bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Platelet alloantibodies in transfused patients
Authors: Kiefel Volker , König Claudia , Kroll Hartmut , Santoso Sentot
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Patients receiving cellular blood components may form HLA antibodies and platelet‐specific alloantibodies.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Serum samples from a cohort of 252 patients with hematologic or oncologic diseases who are receiving cellular blood components were studied for platelet‐reactive antibodies. Specificity of platelet alloantibodies was determined with a panel of typed platelets

RESULTS: Platelet‐reactive antibodies were detected in the sera of 113 patients (44.8% of 252), HLA antibodies in the sera of 108 (42.9%), and platelet‐specific antibodies in the sera of 20 (8%). The following platelet‐specific antibodies were identified: anti‐HPA‐5b (n = 10), anti‐HPA‐1b (n = 4), anti‐HPA‐5a (n = 2), anti‐HPA‐1a (n = 1), anti‐HPA‐2b (n = 1), anti‐HPA‐1b+5b (n = 1), and anti‐HPA‐1b+2b (n = 1). Fifteen sera from the 108 patients with anti‐HLA (13.9%) contained additional platelet‐specific alloantibodies, while in 5 sera, platelet‐specific alloantibodies only were detected: anti‐HPA‐5b (n = 4) and anti‐HPA‐1a (n = 1). Of the 108 sera with HLA antibodies, 29 (26.9%) showed discordant results when studied with the lymphocytotoxicity test and the glycoprotein‐specific immunoassay. Ten sera contained panreactive antibodies against platelet glycoproteins (GP) IIb/IIIa, GPIa/IIa, and/or GPIb/IX. Alloimmunization occurred in 58.3 percent of female patients with previous pregnancies, but in only 23.3 percent of those without previous pregnancies (p = 0.0049).

CONCLUSION: Platelet alloantibody specificities in transfused patients (predominantly anti‐HPA‐5b and ‐1b with antigen frequencies <30% among whites) differ significantly from those observed in patients with neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia or posttransfusion purpura, in whom anti‐HPA‐1a (antigen frequency >95%) is the most prevalent specificity. HLA antibody detection yields discordant results when the lymphocytotoxicity assay and a glycoprotein‐specific immunoglobulin‐binding assay are used.
MCV as a guide to phlebotomy therapyfor hemochromatosis
Authors: Bolan Charles D. , Conry‐Cantilena Cathy , Mason Glorice , Rouault Tracey A. , Leitman Susan F.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND:A multitude of recommendations exist for laboratory assays to monitor the pace and endpoints of phlebotomy therapy for hemochromatosis. All of these recommendations rely on an assessment of storage iron to guide treatment, and none have been prospectively evaluated.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:Nine consecutive patients underwent serial monitoring of Hb, MCV, transferrin saturation, and ferritin during weekly phlebotomy to deplete iron stores (induction therapy) and less frequent sessions to prevent iron reaccumulation (maintenance therapy). Changes in MCV and Hb were used to guide the pace of phlebotomy over a median of 7 years of follow‐up.

RESULTS:During induction therapy, the MCV increased transiently because of reticulocytosis and then stabilized for a prolonged period before decreasing more sharply, which reflected iron‐limited erythropoiesis. Iron depletion was achieved after a median of 38 phlebotomies and removal of 9.0 g of iron. Maintenance phlebotomy was targeted to maintain the MCV at 5 to 10 percent below prephlebotomy values and the Hb at >13 g per dL. Transferrin saturation fluctuated considerably during treatment, but remained below 35 percent during MCV‐guided maintenance therapy. Ferritin values were not useful guides to the pace of phlebotomy. The median maintenance therapy phlebotomy interval was 7.5 weeks (range, 6‐16), which corresponded to an average daily iron removal of 35 to 67 μg per kg. Most patients showed evidence of iron reaccumulation at phlebotomy intervals of 8 weeks or more.

CONCLUSION:The MCV is an inexpensive, precise, physiologic indicator of erythropoietic iron availability. When used in conjunction with the Hb, it is a clinically useful guide to the pace of phlebotomy therapy for hemochromatosis.
WBC‐reduced platelet concentrates from pooled buffy coats in additive solution: an evaluation of in vitro and in vivo measures
Authors: Van Der Meer Pieter F. , Pietersz Ruby N.I. , Tiekstra Margriet J. , Huijgens Peter C. , Dekker Wil J.A. , Reesink Henk W.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: The use of a platelet additive solution (PAS‐II, Baxter) may have benefits over plasma for storage of platelets. It was the aim of this study to develop a method to produce WBC‐reduced platelet concentrates (PCs) in PAS‐II with >240 × 109 platelets and <1 × 106 WBCs per unit, which can be stored for 5 days at pH >6.8 and that will give sufficient platelet increments after transfusion: a 1‐hour CCI of >7.5 and a 20‐hour CCI of >2.5.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: PCs were made from five pooled buffy coats and 250 g of PAS‐II. After centrifugation the PCs were WBC‐reduced with a filter (Autostop BC, Pall Biomedical) and stored in a 1000‐mL polyolefin container. CCIs were assessed in stable hemato‐oncologic patients after 5‐day old PCs were transfused.

