bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GENETIC TRANSFORMATION IN STREPTOCOCCUS SANGUIS
Authors: GAUSTAD P.
Published: August 2010

Genetic transformation in Streptococcus sanguis is a complex, multi‐step process, involving several factors. The competence factor (CF), occurring in the culture filtrates of some strains, is essential in streptococcal transformation, but other factors are also involved. The presence of serum during growth is not obligatory for the preparation of active culture filtrate, but serum increases the amount and duration of CF activity of some strains. The stability of the CF activity differs distinctly in filtrates prepared from various strains. This observation can be explained by the presence of a previously undescribed factor — named the competence factor inactivator (CFI) — which inactivates the CF in culture filtrates during the transforming experiment as well as during storage. The CFI is thermolabile and is eliminated from the filtrates by heating (65 °C for 15 min). The properties of the CFI suggest that it may be a protein with enzymatic activity. The CFs from the strains Challis and 13b resist heating to 100 °C for 2 h, and are stable for at least 72 h if the CFI is absent or has been inactivated by heating. The CF activity in the filtrates is inactivated by pronase and chymotrypsin, suggesting that the CF may be of a polypeptide nature.
BINDING OF AGGREGATED IgG IN THE PRESENCE OF FRESH SERUM. STRONG ASSOCIATION WITH TYPE 12 GROUP A STREPTOCOCCI
Authors: CHRISTENSEN POUL , ŠRÁMEK JAROSLAV , ZÄTTERSTRÖM ULF
Published: August 2010

Highly selected group A streptococci, 108 strains isolated from different groups of individuals, were tested for binding of aggregated human IgG which had been pre‐incubated in fresh human serum. All strains displayed resistance to phagocytosis typical of M‐producing strains. Among 73 strains isolated from sporadic cases of acute glomerulo‐nephritis (AGN), 34 (47 per cent) bound the aggregates. All of 26 type 12 group A streptococci but none of 15 type 49 strains proved positive in the test system. Furthermore, one type 1 and one type 18 strain were positive. All 9 type 49 strains isolated in a minor epidemic of AGN proved negative. Twenty‐six strains of type 12 group A streptococci were isolated during three different prospective studies in which no cases of AGN had occurred; all these strains bound aggregates in the presence of fresh serum. Thus, it was found that the capacity to bind aggregates in the presence of fresh serum was strongly associated with — though not limited to — group A streptococci carrying the type 12 antigen. However, this characteristic is not common to all nephritogenic strains, since all type 49 group A streptococci were negative in the test system.
THE USE OF FROZEN ERYTHROCYTES IN THE SINGLE RADIAL HAEMOLYSIS TEST (SRHT) FOR ANTIBODIES TO RUBELLA VIRUS
Authors: MYHRVOLD VESLEMØY
Published: August 2010

The cryoprotection of erythrocytes from newborn chickens was investigated. The cryoprotective agents tested were neutralized polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and glycerol. Best results were obtained with 10 per cent DMSO, whereas 20 per cent DMSO and glycerol were unfit for use. The red cell concentration and the temperature of freezing and thawing were of importance. Recovery of cells after thawing was most successful when the cells had been frozen at a concentration of S per cent, and best results were obtained when the cells were frozen directly in liquid nitrogen (‐196 °C). Frozen and thawed chicken cells were used in the single radial haemolysis test (SRHT) for the assay of rubella antibody, and compared with frozen and thawed erythrocytes from hen and sheep. Haemagglutinin (HA) adsorbed sheep erythrocytes could be frozen in small quantities and used directly in the SRHT plates whereas frozen erythrocytes from newborn chickens and hen had to be washed before use in the SRHT plates.
AMPICILLIN TREATMENT OF NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE IN VIVO
Authors: ELMROS THEODOR , HOLM STIG E. , KJELLBERG ERIK , WINBLAD BENGT
Published: August 2010

The effect of ampicillin on gonococci was investigated in chambers subcutaneously implanted in rabbits. An intramuscular injection of ampicillin resulted in a rapid increase of the ampicillin concentration in serum, whereas the diffusion of ampicillin into the fluid of a non‐infected chamber was comparatively slow. The ampicillin concentration was, however, maintained in the chamber fluid during a prolonged period of time as compared to ampicillin in serum. The concentration profile of ampicillin in the infected chamber was similar to that of the non‐infected chamber, though at a lower level. No viable gonococci were detected 120 minutes after the injection of ampicillin. In contrast, the same concentration of ampicillin in a liquid culture resulted in slower reduction in the viability of the gonococcal strain. Even after 300 minutes a small population of gonococci was viable. Thus, a difference in the activity of ampicillin could be observed between the in vitro and the in vivo test situation.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BLOOD VOLUME CULTURED ON DETECTION OF BACTERAEMIA
Authors: SANDVEN PER , HØIBY E. ARNE
Published: August 2010

