bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
q-DEFORMED CONFORMAL CORRELATION FUNCTIONS
Authors: MESREF L.
Published: May 2005

In this paper, we compute the general structure of two- and three-point functions in field theories that are assumed to possess an invariance under a quantum deformation of SO (4, 2). The computation is elaborated in order to fit the Hopf algebra structure.
TEV ANTINEUTRINOS FROM CYGNUS OB2
Authors: GOLDBERG HAIM
Published: May 2005

High energy cosmic ray experiments have identified an excess from the region of the Galactic Plane in a limited energy range around 1018 eV ( EeV ). This is very suggestive of neutrons as candidate primaries, because the directional signal requires relatively-stable neutral primaries, and time-dilated neutrons can reach Earth from typical Galactic distances when the neutron energy exceeds an EeV . We here point out that if the Galactic messengers are neutrons, then those with energies below an EeV will decay in flight, providing a flux of cosmic antineutrinos above a TeV which is observable at a kilometer-scale neutrino observatory. The expected event rate per year above 1 TeV in a detector such as IceCube, for example, is 20 antineutrino showers (all flavors) and a 1° directional signal of [Formula: see text] events. A measurement of this flux can serve to identify the first extraterrestrial point source of TeV antineutrinos.
NEW PHYSICS AT LOW ENERGIES AND DARK MATTER-DARK ENERGY TRANSMUTATION
Authors: GUENDELMAN E. I. , KAGANOVICH A. B.
Published: May 2005

A field theory is proposed where the regular fermionic matter and the dark fermionic matter can be different states of the same "primordial" fermion fields. In regime of the fermion densities typical for normal particle physics, the primordial fermions split into three families identified with regular fermions. When fermion energy density becomes comparable with dark energy density, the theory allows transition to new type of states. The possibility of such Cosmo-Low Energy Physics (CLEP) states is demonstrated by means of solutions of the field theory equations describing FRW universe filled with homogeneous scalar field and uniformly distributed nonrelativistic neutrinos. Neutrinos in CLEP state are drawn into cosmological expansion by means of dynamically changing their own parameters. One of the features of the fermions in CLEP state is that in the late time universe their masses increase as a3/2 (a=a(t) is the scale factor). The energy density of the cold dark matter consisting of neutrinos in CLEP state scales as a sort of dark energy; this cold dark matter possesses negative pressure and for the late time universe its equation of state approaches that of the cosmological constant. The total energy density of such universe is less than it would be in the universe free of fermionic matter at all.
PULSAR KICKS AND DARK MATTER FROM A STERILE NEUTRINO
Authors: KUSENKO ALEXANDER
Published: May 2005

The observed velocities of radio pulsars, which range in the hundreds kilometers per second, and many of which exceed 1000 km/s, are not explained by the standard physics of the supernova explosion. However, if a sterile neutrino with mass in the 1–20 keV range exists, it would be emitted asymmetrically from a cooling neutron star, which could give it a sufficient recoil to explain the pulsar motions. The same particle can be the cosmological dark mater. Future observations of X-ray telescopes and gravitational wave detectors can confirm or rule out this explanation.
COSMIC NEUTRINO PHYSICS AND ASTROPHYSICS
Authors: WEILER THOMAS J.
Published: May 2005

Over the next decade or two, neutrino telescopes will map out the neutrino sky, analogous to the way the electromagnetic sky has been mapped for centuries. Like light and unlike cosmic-rays, the neutrinos will point back to their sources. Unlike light, the neutrinos are not attenuated at high energies and so will allow us to see farther into space, and deeper into sources. We illustrate with specific examples the promise which neutrino astronomy at energies from a TeV to a ZeV holds to study astrophysics and particle physics.
NEUTRINOS, LEPTON FLAVOR AND CP VIOLATION IN A PREDICTIVE SO(10) MODEL
Authors: DUTTA B. , MIMURA Y. , MOHAPATRA R. N.
Published: May 2005

A minimal supersymmetric SO (10) model with one 10 and one 126 Higgs superfield predict all neutrino mixings as well as the solar mass difference squared in agreement with observations. However, the CKM CP phase is constrained to be in the second or third quadrant requiring a significant non-CKM component to CP violation to explain observations. We revisit this issue using type I and II seesaw formula for neutrino masses show that the addition of a nonrenormalizable term restores compatibility with neutrino data and CKM CP violation in both cases. We further find that the MSSM parameter tan β≥30 in the type I model and lepton flavor violation and lepton electric dipole moments are accessible to proposed experiments in both type I and type II models. We also discuss the unification of the gauge couplings in type I model which requires an intermediate scale.
ASPECTS OF NEUTRINO MASS MATRICES
Authors: FRAMPTON P. H.
Published: May 2005

After an Introduction briefly describing the rise and fall of the three-zero texture of the Zee model, we discuss still-allowed two-zero textures for the Majorana three-neutrino mass matrix. Finally, a model with two right-handed neutrinos and two Dirac texture zeros is described (FGY model) which can relate CP violation in leptogenesis to CP violation in long-baseline neutrino oscillations.
CHASING CHOOZ
Authors: RAMOND P.
Published: May 2005