RESULTS: Routinely produced PCs contained a median of 310 × 109 platelets (n = 5,363) with 3.5 percent containing <240 × 109 platelets, in a median volume of 320 mL (n = 11,834). The median number of WBCs was <0.03 × 106 (n = 694). The WBC count exceeded 1 × 106 in three PCs, but it was always <5 × 106, giving 99‐percent confidence that more than 99.5 percent of the units will contain <1 × 106 WBCs. The pH remained >6.8 on Day 8, provided the concentration was below 1.1 × 109 platelets per mL (n = 32). After 28 transfusions in 28 patients, the 1‐hour CCI was 12.6 ± 4.3 (mean ± SD, with 2/28 CCIs <7.5) and the 20‐hour CCI was 8.9 ± 5.6 (with 4/28 CCIs <2.5). Limitations of this study include the absence of a control group of patients receiving platelets stored in plasma and of in vivo radiolabeled survival studies, but a comparison of these data with previously published data suggested that the in vivo survival of platelets stored in PAS‐II is less than that of platelets stored in plasma.

CONCLUSION: The WBC‐reduced PCs conformed to specifications. These WBC‐reduced PCs could be stored at least 5 days with maintenance of pH, and they gave sufficient increments after transfusion to patients.
A novel RT‐PCR for reliable and rapid HCV RNA screening of blood donations
Authors: Hennig Holger , Luhm Jurgen , Hartwig Dirk , Klüter Harald , Kirchner Holger
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: The objective of this work was to develop a novel and highly sensitive RT‐PCR method that is suitable for HCV RNA screening of blood donations according to the criteria released by the Paul Ehrlich Institute, the federal licensing agency of Germany, for routine HCV NAT.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: RNA was prepared from plasma pools of up to 20 single blood donations using an automated nucleic acid isolation system (NucliSens Extractor, Organon Teknika). For reverse transcription, amplification, and simultaneous detection of PCR products, a novel approach based on the TaqMan technology was developed. Glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase messenger RNA, which is detectable in human plasma, was coamplified in each reaction as an internal positive control.

RESULTS: The HCV genotypes and subtypes 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2i, 3a, 4, and 5a were detected in parallel with comparable amplification efficiency. The 95‐percent detection limit related to the WHO HCV RNA standard preparation was calculated to be 389 IU per mL of plasma of the single blood donation. Total CVs (%) were <4. The screening of up to 180 blood donations took 5 hours; as a rule, the blood components could be released on the day of donation.

CONCLUSION: The TaqMan HCV RT‐PCR is an almost completely automated, highly sensitive, specific, and rapid method that is reliable for HCV RNA screening of blood donations. It allows a closed‐tube HCV RNA detection without risk of contamination by PCR products.
Identifying allogeneic platelets by resolution of point mutations in mitochondrial DNA using single‐stranded conformational polymorphism PCR
Authors: Garritsen Henk S.P. , Hellenkamp Frank , Hoerning Andre , Mittmann Karin , Sibrowski Walter
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate single‐stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP)‐PCR utilizing two different regions of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) as a method to discriminate between donor platelets and recipient cells.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty‐eight mixtures of platelets (1:1 ratio) were prepared from eight randomly selected persons to simulate donor–recipient combinations after allogeneic platelet transfusion. The mtDNA was extracted from each donor and each prepared mixture. Four primer pairs were designed to amplify two regions of mtDNA, hypervariable region (HVR) 1 and 2. An SSCP‐PCR method was developed to analyze the four different amplicons. In addition, the amplified DNA samples containing HVR1 and HVR2 mtDNA of the eight persons were sequenced by using dye‐terminator cycle sequencing to determine mtDNA polymorphisms.

RESULTS: With four different primer pairs and SSCP‐PCR, it was possible to discriminate between donor and recipient DNA in all 28 combinations. DNA sequencing confirmed that the suspected differences were localized within the amplicons examined by SSCP‐PCR.

CONCLUSION: SSCP‐PCR analysis targeting the HVR1 and HVR2 mtDNA is a promising new method to potentially identify donor cells on the basis of mtDNA polymorphisms. The method does not require prior knowledge of sequence differences between donor and recipient and can be optimized to quantify the amount of residual transfused allogeneic platelets.
The impact of the intensity of serial automated plasmapheresis and the speed of deep‐freezing on the quality of plasma
Authors: Hellstern Peter , Bach Jürgen , Haubelt Hannelore , Hitzler Walter E. , Mathis Sabine , Vogt Anette
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Data are lacking on the impact that the intensity of serial donor plasmapheresis has on the quality of source plasma. A study was conducted to examine the quality of source plasma produced by intensive plasmapheresis and slow deep‐freezing and to compare it to source plasma manufactured by moderate plasmapheresis and rapid freezing.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Seventy‐five plasma samples from intensive plasmapheresis programs (Group 1) and 75 plasma units from moderate plasmapheresis programs (Group 2) were examined. The plasma had been deep‐frozen either slowly at –30°C in walk‐in freezers (Group 1) or rapidly within 1 hour to a core temperature below –30°C (Group 2). Determinations were made of the plasma levels of citrate; total protein; albumin; IgG; fibrinogen; factors II, V, VII, VIII, and IX; vWF; antithrombin; protein C; D‐dimers; and prothrombin fragments 1+ 2.

