bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Therapy of Basilar Artery Occlusion
Authors: Lindsberg Perttu J. , Mattle Heinrich P.
Published: January 2006

Background and Purpose—

Basilar artery occlusion (BAO) is an infrequent form of acute stroke, which invariably leads to death or long-term disability if not recanalized. A traditional recanalization approach based on historical controls and pathophysiological consideration is local intra-arterial thrombolysis (IAT) in eligible patients. This necessitates diagnostic evaluation and treatment in stroke centers equipped with an interventional neuroradiological service on a 24-hour basis, but its superiority to the technically simple intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) remains unproven.

Methods—

We analyzed systematically published case series of substantial size reporting the outcome of BAO after IAT or IVT.

Results—

In 420 BAO patients treated with IVT (76) and IAT (344), death or dependency were equally common: 78% (59 of 76) and 76% (260 of 344), respectively (
P
=0.82). Recanalization was achieved more frequently with IAT (225 of 344; 65%) than with IVT (40 of 76; 53%;
P
=0.05), but survival rates after IVT (38 of 76; 50%) and IAT (154 of 344; 45%) were equal (
P
=0.48). A total of 24% of patients treated with IAT and 22% treated with IVT reached good outcomes (
P
=0.82). Without recanalization, the likelihood of good outcome was close to nil (2%).

Conclusions—

Recanalization occurs in more than half of BAO patients treated with IAT or IVT, and 45% to 55% of survivors regain functional independence. Although improved therapy forms for BAO are necessary, hospitals not equipped for IAT may set up IVT protocols. The effect of IVT is probably not much different from the effect of IAT. IVT represents probably the best treatment that can be offered to victims of acute BAO in such hospitals.
Prediction of Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality
Authors: Staub Daniel , Meyerhans Alessandro , Bundi Beat , Schmid Hans Peter , Frauchiger Beat
Published: January 2006

Background and Purpose—

The intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery (CCA) is well correlated with the degree of arteriosclerosis and is a predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The (hemodynamic) resistive index (RI) of the internal carotid artery (ICA) correlates with the degree of arteriosclerosis just as well as IMT. The aim of the study was to compare the predictive values of RI and IMT with regard to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Methods—

A total of 146 patients with cardiovascular risk factors or established arteriosclerosis were included. Duplex sonography of the CCA and ICA was performed, and the IMT and RI were measured in both vessels. During follow-up for a median of 36 months, the occurrence of cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death) was assessed.

Results—

Thirty-nine cardiovascular events occurred in 28 patients (19.2%). The relative risk for a car-diovascular event per increase of the IMT by 1 SD (0.16 mm) was 1.53 (95% CI, 1.07 to 2.18) and 1.91 (95% CI, 1.34 to 2.73) for RI ICA (0.08). The event rate in patients with IMT <0.79 mm (mean) and RI ICA <0.66 (mean) was 11.8% and 12.7% compared with 25.6% (
P
=0.03) and 25.0% (
P
=0.06) in patients with IMT ≥0.79 mm and RI ICA ≥0.66, respectively. Log rank analysis showed a continuous increase in the risk of cardiovascular event with increasing range of the IMT (
P
=0.029) and RI ICA (
P
<0.001).

Conclusion—

The RI ICA is a predictor of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, at least comparable to the well-established IMT.
Therapeutic Strategies After Examination by Transesophageal Echocardiography in 503 Patients With Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Harloff Andreas , Handke Michael , Reinhard Matthias , Geibel Annette , Hetzel Andreas
Published: January 2006

Background and Purpose—

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is the gold standard in detecting high-risk (ie, aortic thrombi) and potential sources (ie, patent foramen ovale [PFO]) of cerebral embolism. We sought to evaluate the additional information and therapeutic impact provided by TEE in stroke patients and to characterize patients in whom TEE is indispensable.

Methods—

We included 503 consecutive patients (mean age 62.2 years) with acute brain ischemia. Each patient received TEE and the following routine diagnostics: ultrasound of brain supplying arteries, ECG or Holter-ECG, transthoracic echocardiography, and brain imaging (computed tomography or MRI). Stroke etiology was classified according to the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) criteria. High-risk sources in TEE were: aortic thrombi or plaques ≥4 mm, thrombi in left atrial cavity/left atrial appendage, spontaneous echo contrast, and left atrial flow velocity <30 cm/s. Potential sources in TEE were PFO, atrial septal aneurysm, and aortic plaques <4 mm.

Results—

Stroke etiology was determined by routine diagnostics in 276 of 503 patients (54.9%). Of the remaining 227 patients (undetermined etiology), 212 (93.4%) were candidates for oral anticoagulation (OA). TEE revealed a high-risk source, with indication for OA in 17 of them (8.0%). A potential source leading to OA was found in an additional 48 patients (22.6%). The remaining 147 patients (69.3%) were treated by platelet inhibitors or statins.

