bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Messung des kolloidosmotischen Druckes
Authors: Falk K. , Klose R.
Published: May 2009

Die Diskussion um kristalloiden oder kolloidalen Volumenersatz hat zu vermehrtem Interesse am koUoidosmotischen Druck (KOD) geführt, der ein wesentlicher Parameter für den Flüssigkeitsaustausch ist. Für eine direkte Messung des KOD stehen Geräte zur Verfügung, deren Wert nun geprüft werden muβ. Aufgrund eigener Erfahrungen werden die Handhabung, Vor- und Nachteile des WEIL-Onkometers beschrieben sowie Vorschläge zur Verbesserung gemacht.
Erfahrungen mit der nativen physiologischen Sondennahrung Nutro-Drip® nach kieferchirurgischen Operationen
Authors: Lange H. , Podlesch I.
Published: May 2009

40 Patienten, die sich kieferchirurgischen Eingriffen unterzogen hatten, wurden 10 Tage lang mit einer physiologischen Sondenvollkost Nutro-Drip® ernährt. Bei 5% der Patienten mußte die Ernährung wegen Unverträglichkeit abgebrochen werden. Bei den übrigen Patienten wurden täglich 1500–2500 ml Nutro-Drip® (1605–2675 kcal = 6780–11300 J) über eine Magenverweilsonde bolusartig oder als Tropfinstillation verabfolgt. Die Nebenwirkungsquote betrug für Durchfälle 3,8%, Übelkeit 0,8%, saures Aufstoßen bzw. Sodbrennen 1,1%, Erbrechen 2,7% und Völlegefühl 1,1%. Diese Nebenwirkungen waren nur vorübergehend zu beobachten, ohne daß das Ernährungsregime abgebrochen werden mußte. Die mittlere Stuhlhäufigkeit betrug 0,81/Tag. Das Körpergewicht, der Natrium- und Wasserhaushalt, Serum-Transaminasen, Nüchternblutzucker und Cholesteringehalt des Serums sowie der Säure-Basen-Haushalt zeigten während der Ernährung mit Nutro-Drip® keine signifikanten Veränderungen. Operationsbedingt fanden sich zu Anfang der postoperativen Phase statistisch signifikante Erniedrigungen des Kaliumspiegels und des Gesamteiweiß- und Albumingehaltes im Serum. Mit Ausnahme des Serumalbumins blieben alle Parameter im Normbereich. Während der Ernährung mit Nutro-Drip® zeigten die Veränderungen eine Tendenz zur Normalisierung. Während der 10tägigen Nutro-Drip®-Ernährung stiegen die Harnstoffwerte im Serum wahrscheinlich im Gefolge einer vermehrten Resorption traumatisierten Gewebes signifikant an, während die Serumkreatininwerte sich nicht änderten. Verträglichkeit und Zusammensetzung lassen die native physiologische Nahrung Nutro-Drip® für die Sondenernährung von Patienten mit gesundem Gastrointestinaltrakt gut geeignet erscheinen.
Kohlenhydratinfusion bei internistischen Erkrankungen. Eine vergleichende Studie bei stoffwechselgesunden, leberkranken und diabetischen Patienten
Authors: Egberts EH. , Weber S. , Müller P.H. , Schmülling R. , Prestele H. , Horbach L. , Malchow H.
Published: May 2009

Je 6 Kontrollpersonen, Patienten mit Leberzirrhose und Diabetiker erhalten eine 48stündige Infusion mit einer Kohlenhydratmischlösung (Glukose : Fruktose = 1:1). Die Sollzufuhr beträgt 0,25 g/kg KG und Stunde. 39 Stoffwechselkenngrößen werden regelmäßig kontrolliert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daβ im Vergleich zu einer reinen Glukoselösung die Blutglukosespiegel niedriger liegen. Nur bei den Patienten mit Diabetes mellitus werden die Glukoseausgangswerte überschritten. Die Werte sind jedoch nicht so hoch, daß kontinuierliche Insulingaben erforderlich werden. Die antilipolytische, antiketogene und antikatabole Wirkung ist der einer äquikalorischen Glukoseinfusion vergleichbar.
Some Things Just Have to Be Done In Vivo
Authors: Williams Kevin Jon
Published: May 2009

The recent discovery of a dysfunctional mutation of GPIHBP1 in a man with chylomicronemia implicates this protein in human physiology. GPIHBP1 can be placed in the larger context of other molecular participants in chylomicron docking and hydrolysis on microvascular endothelium, caloric delivery, and remnant lipoprotein generation. Critical questions include the regulation—and dysregulation—of these processes in states of overnutrition, underexertion, obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes.
Rapid Emergency Department Heart Failure Outpatients Trial (REDHOT II)
Authors: Singer Adam J. , Birkhahn Robert H. , Guss David , Chandra Abhinav , Miller Chadwick D. , Tiffany Brian , Levy Phillip , Dunne Robert , Bastani Aveh , Thode Henry C. , Hollander Judd E.
Published: May 2009

Background—

B-type natriuretic peptide is useful to diagnose heart failure. We determined whether the use of serial B-type natriuretic peptide measurements to guide treatment improves the outcome in patients with acute heart failure.

