bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The stream as a habitat templet for bryophytes: species' distributions along gradients in disturbance and substratum heterogeneity
Authors: MUOTKA TIMO , VIRTANEN RISTO
Published: May 2006

1. The structure of bryophyte communities in streams in relation to habitat characteristics, especially disturbance, is described. Disturbance in rivers is quantified as movement of the stream bed, whereas in small streams water level fluctuation is used as an indicator of disturbance frequency.

2. Canonical correspondence analysis differentiated frequently disturbed sites from more stable ones. The existence of a disturbance gradient was confirmed in a subset of the study sites using long‐term records of discharge variation. A parallel change was detected in the species composition of bryophyte communities with low‐statured, potentially fast colonizers dominating the disturbed end and large perennial species the stable end of the gradient.

3. A consistent pattern of zonation of bryophyte species was found along the gradient from continually submersed to persistently dry conditions in small streams and lake outlets. An abrupt increase in species richness occurred at or just above the water line, where facultatively aquatic species tolerant of both conditions formed the bulk of the community.

4. The relationship between species richness and standing crop in stream bryophyte communities was consistent with the hump‐backed model of Grime (1979), especially at the within‐habitat scale. Quadrats of low and very high standing crop were characterized by low species richness, while peak richness was observed at intermediate standing crops.

5. A few perennial species (e.g. Fontinalis spp. and Rhynchostegium riparioides) capable of monopolizing space dominated the most stable habitats. Species composition in low biomass sites was more variable, yet only one basic growth‐form (small‐statured species with high allocation to spore production) seemed possible in these highly disturbed streams. In habitats of intermediate biomass, small‐scale disturbances apparently allow the formation of a more varied bryophyte community.

6. A habitat templet for stream bryophyte life strategies and community structure is presented. Disturbance is proposed to be the factor filtering out traits unsuitable for a given environment. The potential of stream bryophytes for testing and developing general ecological theory is emphasized.
Food selection by calanoid copepods in response to between‐lake variation in food abundance
Authors: DEMOTT WILLIAM R.
Published: May 2006

1. Food selection experiments were conducted by acclimating calanoid copepods (Eudiaptomus spp.) in suspensions of natural seston and then adding pairs of dual‐labelled (14C/32P) algae. Each feeding trial measured selectivity between a small, high‐quality reference alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardii, and a test alga that differed in size and/or food quality. The influence of food concentration on food selection was tested by using seston from two lakes with contrasting food abundance and by including treatments with filtered lake water ('starved’) and seston diluted with filtered water or enriched with cultured algae.

2. Copepods that had been starved or acclimated to natural seston with low food abundance preferred the larger of two labelled algae, regardless of the nutritional quality of the algae. In agreement with the predictions of an optimal diet model, however, copepods that were acclimated to high food conditions discriminated against low‐quality foods, including digestion‐resistant algae and dead algae.

3. Selectivity coefficients showed excellent agreement with a previous study involving the same taxa of copepods and labelled algae but in which the copepods had been acclimated to pairs of cultured algae rather than natural seston. Thus, these comparisons emphasize the importance of food availability in modulating copepod selectivity for foods that differ in nutritional quality and suggest that such behaviour occurs in nature.
Influence of bacterial density and water temperature on the grazing activity of two freshwater ciliates
Authors: IRIBERRI JUAN , AYO BEGOÑA , SANTAMARIA ESTHER , BARCINA ISABEL , EGEA LUIS
Published: May 2006

1. The influences of bacterial density and water temperature on the grazing activity of the ciliates Uronema sp. and Colpoda inflata were studied. The conditions assayed were two prey densities (106 and 4 × 107 bacteria ml−1) and three water temperatures (10, 15 and 22 °C).

2. The response of the ciliates was measured from changes in protistan biovolumes and specific clearance rates. At high prey density, both ciliates showed lower biovolumes as water temperature increased, while at low prey density this tendency was minimized.

3. At the intermediate temperature of 15 °C both ciliates filtered ten times more body volume when bacteria were scarce; however, the ingested bacteria were fewer than at high prey density. At low prey density, a decrease from 15 to 10 °C evidenced different strategies of the two ciliates, which led to a similar ingestion of bacteria: C. inflata reduced its specific clearance rates and increased its biovolume, while Uronema sp. did not show changes. At high prey density, an increase from 15 to 22 °C caused lower biovolumes and a noticeable increase in specific clearance rates in both ciliates, indicating opportunist behaviour.
Factors influencing the stability of nutrient‐enriched freshwater macrophyte communities: the role of sticklebacks Pungitius pungitius and freshwater snails
Authors: DALDORPH P.W.G. , THOMAS J.D.
Published: May 2006

1. Enclosures, with the following characteristics, were used to investigate the effects of increased nutrient (nitrate and phosphate) loading on freshwater communities: (a) controls with normal densities of invertebrates, and including macrophytes, molluscs and fish (sticklebacks), and communities similar to the controls but with (b) much reduced snail densities and (c) increased fish densities.