RESULTS: Plasma units of Group 2 contained substantially greater levels of citrate, IgG, FVIII, and FV than samples of Group 1 (p<0.0001). Plasma levels of total protein, albumin, and fibrinogen also were higher in Group 2 (p<0.0001, p = 0.007, and p = 0.006, respectively). Neither plasmapheresis intensity nor freezing procedure had any influence on the levels of factors II, VII, and IX, antithrombin, or protein C. There was no evidence of substantial coagulation activation in the plasma units of either group. However, higher FVIII clotting activity/chromogenic substrate activity ratios in rapidly frozen plasmas and a significant correlation between these ratios and prothrombin fragment 1+ 2 levels suggest that rapid freezing yields both more native FVIII and greater partial activation of FVIII.

CONCLUSION: Source plasma collected from donors undergoing intensified plasmapheresis contains markedly lower levels of IgG than plasma units produced by moderate serial plasmapheresis. The combination of intensified plasmapheresis and slower freezing of source plasma results in substantially lower levels of FV and FVIII than does moderate plasmapheresis with rapid freezing. Prospective studies should establish the optimum conditions required for the safe and economic production of source plasma for fractionation.
Pharmacokinetic analysis of plasma‐derived and recombinant F IX concentrates in previously treated patients with moderate or severe hemophilia B
Authors: Ewenstein Bruce M. , Joist J. Heinrich , Shapiro Amy D. , Hofstra Thomas C. , Leissinger Cindy A. , Seremetis Stephanie V. , Broder Martin , Mueller‐Velten Guenther , Schwartz Bruce A. ,   Mononine Comparison Study Group
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Hemophilia B is an X‐linked bleeding disorder that affects approximately 1 in 25,000 males. Therapy for acute bleeding episodes consists of transfusions of plasma‐derived (pd‐F IX) or recombinant (r‐F IX) concentrates.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A double‐blind, two‐period crossover study was initiated to assess the pharmacokinetics of pd‐F IX and r‐F IX and to address patient‐specific variables that might influence in vivo recovery. Study product was administered by a single bolus infusion (50 IU/kg) to 43 previously treated patients in the nonbleeding state, and F IX:C levels were measured over a period of 48 hours after infusion.

RESULTS: The mean in vivo recovery in the pd‐F IX group was 1.71 ± 0.73 IU per dL per IU per kg compared with 0.86 ± 0.31 IU per dL per IU per kg with r‐F IX (p ≤ 0.0001). There was a significant positive correlation (Pearsons r = 0.62, p ≤ 0.0001, 95% CI, 0.37–0.78) between the recoveries of the two products and a weak correlation between the recovery of pd‐F IX and baseline F IX:Ag levels. There was no significant difference in the terminal half‐lives of the two products.

CONCLUSIONS: The study found wide product‐ and patient‐related variability in recovery. Inherent differences among patients, including baseline F IX, may account for some of the interpatient variability. These differences should be taken into account in optimizing treatment regimens for individual patients with hemophilia B.
Outcome of an optional HCV screening program for blood transfusion recipients in Ireland
Authors: Davoren Anne , Dillon Annette D. , Power Joan P. , Donnellan Joe , Quinn Jacqueline M. , Willis Joe W. , Lawlor Emer M. , O'Riordan Joan M.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: An optional (general) HCV testing program for blood and blood component recipients before the introduction of routine donor anti‐HCV screening (October 1991) was launched in Ireland in 1995 to complement the targeted lookback program in progress at that time and to identify transfusion‐transmitted hepatitis C.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The public were informed of the opportunity to avail of screening by widespread media coverage. Screening was by an initial ELISA (Abbott 3.0, Abbott Laboratories) at the transfusion center laboratories. Reactive samples were referred to a virus reference laboratory where two additional ELISAs (Ortho 3.0, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics; and Murex 3.0, Murex) were performed. Confirmation of ELISA‐positive samples was by a RIBA (RIBA 3.0, Chiron Corp.). All patients found to be anti‐HCV‐ seropositive were tested for HCV RNA by PCR and were referred to a hepatologist.

RESULTS: A total of 14,917 persons have been tested for hepatitis C in this program to date (85% women). Sixty‐one people were confirmed positive for HCV by RIBA 3.0 (0.4%). Excluding persons with other risk factors (n = 15), the HCV positivity rate for blood component transfusion recipients (n = 46) was 0.3 percent. Of the 46 confirmed hepatitis C‐positive blood component transfusion recipients, 32 were women (70%), 24 of whom received transfusion for obstetric or gynecologic indications (75%). Thirty‐eight of 46 (83%) anti‐HCV seropositive transfusion recipients tested had detectable HCV RNA by PCR.

