la contribución derivada de escuchar la sabiduría de quienes viven en la pobreza.
A Comparison of Special Education Administrators’ and Teachers’ Knowledge and Application of Ethics and Professional Standards
Authors: Fiedler Craig R. , Van Haren Barbara
Published: June 2008

The field of special education is wrought with ethical dilemmas. The Council for Exceptional Children has outlined its code of ethics and standards for professional practice for individuals working in the field of special education. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which special education administrators and teachers possess similar or different levels of knowledge and application of the council’s code and the professional advocacy responsibilities enunciated in the standards. A survey was administered to 624 professionals in the state of Wisconsin who worked with students with disabilities: 99 special education administrators and 525 special education teachers. Special education administrators and teachers were asked to rate their knowledge level of the council’s code and standards and how they used the standards when faced with ethical dilemmas.
Reflexivity and the Transformation of Gender Identity
Authors: Brooks Ann , Wee Lionel
Published: June 2008

It has been claimed that the conditions of modernity create the opportunities as well as the need for social actors to take greater responsibility for their own identities. Feminist theorists have responded to such `celebratory' views of identity transformation with caution, emphasizing instead the situated nature of critical reflexivity and arguing that the opportunities for transformations in gender identity are far more limited than has been suggested by modernization theorists. In this article, the authors address this issue of the transformative potential of critical reflexivity by drawing upon Frankfurt's (1988) notion of second-order desires and Bonham's (1999) re-working of this in relation to Bourdieu's social theory. Illustrating the argument with data drawn from three case studies from Singapore, the authors show that where second-order desires result from deliberations and public debates — whether these are habituated or institutionalized, or not — transformations in conceptions of gender can and do emerge.
Male Sexual Scripts
Authors: Sanders Teela
Published: June 2008

This article examines empirical qualitative data on men who buy sexual services from women who work as escorts and in massage parlours. It investigates that men give to sexual experience, their desires for intimacy and their experience of the commercial boundaries. This article argues that there are problems with initially making the distinction between normative and non-normative sexual relationships where commerce is present.The sexual scripts of the `regular' male client are compared to heterosexual male sexual scripts, arguing that commercial sexual relationships can mirror the traditional romance, courtship rituals, modes and meanings of communication, sexual familiarity, mutual satisfaction and emotional intimacies found in `ordinary' relationships.The findings suggest that general understandings of sex work and prostitution are based on false dichotomies between commercial and non-commercial relationships. Nuanced understanding of the micro-relationship between the sex worker and regular client beyond a structural analysis can be applied to a policy framework that reinforces responsibility in the male client role.
Double Agents
Authors: Hawkins Beverley
Published: June 2008

This article presents ethnographic data showing how recruitment consultants negotiate managerial attempts to control workforce culture. I suggest the values which senior managers encourage consultants to embody prioritize so-called`masculine' attributes over `feminine' ones. I attempt to demonstrate the limits of cultural control by outlining three ways in which the consultants engage with this imposed culture: defiance, parody and ritual. These activities contain gendered assumptions similar to those embedded in corporate culture. I discuss the potential such practices have for resisting corporate culture and the gender within it, suggesting that one source of ambiguity within workplace `control' and `resistance' practices is that they employ overlapping cultural resources and assumptions.
The Interaction of Class and Gender in Illness Narratives
Authors: Seale Clive , Charteris-Black Jonathan
Published: June 2008

Perspectives on gender and identity that emphasize variability of performance, local context and individual agency have displaced earlier paradigms.These are now perceived to have supported gender stereotypes and language ideologies by emphasizing gender difference and homogeneity within genders. In a secondary analysis of health and illness narratives we explore the interaction of class and gender in individuals' constructions of gendered identity. High social class men perform gender in particularly varied ways and we speculate that this variable repertoire, including the use of what was once termed `women's language', is linked to a capacity to maintain social distinction and authority. Men's performance of conventional masculinity is often threatened by both the experience of illness and being interviewed about personal experience. Lower social class women in particular demonstrate an intensification of a pre-existing informal family and support group culture, marking successful members by awarding them the accolade of being `lovely'.
On Being a `Good' Mother
Authors: May Vanessa
Published: June 2008