2. The addition of nutrients resulted in increases in the biomass of phytoplankton and epiphyton, as well as zooplankton counts, in all the experimental enclosures.

3. A reduction in the snail population density resulted in a significant decrease in phytoplankton density and an increase, compared to controls, in the density of epiphytic algae growing on the leaves of the submerged macrophytes, Potamogeton crispus and Groenlandia densa. It also resulted in a significant increase (3.5 times that in the controls) in chlorophyll‐a values of epilithic algae growing on glass slides, an increase in senescent tissue in macrophytes and a decline in the mass of Groenlandia densa by the end of the experiment.

4. An increase in the fish population resulted in a significant decline, compared to the controls, in the densities of zooplankton (including Chydorus sphaericus and copepods), Lymnaea peregra (from May to mid‐June), Asellus meridianus, Crangonyx pseudagracilis, Culex (P.) molestus and Physa fontinalis. It also resulted in a change in the composition of the phytoplankton, with an increase in the large colonial Eudorina elegans and a decline in smaller planktonic algae, including Ankistrodesmus and Cryptomonas spp.

5. The possible mechanisms responsible for the effects are evaluated and their relevance to conservation and management of freshwater macrophyte communities are discussed.
Distraction in a case of otopalatodigital syndrome type II
Authors: BATRA P. , RYAN F. S. , WITHEROW H. , CALVERT M. L.
Published: May 2006

Summary.  Introduction.  Otopalatodigital syndrome type II is a rare X‐linked recessive disorder with generalized skeletal dysplasia and hearing anomalies. Its features include conductive hearing loss, unusual facies, cleft palate, micrognathia, and overlapping flexed fingers and toes. It is a more lethal variant of otopalatodigital syndrome type I. There are many consistently reported craniofacial and dental findings; however, no case has been published in dental literature.

Case report.  We report a case of otopalatodigital syndrome type II with micrognathia, cleft of the soft palate, and partial anodontia, and discuss the combined orthodontic and surgical management.

Conclusion.  We also discuss the differential diagnosis and consider more recent theories on possible aetiology as well as clinical management strategies for such cases.
Predictors of exercise participation in female hospital nurses
Authors: Kaewthummanukul Thanee , Brown Kathleen C. , Weaver Michael T. , Thomas Robert R.
Published: May 2006

Aim.  This paper presents a study to ascertain the relationship between exercise participation and selected personal factors, perceived benefits of and barriers to exercise, perceived self‐efficacy, perceived social support, job demands and motivation. Factors that were the best predictors of exercise participation among Thai female hospital nurses were examined.

Background.  Although current evidence demonstrates positive outcomes from participation in exercise, most individuals do not engage in regular exercise. Perceptions of benefits have been shown to facilitate adoption of exercise. If individuals do not perceive their health to be threatened, they may not see the need to exercise, even though they may believe that exercise improves health. Perceived barriers to exercise, including work, lack of social support, inaccessibility of exercise facilities, the cost of exercise, lack of energy and health reasons also have been shown to affect participation in exercise. Most studies have found that perceived self‐efficacy and social support were statistically significant predictors of exercise participation, especially social support from family and friends.

Methods.  A correlational cross‐sectional study was conducted at a hospital located in Thailand. Social cognitive theory and the Health Promotion Model guided this study. Thai language translations of the questionnaire were distributed to all Thai female nurses. The data were collected in 2002.

Results.  The response was 87% and resulted in 970 completed questionnaires. There was a statistically significant relationship between exercise participation and the set of selected personal factors, perceived benefits of and barriers to exercise, perceived self‐efficacy, and perceived social support (r2 = 0·17, P < 0·0001). The addition of job demands and its interactions did not contribute statistically significantly to the prediction of exercise participation. The addition of motivation contributed statistically significantly to the prediction of exercise participation, t(947, 0·975) = 2·81, P < 0·01 (two‐tailed). Not all variables included in the models were statistically significant independent predictors of exercise participation.

Conclusions.  The results indicate that increased exercise participation is dependent on the nurses’ perceptions of exercise, self‐efficacy and social support as well as their motivation to participate in exercise. Occupational variables, such as occupational stress and work assignment, should be investigated in future studies, to examine their influence on nurses’ participation in exercise.
Nutritional counselling: an intervention for HIV‐positive patients
Authors: Tabi Marian , Vogel Robert L.
Published: May 2006

Aim.  This paper reports an investigation of the effectiveness of nutritional counselling as an intervention to improve health outcomes for HIV‐positive patients in Ghana, West Africa.

Background.  In Ghana, like many developing countries, more patients with HIV and AIDS die because of their poor nutritional status than from the disease itself. With the lack of highly active anti‐retroviral therapy for most HIV‐infected patients in developing countries, nutritional counselling about high protein diet can be an essential intervention to reduce weight loss and improve weight gain and survival outcomes.

Method.  We used secondary‐analytic data collected in summer 2003. Recorded monthly weights of HIV‐positive patients were obtained and analysed for 25 people, whose ages ranged from 21 to 60 years, with a mean of 39·4 years (sd = 10·13).

