bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sinusitis in Pilots of Different Aircraft Types: Is Allergic Rhinitis a Predisposing Factor?
Authors: Ulanovski David , Barenboim Erez , Raveh Eyal , Grossman Alon , Azaria Bella , Shpitzer Thomas
Published: April 2008

Background

Despite the high association of allergic rhinitis and acute sinusitis, their exact relationship remains unclear, especially in pilots. The purpose of this study was to analyze the possible relationship of a history of allergic rhinitis with the occurrence of acute sinusitis in Israeli air force pilots. A comparative case series was conducted.

Methods

Events of acute sinusitis were compared between Israeli air force pilots with (n = 54) and without (n = 82) allergic rhinitis who presented for their annual physical examination.

Results

Previous episodes of acute sinusitis were noted in 33% of the pilots with allergic rhinitis and 21% of the control group (p = 0.09). A separate analysis of young pilots (<26 years old) yielded corresponding rates of 57% versus 29% (p < 0.001). When the groups were divided by type of pilot, the results showed that 54% of the transport pilots, 34% of the fighter pilots, and 13% of the helicopter pilots with rhinitis also suffered from acute sinusitis, as opposed to 28, 15, and 15%, respectively, of the control group.

Conclusion

Despite careful selection, allergic rhinitis is still a very common disease in pilots and may pose a risk of acute sinusitis. The lower prevalence of acute sinusitis in combat than in transport pilots with rhinitis may be explained by vasoconstriction due to psychological and physiological stress during flight missions.
Use of Carazolol at Pre-Synchronized Timed Artificial Insemination in Cows
Authors: Pancarci Ş. M. , Öztürkler Y. , Güngör Ö. , Kaçar C. , Yildiz S. , Kaya D.
Published: April 2008

Efficacy of the β-adrenergic receptor blocker (carazolol) at Timed Artificial Insemination (TAI) was investigated. Cows (n = 73) were pre-synchronized with two PGF2α injections given 14 d apart to initiate the Ovsynch protocol at early and middle luteal stages 14 d later, and received injections of GnRH and PGF2α seven d apart followed by GnRH 48 h later, and TAI 16 - 18 h later. Corpus luteum (CL) was detected via rectal palpation at the beginning of the Ovsynch protocol. Carazolol (Treatment I; n = 41) or physiologic saline (Treatment II; n = 32) were administered via jugular vein five min before TAI. Uterine tone was determined prior to infusion and at TAI via rectal palpation. Pregnancies were diagnosed with transrectal ultrasonography 40 ± 7 d after TAI. Uterine tone was 2.8 (1.4 - 5.3) times higher (P < 0.01) in Treatment I than that in Treatment II at TAI. Increase in uterine tone was affected by treatment × CL × parity (P < 0.05), and 66.7%, 75%, 52.6%, 100% and 16.7%, 33.3%, 25%, 28.6% in primiparous cows with CL and without CL, and in multiparous cows with CL and without CL in Treatments I and II, respectively. Pregnancy rates did not differ between treatments I (34.2%) and II (40.6%). In conclusion, no beneficial effect of carazolol administration prior to TAI was found except for the increased uterine tone.
Food Security in Older Adults: Community Service Provider Perceptions of Their Roles
Authors: Keller Heather H. , Dwyer John J.M. , Edwards Vicki , Senson Christine , Edward H. Gayle
Published: April 2008

Food insecurity in older adults is influenced by financial constraints, functional disability, and isolation. Twenty-eight social- and community-service providers participated in four focus groups to report (a) perceptions and experiences with food insecurity in their older clients, (b) beliefs about their potential role(s) in promoting food security, and (c) opinions about constraints that influenced these roles. A constant comparison analysis identified key themes. The formal caregivers reported six roles for improving food security: (a) monitoring, (b) coordination, and (c) promoting services, (d) education, (e) advocacy, and (f) providing a social environment. The final theme summarizes these roles as “the need for personalization of service”. Social and community service providers are involved in roles that can promote the health of older adults by addressing their food insecurity. Social service providers need to be acknowledged and supported in this health promotion role.
Reasons Young Adults Visit (and Do Not Visit) Impaired Grandparents
Authors: Boon Susan D. , Shaw Megan J.
Published: April 2008

This study explored the value undergraduate students (N = 138) attach to relationships with impaired grandparents by examining some of the reasons they visit (and do not visit) grandparents who live with conditions limiting their cognitive, physical, or psychological well-being. As part of a larger study, participants completed two checklists to indicate their reasons for visiting and not visiting their affected grandparents. Reward-based reasons were endorsed more frequently as motives for visiting than were reasons based on external constraints, family difficulties, guilt, or wanting to take advantage of the time left with their grandparents. Barriers that restricted opportunities to visit were endorsed more frequently as explanations for participants' failure to visit than were problems in the relationship itself, guilt, or severity of impairment.
Quantifying Metabolic Activity of Filamentous Fungi Using a Colorimetric XTT Assay
Authors: Moss Bill J. , Kim Yonghyun , Nandakumar M. P. , Marten Mark R.
Published: April 2008

