bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Information capture using SNPs from HapMap and whole-genome chips differs in a sample of inflammatory and cardiovascular gene-centric regions from genome-wide estimates
Authors: Wallace Chris , Dobson Richard J. , Munroe Patricia B. , Caulfield Mark J.
Published: September 2007

Large-scale genetic association studies are now widely conducted using SNPs selected from the International HapMap Project or provided on commercial “whole genome” chips. As only a subset of human genetic variation has been identified, it is unknown what proportion of the total genetic variation can be captured in this way, although recent genome-wide estimates of SNP capture rates have been encouraging. We estimated the expected gene-centric information capture for whole-genome chips using sequence data from 306 inflammatory/cardiovascular genes and found SNP capture rates notably lower than previous genome-wide estimates. Further investigation indicates that a major explanation for these lower capture rates is the aggregation of particular sequence features that influence both linkage disequilibrium and the amenability of SNPs for genotyping within the broad class of inflammatory/ cardiovascular genes. This suggests that the power of genetic association studies in some complex traits will depend not only upon established factors, such as allele frequency and penetrance, but may also be influenced by the distribution of sequence features in the class of genes expected to underlie the disease of interest.
Systematic condition-dependent annotation of metabolic genes
Authors: Shlomi Tomer , Herrgard Markus , Portnoy Vasiliy , Naim Efrat , Palsson Bernhard Ø. , Sharan Roded , Ruppin Eytan
Published: September 2007

The task of deriving a functional annotation for genes is complex as their involvement in various processes depends on multiple factors such as environmental conditions and genetic backup mechanisms. This study employs a large-scale model of the metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to investigate the function of yeast genes and derive a condition-dependent annotation (CDA) for their involvement in major metabolic processes under various genetic and environmental conditions. The resulting CDA is validated on a large scale and is shown to be superior to the corresponding Gene Ontology (GO) annotation, by showing that genes annotated with the same CDA term tend to be more coherently conserved in evolution and display greater expression coherency than those annotated with the same GO term. The CDA gives rise to new kinds of functional condition-dependent metabolic pathways, some of which are described and further examined via substrate auxotrophy measurements of knocked-out strains. The CDA presented is likely to serve as a new reference source for metabolic gene annotation.
Imaging Exocytosis with Total Internal Reflection Microscopy (TIRFM)
Authors: Zenisek David , Perrais David
Published: October 2007

INTRODUCTION

Although electrophysiological techniques such as membrane capacitance measurements, electrochemical detection, and post-synaptic recordings are powerful ways of studying exocytosis, information concerning any steps prior to vesicle fusion must be inferred indirectly. Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) is a powerful technique for studying events that, like exocytosis, occur near a cell surface. The technique allows selective imaging of fluorescent molecules that are closest to a high refractive index substance such as glass. In this protocol, TIRFM is used to investigate the steps leading up to vesicle fusion in both retinal bipolar neurons and chromaffin cells by directly imaging synaptic vesicles and dense core granules prior to and including exocytosis.
Transposon-Mediated Transgenesis in Rats
Authors: Jang Chuan-Wei , Behringer Richard R.
Published: October 2007

INTRODUCTION

This protocol describes a method for the production of transgenic rats by coinjecting circular PiggyBac transposon-containing plasmid DNA with transposase-encoding mRNA. After fertilized eggs are collected from females, pronuclei are microinjected with the DNA and mRNA and then transferred immediately into the oviducts of pseudopregnant foster females. Using this procedure, we have obtained transformation frequencies of 33%-100% (average of ~80%). Traditional methods for generating transgenic rats (i.e., microinjection of linear DNA) yield 3%-41% transgenic founders. Thus, transposon-mediated transformation of fertilized rat eggs is an efficient alternative method to generate transgenic rats.
Principles of Multiphoton-Excitation Fluorescence Microscopy
Authors: Denk Winfried
Published: October 2007

INTRODUCTION

Fluorescence microscopy has been gaining importance in quantitative biological research due to dramatic improvements in fluorophores, optical systems, light sources, and detectors. In particular, confocal fluorescence microscopy, usually by laser scanning, has for the first time allowed the observation of biological processes with high spatial resolution inside intact living tissue. Often called “optical sectioning,” this method allows spatial reconstruction of 3D specimens without the use of a microtome. This article presents the physical mechanisms upon which the properties of multiphoton microscopy are based and discusses some practical aspects of its implementation.
Active FKHRL1 overcomes imatinib resistance in chronic myelogenous leukemia‐derived cell lines via the production of tumor necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand
Authors: Kikuchi Satoru , Nagai Tadashi , Kunitama Masae , Kirito Keita , Ozawa Keiya , Komatsu Norio
Published: September 2007