Conclusions—

TEE strongly influenced secondary prevention and led to OA in one third of our patients with stroke of undetermined etiology. TEE is indispensable in all patients being candidates for OA when routine diagnostics cannot clarify stroke etiology.
Using Change in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale to Measure Treatment Effect in Acute Stroke Trials
Authors: Bruno Askiel , Saha Chandan , Williams Linda S.
Published: January 2006

Background and Purpose—

Outcome measures in acute stroke trials are being refined. Changes in neurological deficits might be useful outcome measures because they can measure the entire spectrum of deficits.

Methods—

We analyzed data from the acute stroke treatment trial Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST). Using logistic regression analysis, we modeled the probability of the TOAST predefined very favorable outcome (VFO; both Glasgow Outcome Scale 1 and modified Barthel Index 19 to 20) at 3 months. Within-subject changes (baseline−3 months) on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was the main predictor of interest.

Results—

The baseline median NIHSS for the entire TOAST cohort was 7, and it improved by 4 points (interquartile range 3 to 6) among 603 patient with VFO and by 2 points (interquartile range −1 to 5) among 638 patients without a VFO (
P
<0.001). The odds for VFO increased by 2.29 (95% CI, 2.06 to 2.54;
P
<0.001) for each 1-point improvement on the NIHSS. In receiver operating characteristic analysis, final NIHSS ≤2 was a good predictor of VFO, but no single NIHSS change cut point was a good predictor of VFO.

Conclusions—

NIHSS change appears to be a useful outcome measure for acute stroke trials and is not fully comparable to dichotomized functional outcomes.
Outcome and Symptomatic Bleeding Complications of Intravenous Thrombolysis Within 6 Hours in MRI-Selected Stroke Patients
Authors: Thomalla Götz , Schwark Christian , Sobesky Jan , Bluhmki Erich , Fiebach Jochen B. , Fiehler Jens , Zaro Weber Olivier , Kucinski Thomas , Juettler Eric , Ringleb Peter A. , Zeumer Hermann , Weiller Cornelius , Hacke Werner , Schellinger Peter D. , Röther Joachim
Published: January 2006

Background and Purpose—

We compared outcome and symptomatic bleeding complications of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) within 6 hours of symptom onset in MRI-selected patients with acute middle cerebral artery infarction with the pooled data of the large stroke tPA trials.

Methods—

Patients were examined by perfusion-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging ≤6 hours. Within 3 hours, patients were treated according to Second European-Australasian Acute Stroke Study (ECASS II) criteria. After 3 to 6 hours, treatment with IV-tPA was performed based on MRI findings. Favorable outcome was assessed after 90 days using a dichotomized modified Rankin scale score of 0 to 1. Intracerebral bleeding complications were assessed on follow-up MRI or computed tomography. Data were compared with the pooled placebo and pooled tPA patients of the ATLANTIS, ECASS, and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) tPA trials.

Results—

From 174 MRI-selected tPA patients, 62% (n=108) were treated in ≤3 hours and 38% (n=66) after 3 to 6 hours. Favorable outcome was more frequent in MRI-selected tPA patients (48% [95% CI, 39 to 54]) compared with pooled placebo (33% [95% CI, 31 to 36];
P
<0.001) and pooled tPA patients (40% [95% CI, 37 to 42];
P
=0.046). Odds ratios for favorable outcome in the MRI-selected tPA group were 1.82 (1.32 to 2.51) compared with the pooled placebo and 1.39 (1.01 to 1.92) compared with the pooled tPA group. The rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage in MRI-selected tPA patients (3% [95% CI, 0 to 5]) was lower than in the pooled tPA group (8% [95% CI, 7 to 10];
P
=0.012) and comparable to the pooled placebo group (2% [95% CI, 1 to 3];
P
=0.392).

Conclusions—

This study supports that it is safe and effective to expand the time window for IV-tPA up to 6 hours in patients with tissue at risk as defined by MRI.
Hydrogen Sulfide Is a Mediator of Cerebral Ischemic Damage
Authors: Qu Kun , Chen Christopher P.L.H. , Halliwell Barry , Moore Philip K. , Wong Peter T.-H.
Published: January 2006

Background and Purpose—

We observed recently that elevated plasma cysteine levels are associated with poor clinical outcome in acute stroke patients. In a rat stroke model, cysteine administration increased the infarct volume apparently via its conversion to hydrogen sulfide (H
2
S). We therefore investigated the effects of H
2
S and the inhibition of its formation on stroke.

Methods—

Cerebral ischemia was studied in a rat stroke model created by permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO). The resultant infarct volume was measured 24 hours after occlusion.