We relate the MNS and CKM mixing matrices using ideas from grand unification. We catalog models in terms of the family symmetries of the down quark mass matrices, and emphasize the role of the Cabibbo angle in the lepton mixing matrix. We find a large class of models with an observable CHOOZ angle [Formula: see text].
PROBLEMS WITH GAUGE INVARIANCE IN LORENTZ-VIOLATING QED
Authors: ALTSCHUL B.
Published: May 2005

We consider the radiative generation of a Chern-Simons addition to the effective action for a Lorentz-violating modification of electrodynamics. The coefficient of the induced Chern-Simons term is manifestly finite, but also potentially indeterminate. However, several values have been suggested as having special significance. We discuss two such special values, and it turns out that neither of them can be made consistent with the gauge invariance properties of the theory.
NEW IMPLICATIONS OF LORENTZ VIOLATION
Authors: COLLADAY DON
Published: May 2005

In this proceedings, I summarize two recently discovered theoretical implications that Lorentz violation has on physical systems. First, I discuss new models for neutrino oscillations in which relatively simple combinations of Lorentz-violating parameters can mimic the major features of the current neutrino oscillation data. Second, I will present results on Yang-Mills instantons in Lorentz-violating background fields. An explicit solution is presented for unit winding number in SU (2).
LORENTZ VIOLATION AS A QUANTUM-GRAVITY SIGNATURE
Authors: LEHNERT RALF
Published: May 2005

Many theoretical approaches to quantum gravity predict the breakdown of Lorentz symmetry at Planck energies. Kinematical cosmic-ray studies are a sensitive tool in the search for such effects. This talk discusses the construction of test dispersion relations for such analyses.
MATTER FIELDS ON A TWO-SHEETED SPACE-TIME
Authors: WALI KAMESHWAR C.
Published: May 2005

As a prelude to the standard model in curved space time, we present a model of a left- and a right- chiral field living on a two-sheeted space-time. The resulting action functionals include novel interactions due to extended gravity.
AN APPROXIMATE MORPHING BETWEEN POLYLINES
Authors: BEREG SERGEY
Published: May 2005

We consider the problem of continuously transforming or morphing one simple polyline into another polyline so that every point p of the initial polyline moves to a point q of the final polyline using the geodesic shortest path from p to q. The width of a morphing is defined as the longest geodesic path between corresponding points of the polylines. The optimization problem is to compute a morphing that minimizes the width. We present a linear-time algorithm for finding a morphing with width guaranteed to be at most two times the minimum width of a morphing. This improves the previous algorithm10 by a factor of log n. We develop a linear-time algorithm for computing a medial axis separator. We also show that the approximation factor is less than two for κ-straight polylines.
INTEGRAL DOMAINS WHOSE SIMPLE OVERRINGS ARE INTERSECTIONS OF LOCALIZATIONS
Authors: FONTANA MARCO , HOUSTON EVAN , LUCAS THOMAS
Published: May 2005

Call a domain R an sQQR-domain if each simple overring of R, i.e., each ring of the form R[u] with u in the quotient field of R, is an intersection of localizations of R. We characterize Prüfer domains as integrally closed sQQR-domains. In the presence of certain finiteness conditions, we show that the sQQR-property is very strong; for instance, a Mori sQQR-domain must be a Dedekind domain. We also show how to construct sQQR-domains which have (non-simple) overrings which are not intersections of localizations.
RATIONAL SOLUTIONS OF THE CYBE AND LOCALLY TRANSITIVE ACTIONS ON ISOTROPIC GRASSMANNIANS
Authors: POP IULIA I.
Published: May 2005

This paper continues the investigation of the theory of rational solutions of the CYBE for o(n) from the point of view of orders in the corresponding loop algebra, as it was developed in [8]. As suggested by [8], in the case of "singular vertices", we use the list of connected irreducible subgroups of SO(n) locally transitive on the Grassmann manifolds [Formula: see text] of isotropic k-dimensional subspaces in ℂn obtained in [11]. New arguments based on the analysis of the structure of the stationary subalgebra of a generic point allow us to construct several rational solutions in o(7), o(8) and o(12).
AFFINE PARTICLES AND FIELDS
Authors: ŠIJAČKI DJORDJE
Published: May 2005

The covering of the affine symmetry group, a semidirect product of translations and special linear transformations, in D ≥ 3 dimensional spacetime is considered. Infinite dimensional spinorial representations on states and fields are presented. A Dirac-like affine equation, with infinite matrices generalizing the γ matrices, is constructed.
TWISTORS, SPECIAL RELATIVITY, CONFORMAL SYMMETRY AND MINIMAL COUPLING — A REVIEW
Authors: BETTE ANDREAS
Published: May 2005