FKHRL1 (also called FOXO3a) is a member of the Forkhead Box, class O (FOXO) subfamily of forkhead transcription factors and functions downstream of Bcr–Abl tyrosine kinase as a phosphorylated inactive form in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The Bcr–Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib induces cell cycle arrest and subsequent apoptosis via the conversion of FKHRL1 from the phosphorylated inactive form to the dephosphorylated active form in CML‐derived cell lines. In the present study, we examined whether active FKHRL1 can overcome resistance to imatinib. To this end, we generated a 4‐hydroxytamoxifen‐inducible active FKHRL1 (FKHRL1‐TM; a triple mutant of FKHRL1 in which all three Akt phosphorylation sites have been mutated)–estrogen receptor fusion protein expression system in CML‐derived imatinib‐resistant cell lines. 4‐Hydroxytamoxifen inhibited cell growth and cell cycle progression, and subsequently induced apoptosis, accompanied by upregulation of tumor necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL). Thus, active FKHRL1 antagonized deregulated proliferation and induced apoptosis in these cell lines. In addition, imatinib‐resistant cells underwent apoptosis after transfection with full‐length TRAIL cDNA. Collectively, our results suggest that active FKHRL1 can overcome imatinib resistance in CML cells, in part via TRAIL production. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 1949–1958)
Lack of association between CpG island methylator phenotype in human gastric cancers and methylation in their background non‐cancerous gastric mucosae
Authors: Enomoto Shotaro , Maekita Takao , Tsukamoto Tetsuya , Nakajima Takeshi , Nakazawa Kazuyuki , Tatematsu Masae , Ichinose Masao , Ushijima Toshikazu
Published: September 2007

The presence of high levels of aberrant DNA methylation in gastric mucosae correlates with risk of gastric cancer. Some gastric cancers are known to have methylation of multiple CpG islands (CGI), which is referred to as the CGI methylator phenotype (CIMP). In the present study, we aimed to clarify the possible association between the CIMP in cancers and high methylation levels in their background mucosae by accurate quantitative methylation analysis of 14 carefully selected promoter CGI. Methylation levels were measured in 66 cancers and their background mucosae, along with 19 normal mucosae of healthy volunteers. Methylation in cancers was classified as absent (methylation level = 0%) or positive. The number of methylated CGI in a cancer showed a continuous distribution, and cancers were classified as CIMP high (21 cases), CIMP low (30 cases), or CIMP negative (15 cases). CIMP‐high gastric cancer patients had significantly better survival rates than CIMP‐negative patients. Of the Epstein–Barr virus‐positive gastric cancers studied, eight out of nine presented as CIMP high. Methylation in background mucosae showed a unimodal distribution, and was assessed by their degree. The gastric mucosae of cancer patients showed higher levels than normal gastric mucosae of healthy volunteers. Finally, the CIMP‐high, CIMP‐low, and CIMP‐negative statuses in cancers were not associated with methylation levels of individual genes and their means in the background mucosae. These showed that the CIMP statuses in gastric cancers had no association with methylation levels in the background gastric mucosae. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 1853–1861)
Reference range of thyroid hormones in normal Indian school‐age children
Authors: Marwaha R. K. , Tandon Nikhil , Desai Ankush , Kanwar Ratnesh , Grewal Khushi , Aggarwal Rashmi , Sastry Aparna , Singh Satveer , Ganguly S. K. , Mani Kalaivani
Published: September 2007

Objective  There is an ongoing debate on narrowing the TSH reference range in adults. In view of the scarce data on normal values of thyroid function tests in children from India, we planned to establish a reference range for thyroid hormones in school‐age children.

Design and subjects  All children (N = 9527; 6–19 years) from six schools representing various zones of Delhi were evaluated for clinical evidence of goitre, thyroid ultrasound, serum free T3 (FT3), free T4 (FT4) and TSH and anti‐thyroid peroxidase (anti‐TPO) antibodies. From this sample, a reference population (N = 5122) was obtained by excluding those with a personal or family history of thyroid disease, use of thyroid medications, goitre, hypoechogenicity/nodularity on ultrasound or serum anti‐TPO antibodies.

Measurements  Thyroid hormone (FT3, FT4 and TSH) reference ranges were established for each year of life for the total and reference populations.

Results  In the reference population, mean serum FT3 was in the range 4·19–4·84 pm/l for boys and 4·03–4·47 pm/l for girls, mean serum FT4 14·69–17·36 pm/l for boys and 14·32–15·88 pm/l for girls, and mean serum TSH 2·57–3·6 mIU/l for boys and 1·83–3·58 mIU/l for girls. For TSH, the 97th percentile was in the range 6·01–8·4 mIU/l for boys and 5·28–8·04 mIU/l for girls, suggesting that at least in children there may not be a need to reduce the upper limit of normal for serum TSH.

Conclusions  This study provides mean reference intervals for FT3, FT4 and TSH for each year of life for both the sexes separately using strict exclusion criteria.
Ontogenetic changes in the drifting of four species of elmid beetles elucidate the complexity of drift‐benthos relationships in a small stream in Northwest England
Authors: ELLIOTT J. M.
Published: September 2007

1. This study aimed to quantify ontogenetic changes in the drifting of Elmis aenea, Oulimnius tuberculatus, Esolus parallelepipedus and Limnius volkmari (Coleoptera: Elmidae), and to relate their drift to benthic density. Monthly samples were taken over 39 months, using three surface nets at each of two contrasting sites in a small stream: one in a deep section with abundant macrophytes, and the other in a shallow stony section.