Results.  HIV‐positive patients responded favourably to nutritional counselling about protein dietary intake as an intervention to improve weight gain. Repeated measures showed a statistically significant weight gain (P = 0·008).

Conclusion.  In the absence of anti‐retroviral therapy, high protein nutrition can be an effective intervention for HIV‐positive patients in developing countries. The health and nutritional status of the patients can be improved through nutritious food, allowing them to lead longer and better quality lives.
Women and abortion: the past reaches into the present
Authors: Trybulski JoAnn
Published: May 2006

Aim.  This paper reports a study of women's responses to abortion over an extended time.

Background.  Most studies of postabortion responses do not portray what women experience over an extended time period, since many only use a 24 month follow‐up period. Results from previous studies indicate that women have thoughts about their abortion that they suppress or find intrusive.

Method.  Sixteen women who had chosen to terminate a pregnancy for non‐medical reasons at least 15 years previously were interviewed during the years 1999–2001. This phenomenological study revealed their responses to and thoughts about their abortion(s).

Findings.  Each of the women spoke about thinking of their abortion(s) at varied times. The abortion(s) was/were not a time‐limited event; instead thoughts, emotions, and insights about the meaning of these experiences were on‐going, as life events unfolded. The past reached into the present in varied ways and at unplanned times. Difficulties with subsequent pregnancies, life milestones, and mundane occurrences involving friends' children were common triggers for recurring thoughts about past abortions. These recurrent thoughts had characteristics of avoidance or suppression and intrusion.

Conclusion.  When taking an obstetric history, nurses and midwives should be sensitive when inquiring about discrepancies between the number of times a woman has been pregnant and the number of living children. Opportunity should be given for a woman to discuss in a safe, non‐judgmental environment any emotions or thoughts she may express. Providers of women's healthcare services must reflect about ways to reassure women of the common nature of recurrent thoughts and the spectrum of emotional responses that, even years later, is normal.
The behaviour of the periodontal ligament is influencing the use of new treatment tools
Authors: SANDER CH. , SANDER F. M. , SANDER F. G.
Published: May 2006

summary  Orthodontic treatment can cause resorptions on teeth. Factors causing resorptions are forces and moments. Other factors that cause resorptions are less influenced by an orthodontic treatment. By carrying out experiments and finite element calculations, it was possible to demonstrate that forces and moments will produce stress in certain parts of the periodontal ligament and the root. This stress reaches or exceeds the blood pressure in some areas. To avoid high pressure in those areas, new treatment devices were constructed consisting of NiTi wires or a combination of NiTi and stainless steel. In the levelling phase, the acting forces remained below 0·5 N using NiTi wire with a diameter of 0·012′ (using elastic ligatures). With a NiTi stainless steel spring molars can be uprighted. The orthodontist can easily choose between an intrusive force, a very low intrusive force and an extrusive force. Because of the use of NiTi elements, there was acting an almost constant moment.
Netherton syndrome: A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Sun Joannie D. , Linden Kenneth G.
Published: May 2006

Netherton syndrome is a rare disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern consisting of ichthyosiform dermatosis, hair shaft abnormalities (trichorrhexis invaginata), and an atopic diathesis. Patients with Netherton syndrome have been found to have a mutation on chromosome 5q32 in a gene named SPINK5 (serine protease inhibitor, Kazal type‐5), which encodes an inhibitor of serine proteases called LEKTI.

We report a female patient with previously undiagnosed Netherton syndrome who presented to participate in a clinical research trial investigating the benefit of topical tacrolimus 0.03% ointment [Protopic® (Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Japan)] for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. This patient was confirmed to have a gene mutation in SPINK5. Current literature suggests a relative contraindication for use of topical tacrolimus in patients with Netherton syndrome owing to concern for increased systemic absorption of the drug. Our patient was not able to tolerate topical tacrolimus owing to local irritation, and did not derive any benefit from therapy.

Though rare, when evaluating patients with a possible diagnosis of atopic dermatitis, an index of suspicion for Netherton Syndrome must be maintained. History and overall clinical findings, especially in regards to examination of the hair, will aid in diagnosis.
Expression patterns of low temperature responsive genes in a dominant ABA‐less‐sensitive mutant line of common wheat
Authors: Kobayashi Fuminori , Takumi Shigeo , Egawa Chikako , Ishibashi Machiko , Nakamura Chiharu
Published: May 2006

