bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multipolar representation of protein structure
Authors: Gramada Apostol , Bourne Philip E
Published: May 2006

Background

That the structure determines the function of proteins is a central paradigm in biology. However, protein functions are more directly related to cooperative effects at the residue and multi-residue scales. As such, current representations based on atomic coordinates can be considered inadequate. Bridging the gap between atomic-level structure and overall protein-level functionality requires parameterizations of the protein structure (and other physicochemical properties) in a quasi-continuous range, from a simple collection of unrelated amino acids coordinates to the highly synergistic organization of the whole protein entity, from a microscopic view in which each atom is completely resolved to a "macroscopic" description such as the one encoded in the three-dimensional protein shape.

Results

Here we propose such a parameterization and study its relationship to the standard Euclidian description based on amino acid representative coordinates. The representation uses multipoles associated with residue Cα coordinates as shape descriptors. We demonstrate that the multipoles can be used for the quantitative description of the protein shape and for the comparison of protein structures at various levels of detail. Specifically, we construct a (dis)similarity measure in multipolar configuration space, and show how such a function can be used for the comparison of a pair of proteins. We then test the parameterization on a benchmark set of the protein kinase-like superfamily. We prove that, when the biologically relevant portions of the proteins are retained, it can robustly discriminate between the various families in the set in a way not possible through sequence or conventional structural representations alone. We then compare our representation with the Cartesian coordinate description and show that, as expected, the correlation with that representation increases as the level of detail, measured by the highest rank of multipoles used in the representation, approaches the dimensionality of the fold space.

Conclusion

The results described here demonstrate how a granular description of the protein structure can be achieved using multipolar coefficients. The description has the additional advantage of being immediately generalizable for any residue-specific property therefore providing a unitary framework for the study and comparison of the spatial profile of various protein properties.
Comparison of Confirmatory Tests for the Diagnosis of Primary Aldosteronism
Authors: Mulatero Paolo , Milan Alberto , Fallo Francesco , Regolisti Giuseppe , Pizzolo Francesca , Fardella Carlos , Mosso Lorena , Marafetti Lisa , Veglio Franco , Maccario Mauro
Published: May 2006

Context: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most frequent form of secondary hypertension, accounting for up to 5–10% of all hypertensive patients, and the diagnosis of PA can present an important challenge for the clinician. After a positive screening test, the diagnosis is confirmed by a suppression test, often an iv saline load test (SLT) or a fludrocortisone suppression test (FST). The FST is considered by many to be the most reliable but is more complex and expensive.

Objective and Design: Our objective was to compare the specificity of SLT with FST for the diagnosis of PA.

Patients and Setting: The study included 100 hypertensive patients referred to hypertension units with suspected PA after the screening test.

Intervention: All patients underwent FST and SLT.

Main Outcome Measures: We assessed plasma aldosterone concentrations (PAC) before and after FST and SLT.

Results: After iv SLT, 10.4% of the PA patients were negative and 16.1% of patients with essential hypertension were positive after SLT; that is, a correct diagnosis with SLT was obtained in 88% of patients compared with FST. PAC after SLT and PAC after FST were highly correlated (P < 0.0001). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that the best cutoff for PAC after SLT was 5 ng/dl. Patients with aldosterone-producing adenoma displayed a smaller reduction of PAC compared with patients with bilateral adrenal hyperplasia; a PAC after SLT greater than 6 ng/dl identified all patients eventually diagnosed as having aldosterone-producing adenoma.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the iv SLT is a reasonably good alternative to the more expensive and complex FST for the diagnosis of PA after a positive screening test.
Ubiquitin Expression in Muscle from Horses with Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy
Authors: Valentine B. A. , Flint T. H. , Fischer K. A.
Published: May 2006

Serial sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded muscle biopsy specimens from 28 Quarter Horse, Paint, and draft-related breeds, aged 0.5-23 years, were treated with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stain for glycogen and were immunostained to detect ubiquitin expression. On the basis of findings in PAS-stained sections, a diagnosis of equine polysaccharide storage myopathy (EPSSM) was made in 22 horses aged 2-23 years (mean, 9.4 years); samples from 6 horses aged 0.5-15 years (mean, 7.3 years) had a normal PAS staining pattern, with no relevant lesions. Ubiquitin expression was detected in all but a 2-year-old EPSSM-affected horse and was not detected in the non-EPSSM-affected horses. Ubiquitin expression was greater than the degree of PAS-positive, amylase-resistant material, and ubiquitin was detected in aggregates of amylase-sensitive glycogen as well as in aggregates of amylase-resistant material. Results suggest that glycogen aggregates develop and are ubiquitinated prior to development of amylase-resistant inclusions. Ubiquitin immunostaining may be most useful for confirming the diagnosis of EPSSM in horses with only amylase-sensitive glycogen aggregates and in horses with early amylase-resistant inclusions. However, ubiquitin immunostaining is no more sensitive than is PAS staining for diagnosis of EPSSM.
Evidence of Breed-dependent Differences in Susceptibility to Porcine Circovirus Type-2-associated Disease and Lesions
Authors: Opriessnig T. , Fenaux M. , Thomas P. , Hoogland M. J. , Rothschild M. F. , Meng X. J. , Halbur P. G.
Published: May 2006