2. Most larvae and adults were taken in the drift at night with little variation between catches in the three nets at each site. Day catches were very low, often zero. No significant relationships could be established between mean numbers in the drift catches and benthic densities.

3. When night catches were converted to drift densities (number caught per 100 m3 of water sampled), the latter were positively related to monthly losses in the benthos, but not to benthic densities. A linear regression described the relationship, and equations for the different life‐stages within each species were not significantly different from the equation for all life‐stages combined. However, drift losses were only about 0.07% of total losses in the benthos. A severe spate in October 1967 increased the number of larvae and adults in the drift, but not drift densities, except for immature adults of E. aenea, O. tuberculatus and E. parallelepipedus.

4. Key life‐stages with the highest drift density were the earliest life‐stage soon after egg hatching for E. aenea, the start of the larval overwintering period for O. tuberculatus and L. volkmari, and mature adults during the mating season for all three species. Drift density for E. parallelepipedus was too low to identify a key life‐stage. These key life‐stages corresponded with critical periods for survival in the life cycle, as identified in an earlier study in the same stream. Mortality was high during these critical periods, hence the strong relationship between drift density and benthic losses. The latter relationship was very consistent for different life‐stages within each species, and partially supported the rarely‐tested hypothesis that drift represents surplus production in the benthos.
Anisotropic reverse‐time migration for tilted TI media
Authors: Du Xiang , Bancroft John C. , Lines Larry R.
Published: September 2007

Seismic anisotropy in dipping shales results in imaging and positioning problems for underlying structures. We develop an anisotropic reverse‐time depth migration approach for P‐wave and SV‐wave seismic data in transversely isotropic (TI) media with a tilted axis of symmetry normal to bedding. Based on an accurate phase velocity formula and dispersion relationships for weak anisotropy, we derive the wave equation for P‐wave and SV‐wave propagation in tilted transversely isotropic (TTI) media. The accuracy of the P‐wave equation and the SV‐wave equation is analyzed and compared with other acoustic wave equations for TTI media. Using this analysis and the pseudo‐spectral method, we apply reverse‐time migration to numerical and physical‐model data. According to the comparison between the isotropic and anisotropic migration results, the anisotropic reverse‐time depth migration offers significant improvements in positioning and reflector continuity over those obtained using isotropic algorithms.
Global evidence that deforestation amplifies flood risk and severity in the developing world
Authors: BRADSHAW COREY J. A. , SODHI NAVJOT S. , PEH KELVIN S.‐H. , BROOK BARRY W.
Published: September 2007

With the wide acceptance of forest‐protection policies in the developing world comes a requirement for clear demonstrations of how deforestation may erode human well‐being and economies. For centuries, it has been believed that forests provide protection against flooding. However, such claims have given rise to a heated polemic, and broad‐scale quantitative evidence of the possible role of forests in flood protection has not been forthcoming. Using data collected from 1990 to 2000 from 56 developing countries, we show using generalized linear and mixed‐effects models contrasted with information‐theoretic measures of parsimony that flood frequency is negatively correlated with the amount of remaining natural forest and positively correlated with natural forest area loss (after controlling for rainfall, slope and degraded landscape area). The most parsimonious models accounted for over 65% of the variation in flood frequency, of which nearly 14% was due to forest cover variables alone. During the decade investigated, nearly 100 000 people were killed and 320 million people were displaced by floods, with total reported economic damages exceeding US$1151 billion. Extracted measures of flood severity (flood duration, people killed and displaced, and total damage) showed some weaker, albeit detectable correlations to natural forest cover and loss. Based on an arbitrary decrease in natural forest area of 10%, the model‐averaged prediction of flood frequency increased between 4% and 28% among the countries modeled. Using the same hypothetical decline in natural forest area resulted in a 4–8% increase in total flood duration. These correlations suggest that global‐scale patterns in mean forest trends across countries are meaningful with respect to flood dynamics. Unabated loss of forests may increase or exacerbate the number of flood‐related disasters, negatively impact millions of poor people, and inflict trillions of dollars in damage in disadvantaged economies over the coming decades. This first global‐scale empirical demonstration that forests are correlated with flood risk and severity in developing countries reinforces the imperative for large‐scale forest protection to protect human welfare, and suggests that reforestation may help to reduce the frequency and severity of flood‐related catastrophes.
Assembly of pili on the surface of Bacillus cereus vegetative cells
Authors: Budzik Jonathan M. , Marraffini Luciano A. , Schneewind Olaf
Published: September 2007