An approach to special relativistic dynamics using the language of spinors and twistors is presented. Exploiting the natural conformally invariant symplectic structure of the twistor space, a model is constructed which describes a relativistic massive, spinning and charged particle, minimally coupled to an external electro-magnetic field. On the two-twistor phase space the relativistic Hamiltonian dynamics is generated by a Poincaré scalar function obtained from the classical limit (appropriately defined by us) of the second order, to an external electro-magnetic field minimally coupled Dirac operator. In the so defined relativistic classical limit there are no Grassman variables. Besides, the arising equation that describes dynamics of the relativistic spin differs significantly from the so-called Thomas Bergman Michel Telegdi equation.
MECHANISMS OF APOPTOSIS THROUGH STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
Authors: Yan Nieng , Shi Yigong
Published: May 2005

Apoptosis plays a central role in the development and homeostasis of metazoans. Research in the past two decades has led to the identification of hundreds of genes that govern the initiation, execution, and regulation of apoptosis. An earlier focus on the genetic and cell biological characterization has now been complemented by systematic biochemical and structural investigation, giving rise to an unprecedented level of clarity in many aspects of apoptosis. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis by synthesizing available biochemical and structural information. We discuss the mechanisms of ligand binding to death receptors, actions of the Bcl-2 family of proteins, and caspase activation, inhibition, and removal of inhibition. Although an emphasis is given to the mammalian pathways, a comparative analysis is applied to related mechanistic information in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans.
Syntaxin 1A has a specific binding site in the H3 domain that is critical for targeting of H+-ATPase to apical membrane of renal epithelial cells
Authors: Li Guangmu , Yang Qiongqiong , Alexander Edward A. , Schwartz John H.
Published: May 2005

H+ transport in the collecting duct is regulated by exocytic insertion of H+-ATPase-laden vesicles into the apical membrane. The soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein (SNAP) receptor (SNARE) proteins are critical for exocytosis. Syntaxin 1A contains three main domains, SNARE N, H3, and carboxy-terminal transmembrane domain. Several syntaxin isoforms form SNARE fusion complexes through the H3 domain; only syntaxin 1A, through its H3 domain, also binds H+-ATPase. This raised the possibility that there are separate binding sites within the H3 domain of syntaxin 1A for H+-ATPase and for SNARE proteins. A series of truncations in the H3 domain of syntaxin 1A were made and expressed as glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins. We determined the amount of H+-ATPase and SNARE proteins in rat kidney homogenate that complexed with GST-syntaxin molecules. Full-length syntaxin isoforms and syntaxin-1AΔC [amino acids (aa) 1–264] formed complexes with H+-ATPase and SNAP23 and vesicle-associated membrane polypeptide (VAMP). A cassette within the H3 portion was found that bound H+-ATPase (aa 235–264) and another that bound SNAP23 and VAMP (aa 190–234) to an equivalent degree as full-length syntaxin. However, the aa 235–264 cassette alone without the SNARE N (aa 1–160) does not bind but requires ligation to the SNARE N to bind H+-ATPase. When this chimerical construct was transected into inner medullary collecting duct cells it inhibited intracellular pH recovery, an index of H+-ATPase mediated secretion. We conclude that within the H3 domain of syntaxin 1A is a unique cassette that participates in the binding of the H+-ATPase to the apical membrane and confers specificity of syntaxin 1A in the process of H+-ATPase exocytosis.
Mechanical stimulation prevents osteocyte apoptosis: requirement of integrins, Src kinases, and ERKs
Authors: Plotkin L. I. , Mathov I. , Aguirre J. I. , Parfitt A. M. , Manolagas S. C. , Bellido T.
Published: May 2005

Osteocytes, former osteoblasts entombed in the bone matrix, form an extensive cell communication network that is thought to detect microdamage and mechanical strains and to transmit signals leading to repair and compensatory bone augmentation or reduction. Bone active hormones and drugs control the integrity of this network by regulating osteocyte apoptosis, which might be a determinant of bone strength. Herein we demonstrate that mechanical stimulation by stretching activates the ERKs, which in turn are responsible for the attenuation of osteocyte apoptosis. The effect of osteocyte stretching is transmitted by integrins and cytoskeletal and catalytic molecules, such as Src kinases. Stretch-induced antiapoptosis also requires nuclear translocation of ERKs and new gene transcription. The evidence linking mechanical stimulation, activation of an integrin/cytoskeleton/Src/ERK signaling pathway, and osteocyte survival provides a mechanistic basis for the profound role of mechanical forces, or lack thereof, on skeletal health and disease.
STa and cGMP stimulate CFTR translocation to the surface of villus enterocytes in rat jejunum and is regulated by protein kinase G
Authors: Golin-Bisello Franca , Bradbury Neil , Ameen Nadia
Published: May 2005