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) has been confirmed as the primary cause of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). However, in the field, PMWS is seen only in a small percentage of pigs infected with PCV2. The overall objective of the study reported here was to determine whether host genetic differences in the susceptibility to PCV2-associated disease exist among selected breeds of pigs. This study included Duroc ( n = 23), Landrace ( n = 19), and Large White ( n = 21) pigs. The pigs were infected intranasally and intramuscularly at 5-7 weeks of age with PCV2. A portion of the pigs (31/63; 30.2%) had low passively acquired PCV2 antibodies at the time of infection. There were no differences in mean weight gain, rectal temperature, or respiratory score. Clinical disease compatible with PMWS was observed only in the Landrace pigs. Most of the PCV2-infected pigs had enlarged lymph nodes, and individual Duroc and Landrace pigs had mottled tan lungs. PCV2-associated lymphoid depletion and granulomatous inflammation were observed in pigs of all breeds. Three of 19 Landrace pigs and none of the Duroc or Large White pigs developed severe lymphoid lesions associated with large amounts of intralesional PCV2 antigen typical of PMWS. Compared with seronegative Landrace pigs, Landrace pigs that had low maternal antibodies at the time of PCV2 inoculation had significantly ( P < 0.05) less-severe PCV2-associated lesions. The results suggest a predisposition of the Landrace pigs of this study to PCV2-induced disease and lesions, and that low levels of passively acquired antibodies are protective.
T-Cell Lymphoma with Eosinophilic Infiltration Involving the Intestinal Tract in 11 Dogs
Authors: Ozaki K. , Yamagami T. , Nomura K. , Narama I.
Published: May 2006

Among the intestinal tumors of hematopoietic cell origin, lymphoma is the most common in the dog. Herein, we characterized the clinical and pathologic features of 11 dogs (average age, 10.6 ± 2.5 years) with T-cell lymphoma of the intestinal tract with eosinophil infiltrates. No sex predominance was apparent. All had localized tumor masses in the small intestine. Grossly, the intestinal wall was thickened, and the lumen of the affected intestine was usually narrowed. Microscopically, we observed transmural diffuse invasion of round to pleomorphic tumor cells. Tumor cells showed varying morphology, from scanty to abundant cytoplasm, and round to ovoid nuclei with scattered to dense chromatin. In seven of the dogs, tumor cells had infiltrated into the epithelium. All showed infiltration of eosinophils and all 11 tumors had a T-cell phenotype (CD3+,CD79-). Only one tumor stained positive for the mast cell marker c-kit and none was positive for mast cell tryptase. We did not observe ultrastructurally apparent granules in any of the tumor cells. These results suggest that, in dogs, T-cell lymphomas of intestinal origin resemble mast cell tumors of intestinal origin with respect to cell structure and eosinophil infiltration. Therefore, in the absence of epitheliotropism, it is difficult to confirm the differential diagnosis without immunostaining for mast cell and lymphocyte markers, including mast cell tryptase, c-kit, CD3, and CD79.
Abnormal Prion Protein in Ectopic Lymphoid Tissue in a Kidney of an Asymptomatic White-tailed Deer Experimentally Inoculated with the Agent of Chronic Wasting Disease
Authors: Hamir A. N. , Kunkle R. A. , Miller J. M. , Hall S. M.
Published: May 2006

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of deer and elk, is one of a group of fatal, neurologic diseases that affect several mammalian species, including human beings. infection by the causative agent induces accumulations of an abnormal form of prion protein (PrPres) in nervous and lymphoid tissues. This report documents the presence of PrPres within ectopic lymphoid follicles in a kidney of a white-tailed deer that had been experimentally inoculated by the intracerebral route with CWD 10 months previously. The deer was nonclinical, but spongiform lesions characteristic of TSE were detected in tissues of the central nervous system (CNS) and PrPres was seen in CNS and in lymphoid tissues by immunohistochemistry. The demonstration of PrPres in lymphoid tissue in the kidney of this deer corroborates a recently published finding of PrPres in lymphoid follicles of organs other than CNS and lymphoid tissues in laboratory animals with TSE (scrapie).
Lipid Rafts Serve as a Signaling Platform for Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering
Authors: Zhu Dan , Xiong Wen C. , Mei Lin
Published: May 2006