Results—

Administration of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS, an H
2
S donor) significantly increased the infarct volume after MCAO. The NaHS-induced increase in infarct volume was abolished by the administration of dizolcilpine maleate (an
N
-methyl-
d
-aspartate receptor channel blocker). MCAO caused an increase in H
2
S level in the lesioned cortex as well as an increase in the H
2
S synthesizing activity. Administration of 4 different inhibitors of H
2
S synthesis reduced MCAO-induced infarct volume dose dependently. The potency of these inhibitors in effecting neuroprotection in vivo appeared to parallel their potency as inhibitors of H
2
S synthesis in vitro. It also appeared that most of the H
2
S synthesizing activity in the cortex results from the action of cystathionine β-synthase.

Conclusions—

The present results strongly suggest that H
2
S plays a part in cerebral ischemic damage after stroke. Inhibition of H
2
S synthesis should be investigated for its potential as a novel neuroprotective stroke therapy.
Performance Still Matters
Authors: Espinal Rosario , Hartlyn Jonathan , Kelly Jana Morgan
Published: January 2006

What explains low levels of trust in government institutions in democratizing Latin American countries? The authors examine this question in the Dominican Republic, employing data from three surveys conducted over 1994 to 2001. Their analysis finds that trust in government institutions is shaped primarily by perceptions of economic and political performance by government. There is little evidence of a relationship between civic engagement and institutional trust, and no relationship between democratic values and institutional trust. They find a curvilinear effect between socioeconomic status and institutional trust, with middle-sector groups significantly less trusting of government institutions than either the poor or the wealthy. Age has a nonlinear effect as older generations, who experienced authoritarianism as children, are considerably more trusting of democratic institutions, contradicting predictions by culturalist early-life socialization arguments. The authors conclude that low trust per se is not the major challenge for governance.
Consequences of Positivism
Authors: Johnson James
Published: January 2006

The aim of this article is to highlight the baleful consequences of positivism in contemporary political science. The author focuses on Gary King, Robert Keohane, and Sidney Verba's Designing Social Inquirybecause it clearly and consistently articulates positivist commitments that tacitly and so often inconsistently, animate much work in the discipline. The author first establishes the positivist commitments that animate King, Keohane, and Verba's argument and then shows that precisely because of those commitments, their theory of inquiry generates two highly regrettable consequences: It hinders our ability to make sense of successful quantitative analysis generally and of causal explanation in particular. More diffusely, but no less important given King, Keohane, andVerba's practical aims, their theory of inquiry is self-defeating in its efforts to impart intellectual unity to the discipline of political science.
The Digital Divide
Authors: Milner Helen V.
Published: January 2006

What factors have promoted and retarded the spread of the Internet globally? The Internet is one example of the diffusion of technology. Much as other technologies, the Internet has diffused unevenly across countries, raising concerns over a “digital divide.” My main proposition is that its spread has been driven by neither technological nor economic factors alone. Rather, political factors exert a powerful influence. Groups that believe they will lose from the Internet use political institutions to enact policies that block the spread of the Internet. Some political institutions make this easier than others. Data from roughly 190 countries from 1991 to 2001 showthat a country's regime type matters greatly, even when controlling for other economic, technological, political, and sociological factors. Democratic governments facilitate the spread of the Internet relative to autocratic ones. Thus, the spread of democracy may help reduce the digital divide.
Parallel Languages, Parallel Cultures
Authors: Mitchell Lisa
Published: January 2006

Linguistically bounded literatures, such as Telugu or Kannada literature, appear today as entities that have existed as meaningful categories nearly as long as the languages themselves. However, this imagination of literary worlds as coterminus with languages has not always made sense. Using debates over pedagogy and knowledge production sparked by the advent of printing in southern India, this article argues that languages emerged as discrete foundations for the parallel reorganisation of knowledge and practice only during the nineteenth century. Literary production, educational practice, the writing of history, the imagination of genres, and eventually the assertion of socio-political identity and geographical divisions have all been reorganised in relation to vernacular languages in India during the past 150 years. The article demonstrates that the treatment of languages as parallel rather than complementary media marks a new relationship to language that differs from earlier relation-ships to language in southern India. It argues that by the end of the nineteenth-century, practices relating to literacy, pedagogy, administration and bureaucracy, religion, economic exchange, and personal interaction—practices that once moved across multiple languages—began to be governed by the logic of parallel ‘mother tongues’.
Vernacular futures
Authors: Mantena Rama Sundari
Published: January 2006

The article explores how a new concept of historical time entered discourses on language in nineteenth-century south India. Particularly, I look at the work of C.P. Brown, a prominent scholar of Telugu in the nineteenth century, who through his philological intervention—his Telugu grammar, dictionary and definitive editions of Telugu literary classics—worked arduously to preserve the language. I argue that because colonial philology saw language as having a progressive history, i.e., the unfolding of language in progressive stages towards constant improvement, it instigated a profound intervention in language practices and thought, foreshadowing the great debates at the turn of the twentieth century on ‘modernising’ languages.
‘Enna Prayocanam?’ Constructing the canon in colonial Tamilnadu
Authors: Venkatachalapathy A.R.
Published: January 2006