The effect of culturing 2 and 5 ml of blood in 18 ml of supplemented peptone broth 1 (SPB I) and 45 ml of supplemented broth II (SPB II) respectively, was compared. A total of 204 isolates were recovered from 78 patients. There were 136 isolates recovered from both the 45 and the 18 ml tubes. 20 isolates from the 18 ml tube only and 48 isolates from the 45 ml tube only. Both Gram‐negative bacilli and Gram‐positive cocci were recovered more frequently from the 45 ml tube than from the 18 ml tube (p<0.05). From patients with two or more positive blood cultures the diagnosis of bacteraemia would not have been made in 5 out of 53 patients (9.4%) if only the small culture tube had been used.
INFECTION WITH RS STREPTOCOCCI IN PIGS
Authors: PEDERSEN K. B. , KJEMS E. , PERCH B. , SLOT P.
Published: August 2010

RS streptococci were isolated from pigs that died in an outbreak of septicemia and meningitis in a Danish herd of swine. Most of the affected pigs were 7–9 weeks old. Experimental inoculation of SPF pigs with a culture of the streptococci isolated from the brain of a pig that had died during the outbreak showed that the bacterium was pathogenic for pigs. Out of 35 8–15‐week‐old pigs inoculated, nine developed arthritis and one died in septicemia. At necropsy, four of the pigs were found to have endocarditis. Blood cultures from pigs with endocarditis were constantly positive throughout the experiment, i.e., until the pigs died 5–7 weeks after inoculation. In vivo loss of capsular antigen was observed. A human strain of R streptococci isolated from a case of septicemia was also shown to be pathogenic for pigs.
SUSCEPTIBILITY OF CONTINUOUS LINES OF MONKEY KIDNEY CELLS TO INFLUENZA AND PARAINFLUENZA VIRUSES IN THE PRESENCE OF TRYPSIN
Authors: ØRSTAVIK IVAR
Published: August 2010

LLC‐MK2, GMK AH‐1, BSC‐1, and Vero cells were compared in titrations of recent isolates and laboratory strains of influenza A and B and parainfluenza types 1, 2, and 3 viruses. About the same titres, as determined by haemadsorption in cell cultures, were obtained in LLC‐MK2, GMK AH‐1, and BSC‐1 cells when trypsin had been added to the medium, whereas the Vero cells were less sensitive to the influenza virus strains tested. Virus titres were usually low in the absence of trypsin. A laboratory strain of parainfluenza 2 virus reached about the same titres in medium without as in medium with trypsin, possibly owing to prior adaptation by passages in Vero cells. Comparative titrations of influenza A, and parainfluenza 1 and 3 viruses suggested the same susceptibility of LLC‐MK2 cells with trypsin as of primary monkey kidney cells. Re‐isolation experiments from 38 clinical specimens showed LLC‐MK2 cells to be as efficient as primary monkey kidney cells for isolation of influenza and parainfluenza viruses, whereas the susceptibility of the other cell lines to clinical material has not yet been tested on a larger scale. It is concluded that a continuous line of monkey kidney cell culture may be acceptable as an alternative to primary monkey kidney cells for the isolation of influenza and parainfluenza viruses from patients.
SEPTICAEMIA CAUSED BY CARDIOBACTERIUM HOMINIS
Authors: RØNNEVIK PER K. , NEESS HANS CHR.
Published: August 2010

Septicaemia caused by Cardiobacterium hominis in a woman aged 67 is reported. She had been treated for metastatic adenocarcinoma for nine months with cytostatic drugs prior to the development of a fatal septicaemia. She had no known pre‐existing heart disease. Isolation and identification of the strain are discussed.
PRECIPITATING ANTIBODIES AGAINSTSTAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUSIN SERUM FROM PATIENTS WITH STAPHYLOCOCCAL SEPTICAEMIA, INVESTIGATED BY MEANS OF QUANTITATIVE IMMUNOELECTROPHORETIC METHODS
Authors: ESPERSEN F. , HEDSTRÖM S. Å.
Published: August 2010

Crossed immunoelectrophoresis was employed in the study of precipitating antibodies againstStaphylococcus aureusin sera from 46 patients withS. aureussepticaemia. The occurrence and titres of antibodies were compared to previously reported findings for normal persons. Ten infection‐specific precipitins were detected. However, most of these precipitins were detected in low titres and could only be detected during convalescence. When antibodies against a single antigen were measured, titres above the normal level were found in 39.1%–65.2% of the patients. When the total number of precipitins in each serum was compared to findings in serum from normal persons, 54.3% of the patients had a higher value. Most promising was the precipitin score, considering both the number of precipitins and their titres. This score showed an early rise and was increased above the normal level in 82.6% of the patients. The antibody response against individualS. aureusantigens varied from person to person both concerning titres and time course.
LOSS OF SULFONAMIDE RESISTANCE IN NEISSERIA MENINGITIDIS
Authors: SOLBERG OTTO , ANDERSEN BJØRG MARIT
Published: August 2010