The filamentous nature and robust cell walls of many fungi render traditional measurements of active biomass (e.g., turbidity, dry cell weight) ineffective for most fungal bioprocesses. To overcome this challenge, an assay for quantification of overall metabolic activity is developed using 2,3‐bis(2‐methoxy‐4‐nitro‐5‐sulfophenly)‐5‐[(phenylamino) carbonyl]‐2 H‐tetrazolium hydroxide (XTT), which in the presence of active mitochondria is converted to a water‐soluble formazan derivative that absorbs light in the visible spectrum (430‐490 nm). Tests on the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans show that in actively growing cultures XTT absorbance is linearly related to dry cell weight below 0.2 g/kg broth. Validation through growth rate testing shows the developed XTT assay is able to accurately quantify reductions in culture metabolism during damaging physical treatment (heat, high shear, microwaving). Experiments in batch culture demonstrate that the developed XTT assay is capable of reporting on metabolic activity where dry cell weight is not. The developed assay is inexpensive, relatively rapid, and easy to conduct, making it ideally suited for assessment of fungal processes in the biotechnology industry.
UniProtJAPI: a remote API for accessing UniProt data
Authors: Patient Samuel , Wieser Daniela , Kleen Michael , Kretschmann Ernst , Jesus Martin Maria , Apweiler Rolf
Published: April 2008

Summary: Programmatic access to the UniProt Knowledgebase (UniProtKB) is essential for many bioinformatics applications dealing with protein data. We have created a Java library named UniProtJAPI, which facilitates the integration of UniProt data into Java-based software applications. The library supports queries and similarity searches that return UniProtKB entries in the form of Java objects. These objects contain functional annotations or sequence information associated with a UniProt entry. Here, we briefly describe the UniProtJAPI and demonstrate its usage.

Availability:  http://www.ebi.ac.uk/uniprot/remotingAPI

Contact:  spatient@ebi.ac.uk
Glocal Mediators: Marketing in Egypt during the Open-Door Era (infitah)
Authors: Shechter Relli
Published: April 2008

This article discusses the business strategies formulated by Egyptian marketers as they established their enterprises to meet new multinational corporations' (MNCs') demand for marketing—research, promotion, and advertising services. This transition occurred during a period of economic liberalization, known locally as the infitah (open-door era), and rapid economic growth, resulting from the regional oil-boom of the early 1970s. Local entrepreneurship and competition for accounts would create a new, “glocal” business environment in Egypt, which concurrently mediated MNCs adaptation to local economic conditions and “Egyptianized” imported goods.
Toward the Mastery of Resiliency
Authors: Weiss Lawrence G.
Published: April 2008

This article provides an analysis on the articles published in this special issue focusing on resiliency. A synthesis of these articles, arguing for the importance of resiliency in promoting psychological well-being, is presented in the commentary section.
"Globaleyes": A Partnership Between The Nippon Foundation (Japan) and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (United States)
Authors: DeCaro James J.
Published: April 2008

In a rapidly changing world where postsecondary educators of men and women who are deaf face myriad challenges preparing these men and women to enter a global economy, there is a pressing need for multinational collaboration and partnerships that view current and emerging challenges with "globaleyes." The National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology and The Nippon Foundation of Japan formed a foundation/education partnership that led to the establishment of the Postsecondary Education Network International (PEN-International), a collaborative and cooperative network of colleges and universities around the world that provide postsecondary education for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The network now consists of more than 25 institutions in nine countries.
Sign Iconicity and Receptive Vocabulary Testing
Authors: Miller Margery
Published: April 2008

Development of valid receptive sign vocabulary tests and the influence of sign iconicity on test performance were investigated. Forty items were taken from the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (Lloyd M. Dunn & Leota M. Dunn, 1982). For each target item, three alternative distractor items were developed to draw nonsigning participants away from a perceptual matching strategy. The sample comprised 34 deaf signing undergraduates and 36 hearing nonsigning undergraduates. Deaf students outperformed hearing students on both sets of items. Hearing students' scores on the original items were significantly higher than on the manipulated items, but both exceeded chance level (25%), indicating that many of the items were iconic for this sample. Complete elimination of iconicity is difficult for sophisticated participants. Recommendations for development of tests for signing deaf students include involvement of nonsigning hearing participants to reduce the effects of iconicity in obtaining valid results.
Visual and Phonological Coding in Working Memory and Orthographic Skills of Deaf Children Using Chilean Sign Language
Authors: Alvarado Jesús M. , Puente Aníbal , Herrera Valeria
Published: April 2008

Deaf children can improve their reading skills by learning to use alternative, visual codes such as fingerspelling. A sample of 28 deaf children between the ages of 7 and 16 years was used as an experimental group and another sample of 15 hearing children of similar age and academic level as a control group. Two experiments were carried out to study the possible interactions between phonological and visual codes and working memory, and to understand the relationships between these codes and reading and orthographic achievement. The results highlight the relationship between dactylic and orthographic coding. Just as phoneme-to-grapheme knowledge can facilitate reading for hearing children, fingerspelling-to-grapheme knowledge has the potential to play a similar role for deaf readers.
Anaphoric Reference Strategies Used in Written Language Productions of Deaf Teenagers
Authors: Guarinello Ana Cristina , Massi Giselle , Santana Ana Paula , Berberian Ana Paula , Pereira Maria Cristina Da Cunha
Published: April 2008