Abscisic acid (ABA) plays important role in mediating stress responses and in acquiring desiccation tolerance and dormancy of plant seeds. To study roles of ABA in cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in wheat, expression profiles of Cor/Lea and their putative transcription factor (TF) genes were analysed using a dominant mutation line of common wheat EH47‐1 lacking seed dormancy. The mutant line was less sensitive to exogenous ABA than the original line as judged by the magnitude of ABA inhibition of seedling growth. Expression analysis of Cor/Lea and TF genes however, showed that more transcripts were present in ABA‐treated seedlings of the mutant line. In developing caryopses, the same tendency was observed. The mutant line showed no changes in the cold acclimation ability, but it showed a higher level of freezing tolerance than the original line without cold acclimation. No significant differences were observed in the expression profiles of Cor/Lea and TF genes during cold acclimation between the two lines. Our results imply the presence of an unknown ABA‐dependent cold responsive pathway, which enhances the basal level of freezing tolerance by a dominant mutation in EH47‐1.
Lean body mass‐adjusted Cockcroft and Gault formula improves the estimation of glomerular filtration rate in subjects with normal‐range serum creatinine
Authors: LIM WAI H , LIM EE M , McDONALD STEPHEN
Published: May 2006

Background:  Assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in individuals with normal‐range serum creatinine is important in certain clinical situations, such as in potential living kidney donors. Accurate measurements of GFR invariably involve using an invasive method (e.g. inulin clearances), but is inconvenient. The aim of the present study was to determine whether serum creatinine‐based prediction formulae adjusted for lean body mass (LBM) could improve the accuracy of GFR estimation in these subjects.

Methods:  Glomerular filtration rate was determined by the clearance of technetium‐99m‐labelled diethylenetriamine penta‐acetic acid (99mTc DTPA) from plasma in 56 subjects with normal serum creatinine. For each subject, GFR was estimated using prediction formulae ± LBM adjustment and compared with measured GFR. Formulae analysed include Cockcroft–Gault, Levey, Gates, Mawer, Hull, Toto, Jellife and Bjornsson.

Results:  All formulae ± LBM adjustment underestimated measured GFR, with poor precision, poor agreement and correlation (r 2 ≤ 0.25). Between 69% and 95% of the estimated GFR determined by the formulae correctly classified those with a normal measured GFR. LBM‐adjusted formulae significantly improved the accuracy of GFR estimation compared with unadjusted formulae.

Conclusion:  The lean body mass‐adjusted Cockcroft–Gault formula was the closest to measured GFR but is not accurate enough to replace radionuclide GFR measurement. Prediction formulae should be adjusted for LBM to improve GFR estimation.
Can spot urine protein/creatinine ratio replace 24 h urine protein in usual clinical nephrology?
Authors: LANE CATHIE , BROWN MARK , DUNSMUIR WILLIAM , KELLY JOHN , MANGOS GEORGE
Published: May 2006

Background:  This prospective study was designed to assess whether a single urine specimen, collected at the time of clinical assessment, could be used to estimate 24 h urinary protein excretion.

Methods:  The spot urinary protein/creatinine ratio (P/Cr) and 24 h urine protein and creatinine excretion were determined from 103 patients attending a nephrology clinic. Using the spot urine P/Cr, a regression equation was derived, predicting 24 h protein excretion. The performance of the regression equation was tested on a new cohort of 85 patients. Within this new cohort, agreement between the predicted and the actual 24 h urinary protein excretion was assessed using the Bland–Altman technique. The ability of spot urine P/Cr and dipstick urinalysis to predict different threshold levels of protein excretion was assessed using a series of receiver operator curves.

Results:  A logarithmic relationship exists between the spot P/Cr and 24 h protein excretion, with a correlation of 0.92, P < 0.0001. Agreement between the actual and predicted 24 h urine protein and between spot and 24 h urine P/Cr ratios was suboptimal at higher levels of protein excretion. Discriminant spot urine P/Cr values reliably predicted protein excretion thresholds of 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 and 3.0 g/day. Urinalysis was a poor test for quantitating protein excretion.

Conclusion:  Random spot urinary P/Cr predicts actual 24 h protein excretion with reasonable accuracy in patients with lower levels of protein excretion but is unreliable in patients with high protein excretion and should not be used in the clinical setting unless 24 h urine collection is unavailable.
Incidence and risk factors for the development of acute renal failure in patients with ventilator‐associated pneumonia
Authors: GURSEL GUL , DEMIR NALAN
Published: May 2006

Aim:  Infections are one of the most important risk factors for the development of acute renal failure (ARF) and ventilator‐associated pneumonia (VAP) has been reported as one of the most frequent infection in intensive care units (ICU). Sepsis, shock, multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS), use of nephrotoxic antibiotics and mechanical ventilation are potential risk factors for development of ARF during VAP. The objective of the study was to evaluate the incidence of ARF in patients with VAP and the role of VAP‐related potential risk factors in the development of ARF.

Methods:  One hundred and eight patients who were admitted to the pulmonary ICU of a university hospital and developed VAP were included in this prospective observational cohort study. Only first episodes of VAP were studied. Diagnosis was based on microbiologically confirmed clinical findings. Potential outcome variables including responsible pathogens, recurrence, polymicrobial aetiology, bacteraemia, multidrug resistance of microorganisms, late/early VAP and sepsis and other known risk factors for development of ARF were evaluated. Risk factors were analysed by logistic regression analysis for significance.