CONCLUSION: This program identified 46 transfusion recipients and 10 coagulation factor concentrate recipients, all of whom were previously unaware of their infection. The majority of HCV‐positive transfusion recipients identified were women. This may reflect that women are longer living survivors of transfusion therapy or alternatively, in our experience, that Irish women perceive themselves at greater risk of hepatitis C because of the well‐publicized association of this virus with recipients (women) of Irish RhIG.
Thrombotic microangiopathy in blood and marrow transplant patients receiving tacrolimus or cyclosporine A
Authors: Sarkodee‐Adoo Clarence , Sotirescu Dan , Sensenbrenner Lyle , Rapoport Aaron P. , Cottler‐Fox Michele , Tricot Guido , Ruehle Kathy , Meisenberg Barry
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND : Cyclosporine A (CSA) and tacrolimus (FK‐506) are both associated with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) in allogeneic BMT recipients, although it is not known which drug is more likely to cause the syndrome. The optimal treatment of BMT‐associated TMA is also not known.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS : To estimate the risks, predisposing factors, and outcomes of TMA, data were analyzed from two cohorts of BMT patients who had received CSA or FK‐506 in our institution with the same clinical definition for TMA. TMA was diagnosed in 11 of 55 patients (CSA, 3 of 24; FK‐506, 8 of 31).

RESULTS : The daily risk of developing TMA was 0.12 percent for patients receiving CSA and 0.26 percent for those receiving FK‐506 (p = 0.16, chi‐square). Among patients receiving FK‐506, sibling donor BMT recipients were as likely to develop TMA as matched unrelated donor recipients. Serum CSA and FK‐506 concentrations were not elevated above the therapeutic range in most patients with TMA. The blood urea nitrogen to serum creatinine ratio was elevated in patients with TMA. Despite daily plasmapheresis, 9 of 11 patients died without resolution of TMA; however, the causes of death were multifactorial, including GVHD. Histologic evidence for TMA was absent in 1 patient who died with persistent clinical signs attributed to microangiopathy.

CONCLUSIONS : In this study, a high incidence of TMA was found in patients receiving either CSA or FK‐506 following BMT, with uniform diagnostic criteria and strict monitoring. Neither drug showed elevated levels in most patients with TMA. Plasmapheresis was unsuccessful in reversing most cases of TMA.
Estimation of Entrainment Response Using Electrograms from Remote Sites: Validation in Animal and Computer Models of Reentrant Tachycardia
Authors: HAMMER PETER E. , BROOKS DANA H. , TRIEDMAN JOHN K.
Published: March 2003

Estimation of Entrainment Response. Introduction: Studies suggest that entrainment response (ER) of reentrant tachycardia to overdrive pacing can be estimated using signals from sites other than the paced site.

Methods and Results: A formula for estimation of ER using remote sites against the difference between the postpacing interval (PPI) and tachycardia cycle length (TCL) determined solely from the paced site signal was validated in experimental data and using a simple two‐dimensional cellular automata model of reentry. The model also was used to study the behavior and features of entrained surfaces, including the resetting of tachycardia phase by single premature paced stimuli. Experimental results from 1,484 remote sites in 115 pacing sequences showed the average of the median ER estimate error at each pacing site was

−2 ± 5 msec

, and the median ER estimate was within 10 msec of PPI–TCL for 94% of pacing sites. From simulation results, ER at the paced site was accurately estimated from >99.8% of 20,764 remote sites during pacing at 24 sites and three paced cycle lengths. Intervals measured from remote electrograms revealed whether the site was activated orthodromically or nonorthodromically during pacing, and results of simulations illustrated that the portion of the surface activated nonorthodromically during pacing increased with distance from the pacing site to the circuit. The phenomenon of nonorthodromic activation of reentrant circuits predicted by modeling was discernible in measurements taken from the animal model of reentrant tachycardia. Results also showed that, for single premature stimuli that penetrated the tachycardia circuit, phase reset of the tachycardia was linearly related to distance between the central obstacle and the paced site.

Conclusion: The ER is a complex but predictable perturbation of the global activation sequence of reentrant tachycardias. This predictability allows calculations of the response from anywhere on the perturbed surface. These findings suggest new techniques for measurement of the ER, which may lend themselves to computer‐based methods for accurate and rapid mapping of reentrant circuits.
Role of Intracardiac Echocardiography in Atrial Septal Abnormalities
Authors: ZANCHETTA *MARIO , RIGATELLI *GIANLUCA , PEDON *LUIGI , ZENNARO *MARCO , MAIOLINO *PIETRO , ONORATO † EUSTAQUIO
Published: March 2003

The purpose of this review is to outline the feasibility of performing a comprehensive atrial septal examination from the internal confine of the right atrium and to evaluate the advantages resulting by intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) evaluation of atrial septal morphology as well as pathophysiology. In this setting, ICE indications have not yet been established because ICE is a relatively new technique that is still evolving. Notwithstanding, during catheter‐based secundum atrial septal defect and patent foramen ovale closure, ICE seems useful for diagnosing cardiac abnormalities instantly, guiding and monitoring all stages of the procedures, and assessing proper selection and optimal device placement. Moreover, ICE provides solid anatomical criteria to diagnose fenestrated atrial septal aneurysm, interatrial communications such as ostium primum and sinus venosus defects, partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection, and lipomatous hypertrophy of atrial septum. (J Interven Cardiol 2003;16:63–77)
Deployment of anti‐virus software: a case study
Authors: Sherif Joseph S. , Gilliam David P.
Published: March 2003