Vegetative forms of Bacillus cereus are reported to form pili, thin protein filaments that protrude up to 1 μm from the bacterial surface. Pili are assembled from two precursor proteins, BcpA and BcpB, in a manner requiring a pilus‐associated sortase enzyme (SrtD). Pili are also formed on the surface of Bacillus anthracis expressing bcpA‐srtD‐bcpB. BcpA is distributed throughout the entire pilus, whereas BcpB appears positioned at its tip. In agreement with the hypothesis for pilus assembly in Gram‐positive bacteria, BcpA encompasses the YPK pilin motif and the LPXTG sorting signal, each of which is absolutely required for the incorporation of BcpA and BcpB into pili. In contrast to BcpB, which relies on the presence of BcpA for incorporation into pili, BcpA fibre assembly occurs even in the absence of BcpB. B. anthracis sortase A (srtA), but not sortase B (srtB) or C (srtC), is required for proper anchoring of pili to the bacterial envelope, suggesting that BcpA/BcpB pili are linked to peptidoglycan cross‐bridges.
AtKC1, a conditionally targeted Shaker‐type subunit, regulates the activity of plant K+ channels
Authors: Duby Geoffrey , Hosy Eric , Fizames Cécile , Alcon Carine , Costa Alex , Sentenac Hervé , Thibaud Jean‐Baptiste
Published: September 2007

Amongst the nine voltage‐gated K+ channel (Kv) subunits expressed in Arabidopsis, AtKC1 does not seem to form functional Kv channels on its own, and is therefore said to be silent. It has been proposed to be a regulatory subunit, and to significantly influence the functional properties of heteromeric channels in which it participates, along with other Kv channel subunits. The mechanisms underlying these properties of AtKC1 remain unknown. Here, the transient (co‐)expression of AtKC1, AKT1 and/or KAT1 genes was obtained in tobacco mesophyll protoplasts, which lack endogenous inward Kv channel activity. Our experimental conditions allowed both localization of expressed polypeptides (GFP‐tagging) and recording of heterologously expressed Kv channel activity (untagged polypeptides). It is shown that AtKC1 remains in the endoplasmic reticulum unless it is co‐expressed with AKT1. In these conditions heteromeric AtKC1‐AKT1 channels are obtained, and display functional properties different from those of homomeric AKT1 channels in the same context. In particular, the activation threshold voltage of the former channels is more negative than that of the latter ones. Also, it is proposed that AtKC1‐AKT1 heterodimers are preferred to AKT1‐AKT1 homodimers during the process of tetramer assembly. Similar results are obtained upon co‐expression of AtKC1 with KAT1. The whole set of data provides evidence that AtKC1 is a conditionally‐targeted Kv subunit, which probably downregulates the physiological activity of other Kv channel subunits in Arabidopsis.
Oral administration recombinant porcine epidermal growth factor enhances the jejunal digestive enzyme genes expression and activity of early‐weaned piglets
Authors: Lee D. N. , Chuang Y. S. , Chiou H. Y. , Wu F. Y. , Yen H. T. , Weng C. F.
Published: September 2007

This study attempted to determine ingested porcine epidermal growth factor (pEGF) on the gastrointestinal tract development of early‐weaned piglets. Thirty‐two piglets (14‐day weaned) were randomly allotted to supplemented with 0 (control), 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mg pEGF/kg diet. Each treatment consisted of four replicates with two pigs per pen for a 14 days experimental period. Piglets were sacrificed and gastrointestinal tract samples were collected to measure mucosa morphology, mRNA expression and activities of digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract of piglets at the end of the experiment. Diets supplemented with pEGF failed to influence growth performance but tended to increase jejunal mucosa weight (p < 0.09) and protein content (p < 0.07). Piglets supplemental pEGF induced incrementally the gastric pepsin activity (p < 0.05) and stimulated jejunal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactase activities accompanied with the increase of jejunal ALP and maltase mRNA expression. No effect of pEGF on the activities of all enzymes in ileum except the stimulation of ileal aminopeptide N mRNA expression. These results reveal that dietary pEGF supplementation might enhance gene expression and activities of digestive enzymes in the stomach and jejunum of piglets.
Characterization of ‘Candidatus Clavochlamydia salmonicola’: an intracellular bacterium infecting salmonid fish
Authors: Karlsen Marius , Nylund Are , Watanabe Kuninori , Helvik Jon V. , Nylund Stian , Plarre Heidrun
Published: September 2007

The phylum Chlamydiae contains obligate intracellular bacteria, several of which cause disease in their hosts. Morphological studies have suggested that this group of bacteria may be pathogens of fish, causing cysts in epithelial tissue – epitheliocystis. Recently, the first genetic evidence of a chlamydial aetiology of this disease in seawater reared Atlantic salmon from Norway and Ireland was presented, and the agent was given the name ‘Candidatus Piscichlamydia salmonis’. In this article we present molecular evidence for the existence of a novel Chlamydiae that also may cause epitheliocystis in Norwegian salmonids. This novel Chlamydiae has been found in salmonid fish from freshwater, and based on its partial 16S rRNA gene, it may constitute a third genus in the family Chlamydiaceae, or a closely related sister family. By using whole‐mount RNA–RNA hybridization we demonstrate how infected cells are distributed in a patchy manner on a gill arch. The morphology of the novel Chlamydiae includes the characteristic head‐and‐tail cells that have been described earlier from salmonid fish suffering from epitheliocystis. We propose the name ‘Candidatus Clavochlamydia salmonicola’ for this agent of epitheliocystis in freshwater salmonids.
Pseudomonas fluorescens' view of the periodic table
Authors: Workentine Matthew L. , Harrison Joe J. , Stenroos Pernilla U. , Ceri Howard , Turner Raymond J.
Published: September 2007