This article examines how women present a moral self in relation to public norms that constitute`good' motherhood.Thefocus of this article is on two types of written life story: first, those written by mothers who express a past or current wish to divorce and, second, those written by lone mothers.The life stories offer insights into how individuals account for their actions in situations where they face the moral dilemma of clashing ethical norms — care for self and care for children — and how individuals with a `spoiled identity' manage a moral presentation of self. The article concludes by critically examining the consequences of using written life stories rather than face-to-face interviews as data in a study of the moral tales that individuals tell.
What is Fatherhood?
Authors: Williams Stephen
Published: June 2008

This article examines fatherhood as a contemporary sociological phenomenon. Drawing on interviews with 40 fathers, it considers perceptions and experiences of how the concept and practice of fatherhood are undergoing important changes. Specifically, it argues that fatherhood is affected by (after Giddens) a process of detraditionalization, whereby fathering is increasingly a response to personal biography and circumstances rather than being modelled on traditional ideal types of what it means to be a father.Theoretically, the discussion uses some of the ideas developed in debates on reflexive modernization to suggest that fatherhood is becoming progressively individualized. It uses these theoretical interpretations as a tool in understanding the way that societal change in all its complexity impacts on the role of the late modern reflexive father.
Does Class Matter Equally for Men and Women?
Authors: Bihagen Erik
Published: June 2008

It has been suggested that class schemas are appropriate for analysing class relations among men but not among women.This article examines wage growth patterns, i.e. a crucial aspect of class relations. There are several reasons why class would be less effective as a predictor of wage growth for women than for men: for example, that factors such as discrimination blur this association for women; and that women are over-represented in occupational sectors where this association is less strong.The analyses are based on a Swedish panel data set of employees (age 30—35 years) in large private firms and in the public sector who had the same employer in 1999 and 2003 (N about 99,000). Class is measured using the European Socio-economic Classification — ESeC. Contrary to some expectations class patterns of wage growth are similar for women and men and for different sectors of the labour market.
A Validity Study of Scores on the Personal and Academic Self-Concept Inventory Based on a Sample of Black College Males
Authors: Woodland Malcolm H.
Published: June 2008

In this study, factor analyses were used to examine the structural validity of scores on the Personal and Academic Self-Concept Inventory (PASCI) in a group of 222 Black college males. Definitions of self-concept and how self-concept has been operationalized in Black populations were also reviewed. Results from this study challenged the nine-factor PASCI model reported earlier and pointed out the importance of considering cultural differences during scale development. Exploratory factor analysis procedures suggested only five factors. In this five-factor model, the Math Ability and Social Acceptance items emerged relatively intact. In addition, new Physical Self-Concept and Global Self-Concept factors were also revealed. Suggestions for considering culture during scale development and item improvement are provided.
Arendt and Nietzsche on responsibility and futurity
Authors: Diprose Rosalyn
Published: June 2008

This article compares Nietzsche's and Arendt's critiques of the juridical concept of responsibility (that emphasizes duty and blame) with the aim of deriving an account of responsibility appropriate for our time. It examines shared ground in their radical approaches to responsibility: by basing personal responsibility in conscience that expresses a self open to an undetermined future, rather than conscience determined by prevailing moral norms, they make a connection between a failure of personal responsibility and the way a totalizing politics jeopardizes human plurality. Two differences between Arendt and Nietzsche are also explored: Nietzsche's account of the corporeal and affective dimensions of conscience explains how politics can foreclose the futural, undetermined dimension of conscience; Arendt's account of political community exposes the mutual dependence of personal and political responsibility. By drawing together these aspects of Arendt's and Nietzsche's thought, the article aims to show how a failure of political responsibility can precipitate a failure of personal responsibility by undermining the basis of normativity that both liberal democratic politics and individual moral conscience would ordinarily share.
Antinomies of transcritique and virtue ethics
Authors: Tassone Giuseppe
Published: June 2008