Methods and Results—

We conducted a randomized controlled trial of patients with acute heart failure in 10 academic and community emergency departments. The experimental group received serial B-type natriuretic peptide testing (at 3, 6, 9, and 12 hours then daily). The control group received usual care. Our outcomes were hospital length of stay, 30-day readmission rate, and all-cause mortality.

There were 219 controls and 228 experimental patients. Mean age was 64 years, 49% were women, 58% were blacks, and 34% were whites. Groups were similar in baseline characteristics. Comparing the serial testing with the control group, there was no difference in length of stay (6.5 days [95% CI, 5.2 to 7.9] versus 6.5 days [95% CI, 5.6 to 7.3]; difference, 0.1 [95% CI, −1.7 to 1.5]), in-hospital mortality (2.2% [95% CI, 0.9 to 5.0] versus controls, 3.2% [95% CI, 1.6 to 6.5]; difference, 1.0% [95% CI, −2.3 to 4.5]), 30-day mortality (3.7% [95% CI, 1.8 to 7.5] versus 5.5% [95% CI, 3.0 to 9.8]; difference, 1.8% [95% CI, −2.8 to 6.5]), or hospital revisit rate (20.2% [95% CI, 15.0 to 26.6] versus 23.7% [95% CI, 18.0 to 30.6]; difference, 3.5% [95% CI, −5.1 to 12.1]).

Conclusions—

In this study of 447 patients hospitalized for suspected heart failure, we were unable to demonstrate a benefit of serial testing with B-type natriuretic peptide in terms of hospital length of stay, mortality, or readmission rate.
Time-Varying Myocardial Stress and Systolic Pressure-Stress Relationship
Authors: Chirinos Julio A. , Segers Patrick , Gupta Amit Kumar , Swillens Abigail , Rietzschel Ernst R. , De Buyzere Marc L. , Kirkpatrick James N. , Gillebert Thierry C. , Wang Yan , Keane Martin G. , Townsend Raymond , Ferrari Victor A. , Wiegers Susan E. , St John Sutton Martin
Published: May 2009

Background—

Myocardial afterload depends on left ventricular (LV) cavity size, pressure, and wall thickness, all of which change markedly throughout ejection. We assessed the relationship between instantaneous ejection-phase pressure and myocardial stress and the effect of arterial wave reflections on myocardial stress in hypertensive and normotensive adults.

Methods and Results—

We studied 42 untreated hypertensive, 42 treated hypertensive, and 42 normotensive adults with normal LV ejection fraction. Time-resolved central pressure, flow, and LV geometry were measured with carotid tonometry, Doppler, and speckle-tracking echocardiography for computation of arterial load and time-varying circumferential and longitudinal myocardial stress. In all 3 groups, peak myocardial stress typically occurred in early systole (within the first 100 milliseconds of ejection), followed by a marked midsystolic shift in the pressure-stress relationship, which favored lower late systolic stress values (
P
<0.001) relative to pressure. The mean magnitude of this midsystolic shift was quantitatively important in all 3 groups (circumferential stress, 144 to 148 kdynes/cm
2
) and was independently predicted by a higher LV ejection fraction and ratio of LV end-diastolic cavity to wall volume. Time of peak myocardial stress independently correlated with time of the first systolic but not with time of the second systolic central pressure peak.

Conclusions—

Peak myocardial stress occurs in early systole, before important contributions of reflected waves to central pressure. In the presence of normal LV ejection fraction, a midsystolic shift in the pressure-stress relationship protects cardiomyocytes against excessive late systolic stress (despite pressure augmentation associated with wave reflections), a coupling mechanism that may be altered in various disease states.
Sensitivity of Simulated Climate to Conservation of Momentum in Gravity Wave Drag Parameterization
Authors: Shaw Tiffany A. , Sigmond Michael , Shepherd Theodore G. , Scinocca John F.
Published: May 2009

The Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model is used to examine the sensitivity of simulated climate to conservation of momentum in gravity wave drag parameterization. Momentum conservation requires that the parameterized gravity wave momentum flux at the top of the model be zero and corresponds to the physical boundary condition of no momentum flux at the top of the atmosphere. Allowing momentum flux to escape the model domain violates momentum conservation. Here the impact of momentum conservation in two sets of model simulations is investigated.

In the first set, the simulation of present-day climate for two model-lid height configurations, 0.001 and 10 hPa, which are identical below 10 hPa, is considered. The impact of momentum conservation on the climate with the model lid at 0.001 hPa is minimal, which is expected because of the small amount of gravity wave momentum flux reaching 0.001 hPa. When the lid is lowered to 10 hPa and momentum is conserved, there is only a modest impact on the climate in the Northern Hemisphere; however, the Southern Hemisphere climate is more adversely affected by the deflection of resolved waves near the model lid. When momentum is not conserved in the 10-hPa model the climate is further degraded in both hemispheres, particularly in winter at high latitudes, and the impact of momentum conservation extends all the way to the surface.

