bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of carbon dioxide on uranium bioaccumulation in the freshwater clam Corbicula fluminea
Authors: Tran Damien , Massabuau Jean-Charles , Garnier-Laplace Jacqueline
Published: March 2005

This paper presents the results of a study examining the impact of CO  2 variations in water on uranium bioaccumulation in the bivalve Corbicula fluminea. The objectives were to evaluate the effect of CO2 on bivalve behavior (valve activity and ventilation rate) that are related to bioaccumulation and on the bioavailability of uranium carbonate complexes to the bivalve. It was demonstrated that at a total inorganic carbon concentration of CCO2 = 276 μmol/L, the daily valve opening duration and ventilation rate are significantly (p < 0.05) lower than those obtained at 27.6 μmol/L (-28 and -47%, respectively). For both CCO2 values, exposure to uranium at 0.25 μmol/L had no impact on valve activity; however, ventilation decreased significantly compared to the reference condition, down to the same lower level for the two CCO2 conditions. Consequently, the quantity of uranium passing through the bivalve was identical for both CCO2 conditions. Thus, bivalve ventilatory and valve activity could not explain increased bioaccumulation in the gills and mantle measured under the low-CCO2 condition. Consequently, we suggest that the quantity of carbonate bound to the U fraction must be less bioavailable than other U species such as the free-ion UO2+2, which is in accordance with the biotic ligand model.
A comparison of chronic cadmium effects on Hyalella azteca in effluent-dominated stream mesocosms to similar laboratory exposures in effluent and reconstituted hard water
Authors: Stanley Jacob K. , Brooks Bryan W. , La Point Thomas W.
Published: March 2005

Laboratory single-species toxicity testsare used to assess the effects of contaminants onaquaticbiota. Questions remain as to how accurately these toxicity tests predict site-specific bioavailability and chronic effects of metals, particularly in streams that are effluent-dominated or dependent on effluent discharge for flow. Concurrent 42-d Hyalella azteca exposures were performed with cadmium and final treated municipal effluent in the laboratory and at the University of North Texas Stream Research Facility (Denton, TX, USA), a series of outdoor lotic mesocosms. An additional 42-d laboratory test was conducted with H. azteca to evaluate Cd toxicity in reconstituted hard water (RHW). Endpoints included Cd body burden, survival, growth, and reproduction. Calculated average bioaccumulation factors were: 2,581 (stream mesocosm test) < 3,626 (laboratory effluent) < 7,382 (laboratory RHW). The 42-d survival lowest-observed-effect concentrations (LOECs) were 0.94, 4.53, and 22.97 μg/L for the laboratory RHW, laboratory effluent, and stream mesocosm exposures, respectively. Baseline growth (dry wt) and reproduction (young female−1) among the three exposures followed the relationship: Stream mesocosms > laboratory effluent > laboratory RHW. Differences among response variables in the three tests likely resulted from increased food sources and decreased Cd bioavailability in lotic mesocosms. Our results demonstrate that laboratory toxicity tests may overestimate chronic toxicity responses of H. azteca to Cd in effluent-dominated streams.
Metamorphic inhibition of Xenopus laevis by sodium perchlorate: Effects on development and thyroid histology
Authors: Tietge Joseph E. , Holcombe Gary W. , Flynn Kevin M. , Kosian Patricia A. , Korte Joseph J. , Anderson Leroy E. , Wolf Douglas C. , Degitz Sigmund J.
Published: March 2005

The perchlorate anion inhibits thyroid hormone (TH) synthesis via inhibition of the sodium-iodide symporter. It is, therefore, a good model chemical to aid in the development of a bioassay to screen chemicals for affects on thyroid function. Xenopus laevis larvae were exposed to sodium perchlorate during metamorphosis, a period of TH-dependent development, in two experiments. In the first experiment, stage 51 and 54 larvae were exposed for 14 d to 16, 63, 250, 1,000, and 4,000 μg perchlorate/L. In the second experiment, stage 51 larvae were exposed throughout metamorphosis to 8, 16, 32, 63, and 125 μg perchlorate/L. Metamorphic development and thyroid histology were the primary endpoints examined. Metamorphosis was retarded significantly in the first study at concentrations of 250 μg/L and higher, but histological effects were observed at 16 μg/L. In the second study, metamorphosis was delayed by 125 μg/L and thyroid size was increased significantly at 63 μg/L. These studies demonstrate that inhibition of metamorphosis readily can be detected using an abbreviated protocol. However, thyroid gland effects occur at concentrations below those required to elicit developmental delay, demonstrating the sensitivity of this endpoint and suggesting that thyroidal compensation is sufficient to promote normal development until perchlorate reaches critical concentrations.
Influence of dimethoate on acetylcholinesterase activity and locomotor function in terrestrial isopods
Authors: Engenheiro Elizabeth L. , Hankard Peter K. , Sousa Jose P. , Lemos Marco F. , Weeks Jason M. , Soares Amadeu M. V. M.
Published: March 2005