Agrin, a motoneuron-derived factor, and the muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase (MuSK) are essential for the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering at the postjunctional membrane. However, the underlying signaling mechanisms remain poorly defined. We show that agrin stimulates a dynamic translocation of the AChR into lipid rafts-cholesterol and sphingolipid-rich microdomains in the plasma membrane. This follows MuSK partition into lipid rafts and requires its activation. Disruption of lipid rafts inhibits MuSK activation and downstream signaling and AChR clustering in response to agrin. Rapsyn, an intracellular protein necessary for AChR clustering, is located constitutively in lipid rafts, but its interaction with the AChR is inhibited when lipid rafts are perturbed. These results reveal that lipid rafts may regulate AChR clustering by facilitating the agrin/MuSK signaling and the interaction between the receptor and rapsyn, both necessary for AChR clustering and maintenance. These results provide insight into mechanisms of AChR cluster formation.
Prevalence of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Physical Trauma in an HIV-Positive Sample From the Deep South
Authors: Whetten Kathryn , Leserman Jane , Lowe Kristin , Stangl Dalene , Thielman Nathan , Swartz Marvin , Hanisch Laura , Van Scoyoc Lynn
Published: May 2006

We examined prevalence and predictors of trauma among HIV-infected persons in the Deep South using data from the Coping with HIV/AIDS in the Southeast (CHASE) study. Over 50% of CHASE participants were abused during their lives, with approximately 30% experiencing abuse before age 13, regardless of gender. Caregiver characteristics were associated with childhood abuse. Abuse is related to increases in high–HIV-risk activities. The findings help explain why people engage in such high-risk activities and can provide guidance in designing improved care and prevention messages.
Flowering and Fruiting in the White Oaks. Pistillate Flowering, Acorn Development, Weather, and Yields
Authors: Sharp Ward M. , Sprague Vance G.
Published: May 2006

Female flowering and acorn development in three species of which oaks were studied in Pennsylvania from April 1949 through August 1962 with emphasis on the effect of weather on floral development and acorn production. Pistillate flowers emerge in late April or early May, 5—10 days after the appearance of staminate flowers. After pollination and fertilization, developemnt of acorn forms begins, and filled acorns mature late in August. Spring air temperatures strongly affect acorn yields. Good white oak acorn crops were obtained in years when a warm 10—day period occurred late in April, with average night temperatures 55—60°F, followed by cooler periods (45—50°F) for 13—20 days early in May. During years when April remained cool and was followed by warm days and nights in May, acorn production was poor. Wind, precipitation, relative humidity, and vapor pressure deficits did not significantly influence acorn yields. While some individual trees were inherently copious acorn producers, others in the same stand produced none or a light crop throughout the 14—year period.
Primary Productivity of Reef‐Building Calcareous Red Algae
Authors: Marsh James A.
Published: May 2006

Primary productivity of reef—building algae was studied by putting samples from the reef in a closed system and measuring oxygen exchange in the light and in the dark. Gross productivity determined for 32 samples in full sunlight had a mean value of 0.048 mg O2 cm—2 hr—1. Photosynthesis was found to increase with the logarithm of light intensity up to 1,000 ft—c and was constant between 1,000 and 8,000 ft—c. Rates of gas exchange in flowing water showed no correlation with water velocity but were greater than rates in still water. Daily patterns of photosynthesis were calculated for populations of calcareous algae living on the submarine faces of the windward sides of atolls. During most of the daylight hours light is probably not a limiting factor for photosynthesis in these populations. Calculated productivity of various calcareous algal zones indicates that these do not contribute significantly to overall reef production on atolls of the northern Marshall Islands. Island reefs are less productive than previously studied inter—island reefs.
The Laboratory Population Ecology of Kerona Pediculus (O.F.M.) Epizoic on Hydra SPP.
Authors: Coleman David C.
Published: May 2006

In attempt to determine the factors regulating the distribution and abundance of Kerona pediculus, populations of the hypotrich and hydras were raised in the laboratory in artificial pond water. Factors governing the survival of hypotrichs on hydras were examined by varying the feeding conditions of hydras and the relative numbers available to Kerona. Ciliate populations did not maintain themselves on starved hydras. Availability of undetermined food substances from the hydras seems to limit the numbers of Kerona per hydra. The rate of increase of the hypotrichs varied inversely with density per hydra over a wide range. The densities ranged from below normal (3) to extremely crowded (96). Kerona densities increased in abnormal ways when hydras were infested with Hydramoeba hydroxena, or small histiophagic ciliates and flagellates. Only the amoebic infestation increased the absolute numbers of hypotrichs. Under certain culture conditions in the laboratory, the growth—rate of hydras was greater in the presence of Kerona than in its absence.
Herbaceous Response to Canopy Cover, Light Intensity, and Throughfall Precipitation in Coniferous Forests
Authors: Anderson R. C. , Loucks O. L. , Swain A. M.
Published: May 2006