In the second set of simulations, the impact of momentum conservation and model-lid height on the modeled response to ozone depletion in the Southern Hemisphere is considered, and it is found that the response can display significant sensitivity to both factors. In particular, both the lower-stratospheric polar temperature and surface responses are significantly altered when the lid is lowered, with the effect being most severe when momentum is not conserved. The implications with regard to the current round of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change model projections are discussed.
Is Participation Good or Bad for Workers?
Authors: Kalleberg Arne L. , Nesheim Torstein , Olsen Karen M.
Published: May 2009

Research on the consequences for employees of opportunities to participate in decision-making (defined here as having autonomy and being able to consult in organizational decisions and to work in teams) has produced inconsistent results. Some writers argue that worker participation is a good thing for workers, since they are able to make decisions and develop skills. Others, especially those in the critical management tradition, regard workers' opportunities to participate in decisions as another form of exploitation that results in increased work intensity, more ambiguity and greater stress. In this article, we examine the consequences of Norwegian workers' participation in decisions on job stress — both directly and through their effect on skill development, workload, support and ambiguity. We find that autonomy and consultation in decisions reduce job stress, while teamwork increases job stress.
London Calling?
Authors: Bjarnason Thoroddur
Published: May 2009

Preferred emigration destinations among adolescents reflect images and stereotypes of other countries that continuously emerge in a multitude of local and global discourses and from concrete experiences with other countries. The affinities of Icelandic adolescents are split among the islands of the Northern Atlantic, continental Nordic countries, European core countries and North American countries. If they had to leave Iceland, however, the largest proportion of Icelandic adolescents would want to move to the United States. Girls are more likely to choose the Nordic countries, in particular Denmark, and boys English-speaking countries with a reputation for economic and military power, such as the United States and Britain. Adolescents are more likely to prefer migrating to Europe rather than North America if they are proud of their Icelandic nationality, live in cohesive communities, have more educated parents and feel closer to Europe. Adolescents who want to move abroad are, in contrast, most likely to have North American destinations in mind. Recent geopolitical changes, however, may shift the attention of Icelandic adolescents eastward towards the European continent.
Providing Training Enhances the Biomechanical Improvements of an Alternative Computer Mouse Design
Authors: Houwink Annemieke , Oude Hengel Karen M. , Odell Dan , Dennerlein Jack T.
Published: May 2009

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine if an alternative mouse promotes more neutral postures and decreases forearm muscle activity and if training enhances these biomechanical benefits. Background: Computer mouse use is a risk factor for developing musculoskeletal disorders; alternative mouse designs can help lower these risks. Ergonomic training combined with alternative input devices could be even more effective than alternative designs alone. Methods: Thirty healthy adults (15 males, 15 females) performed a set of computer mouse tasks with a standard mouse and an alternative mouse while an electromagnetic motion analysis system measured their wrist and forearm postures and surface electromyography measured the muscle activity of three wrist extensor muscles. Fifteen participants received no training on how to hold the alternative mouse, whereas the remaining 15 participants received verbal instructions before and during use of the alternative mouse. Results: The alternative mouse was found to promote a more neutral forearm posture compared with the standard mouse (up to 11.5° lower forearm pronation); however, pronation was further reduced when instructions on how to hold the mouse were provided. Wrist extensor muscle activity was reduced for the alternative mouse (up to 1.8% of maximum voluntary contraction lower) compared with the standard mouse, but only after participants received instructions. Conclusion: The alternative mouse design decreased biomechanical exposures; however, instructions enhanced this potential ergonomic benefit of the design. Application: User knowledge and training are important factors when effectively implementing an alternative ergonomic device.
Selection in Air Traffic Control: Is Nonradar Training a Predictor of Radar Performance?
Authors: Sethumadhavan Arathi , Durso Francis T.
Published: May 2009

Objective: The purpose of the current research was to investigate whether performance in nonradar training would predict performance in radar training. Background: There is a discussion in the Federal Aviation Administration about the necessity of keeping nonradar training as part of the required selection criteria for radar controllers. In nonradar training, controllers separate traffic by relying on the estimated time over navigational fixes printed on flight progress strips, rather than monitoring the perceptually available positional information on a radar screen. The two ways of controlling traffic—nonradar and radar—are different along a number of dimensions. Method: Sixteen participants were taught to control simulated air traffic using nonradar and radar procedures. Performance on final radar scenarios was predicted from cognitive variables; performance on earlier, simpler radar scenarios; and performance on nonradar scenarios. Results: Performance during nonradar trials predicted final radar performance (i.e., collisions and landed aircraft count) independent of the predictive power of cognitive variables and above and beyond earlier radar training. Conclusion: Performance in nonradar training enhanced users' ability to predict radar performance, even in addition to the predictive power of simpler, earlier radar performance variables. Good nonradar performers had higher situation awareness in the radar environment. Application: Performance in a nonradar environment may serve as an important selection tool in assessing the performance of student controllers in radar environments. The results indicate the need for future research with field controllers.
Effects of Talker Sex and Voice Style of Verbal Cockpit Warnings on Performance
Authors: Arrabito G. Robert
Published: May 2009