Four strains of Neisseria meningitidis were studied during serial passage. From two strains which originally were sulfonamide resistant, variants developed that had altered susceptibility to sulfonamides. One of the variants became relatively highly sulfonamide‐sensitive, the other exhibited merely reduced sulfonamide resistance. There was a difference in the resistance pattern for two sulfonamides (sulfaiso‐dimidine and sulfamethoxazole), and the effect of inoculum size and growth conditions in three different media could be demonstrated. Although the patterns of susceptibility to other antibacterial agents were different for the strains studied, no further susceptibility alterations occurred in parallel to the sulfonamide sensitivity changes. The variants also lost their ability to liberate free endotoxin.
CHARACTERIZATION OF THE h1 PROTEIN ANTIGEN FROM STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS 17A
Authors: KLEPPE GUNNAR
Published: August 2010

The h1 protein antigen from Staphylococcus aureus 17A was found to be present associated with the cell wall as well as freely in the growth medium. The two forms did not differ in size or immunological properties. Only lytic or proteolytic enzymes could release h1 from the isolated cell wall. The molecule was readily broken down by trypsin to discrete fragments which all had common antigenic determinants. The results suggested that the antigen is covalently linked in the cell wall and that its structure might be similar to that of protein A.
RADIATION‐RESISTANT MICRO‐ORGANISMS ISOLATED FROM TEXTILES
Authors: KRISTENSEN HANNE , CHRISTENSEN EBBE AHRENSBURG
Published: August 2010

Towels from private homes and public offices and underwear contaminated by being used by employees at a public health laboratory were examined for occurrence of radiation‐resistant bacteria and fungi. Three different methods were used for isolation of the most resistant organisms, one with multiplication of the microbial population prior to an irradiation used for selection, and two without this multiplication and with the organisms placed on membrane filters or in situ on the textiles, respectively. A total of 44 different strains were isolated. Differences in the three methods used for selection of the most radiation‐resistant microorganisms were not reflected in the results. 16 pigment‐producing Gram‐positive cocci, tentatively classified as Micrococcus radiodurans, were the most radiation‐resistant and were isolated in about half of the examinations. Other Gram‐positive cocci, non‐spore forming rods, some Nocardia and Candida parapsilosis strains and two Bacillus strains constituted the rest of the collection. With few exceptions dose‐response curves for the strains were upward convex. D‐6 values were determined to be between 1.5 megarad for the most radiation sensitive, a Candida, and 5.7 megarad for the most resistant, tentatively classified as M. radiodurans. The D‐6 values for the Bacillus strains were in both cases 1.8 megarad, consistent with a D‐value of 0.3 megarad. The same resistance is reported to be the maximum resistance for B. pumilus, strain E601, commonly used as reference strain in the literature on radiation sterilization of medical devices and supplies.
ENZYMATIC HYDROLYSIS BY BACTERIAL PHOSPOLIPASES C AND D OF IMMOBILIZED RADIOACTIVE SPHINGOMYELIN AND PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE
Authors: MALMQVIST TORSTEN , MÖLLBY ROLAND
Published: August 2010

An assay system for phospholipases C has been described with sphingomyelin immobilized to octyl‐Sepharose CL‐4B as substrate. The immobilization procedure was further developed and used with [14C‐choline]‐sphingomyelin and [14C‐choline]phosphatidylcholine (lecithin). These immobilized radioactive phospholipids made the enzymatic assays easier to perform and made it possible to increase the sensitivity. Furthermore, since release of the choline part instead of the phosphate part of the substrate molecule was measured, it was possible to use this assay for phospholipase D as well. The enzyme characteristics of phospholipase D from Corynebacterium ovis were compared in this test system with those of three phospholipases C (from Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) with respect to hydrolysing capacities and optimal ion concentrations.
THE MEASLES VIRUS‐SPECIFIC PROTEIN SYNTHESIS OF PERSISTENTLY AND LYTICALLY INFECTED CELLS STUDIED IN VIVO AND IN VITRO
Authors: VAINIONPÄÄ RAIJA , JORONEN IRIS , HYYPIÄ TIMO
Published: August 2010

The virus‐specific protein synthesis of the hamster brain cells persistently infected with a wild‐type measles virus (M‐HB/MVB) was investigated in vivo and in vitro and compared to the protein synthesis of the Vero‐cells lytically infected with the wild‐type measles virus and the SSPE‐measles virus strain LEC. The virus‐specific protein synthesis in the M‐HB/MVB‐cells in vivo was weak. Only two virus‐specific polypeptides, corresponding to polypeptide G and nucleocapsid polypeptide NP, were detected. On the other hand, the in vitro translation products, coded by the RNA extracted from the actinomycin D‐treated M‐HB/MVB‐cells, were similar compared to those products coded by the RNAs from the lytically infected Vero‐cells. The polypeptides with MWs of 75000, 61000, 40000, 37000 and 18000 were coded with all three RNA‐extracts. So the similar mRNAs were induced in the actinomycin D‐treated M‐HB/MVB‐cells, but their translation in vivo was limited. In addition to those polypeptides mentioned above the polypeptide with a MW of 42000 was detected among the in vitro translation products of the M‐HB/MVB‐cells.
The Colors of Double Exceptionalism – The Founders and African America
Authors: Lopez Robert Oscar
Published: August 2010