Results:  Incidence of ARF was 38% (n = 41). Pneumonia with multidrug resistant pathogens (odds ratio, (OR) 5; 95% confidence interval (95%CI), 1.5–18; P = 0.011), sepsis (OR, 5.6; 95%CI, 1.7–18; P = 0.005) and severity of admission disease (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score: OR, 1.1; 95%CI, 1.02–1.3; P = 0.017) were independent risk factors for the development of ARF during VAP episodes in multivariate analysis.

Conclusion:  These results showed that the incidence of ARF is high during the VAP episodes and that VAP developed with multidrug resistant pathogens and sepsis have an independent effect on the development of ARF.
Leptin and resistin levels and their relationships with glucose metabolism in children with chronic renal insufficiency and undergoing dialysis
Authors: NECLA BUYAN , AYSUN BIDECI , OZAN OZKAYA , EROL ORTAC , SEVCAN BAKKALOGLU , SEVIM GONEN , HARUN PERU , OĞUZ SOYLEMEZOGLU , PEYAMI CINAZ
Published: May 2006

Aim:  The aim of the present study is: (i) to evaluate the serum concentrations of leptin and resistin in the paediatric patients with chronic renal impairment (CRI), on haemodialysis (HD) and on peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatment; (ii) to examine the relationship between these hormones; and (iii) to investigate the possible influence of these hormones on the insulin resistance and sensitivity indexes as well as on serum insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) and insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐3 (IGFBP‐3) levels.

Methods:  In total, 52 patients (15 patients with CRI, 24 PD patients and 13 HD patients) and 23 healthy age‐ and sex‐matched control subjects were included in the present study.

Results:  Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA–IR) was higher than 2.5 in 47.1% of the patients. IGF‐1 levels of patients with CRI, PD and HD patients were significantly lower than those in the controls (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). The leptin levels of patients with CRI and on PD and HD treatment were significantly higher than the control group (P = 0.038, P = 0.002, P = 0.006, respectively). Similarly, serum resistin levels of patients with CRI and those of PD and HD patients were higher when compared with healthy controls (P = 0.037, P < 0.001, P = 0.005, respectively).

Conclusion:  Leptin and resistin levels were increased in the children with CRF; however, this elevation was not found to be associated with hyperinsulinism. Further studies to explain the mechanisms and consequences of the accumulation of these hormones in CRF may provide the therapeutical approach aiming to normalize their circulating levels.
Prevention of chronic kidney disease: The next step forward! (Review Article)
Authors: DE JONG PAUL E , GANSEVOORT RON T
Published: May 2006

SUMMARY:  The incidence of end stage renal disease in patients who have not experienced a classic primary renal disease is dramatically increasing. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in these patients is due to diabetes, mostly type 2, hypertension and generalised atherosclerosis. As these patients are frequently diagnosed as having renal function impairment only in the late phase, more effort should be undertaken to diagnose them earlier, that is, at a time when renoprotective measures can still be undertaken. For that purpose, measurement of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) might be helpful. To properly interpret those measurements, however, we need to be aware of the pros and cons of the use of formulas to estimate the GFR. Most likely, a better way to detect subjects at risk of CKD in the early phase is screening by dipstick proteinuria or preferably by testing for (micro‐) albuminuria. Because microalbuminuria not only indicates increased renal but also enhanced cardiovascular risk, the benefits of such screening programmes may have a much greater affect than only preventing renal disease.
Power of a Unit‐Root Test and the Initial Condition
Authors: Harvey David I. , Leybourne Stephen J.
Published: May 2006

Abstract.  It is now well known that how the initial observation is generated can have a significant effect on the power of a unit‐root test. In this article, we show that by taking a simple data‐dependent weighted average of the initial condition‐robust test of Elliott and Müller [Journal of Econometrics (2006), forthcoming] and the standard augmented Dickey–Fuller test, we are able to produce a new unit‐root test that can improve power, both asymptotically and in finite samples, over a wide range of possibilities governing the generation of the initial observation.
Optimal Detection of Exponential Component in Autoregressive Models
Authors: Allal Jelloul , El Melhaoui Saïd
Published: May 2006

Abstract. In this article, the problem of detecting the eventual existence of an exponential component in an AR(1) model, that is, the problem of testing ordinary AR(1) dependence against the alternative of an exponential autoregression [EXPAR(1)] model, was considered. A local asymptotic normality property was established for EXPAR(1) models in the vicinity of AR(1) ones. Two problems arose in this context, which were quite typical in the study of nonlinear time‐series models. The first was a problem of parameter identification in the EXPAR(1) model. A special parameterization was developed so as to overcome this technical problem. The second problem was related to the fact that the underlying innovation density had to be treated as a nuisance. The problem at hand, indeed, appeared to be nonadaptive. These problems were solved using semi‐parametrically efficient pseudo‐Gaussian methods (which did not require Gaussian observations).
ERP/CSD indices of impaired verbal working memory subprocesses in schizophrenia
Authors: Kayser Jürgen , Tenke Craig E. , Gates Nathan A. , Kroppmann Chris J. , Gil Roberto B. , Bruder Gerard E.
Published: May 2006