Recent studies question the definition of a literary canon as an immutable corpus of texts sharing certain assured value and properties and distinguished by the possession of intrinsic worth; they argue that like all other human artifacts, canons are not given but are the product of a specific history, and are thus historically contingent. In the Indian context there are few studies that have taken up the question of canon formation. This article seeks to redress this lacuna and explores how the Tamil literary canon came be redefined in colonial India. The conjuncture of print, the ‘discovery’ of new texts, Orientalist scholarship and identity politics shaped the modern literary canon. While the pre-modern Tamil literary canon consisted predominantly of religious, mythological and didactic texts, the new canon was a largely secular one where the religious texts were marginalised.
Stability and Change in Childcare and Employment: Evidence from the United States
Authors: Miller Cynthia
Published: January 2006

Using a unique data set from the US to examine the association between employment stability and childcare stability, we find that childcare use is fairly stable for current and former welfare recipients. In addition, although childcare instability contributes to employment instability, it does not appear to be the major reason women leave their jobs. In this case, employment retention programmes in the US, while not losing focus on childcare issues, should also address other barriers to keeping jobs, such as limited education and lack of work experience.
Investigating the Effects of Family, Peer, and School Domains on Postdropout Drug Use
Authors: Drapela Laurie A.
Published: January 2006

This study assesses the effects of three factors on dropping out of high school and later drug use: antecedents to dropout; predictors of drug use articulated by criminological theories (e.g., social bonds, peers, and strain); and postdropout factors associated with adult social bonds (e.g., marriage and employment). Two findings emerge from the analyses. First, an antecedent to dropout—disruptive school behavior—explains differences in drug use between high school dropouts and high school students. Second, when dropouts alone are considered, school problems, early drug use, and deviant peers intensify dropouts’ drug use, independent of marital status and job stability. Results suggest that factors exacerbating substance use among dropouts have a more persistent effect on their deviant behavior than do those inhibiting it.
Understanding Motivation of Underserved Youth in Physical Activity Settings
Authors: Newton Maria , Watson Doris L. , Kim Mi-Sook , Beacham Abbie O.
Published: January 2006

In a sample of underserved youth, this study examined the relationship between achievement goal theory and affect and attitudes. The study also explored if constructs of Hellison’s taking personal and social responsibility (TPSR) model mediated the relationship between goal constructs and the dependent variables. Participants were 135 multiethnic boys and girls (mean age of 11.98 years) attending a physical activity summer camp. Dispositional goals, perceptions of the motivational climate, elements of Hellison’s TPSR model, affect, and attitudes were assessed. Hypothesized correlations emerged between goal constructs and affect and attitudes. Path analysis results suggested the data were best fit by a model with TPSR constructs mediating the relationship between goal constructs and the outcome variables. Task orientation and perceptions of a task-involving climate were related to the outcome variables through care for others and/or goal setting and self-responsibility. The conceptual and practical relevance of the findings are discussed.
Toppling Jefferson's Wall or Tiptoeing Around it?
Authors: Kinney Nancy T.
Published: January 2006

Through interviews with coordinators of faith-based mentoring programs, a statewide study examined publicly funded efforts to widen the involvement of religious groups in welfare service provision. Analysis focused on front-line implementers' ability to function as boundary spanners in a complex, unsettled environment. The study identified three salient factors affecting implementation in this new faith-friendly arena: the employment background of the programcoordinators, the rural or urban setting of the program, and the limitations of a constrained state welfare apparatus. The experiences of these so-called early adopters of charitable choice indicate the scope, strength, and surmountability of institutional barriers confronting implementers.
Public Management in the Shadow of the Constitution
Authors: Bertelli Anthony M. , Lynn Laurence E.
Published: January 2006

An unresolved issue in American constitutional governance is the role of public officials in a Madisonian scheme of separated institutions sharing power. Proposed answers range from broad delegation with reliance on expertise and professionalism to minimal delegation with formal checks on official discretion. In between are various pragmatic or realist views that accept discretion as both necessary and inevitable and offer normative principles of administrative conduct to guard against official abuse of power. None of these answers, however, satisfies criteria of constitutional legitimacy. The authors argue that such criteria can be derived by combining insights from traditional, normative literatures of public administration and from positive political theory and political economics. If the role of public managers is defined as maintaining a credible commitment to performing their duties pursuant to a precept of managerial responsibility that incorporates accountability, judgment, balance, and rationality, then, the authors argue, the Madisonian scheme of government embraced in the Constitution is complete.
Contradictory Interests, Tangled Power, and Disorganized Organization
Authors: Cobb P. Denise , Rubin Beth A.
Published: January 2006

University-community partnerships are a new organizational form that has emerged out of the economic crises that characterized urban landscapes in the 1990s. Based on an 18-month, multimethod, qualitative case study of one university-community partnership, the authors find that when participants have contradictory interests and work within an ambiguous organizational structure, the organization will tend toward persistent failure. This effect will be particularly problematic in organizational hybrids that feature partnerships among groups from systematically unequal social positions. Thus, the findings suggest that these organizational hybrids are predisposed to nonrational tendencies and permanent failure.
An Aesthetic Theory of Conflict in Administrative Ethics
Authors: Brady F. Neil , Hart David W.
Published: January 2006