There are few researchers who analyze written productions by deaf individuals; there are also few researchers who discuss the knowledge these people have about written text comprehension and production. For the present study, the investigators analyzed 16 written productions by four deaf individuals based on the anaphoric reference concept as recently proposed in textual linguistics (see, e.g., I. V. Koch & L. A. Marcuschi, 2002). It is important to show that referential progression is one of the textual aspects capable of giving stability and continuity to written productions; referential progression is also relevant to discursive coherence. The results of the writing analysis in the present study show that deaf individuals can learn to use expressive resources that are available in the Portuguese language and can use reference strategies, as long as these individuals can interact with a partner who knows Portuguese.
The Efficiency of Information Transmission of Sign and Spoken Language
Authors: Ortiz Isabel R. Rodríguez , Roche Joaquín Mora
Published: April 2008

The study compares sign and oral language in terms of information transmission efficiency. The sample consisted of 36 hearing people with no knowledge of sign language and 36 deaf people reasonably fluent in sign language. (The deaf participants' level of hearing loss ranged from severe to profound.) Oral and sign language comprehension was assessed by means of texts at three different difficulty levels. After being exposed to the texts, the study participants had to tell what they had understood about them, answer a set of related questions, and offer a title for each text. When the hearing group's comprehension of oral versions of the texts was compared to the deaf group's comprehension of signed versions, the deaf group showed better comprehension of the explicit content of the texts but added more invented content and made more errors.
Examining Educators of the Deaf as "Highly Qualified " Teachers: Roles and Responsibilities Under IDEA and NCLB
Authors: Luft Pamela
Published: April 2008

Educators of the deaf were long considered "highly qualified" if they obtained state licensure from approved deaf education programs. But the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) redefined qualifications based on core academic content areas, without recognizing disability-specific expertise. NCLB's reauthorization will provide opportunities for examining definitions of "highly qualified" and ensuring that both general and special educators are appropriately prepared. Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, educators of the deaf are primarily responsible for supporting implementation of each assigned student's individualized education program. When done skillfully and knowledgeably, IEP execution maximizes learning outcomes, and therefore would support NCLB mandates for improved student achievement. Instead of academic attainment alone, the primary "qualification" of educators of the deaf should be training and expertise in providing communication, learning, and assistive technology supports that allow access to academic content and, ultimately, address deaf students' historical underachievement.
Individual Differences in Sign Language Abilities in Deaf Children
Authors: Meronen Auli , Ahonen Timo
Published: April 2008

The study attempted to identify characteristics of individual differences in sign language abilities among deaf children. Connections between sign language skills and rapid serial naming, hand motor skills, and early fluency were investigated. The sample consisted of 85 Finnish deaf children. Their first language was sign language. Simple correlations and multiple linear-regression analysis demonstrated the effect of early language development and serial hand movements on sign language abilities. Other significant factors were serial fingertapping and serial naming. Heterogeneity in poor sign language users was noted. Although identifying learning disorders in deaf children is complicated, developmental difficulties can be discovered by appropriate measurements. The study confirmed the results of earlier research demonstrating that the features of deaf and hearing children's learning resemble each other. Disorders in signed and spoken languages may have similar bases despite their different modalities.
End Invariants for SL(2,C) Characters of the One-Holed Torus
Authors: Tan Ser Peow , Wong Yan Loi , Zhang Ying
Published: April 2008

We define and study the set ε(ρ) of end invariants of an SL(2,C) character ρ of the one-holed torus T . We show that the set ε(ρ) is the entire projective lamination space [inline-graphic 01] of T if and only if ρ corresponds to the dihedral representation or ρ is real and corresponds to an SU(2) representation; and that otherwise, ε(ρ) is closed and has empty interior in [inline-graphic 02]. For real characters ρ, we give a complete classification of ε(ρ), and show that ε(ρ) has either 0, 1 or infinitely many elements, and in the last case, ε(ρ) is either a Cantor subset of [inline-graphic 03] or is [inline-graphic 04] itself. We also give a similar> classification for "imaginary" characters where the trace of the commutator is less than 2. Finally, we show that for characters with discrete simple length spectrum (not corresponding to dihedral or SU(2) representations), ε(ρ) is a Cantor subset of [inline-graphic 04] if it contains at least three elements.
Stability of Holomorphic Foliations with Split Tangent Sheaf
Authors: Cukierman Fernando , Pereira Jorge Vitório
Published: April 2008

We show that the set of singular holomorphic foliations on projective spaces with split tangent sheaf and good singular set is open in the space of holomorphic foliations. We also give a cohomological criterion for the rigidity of holomorphic foliations induced by group actions and prove the existence of rigid codimension one foliations of degree n - 1 on P n for every n ≥ 3.
Geometry of Hermitian Algebraic Functions. Quotients of Squared Norms
Authors: Varolin Dror
Published: April 2008