The growth of Inter‐ and intranets and the sharing of software have led to a rise in the transmission of viruses, especially among the PC and MAC platforms. However, maintaining virus protection software and pattern updates for any large organization is a monumental problem, especially when the organization supports multiple platforms and operating systems. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and other National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Centers have had problems maintaining current virus protection software and pattern files, and so NASA asked the JPL Network and Computer Security (NCS) Group to lead an effort to search for a comprehensive solution. This paper puts forward a study, analysis and recommendations concerning anti‐virus software solutions, problems encountered and their resolutions. One of the key issues was finding a single‐source anti‐virus software solution. Selection and deployment of single‐source anti‐virus software were successful. The lessons learned in the deployment of a software product site‐wide may benefit other organizations facing a similar situation.
Application service providers: an application of the transaction cost model
Authors: Smith Alan D. , Rupp William T.
Published: March 2003

Application service providers (ASPs) are expected to become a $25 billion industry by 2004. A firm’s decision to build or buy its IT infrastructure is dependent upon an application of transaction cost theory. These theories substantively explain a firm’s decision to outsource IT services to an ASP. This paper examines the ASP model through the lens of Williamson’s transaction cost model. The applications of this model explain many of the current market trends and provide insight into the continued success of the ASP model. The conclusion provides additional decision criteria for those practitioners who are in the decision process of outsourcing the IT function to an ASP.
Evolutionary Materialism
Authors: Dawson Doyne
Published: March 2003

Social Transformations: A General Theory of Historical Development. By Stephen K. Sanderson.
Psychoanalysis, History, and My Own Private Germany
Authors: Herzog Dagmar
Published: March 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

My Own Private Germany: Daniel Paul Schreber's Secret History of Modernity, by Eric L. Santner
Mr. Dening's Good Language
Authors: Vann Richard T.
Published: March 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

Performances, by Greg Dening
The Philosophy of Historiography?
Authors: Blackburn R. J.
Published: March 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

Encounters: Philosophy of History After Postmodernism, by Ewa Domanska.
The Invention of History: The Pre‐History of a Concept from Homer to Herodotus
Authors: Hartog François
Published: March 2003

The following pages, which deal with the pre‐history of the concept of history from Homer to Herodotus, first propose to decenter and historicize the Greek experience. After briefly presenting earlier and different experiences, they focus on three figures: the soothsayer, the bard, and the historian. Starting from a series of Mesopotamian oracles (known as “historical oracles” because they make use in the apodosis of the perfect and not the future tense), they question the relations between divination and history, conceived as two, certainly different, sciences of the past, but which share the same intellectual space in the hands of the same specialists. The Greek choices were different. Their historiography presupposes the epic, which played the role of a generative matrix. Herodotus wished to rival Homer; what he ultimately became was Herodotus. Writing dominates; prose replaces verse; the Muse, who sees and knows everything, is no longer around. So I would suggest understanding the emblematic word “historia” as a subsititute, which operates as an analogue of the (previous) omnivision of the Muse. But before that, Herodotean “invention”— the meeting of Odysseus and the bard Demodocus, where for the first time the fall of Troy is told—can be seen as the beginning, poetically speaking at least, of the category of history.
Shaped Like Themselves
Authors: Heehs Peter
Published: March 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

Creating Histories: Oral Narratives and the Politics of History‐Making, by Wendy Singer.
‘I Saw a Nightmare . . .’: Violence and the Construction of Memory (Soweto, June 16, 1976)
Authors: Pohlandt‐McCormick Helena
Published: March 2003

The protests on June 16, 1976 of black schoolchildren in Soweto against the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in their schools precipitated one of the most pro‐found challenges to the South African apartheid state. These events were experienced in a context of violent social and political conflict. They were almost immediately drawn into a discourse that discredited and silenced them, manipulating meaning for ideological and political reasons with little regard for how language and its absence—silences—further violated those who had experienced the events. Violence, in its physical and discursive shape, forged individual memories that remain torn with pain, anger, distrust, and open questions; collective memories that left few spaces for ambiguity; and official or public histories tarnished by their political agendas or the very structures—and sources—that produced them. Based on oral histories and historical documents, this article discusses the collusion of violence and silence and its consequences. It argues that—while the collusion between violence and silence might appear to disrupt or, worse, destroy the ability of individuals to think historically—the individual historical actor can and does have the will to contest and engage with collective memory and official history.
Industrialization, Female Labor Force Participation, and the Modern Division of Labor by Sex
Authors: Rau William , Wazienski Robert
Published: March 2003

We examine the effect of industrialization on female labor force participation for 62 countries. Two hypotheses are tested: the emancipation hypothesis and the U‐shaped hypothesis. Our results support the U‐shaped hypothesis insofar as shifts in the distribution of occupations in early industrialization decrease female labor force participation by removing women from agriculture while excluding them from occupations in manufacturing and management. We further suggest that different paths to industrialization may have different effects on female labor force participation.
Declining Caseloads: What Do the Dynamics of Welfare Participation Reveal?
Authors: Gittleman Maury
Published: March 2003