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is critical to cAMP- and cGMP-activated intestinal anion secretion and the pathogenesis of secretory diarrhea. Enterotoxins released by Vibrio cholerae (cholera toxin) and Escherichia coli (heat stable enterotoxin, or STa) activate intracellular cAMP and cGMP and signal CFTR on the apical plasma membrane of small intestinal enterocytes to elicit chloride and fluid secretion. cAMP activates PKA, whereas cGMP signals a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGKII) to phosphorylate CFTR in the intestine. In the jejunum, cAMP also regulates CFTR and fluid secretion by insertion of CFTR from subapical vesicles to the surface of enterocytes. It is unknown whether cGMP signaling or phosphorylation regulates the insertion of CFTR associated vesicles from the cytoplasm to the surface of enterocytes. We used STa, cell-permeant cGMP, and cAMP agonists in conjunction with PKG and PKA inhibitors, respectively, in rat jejunum to examine whether 1) cGMP and cGK II regulate the translocation of CFTR to the apical membrane and its relevance to fluid secretion, and 2) PKA regulates cAMP-dependent translocation of CFTR because this intestinal segment is a primary target for toxigenic diarrhea. STa and cGMP induced a greater than fourfold increase in surface CFTR in enterocytes in association with fluid secretion that was inhibited by PKG inhibitors. cAMP agonists induced a translocation of CFTR to the cell surface of enterocytes that was prevented by PKA inhibitors. We conclude that cAMP and cGMP-dependent phosphorylation regulates fluid secretion and CFTR trafficking to the surface of enterocytes in rat jejunum.
Rabbit retinal ganglion cells express functional α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
Authors: Strang Christianne E. , Andison Margot E. , Amthor Franklin R. , Keyser Kent T.
Published: May 2005

It is well known that cholinergic agents affect ganglion cell (GC) firing rates and light responses in the retinas of many species, but the specific receptor subtypes involved in mediating these effects have been only partially characterized. We sought to determine whether functional α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) contribute to the responses of specific retinal GC classes in rabbit retina. We used electrophysiology, pharmacology, immunohistochemistry, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to determine the pharmacological properties and expression of nAChR subtypes by specific rabbit retinal GC classes. Choline was used as an α7 nAChR agonist. Methyllycaconitine (MLA) was used as a competitive α7 nAChR antagonist. The application of choline before synaptic blockade resulted in changes in retinal GC activity, including increases or decreases in maintained firing and/or enhancement or suppression of light responses. Many physiologically identified GC types, including sustained off, sustained on, transient off, and transient on cells, demonstrated responses to choline application while under synaptic blockade. The choline-induced responses could be blocked with MLA, confirming α7 nAChR activation. Individual choline-responsive GCs displayed mRNA transcripts consistent with the expression of functional α7 nAChRs. Other GCs demonstrated physiological responses and mRNA expression consistent with the expression of both α7 and non-α7 nAChRs. Thus mRNA is present for multiple nAChR subunits in whole retina extracts, and functional α7 nAChRs are capable of modulating the responses of GCs in adult rabbit retina. We also demonstrate through physiological responses that subsets of GCs express more than one nAChR subtype.
Optical Imaging of Large-Scale Correlated Wave Activity in the Developing Rat CNS
Authors: Momose-Sato Yoko , Honda Yoshiko , Sasaki Hiroshi , Sato Katsushige
Published: May 2005

Correlated neuronal activity plays a fundamental role in the development of the nervous system. Using a multiple-site optical recording technique with a fast voltage-sensitive dye, we previously reported a novel form of correlated activity in the chick embryo, which showed wide propagation throughout the CNS. In this study, we report that similar wave activity is generated in the embryonic rat CNS. Electrical stimulation applied to the cervical cord evoked wave activity that traveled over a wide region of the CNS including the medulla, pons, midbrain, diencephalon, and spinal cord. Small signals were also detected from the cerebellum and part of the cerebrum. Stimulation applied to the cranial nerves such as the trigeminal and vagus nerves evoked waves with similar patterns, indicating that the wave is triggered by external sensory inputs. This wave activity was inhibited by glutamate-, acetylcholine-, GABA- and glycine-receptor antagonists in addition to gap junction blockers such as octanol and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid. In the immunohistochemical study, significant immunoreactivity of connexin26 and connexin32 was also observed. Wave activity detected with a voltage-sensitive dye was accompanied by a Ca2+-wave, indicating that it not only provides electrical synchrony but also biochemical signals associated with [Ca2+]i elevation. These characteristics of the wave activity are similar to those of the depolarization wave reported in the chick embryo, suggesting that the large-scale depolarization wave is globally generated across different species.
Spike Timing in CA3 Pyramidal Cells During Behavior: Implications for Synaptic Transmission
Authors: Frerking M. , Schulte J. , Wiebe S. P. , Stäubli U.
Published: May 2005