Objective: The effects of talker sex and voice style of verbal cockpit warnings on performance were investigated to help make warning messages distinct from speech on the flight deck. Background: Auditory warnings are used in aircraft to alert the crew to hazards and their associated levels of danger. Failing to comply with a warning has led to aviation incidents and accidents. Methods: Participants were required to monitor the auditory channel and identify the verbal warning while simultaneously performing a visual pursuit tracking task. A male and a female actor annunciated the warning words in three styles: monotone, urgent, and whisper. In Experiment 1, warning words were presented in quiet, and in Experiment 2, they were presented in a background of speech babble that simulated cockpit radio communication. Results: Experiment 1 showed that the monotone and urgent styles resulted in the fastest identification response time (RT) regardless of the talker and listener's sex. Experiment 2 showed that the male talker annunciating in either the monotone or the urgent style resulted in the largest proportion correct and fastest identification RT regardless of the listener's sex. Both experiments showed effects of word semantics on performance. Conclusion: Effective use of speech parameters and word semantics can increase the saliency of verbal cockpit warnings. Application: Potential applications of this research include improving the attention-getting capability of an alerting system, which could lead to increased warning compliance, potentially resulting in fewer incidents and accidents.
Decision Making During Preoperative Surgical Planning
Authors: Morineau Thierry , Morandi Xavier , Le Moëllic Nadège , Diabira Sylma , Riffaud Laurent , Haegelen Claire , Hénaux Pierre-Louis , Jannin Pierre
Published: May 2009

Objective: This study analyzes decision making during preoperative surgical planning through two cognitive indicators: conflict and cognitive control. Background: Planning is a critical stage in naturalistic decision making, and there is some evidence suggesting that this activity depends on the level of expertise and the demands of the task. The specificity of surgery resides in the necessity to cope with (potential) conflicts between the purpose of the surgical intervention and the biological laws governing the patient's body. Method: Six neurosurgeons (two board-certified neurosurgeons, two chief residents, and two residents) described the operative procedure envisaged on nine surgical cases of increasing surgical complexity. A detailed analysis of one surgical case described by one expert was performed. Moreover, we measured the number of conflicts and controls reported by each surgeon. Results: Two experts were the only ones for which the report of conflicts increased with surgical complexity (respectively, 75% and 73% of the conflict variance predicted by complexity). The two experts significantly activated a higher proportion of knowledge-based control (respectively, 43% and 38%) than did intermediates and residents. The residents significantly activated more motor skill—based controls (respectively, 40% and 44%) than did intermediates and experts. Conclusion: It seems that expert surgical decision making to cope with task demands is significantly associated with conflict monitoring. Knowledge-based control to regulate conflict is mainly produced by experts. Application: Conflicts and controls analyzed through verbal reports can be used as relevant indicators to highlight critical moments in decision making that potentially require assistance from information systems.
Modulation-Based Digital Noise Reduction for Application to Hearing Protectors to Reduce Noise and Maintain Intelligibility
Authors: Chung King , Tufts Jennifer , Nelson Lance
Published: May 2009

Objective: The objective of this study was to test the effects of modulation-based digital noise reduction (MB-DNR) on noise levels, speech intelligibility, and listening preference in four real-world noises. Background: A significant challenge in hearing protection device (HPD) design is to reduce ambient noise levels while maintaining users' ability to understand speech. MB-DNR technology, currently employed in hearing aids, potentially could be used to achieve these objectives. Methods: Speech and noise calibrated to signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of 0, —5, and —10 dB in the sound field were recorded at the outputs of two digital hearing aids in the ears of a Knowles Electronic Manikin for Acoustic Research with and without MB-DNR activated (i.e., NR and noNR, respectively). Listeners' speech intelligibility scores and sound quality preferences were evaluated while they listened to the recordings presented via ER-3A insert earphones at 85 dB SPL. Results: MB-DNR reduced the overall noise level by approximately 4 to 7 dB. Listeners obtained significantly higher speech intelligibility scores in the NR condition at an SNR of —10 dB in two noises and similar scores in the noNR and NR conditions in all other cases. They preferred the NR condition in all cases. Conclusion: MB-DNR reduced overall noise level, enhanced sound quality, and maintained or improved speech intelligibility in the four military noises tested. Applications: MB-DNR algorithms potentially could be incorporated into HPDs to enhance performance and increase user acceptance.
Driver Reaction Time to Tactile and Auditory Rear-End Collision Warnings While Talking on a Cell Phone
Authors: Mohebbi Rayka , Gray Rob , Tan Hong Z.
Published: May 2009