Normally, one would think of conflict in administrative ethics as something to be avoided or resolved. This article, however, explores the possibility that conflict in ethics is essential and productive. Great art is beautiful precisely because of tension, not in spite of it, and the authors argue that administrative ethics is more like art than science. Therefore, the authors adopt an aesthetic point of view that examines tension and balance and reveals a wide range of types of conflict in ethics. In fact, the authors articulate 15 types of conflict and argue that the recognition of conflict is necessary for its proper management.
Conflating Forms of Separation in Administrative Ethics
Authors: Goodsell Charles T.
Published: January 2006

The preceding article by Neil Brady and David Hart explores the issue of whether conflict in administrative ethics should not be viewed as a problem but welcomed as necessary to good management. They compare the situation to the arts, where they see a similar presence of unresolved tension having favorable consequence. The present commentary points out that three quite different forms of separation are involved in their analysis and argues that conflating them into the single term conflict leads to significant misunderstandings. These forms are contradiction, competition, and contrast.
Public Value Management
Authors: Stoker Gerry
Published: January 2006

The aim of this article is to clarify the nature of the management style most suited to the emergence of networked governance. The paradigms of traditional public administration and new public management sit uncomfortably with networked governance. In contrast, it is argued the public value management paradigm bases its practice in the systems of dialogue and exchange that characterize networked governance. Ultimately, the strength of public value management is seen to rest on its ability to point to a motivational force that does not solely rely on rules or incentives to drive public service practice and reform. People are, it suggests, motivated by their involvement in networks and partnerships, that is, their relationships with others formed in the context of mutual respect and shared learning. Building successful relationships is the key to networked governance and the core objective of the management needed to support it.
Democracy in Area-Based Policy Networks
Authors: De Rynck Filip , Voets Joris
Published: January 2006

This article discusses the issue of democratic quality of area-based policy networks, with particular attention to the complex settings of network relations and to the changes in local regimes. It is argued that present associative and deliberative frameworks of democratic theory are useful but inadequate to enable proper assessments of multilevel and multiactor policy arrangements. The article therefore combines both frameworks with a contextualized and dynamic perspective and supports this position with a case analysis of a spatial planning network in Ghent, Belgium. It finds that in Flanders, local representative democracywas dominated by corporatism and party political arrangements, and emergent networks for spatial planning are replacing old corporatist arrangements in a new institutional framework for local representative democracy. The article concludes that analyzing area-based networks without analyzing changes in representative democracy in the same area can easily lead to biased conclusions.
Neighborhood Governance Reform and Networks of Community Power in Los Angeles
Authors: Musso Juliet A. , Weare Christopher , Oztas Nail , Loges William E.
Published: January 2006

This article applies network theory to consider the effects of neighborhood council reform on city governance in Los Angeles. The authors argue that neighborhood councils have the potential to change elite-dominated governance through several network effects: development of bridging social capital—network relationships that cross-cut traditional community cleavages, broadening of horizontal networks that improve information required for collective action, and creation of newties that elevate previously peripheral groups in the system of political communication. Based on field research and a network survey of neighborhood council board members, the authors find that although bonding ties help facilitate collective action, they also maintain social stratification because they develop between similar groups and involve status seeking. The development of weaker bridging ties among more diverse groups appears to promote mobilization through information sharing. Thus, bonding and bridging ties appear to play complementary roles in promoting information dissemination and mobilization among neighborhood councils.
The Impact of Family-Friendly Compensation
Authors: Cadigan John
Published: January 2006

This research examines the structure of the military labor market and the potential consequences of using family-friendly compensation practices to address recruiting and retention concerns. The limited opportunities for lateral entry into the military lead human resource managers to fill leadership positions from within. Dynamic considerations force recruiters to focus on young high school graduates and emphasize the benefits of a career in military service, which include an allowance system that rewards family status. Controlling for important demographic characteristics, military personnel are more likely to be married and have children than their civilian counterparts. The implications of this finding depend on the costs of family support programs and differences in performance between soldiers with and without dependents. This case highlights the difficulties that arise when government organizations are forced to compete with the private sector for labor and use social incentives as a means to attract persons into public service.
Changing Federal Government Employee Attitudes Since the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
Authors: Lee Haksoo , Cayer N. Joseph , Lan G. Zhiyong
Published: January 2006