Hermitian algebraic functions were introduced by D. Catlin and J. D'Angelo under the name of "globalizable metrics". Catlin and D'Angelo proved that any Hermitian algebraic function without nontrivial zeros is a quotient of squared norms, thus giving an answer to a Hermitian analogue of Hilbert's 17th problem in the nondegenerate case. The result was independently proved somewhat earlier by D. Quillen in a special case, and using different methods. In this paper, we characterize all Hermitian algebraic functions that are quotients of squared norms.
Twisted Alexander Polynomials and Symplectic Structures
Authors: Friedl Stefan , Vidussi Stefano
Published: April 2008

Let N be a closed, oriented 3-manifold. A folklore conjecture states that S 1 × N admits a symplectic structure only if N admits a fibration over the circle. The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence to this conjecture studying suitable twisted Alexander polynomials of N , and showing that their behavior is the same as of those of fibered 3-manifolds. In particular, we will obtain new obstructions to the existence of symplectic structures and to the existence of symplectic forms representing certain cohomology classes of S 1 × N . As an application of these results we will show that S 1 × N ( P ) does not admit a symplectic structure, where N ( P ) is the 0-surgery along the pretzel knot P = (5, -3, 5), answering a question of Peter Kronheimer.
A Combinatorial Formula for Nonsymmetric Macdonald Polynomials
Authors: Haglund J. , Haiman M. , Loehr N.
Published: April 2008

We give a combinatorial formula for the nonsymmetric Macdonald polynomials E μ ( x; q, t ). The formula generalizes our previous combinatorial interpretation of the integral form symmetric Macdonald polynomials J μ ( x; q, t ). We prove the new formula by verifying that it satisfies a recurrence, due to Knop and Sahi, that characterizes the nonsymmetric Macdonald polynomials.
The Structure of the Free Boundary for Lower Dimensional Obstacle Problems
Authors: Athanasopoulos I. , Caffarelli L. A. , Salsa S.
Published: April 2008

We study the regularity of the "free surface" in boundary obstacle problems. We show that near a non-degenerate point the free boundary is a C 1,α ( n - 2)-dimensional surface in R n -1 .
The Ozsváth-Szabó and Rasmussen Concordance Invariants are not Equal
Authors: Hedden Matthew , Ording Philip
Published: April 2008

In this paper we present several counterexamples to Rasmussen's conjecture that the concordance invariant coming from Khovanov homology is equal to twice the invariant coming from Ozsváth-Szabó Floer homology. The counterexamples are twisted Whitehead doubles of (2, 2 n + 1) torus knots.
On the Calabi Flow
Authors: Chen X. X. , He W. Y.
Published: April 2008

In this paper, we study the Calabi flow on a polarized Kähler manifold and some related problems. We first give a precise statement on the short time existence of the Calabi flow for any c 3,α ( M ) initial Kähler potential. As an application, we prove a stability result: any metric near a constant scalar curvature Kähler (CscK) metric will flow to a nearby CscK metric exponentially fast. Secondly, we prove that a compactness theorem in the space of the Kähler metrics given uniform Ricci bound and potential bound. As an application, we prove the Calabi flow can be extended once Ricci curvature stays uniformly bounded. Lastly, we prove a removing-singularity result about a weak constant scalar curvature metric in a punctured disc.
On the Main Conjecture for CM Fields
Authors: Mainardi Fabio
Published: April 2008

The aim of this work is to prove a divisibility relation toward the main conjecture for CM fields. Our main tool is the study of congruences between an Eisenstein series and cusp forms on the unitary group GU(2,1). We introduce an Eisenstein ideal in the nearly-ordinary universal Hecke algebra for GU(2,1) and show that it divides the characteristic ideal of the CM Iwasawa module.
Homotopy Approximations to the Space of Knots, Feynman Diagrams, and a Conjecture of Scannell and Sinha
Authors: Conant James
Published: April 2008

Scannell and Sinha considered a spectral sequence to calculate the rational homotopy groups of spaces of long knots in R n , for n ≤ 4. At the end of the paper they conjecture that when n is odd, the terms on the antidiagonal at the E 2 stage precisely give the space of irreducible Feynman diagrams related to the theory of Vassiliev invariants. In this paper we prove that conjecture. This has the application that the path components of the terms of the Taylor tower for the space of long knots in R 3 are in one-to-one correspondence with quotients of the module of Feynman diagrams, even though the Taylor tower does not actually converge. This provides strong evidence that the stages of the Taylor tower give rise to universal Vassiliev knot invariants in each degree. Our proof yields a sequence of new presentations for the space of irreducible Feynman diagrams.
Social Movements and Collective Identity:
Authors: Holland Dorothy , Fox Gretchen , Daro Vinci
Published: April 2008