Locomotor behavior in terrestrial organisms is crucial for burrowing, avoiding predators, food seeking, migration, and reproduction; therefore, it is a parameter with ecological relevance. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a nervous system enzyme inhibited by several compounds and widely used as an exposure biomarker in several organisms. Moreover, changes in energy reserves also may indicate an exposure to a stress situation. The aim of this study is to link biomarkers of different levels of biological organization in isopods exposed to increasing doses of dimethoate in semifield conditions. Locomotor parameters, AChE activity, and energy reserves (lipid, glycogen, and protein contents) were evaluated in the isopod Porcellio dilatatus after 48-h and 10-d exposure to dimethoate-contaminated soil. Results showed a clear impairment of both locomotor and AChE activity during the entire study, although effects were more pronounced after 48 h. Most locomotor parameters and AChE activity showed a clear dose-response relationship. By contrast, no clear trend was observed on energetic components. A positive and significant relationship was found between AChE activity and those locomotor parameters indicating activity, and the opposite was observed with those locomotor parameters indicating confusion and disorientation. The results obtained in this study enhance the importance of linking biochemical responses to parameters with ecological relevance at individual level, the value of locomotor behavior as an important marker to assess effects of toxicants, and also the usefulness and the acquisition of ecological relevance by AChE as a biomarker, by linking it with ecologically relevant behavioral parameters.
Comparison of step-stress data among multiple groups
Authors: Craft Jeremy L. , Bailer A. John
Published: March 2005

Ecotoxicological studies may use organism fitness (e.g., time until exhaustion in a swim test experiment) as an indicator of the impact of some toxic chemical. Failure time studies can use constant stress or may use a protocol in which the stress level is increased at specific times. In these step-stress tests, the units are tested at a given stress level for a predetermined amount of time. At the end of that time, if there are units surviving, the stress level is increased and held constant for another amount of time. This process is repeated until all of the test units fail or the predetermined test time has expired. The purpose of this study is to suggest a method for analyzing responses from step-stress studies. A likelihood-ratio test is developed for comparing the failure times in multiple groups based on a piecewise constant hazard assumption. This likelihood-ratio test can be extended to other piecewise distributions. A small simulation study compares this analysis procedure to other methods currently used to compare multiple groups with regard to type 1 error rate and power.
Assessment of zinc phytoavailability by diffusive gradients in thin films
Authors: Sonmez Osman , Pierzynski Gary M.
Published: March 2005

Asessment of Zn phytoavailability can be predicted with routine soil extractants, but these methods generally do not perform well across a wide range of soils. The newly developed technique of diffuse gradients in thin films (DGT) has been employed to determine phytoavailable Cu concentrations, but its suitability for determining plant available Zn concentrations has not been evaluated. A greenhouse study was conducted to assess the phytotoxicity thresholds and the phytoavailability of Zn to sorghum-sudan (Sorghum vulgare var. sudanese) grass by DGT, compared with CaCl2 extraction. A range of phytoavailable Zn concentrations was created by amending sand with ZnSO4 or with two different Zn mine wastes. Plant nutrients were added as Hoagland solution. In general, increasing Zn concentrations in the sand mixtures increased Zn adsorption by DGT and decreased the sorghum-sudan yield. A critical value for 90% of the control yield was chosen as an indicator of Zn toxicity. Critical values of DGT Zn, CaCl2-extractable Zn, and plant tissue Zn were similar statistically across the three Zn sources. The performances of DGT and CaCl2 extraction for assessing Zn phytoavailability were similar. Shoot and root Zn concentrations of sorghum-sudan grass exceeded 500 mg kg−1 for many treatments. Calcium-to-Zn ratios for shoots were <32, suggesting Zn phytotoxicity. The data suggested that Zn phytotoxicity can be induced with mine wastes, although further evaluation is needed to establish a link between mine waste and Zn phytotoxicity.
Effect of byproducts from the ozonation of pyrene: Biphenyl-2,2′,6,6′-tetracarbaldehyde and biphenyl-2,2′,6,6′-tetracarboxylic acid on gap junction intercellular communication and neutrophil function
Authors: Luster-Teasley Stephanie L. , Ganey Patricia E. , DiOrio Mary , Ward Joseph S. , Maleczka Robert E. , Trosko James E. , Masten Susan J.
Published: March 2005