Spike timing is thought to be an important mechanism for transmitting information in the CNS. Recent studies have emphasized millisecond precision in spike timing to allow temporal summation of rapid synaptic signals. However, spike timing over slower time scales could also be important, through mechanisms including activity-dependent synaptic plasticity or temporal summation of slow postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) such as those mediated by kainate receptors. To determine the extent to which these slower mechanisms contribute to information processing, it is first necessary to understand the properties of behaviorally relevant spike timing over this slow time scale. In this study, we examine the activity of CA3 pyramidal cells during the performance of a complex behavioral task in rats. Sustained firing rates vary over a wide range, and the firing rate of a cell is poorly correlated with the behavioral cues to which the cell responds. Nonrandom interactions between successive spikes can last for several seconds, but the nonrandom distribution of interspike intervals (ISIs) can account for the majority of nonrandom multi-spike patterns. During a stimulus, cellular responses are temporally complex, causing a shift in spike timing that favors intermediate ISIs over short and long ISIs. Response discrimination between related stimuli occurs through changes in both response time-course and response intensity. Precise synchrony between cells is limited, but loosely correlated firing between cells is common. This study indicates that spike timing is regulated over long time scales and suggests that slow synaptic mechanisms could play a substantial role in information processing in the CNS.
Deletions of Rhythmic Motoneuron Activity During Fictive Locomotion and Scratch Provide Clues to the Organization of the Mammalian Central Pattern Generator
Authors: Lafreniere-Roula Myriam , McCrea David A.
Published: May 2005

We examined the features of spontaneous deletions of bursts of motoneuron activity that can occur within otherwise rhythmic alternating flexor and extensor activity during fictive locomotion and scratch in adult decerebrate cats. Deletions of activity were observed both in hindlimb flexor and extensor motoneuron pools during brain stem–stimulation-evoked fictive locomotion but only in extensors during fictive scratch. Paired intracellular motoneuron recordings showed that deletions reduced the depolarization of homonymous motoneurons in qualitatively similar ways. Differences occurred in the extent to which activity in synergist motoneuron pools operating at other joints within the limb was reduced during deletions. The timing of the rhythmic activity that followed a deletion was often at an integer multiple of the preexisting locomotor or scratch cycle period. This maintenance of cycle period was also seen during deletions in which there was a complete failure of motoneuron depolarization. The activity of antagonist motoneurons was usually sustained during deletions with some rhythmic modulation at intervals of the preexisting cycle period. We discuss an organization of the central pattern generator for locomotion and scratch that functions as a single rhythm generator with separate and multiple pattern formation modules for controlling the hyper- and depolarization of subsets of motoneurons within the limb.
Effect of Low-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Interhemispheric Inhibition
Authors: Pal Pramod Kr. , Hanajima Ritsuko , Gunraj Carolyn A. , Li Jie-Yuan , Wagle-Shukla Aparna , Morgante Francesca , Chen Robert
Published: May 2005

We studied the effects of 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the excitability of interhemispheric connections in 13 right-handed healthy volunteers. TMS was performed using figure-eight coils, and surface electromyography (EMG) was recorded from both first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscles. A paired-pulse method with a conditioning stimulus (CS) to the motor cortex (M1) followed by a test stimulus to the opposite M1 was used to study the interhemispheric inhibition (ppIHI). Both CS and TS were adjusted to produce motor-evoked potentials of ∼1 mV in the contralateral FDI muscles. After baseline measurement of right-to-left IHI (pre-RIHI) and left-to-right IHI (pre-LIHI), rTMS was applied over left M1 at 1 Hz with 900 stimuli at 115% of resting motor threshold. After rTMS, ppIHI was studied using both the pre-rTMS CS (post-RIHI and post-LIHI) and an adjusted post-rTMS CS set to produce 1-mV motor evoked potentials (MEPs; post-RIHIadj and post-LIHIadj). The TS was set to produce 1-mV MEPs. There was a significant reduction in post-LIHI ( P = 0.0049) and post-LIHIadj ( P = 0.0169) compared with pre-LIHI at both interstimulus intervals of 10 and 40 ms. Post-RIHI was significantly reduced compared with pre-RIHI ( P = 0.0015) but pre-RIHI and post-RIHIadj were not significantly different. We conclude that 1-Hz rTMS reduces IHI in both directions but is predominantly from the stimulated to the unstimulated hemisphere. Low-frequency rTMS may be used to modulate the excitability of IHI circuits. Treatment protocols using low-frequency rTMS to reduce cortical excitability in neurological and psychiatric conditions need to take into account their effects on IHI.
Penal Policies at the Threshold of the Twenty-First Century
Authors: Shichor David
Published: May 2005

An analysis of penal policies of the United States and other industrialized countries since the l970s indicates a turn away from the rehabilitation ideology that had been pvevalent for decades before and an emphasis on punishment, deterrence, and especially incapacitation. Some of the principles behind the changing policies are strongly rooted in the culture of modern capitalist societies, namely, individual responsibility and efficiency. The implementation of penal policies and practices that are based on these culturally anchored principles may result in certain contradictions, such as the attribution of individual responsibility on the one hand and the surveillance of " dangerous" groups on the other. Nevertheless, penal policies based on these culturally embedded principles are likely to prevail in the near future, but some changes such as limitations on capital punishment, slowing down on privatization, and a rethinking of rehabilitation might occur.
Rico's "Troubled... Transition": Organized Crime, Strategic Institutional Factors, and Implementation Delay, 1971-1981
Authors: Calder James D.
Published: May 2005