Collective identity entered the social movements literature as an early recognition of the importance of meaning-making in shaping movement participants and influencing movement actions In this article, we go against the more usual practice of treating movements as unified actors, and instead, take a decentered, dialogic approach that recognizes the difficulties and contentiousness of producing movement identities amidst multiple discourses and practices. We illustrate this framework with three ethnographic cases from Canada, Scotland and Nepal, which highlight collective identity and meaning-making through place-based, contingent cultural processes. The cases use the concepts of figured worlds, alter-versions of identity, and cultural artifacts to show how collective identity develops dialogically in practice both within and outside of movements.
Female Drug Smugglers on the U.S.-Mexico Border: Gender, Crime, and Empowerment
Authors: Campbell Howard
Published: April 2008

Women's involvement in drug trafficking in recent years has expanded dramatically. Yet there are few studies of female drug smugglers, the causes of female involvement in smuggling, and the impact of smuggling on women's lives specifically. In this article, I provide in-depth ethnographic interviews and observations of a broad spectrum of female drug smugglers on the U.S.-Mexico border. Moving beyond stereotypes, I examine how drug trafficking affects women's relationships with men and their position in society. Economic and cultural factors strongly shape women's involvement in drug smuggling and the effects of smuggling on their lives, but these factors and effects vary significantly, depending on women's social class position and place within drug organizations. High-level female drug smugglers may be attracted to the power and mystique of drug trafficking and may achieve a relative independence from male dominance. Middle-level women in smuggling organizations obtain less freedom vis-à-vis men but may manipulate gender stereotypes to their advantage in the smuggling world. Low-level mules also perform (or subvert) traditional gender roles as a smuggling strategy, but receive less economic benefit and less power, though in some cases some independence from male domestic control. A fourth category of women do not smuggle drugs but are negatively impacted by the male smugglers with whom they are associated. I argue that drug smuggling frequently leads to female victimization, especially at the lowest and middle levels of drug trafficking organizations. However, it is also, in the case of high-level and some low-level and middle-level smugglers, a vehicle for female empowerment.
Grounded Utopian Movements:
Authors: Price Charles , Nonini Donald , Tree Erich Fox
Published: April 2008

This essay argues that grounded utopian movements (GUMs) have generally been overlooked in recent cross-disciplinary theorizations of social movements, and seeks to rectify the neglect. GUMs, unlike other social movements, do not seek recognition either from capitalist institutions or modern nationstates, but are instead grounded in visions of alternative "ideal places" (utopias), and set out to establish alternative ways of living which their members find more just and satisfying than at present. We discuss the Ghost Dance of the Great Plains, the Rastafari movement of the Caribbean, and the long-durée Maya movement as grounded utopian movements of the periphery, to illustrate major aspects of theoretical, epistemological, and methodological approaches to the study of GUMs. We conclude with a brief treatment of the global justice movement as a contemporary GUM.
Blurring Boundaries: Recognizing Knowledge-Practices in the Study of Social Movements
Authors: Casas-Cortés María Isabel , Osterweil Michal , Powell Dana E.
Published: April 2008

Social movements are arising in unexpected places, producing effects not normally associated with our traditional understandings of either politics or movements. No longer, and perhaps never, solely the highly visible, modernist expressions of resistance to the state, movements are not only enacting politics through protest and cultural contestation, but are generating diverse knowledges. From heated debates over the meaning of Italy's alter-globalization movement; to careful direct-action strategizing in Chicago's cooperative bookstores; to conferences on Native American environmental justice issues, contemporary movements are important sites of knowledge creation, reformulation and diffusion. We call these "knowledge-practices." Building on interdisciplinary approaches to the study of social movements, we argue that when we recognize movements as processes through which knowledge is generated, modified and mobilized, we gain important insights into the politics of contemporary movements. This recognition also has important methodological implications. It requires that we shift the mode of engagement in our research, blurring established social scientific boundaries and promoting a more relational-symmetrical approach.
What Makes a Place Ethnic?: The Formal and Symbolic Spatial Manifestations of Teenek Identity (Mexico)
Authors: Vidas Anath Ariel de
Published: April 2008

The examination of boundary processes is a central issue in the study of ethnicity but this approach often favors external, socio-political boundaries that stem from historical forces at the expense of indigenous accounts about cultural differences. In this paper, I propose that Teenek symbolic spatial organization enables us to examine ethnicity as simultaneously a set of social relations and a structure of meaning. The analysis stresses the significance and contents of the dialogical relationships between external social boundaries and internal, symbolic ones. Analyzing the interrelation of both types of boundaries reveals how historical forces have shaped the cultural idiom in which Teenek people metaphorically apprehend their social interethnic configuration.
"We Are All Going to Die": Kinship, Belonging, and the Morality of HIV/AIDS-Related Illnesses and Deaths in Rural Tanzania
Authors: Dilger Hansjörg
Published: April 2008