In this study, biphenyl-2,2′,6,6′-tetracarbaldehyde, an initial by product formed from the ozonation of pyrene, and biphenyl-2,2′,6,6′-tetracarboxylic acid, a subsequent pyrene ozonation byproduct, were evaluated using two toxicology assays to compare the toxicity of ozonation byproducts with that of the parent compound. The first assay measured the potential for the compounds to block gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) using the scrape loading/dye transfer technique in normal WB-344 rat liver epithelial cells. The second assay evaluated the ability of the compounds to affect neutrophil function by measuring the production of superoxide in a human cell line (HL-60). Pyrene significantly blocked intercellular communication (f= 0.2–0.5) at 40 μM and complete inhibition of communication (f < 0.2) occurred at 50 μM. Gap junctional intercellular communication in cells exposed to biphenyl-2,2′,6,6′-tetracarbaldehyde reached f < 0.5 at a concentration of 15 μM. At concentrations greater than 20 μM, biphenyl-2,2′,6,6′-tetracarbaldehyde was cytotoxic and the inhibition of GJIC was caused by cell death. Biphenyl-2,2′,6,6′-tetracarboxylic acid was neither cytotoxic nor inhibitory to GJIC at the concentrations tested (10–500 μM). Exposure to biphenyl-2,2′,6,6′-tetracarbaldehyde resulted in a concentration-dependent decrease in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate–stimulated O12 production. Neither exposure to pyrene nor biphenyl-2,2′,6,6′-tetracarboxylic acid caused a significant toxic effect on neutrophil function.
Enamel Matrix Derivative Stimulates Core Binding Factor α1/Runt‐Related Transcription Factor‐2 Expression via Activation of Smad1 in C2C12 Cells
Authors: Takayama Tadahiro , Suzuki Naoto , Narukawa Masataka , Tokunaga Tsuyoshi , Otsuka Kichibee , Ito Koichi
Published: March 2005

Background: Although enamel matrix derivative (EMD) can promote osteogenic differentiation of the pluripotent mesenchymal precursor cell line, C2C12, the molecular mechanism that underlies this phenomenon is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine which molecules in EMD stimulate osteogenic differentiation.

Methods: C2C12 cells were cultured in 5% serum‐containing medium to induce differentiation, either with or without the addition of EMD. The expression of core binding factor α1/runtrelated transcription factor‐2 (Cbfa1/Runx2) was measured using Northern blot, Western blot, and/or real‐time polymerase chain reaction (R‐PCR) analysis. Phosphorylation of mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 1 (Smad1) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)‐like molecules in EMD was determined by Western blot.

Results: EMD increased Cbfa1/Runx2 mRNA and protein expression substantially. EMD also induced phosphorylation of Smad1. Noggin inhibited the EMD‐induced phosphorylation of Smad1 markedly, and also partially blocked EMD‐induced Cbfa1/ Runx2 mRNA expression. In the Western blot analysis, single bands that corresponded to ∼15 and ∼17.5 kDa proteins were recognized in EMD by anti‐BMP‐2/4 and anti‐BMP‐7 antibodies, respectively.

Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that EMD stimulates Cbfa1/Runx2 expression and the phosphorylation of Smad1, and that both of these processes can be blocked by noggin. Therefore, the osteogenic activity of EMD may be mediated by BMPlike molecules in EMD. J Periodontol 2005;76:244‐249.
Prevalence of Periodontopathic Bacteria in Aggressive Periodontitis Patients in a Chilean Population
Authors: Gajardo Marta , Silva Nora , Gómez Leyla , León Rubén , Parra Beatriz , Contreras Adolfo , Gamonal Jorge
Published: March 2005

Background:Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is considered a major etiologic agent of aggressive periodontitis (AgP). Other periodontopathic bacteria such as Porphyromonas gingivalis are also suspected of participating in aggressive periodontitis although the evidence to support this is controversial. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of eight periodontopathic bacteria in Chilean patients with AgP.

Methods: Subgingival plaque samples were collected from 36 aggressive, 30 localized, and six generalized periodontitis patients. Samples from 17 advanced chronic periodontitis (CP) patients were taken as controls. Samples collected from the four deepest periodontal pockets in each patient were pooled in prereduced transport fluid (RTF) and cultured. Periodontal bacteria were primarily identified by colony morphology under stereoscopic microscope and rapid biochemical tests. The identity of some bacterial isolates was confirmed by colony polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results: AgP showed a significatively higher prevalence of C. rectus than CP (P = 0.036). The only statistical difference found was for C. rectus. Patients with AgP showed a higher, but not statistically significant, prevalence of P. gingivalis, E. corrodens, P. micros, and Capnocytophaga sp. A similar prevalence in both groups of patients was observed for F. nucleatum and P. intermedia/nigrescens, and A. actinomycetemcomitans was less prevalent in AgP than CP patients. In localized AgP, P. intermedia/nigrescens, E. corrodens, F. nucleatum, and P. micros were the more prevalent pathogens in contrast to generalized AgP patients who harbored A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, and Capnocytophaga sp. as the most prevalent bacteria.

Conclusions:C. rectus, P. gingivalis, E. corrodens, P. micros, and Capnocytophaga sp. were the most predominant periodontopathic bacteria of AgP in this Chilean population, but the only statistical difference found here between AgP and CP was for C. rectus, suggesting that the differences in clinical appearance may be caused by factors other than the microbiological composition of the subgingival plaque of these patients. In this study, the prevalence of A. actinomycetemcomitans was much lower than that of P. gingivalis. J Periodontol 2005;76:289‐294.
Driven equilibrium magnetic resonance imaging of articular cartilage: Initial clinical experience
Authors: Gold Garry E. , Fuller Samuel E. , Hargreaves Brian A. , Stevens Kathryn J. , Beaulieu Christopher F.
Published: March 2005

Purpose

To evaluate three‐dimensional driven equilibrium Fourier transform (3D‐DEFT) for image quality and detection of articular cartilage lesions in the knee.

Materials and Methods

We imaged 104 consecutive patients with knee pain with 3D‐DEFT and proton density (PD‐FSE) and T2‐weighted (T2‐FSE) fast spin echo. Twenty‐four went on to arthroscopy. Signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) efficiency were measured. Subjective image quality, fat suppression, and cartilage thickness visibility were assessed. Cartilage lesions on 3D‐DEFT and T2‐FSE were compared with findings outlined in operative reports.

Results

SNR efficiency was higher for 3D‐DEFT and PD‐FSE than for T2‐FSE (P< 0.02). 3D‐DEFT and PD‐FSE showed superior cartilage thickness visibility compared with T2‐FSE (P< 0.02). T2‐FSE showed better fat suppression and fewer image artifacts than 3D‐DEFT (P< 0.04). 3D‐DEFT had similar sensitivity and similar specificity for cartilage lesions compared with PD‐FSE and T2‐FSE.

Conclusion

3D‐DEFT provides excellent synovial fluid‐to‐cartilage contrast while preserving signal from cartilage, giving this method a high cartilage SNR. 3D‐DEFT shows the full cartilage thickness better than T2‐FSE. T2‐FSE had superior fat saturation and fewer artifacts than 3D‐DEFT. Overall, 3D‐DEFT requires further technical development, but is a promising method for imaging articular cartilage. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2005;21:476–481. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Combined helium‐3/proton magnetic resonance imaging measurement of ventilated lung volumes in smokers compared to never‐smokers
Authors: Woodhouse Neil , Wild Jim M. , Paley Martyn N.J. , Fichele Stanislao , Said Zead , Swift Andrew J. , van Beek Edwin J.R.
Published: March 2005

Purpose

To use a combination of helium‐3 (3‐He) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton single‐shot fast spin echo (SSFSE) to compare ventilated lung volumes in groups of “healthy” smokers, smokers diagnosed with moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and never‐smokers.