Measurements of canopy opening, understory light, throughfall precipitation, and understory herb response in leaf surface area per square meter in pine forests on light—textured soils in northern Wisconsin show that the understory herb layer is more responsive to differences in throughfall precipitation determined by canopy opening than to difference in light. Canopy opening controls both the level of light reaching the herb layer and the proportion of total precipitation reaching the litter layer, but the light levels are apparently considerably above the minimum thresholds for these species. On the light—textured soil—moisture recharge in the surface layers, as influenced by canopy opening, exerts the major control over the total cover of herbaceous species. Moisture content of the lower litter layers and upper soil layer, where most of the northern understory herbs are rooted, is greatly influenced by variations in throughfall determined by canopy opening.
Experimental Zoogeography of Islands: The Colonization of Empty Islands
Authors: Simberloff Daniel S. , Wilson Edward O.
Published: May 2006

We report here the first evidence of faunistic equilibrium obtained through controlled, replicated experiments, together with an analysis of the immigration and extinction processes of animal species based on direct observations. The colonization of six small mangrove islands in Florida Bay by terrestrial arthropods was monitored at frequent intervals for 1 year after removal of the original fauna by methyl bromide fumigation. Both the observed data and climatic considerations imply that seasonality had little effect upon the basic shape of the colonization curves of species present vs. time. By 250 days after defaunation, the faunas of all the islands except the most distant one ("EI") had regained species numbers and composition similar to those of untreated islands even though population densities were still abnormally low. Although early colonists included both weak and strong fliers, the former, particularly psocopterans, were usually the first to produce large populations. Among these same early invaders were the taxa displaying both the highest extinction rates and the greatest variability in species composition on the different islands. Ants, the ecological dominants of mangrove islands, were among the last to colonize, but they did so with highest degree of predictability. The colonization curves plus static observations on untreated islands indicate strongly that a dynamic equilibrium number of species exists for any island. We believe the curves are produced by colonization involving little if any interaction, then a gradual decline as interaction becomes important, and finally, a lasting dynamic equilibrium. Equations are given for the early immigration, extinction, and colonization curves. Dispersal to these islands is predominantly through aerial transport, both active and passive. Extinction of the earliest colonists is probably caused chiefly by such physical factors as drowning or lack of suitable breeding sites and less commonly by competition and predation. As population sizes increase it is expected that competition and predation will become more important. Observed turnover rates showed wide variance, with most values between 0.05 and 0.50 species/day. True turnover rates are probably much higher, with 0.67 species/day the extreme lower limit on any island. This very high value is at least roughly consistent with the turnover equation derived from the MacArthur—Wilson equilibrium model, which predicts turnover rates on the order of 0.1—1.0 species/day on the experimental islands.
Comparative Experiments as a Key to the Ecology of Flowering Plants
Authors: Grime J. P.
Published: May 2006

The rationale behind two methods of explaining the present distribution of flowering plants is examined. Reasons are put forward to explain why spatial correlation between plant density or vigor and environmental variation does not usually lead to an understanding of mechanism or adequately prepare the way for experimental work. Observations based on the concepts of A. S. Watt are more useful in that they define events critical in the establishment or maintenance of pattern; events in the field, rather than correlations, are the proper subjects to be elucidated by experiment. An alternative starting point for investigations is the comparative experiment in which one seeks to recognize unusual features characteristic of plants from the same habitat. Among these features "susceptibilities" are of greatest interest. A means of extrapolation of laboratory results to the field is clear if we recognize that pronounced susceptibilities arise as an indirect consequence of adaptations. Hence we may regard these phenomena as a valuable clue to the factors of selective importance in the past or present habitats of the species or genotypes concerned.
Root Productivity and Turnover in Native Prairie
Authors: Dahlman Roger C. , Kucera Clair L.
Published: May 2006

Quantitative measurements of root systems on a seasonal basis for a 34—inch profile in Central Missouri Prairie ranged from 1,449 g/m2 prior to resumption of growth in the spring to 1,901 g/m2 at the end of the growing season. Underground parts in the upper 2 in. of the profile varied from 48% of the total quantity in April to 60% in July. Over 80% of the root mass occurred in the A_1 horizon, or the top 10 in. of the profile. Annual increment in the A_1 horizon or surface 10 in. was 429 g/m2. In the A_2 horizon, 10—18 in., the measurement was 40 g/m2 and in the B2 horizon, 18—30 in., 41 g/m2. These values were approximately 25% of the maximum dry matter measurement for each profile level, suggesting a turnover for the root system as a whole every 4 years. Variations in turnover for different parts of the root system were indicated, however, as shown by an annual loss of 22.8% for rhizomes, and 40.8% for roots in the 0— to 2—in. zone. Decomposition constants showed a marked decrease with depth, ranging from 4.3% in the A_1 horizon to 0.8% in the B2 horizon. Estimated time required to reach 99% organic matter equilibrium under present conditions of production and breakdown was 110, 420, and 590 years for the A_1, A_2, and B2 horizons respectively. Increasing time values would be expected with increasing depth as the reduction in annual increment was proportionately greater at lower levels in the profile than that for the total root—humus product.
Soil Phosphate and Its Role in Molding Segments of the Australian Flora and Vegetation, with Special Reference to Xeromorphy and Sclerophylly
Authors: Beadle N. C. W.
Published: May 2006