This article explores how moral perceptions of HIV/AIDS-related illness and death in rural Tanzania are related to social and cultural practices of disease interpretation, patient caring and burial in the context of rural-urban migration and HIV/AIDS. Drawing on anthropological discussions of the relationship between death, social reproduction, and HIV/AIDS I argue that moral discourses and practices surrounding the epidemic in Northwest Tanzania are intimately intertwined with local notions of order and disorder. Furthermore, they are tied to individual and collective concerns about the implications that the high numbers of premature deaths among young men and women are perceived to have on the continuity of whole families and communities. Focusing on the case studies of several young HIV-infected women and men who finally died from the consequences of AIDS I show that the infected persons themselves, as well as their relatives, draw on a wide range of-sometimes mutually contradictory-strategies in dealing with the disease in cultural, religious, or moral terms (including the reference to witchcraft or the violation of ritual prescriptions). In conclusion, I argue that the various strategies and practices surrounding HIV/AIDS-related illnesses and deaths have become an integral part of the negotiation of kinship relations in rural Tanzania, as well as of the moral state of "modern" society in general.
The Assassin-Saint: The Life and Cult of Carino of Balsamo
Authors: Prudlo Donald S.
Published: April 2008

St. Peter Martyr was a thirteenth-century preacher and inquisitor who achieved rapid canonization and attained a worldwide cult. Less well known was his assassin, Carino of Balsamo. Hired as a cutthroat thug to murder Peter of Verona, Carino escaped, repented, and lived out his life as a humble Dominican penitent. After his death, a local cult developed around him. Although the story of the famous Inquisitor and the humble penitent were inextricably intertwined, their cults hardly ever intersected. This article lays out Carino's biography and his cultic afterlife, and sheds light on early Dominican practice, on the continuing importance of local cults in Italy, and on the Christian ideal of conversion.
From an Indefinite Homogeneity: Catholic Colleges in Antebellum America
Authors: Gleason* Philip
Published: April 2008

Antebellum Catholic colleges reflected what Herbert Spencer called an "indefinite homogeneity" in that they were less clearly differentiated from other aspects of the life of the Church than they are today, and their internal composition was amorphous in that they combined a mixture of functions later embodied in separate and distinct institutions. The discussion consists of four parts: (1) college-founding from the 1790s to the 1850s, (2) the ways in which colleges were immersed in the overall life of the Church, (3) the "mixed" quality of their internal make-up, and (4) changes noticeable by midcentury that moved them toward a more restricted role in the life of the Church and promoted their eventual development into recognizably "modern" institutions of higher education.
Female Gladiators in Imperial Rome: Literary Context and Historical Fact
Authors: McCullough Anna
Published: April 2008

Female gladiators were a definite presence in Rome whose participation paralleled that of men, though the scale of this presence in frequency and number is unknown. Senatus consultum decrees from A.D. 11 and 19 confidently mark the first appearance of this phenomenon. Later literary sources (including Martial, Cassius Dio, and Juvenal) expand the evidence, but often consist of mere sentences, giving little detail. The concentration of literary mentions in the Neronian and Flavian periods is explained by two factors: one, the intent to mark a games as splendid and lavish, and two, the intent to use this luxury context to comment on past emperors and moralize on Roman society.
Boudica's Speeches in Tacitus and Dio 1
Authors: Adler Eric
Published: April 2008

Some recent scholarship has argued that ancient Roman historians inevitably cast foreigners as inferior and thereby justified Roman imperialism and colonialism. This paper questions this position's validity through an examination of the Boudica orations in Tacitus ( Ann. 14.35.1-2) and Cassius Dio (62.3-6). It argues that both authors present complex portrayals of Boudica and seem at least partially capable of valorizing her complaints against Roman misrule.
Kurt von Fritz and Ernst Kapp at Columbia University: A Reconstruction according to the Files*
Authors: Obermayer Hans Peter
Published: April 2008

This paper presents two outstanding classical scholars who were forced to leave Germany after Hitler's seizure of power: Kurt von Fritz's dismissal took place in 1935, Ernst Kapp lost his position in 1937. At this time, von Fritz already was appointed as Associate Professor at Columbia University. The focus of the paper will be a detailed reconstruction of Kapp's desperate efforts to get a position in the U.S. Apart from his dependency on relief organizations' financial aid, he fortunately could rely on the support of his former student and friend von Fritz, who helped him tirelessly to secure tenure and full professorship at Columbia in 1948.
Heracles as Tragic Hero
Authors: Papadimitropoulos Loukas
Published: April 2008

Despite differences in subject matter, plot construction, and character, the two Heracles plays may have a similarity in the conception of divine action (divine determinism) and in their formal structure. The hero suffers from an internal/internalized conflict between divine and human spheres. The unity of these coexistent spheres is broken by an outburst of the hero's own bestiality, which leads to the (temporary or permanent) reduction of his status. Nevertheless, his fall entails a personal victory which involves the painful realization of human limits.
Sadder Than Simonidean Tears: Cornificius and Simonides in Catullus 38 1
Authors: Kowerski Lawrence M.
Published: April 2008