Growth in a biofilm modulates microbial metal susceptibility, sometimes increasing the ability of microorganisms to withstand toxic metal species by several orders of magnitude. In this study, a high‐throughput metal toxicity screen was initiated with the aim of correlating biological toxicity data in planktonic and biofilm cells to the physiochemical properties of metal ions. To this end, Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525 was grown in the Calgary Biofilm Device (CBD) and biofilms and planktonic cells of this microorganism were exposed to gradient arrays of different metal ions. These arrays included 44 different metals with representative compounds that spanned every group of the periodic table (except for the halogens and noble gases). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) values were obtained after exposing the biofilms to metal ions for 4 h. Using these values, metal ion toxicity was correlated to the following ion‐specific physicochemical parameters: standard reduction‐oxidation potential, electronegativity, the solubility product of the corresponding metal–sulfide complex, the Pearson softness index, electron density and the covalent index. When the ions were grouped according to outer shell electron structure, we found that heavy metal ions gave the strongest correlations to these parameters and were more toxic on average than the other classes of the ions. Correlations were different for biofilms than for planktonic cells, indicating that chemical mechanisms of metal ion toxicity differ between the two modes of growth. We suggest that biofilms can specifically counter the toxic effects of certain physicochemical parameters, which may contribute to the increased ability of biofilms to withstand metal toxicity.
Microbial diversity – insights from population genetics
Authors: Mes Ted H. M.
Published: September 2007

Although many environmental microbial populations are large and genetically diverse, both the level of diversity and the extent to which it is ecologically relevant remain enigmatic. Because the effective (or long‐term) population size, Ne, is one of the parameters that determines population genetic diversity, tests and simulations that assume selectively neutral mutations may help to identify the processes that have shaped microbial diversity. Using ecologically important genes, tests of selective neutrality suggest that adaptive as well as non‐adaptive types of selection act and that departure from neutrality may be widespread or restricted to small groups of genotypes. Population genetic simulations using population sizes between 103 and 107 suggest extremely high levels of microbial diversity in environments that sustain large populations. However, census and effective population sizes may differ considerably, and because we know nothing of the evolutionary history of environmental microbial populations, we also have no idea what Ne of environmental populations is. On the one hand, this reflects our ignorance of the microbial world. On the other hand, the tests and simulations illustrate interactions between microbial diversity and microbial population genetics that should inform our thinking in microbial ecology. Because of the different views on microbial diversity across these disciplines, such interactions are crucial if we are to understand the role of genes in microbial communities.
Gene–gene interactions between HNF4A and KCNJ11 in predicting Type 2 diabetes in women
Authors: Qi L. , Van Dam R. M. , Asselbergs F. W. , Hu F. B.
Published: September 2007

Aims  Recent studies indicate transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF‐4α, HNF4A) modulates the transcription of the pancreatic B‐cell ATP‐sensitive K+ (KATP) channel subunit Kir6.2 gene (KCNJ11). Both HNF4A and KCNJ11 have previously been associated with diabetes risk but little is known whether the variations in these genes interact with each other.

Methods  We conducted a prospective, nested case–control study of 714 incident cases of Type 2 diabetes and 1120 control subjects from the Nurses’ Health Study.

Results  KCNJ11 E23K was significantly associated with an increased diabetes risk (odds ratio 1.26, 95% CI 1.03–1.53) while HNF4A P2 promoter polymorphisms were associated with a moderately increased risk at borderline significance. By using a logistic regression model, we found significant interactions between HNF4A rs2144908, rs4810424 and rs1884613 and KCNJ11 E23K (P for interaction = 0.017, 0.012 and 0.004, respectively). Carrying the minor alleles of the three HNF4A polymorphisms was associated with significantly greater diabetes risk in women carrying the KCNJ11 allele 23K, but not in those who did not carry this allele. Analyses using the multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method confirmed the gene–gene interaction. We identified that the best interaction model included HNF4A rs2144908 and KCNJ11 E23K. Such a two‐locus model showed the maximum cross‐validation consistency of 10 out of 10 and a significant prediction accuracy of 54.2% (P = 0.01) on the basis of 1000‐fold permutation testing.