This study examines federal employee attitudes since the passage of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. By reviewing seven employee surveys conducted by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management since 1979, we examine how attitudes have changed. We then analyze the degree to which organizational effectiveness, job satisfaction, and support for organizational change are affected by customer orientation, supervisory leadership, empowerment, teamwork, training and development, performance management, diversity, family-friendly policies, and labor relations. This study finds that (a) employee attitudes on most dimensions have been mildly positive; (b) employee attitudes somewhat reflect reform policies of each administration, presidential leadership, and environmental change; and (c) perceptions of organizational effectiveness, job satisfaction, and support for organizational change have been affected predominantly by customer orientation, supervisory leadership, empowerment, teamwork, performance evaluation fairness, and performance rewards. Finally, the study suggests that civil service reform integrate long-lasting strategies based on improved responsiveness and competitiveness of federal employees.
Organization Culture as an Explanation for Employee Discipline Practices
Authors: Franklin Aimee L. , Pagan Javier F.
Published: January 2006

Most supervisors dread employee discipline and often employ strategies not officially sanctioned by the organization. Poorly designed discipline systems cause this variation in discipline practices. Inconsistent discipline can cause losses in productivity and reduce employee morale. Extant literature offers little in the form of guidance for improving this important human resource activity. This article explore where normative literature on organizational culture may have explanatory value for understanding variation in discipline practices. The article suggests two groups of factors that have causal effects on discipline practices. The tangible factors are those describing the formal practices the organization wishes its employees to follow. The intangible factors provide cues for explaining why informal strategies emerge as successful practices for getting things done. Using this conception of organization culture, the article proposes hypotheses for future testing to validate the suspected influence of culture on decisions regarding employee discipline.
Understanding the Mentoring Process between Adolescents and Adults
Authors: Spencer Renée
Published: January 2006

The popularity of mentoring programs for disadvantaged youth is on the rise, but little is known about the processes that underpin successful mentoring relationships. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with adolescent and adult pairs who had been in a continuous mentoring relationship for a minimum of 1 year. Using relational theories as the guiding framework, this study examined four relational processes, which are detailed in this article: authenticity, empathy, collaboration, and companionship.
Does Problem Behavior Elicit Poor Parenting?
Authors: Huh David , Tristan Jennifer , Wade Emily , Stice Eric
Published: January 2006

This study tested the hypothesis that perceived parenting would show reciprocal relations with adolescents’ problem behavior using longitudinal data from 496 adolescent girls. Results provided support for the assertion that female problem behavior has an adverse effect on parenting; elevated externalizing symptoms and substance abuse symptoms predicted future decreases in perceived parental support and control. There was less support for the assertion that parenting deficits foster adolescent problem behaviors; initially, low parental control predicted future increases in substance abuse but not externalizing symptoms, and low parental support did not predict future increases in externalizing or substance abuse symptoms. Results suggest that problem behavior is a more consistent predictor of parenting than parenting is of problem behavior, at least for girls during middle adolescence.
“You Have to Give Her That Confidence”
Authors: McKee M. Diane , Karasz Alison
Published: January 2006

The considerable risk of negative consequences of unprotected intercourse underscores a need to better understand how Latina adolescent girls acquire the skills to manage the risks associated with sexuality. The authors used in-depth qualitative interviews with mothers and their daughters to examine communication related to sexuality with the goal of understanding the sociocultural and family context of Latina adolescents’ sexual behavior and reproductive health care seeking. Mothers and daughters agree that sexual activity threatens girls’ health and future and that open communication about sexuality is highly valued but difficult to achieve. Communication content tends to focus on the threats of sexual activity, but process is important. Strategies of effective communicators include deliberate creation of an atmosphere of approachability and a flow of information from daughter to mother.
Re-Evaluating the University Attrition Statistic
Authors: Wintre Maxine Gallander , Bowers Colleen , Gordner Nicole , Lange Liora
Published: January 2006

Following up on the transition to university and university persistence, 119 (44 males; 75 females) students who had not graduated (within seven years) from a large, commuter Canadian university were interviewed. ‘Leavers’ were nota homogenous group but could be divided into categories of departure: transferred to another university (29.4%), transferred to college (29.4%), took temporary leave (11.8%), dropped out (20.2%), and put on academic probation (9.2%). Quantitative analyses indicated that transfer and noncontinuing students differed on previously collected measures of achievement and parental reciprocity (Wintre & Yaffe, 2000). Interview data demonstrated that reasons for leaving were more related to mobility, exploration and career paths, characteristics of emerging adulthood, than to negative university experiences. Furthermore, many former students completed their degrees elsewhere, decreasing the previously reported attrition rate from 42.1% to 22.5%.
Associations Among Cruelty to Animals, Family Conflict, and Psychopathic Traits in Childhood
Authors: Dadds Mark R. , Whiting Clare , Hawes David J.
Published: January 2006