To disentangle subprocesses of verbal working memory deficits in schizophrenia, long EEG epochs (>10 s) were recorded from 13 patients and 17 healthy adults during a visual word serial position test. ERP generator patterns were summarized by temporal PCA from reference‐free current source density (CSD) waveforms to sharpen 31‐channel topographies. Patients showed poorer performance and reduced left inferior parietotemporal P3 source. Build‐up of mid‐frontal negative slow wave (SW) in controls during item encoding, integration, and active maintenance was absent in patients, whereas a sustained mid‐frontal SW sink during the retention interval was comparable across groups. Mid‐frontal SW sinks (encoding and retention periods) and posterior SW sinks and sources (encoding only) were related to performance in controls only. Data suggest disturbed processes in a frontal‐parietotemporal network in schizophrenia, affecting encoding and early item storage.
Thioredoxin inhibits NMDA‐induced neurotoxicity in the rat retina
Authors: Inomata Yasuya , Nakamura Hajime , Tanito Masaki , Teratani Akie , Kawaji Takahiro , Kondo Norihiko , Yodoi Junji , Tanihara Hidenobu
Published: May 2006

Thioredoxin (TRX) plays a variety of redox‐related roles in organisms. To investigate its function as an endogenous redox regulator in NMDA‐induced retinal neurotoxicity, we injected NMDA with TRX, mutant TRX or saline into the vitreous cavity of rat eyes. Retinal ganglion cells were rescued by TRX, compared with saline, when evaluated by retrograde labeling analysis at 7 days after NMDA injection. TRX, but not its mutant form, prevented NMDA‐induced apoptosis in the retina, as measured by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated UTP nick‐end labeling. The induction of caspase 3 and 9, but not caspase 8, by NMDA was significantly lower in TRX‐treated eyes than in saline‐treated eyes. NMDA‐induced activation of the MAPKs, p38 kinase and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase after 6 h and of the MAPK kinases (MKKs) MKK3/6 and MKK4 after 3 h was markedly suppressed in retinal ganglion cells by TRX but not by the mutant form. NMDA‐induced increases in protein carbonylation, nitrosylation and lipid peroxidation were also suppressed in TRX‐treated eyes. We concluded that the intravitreous injection of TRX effectively attenuated NMDA‐induced retinal cell damage and that suppression of oxidative stress and inhibition of apoptotic signaling pathways were involved in this neuroprotection.
DO BUTLER AND STOKES REALLY EXPLAIN POLITICAL CHANGE IN BRITAIN?
Authors: CREWE IVOR
Published: May 2006

Butler and Stokes’Political Change in Britain is reviewed, and criticised for focussing on a notion of electoral change which is singularly restrictive and which, moreover, has been noticeably absent in post‐war Britain compared with other Western democracies. Three other kinds of electoral change, although ignored in the book, are shown to have been peculiar to Britain since 1945. These are (i) a persistent decline in the combined major party share of the electorate; (ii) a gradual fall in turnout; and (iii) an accelerating volatility of support between the two main parties. A more disturbing weakness in the study is that its general model of electoral behaviour, largely borrowed from the earlier Michigan studies, cannot account for these three electoral trends. Indeed, the model leads to predictions of electoral behaviour which are the very opposite of what has in fact taken place. In the light of the model's failure, some of its key concepts such as party identification, political generation and the model of partisan development as a learning process are subjected to critical scrutiny. No alternative model is tested, but plausible explanations of British voting behaviour since 1945 are offered which place a much greater emphasis on sociological and historical factors and on changes at the macro and elite level.
PUBLIC ORGANIZATION AND THE WANING OF THE WELFARE STATE: A RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE*
Authors: SCHARPF FRITZ W.
Published: May 2006

The political economy of the welfare state, which had emerged as the successful response of capitalist democracies to the economic crisis of the nineteen‐thirties, is now confronted with new problems and demands which seem to challenge its continuing viability. The resulting crisis of transition may lead into political regression and even catstrophe unless political systems increase both their capacity for policy innovation and their ability to avoid dramatic policy failures. The essay suggests that organizational studies may offer a significant contribution to the successful management of the macro‐societal transition process if they will systematically relate their own work to substantive policy studies. By focusing closely on the organizational causes of policy failures, they may contribute to the practical improvement of public policy‐making as well as to systematic theory development. The potential of this approach is illustrated through brief sketches of three studies combining substantive policy analysis with the analysis of public sector organization.
STATUS POLITICS AND CONSERVATIVE IDEOLOGY: A FRENCH‐SWISS CASE IN NATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE*
Authors: SCHWEITZER DAVID R.
Published: May 2006