Conclusions  Our data indicate that HNF4A P2 promoter polymorphisms may interact with KCNJ11 E23K in predicting Type 2 diabetes in women.
Nineteenth Century Nationalism in Finland: A Comparative Perspective
Authors: Alapuro Risto
Published: October 2007

To assess the nature of Finnish nationalism, Finland should be compared with other minor nationalities within the great multinational empires of the nineteenth century. In this perspective it seems of utmost importance that Finnish nationalism developed in the interface between the Swedish and Russian centers, one economically and culturally dominant, the other politically dominant, but economically backward. Starting from this background, it is suggested that exceptionally strong incentives for nationalist mobilization existed not only in the Finnish middle class, but also in the upper class, and that therefore national consolidation and nationalism advanced calmly and steadily.
Political Cleavages in Sweden and Norway
Authors: Petersson Olof , Valen Henry
Published: October 2007

The topic of the article is a comparison of voter reactions in Sweden and Norway towards some current political issues. The analysis is based upon nationwide election surveys in 1976 (Sweden) and in 1977 (Norway). Despite the fact that the party systems are different in several ways, the patterns of political attitudes in the two electorates are surprisingly similar. The analysis suggests that political cleavages are basically the same in these two neighbouring countries. Likewise the location of corresponding parties in the two systems is approximately the same in relation to specific cleavages.
Structural versus Piecemeal Definitions of Social Issues: A Subjective Factor in Systern‐Transcending Struggle
Authors: Himmelstrand Ulf
Published: October 2007

Virtually all social scientists, Marxists or non‐Marxists, agree that various aspects of advanced contemporary societies have become increasingly interdependent. Therefore it would seem that piecemeal definitions of issues and social problems are becoming more and more inadequate in dealing with the crucial systemic characteristics of our societies. Decision‐makers as well as the public need not only more information, but systemic information based on structural rather than piecemeal definitions of issues and social problems. This paper explores, firstly, how mainstream sociology and Marxism deal with the complexity and interdependency characteristics of mature capitalist societies. Secondly, it explores some normative conclusions about the type of political information and communication needed in mature capitalist societies, according to Marxist and mainstream sociological interpretations. Thirdly, it provides some empirical illustrations of how we can study piecemeal versus structural definitions of issues and problems in political communications and public opinion. Finally, some assertions about holistic versus piecemeal political communication and policy‐making are briefly confronted with Popper's views about the compatibility of piecemeal versus utopian or holistic social engineering with political democracy.
Reflections on Stein Rokkan's Conceptual Map of Europe*
Authors: Allardt Erik
Published: October 2007

Among the leading scholars studying nation‐building and national development Stein Rokkan (1921–1979) has had an unique position because of his ability to combine different approaches, to focus on both the general and the unique, and to use both quantitative measurement and qualitative data. Among his most enduring and original contributions is his conceptual map of Europe. It is an elaborate but in principle open typology or system of classification accounting for the main principles of geopolitical differentiation in Western Europe. Despite its theoretical character it clearly shows the spatial order and structure in the development of national states in Europe. This paper analyses both the content of the main dimensions in Rokkan's conceptual map and its nature as a heuristic frame of reference and large‐scale research program. References are made to the recent ethnic revival which seems to be hard to explain and understand without considering many distinctions and concepts presented in Rokkan's conceptual map.
Democratic Party Systems in Europe: Dimensions, Change and Stability
Authors: Ersson Svante , Lane Jan‐Erik
Published: October 2007

if a party system is really a system, i.e. a set of objects with relationships between the objects and between their attributes, and not simply an unordered set of political parties, then it is a vital problem in party research to identify the systems properties of this kind of system. We argue that the semantically relevant properties of the party systems in European democracies may be derived from the observational outcome of the operation of a party system, i.e. the national elections since the introduction of democratic procedure. Thus we arrive at five systems dimensions: functional orientation, fractionalization, radical orientation, polarization and volatility. The problems of party system change and stability are analysed by estimating the occurrence of trends and fluctuations over time in these party system dimensions for the set of European democratic party systems. The finding is that the widely accepted thesis of stability in European party systems is not corroborated.
Numerical Democracy and Corporate Pluralism Revisited
Authors: Nilson Sten Sparre
Published: October 2007

This article is meant as a contribution to the ongoing debate about the relative importance of numerical democracy and corporate pluralism, which was initiated by the late Stein Rokkan and has been recently taken up in the United States by Robert Dahl, and also by Don Schwerin.

The existence of Norwegian data that can throw some light on the subject is indicated.
Bread‐and‐Butter Agreement and High Politics Disagreement Some Reflections on the Contextual Impact on Agricultural Interests in EC Policy‐Making*
Authors: Buksti Jacob A.
Published: October 2007

In public policy literature a classical argument is that the scope and content of decisions shape both the structure of the policy‐making process and the configuration of actors involved. Recent studies have strongly emphasized that the patterns of segmentation and specialization found in national policy‐making are also found in EC policy‐making. Against this background, the present article discusses the conditions and impact of agricultural interests in EC policy‐making in light of the economic crisis of recent years and the increasing budgetary problems faced by the EC. The article illustrates, especially with reference to the Danish case, the special importance of the national interest organization‐government relationship for the strategies pursued by national agricultural interest organizations in influencing EC/CAP policy‐making. Furthermore, the article indicates how policy‐making concerning the CAP has become more complicated as a consequence of the general economic crisis and recent sharp fall in farmers' incomes. National governments are the central actors in the Community policy‐making process, and their impulse to promote exclusive national interests in the Community policy‐making process has increased. In addition, agriculture has been integrated in the overall Community ‘crisis’ policy, and this development has weakened the segmentation in relation to the CAP. However, because of the general problems of the EC, the national agricultural organizations of the various member states have a growing interest in emphasizing joint activities and mutual agreement with regard to fundamental agricultural issues on Community level. This may affect the role of COPA leaving it primarily as a coordinator and mediator among the various national agricultural organizations, because pressures are more likely to succeed at the national level than at the EC level. This is where ‘bread‐and‐butter’ agreement really counts in the future. The alternative is that COPA will lose its credibility in EC policy‐making.
Comments and Reviews
Authors: Midgaard Knut
Published: October 2007