This essay examines American exceptionalism and the African American response to it, from Phillis Wheatley to W. E. B. Du Bois. The author argues that African Americans formed a double exceptionalism that is most clearly evident in the way that they remember and revise the legacies of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
THE STATE, THE PRESIDENCY, AND THE RESTORATION OF PRIVATISM
Authors: Wrabley Raymond B.
Published: August 2010

The economic, military, constitutional, organizational, and institutional “infrastructure” that provides the bases and limits of state activities and presidential power deservedly gets detailed and sophisticated research attention from presidency scholars. In this paper I argue that there is also an ideological and cultural infrastructure that undergirds the American state and presidency and that purportedly contributes to the smooth functioning of democratic capitalism. In the 1970s and 1980s there were many social analysts and politicians who argued that this ideological and cultural infrastructure was in disrepair and that its rundown condition was contributing to a crisis of governability that adversely affected the presidency. Among proposals to alleviate this “crisis” were those that advocated political efforts to restore the traditional values of “privatism” (i.e., hard work, moral discipline, self‐reliance, thriftiness, meritocracy, possessive individualism, and political passivity).

In this paper I assess those restoration efforts and argue that they are not likely to provide an adequate basis for easing various problems of the state or the presidency.
ALTERNATIVE THEORIES OF ETHNIC HARMONY
Authors: Haas Michael
Published: August 2010

Studies of the causes of ethnic conflict are unlikely to lead to ethnic harmony, since societal malfunctions usually come too late in the historical process for interventive strategies. Instead, there must be a vision of the conditions for ethnic peace. Some fifteen such visions exist—military hegemonism, assimilationism, nationalism, capitalism, separatism, economic interdependence theory, egalitarianism, democratization theory, amalgamationism, integrationism, consociational democracy, Gramscian hegemonism, communitarianism, political mobilization theoy, and nonviolence theory. Some of the approaches are to be discarded on moral grounds, several have been tried but failed, whereas others remain to be tested empirically.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND THE “COLOR‐BLIND” CONSTITUTION: THE REHNQUIST COURT AND EQUAL PROTECTION
Authors: Yarbrough Tinsley E.
Published: August 2010

This article examines the Rehnquist Court's equal protection record in a variety of fields, including school desegregation, affirmative action, and race‐conscious congressional districting. Its underlying thesis is that an unduly wooden commitment to a “color‐blind” (or “gender‐blind”) Constitution in the near term, combined with a naive faith in the adequacy of negative rather than affirmative remedies for racial and related forms of discrimination, may defeat that worthy principle's ultimate triumph.
PLANNING LEGISLATIVE CAREERS UNDER TERM LIMITS
Authors: Penning James M.
Published: August 2010

This research note examines the hypothesis that the impact of state legislative term limits on legislators' career planning varies by political context. A comparison of the career planning of legislative candidates from Michigan, a state with relatively restrictive term limits and a high degree of legislative professionalism, with candidates from Oklahoma, a state with less restrictive term limits and somewhat less professionalism, support this view. In addition, the data reveal substantial differences between supporters and opponents of term limits with respect to institutional loyalty and zdesiredcareer patterns.
ACTIVISM AND REPRESENTATION IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP: THE CASE OF THE ALBERTA WILDERNESS ASSOCIATION
Authors: Archer Keith , Alford Janet
Published: August 2010

How representative are public interest groups? The growth in the size and stature of public interest groups over the past generation has given rise to questions about their representative character. One of the complaints often leveled against political parties is their failure to adequately represent the interests of their constituents. A paradox is that interest groups, including public interest groups, are becoming more popular despite the lack of participatory mechanisms in their internal structures.

This article uses the Alberta Wilderness Association (A WA) as a case study to examine political representation in public interest groups. It draws upon and elaborates the arguments of Hanna Pitkin and Andrew McFarland in describing the multi‐dimensional character of interest representation, and applies the framework to a study of members and leaders in the A WA. The evidence confirms that attitudes toward representation exist in relatively discrete, independent dimensions, and for public interest groups these attitudes are relatively unrelated to mechanisms of formal representation.
DETERMINANTS OF VOTER TURNOUT IN ILLINOIS SCHOOL REFERENDA
Authors: Lentz Corliss
Published: August 2010

Conventional wisdom suggests that school administrators believe the high turnout of general elections impairs referenda passage. More referenda, then, are often planned for primary and municipal elections than general elections. This paper analyzes 840 Illinois school referenda conducted from 1981‐89 to determine if predictors of voter turnout vary by these election types This analysis reveals the misconception of conventional wisdom, finding that the determinants of voter turnout are similar across election types and there is little difference in referenda passage rates between election types.
Issue Definition and Policy Making on the United States Supreme Court
Authors: Palmer Barbara
Published: August 2010