It is postulated that the Australian angiosperm flora ins derived from a sample of a one—time world flora of about 180 families that entered Australia by a land bridge from Asia. Many of the genera that entered still persist. New genera evolved in all habitats, many from lineages which were adapted to soils of low fertility determined primarily by phosphate level. Soil parent materials with the highest phosphate content are derived mainly from the Tertiary basalts in the east and support rainforests (except in cold regions). Soil phosphate levels decrease from east to west across the continent. The number of rainforest genera in any community is usually correlated with soil P. The converse holds for xeromorphic genera. Some rainforest genera therefore are more readily adapted to aridity than to low fertility conditions. Expansion and contraction of the rainforest is determined partly by climate and partly by soil fertility levels. A sudden expansion of the rainforest in the Oligocene occurred when the basalt flows covered part of eastern Australia. Since that time the rainforests have contracted, partly as a result of the removal of basaltic material and partly because of the development of colder climates in the ranges. The absence of rainforest and the paucity of rainforest genera in southwest Western Australia are accounted for by low fertility levels rather than by a decimation of rainforest genera by a past dry climate. Xermorphy, a result of high lignification, heavy cutinization, silicification, or a combination of these may occur in rainforest species. Adaptation to low fertility accentuates xeromorphic characters through a reduction in leaf size. The low fertility xeromorphs are not xerophytes. Anatomical features have little significance in their survival, which is determined by the ability of the plants to withstand long periods of mineral starvation. Experimental work indicates that the degree of xeromorphy can be reduced in many taxa by the addition of phosphorus and nitrate; four different types of leaf response have been identified.
Derivation of Leaf‐Area Index from Quality of Light on the Forest Floor
Authors: Jordan Carl F.
Published: May 2006

Leaf—area index of a forest can be measured by determining the ratio of light at 800 μm to that at 675 μm on the forest floor. It is based on the principle that leaves absorb relatively more red than infrared light, and therefore, the more leaves that are present in the canopy, the greater will be the ratio.
Some Niche Differences in Three Lesser Antillean Lizards of the Genus Anolis
Authors: Schoener Thomas W. , Gorman George C.
Published: May 2006

This paper documents interspecific and intraspecific differences in certain niche parameters among 3 species of lizards of the genus Anolis occurring in the southern Lesser Antilles. The 2 species whose ranges broadly overlap in Grenada show significant differences in body temperatures and food size distributions. Although there is considerable difference in the maximum size attained by the 2 species, animals with identical head and body lengths have radically contrasting distributions of prey size: smaller individuals of the larger species take larger food than larger individuals of the smaller species. The rate of increase of average prey length with increasing head length for the smaller species is lower than that for the larger one. In all species, the larger adult makes take significantly larger prey than adult females or subadult males. For the 2 species on Grenada, adult females take significantly smaller food than subadult males of the same species and head length; there is a slight reversal of this trend for the solitary species on Martinique. For all 3 species, adult males eat a greater amount of plant matter and draw more of their prey from fewer taxonomic categories than do lizards of the smaller—sized classes, In general, as the size of lizard increases, range of prey size increases and the number of prey items ingested decreases; variances for these distributions are quite large. Modes of niche segregation on Grenada are contrasted with those among anoles of other small islands, and hypotheses are offered as to how climatic features and the spatial arrangement of individuals of varying size within a species might determine the critical niche dimensions.
Discussion
Authors: Crane Robert T.
Published: May 2006

In his admirable analysis of the juristic theory of the state, Dr. Willoughby has said that “analytical political philosophy” views the state “simply as an instrumentality for the creation and enforcement of law.” The point of view from which this philosophy proceeds is thus fixed. It is professedly the legal point of view.

It is, however, precisely by peculiar and distinctive points of view from which phenomena are observed, that sciences or philosophies are differentiated one from another. Two philosophies cannot occupy the same standpoint. If there is to be discussion of a philosophy of politics which asserts its viewpoint to be that of a philosophy of law, then it is necessary to define very clearly the relationship between politics and law.