This paper offers a reading of Catullus 38 that focuses on the figures named in it, Cornificius and Simonides, rather than the undefined distress of the poet. By focusing on these two poets, I suggest that the poem is not a request for consolatory verses from Cornificius in the vein of Simonides, but for some verses from his Glaucus , an epyllion. I argue that the so-called new Simonides reveals Simonides' appropriateness as a model for epic-like verses and suggest that the poetic endeavors of these poets overlap within the tradition of epyllion.
Moving and union dissolution
Authors: Boyle Paul J. , Kulu Hill , Cooke Thomas , Gayle Vernon , Mulder Clara H.
Published: April 2008

This paper examines the effect of migration and residential mobility on union dissolution among married and cohabiting couples. Moving is a stressful life event, and a large, multidisciplinary literature has shown that family migration often benefits one partner (usually the man) more than the other. Even so, no study to date has examined the possible impact of within-nation geographical mobility on union dissolution. We base our longitudinal analysis on retrospective event-history data from Austria. Our results show that couples who move frequently have a significantly higher risk of union dissolution, and we suggest a variety of mechanisms that may explain this.
Cohort estimates of nonmarital fertility for U.S. Women
Authors: Wu Lawrence L.
Published: April 2008

Historical trends in U.S. nonmarital fertility have been compiled almost exclusively from vital statistics on births. This paper complements this historical record by providing cohort estimates of nonmarital fertility for cohorts of U.S. women spanning approximately 50 years of cohort experience. Life table estimates using retrospective marital and fertility histories in the June 1980, 1985, 1990, and 1995 Current Population Surveys reveal nonnegligible levels of nonmarital fertility historically. For women born between 1925 and 1929, nearly 1 in 10 had at least one nonmarital birth by age 30. For women born between 1965 and 1969, more than 1 of 4 had one or more nonmarital births by age 30, with roughly 1 of 5 white, 3 of 5 black, and 1 in 3 Hispanic women having at least one nonmarital birth by age 30. Life table estimates reveal a twofold increase between ages 20 and 30 in the percentage of women with at least one child outside of formal marriage for all cohorts of white and Hispanic women, and an increase of roughly two-thirds for all cohorts of black women. I also document qualitative differences in nonmarital fertility by race/ethnicity, with the percentage of nonmarital births following a divorce or marital separation for white women approximately twice that for black or Hispanic women. Finally, I introduce a new measure, the cohort nonmarital fertility ratio (CNMFR), which provides a cohort complement to the standard period nonmarital fertility ratio. Conservative estimates reveal a roughly threefold increase in the CNMFR for women born from 1925-1929 to 1950-1954 for both whites and blacks, despite substantially higher levels of nonmarital fertility among black women. Overall, these findings reveal surprisingly high levels of nonmarital fertility for women born since the 1920s and confirm that nonmarital fertility has become an increasingly substantial component of overall U.S. fertility
Maternal work hours and adolescents’ School outcomes among low-income families in four urban counties
Authors: Gennetian Lisa A. , Lopoo Leonard M. , London Andrew S.
Published: April 2008

We examine how changes in maternal work hours affect adolescent children’s school participation and performance outcomes using data from interviews in 1998 and 2001 with approximately 1,700 women who, in May 1995, were welfare-reliant, single mothers of adolescents living in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty in Cuyahoga (Cleveland), Los Angeles, Miami-Dade, and Philadelphia counties. Analyses control for a broad array of mothers’ characteristics, including their psychological and physical health, experiences with domestic violence and substance abuse, as well as unobserved time-invariant characteristics. In fixed-effects models, we find unfavorable effects of increased maternal work hours on three of six outcomes: skipping school, performing above average, and parental contact about behavior problems. Adolescent-aged sons seem to be particularly sensitive to changes in mothers’ hours of work.
The quality of retrospective data on Cohabitation
Authors: Hayford Sarah R. , Morgan S. Philip
Published: April 2008

We assess the quality of retrospective data on cohabitation by comparing data collected in four major U.S. family surveys: the National Survey of Families and Households and three rounds of the National Survey of Family Growth. We use event-history analysis to analyze rates of entry into cohabitation in age-period-cohort segments captured by multiple surveys. We find consistent discrepancies among the four surveys. The pattern of differences suggests that cohabitation histories underestimate cohabitation rates in distant periods relative to rates estimated closer to the date of survey. We conclude with cautions regarding the use of retrospective data on cohabitation.
The quantity-Quality trade-Off of children In a developing country: Identification using chinese twins
Authors: Li Hongbin , Zhang Junsen , Zhu Yi
Published: April 2008

Testing the trade-off between child quantity and quality within a family is complicated by the endogeneity of family size. Using data from the Chinese Population Census, we examine the effect of family size on child educational attainment in China. We find a negative correlation between family size and child outcome, even after we control for the birth order effect. We then instrument family size by the exogenous variation that is induced by a twin birth and find a negative effect of family size on children’s education. We also find that the effect of family size is more evident in rural China, where the public education system is poor. Given that our estimates of the effect of having twins on nontwins at least provide the lower bound of the true effect of family size, these findings suggest a quantity-quality trade-off for children in developing countries.
Retrospective information on health status and its application for population health measures
Authors: Molla Michael T. , Lubitz James
Published: April 2008