Although scholars of the Supreme Court's agenda have provided a great deal of insight into the process of case selection, relatively little is known about how the Court selects issues within a case. Most models of judicial decision making assume that the issues presented by the litigants are fixed. This analysis suggests, however, that in over 20% of all cases, justices actually create new issues. When the Court engages in this issue creation, occasionally the justices are addressing jurisdictional issues or are substituting a narrower claim. More often than not, however, the Court provides a response that is much broader that what the parties asked. Amicus briefs were expected to be a major source of these new issues, but the data show little to no evidence that justices respond to new issues raised by amici. The primary source of these new issues appears to be the justices themselves.
At the Intersection of Public Health and National Security: The Evolution of Smallpox Policy in the Clinton and G.W. Bush Administrations
Authors: Cohen David B. , Cook Alethia H.
Published: August 2010

In spite of its eradication in 1980, the threat posed by the use of smallpox as an instrument of terror has increased its salience to policy makers. Events of the 1990s and beyond have demonstrated the willingness and ability of terrorists to utilize biological weapons against Americans. Biological terrorism is unique in that it connects public health concerns with national security. As such, policy making on biological terrorism issues has tended to be housed in the executive branch bureaucracy (in particular the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Defense, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) until the threat environment causes a shift of the policy‐making process into the White House. We contend that this phenomenon for smallpox policy occurred in both the William J. Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.
Executive Power, the War on Terrorism, and the Idea of Rights
Authors: Arnold T. Clay
Published: August 2010

Wars challenge the principles, not just the will or resources, of a nation, especially if, as in the case of the United States, those principles include a commitment to the civil rights and liberties of its citizens. In waging its war on terrorism, the Bush Administration has exercised powers of surveillance, detention, and interrogation that critics condemn as unjust violations of some of our most cherished rights and liberties. Administration officials flatly reject the charge. One issue raised by this dispute is the now timeless question, how do we decide when, if ever, concerns for security outweigh those for rights to expression, association, privacy, or due process? The answer lies in the very idea of having and asserting rights. Policies grounded in the idea of rights meet the test of legitimacy; they succeed where those based on Mill’s harm principle or Michael Ignatieff’s theory of the lesser evil do not.
Election Cycles and Partisanship in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1857‐2000
Authors: Gershtenson Joseph
Published: August 2010

Democratic theory generally regards political parties as central to democracy and therefore views a more responsible U.S. party system as desirable. While a number of factors inhibit party responsibility in the United States, the decline of parties from the late 1880s into the 1970s and the subsequent rebound illustrates that parties nevertheless wax and wane over time. Within long‐term trends, however, shorter‐term patterns may also be evident. I examine the effects of the four‐year cycle of presidential and midterm elections on parties in the U.S. House of Representatives using roll‐call voting data from 1857 to 2000. The principal finding is that parties do not appear systematically stronger following presidential elections than following midterm elections. Instead, indicators of partisanship in successive Congresses reveal that changes in party strength vary in magnitude and direction. This casts some doubts on calls for elimination of midterm elections as a means to promote party responsibility.
Jury Decision Making: Using Group Theory to Improve Deliberation
Authors: Shelton Samuel T.
Published: August 2010

Jury decision‐making process is usually protected from the prying eyes of the public and social scientists. Our knowledge of the experience comes mainly from mock juries, post‐verdict interviews, and occasional television documentaries. These methods have their limitations. Information about juries is currently driven by those few notorious trials, both criminal and civil, that attract high media attention. Unfortunately, that attention invites challenges to the ability of juries to make complex decisions and undermines the entire jury process. Group theory describes five special characteristics of successful group decision making: small size, purpose, identification, interaction, and accepted behavior. The author advocates that an understanding of group theory can help court officials improve the jury deliberation process by moving the deliberations to a higher level of reasoning and, consequently, improve the jury experience, the overall quality of jury decisions, and the public’s faith in those decisions. Specific suggestions for change are also included.

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land.

—Magna Carta (1215)
What Affects the Strength of Partisan Identity in Sub‐Saharan Africa?
Authors: Ishiyama John , Fox Krystal
Published: August 2010

A longstanding focus of political science scholarship has been on voter studies and, in particular, on the motivations for partisanship. This article examines the intensity of partisan attachments among respondents in twelve sub‐Saharan African states (Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) using data from the Afrobarometer study. Employing a framework derived from both the literature in the West and from newly developing democracies, we test the various explanations put forward for the strength or intensity of partisan attachment in the African context. We find that being a rural voter and support for the governing party are the best predictors for the intensity of partisan attachment among African voters in these twelve sub‐Saharan states. These results suggest the continued importance of patronage as a source for party loyalty.
What Makes Public Accounts Committees Work? A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Pelizzo Riccardo , Stapenhurst Rick , Sahgal Vinod , Woodley William
Published: August 2010

This article investigates whether and under what conditions Public Accounts Committees (PACs) are able to scrutinize government accounts. In doing so, we analyze survey data from 51 Commonwealth countries collected by the World Bank Institute in 2002. We find that the relationship between the formal powers of the PACs and their successful performance is conditional. Specifically, we argue that the success of PACs depend on the behavior of committee members, on the availability of independent sources of information, and on the media’s interest in scrutinizing government accounts.
Deracialization or Racialization: The Making of a Black Mayor in Jackson, Mississippi1
Authors: Orey Byron D’Andra
Published: August 2010