Objective: This study examined the effectiveness of rear-end collision warnings presented in different sensory modalities while drivers were engaged in cell phone conversations in a driving simulator. Background: Tactile and auditory collision warnings have been shown to improve braking response time (RT) in rear-end collision situations. However, it is not clear how effective these warnings are when the driver is engaged in attentionally demanding secondary tasks, such as talking on a cell phone. Method: Sixteen participants in a driving simulator experienced three collision warning conditions (none, tactile, and auditory) in three conversation conditions (none, simple hands free, complex hands free). Driver RT was captured from warning onset to brake initiation (WON2B). Results: WON2B times for auditory warnings were significantly larger for simple conversations compared with no conversation (+148 ms), whereas there was no significant difference between these conditions for tactile warnings (+53 ms). For complex conversations, WON2B times for both tactile (+146 ms) and auditory warnings (+221 ms) were significantly larger than during no conversation. During complex conversations, tactile warnings produced significantly shorter WON2B times than no warning (—141 ms). Conclusion: Tactile warnings are more effective than auditory warnings during both simple and complex conversations. Application: These results indicate that tactile rear-end collision warnings have the potential to offset some of the driving impairments caused by cell phone conversations.
A Model of Clutter for Complex, Multivariate Geospatial Displays
Authors: Lohrenz Maura C. , Trafton J. Gregory , Beck Melissa R. , Gendron Marlin L.
Published: May 2009

Objective: A novel model of measuring clutter in complex geospatial displays was compared with human ratings of subjective clutter as a measure of convergent validity. The new model is called the color-clustering clutter (C3) model. Background: Clutter is a known problem in displays of complex data and has been shown to affect target search performance. Previous clutter models are discussed and compared with the C3 model. Method: Two experiments were performed. In Experiment 1, participants performed subjective clutter ratings on six classes of information visualizations. Empirical results were used to set two free parameters in the model. In Experiment 2, participants performed subjective clutter ratings on aeronautical charts. Both experiments compared and correlated empirical data to model predictions. Results: The first experiment resulted in a .76 correlation between ratings and C3. The second experiment resulted in a .86 correlation, significantly better than results from a model developed by Rosenholtz et al. Outliers to our correlation suggest further improvements to C3. Conclusions: We suggest that (a) the C3 model is a good predictor of subjective impressions of clutter in geospatial displays, (b) geospatial clutter is a function of color density and saliency (primary C3 components), and (c) pattern analysis techniques could further improve C3. Application: The C3 model could be used to improve the design of electronic geospatial displays by suggesting when a display will be too cluttered for its intended audience.
The Transnational Organization of Production and Uneven Environmental Degradation and Change in the World Economy
Authors: Rice James
Published: May 2009

The intent of the present article is to expand upon the discussion concerning the transnational organization of production, the treadmill logic which drives this organization, and highlight theoretical and empirical research regarding ecological unequal exchange, which we envision as a central dynamic enhancing capital accumulation within the world economy. Ecological unequal exchange refers to the environmentally damaging withdrawal of energy and other natural resources and the addition or externalization of environmentally damaging production and disposal activities within the periphery of the world-system as a consequence of exchange relations with more industrialized countries. It is based upon both the obtainment of natural capital and the usurpation of sink-capacity or waste assimilation properties of ecological systems in a manner that enlarges the domestic carrying capacity of the industrialized countries to the detriment of peripheral societies. Future research oriented towards further articulating the political-economic processes underlying ecological unequal exchange dynamics holds the potential to contribute to a more refined dialogue and debate regarding the prospects for the sustainable development of human societies.
Zero-Sum World
Authors: Hornborg Alf
Published: May 2009

This article discusses various ways in which conventional discourse on sustainability fails to acknowledge the distributive, political, and cultural dimensions of global environmental problems. It traces some lineages of critical thinking on environmental load displacement and ecologically unequal exchange, arguing that such acknowledgement of a global environmental `zero-sum game' is essential to recognizing the extent to which cornucopian perceptions of `development' represent an illusion. It identifies five interconnected illusions currently postponing systemic crisis and obstructing rational societal negotiations that acknowledge the political dimensions of global ecology: 1) The fragmentation of scientific perspectives into bounded categories such as `technology', `economy', and `ecology'. 2) The assumption that the operation of market prices is tantamount to reciprocity. 3) The illusion of machine fetishism, that is, that the technological capacity of a given population is independent of that population's position in a global system of resource flows. 4) The representation of inequalities in societal space as developmental stages in historical time. 5) The conviction that `sustainable development' can be achieved through consensus. The article offers some examples of how the rising global anticipation of socio-ecological contradiction and disaster is being ideologically disarmed by the rhetoric on `sustainability' and `resilience'.
Ecologically Unequal Exchange and the Resource Consumption/Environmental Degradation Paradox
Authors: Jorgenson Andrew K. , Austin Kelly , Dick Christopher
Published: May 2009