As these concepts have been defined by the analytical school, it is obvious that they are intimately connected. By the opponents of this school it may be objected that, when correctly conceived, politics and law are perfectly distinct. It may perhaps be held that what is known as law in modern society is not essentially political at all; but that it has merely happened as an accident of modern political development that a part of the law has received the additional and nonessential sanction of political authority.
Federal Aid to the States
Authors: Arneson Ben A.
Published: May 2006

When a central authority orders a local subordinate government to take a certain course of action under penalty, it is more than likely that the enforcement of the order will lead to difficulties, and it may even result in open defiance on the part of the local government. The effect is very different, however, when the central authority merely establishes a standard and promises to turn over cold cash to the local units which meet the standard. With governmental units as with individuals, rewards for work properly done are more likely to produce desirable results than punishment for failure to obey orders.
Liberty and Equality in International Relations
Authors: Dunning William A.
Published: May 2006

In the question of liberty and equality we are at the very root of all political science. Nothing is so fundamental as the problem of authority and liberty. In no age or place has discussion of state and government proceeded without the express or tacit assumption of dogmas as to the essence and relationship of the conceptions of liberty, equality and authority. And the dogmas on these subjects have not been confined in their application to the affairs of individuals. They have constituted the foundation of theory and of practice in the affairs of those aggregations of individuals that constitute governments, states and nations. It is therefore my purpose to devote myself here to some consideration of the manifestation and influence of the conceptions of liberty and equality in the field of international relations.
Presidential Election in Chile
Authors: Arneson B. A.
Published: May 2006

Arturo Alessandri, whose inauguration as president of Chile took place on December 23, entered upon his five-year term as the victor in a political campaign which attracted attention beyond his own country. He is the first member of the Radical party, and the first representative of the middle class, to attain the Chilean presidency. His friends assert, too, that he is the first and only “dry” South American president.
The Significance of Psychology for the Study of Politics
Authors: Merriam Charles E.
Published: May 2006

As a part of its work, the committee on research of the American Political Science Association has undertaken a survey of the relation of politics to kindred types of inquiry, including psychology, anthropology, geography, biology, engineering and others. The purpose of such an inquiry is to explore the relationships that exist with kindred sciences, to facilitate coöperation with our fellow-workers, to improve our methods of investigation, and to promote the progress of political science.

The committee is not responsible for this report, for its form or content, its scope or method, its sins of omission or commission. Probably the general sentiment of the committee toward psychology would be expressed by the phrase, con amore ma non troppo.

It may be worth while at the outset to scrutinize some of the earlier relations of psychology to political science, for the friendship is one of long standing. In the earlier forms of political thinking, there are crude types of psychology that are of great interest and significance in the development of the art of political thinking. These philosophers evidently utilized all of the psychology that was current in the construction of their political systems.
Spain and the War
Authors: Cunningham Charles H.
Published: May 2006

Like other neutral nations of Europe, Spain has been tremendously affected by the war. Though she has not been brought into such close contact with the great struggle as have Holland and the Scandinavian countries, because of her distance from the battlefields and the comparative insignificance of her commercial interests, she has nevertheless felt and is still feeling a great strain, the chief characteristics of which are economic. The cost of living in Spain has increased several fold. This is due in part to the difficulty in obtaining both manfactured articles and coal for her own industries and in part to the great scarcity of agricultural products: the result of the short-sighted policy followed up to the present of exporting food products which should have been retained at home. Though possessed of a greater arable area in proportion to her population than any other country in Europe except Russia, the methods of agricultural production in Spain are wofully deficient. As a result of her own backwardness and her failure to develop either her industrial or her agricultural resources, Spain is now suffering, to a lesser degree possibly, the same inconveniences which are disturbing Germany, France and England: namely, a scarcity of food; and she does not possess the artificial stimulus which those countries have to aid in overcoming it.
The Women's Suffrage Movement in England
Authors: Turner Edward Raymond
Published: May 2006

At present neither the prospect of home rule nor the danger from Germany nor the mighty design of imperial federation assails the public mind of England so insistently as the demand for the enfranchisement of women. Since 1905 it has come to be realized that British men and women are face to face with a change of profound importance, and that the veil of the future hides immense possibilities of good or of ill soon to come.

Allowing British women to take part in the government of the realm is a question of the last century and particularly of the years since 1867, but the antiquarian traces the elements of the problem in the feudal law of the earlier middle ages, when tenure and service rather than persons furnished the basis of organization, and when instances occur of women taking part in local affairs and holding office and jurisdiction. For the most part, however, these instances are valuable now merely as the slender basis for legal argument.
Racial Distinctions in Southern Law
Authors: Stephenson Gilbert Thomas
Published: May 2006

The suffrage clauses recently adopted by six of the Southern States, beginning with Mississippi in 1890 and ending with Virginia in 1902, have disqualified for the elective franchise a majority of the negroes of voting age without appreciably diminishing the possible number of white voters. In other words, there have been racial distinctions in the matter of suffrage without their being so defined in the letter of the law. Now, the question is: Are these suffrage distinctions the only racial distinctions found in the Southern law, either expressed or implied, or are they only members of a group of such distinctions which have been evolving since the negro has been a free man? In this paper it shall be my aim to show briefly that the latter is the case, that there are other racial distinctions recognized in the Southern law, that some of the distinctions once present in Southern codes and constitutions have since been dropped, and that others have been introduced from time to time. And by making the suffrage distinctions only links of a chain, I hope that we shall arrive at some conclusion as to the trend of Southern legislation with regard to the negro.