Book reviewed in this article:

An extended review of Leif Lewin, Ideologi och strategi: Svensk politik under 100 àr (Ideology and Strategy: Swedish Politics through 100 Years), Stockholm: Norstedt, 1984.
Symbols, Stratagems, and Legitimacy in Political Analysis*
Authors: Eriksen Erik Oddvar
Published: October 2007

This article evaluates the new conception of symbols and rhetoric in organization theory (March and Olsen). It is a perspective that departs from the traditional instrumental view in political science (cf. Edelman}. This reorientation postulates the close connection between legitimacy and symbols, viewing symbolic language as a way of producing social integration. However, this perspective neglects the crucial aspect of legitimacy, i.e., a moral justification of power. Legitimacy concerns the cognitive and rational aspect of political argumentation rather than the expressive and symbolic aspect. Symbols, then, raise distinct analytical problems that refer to the authenticity and sincerity aspect of behaviour. Politics has to do with the just allocation of welfare, and symbols signify meaning and loyalty Thai governmental policy is merely symbolic, then, denotes that it does not produce any real effects.
Gallup Polling Accuracy in a Multi‐Party Context: An Empirical Study of Twelve Danish Political Parties 1957‐80*
Authors: Larsen Dan
Published: October 2007

This article examines the accuracy of the Gallup poll in a situation involving multiple political parties of different sizes Using data collected by the Danish Gallup Institute 1957–1980. the article demonstrates that polling results, except those of small parties, are well within the sampling error. An explorative analysis of the data, showing that there is a normal distribution of the differences between election results and polling values, provides the possibility of a simple method of interpreting Gallup poll data at a desirable level of confidence.
Political and Economic Policy Planning on a National Level—Exorcism and Laws of Gravity
Authors: Berrefjord Ole , Nore Fetter
Published: October 2007

Within political and social processes the actors' intentions arc played out against institutional ‘laws of gravity’. With this in mind, the article focuses on the planning regime associated with the Scandinavian political model. At present the model seems to be challenged by a series of obstacles, raising the question of the political mechanism's ability to adapt. One hypothesis—called the ‘Decay’ scenario—is described in detail, thereby presenting: (1) a framework for political analysis on a national level; (2) some indicators on how the ‘Decay’ story may turn out; and (3) a group of sub‐theories supporting the hypothesis; in rivalry with its counterpart, a future success story of the Scandinavian model.
The Negotiated Political Economy of a Heavy Industrial Sector: The Norwegian Hydropower Complex in the 1970s and 1980s
Authors: Midttun Atle
Published: October 2007

What effect does a sector‐based negotiated economy have on industrial transformation, and what are the institutional mechanisms involved in negotiated sector‐regulation? These questions are tentatively answered through an analysis of the political economy of one of Norway's most important industrial sectors: the hydropower and energy‐intensive industry. The study focuses on factors that have allowed the sector to continue to expand throughout the 1970s and 1980s in spite of failing economic return and extensive political opposition. The over‐expansion is explained through the partial closure and self‐refercnciality found in the sector's regulatory system, which provides it with relative autonomy in relation to us economic and political environment. It is suggested that the pattern found in the hydropower and energy‐intensive sector may be typical of heavy industrial sectors in modern economies.
A Feminist Utopia
Authors: Halsaa Beatrice
Published: October 2007

Project Alternative Future is funded by the Norwegian parliament, and its aim is partly the construction of a model for an alternative society It is a Utopian project in the best meaning of the concept. Like Plato's ideal society, the project attempts to combine ambitious visions and concrete thinking. This paper is a discussion of feminist principles on which to base a model for a fundamentally different society. Feminism, as distinct from womanism, is seen as a political ideology criticizing the sexist, patriarchal social structures as well as general structures of domination, competition and violence. A feminist Utopia involves new principles for allocating values; a new ethics based on the principle of reproduction. Feminist theory is criticized for us dualist tradition, and the paper argues for the rationality of aesthetics in addition to the rationality of utility and the rationality of care. Several suggestions as to how to approach a feminist Utopia are made.
Regional Aspects of the Perceptions of Political‐Party Attachment in Sweden: Notes on Some Implications of Social Change1
Authors: Brantgärde Lennart
Published: October 2007