Ecologically unequal exchange theory posits that the vertical flow of exports is a structural mechanism allowing for more-developed countries to partially externalize their consumption-based environmental impacts to lesser-developed countries. It is argued that these structural relationships contribute to environmental degradation in the latter while directly suppressing resource consumption opportunities for domestic populations, often well below globally sustainable thresholds. To assess the validity of the propositions, the authors conduct fixed effects and random effects panel regression analyses of the effects of the vertical flow of primary sector exports on deforestation and a refined per capita footprint measure for two samples of less-developed countries, 1970—2000. Results support the stated arguments of ecologically unequal exchange theory and point to the need for more rigorous comparative analyses to increase our collective understanding of the environmental and human well-being consequences of such relationships for less-developed countries.
Ecologically Unequal Exchange, World Polity, and Biodiversity Loss
Authors: Shandra John M. , Leckband Christopher , McKinney Laura A. , London Bruce
Published: May 2009

There have been a few cross-national studies published that examine the determinants of threatened mammal species. However, these studies neglect insights from both ecologically unequal exchange theory and world polity theory. We seek to address this gap in the literature using cross-national data for a sample of 74 nations to construct negative binomial regression models with the number of threatened mammal species as the dependent variable. In doing so, we find substantial support for ecologically unequal exchange theory that flows of primary sector exports from poor to rich nations are associated with higher levels of threatened mammals in poor nations. We also find support for world polity theory that environmental non-governmental organizations are associated with lower levels of threatened mammals in poor nations. We conclude with a discussion of the findings, some policy implications, and possible directions for future research.
The Thermodynamics of Unequal Exchange
Authors: Lawrence Kirk S.
Published: May 2009

Energy flow — the capture and transformation of energy, and the output of pollution generated during that process — is essential to increases in complexity, but with the cost of growing disorder, or entropy. In world-systems, energy flow has been, and continues to be, a basis for intersocietal conflict and competition, including unequal exchange that generates inequality in levels of development and ecological degradation across societies. This article builds upon extant research on the role of energy flow in world-systems through an analysis of data on energy use and GDP in the world-system from 1975 to 2005 and for 1975—2004 for CO2 emissions. Using a panel of 87 countries, a world-system core, semiperiphery, and periphery is generated based on population-weighted energy use. Analysis of energy flows through this world-system provides support for the existence of unequal ecological exchange — the core countries are using more energy, emitting more CO2, and attaining more GDP per capita relative to the semiperiphery, with the periphery lagging well behind both. This relationship also holds for net importers of energy as compared to net energy exporters. This demonstrates the inequality in resource use that leads to the development of the core and the underdevelopment of the periphery. But gains are being made by countries in the semiperiphery and periphery relative to the core for both per capita and percentage of world total measures. This potential for development may place the planet in peril, however, as efficiency gains in the core are being offset by growth in emissions by the semiperiphery and periphery.
Rethinking Global Commodity Chains
Authors: Ciccantell Paul , Smith David A.
Published: May 2009

The global commodity chains (GCCs) approach is an insightful way to understand issues of `development' and production and consumption differentials across space. It potentially offers insight into the issue of `ecologically unequal exchange'. However, we propose three revisions to conventional GCC analysis. First, many of the GCC studies tend to focus on only part of the commodity chain — and we need, in effect, to `lengthen' the chains. Stephen Bunker (1984) emphasized that `commodities can emerge only from locally based extractive and productive systems' (p. 1017). Beginning GCC analysis with these primary products forces the examination of various modes, techniques and technologies of extractive regimes, as well as the key roles of transportation and communications systems. Second, focusing on this `longer chain' requires analysis of spatially based disarticulations and contestations. Mineral deposits and agricultural economies tend to be tied to specific `natural' geographies — thus, `enclave economies' frequently develop that are globally integrated but locally disarticulated. Transportation systems (especially of bulk products) are extremely vulnerable to disruption and change dramatically over time. Third, we explicitly focus on tightly integrated social and natural processes across a range of industries. The goal is to focus on the relationship between long-term changes in the world economy and the natural environment, as well as on research in environmental studies that examines `ecologically unequal exchange' and points to prospects for sustainable development.
Explaining `Minor' Party Nominations in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Ishiyama John
Published: May 2009

To what extent do parties in Africa behave in ways similar to parties in new democracies elsewhere in the world? I examine nominations by the `minor' opposition parties to the single member districts for the legislative elections in Ethiopia, Malawi and Zambia. Using binary logit analysis, I found that generally the number of candidates running in a contest and the use of an `electoral arithmetic' by the parties explains whether they chose to nominate a candidate in a particular electoral district. However, the social demographic characteristics of districts appear to have little impact on whether or not a party nominates a candidate.
The Fate of the Oolichan: Prospects of Eco-Cultural Restoration in Eden Robinson's Monkey Beach
Authors: Soper-Jones Ella
Published: May 2009