The accent on status‐anxiety factors which shape ideologies and political directions has emerged as a popular, but relatively speculative and untested, theme in contemporary political analysis. This article traces the evolution of the “status politics” theme, from its essayist interpretations of American right‐wing radicalism to comparative applications in other Western industrialized societies. The task is to make more organized sense of this theme and to submit several derivative statements to a systematic empirical test. The results are based on a secondary analysis of Lausanne survey data and the preliminary findings of a recent nation‐wide survey of the Swiss general electorate. The Lausanne results indicate that emotive dissatisfaction with personal status failures and felt aspiration—achievement discrepancies, especially among occupational skidders and immobile respondents, are among the more influential status‐anxiety factors associated with classical conservative ideology. The national survey results point to other related status insecurities and dissatisfactions which distinguish ultraconservative National Action and Republican party supporters from other party supporters in the Swiss general electorate. These results lend some comparative weight to the status politics explanation.
WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT: THE CAUSES OF UNDERREPRESENTATION EXEMPLIFIED BY DENMARK AND NORWAY IN THE 1960s *
Authors: FOVERSKOV PETER
Published: May 2006

The general phenomenon in Western societies of female underrepresentation is one of the results of the process of political recruitment. This article seeks to identify the causes of female underrepresentation by analysing the effect of traditional recruitment variables like level of education, occupational position and political experience on the relationship between sex and electoral success. The factors influencing the nomination of candidates for the elections are also briefly analysed. The analysis is limited to the recruitment to national parliaments in Denmark and Norway in the 1960s. The conclusion is that sex must be conceived as a resource in the process of political recruitment on a par with the traditional resources included in the theoretical frameworks of political recruitment.
CAN THE WORKERS BE REVOLUTIONARY?*
Authors: KUMAR KRISHAN
Published: May 2006

In recent years there has been a marked revival of Marxism in the intellectual life of western societies. This has resulted not only in some impressive synoptic studies dealing with the structure of contemporary capitalist societies, but in a renewed concern with social change in these societies, and specifically with the role of the working class in the future transformation of capitalist society. This paper questions the importance attached to the proletariat as an actual or potential agent of revolutionary change. It asks: why did Marx and Engels see the proletariat in this role? What historical and theoretical considerations led them to this view? How plausible is it? The paper concludes that on the historical and sociological evidence Marx and Engels drew unwarranted inferences concerning the future role of the working class as an agency of the revolutionary transformation of capitalist society.
THE CHANGING CLASS STRUCTURE AND POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR – A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF LOWER MIDDLE‐CLASS POLITICS IN BRITAIN AND THE NETHERLANDS
Authors: RALLINGS COLIN S. , ANDEWEG RUDY B.
Published: May 2006

A rapid increase in the non‐manual proportion of the labour force has characterised most Western nations over the past 50 years. This development appears to have had an especial impact on the socio‐economic composition and work, market and status position of the group of white‐collar workers on the lower fringes of the non‐manual stratum, and many theorists have expected that it would have implications too for their political behaviour and social attitudes. There have been a variety of prognostications, but very little supportive evidence of reactions at the individual level. Our empirical analysis of white‐collar workers in Britain and the Netherlands suggests, however, that they have not responded to change in the expected, rather dramatic way, but that the aggregate pattern of their partisanship and political attitudes remains “intermediate” between those of the solid middle and working‐class groups. Further examination shows that such a finding should not be surprising, for white‐collar workers have not been universally subject to similar experiences nor would they be likely to interpret them in exactly similar ways. Rather they constitute a group whose diverse political and social backgrounds continue importantly to influence their behaviour and outlook and to militate against any strong, “class‐based” reaction to socio‐economic change.
SUPPORT FOR THE FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY IN WESTERN DEMOCRACIES *
Authors: MULLER EDWARD N. , PESONEN PERTTI , JUKAM THOMAS O.
Published: May 2006

An important manifestation of freedom of assembly is the right to organize and participate in peaceful public demonstrations. Data from representative cross‐sectional surveys of the adult population of seven European countries and the United States show that mass support for this right cannot be taken for granted in Western democracies. Education, age, and political value priorities are three explanatory variables that can be expected to affect the likelihood of a person opposing any attempt by government to forbid public demonstrations. The strength, form, and nature of the relationship between disapproval of a ban on demonstration and the explanatory variables are compared cross‐nationally.
The Farmers, the Consumers and the State: Redistribution and Conflicts in Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom*
Authors: STEEN ANTON
Published: May 2006

In most Western communities redistribution to agriculture seems to have enjoyed a special position. The article focuses this policy during the post‐war period in three countries, and asks which effects other interest groups and relationships between farmers and the state have had on redistributional policies. It is often assumed that redistribution produces conflictual political processes. The material suggests that the way conflicts are socialized influences both the level and kind of conflict, and in the long run the pay off to the farmers.
Local Government Expenditures in Belgium: Do Political Distinctions Matter?*
Authors: GINSBURGH VICTOR , PESTIEAU PIERRE
Published: May 2006

The purpose of this paper is to test whether public spending by local communities in Belgium is influenced by local politics. Unlike previous studies which are briefly surveyed, we test alternative models of the local budgetary decision, and systematically favour the one which includes political variables. In spite of this deliberate bias, political factors influence neither the level nor the structure of local public spending in Belgium. This may imply little differentiation among parties at the local level, rather than institutional constraints.
Why Amateur Party Politics has Withered Away: The Club Movement, Party Reform and the Decline of American Party Organizations*
Authors: WARE ALAN
Published: May 2006