Materials and Methods

All study participants were assessed with spirometry prior to imaging. 3‐He images were collected during an arrested breath hold, after inhaling a mixture of 200 mL of hyperpolarized 3‐He/800 mL of N2. Proton SSFSE images were acquired after inhaling 1 liter of room air. The ventilated volume for each study participant was calculated from the 3‐He images, and a ratio was calculated to give a percentage ventilated lung volume.

Results

Never‐smokers exhibited a 90% mean ventilated volume. The mean ventilated lung volumes for healthy smokers and smokers diagnosed with COPD were 75.2% and 67.6%, respectively. No correlation with spirometry was demonstrated for either of the smoking groups.

Conclusion

Combined 3‐He/Proton SSFSE MRI of the lungs is a noninvasive method, using nonionizing radiation, which demonstrates ventilated airspaces and enables the calculation of ventilated lung volumes. This method appears to be sensitive to early obstructive changes in the lungs of smokers. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2005;21:365–369. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
TSH receptor protein is selectively expressed in normal human extraocular muscle
Authors: Kloprogge Steven J. , Busuttil Bridget E. , Frauman Albert G.
Published: March 2005

Thyroid‐associated ophthalmopathy is a common manifestation of Graves' disease. Its pathophysiology is not well understood but an antigen shared between the thyroid and orbit is thought to play a role. Using immunohistochemistry, we have demonstrated the presence of the autoantigenic target of Graves' disease, the thyroid‐stimulating hormone receptor, in normal human extraocular muscle. These results support previous findings of the full length and splice variant thyroid‐stimulating hormone receptor cDNA in extraocular muscle. The observation of the autoimmune target—the thyroid‐stimulating hormone receptor protein—being shared between the thyroid and extraocular muscle lends greater support to the notion that an extraocular muscle thyroid‐stimulating hormone receptor is also a likely target autoantigen in thyroid‐associated ophthalmopathy. Muscle Nerve, 2005
Maintaining your focus in focus groups: Avoiding common mistakes
Authors: Côté‐Arsenault Denise , Morrison‐Beedy Dianne
Published: March 2005

Focus groups are used frequently in nursing research as a method for collecting qualitative data. However, due to inadequate planning or execution, the results can be of poor quality or even worthless. A well‐defined purpose, carefully planned environment, and well trained personnel are discussed as the cornerstones to focus group success. This article sets the stage with a description of a well conducted focus group, then provides examples and a critique of less‐than‐effective groups. Focus groups can be powerful and effective when their use is appropriate to the study purpose, the environment is non‐judgmental and welcoming, and the personnel are skilled. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Res Nurs Health 28:172–179, 2005
Episodic propagation of a rift on the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica
Authors: Bassis J. N. , Coleman R. , Fricker H. A. , Minster J. B.
Published: March 2005

We investigate ice shelf rift propagation using a combination of GPS and seismic measurements near the tip of an active rift in the Amery Ice Shelf. These measurements reveal that propagation occurs in episodic bursts, which were identified based on swarms of seismicity accompanied by rapid rift widening. The bursts last approximately 4 hours and are separated by 10–24 days. In between bursts, the rift widens at a rate comparable to that of ice shelf spreading. Comparison of automatic weather station data and tidal amplitudes show that the propagation bursts are not directly triggered by winds or tides, suggesting that rift propagation is driven by the background glaciological stress in the ice shelf. We show that the ice debris that partly fills the rift may play a role in controlling the rate of propagation.
Without Benefit of Clergy
Authors: Gedge Karin E.
Published: March 2005