In Monkey Beach Haisla/Heiltsuk-Canadian writer Eden Robinson depicts both the social disintegration and dynamic adaptation that result when the cognitive maps of a traditional culture are compromised by new realities. In the novel, colonization, industrial development, and ecological degradation have irrevocably changed the “old ways” of the Haisla. The oolichan, a smelt-like staple of the traditional Haisla diet, has been all but extirpated in the rivers of the tribe's ancestral territory. Economic and social realities have changed radically as well. These factors result in the growing irrelevance of Haisla traditions, threatening the integrity of their social cognitive maps. Through the topos of “fascinating cannibalism” Robinson frames a canny critique of literary hermeneutics, fabricating an “authentic” account of Haisla subjectivity and creating moments that are fraught with ambiguity and charged with undisclosed cultural significance; she thus urges readers, in the words of Doris Sommer, to “proceed with caution”. Ultimately, Robinson's assertion of cultural difference troubles the novel's easy assimilation into the Canadian postcolonial literary canon.
Exile Encampments: Whiteness in Alexandra Fuller's Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier
Authors: Rauwerda Antje M.
Published: May 2009

Alexandra Fuller's 2004 travel/homecoming narrative Scribbling the Cat reveals the problem of persistent whiteness in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The narrative raises questions about the place of African whiteness, and displaced Rhodesian whiteness in particular. This paper argues that Fuller's narrative depicts the tenuous hold white Africans have on their homeland in extensive descriptions of houses that are makeshift, incomplete, and temporary. It suggests, in addition, that rootless houses signify an effort to build a future that does not use the foundations of a violent, racist white past. The different effects of Fuller's descriptions of houses (emphasizing white vulnerability, obdurate distinctions between white and black and efforts to transcend the violence of history) reveal a tension in the narrative between what Fuller explicitly reveals about white Africanness and what she exposes by implication.
Indian Mysteries and Comic Stunts: The Royal Tour and the Theatre of Empire
Authors: Stafford Jane , Williams Mark
Published: May 2009

This article considers the records of three royal tours ranging from 1869 to 1920 and finds points where the voices of difference within empire merge, where authors adopt contrary stances for different audiences, or where a single text discloses conflicting positions. In Canadian Mohawk poet E. Pauline Johnson's reconstruction of an 1869 tour by Prince Arthur contemporary public accounts are revisited and the indigenous actors are presented in culturally specific terms. In the account of the Duke and Duchess of York's 1901 tour of New Zealand, two voices — one settler, one Maori — collaborate and there is an obscurity about who is speaking where. In the private letters of the Prince of Wales' 1920 tour of New Zealand the manicured script of imperial performance is undercut. Such elaborations, elisions and subversions of authorial voice raise questions about the confidence with which we assign ideological positions to the different parties in empire.
“Enthralling but at the same time disturbing”: Challenging the Readers of Small Island
Authors: Lang Anouk
Published: May 2009

This article explores the responses of readers who encountered Andrea Levy's novel Small Island through the 2007 project Small Island Read. Through an analysis of the pleasure and discomfort experienced by these readers, it suggests that Small Island was able to keep them in the thrall of its narrative arc, while simultaneously challenging them to consider the stereotypes distorting their perceptions of others and while conveying uncomfortable information to them, such as the disparity between the representation of the “mother country” to colonial subjects and lived reality in wartime England. The responses also furnish evidence of the ways literary features can both facilitate and obstruct a text's transformative potential, and how Levy's text helped readers to overcome destabilizing effects such as chronological shifts and use of dialect. It argues that the reception of Small Island raises important questions about the divide between academic and other kinds of reading within postcolonial studies.
Labour Markets and Wages in 2008
Authors: Preston Alison , Jefferson Therese
Published: May 2009

The Australian economy in 2008 was one of contrasts: the resource based states continued to grow at relatively higher rates than the remainder; wage and employment outcomes varied widely for different groups in the labour force; and domestic climate change policies achieved prominence just as a global economic downturn led to rapidly changing macroeconomic conditions. Within this rapidly changing context, ongoing concerns with labour utilization, wage equity and issues of compliance appear likely to grow in significance.
The Indian Industrial Relations System: Struggling to Address the Dynamics of a Globalizing Economy
Authors: Hill Elizabeth
Published: May 2009

The industrial relations system in India has been under pressure for decades and new problems are emerging as the country becomes more integrated into the global economy. The main architecture of the system was established prior to Independence and remains mostly unchanged. The system is highly centralized and the state is the main mediator between capital and labour. Unions have historically enjoyed a close relationship with the state through party-based federations, but this has undermined their success developing a robust grassroots constituency and experience in collective bargaining. This essay provides a broad overview of the evolution of the Indian system of industrial relations and the labour market reform debate that has arisen in the context of economic change. The structure of the Indian labour market, the overwhelming size of the informal or `unorganized' workforce, and its location outside the industrial system is the fundamental challenge facing Indian industrial relations. There is an urgent need to develop a system that embraces all workers especially given India's demographic profile and the expected increase in the number of working age people over the next decade. The experience of women workers and the failure of both the industrial system and the union movement to understand and accommodate their needs is also an important challenge for industrial relations in India.
Gendered Transitions
Authors: Thompson Melissa , Petrovic Milena
Published: May 2009