Healthy life expectancies are almost always calculated by using health data from cross-sectional surveys. This type of calculation is done partly because data from longitudinal surveys are not always available, and when they are available, they are collected at intervals that are longer than one year. In such cases, collecting health information retrospectively for the years skipped by the survey is useful. The main purpose of this paper is to show how retrospective health information can be used to estimate life expectancies in different health states. Healthy life expectancies are estimated with and without using data on retrospective health information, and the corresponding estimates are compared. The two sets of estimates are similar. We conclude that retrospectively assessed health information based on a one-year recall period can be used to estimate years of life in various health states and that estimates based on such information will closely approximate estimates based on concurrent health information.
Immigrant residential segregation in U.S. metropolitan areas, 1990–2000
Authors: Iceland John , Scopilliti Melissa
Published: April 2008

This paper examines the extent of spatial assimilation among immigrants of different racial and ethnic origins. We use restricted data from the 1990 and 2000 censuses to calculate the levels of dissimilarity by race and Hispanic origin, nativity, and year of entry, and then run multivariate models to examine these relationships. The findings provide broad support for spatial assimilation theory. Foreign-born Hispanics, Asians, and blacks are more segregated from native-born non-Hispanic whites than are the U.S.-born of these groups. The patterns for Hispanics and Asians can be explained by the average characteristics of the foreign-born that are generally associated with higher levels of segregation, such as lower levels of income, English language ability, and homeownership. We also find that immigrants who have been in the United States for longer periods are generally less segregated than new arrivals, and once again, much of this difference can be attributed to the characteristics of immigrants. However, patterns also vary across groups. Levels of segregation are much higher for black immigrants than for Asian, Hispanic, and white immigrants. In addition, because black immigrants are, on average, of higher socioeconomic status than native-born blacks, such characteristics do not help explain their very high levels of segregation.
Using subjective expectations to forecast longevity: do survey respondents know something we don’t know?
Authors: Perozek Maria
Published: April 2008

Old-age mortality is notoriously dif cult to predict because it requires not only an understanding of the process of senescence—which is influenced by genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors—but also a prediction of how these factors will evolve. In this paper, I argue that individuals are uniquely qualified to predict their own mortality based on their own genetic background, as well as environmental and behavioral risk factors that are often known only to the individual. Given this private information, individuals form expectations about survival probabilities that may provide additional information to demographers and policymakers in their challenge to predict mortality. From expectations data from the 1992 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), I construct subjective, cohort life tables that are shown to predict the unusual direction of revisions to U.S. life expectancy by gender between 1992 and 2004: that is, for these cohorts, the Social Security Actuary (SSA) raised male life expectancy in 2004 and at the same lowered female life expectancy, narrowing the gender gap in longevity by 25% over this period. Further, although the subjective life expectancies for men appear to be roughly in line with the 2004 life tables, the subjective expectations of women suggest that female life expectancies estimated by the SSA might still be on the high side.
The neighborhood context of racial and ethnic disparities in arrest
Authors: Kirk David S.
Published: April 2008

This study assesses the role of social context in explaining racial and ethnic disparities in arrest, with a focus on how distinct neighborhood contexts in which different racial and ethnic groups reside explain variations in criminal outcomes. To do so, I utilize a multilevel, longitudinal research design, combining individual-level data with contextual data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). Findings reveal that black youths face multiple layers of disadvantage relative to other racial and ethnic groups, and these layers work to create differences in arrest. At the family level, results show that disadvantages in the form of unstable family structures explain much of the disparities in arrest across race and ethnicity. At the neighborhood level, black youths tend to reside in areas with both significantly higher levels of concentrated poverty than other youths as well as lower levels of collective efficacy than white youths. Variations in neighborhood tolerance of deviance across groups explain little of the arrest disparities, yet tolerance of deviance does influence the frequency with which a crime ultimately ends in an arrest. Even after accounting for relevant demographic, family, and neighborhood-level predictors, substantial residual arrest differences remain between black youths and youths of other racial and ethnic groups.
Neighborhood selection and the social reproduction of concentrated racial inequality
Authors: Sampson Robert J. , Sharkey Patrick
Published: April 2008

In this paper, we consider neighborhood selection as a social process central to the reproduction of racial inequality in neighborhood attainment. We formulate a multilevel model that decomposes multiple sources of stability and change in longitudinal trajectories of achieved neighborhood income among nearly 4,000 Chicago families followed for up to seven years wherever they moved in the United States. Even after we adjust for a comprehensive set of fixed and time-varying covariates, racial inequality in neighborhood attainment is replicated by movers and stayers alike. We also study the emergent consequences of mobility pathways for neighborhood-level structure. The temporal sorting by individuals of different racial and ethnic groups combines to yield a structural pattern of flows between neighborhoods that generates virtually nonoverlapping income distributions and little exchange between minority and white areas. Selection and racially shaped hierarchies are thus mutually constituted and account for an apparent equilibrium of neighborhood inequality.