In 1997, Harvey Johnson made history by becoming the first black to be elected as mayor of Jackson, Mississippi. Four years prior, Johnson failed to make the Democratic primary runoffs. The following research question is addressed: what explains Johnson’s victory in 1997, when compared to his defeat in 1993? In answering this question, I rely heavily on elite‐level interviewing and newspaper accounts. I also examine the black and white vote for Johnson, using aggregate‐level election and census data. Gary King’s Ecological Inference technique is used to examine these data. Based on the findings, I conclude that Johnson ran a deracialized campaign in 1993 and a racialized campaign in 1997. The deracialized campaign failed to attract white voters and attenuated his black support. In 1997, however, he was able to almost double his support from black voters. This increase can be attributed in part to his racialized campaign strategy.

Lord have mercy! We’re going to have a black mayor in Jackson, Mississippi.

—An anonymous black woman quoted in Chappell (1997, 76)
The Security and Prosperity Agreement as an “Indicator Species” for the Emerging North American Environmental Regime
Authors: VanNijnatten Debora
Published: August 2010

The 2005 trilateral Security and Prosperity Agreement (SPP), with its emphasis on “quality of life” and “joint stewardship of the environment,” is a useful indicator of the state of environmental policy cooperation in North America. The SPP's environmental approach isad hoc, disjointed and unambitious, consisting mainly of repackaged, “end‐of‐pipe” initiatives already being undertaken by various levels of government. Thus, the SPP has not changed the landscape for national policy makers in any significant way, that is, there is little evidence of regulatory harmonization as a result of SPP initiatives. Instead, the impact of the SPP may be more subtle; it helps to further institutionalize, implicitly and explicitly, a particular Prosperity Agenda, one which has been dominant in North America and views environmental problems as separate from economic dynamics. In this way, the SPP may act as a brake on domestic policy ambitions and does little to encourage a more thoroughgoing discussion of environment–economy linkages.
Climate Change Research and Policy in Mexico: Implications for North American Security
Authors: Viniegra María Eugenia Ibarrarán , González Salimah Mónica Cossens
Published: August 2010

Mexico has a host of environmental problems nowadays and others are piling up because of the expected impacts of climate change. This article discusses the main effects that global climate change is having on Mexico. President Felipe Calderon's current administration has designed a climate change strategy (Estrategia Nacional de Cambio Climático) toward the purpose of generating policies to mitigate emissions as well as to foster adaptation to global warming. We discuss the main effects of climate change on Mexico and describe two recent research endeavors, one related to identifying vulnerability and another that determines the costs to the economy of policies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. In the final part we discuss how climate change policies across North America are divergent and identify some methods that could potentially promote better cooperation among these neighboring countries.
Comparing Public Social Provision and Citizenship in the United States, Canada, and Mexico: Are There Implications for a North American Space?
Authors: Luccisano Lucy , Romagnoli Amy
Published: August 2010

This study compares the reform of public social provision in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from 1996 to 2006. It highlights important parallels among the three countries in terms of policy design, discourses that frame each policy, and the ways social citizenship has become reconfigured. We argue that in all three cases, poor women/mothers are being regulated, monitored, and held accountable through surveillance and sanctions, reinforcing how social rights have morphed into social responsibilities and obligations. The objective is to shift welfare from “passive” support to “active” integration into the market, reinforcing a worker‐citizen model within precarious labor markets. The Canadian model shares elements with the U.S. model in its emphasis on welfare‐to‐work policies and integrating single mothers with young children into the workforce. The Mexican model integrates mothers as consumers into the market while investing in their children as future worker‐citizens. The article concludes by broadening the discussion from country‐specific analysis to speculating about the possibility of integrating workers within a North American market.
The Effects of Economic Crisis, Domestic Discord, and State Efficacy on the Decision to Initiate Interstate Conflict
Authors: Boehmer Charles
Published: August 2010

Studies of diversionary conflict typically claim that lower rates of economic growth and domestic unrest increase the risk of militarized interstate conflict. Research shows that these factors are also related to regime changes. Lower rates of economic growth and domestic conflict should increase the risk that governments are overthrown. This article investigates the comparative risk of economic growth and domestic turmoil on militarized interstate conflict and regime changes on a sample of over 100 countries from 1920‐92. I find that higher rates of economic growth are related to violent militarized interstate conflicts and reduce the risk of regime changes. Democracy and economic development likewise provide internal stability and interstate peace. Yet the risk of regime change increases rapidly relative to involvement in an interstate conflict for states affected by high levels of domestic conflict, suggesting that any diversionary strategies are a risky gambit that have a high chance of failure.
The Colonial Origins of Human Security: Economic, Geographic, and Institutional Determinants
Authors: St. Marie Joseph J. , Stanton Samuel S. , Naghshpour Shahdad
Published: August 2010