Previous research has produced mixed findings on the role of child and family factors in the genesis of childhood cruelty. The authors examined the relationships of cruelty to animals to a range of child and family factors. First, the authors test the idea that cruelty is a callous aggression that will be more strongly associated with psychopathic (callous or unemotional, CU) traits than general externalizing problems. Second, the authors operationalize family problems as open conflict rather than parenting problems as used earlier. Results indicated that for both genders, CU traits were associated strongly with cruelty. For boys, externalizing problems also added prediction in regression analyses. Family conflict was not associated with cruelty for either. These results suggest that cruelty to animals may be an early manifestation of the subgroup of children developing conduct problems associated with traits of low empathy and callous disregard rather than the more common pathway of externalizing problems and parenting problems.
Measuring Impulsivity in Adolescents With Serious Substance and Conduct Problems
Authors: Thompson Laetitia L. , Whitmore Elizabeth A. , Raymond Kristen M. , Crowley Thomas J.
Published: January 2006

Adolescents with substance use and conduct disorders have high rates of aggression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), all of which have been characterized in part by impulsivity. Developing measures that capture impulsivity behaviorally and correlate with self-reported impulsivity has been difficult. One promising behavioral measure, however, is a variant of the continuous performance test, the Immediate Memory Test/Delayed Memory Test (IMT/DMT). The authors showed significant group differences between adolescents in treatment for serious substance and conduct problems and community controls on impulsivity measures, both behavioral and self-report, as well as on aggression and problem behavior measures. Furthermore, the IMT/DMT correlated significantly with selfreported impulsivity. In summary, the IMT/DMT may be an effective behavioral measure of impulsivity in adolescents.
The Stroop Color-Word Test
Authors: Van der Elst Wim , Van Boxtel Martin P. J. , Van Breukelen Gerard J. P. , Jolles Jelle
Published: January 2006

The Stroop Color-Word Test was administered to 1,856 cognitively screened, healthy Dutchspeaking participants aged 24 to 81 years. The effects of age, gender, and education on Stroop test performance were investigated to adequately stratify the normative data. The results showed that especially the speed-dependent Stroop scores (time to complete a subtest), rather than the accuracy measures (the errors made per Stroop subtask), were profoundly affected by the demographic variables. In addition to the main effects of the demographic variables, an Age Low Level of Education interaction was found for the Error III and the Stroop Interference scores. This suggests that executive function, as measured by the Stroop test, declines with age and that the decline is more pronounced in people with a low level of education. This is consistent with the reserve hypothesis of brain aging (i.e., that education generates reserve capacity against the damaging effects of aging on brain functions). Normative Stroop data were established using both a regression-based and traditional approach, and the appropriateness of both methods for generating normative data is discussed.
External Correlates of the MMPI-2 Content Component Scales in Mental Health Inpatients
Authors: Green Bradley A. , Handel Richard W. , Archer Robert P.
Published: January 2006

External correlates of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 (MMPI-2) Content Component Scales were identified using an inpatient sample of 544 adults. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Symptom Checklist 90–Revised (SCL-90-R) produced correlates of the Content Component Scales, demonstrating external validity with clinicianrated and self-report scales. Relationships between MMPI-2 Content Component Scales and patient hospital chart variables were also examined. Results demonstrated cross-criterion validity in that most MMPI-2 Content Component Scales correlated with appropriate BPRS dimensions, SCL-90-R items, and other patient variables. Discriminant validity of the Content Component Scales was also demonstrated. In addition, the finding that similar patterns of correlates are produced when the component scales are correlated with a self-report measure, as well as clinician ratings and medical chart variables, provides converging lines of evidence supporting the construct validity of the Content Component Scales.
An Evaluation of the MMPI-2 and MMPI-A True Response Inconsistency (TRIN) Scales
Authors: Handel Richard W. , Arnau Randolph C. , Archer Robert P. , Dandy Kristina L.
Published: January 2006

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–Adolescent (MMPI-A) and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 (MMPI-2) True Response Inconsistency (TRIN) scales are measures of acquiescence and nonacquiescence included among the standard validity scales on these instruments. The goals of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of these scales in detecting varying degrees of acquiescence and nonacquiescence and to evaluate cutoff scores for clinical use. After the removal of invalid protocols from the MMPI-2 and MMPI-A normative samples, each normative sample was randomly divided in half. For each measure, one half of the normative sample served as a comparison group and the other half was modified with increasing degrees (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%) of randomly inserted true or false responses. The results for a 9.1% base rate of acquiescence or nonacquiescence provide support for TRIN cutoff scores at or near those presented in the MMPI-A and MMPI-2 manuals.
California Verbal Learning Test Indicators of Malingered Neurocognitive Dysfunction
Authors: Curtis Kelly L. , Greve Kevin W. , Bianchini Kevin J. , Brennan Adrianne
Published: January 2006