In the wave of critical theory's recent turn to ethics, Karatani's transcritique and Eagleton's ethics of agape have emerged as two of the most outstanding attempts to reinstate morality at the centre of Marx's analysis of capitalist society. This article argues that, in spite of their merits in repositioning the normative generalizations of the moral discourse within the context of Marx's political economy, both theories share certain fundamental flaws which are inherent in the very meaning of the possibility of moral action in a wrong society. By taking Karatani's transcritique as a sample of what Christoph Menke names `rational morality' and Eagleton's revival of classical morality as a variant of `virtue ethics', it is shown that they are both amenable to Adorno's charge that wrong life cannot be lived rightly. Finally, it is contended that what Adorno's criticism indicates is that, when it most matters in real situations, morality always reveals its political overdetermination.
Longitudinal Relationships Between Family Functioning and Identity Development in Hispanic Adolescents
Authors: Schwartz Seth J. , Mason Craig A. , Pantin Hilda , Szapocznik José
Published: June 2008

The present study was designed to investigate trajectories of identity development and their relationship to family functioning in a sample of Hispanic adolescents and their primary caregivers. Two hundred fifty adolescents completed measures of identity coherence and confusion and of family functioning, and parents completed measures of family functioning. Significant variability over time and across individuals emerged in identity confusion, but not in identity coherence. As a result, the present analyses focused on identity confusion. Changes in adolescent-reported, but not parent-reported, family functioning were significantly related to changes in identity confusion. Follow-up analyses suggested that family functioning primarily influences identity confusion in early adolescence, but that identity confusion begins to exert a reciprocal effect in middle adolescence. Exploratory latent growth mixture modeling (LGMM) analyses produced three classes of adolescents based on their baseline values and change trajectories in identity confusion. The potential for family-strengthening interventions to affect identity development is discussed.
Adolescents' Perceptions of Privacy Invasion in Reaction to Parental Solicitation and Control
Authors: Hawk Skyler T. , Hale William W. , Raaijmakers Quinten A. W. , Meeus Wim
Published: June 2008

Following suggestions from prior research, this 2-wave longitudinal study examined whether parental solicitation and control influenced adolescents' later perceptions of privacy invasion. Data from 307 Dutch adolescents were tested with structural equation modeling (SEM). Differences in adolescents' invasion perceptions were examined in terms of gender and the quality of interactions with parents. Parental control influenced later invasion perceptions among adolescents reporting higher quality interactions with parents, particularly among males. Parental solicitation also predicted perceptions of invasion. Results are discussed in terms of Kerr and Stattin's (2000) reinterpretation of parental monitoring, gender differences, the dialectical tension between openness and closedness in family relationships, and implications for adolescent-parent privacy negotiations.
Estimating EuroQol EQ-5D Scores from Population Healthy Days Data
Authors: Jia Haomiao , Lubetkin Erica I.
Published: June 2008

Background. Preference-based assessments of population health, which may be used for cost-utility analyses, are lacking for most states and communities. With adequate population data, preference-based values can be estimated from non-preference-based health-related quality of life (HRQOL) data. This study estimates scores on the EuroQol EQ-5D, a preference-based measure, from the Healthy Days Measures. Methods. No data set from the US population asks both the Healthy Days and EQ-5D questions for the same respondents. Therefore, estimates for EQ-5D scores were obtained indirectly by matching cumulative distributions of the 2 measures. These distributions were estimated from the 2000— 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). The validity of estimates was examined by comparing the mean estimated and observed scores across particular population subgroups. A simulation study was conducted to compare the performance of the proposed method to the regression method. Results. The overall mean observed EQ-5D index was 0.871 and the mean estimated EQ-5D index was 0.872. In the majority of examined subgroups, the mean scores demonstrated a good match according to sociodemographic variables and health-related conditions and, with the exception of the most impaired health states, the differences tended to be less than 0.04. Conclusions. This study provided preliminary estimates of EQ-5D scores from the Healthy Days Measures and demonstrated acceptable validity of the estimates. Because the Healthy Days Measures have been included in many state and local surveys, preliminary cost-utility analyses and determination of burden of disease might be able to be conducted at the national, state, and community levels as well as over time. Key words: health-related quality of life; EQ-5D; Healthy Days Measures; cost-effective analysis. (Med Decis Mak ing 2008;28:491— 499)
Development and Validation of a Risk Scoring Tool to Predict Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization in Premature Infants Born at 33 through 35 Completed Weeks of Gestation
Authors: Sampalis John S. , Langley Joanne , Carbonell-Estrany Xavier , Paes Bosco , O'Brien Karel , Allen Upton , Mitchell Ian , Aloy José Figueras , Pedraz Carmen , Michaliszyn Andrea F.
Published: June 2008