This article is concerned with the decline of American party organizations and, in particular, with the role of amateur (issue‐oriented) activists in contributing to this. It focuses on two main problems. The first is the relevance of the post‐1968 Democratic party reforms in destroying the role of party in presidential nominations. Contrary to a widely held view, it is argued that a decentralized system of nomination would have emerged in an ‘unreformed’ party. Secondly, the decline of the Democratic club movement is examined. It is argued that the clubs did not develop as major institutions within the party, and that they were an appropriate form of organization for liberals in only very restricted circumstances. The example of Denver is used to illustrate this argument. The decline of the clubs in those parts of America where they had become established is traced to one of three possible causes, each of which would be a sufficient condition for the collapse of the club movement. In conclusion it is argued that the clubs were a transitory form of political organization, linking the period of political machines with that of candidate‐centred politics. Rather than destroying the parties, if anything, they served in the 1950s and early 1960s to diffuse potential anti‐partyism.
Gazing Up at the Bottoms: Problems of Minimal Response in the Implementation of Manpower Policy
Authors: DAVIES TOM , MASON CHARLES
Published: May 2006

The paper discusses the implementation of manpower policy as viewed from below, and is a partial critique of ‘bottom‐up approaches’ to implementation studies. It reports on a Social Science Research Council financed study at the School of Advanced Urban Studies which employed both bottom‐up and top‐down methods, and explored the hypothesis that the nature of the employment problem tackled by policy affected implementation. Restructuring policy would be easier to implement than policy designed to ‘mop up’ the effects of restructuring, the least easy to implement being policy designed to redistribute rewards in the labour market. The research attempts to include the view from below the ‘bottom’ usually referred to by bottom‐up theorists. The paper reports, from the point of view of those affected, the failed implementation of the multiple responses at central and local level to the creation of large‐scale redundancies. It shows the presence of ‘garbage can’, ‘symbolic’, ‘crisis‐response’, and ‘ambiguity’ elements in the implementation process. It also shows ‘mobilization of bias’, reluctance to assume responsibility for policy decisions, and the power of the market in implementation. It concludes that ‘economic’ is a quality akin to ‘magic’ which makes its manipulation in implementation extremely difficult, and suggests that powerful implementation institutions are needed if those below the ‘bottoms’ are not to suffer from restructuring in the labour market.
Jürgen Habermas and the Idea of Legitimation Crisis
Authors: PLANT RAYMOND
Published: May 2006

This paper explores one aspect of the recent work of Jürgen Habermas on Legitimation Crisis. It focuses attention on Habermas's claim that the pre‐capitalist moral values on which capitalism has hitherto relied have become progressively displaced by the growth of the capitalist economy. This has produced central problems for the state management of the economy, in the absence of an established internalized set of values which could act both as restraints upon economic demands and as reinforcements to an ethic of work. Various attempts to solve this problem proposed by Hayek and Luhman are discussed together with Habermas's own proposal for a rational consensus view of morality which could lead to a new Sittlichkeit. The conclusion of the paper is that while rational discussion of values is important, this does not entail that the possibility agreement is required to make sense of this activity. Habermas's notion of undistorted communication as a way of recommending a moral foundation for politics is not feasible.
Social Structure, Value‐Orientations, and the Party System: The Problem of Interest Accommodation in Western Democracies
Authors: KAASE MAX , KLINGEMANN HANS‐DIETER
Published: May 2006

The relationship between social structure, value‐orientation, and party system is discussed on the basis of a comparative analysis of Austria, Great Britain, the United States and West Germany. The focus is on two central themes: the cultural interpretation of interest‐conflicts which are imposed by social structure, and the correspondence between value‐orientations and the party system. Both micro‐and macro‐level analyses are performed. The cultural interpretation of interest‐conflicts is traced back to the Left‐Right dimension and to the materialist‐postmaterialist dimension. Two different developmental tendencies lead to the prediction of growing tensions between value‐orientations and party systems. The old Left proves to be more materialistic in the formulation of its political goals; it is also more conservative in the selection of means to attain these goals. In contrast, the new Left is postmaterialistic, and progressive in its forms of participation. This constellation poses an overwhelming integrative task, especially for the parties of the Left.
Professionalism in the Welfare State: Sociological Saviour or Political Pariah?*
Authors: BJÖRKMAN JAMES WARNER
Published: May 2006

This paper addresses the emergent centrality of professionalism and professions in the society and political economy of the welfare state. For purposes of illustration, it explores the impact and effects of professionalism in the health sector, which accounts for a major share of welfare state activities; but the aim is a more general understanding of professionalism in the welfare state. After reviewing three schools of sociological theorizing about the professions, several case‐studies of health professionals are examined. Then the convergence of political science and sociology is explored for their respective disciplinary attempts to explain these trends. Finally, two proposed solutions to the problem which professionalism poses for post‐industrial democracies are discussed.