The general subject of racial distinctions is practically limitless in extent. Many of these distinctions are as intangible as race prejudice itself and take various methods of expression. Instead, therefore, of undertaking a general discussion of this inexhaustible subject, I shall narrow it to more manageable proportions by treating only one of its many phases.
The Union of South Africa
Authors: Leacock Stephen
Published: May 2006

On May 31, 1910, the Union of South Africa became an accomplished fact. The four provinces of Cape Colony, Natal, the Orange Free State (which bears again its old time name) and the Transvaal are henceforth joined, one might almost say amalgamated, under a single government. They will bear to the central government of the British empire the same relation as the other self-governing colonies—Canada, Newfoundland, Australia and New Zealand. The Empire will thus assume the appearance of a central nucleus with four outlying parts corresponding to geographical and racial divisions, and forming in all a ground plan that seems to invite a renewal of the efforts of the Imperial Federationist. To the scientific student of government the Union of South Africa is chiefly of interest for the sharp contrast it offers to the federal structure of the American, Canadian and other systems of similar historical ground. It represents a reversion from the idea of State rights, and balanced indestructible powers and an attempt at organic union by which the constituent parts are to be more and more merged in the consolidated political unit which they combine to form.
Impressions of British Party Politics, 1909–1911
Authors: Dennis Alfred L. P.
Published: May 2006

Students of history and political science have watched with great interest the course of British politics during the past two years. To American students a certain similarity in the character of the constitutional and economic questions before both countries has appealed with special interest; for the central problem in England, dominating all others, is how to deal with new perils and tendencies and with inherited problems and traditions in the face of the demands of an increasing democracy. These matters naturally have many aspects and include a variety of topics. Furthermore, historical perspective and the use of sources now naturally denied to the investigator will give the historian in a later generation certain advantages; yet by limiting this article merely to certain impressions of recent party politics, recognizing always that the future historical student will undoubtedly be able to supply corrections, it may be possible to make use with caution of a small portion of such material as is now available to the writer. In any case it is, impossible because of lack of space and unnecessary for the readers of this journal to attempt a chronicle of events and analyses of documents already familiar.
Spanish Interests in Morocco
Authors: Andrews George Frederick
Published: May 2006

Since the Middle Ages Spain has been continuously established within the boundaries of Morocco, and at the present time Spain is the only foreign power possessing a foothold on Moroccan soil. The three island presidios, Penon de Velez de Gomera, the Alhucemas, and the Zaffarines, lying off the coast, and the two cities, Melilla and Ceuta, clinging with desperation to the mainland, comprise the Spanish possessions.

Ceuta is by far the most important of these possessions. The fortress is built on a headland extending into the sea toward the east. On the west only, can it be approached by land. As at Melilla, a strip of neutral territory separates the walls of the city from what may be called by courtesy, Makhzen territory, although actually Ceuta, like Melilla, is shut in on the land side by the independent tribes of the mountains. Ceuta has a population of about 14,000, its commerce is unimportant as yet, but there are possibilities of very considerable increase. From Tangier, thirty miles to the west, and from Tetuan, about twenty-five miles to the south, the roads are difficult and dangerous, and there is little communication. Ceuta is kept in touch with Spain by a boat service which makes the trip to Algeciras and return each day.
Pittsburgh Plan of City-County Consolidation
Authors: Miller Joseph T.
Published: May 2006

The county of Allegheny comprises the heart of the Pittsburgh district as usually understood, and includes the city itself, termed by the laws of the commonwealth a city of the second class; three cities of the third class, i.e., McKeesport, Clairton, and Duquesne; sixty-six boroughs and fifty-four townships (of which twenty-five are townships of the first class, governed by a board of commissioners, and twenty-nine are townships of the second class, under the control of a board of supervisors). During the years 1925–26, the boroughs of Carrick, Knoxville, and Westwood and the township of Lower St. Clair have, by the voluntary act of their people, united with the city of Pittsburgh. There are now existing within the county of Allegheny a total of one hundred twenty-four separate municipal units (exclusive of school districts), each operating under its own particular form of government.
Campaign Funds in 1928
Authors: Pollock James K.
Published: May 2006