Using confirmatory factor analysis of nine survey perception items the author tests hypotheses ‐ derived from general theories in the field of electoral behavior‐ regarding fundamental latent structures of perceptions of party choice and party attachment in four types of Swedish environment defined by different degrees of urbanization. Significantly different structures have to be specified indicating greater group‐dependent affective attachments in rural areas and attachments of greater dependence on the party‐program contexts in urban districts. In the second and third sections of the paper these results are further explored through the construction of dichotomized typologies of voters. Loglinear analysis reveals that differences between environments, as with typologies, can be fully interpreted and explained by demographic and educational differences in the composition of the electorate. Provided that the different composition has been brought about by general urbanization, the results seem to indicate the political effects of social change that can be further emphasized in the future.
Norway's Full‐Employment Oil Economy ‐ Flexible Adjustment. or Paralysing Rigidities?1
Authors: Mjøset Lars
Published: October 2007

Two stones may be told about Norwegian macroeconomic management since 1973. The first one is the flexible‐adjustment story: Norway defended full employment using oil revenues to manage structural change. to keep manpower in the primary sectors and create new employment opportunities in the welfare state. The second is the paralysing‐rigidifies story: Norway used oil revenues to shelter its manufacturing industries and low‐productivity agriculture from competition, and to expand the welfare state which created numerous crowding out mechanisms. The first section below reviews some strong statements of these stories. while the following two sections review contemporary debates on the notions of flexibility and rigidity, relating also to the question of Norway's ‘democratic corporatism’. The final two sections attempt to take a more detached look at the events about which the two stories are told. Five phases are distinguished, and the two ‘consumption booms’ (1973‐77 and 1984‐86) and the following austerity phases (1977‐81, 1986‐) are compared.
Implementation of Modernization: Paradoxes in the Public Control of Higher Educational Institutions ‐ The Case of Denmark
Authors: Hansen Hanne Foss
Published: October 2007

In Denmark, the public sector is currently undergoing modernization. New organizational structures, new forms of control and changed economic conditions are the challenges to public organizations in the 1980s. In this article the barriers to the implementation of modernization are discussed in relation to the higher‐educational system. The conclusion is that the most prominent barrier to the modernization process is the planning philosophy of general public‐sector policy and educational policy of the 1970s, and not institutional resistance. Thus, implementation processes need to be discussed not only from top‐down and bottom‐up perspectives but also from a more horizontal perspective.
Interparty Spatial Relationships in Norwegian Storting Roll Call Votes*
Authors: Shaffer William R.
Published: October 2007

The purpose of this study is to map interparty spatial relationships embedded in non‐unanimous roll call votes recorded during the 1985–86 session of the Norwegian parliament. The analysis is theoretically grounded in the one‐dimensional Scandinavian five‐party model and a two‐dimensional model which assumes that the conventional left–right continuum is intersected by an urban protest/rural traditionalism axis. While the one‐dimensional solution which arrays the parties along the conventional left–right continuum is statistically defensible, a two‐dimensional solution appears better to reflect the reality of contemporary Norwegian politics in which the post‐Second World War welfare‐state consensus is being challenged by the Progressive Party. The resulting divisions among the non‐socialist parties may preclude a stable center‐right governing coalition.
The Norwegian Storting: The Central Assembly of the Periphery*
Authors: Rommetvedt Hilmar
Published: October 2007

The overall impression of Norway given by Rokkan and Urwin in their classification of state‐building and nation‐building processes in western Europe is characterized by the domination of a strong centre over weak peripheries. In a comparative perspective this may be the most conspicuous tendency. The influence of the Norwegian periphery, however, is quite substantial. The aim of this article is to contribute to a more nuanced picture of centreperiphery relations in Norwegian politics. It takes a closer look at the representation of the periphery in the Norwegian parliament, and at the impact of geography on policy‐making and other activities of MPs.
International Politics: Scandinavian Identity Amidst American Hegemony?
Authors: Jönsson Christer
Published: October 2007

International politics is often portrayed as a hegemonic discipline, dominated by US scholarship. Exploring the consequences of recent upheavals in world affairs for international politics research, the article suggests that the end of the cold war has exposed certain weaknesses in the US center which may be turned into advantages for the Scandinavian periphery. Specifically, Scandinavian researchers do not share the American preoccupation with theories predicated on bilateral and symmetrical relationships. Moreover, they are more prone to focus on subnational actors, they are more embedded in political science, they are generalists rather than specialists, their primary role is that of being observers rather than advisers, and they are in a better position to escape from the entrapment of an ahistorical current‐events approach. In conclusion, foreign policy analysis, negotiation studies, and research on international cooperation are singled out as areas where Scandinavians have been successful and where their relative success can be accounted for, at least in part, by an ability to capitalize on the comparative advantages identified.
Power in the Swedish Parliament
Authors: Holmberg Peter Esaiasson & Sören
Published: October 2007

This article is based on a mail questionnaire sent to members of the Swedish parliament (the Riksdag) in 1988. To increase our understanding of how the institution works, an analysis of members' perceptions of the distribution of power within the Riksdag is undertaken. Members were asked (1) how influential various groups and bodies are, and (2) how influential these groups and bodies should be. The results show that members want more power to be given to parliamentary party groups, committees and MPs as individuals, and less power to the party leaders and the chiefs of staff, Differences in perceptions along partisan lines are small. However, members of the Greens ‐ an anti‐establishment party ‐ are more oriented toward strengthening the influence of individual MPs and toward weakening the power of party leaders than are members of the established parties.