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute, section IX of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, advanced federalization of the assault on organized crime. The law was aimed primarily at controlling the mob's infiltration into legitimate enterprises. It reflected broad political investment in tools to penetrate the upper echelons of crime groups. Implementation of the statute languished during the 1970s. Explanations for implementation delay have remained at the tactical level, focusing mainly on resource inadequacies and incompetencies within the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Four strategic institutional factors provide amore comprehensive explanation of the overall problem of RICO's implementation delay up to 1981. These factors include the climate of decision-making and turmoil in the presidencies of Nixon, Ford, and Carter, turnover in the Office of the Attorney General, conflict between U.S. attorneys and the Justice Department over federal strike forces, and problematic leadership in the FBI. The life history of the RICO statute demonstrates gaps between rational policy formulation and the cold realities of policy implementation.
Federal Child Abuse and Child Neglect Policy in the United States Since 1974: A Review and Critique
Authors: Erickson Patricia E.
Published: May 2005

This article examines key federal legislation concerning child abuse and child neglect over the past tree decades. It analyzes how shifting and contradictory policies concerning how best to achieve "permanency planning" for abused and neglected children have characterized federal legislation. Two key federal acts are examined: the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 and the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. The assumptions behind the stated objectives of each act are analyzed and a critique of the problems and shortcomings of each is presented. The article also critical examines the reluctance of federal policy to fully address the relationship between poverty and child abuse and child neglect. It also evaluates why current and pet policies are not in the best interests of Children.
The United States Supreme Court and the Fourth Amendment: Evolution from Warren to Post-Warren Perspectives
Authors: Call Jack E.
Published: May 2005

In the last 25 years, the U.S. Supreme Court's treatment of Fourth Amendment issues has undergone a shift in philosophy that has resulted in a conservative body of search and seizure law that is very different from the more liberal search and seizure law that was developed by the Warren Court in the 1960s. This article examine the most important Fourth Amendment cases decided by die Ware Court and by the post-Warren Court (1975-2000). The article concludes that the post-Warren Court (a)has been very pro-police in its approach to Fourth Amendment issues, (b) ha developed a body of conservative case law in this area while over turning only one of the controversial Warren Court decisions, (c) has often made only minor changes to Fourth Amendment jurisprudence that have nevertheless conveyed a message that constitutional restraints on the police have been relaxed, and (d) has been consistent in its conservative approach to Fourth Amendment issues.
The Future of Probation: Reintroducing the Spitual Dimension into Correctional Practice
Authors: Whitehead John T. , Braswell Michael C.
Published: May 2005

This paper outlines several models of probation for the future: rehabilitation, law-enforcement, "broken windows " new-penology, public-safety, intermediate-sanction, restorative-justice, balanced-approach, and spiritual.Positive and negative aspects of each model are examined. Abolition and privatization are also discussed. The authors conclude that restorative justice and the spiritual model are the most promising models for the future of probation. Ways to incorporate a concern for spirituality into probation practice are noted.
Metropolitan Development and Policing: The Elephant in the Living Room
Authors: Klofas John M.
Published: May 2005

America has moved swiftly from an urbanized to a metropolitan society. That momentous shift has affected most social institutions, including the police. But contemporary discussions of policing often ignore the objective conditions of concentrated poverty and racial segregation that have accompanied metropolitanization. Those conditions have become the elephant in the living room—obvious but ignored. This paper describes the recent changes in communities and examines their implications for policing.
Stalking: A Review of the Literature and Direction for the Future
Authors: Melton Heather C.
Published: May 2005

Stalking is a phenomenon increasingly targeted as a problem in need of social and legal control. Although, to date, the focus on stalking has been on incidents between strangers, recent research has shown that the majority of stalking incidents involve individuals who are acquainted or who are or have been intimates, with a high correlation between stalking and domestic violence. The following essay is a review of the research on stalking. Emphasis is placed on providing a new direction for future policy and research on stalking, and on the conclusion that research needs to focus on the link between domestic violence and stalking and the impact of criminal justice intervention.
It's all in the Record: Assessing Self-Control Theory with an Offender Sample
Authors: DeLisi Matt
Published: May 2005

This study examines self-control theory using the criminal records of 500 adult arrestees. Four indicators taken from official rap sheets (aliases, Social Security numbers, and dates and places of birth) were used to create a self-control measure. Negative binomial regression models indicated that offenders who scored low on the self-control measure accumulated significantly more violent Index, property Index, white-collar, and nuisance arrests net the effects of control variables. These findings contribute to the empirical support for self-control theory and indicate that self-control is salient using a criminal sample.
Immigrants, Culture, and American Courts: A Typology of Legal Strategies and Issues in Cases Involving Vietnamese and among Litigants
Authors: Beger Randall R. , Hein Jeremy
Published: May 2005