Recent research has attempted to explain the sharp decline in welfare caseloads that began in the mid‐1990s, well before the implementation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), by focusing on patterns in aggregate caseloads at the state level. Although this approach has aided our understanding of caseload trends, several important issues remain unresolved. In this article I assess these patterns from a different perspective and, instead, examine the flows into and out of welfare that underlie the net changes in the caseloads. I find that a decline in the rate of initial entry into welfare, a shortening of the length of welfare spells, and a reduction in the likelihood of welfare recidivism all contributed to the marked decline in aggregate caseloads observed before PRWORA’s enactment. I do not find evidence providing firm support for the view that welfare‐reform waivers played an important role in the shifts observed for the three transition rates that determine movements in welfare caseloads. While the presence of such waivers is found to be associated with a shortening of welfare spells in the 1990s, further examination raises doubts about a causal interpretation of this finding.
Institutional and Market Determinants of Wage Spillovers: Evidence from UAW Pattern Bargaining
Authors: Budd John W.
Published: March 2003

Empirical wage spillovers are often observed, but their theoretical explanation is controversial because they are consistent with institutional wage comparisons stemming from fairness or union politics, but also with neoclassical alternative wages or correlated labor demand shocks. The nature of wage spillovers is analyzed using a data set of United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) wage settlements. The results support the hypothesis that institutional wage spillovers augment neoclassical economic forces in determining wages, albeit with some weakening after 1980.
Public Religion and the Quest for National Ideology: Russia's Media Discourse
Authors: Agadjanian Alexander
Published: March 2003

This close analysis of the printed media discourse in post‐Communist Russia shows various ways of using religious cultural capital in reifying the Russian national identity. This blossoming public religion, contrasted with the generally low level of religiosity as reported by the surveys, became a new phenomenon comparable to similar patterns on an international scale. In the Russian case, the major themes of this public discourse are “spiritual entropy,”“symphony” of state‐church relations, religious diversity (pluralism), and the search for a religiously legitimized “national idea.”
Work, Family, and Religious Involvement for Men and Women
Authors: Becker Penny Edgell , Hofmeister Heather
Published: March 2003

Do family formation and social establishment affect religious involvement in the same way for men and women, given increasing individualism and rapid changes in work and family roles? Using a random sample of adults from upstate New York (N = 1,006), our research builds on previous work in this area by using multiple measures of religious involvement, using multiple measures of individualism and beliefs about work and family roles, placing men and women in their work context, and looking at the relationships separately by gender. Men’s religious involvement is associated with marriage, children, and full‐time employment, signaling social establishment and maturity. Women’s involvement is higher when there are school‐aged children in the home, but it is also more intertwined with the salience of religion and with an assessment that religious institutions are a good fit with their values and lifestyles, including egalitarian views of gender. For men and women, views of religious authority and the role of religious institutions in the socialization of children are associated differently with religious involvement at different life stages. We call for further research to understand the gendered nature of religious involvement and the role of beliefs about work, family, and religion in explaining why individuals choose to be involved in religious institutions.
On the Inverse of the Covariance Matrix in Portfolio Analysis
Authors: Stevens Guy V. G.
Published: March 2003

The goal of this paper is the derivation and application of a direct characterization of the inverse of the covariance matrix central to portfolio analysis. Such a characterization, in terms of a few primitive constructs, provides the basis for new and illuminating expressions for key concepts as the optimal holding of a given risky asset and the slope of the risk‐return efficiency frontier faced by the individual investor. The building blocks of the inverse turn out to be the regression coefficients and residual variance obtained by regressing the asset's excess return on the set of excess returns for all other risky assets.
Leverage and Corporate Performance: Evidence from Unsuccessful Takeovers
Authors: Safieddine Assem , Titman Sheridan
Published: March 2003

This paper finds that, on average, targets that terminate takeover offers significantly increase their leverage ratios. Targets that increase their leverage ratios the most reduce capital expenditures, sell assets, reduce employment, increase focus, and realize cash flows and share prices that outperform their benchmarks in the five years following the failed takeover. Our evidence suggests that leverage‐increasing targets act in the interests of shareholders when they terminate takeover offers and that higher leverage helps firms remain independent not because it entrenches managers, but because it commits managers to making the improvements that would be made by potential raiders.
Monitoring and Structure of Debt Contracts
Authors: Park Cheol
Published: March 2003

This paper presents a theory of optimal debt structure when the moral hazard problem is severe. The main idea is that the optimal debt contract delegates monitoring to a single senior lender and that seniority allows the monitoring senior lender to appropriate the full return from his monitoring activities. The theory explains (i) why debt contracts are prioritized, (ii) why short‐term debt is senior to long‐term debt, and (iii) why financial intermediaries usually hold short‐term senior debt whereas long‐term junior debt is widely held. Another implication of the theory is that covenant and maturity structures will be set to conform to the seniority structure.
Time Variation of Ex‐Dividend Day Stock Returns and Corporate Dividend Capture: A Reexamination
Authors: Naranjo Andy , Nimalendran M. , Ryngaert Mike
Published: March 2003