By examining a wide variety of public and private primary sources from northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and midwestern states, Gedge challenges an assumption prevalent in nineteenth-century culture as well as twentieth-century historiography: women and clergy formed a natural alliance, exercised a particular influence over each other, and enjoyed a close, even perilously intimate, relationship. Part I locates the perception of a dangerous pastoral relationship in the published accounts of European travelers and in pamphlets describing dozens of criminal, civil, and ecclesiastical trials of clergy accused of sexual misconduct. Part II identifies both benign and malignant representations of the relationship in the imagination—the diverse literary genres that featured women and clergy as central characters, reinforcing and subverting the perception of a peculiar attraction between the two. The dangerous liaison so ubiquitous in popular culture, however, actually worked to alienate clergy and women. In Part III, pastoral manuals and seminary lectures, as part of the “professionalization” of the Protestant clergy, articulated an ideal relationship that effectively distanced ministers from their female parishioners. In Part IV, Gedge argues that the experience of ordinary pastors and female parishioners, as revealed in journals, diaries, and correspondence, also tells a tale of estrangement. Clergy resisted “feminization,” recording frustration, disdain, and avoidance in their relationships with women while women reported neglect, disappointment, and disillusionment in their relationships with pastors. The paradigm of “feminization” that historians have applied to the nineteenth-century clergy and the Protestant church is a distorted representation of the pastoral relationship. The gender ideology of separate spheres imposed enormous restrictions upon and tensions within that relationship, anxieties that reverberated in the culture at large.
Introduction
Authors: Wirzba Norman
Published: March 2005

Contemporary culture reflects widespread isolation from and ignorance about our interdependence with the earth and wider cosmos. This loss has led to an impoverished sense of community as membership within a created whole. By marking our inter-relatedness with the soil and then noting the significance of the doctrine of creation in terms of its moral and spiritual significance, the possibility exists for a revisioning of salvation in terms of the health and wholeness of all creation.
The Character of Creation
Authors: Wirzba Norman
Published: March 2005

The moral and spiritual character of creation is developed through a reading of five different biblical motifs: (1) the Yahwist account of creation in Genesis, (2) the Sabbath code, (3) Job’s experience of suffering in a sublime universe, (4) new creation in Christ, and (5) the New Heaven and the New Earth in John’s Apocalypse. This chapter shows scripture to be of considerable ecological significance while not addressing specific contemporary environmental problems.
Culture as the Denial of Creation
Authors: Wirzba Norman
Published: March 2005

The new science, as well as modern developments in culture such as urbanization, industrialization, technology, consumerism, and the philosophical “turn to the self,” have made it much more difficult for us to appreciate and live out the moral significance of creaturely life. The result is an imbalanced society and an abstract culture in which human ambitions are paramount and the existence of God, though not necessarily denied, is irrelevant.
Humanity's Place in Creation
Authors: Wirzba Norman
Published: March 2005

As creatures made in the “image of God,” we have a unique identity and vocation. After showing that the popular models of ourselves as stewards or citizens of creation is inadequate, a case is made for humans as the servants of creation. This account of servanthood is tied to ecological insight and developed in terms of the current design technique called biomimicry.
Theological Incorrectness
Authors: Slone D. Jason
Published: March 2005

This book analyzes the concept of theological incorrectness, namely, why people believe what they shouldn’t? It takes off from Justin Barrett’s notion of “theological correctness”, which contends that while religious believers produce theologically correct ideas in situations that allow them the time and space to reflect symmetrically on their beliefs, the same people can stray from those ideological beliefs in situations that require them to solve problems rapidly. It also puts forward a cognitive approach to studying religion.
religion is perfectly natural, not naturally perfect
Authors: Slone D. Jason
Published: March 2005

The cognitive approach to religion is a “naturalness” thesis because cognitive scientists believe that religion is a by-product of the process of ordinary human cognition. Thus, cognition operates in a manner that religious representations emerge naturally as an aspect of ordinary thinking. Central theories in cognitive science are reviewed to help explain why religion people believe what they shouldn’t.
i'd rather be lucky than good
Authors: Slone D. Jason
Published: March 2005

People believe in luck and even perform rituals to improve their luck. The belief in luck results from cognitive strategies that people use in their daily lives. This belief differs from religious belief only by degree, because both involve the presumption of agency at work in the world. The essential difference is that the agents of religious traditions are less ambiguously represented than the “agents” of luck.
Is It Irrational to Be Amoral?
Authors: Nichols Shaun
Published: March 2005