Absent in the human security literature is the role institutions play in determining levels of human security in developing nations. We attempt to determine if human security primarily is a phenomenon of economic development, institutional quality, geography, or some combination. Of these factors, we explore ‘deep determinants’: factors that are strongly correlated with increases or sustained levels of human security. We depart from the mainline literature by applying our model to a sample of former colonies. This narrow focus allows us to concentrate on those populations facing the greatest human security risks. While economists have investigated some elements of the general human security puzzle, thus far their research has produced statistically robust yet theoretically thin findings. Our model attempts to correct for these theoretical shortcomings through the inclusion of strictly focused political and social variables. We find that various deep determinants do indeed contribute to human security in surprising ways.
Influencing Public Policy: An Analysis of Published Op‐Eds by Academics
Authors: Sommer Bob , Maycroft John R.
Published: August 2010

Academics who seek to influence public policy often overlook one of the most valuable tools of influence: op‐ed essays in important daily newspapers. Op‐eds enable academics to bring their perspective and expertise beyond the usual reach of academic circles and into the public sphere. Through an analysis of 366 articles in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Star‐Ledger of Newark in 2006, this article examines how academics can more successfully enter the op‐ed pages. We analyze 15 characteristics of a successful op‐ed, providing background information on the people and institutions most often published and ten recommendations to guide academics toward a better position from which to influence policy debates. We argue that timeliness, agreement with the editorial page, readability, and an understanding of the target newspaper are essential to op‐ed publication and an expansion of academics’ influence over public policy.
Considering the Dynamics of Problem Definition: Individual Experiences, Social Services, and Public Problems
Authors: Roch Christine H.
Published: August 2010

Recent research demonstrates the influence of trust on the perceived legitimacy of governmental actions and policy‐relevant attitudes. I argue that trust influences the translation of personal experiences with social services into public problems and thus plays a critical role in problem definition. I examine the relationship empirically, relying on data from a social service user survey. The results demonstrate that these users assess their individual experiences with providers more positively than how they assess such services collectively. When recipients rate their individual experiences with social services negatively, they are less likely to translate these negative assessments into public problems if they trust government and associate greater legitimacy with governmental actions. In this case, individuals bear increasingly significant personal costs, or self‐sacrifice—as they maintain distinct evaluations of both individual and collective conditions. Trust does not appear to influence the translation of personal experiences into public assessments when personal experiences are positive.
Immigrant Exclusion from Welfare: An Analysis of the 1996 Welfare Reform Legislative Process
Authors: Agrawal Shantanu
Published: August 2010

Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in August 1996. This major welfare reform bill explicitly barred legal immigrant eligibility for most federal means‐tested public benefits. This article applies a Foucauldian method of analysis to congressional discourse surrounding legal immigrant exclusion from welfare. Such an approach examines how political issues are constructed to reveal the use of power and discursive rules in the production of socially and politically acceptable truths. I argue that legislators used specific discursive constructions to frame immigrant exclusion provisions. These discursive approaches, often at odds with empirical data, reinforced existing ideology and governed the employable concepts that held power in the debate. The analysis also demonstrates that political discourse implicitly revolved around the “immigrant bargain.” Elements of this bargain included the ideal type of immigrant desired by the United States and the proper relationship of the nation to such immigrants.
Physiological responses of Pseudomonas putida to formaldehyde during detoxification
Authors: Roca Amalia , Rodríguez‐Herva José‐Juan , Duque Estrella , Ramos Juan L.
Published: August 2010

Pseudomonas putida KT2440 exhibits two formaldehyde dehydrogenases and two formate dehydrogenase complexes that allow the strain to stoichiometrically convert formaldehyde into CO2. The strain tolerated up to 1.5 mM formaldehyde and died in the presence of 10 mM. In the presence of 0.5 mM formaldehyde, a sublethal concentration of this chemical, the growth rate decreased by about 40% with respect to growth in the absence of the toxicant. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that in response to low formaldehyde concentrations, a limited number of genes (52) were upregulated. Based on the function of these genes it seems that sublethal concentrations of HCOH trigger responses to overcome DNA and protein damage, extrude this toxic compound, and detoxify it by converting the chemical to CO2. In strains bearing mutations of the upregulated genes we analysed growth inhibition by 1.5 mM HCOH and killing rates by 10 mM HCOH. Mutants in the MexEF/OprN efflux pump and in the DNA repair genes recA and uvrB were hypersensitive to 10 mM HCOH, the killing rate being three to four orders of magnitude higher than those in the wild‐type strain. Mutants in other upregulated genes died at slightly higher or at similar rates to the parental strain. Regarding growth inhibition, we found that mutants in glutathione biosynthesis, stress response mediated by 2‐hydroxy acid dehydrogenases and two efflux pumps of the MSF family were unable to grow in the presence of 1.5 mM HCOH. In an independent screening test we searched for mutants which were hypersensitive to formaldehyde, but whose expression did not change in response to this chemical. Two mutants with insertions in recD and fhdA were found which were unable to grow in the presence of 1.5 mM HCOH. The recD mutant was hypersensitive to 10 mM HCOH and died at a higher rate than the parental strain.
The Body's Response to Health Care Provider Communication: The Impact of Dominant Versus Facilitative Styles
Authors: Ellington Lee , Matwin Sonia , Uchino Bert N. , Jasti Srichand , Dudley William N. , Roter Debra
Published: August 2010