This paper documents some empirical facts about ex‐day abnormal returns to high dividend yield stocks that are potentially subject to corporate dividend capture. We find that average abnormal ex‐dividend day returns are uniformly negative in each year after the introduction of negotiated commission rates and that time variation in ex‐day returns during the negotiated commission rates era is consistent with corporate tax‐based dividend capture. Ex‐day returns are more negative when the tax advantage to corporate dividend capture is greatest and more positive when increases in transaction costs and risk reduce incentives to engage in corporate tax‐based dividend capture.
Reduction of Constraints on Arbitrage Trading and Market Efficiency: An Examination of Ex‐Day Returns in Hong Kong after Introduction of Electronic Settlement
Authors: Kadapakkam Palani‐Rajan
Published: March 2003

Previous research documents positive ex‐dividend day returns in excess of one percent in the unique institutional setting of Hong Kong, where neither dividends nor capital gains are taxed. Short‐term arbitrage trades around the ex‐day were hampered by physical settlement procedures. After the recent switch to an electronic settlement system, which enables such trades, ex‐day abnormal returns have declined to an insignificant 0.17 percent. This drop is more pronounced for high‐yield stocks, which are more likely to attract dividend capture trading. The evidence points to the crucial role of short‐term traders in ensuring the pricing efficiency of financial markets.
The Bright Side of Internal Capital Markets
Authors: Khanna Naveen , Tice Sheri
Published: March 2003

We examine capital expenditure decisions of discount firms in response to WalMart's entry into their markets. Before WalMart's entry, focused incumbents and discount divisions of diversified incumbents are similar in size, geographic dispersion, and firm debt levels. However, discount divisions of diversified firms are significantly more productive. After WalMart's entry, diversified firms are quicker to either exit the discount business or stay and fight. Also, their capital expenditures are more sensitive to the productivity of their discount business. Internal capital markets function well, as transfers are away from the worsening discount divisions. It appears diversified firms make better investment decisions.
An Analysis of Bidding in the Japanese Government Bond Auctions
Authors: Hamao Yasushi , Jegadeesh Narasimhan
Published: March 2003

We examine the bidding patterns and auction profits in the Japanese Government Bond (JGB) auctions and empirically test the predictions of auction theory. We find that the average profit in JGB auctions is not reliably different from zero, and the degree of competition and the level of uncertainty are insignificant in determining auction profits. The winning shares of the U.S. dealers are positively related to auction profits, whereas the winning shares of their Japanese counterparts show a negative association. We also find that the share of winnings of Japanese dealers tends to be correlated with the share of winnings of their compatriot dealers but a similar relation is not found for U.S. dealers.
Demand‐Threshold Estimation for Business Activities in Rural Saskatchewan
Authors: Wensley Mitch R. D. , Stabler Jack C.
Published: March 2003

Historically, a common technique used to assess a community's ability to support various business activities has been demand‐threshold estimation. The concept of a demand threshold has been applied at the community level by estimating a relationship between community population and the number of establishments of a particular kind in the community. The approach taken in this research incorporates a spatial dimension (community urban proximity) in addition to community population to estimate demand thresholds. Using a count data technique, demand thresholds are estimated for 27 different business activities found in 584 rural Saskatchewan communities in 1990. Both population and urban proximity are found to be important explanatory variables.
Estimating Spatial Models Within A Disequilibrium Framework
Authors: Snell Martin C.
Published: March 2003

Modeling demand in a spatial context requires careful handling of regional interactions. In situations where there are constraints in some markets that lead to spillovers to others it is useful to build this explicitly into the model. In this paper I present a theoretical model that is related to the disequilibrium and the spatial econometric literature. Under certain conditions the model may be estimable and an appropriate estimation technique that uses the EM algorithm, is put forward. A data set from the U.K. market for secondary school places provides a test for the procedure.
Externalities of Nuclear Power Plants: Further Evidence
Authors: Folland Sherman , Hough Robbin
Published: March 2003

Several prior studies found no detrimental external effects of nuclear power plants when estimating the distance gradient for housing prices within a hedonic model. Other papers found significant negative effects of nuclear power when studying real asset prices in cross sections of broad market areas.We suggest a resolution and verify that an installation effect occurs after controlling for the tendency of facility builders to seek out cheap land. The study assembles a panel of all commercial market areas, including indicators for nuclear facilities, in the contiguous United States observed 11 times over roughly equal intervals covering the span from 1945 to 1992.
An Introduction to Spatial Discounting
Authors: Perrings Charles , Hannon Bruce
Published: March 2003

Research on the valuation of environmental externalities shows that decision makers tend to discount not only over time but across space. Just as time discounting has implications for intergenerational equity, geographical or spatial discounting has implications for intragenerational equity. Similarly, just as positive time discount rates are warranted by positive net rates of growth of the capital stock, positive spatial discount rates may be warranted by the fact that enviironmental (or other external effects of economic activity are diffused at positive rates. This paper introduces the notion of spatial discounting and explores its welfare implications through a simple diffusion model.
A Note on the Spatial Correlation Structure of County‐Level Growth in the U.S.
Authors: Wheeler Christopher H.
Published: March 2003