Objective. The purpose of the study was to develop and validate a clinical instrument predicting the risk of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated hospitalization (RSV-H) in premature infants born at 33 through 35 completed weeks of gestation (33— 35GA). Design. An RSV risk scoring tool (RSV-RS) was developed by entering risk factors for RSV-H, determined in a Canadian prospective study, into a multiple logistic regression model. The scoring tool was then validated externally with data from a Spanish case-control study (FLIP). The Canadian cohort comprised 1758 RSV-positive infants born 33— 35GA, of whom 66 (3.7%) had confirmed RSV-H. The FLIP data set comprised 186 (33.4%) RSV-H cases and 371 (66.7%) controls. Method. The primary outcome measure was RSV-H. The RSV-RS score was the sum of the weighted probabilities for each included risk factor multiplied by 100 and ranged from 0 to 100. Receiver operator characteristic curve analyses determined cutoff points to predict subjects at low, moderate, or high RSV-H risk. Results. The RSV-RS included 7 risk factors and cutoff scores of 0— 48, 49— 64, and 65— 100 for low-, moderate-, and high-risk subjects, respectively. For the Canadian cohort, RSV-RS sensitivity in predicting RSV-H cases was 68.2%, with 71.9% specificity. With the FLIP data set, the RSV-RS had lower accuracy (61.3% sensitivity; 65.8% specificity) but showed significant positive association with increased risk for RSV-H. Conclusion. The RSV-RS accurately identified 33— 35GA infants at increased risk for RSV-H in a Canadian cohort. External validation with Spanish case-control study data further confirmed that the scoring tool is appropriate for the estimation of RSV-H risk.
Modeling the Incubation Period of Inhalational Anthrax
Authors: Wilkening Dean A.
Published: June 2008

Ever since the pioneering work of Philip Sartwell, the incubation period distribution for infectious diseases is most often modeled using a lognormal distribution. Theoretical models based on underlying disease mechanisms in the host are less well developed. This article modifies a theoretical model originally developed by Brookmeyer and others for the inhalational anthrax incubation period distribution in humans by using a more accurate distribution to represent the in vivo bacterial growth phase and by extending the model to represent the time from exposure to death, thereby allowing the model to be fit to nonhuman primate time-to-death data. The resulting incubation period distribution and the dose dependence of the median incubation period are in good agreement with human data from the 1979 accidental atmospheric anthrax release in Sverdlovsk, Russia, and limited nonhuman primate data. The median incubation period for the Sverdlovsk victims is 9.05 (95% confidence interval = 8.0- 10.3) days, shorter than previous estimates, and it is predicted to drop to less than 2.5 days at doses above 106 spores. The incubation period distribution is important because the left tail determines the time at which clinical diagnosis or syndromic surveillance systems might first detect an anthrax outbreak based on early symptomatic cases, the entire distribution determines the efficacy of medical intervention— which is determined by the speed of the prophylaxis campaign relative to the incubation period— and the right tail of the distribution influences the recommended duration for antibiotic treatment.
Cost-Effectiveness of Clopidogrel: Seeing through the Smoke
Authors: Goldman Lee , Gaspoz Jean-Michel
Published: June 2008