The literature on the culture of immigrants and the effect that it has had on American courts is largely based on three high-profile criminal cases involving Asian immigrants who raised a cultural defense. This article uses a sample of 181 criminal and civil court cases with at least one Vietnamese or Hmong litigant in order to construct and illustrate a typology that provides a more complete portrayal of the legal strategies and issues that bring immigrants' culture into American courts. The most common way that culture arises in litigation is through the defensive legal strategy of a criminal defendant. But immigrant plaintiffs in civil cases and prosecutors in criminal cases also use culture as an offensive legal strategy. Similarly, judges have the discretionary power to invoke culture during jury selection and in sentencing criminal defendants. The most important finding, however, is that language rather than conduct norms is the most frequent cultural element raised by Hmong and Vietnamese litigants in both criminal and civil cases. Cross-cultural miscommunication, not cross-cultural normative conflict, is the primary way in which the culture of Hmong and Vietnamese refugees affects American courts.
The Use of the Justice System Prior to Intimate Partner Femicide
Authors: McFarlane Judith , Campbell Jacquelyn C. , Watson Kathy
Published: May 2005

This analysis of data from a 10-city control study of 821 women describes the frequency and types of justice services used during the 12 months prior to an attempted or completed femicide perpetrated by an intimate partner (EP). A total of 437 victims of attempted or completed femicide were identified from police and medical examiner records. Interviews with attempted femicide victims and with proxies for the victims of completed femicides were compared with data from abused control subjects (n = 384) who were identified via random digit dialing in the same 10 cities. Reported levels of violence and demographic characteristics of users and nonusers of justice services were compared. Twenty-two percent of the abused control subjects, 55 percent of the attempted femicide victims, and 48 percent of the proxy respondents for the completed femicide victims reported use of the justice system during the 12 months period to the attempted or completed femicide or, for the control subjects, prior to the worst abuse incident. The most frequent use of justice services among attempted or completed femicide victims was to report perpetrator or stalking. Among abused control subjects the most frequent use of justice services was to report IP assault to the police. African-American victims of attempted or completed femicide were the highest users of justice services, followed by white women and Hispanics. Women who made use of the justice system reported significantly higher levels of violence (p < .05). It would appear that more than half of abused women seek justice services prior to an attempted or completed femicide. Justice services thus provide a unique window of opportunity to connect abused women in serious danger with essential community resources that can potentially interrupt violence and prevent attempted or completed femicide.
Fraud by Home Health Care Workers and the Criminal Justice Response
Authors: Payne Brian K. , Gray Charles
Published: May 2005

Research in the medical literature suggests that the investigation of fraud in the home health care field grew significantly throughout the 1990s. Although criminologists have examined health care fraud by physicians, virtually no criminological research has assessed crime within the home hath care industry. This article attempts to fill that void by considering the kinds of home health care offenses that are investigated by fraud control units throughout the United States. Content analysis is performed on 247 reported incidents of home health cue abuses. Finding indicate that home health care professionals commit offenses that are similar to, yet different from, those that are committed by doctors. The importance of community service as a sanction for these offenders, and the need for background checks, are considered. Support for conflict theory and general systems theory emerges as well.
Another Fine Mess a Preliminary Examination of the Use of Fines by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Authors: Burns Ronald G. , Lynch Michael J.
Published: May 2005

The behavior of regulatory agencies as it relates to our understanding of corporate crime and corporate harm has not been well studied by criminologists. Indeed, examinations of the federal regulatory system and the behavior of its individual agencies have been largely absent from the criminological literature. This article addresses this deficiency by examining the fining practices of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is charged with upholding a number of federal laws that regulate the automobile industry. We analyzed all cases in four regulatory areas that resulted in fines between 1970 and 1997 and in addition observed the impact of various presidential administrations and the 1970s-1980s oil embargo. The results concur with earlier findings regarding the limited regulatory practices observed during the Reagan administration, and they also suggest that fines have a limited impact on corporate behavior. The article concludes by recommending that future researchers focus on the deterrent value of fines and the shifting influence of social and political changes on regulatory practices within white-collar crime enforcement.
Police Drug Testing, Hair Analysis, and the Issue of Race Bias
Authors: Mieczkowski Tom , Lersch Kim Michelle , Kruger Michael
Published: May 2005

Poice agents have beg to use hair analysis as a drug-screening tool in both officer recruitment and officer monitoring. This has been controversial because of a putative racial bias associated with human hair specimens, especially focused on cocaine. However, little empirical evidence has been offered to substantiate this claim. To asses this issue, Hoffin (1999, p. 613) analyzed recruitment cohort data from a major metropolitan police department ( N - 1,80) for cocaine ad marijuana hair assays, contrasting recruits by race. Hoffman's conclusion, based on comparison of odds ratios and relative rates for positive assy outcomes, was that there was "no evidence that one group (i.e., race) was more adversely affected by hair testing compared to urine testing." This article reports on research seekig to replicate Hoffman's results concerning hair analysis by utilizing a similar analytic approach with a much larger data set ( N - 40,000) and examining a different major metropolitan police department. This research is disnct form the Hoffman study in two ways: The assessment was exclusively of cocaine prevalence, and the subjects were who job applicants but sworn police officers. The findings reported here support Hoffman's conclusion that there is no statically significant race bias attributable to hair analysis, at least as applied to cocaine.
Female Sex Offenders: An Overview and Analysis of 40 Cases
Authors: Vandiver Donna M. , Walker Jeffery T.
Published: May 2005