This paper examines the spatial correlation structure of county‐level growth across the contiguous United States. Estimated spatial correlograms using data on four different measures of aggregate economic activity—population, employment, income, and earnings—over the period 1984–1994 indicate that cross‐county interdependence is limited to relatively short ranges of distance. For each of the measures, the average correlation between the growth rates of two counties approaches zero within a range of approximately 200 miles. Moreover, the rate at which correlations decline with distance is not uniform. Inside of roughly 40 miles correlations show only a very slow rate of decline whereas beyond this range they drop off at a substantially higher rate.
Exploring and Evaluating School‐Based Interventions to Reduce Prejudice
Authors: Aboud Frances E. , Fenwick Virginia
Published: March 2003

Three studies examined ways of talking about race and racial evaluations in order to reduce rather than raise prejudice. The first study evaluated an 11‐week classroom program designed to encourage, through teacher‐led discussion, the processing of internal attributes of people rather than their race. In a second study, high‐prejudice White students were paired with a low‐prejudice friend to discuss their racial evaluations. The third study explored ways thatstudents orally respond when they overhear a peer's demeaning racial remark and the conflicting pressures influencing their interventions. Results overall support the assumption that talking about race and racial attitudes can reduce prejudice under certain conditions, and that peers may be valuable sources of influence in this dialogue.
A Theoretical Perspective on Coping With Stigma
Authors: Miller Carol T. , Kaiser Cheryl R.
Published: March 2003

Stigmatized people have a vast array of responses to stressors resulting from their devalued social status, including emotional, cognitive, biological, and behavioral responses. This article uses existing theory and research on general stress and coping responses to describe responses to stigma‐related stressors and to discuss the adaptiveness of these responses.
Media Images of the Poor
Authors: Bullock Heather E. , Fraser Wyche Karen , Williams Wendy R.
Published: March 2003

This article provides a comprehensive overview of research that has examined the content and prevalence of stereotypic media images of the poor. Research examining televised images and print media are reviewed. An analysis of media framing as well as classist, racist, and sexist imagery is provided. Additionally, to assess media depictions of the poor in the wake of welfare reform, 412 newspaper articles about poverty and welfare published during a 3‐month period in 1999 were content analyzed. Although most articles were neutral in tone and portrayed the difficulties facing welfare recipients and the poor sympathetically, they did little to contextualize poverty or illuminate its causes. These findings are discussed in terms of their context and political function.
Non‐Native Speakers' Production of Modified Comprehensible Output and Second Language Learning
Authors: Shehadeh Ali
Published: March 2003

This study investigated the ability of NNSs to modify their output toward comprehensibility in the contexts of NS‐NNS and NNS‐NNS interactions and the degree to which such modified comprehensible output (MCO) was other‐ or self‐initiated. Picture‐dictation and opinion‐exchange tasks were used to collect data from 8 NSs and 24NNSs of English representing 13 different L1 backgrounds. The 2 tasks were performed in pairs (NS‐NNS and NNS‐NNS) and were audiotaped. The results showed that most repairs were self‐initiated and that NNS‐NNS interactions produced more other‐initiations and other‐initiated MCOs on the picture‐dictation task. The frequencies of these MCOs support the importance of modification toward comprehensible output as a process of second language acquisition.
Semantic and Conceptual Knowledge Underlying Bilingual Babies' First Signs and Words
Authors: Holowka Siobhan , Brosseau‐Lapré Françoise , Petitto Laura Ann
Published: March 2003

We addressed the question of how babies exposed to two languages simultaneously acquire the meanings of words across their two languages. In particular, we attempted to shed new light on whether babies know that they are acquiring different lexicons right from the start, or whether early bilingual exposure causes them to be semantically confused. We propose a collection of research methods that, taken together, can answer these questions, which have hitherto received scant attention. Six hearing babies were videotaped for one hour on average seven times over one year (ages ranging from 0;7 to 2;2); three babies were acquiring French and English, and three French and LSQ. These populations offer unique insights into the semantic knowledge underlying bilingual as well as monolingual language acquisition. We found that the babies (1) acquired their two languages on the same timetable as monolinguals and (2) produced translation equivalents in their very first lexicons. Further, their early words (signs) in each language (3) were constrained along kind boundaries, (4) showed fundamentally similar semantic organization across their dual lexicons, and (5) reflected the meanings of their favorite things first. We also discuss why attributions that young bilinguals are delayed and confused have prevailed and we show that they are neither at this point in development. Finally, the present findings show how research of this type can provide a method for making bilingual norms wholly attainable.
Chapter Five: The Role of Discourse
Authors: Bardovi‐Harlig Kathleen
Published: March 2003

The Interlanguage Discourse Hypothesis, p.277

Narrative Analysis, p.279

Studies of L2 Temporality and Narrative Structure, p.285

A Cross‐Sectional Study of Tense‐Aspect in L2 Narratives, p.292

Comparing Theoretical Frameworks, p.299

Empirical Evidence in Support of the Discourse and Aspect Hypotheses, p.304

Integrating the Analyses, p.312

Other Discourse Contexts, p.317

Conversational and Elicited Narratives, p.332

Personal and Impersonal Narratives: The Case of “Personalized” Narratives, p.327

Realis and Irrealis: The Imaginary in Narrative, p.332

Chapter Summary, p.335