Background . A recent article in this journal raised specific questions about the authors' methods for modeling the cost-effectiveness of clopidogrel for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. The key issues raised were inclusion of incident cases, time horizon, and use of an inclusive model structure. Methods . The authors reviewed various recommendations and practices for cost-effectiveness analysis. They also performed a PubMed search for clopidogrel and cost-effectiveness from 2004 to early 2008 to obtain original analyses published in English to look for possible associations of assumptions and conclusions with reported pharmaceutical support. Results . Inclusion of incident cases and truncation at a sensible follow-up time more appropriately reflect the burden to be assumed by third-party payers. Extending the time horizon too far runs the risk of decreasing any relation with future reality. Parsimony cannot justify simplifications that omit relevant issues such as noncoronary costs, which worsen the calculated cost-effectiveness ratio of clopidogrel by 5% to 27%. The choice of the population to be analyzed has a major effect on cost-effectiveness: pharmaceutically sponsored studies published between 2004 and early 2008 focused on high-risk patients and have routinely shown more favorable cost-effectiveness ratios for clopidogrel than studies without pharmaceutical support. Conclusion . Any entity hoping to make the cost-effectiveness ratio of clopidogrel look more favorable would prefer the isolated, cohort approach and limit the analysis to high-risk patients most likely to benefit from it. This approach ignores the reality of medical policies and does not address the most relevant questions regarding the optimum use of clopidogrel.
Angiotensin II Receptor Blockade Administered after Injury Improves Muscle Regeneration and Decreases Fibrosis in Normal Skeletal Muscle
Authors: Bedair Hany S. , Karthikeyan Tharun , Quintero Andres , Li Yong , Huard Johnny
Published: June 2008

Background

Several therapeutic agents have been shown to inhibit fibrosis and improve regeneration after injury in skeletal muscle by antagonizing transforming growth factor-β1. Angiotensin receptor blockers have been shown to have a similar effect on transforming growth factor-β1 in a variety of tissues.

Hypothesis

Systemic treatment of animals after injury of skeletal muscle with an angiotensin receptor blocker may decrease fibrosis and improve regeneration, mainly through transforming growth factor-β1 blockade, and can be used to improve skeletal muscle healing after injury.

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

Forty mice underwent bilateral partial gastrocnemius lacerations. Mice were assigned randomly to a control group (tap water), a low-dose angiotensin receptor blocker group (losartan, 0.05 mg/mL), or a high-dose angiotensin receptor blocker group (0.5 mg/mL). The medication was dissolved in tap water and administered enterally. Mice were sacrificed 3 or 5 weeks after injury, and the lacerated muscles were examined histologically for muscle regeneration and fibrosis.

Results

Compared with control mice at 3 and 5 weeks, angiotensin receptor blocker-treated mice exhibited a histologic dose-dependent improvement in muscle regeneration and a measurable reduction in fibrous tissue formation within the area of injury.

Conclusion

By modulating the response to local and systemic angiotensin II, angiotensin receptor blocker therapy significantly reduced fibrosis and led to an increase in the number of regenerating myofibers in acutely injured skeletal muscle. The clinical implications for this application of angiotensin receptor blockers are potentially far-reaching and include not only sports- and military-related injuries, but also diseases such as the muscular dystrophies and trauma- and surgery-related injury.

Clinical Relevance

Angiotensin receptor blockers may provide a safe, clinically available treatment for improving healing after skeletal muscle injury.
Response to May 2007 Article by Frank Giarratani, Gene Gruver, and Randall Jackson on Industry Agglomeration
Authors: Duke Kominers Scott
Published: June 2008

Ten new steel plants were constructed in the United States from 1989 to 2001, each taking advantage of new steel slab casting technologies that gave scrap-based minimills access to the flat-products market. This market had been served previously exclusively by ore-based integrated mills. Some of the new minimills were built in established steel industry agglomerations. Others were built in greenfield locations with little or no prior steelmaking activity. This research, based on direct observation and plant visits, brings new evidence to bear on the nature and importance of agglomeration economies associated with steel production by analyzing industry clusters related to the advent of slab casting by steel minimills. The authors find that industry clusters can plan an important role in the process of market entry; however, certain product and firm characteristics can shape the nature of industry agglomerations and their effect on firms and regions.
The Concept of `Total War' in the Revolutionary—Napoleonic Period
Authors: Broers Michael
Published: June 2008

The use of the term `total war' with reference to pre-twentieth-century military conflicts has become a matter of some urgency and controversy amid nineteenth-century historians. It has been made all the more so for Napoleonic scholars by the recent appearance of David Bell's thought-provoking book The First Total War. The article attempts to counter and nuance some of Bell's major claims for the applicability of the term, through a discussion of its pertinence to the ideological and political conflicts of the Revolutionary—Napoleonic period, alongside the questions it evinces in technological and military terms.