Although a great deal of literature pertains to male sex offenders, it is not known whether these research findings are applicable to female sex offenders because little empirical research regarding female sex offenders exists. Currently, females make up approximately one percent to two percent of all sex offenders. This article includes a case review of the 40 registered female sex offenders in the state of Arkansas. The female sex offenders are compared to the registered male sex offenders in Arkansas. The majority of the female sex offenders were found to be Caucasian with an average age of 31 at the time of the first sex offense. Most of the offenders had a history of only one sex offense with no other criminal history. Most of the offenders were arrested for rape or first-degree sexual abuse. Females were slightly younger the male sex offenders at the time of arrest for their initial sex offense. Females were significantly more likely to be first-time offeders at the time of rest for their first sex offenders. The article concludes that female sex offenders differ slightly from males, indicating the need for the development of a new sex offender typology.
The Impact of Causal Attribution on Correctional Ideology: A National Study
Authors: Sims Barbara
Published: May 2005

There is a long-standing argument that how people think about punishment is tied directly to their beliefs about why people engage in criminal behavior. Support for a relationship between causal attribution and punitiveness has been found in the literature, with key differences discerned between those who attribute crime to individual characteristics of offenders and those who view crime as a result of structural characteristics. This article broadens the scope of earlier studies through the development and testing of new questions of causation, grounded in the major theories and concepts of criminological theory, and through the use of a national sample. The major finding of the article is that causal attribution is related to individuals' punitiveness, controlling for such variables as age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income, fear of crime, and people's confidence in the criminal justice system.
The Folk Devil Reacts: Gangs and Moral Panic
Authors: Cyr Jenna L.
Published: May 2005

Previous analyses of moral panics and gangs have emphasized the impact of media images as well as the public, police, and legislative response in relation to the immediate threat posed by gangs and gang members. What is absent from the current moral panic literature is the effect that a moral panic may have on the group (or individual) to whom it is directed. In this article, survey data from gang-involved and non-gag-involved youth, as well as police and gang task force members, are used to extend the empirical analysis of moral panics into the communities at which they are directed, using the criteria set forth by Goode and Ben-Yehuda (1994). The results suggest that individuals who are closest to gangs estimate the problem of gangs to be as serious as or more serious than those groups who have the responsibility for dealing with them. Thus, the gang moral panic seems to have the power to change how youth in gang-impacted communities conceive and present themselves.
The Goals of Corrections: Perspectives from the Line
Authors: Kifer Misty , Hemmens Craig , Stohr Mary K.
Published: May 2005

Four different goals of corrections are commonly espoused: retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. Each of these goals has received varied levels of public and professional support over time. In an effort to assess the level of professional support for these goals, a survey was administered to staff in three prisons, two jails, and a jail academy in a rural mountain state. The results indicate that jail and prison staff are more likely than not to perceive the primary goal of corrections as incapacitation. Respondents generally ranked incapacitation first, followed by deterrence, rehabilitation, and retribution. Age, years of service, military background, and facility type (prison or jail) were significant predictors of staff orientation toward rehabilitation. For jail staff, only gender was related to a rehabilitation orientation. For prison staff, only age and years of service were related to a rehabilitation orientation. The authors conclude that role perceptions are colored by a variety of factors, including age, gender, years of service, facility type, and prior military service.
The Role of Police Education in Handling Cases of Mental Disorder
Authors: LaGrange Teresa C.
Published: May 2005

This article considers the impact of police officers' education in relation to a single type of"critical incident," one in which suspects appeared to be mentally ill. Data are taken from interviews of officers with three different levels of education: high school only, some college or university, and a university degree. The research considers whether officers with different educational levels reported handling cases differently, after controlling for officers' gender, age, and experience, in addition to suspect- and incident-specific factors, including substance abuse and the psychiatric criteria for referral for mental health evaluation. The incident outcome is used as the dependent variable, with possible outcomes including arrest, psychiatric referral, or informal resolution to the incident. Findings indicate that education significantly influenced reported dispositions, with university-educated officers more likely to report the use of a psychiatric referral than officers with other educational backgrounds.
The Power to Persuade: Presidential Influence Over Congress on Crime Control Policy
Authors: Oliver Willard M.
Published: May 2005

The theory of presidential influence over Congress is used to predict the impact of presidential activity on congressional activity related to crime control policy. It is hypothesized that, the more attention presidents give to the issue of crime, the more attention Congress will give to the topic through congressional committee hearings. Utilizing a time series regression analysis of data collected from the Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States and the Center for American Politics and Public Policy's database on congressional hearings from 1946 to 1994, and controlling for other variables such as crime, media, and divided or undivided government, it was found that presidential activity on crime, with a one-year lag, influences congressional committee hearings on crime.