The present study used well-defined traumatic brain injury (TBI) and mixed neurological (other than TBI) and psychiatric samples to examine the specificity and sensitivity to Malingered Neurocognitive Dysfunction (MND) of four individual California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) variables and eight composite CVLT malingering indicators. Participants were 275 traumatic brain injury and 352 general clinical patients seen for neuropsychological evaluation. The TBI patients were assigned to one of five groups using the Slick, Sherman, and Iverson (1999) criteria: no incentive, incentive only, suspect, and malingering (both Probable MNDand Definite MND). Within TBI, persons with the strongest evidence for malingering (Probable and Definite) had the most extreme scores. Good sensitivity (approximately 50%) in the context of excellent specificity (> 95%) was found in the TBI samples. Issues related to the appropriate clinical application of these data are discussed.
Precautionary Savings Behavior of Maritally Stressed Couples
Authors: Finke Michael S. , Pierce Nancy L.
Published: January 2006

According to precautionary savings theory, households tend to save more when future income is less certain. Divorce often results in reduced levels of household income and individual consumption comparable to other potential income shocks. Households that will divorce or separate in 5 years are identified from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (1994–1999) to determine whether these households maintain greater wealth holdings in anticipation of divorce. When spouses earn comparable incomes, divorce‐prone households have significantly higher wealth levels (p < .01) than households that remain married. When there is a higher‐earning spouse, households have significantly lower wealth levels (p < .01) than households that remain married. Results suggest that spouses with comparable earnings treat divorce as a wealth shock, whereas higher‐earning spouses rationally dissave when divorce is imminent. Equitable wealth allocation for lower‐earning spouses may require a more detailed investigation of predivorce wealth changes.
Borrower‐ and Mortgage‐Related Factors Associated With FHA Foreclosures
Authors: Delgadillo Lucy , Gallagher Amber
Published: January 2006

The study identifies which household factors contribute to the likelihood of foreclosure by responding to the question: What borrower‐related and mortgage‐related factors are correlated with home foreclosure? Data used are from an inventory of active and foreclosed FHAhomes in Utah from the years 2000 to 2001. The sample consisted of 179 cases. The borrower‐related factors included age of borrower, job tenure, self‐employed, race of borrower, first‐time homebuyer, number of dependents, homeownership counseling, and borrower's income. The mortgage‐related factors included loan‐to‐value ratio, payment‐to‐income ratio, back‐end ratio, gift amount, size of down payment, and interest rate. Results revealed that race, front‐end ratio, and interest rate were statistically significant factors associated with the probability of foreclosure. The multiple interaction regression model indicated that the interaction between race and front‐end ratio was statistically significant, which suggests that the effect of front‐end ratio differs between Whites and non‐Whites.
Cities at Risk
Authors: Comfort Louise K.
Published: January 2006

The impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans revealed vulnerabilities caused by the interaction of the city’s fragile physical environment, aging infrastructure, and declining economic and social structure. The hurricane constituted a triggering event, but the severe destruction and heavy losses documented the extraordinary costs of inadequate plans and practice, given the city’s high exposure to risk. This condition and its sobering consequences are not limited to New Orleans, but constitute a silent threat for other cities in the United States and the world. The challenge for cities is to create a new vision of vital, resilient communities that are able to assess and manage their own risk in order to limit escalating damage from extreme events.
The Political Economy of Urban Disaster Assistance
Authors: Stehr Steven D.
Published: January 2006

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, policy makers are once again debating the manner in which we prepare for, respond to, and recover from extreme events in the United States. While much is known about how to make urban regions safer, political and economic calculations often overwhelm these considerations. The mix of competing priorities and incentives of federal, state, and local officials conspire to make urban hazard planning difficult if not impossible. The considerable challenge facing those charged with making cities less vulnerable is to strike an appropriate balance between these political and economic dynamics, and the creation of more disaster-resilient communities.
The Role of Subcommittees After the Republican Revolution
Authors: Baughman John
Published: January 2006

House Republicans in the 104th Congress chose not to adopt Democratic rules reserving a role for subcommittees in policymaking, the Subcommittee Bill of Rights (SBR). Although the SBR did increase subcommittee power, subcommittees sometimes had considerable influence prior to the reforms as well. The question is whether and how much their role diminished under the Republicans. In fact, some Republican panels chose to devolve some of their power in the absence of the SBR. I suggest that we understand committee and subcommittee policymaking capacity as partial and contingent and that subcommittees can exercise influence in the absence of formal protections such as the SBR. I find that subcommittees are reappointed at the same rate as under the Democrats and are used as partisan tools to block minority party legislation and that they provide a source of influence for subcommittee chairs and an opportunity for logrolling.
U.S. House Committee Chair Selection
Authors: Deering Christopher J. , Wahlbeck Paul J.
Published: January 2006

In 1995, House Republicans adopted a conference rule stating that seniority would no longer be the sole criterion for advancement to a full committee chair. In addition, they adopted a standing rule of the House limiting chairs to three consecutive Congresses at the helm of any given standing committee. This article examines the determinants of advancement to full committee chairs in the aftermath. The research focuses primarily on the large-scale displacement of chairs at the outset of the 107th Congress. We find that with the demise of seniority, a candidate's position relative to the party and funding prowess figure prominently in Republican steering committee decision making.