During the important political year 1928 no fewer than five separate congressional committees were engaged in investigating various phases of the problem of campaign funds. First, the Reed committee, which was appointed by resolution of the 69th Congress to investigate the elections of 1926, was continued in existence so that it could wind up its work. In addition, it was given authority by a new resolution of the 70th Congress to investigate the New Jersey senatorial primary of 1928. Second, the committee on privileges and elections of the Senate was authorized to hear and determine the Wilson-Vare election contest in Pennsylvania. A sub-committee, with Senator Waterman as chairman, was selected on January 27 to perform this task. Third, the Senate created a special committee to investigate pre-convention and election expenditures in the campaign of 1928. Senator Steiwer was appointed chairman of this committee. Fourth, a special House committee was appointed on the day before the close of the session to look into the campaign expenditures of 1928, with Congressman Lehlbach of New Jersey as chairman. Finally, the Senate by resolution authorized the committee on post offices and post roads, or any sub-committee thereof, to investigate the alleged sale of Southern postmasterships, and Senator Brookhart was appointed chairman of the sub-committee.

The Reed committee held hearings in April and May in connection with the Wilson-Vare contest in Pennsylvania, and in June in connection with the New Jersey senatorial primary. These investigations did not lead to any particularly valuable disclosures, although they produced some interesting and enlightening information about the Vare machine.
Origin of the Friar Lands Question in the Philippines
Authors: Cunningham Charles H.
Published: May 2006

When the American government found itself in possession of the newly acquired portions of Spain's colonial empire, and particularly of the Philippines, it was forced to deal with many new and hitherto unfamiliar problems. Social, political and ecclesiastical characteristics were encountered there which were entirely foreign to American governmental traditions, but which were interwoven in the fabric of Philippine institutions and society by three centuries of Spanish rule. Among these was the universally recognized strength and importance of the ecclesiastical power, which in Spanish days had been fostered and protected by the state. Under the new conditions the ecclesiastical organization had to stand by itself, without governmental support.

Probably the most difficult problem which had to be solved was the celebrated friar land question. Thousands of hectares of the best land in the archipelago were owned or held by the religious orders. The friars had held these lands for centuries. The economic effect of these holdings was detrimental on account of the prohibitive rents which were demanded for them. The religious orders would not sell these lands of their own accord, and thus the Filipino agriculturists who desired to utilize them were prevented either from buying or renting. The government was also at a loss, since no taxes were paid on the lands of the church. This state of affairs was held by the American authorities to be inconsistent with the best interests of the Filipino people, and with the ideals of a free government.
Proper Safeguards for the Initiative and Referendum Petition
Authors: Schnader W. A.
Published: May 2006

There is probably no problem in connection with the practical operation of the initiative and referendum on which opinions differ so widely as upon that of the proper safe-guarding of the petition. In every direct legislation State a petition is required to invoke either the initiative or the referendum; and in practically every State certain safeguards have been established either by constitutional provision or by statutory enactment, to prevent the initiative petition from being prostituted by unscrupulous enemies of direct legislation or by those whose zealous advocacy of the initiative and referendum overbalances their judgment.

At the outset, there is one proposition upon which all fairminded students of government will agree, namely, that if the initiative and referendum has been established in a state constitution as a part of the State's governmental machinery, its operation should not be impaired or destroyed by indirection. Let the enemies of direct legislation openly endeavor to abolish it by amending the constitution; but failing in this purpose, they should certainly not so hobble the initiative and referendum petition under the guise of safeguarding it, as to nullify the institution itself. The framework of government should not thus be made the victim of political tricksters. Accordingly any provision ostensibly to protect the petition from misuse, which in reality aims to prohibit its legitimate use, is utterly improper and unfit.
Constitutional Developments in Foreign Countries During 1908 and 1909
Authors: Dood W. F.
Published: May 2006

Perhaps the two most important constitutional events during recent years are the establishment of the South African Union and the struggle in Great Britain over the budget and with reference to the powers of the House of Lords. Both of these events are excluded from treatment here—the South African Union is discussed somewhat fully in another part of this Review; the British constitutional struggle is still in progress, and cannot be satisfactorily treated at the present time.

However, with reference to the South African Union it may be well to call attention to the movement away from loosely-constructed federal states. In the United States the state governments have steadily tended to become of less importance as compared with the national government, but this change has necessarily been produced not so much by textual changes in the constitution as by judicial interpretation. By the German imperial constitution of 1871 a fairly centralized federal organization was established, and since 1873 when the federal legislative power was extended over the whole field of civil law there have been no important extensions of federal power by textual changes in the constitution; but here as in the United States the federal power has increased at the expense of the states in a manner not shown by changes in the written instrument of government. “The most important and most weighty interests of the nation are common to all and must be cared for in a uniform manner, and all branches of public law and political life stand in a close and indissoluble relation the one to the other, so that by the logic of facts particularism must give place to unity, the common will must to an ever increasing extent displace the separate wills of the individual states.”