Participant responses were compared for cancer genetic counselor provision of information provided in a dominant versus facilitative communication style. Participants watched two different segments of genetic counseling while heart rate (HR) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia were assessed. Communication style was determined by coding with the Roter interaction analysis system. Results supported a consistent contrast effect across measures, which was not moderated by trait emotional control. Individuals presented with the dominant style first exhibited a reduced HR for the facilitative segment as compared with participants who saw the facilitative style first. When viewing the dominant style first, participants rated the subsequent facilitative counselor as more friendly, submissive, and receptive and were more satisfied. An explanation for the findings is supported by positive and negative evaluative processes literature.
A randomised trial of invitations to attend for screening mammography
Authors: Turnbull Deborah , Irwig Les , Adelson Pamela
Published: August 2010

Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of invitations for mammographic screening. Women aged 45 to 69 who had not attended for screening at the mobile Breast X‐Ray Programme of the Central Sydney Area Health Service were randomly selected from the 1989 electoral listing. In the geographical area in which the study was conducted (Drummoyne local government area), 36 per cent of women had attended for screening before the intervention, indicating that the invitations were aimed at the reluctant participant. Women were randomly allocated to a control group who did not receive invitations (n = 80), and an intervention group who received letters from the Program inviting them to attend at a specified time (n = 163). Overall 33 per cent of women (53 of 163) who were sent invitations attended for screening compared to 9 per cent of those not invited (7 of 80) (P< 0.001). Older women responded at least as well as younger women. In addition, the distribution of language spoken at home was similar for electoral listing attenders and the community as a whole suggesting that this intervention works as well for women of English‐and non‐English‐speaking backgrounds. The results suggest that the response to an invitation for screening from a source not personally known to women achieves comparable attendance to an invitation from their general practitioner, as assessed in a previous study.
Caring for the institutionalised elderly: how easy is it?
Authors: Peisah Carmelle
Published: August 2010

Abstract: In the light of long‐standing criticism of nursing homes an assessment of staff's ability to provide care was required. By creating a profile of nursing home staff it may be possible to explain and predict difficulties in providing care. One hundred and five staff from 15 nursing homes and 18 hostel staff were interviewed to examine demographic characteristics, attitudes to the job and to the elderly, as well as sources of stress in the workplace.

Staff were predominantly female, with children, and had a strong sense of altruism and desire to nurture. They foster an atmosphere of care and protection and may unwittingly encourage dependence. This may preclude challenge and rehabilitation for nursing home residents. Constraints such as staff shortages, stress (35.3 per cent cases on the General Health Questionnaire), lack of training, conflict among staff and lack of support may hamper care. These problems could be addressed by additional training and incentives for staff, increased staff cooperation and communication. Medical practitioners and other health professionals have a significant role to play in assuming greater responsibility for supporting the caregivers in nursing homes.
Nutrition education in supermarkets: the Lifestyle 2000 experience
Authors: Scott Jane A. , Begley Andrea M. , Miller Margaret R. , Binns Colin W.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: A 15‐week supermarket‐based nutrition education program was conducted as part of a larger multiple‐strategy community‐wide health promotion project. The program consisted of point‐of‐purchase materials displayed in the supermarkets and was supported by a mass media campaign and promotional activities such as competitions, taste testing and cooking demonstrations. The objective of the program was to promote the selection and purchase of low‐fat foods, specifically low‐fat dairy products, fresh fruit and vegetables, bread and cereal products. Awareness of the promotion was high, with some self‐reported behaviour change. Supermarkets are potential sites for public health nutrition education and recommendations are made for improving the effectiveness of point‐of‐purchase promotions.
Recreating the village: the development of groups to improve social relationships among mothers of newborn infants in Australia
Authors: Lawson James S. , Callaghan Ann
Published: August 2010

Abstract: There is a clear link between social relationships and health in terms of both morbidity and mortality. The study was conducted during 1989 and 1990 among mothers of newborn infants from a middle‐ranking socioeconomic status suburb in Sydney (Ryde). Thirty‐four per cent of the study group had a moderate level of social isolation and 16 per cent had a high level of social isolation. These mothers strongly valued participation in the groups: virtually all original participants remained with the group both during a five‐week formal period with a nursing staff member as the leader and during months and up to five years of continued meetings. The outcomes appear to be favourable in terms of the development and continuation of strong interpersonal relationships among members of the group and by improved confidence and knowledge about infant rearing.

The development of groups of mothers adds no cost to the provision of health services and provides a sound and practical way of reducing social isolation and increasing mothercraft skills in an Australian suburb.