Although contributing greatly to current criminological theory and research on crime and desistance, Sampson and Laub's theory of age-graded informal social control is limited in explaining gender differences in desistance. The authors addressed this limitation by comparing how adult institutions such as marriage, family, and employment affect illicit drug use for women compared with men. The authors analyzed logistic panel models with fixed effects using National Youth Survey data and found gender differences in the predictors of changes in illicit substance use. Although marriage reduced the odds of drug use for men, it was the importance or strength of a relationship that altered illicit drug use for women. The authors also found other gender differences regarding children and the emphasis placed on employment and family by respondents. This research adds to the existing literature on desistance and furthers knowledge about the gendered nature of Sampson and Laub's theory.
Construction of Stochastic Simulation Metamodels based on Unreplicated Smoothed Data
Authors: Reis dos Santos Pedro M. , Reis dos Santos M. Isabel
Published: May 2009

Metamodels are used for the analysis and optimization of real systems. The construction of a metamodel requires, in order to collect meaningful statistical data, a number of replicated simulation runs executed at each design point. We propose spreading those replications to an equal set of new neighboring design points. The resulting experimental design includes a single replication at each design point. The information collected from the additional points is balanced by a lack of statistical information from each point. Using smoothing techniques, we propose building the missing statistical information at each design point using the neighbors as approximate replications. This can lead to a better adjustment with less simulation runs. Two statistical tests are used to safeguard the applicability of the proposed procedure. Some examples are used to illustrate the increase in efficiency and approximation of the proposed approach.
An Agent-based Simulation Study for Exploring Organizational Adaptation
Authors: Jiang Wu  , Bin Hu  , Yu Zhang  , Spence Catherine , Hall Steven B. , Carley Kathleen M.
Published: May 2009

Agile enterprises with different organizational structures manifest different organizational behaviors when responding to environmental changes. In this paper, we use a computational model to examine organizational adaptation on four dimensions: Agility, Robustness, Resilience, and Survivability. We analyze the dynamics of organizational adaptation by a simulation study on the interaction between tasks and organization in a sales enterprise. The `what if' analyses in different scenarios show that more flexible communication between employees and less hierarchy level with the suitable centralization can improve organizational adaptation. The developed simulation model supports the exploration of the parametric space that defines alternative organizing processes for the optimal strategy given the specified environmental dynamics.
Tourism and Globalization: The International Division of Tourism Production
Authors: Nowak Jean-Jacques , Petit Sylvain , Sahli Mondher
Published: May 2009

An important facet of globalization is the international fragmentation of production. This phenomenon, also called international division of production processes, outsourcing, vertical specialization, and so on, has been studied for goods and many services but has so far been ignored for tourism. This article attempts to rectify that by providing theoretical and empirical evidence of various aspects of the international division of tourism production. In the modeling section, the traditional Ricardian paradigm of international trade theory is deliberately chosen to explain how the international splitting up of value-added chains in the tourism industry can occur across countries. The authors then conduct an empirical study of a sample of 38 countries to measure these countries’ comparative advantages in two segments of the tourism product system. Data from 1980-2004 indicate that tourism production is globally fragmented and that the scale of such fragmented production is quite substantial. Using more disaggregated data for 15 EU countries, the authors find evidence of a high level of fragmented tourism production as well.
Online Travel Surveys and Response Patterns
Authors: Pan Bing
Published: May 2009

This article reviews the benefits and issues with online surveys as it relates to response rates, speed of response, representativeness of the samples, and the differences in results due to different survey media. Analysis of the response data for four travel-related online surveys showed consistent response patterns. This article demonstrates that an exponential growth model is most appropriate when modeling the numbers of returns over time. The model can predict the final number of returns based on 7 or 8 days’ survey return numbers with a relatively small degree of error. The study suggests that surveying a pilot sample and analyzing their responses can allow a researcher to estimate the parameters of the response model for a large-scale survey and thus conduct a study in a more effective way.
Almost Pregnant
Authors: Duus-Otterström Göran
Published: May 2009

The turn from deterministic to probabilistic explanations has been used to argue that social science does not explain human action in ways that are incompatible with free will, since, according to some accounts of probabilism, causal factors merely influence actions without determining them. I argue that the notion of nondetermining causal influence is a multifaceted and problematic idea, which notably is unclear about whether the probability is objective or subjective, whether it applies to individual occurrences or merely to sets of occurrences, and whether it is possible for an occurrence to be “almost determined.”
Hurricane Katrina and the Myth of the Post—Civil Rights Era
Authors: Taylor Clarence
Published: May 2009

Many writers, scholars, and activists contend that the civil rights movement is over and we are now in a new “post—civil rights era.” Proponents of the post—civil rights notion contend that the civil rights movement was successful in its goal of eliminating legal discrimination. They also agree that black America is now facing a new set of problems not addressed by the civil rights objectives and tactics a generation ago. While a cross-section of critics support the idea of a post—civil rights era, they differ in their interpretation of the causes and solutions to the contemporary racial divide. In this article, the author analyzes three interrelated uses of the post—civil rights concept and question its utility in addressing the persistence of urban inequality and the unequal impact of Hurricane Katrina on the African American community.