Moral rationalism provides one prominent way of securing moral objectivism. If morality derives from reason, then morality might enjoy an objective basis. In this chapter, two rationalist claims are distinguished: a conceptual claim and an empirical claim. The conceptual claim is that it is a conceptual truth that moral requirements are rational requirements; the empirical claim is that human moral judgment is produced by rational cognitive mechanisms. This chapter argues that both claims are problematic. The conceptual claim is threatened by the conceptual possibility of a rational amoralist. The empirical claim is insulated from such worries but it is undermined by evidence that psychopaths apparently do have a seriously disturbed capacity for moral judgment.The most plausible explanation of this deficit does not fit with an Empirical Rationalist account.
Moral Evolution
Authors: Nichols Shaun
Published: March 2005

This chapter turns to the genealogy of “harm norms,” norms against causing pain and suffering to others. The chapter sets out a range of historical and anthropological facts that need to be captured by a genealogy of harm norms. In particular, an adequate genealogy needs to explain the broad similarities and differences in harm norms across cultures and the characteristic evolution of harm norms. One prominent explanation for these facts appeals to moral progress. This chapter proposes an alternative account of the genealogy of norms that draws on the central thesis of chapter 6, that norms which resonate with our emotions will be more likely to survive.
Economy
Authors: Lane Jan‐Erik , McKay David , Newton Kenneth
Published: March 2005

This section presents economic data on OECD countries. It features tables on GDP per capita, real GDP per capita, origin of GDP, inflation rates, external dependency exports and imports, real GDP growth, and real GNP growth.
Ireland
Authors: Lane Jan‐Erik , McKay David , Newton Kenneth
Published: March 2005

This section provides information on the most significant features of government and politics in Ireland. These include data on state structure and offices, parties, government constitutions, electoral and voting systems, and basic media materials on media, education, economic interest organisations and the budget.
Norway
Authors: Lane Jan‐Erik , McKay David , Newton Kenneth
Published: March 2005

This section provides information on the most significant features of government and politics in Norway. These include data on state structure and offices, parties, government constitutions, electoral and voting systems, and basic media materials on media, education, economic interest organisations and the budget.
Sweden
Authors: Lane Jan‐Erik , McKay David , Newton Kenneth
Published: March 2005

This section provides information on the most significant features of government and politics in Sweden. These include data on state structure and offices, parties, government constitutions, electoral and voting systems, and basic media materials on media, education, economic interest organisations and the budget.
Japan
Authors: Lane Jan‐Erik , McKay David , Newton Kenneth
Published: March 2005

This section provides information on the most significant features of government and politics in Japan. These include data on state structure and offices, parties, government constitutions, electoral and voting systems, and basic media materials on media, education, economic interest organisations and the budget.
New Zealand
Authors: Lane Jan‐Erik , McKay David , Newton Kenneth
Published: March 2005

This section provides information on the most significant features of government and politics in New Zealand. These include data on state structure and offices, parties, government constitutions, electoral and voting systems, and basic media materials on media, education, economic interest organisations and the budget.
Political Choice in Britain
Authors: Clarke Harold D. , Sanders David , Stewart Marianne C. , Whiteley Paul
Published: March 2005

Political Choice in Britain uses data from the 1964 to 2001 British election studies (BES), 1992 to 2002 monthly Gallup polls, and numerous other national surveys conducted over the past four decades to test the explanatory power of rival sociological and individual rationality models of electoral turnout and party choice. Analyses endorse a valence politics model that challenges the long-dominant social class model. British voters make their choices by evaluating the performance of parties and party leaders in economic and other important policy areas. Although these evaluations may be largely products of events that occur long before an election campaign officially begins, parties’ national and local campaign activities are also influential. Consistent with the valence politics model, partisan attachments display individual- and aggregate-level dynamics that reflect ongoing judgements about the managerial abilities of parties and their leaders. A general incentives model provides the best explanation of turnout. Calculations of the costs and influence-discounted benefits of voting and sense of civic duty are key variables in this model. Significantly, the decline in turnout in recent elections does not reflect more general negative trends in public attitudes about the political system. Voters judge the performance of British democracy in much the same way as they evaluate its parties and politicians. Support at all levels of the political system is a renewable resource, but one that must be renewed.
Political Choice in Britain
Authors: Clarke Harold D. , Sanders David , Stewart Marianne C. , Whiteley Paul
Published: March 2005

Introduces the principal questions–why British citizens vote, why they make the party choices that they do, to what extent do they engage with the political process beyond participation in elections, and what does the pattern of engagement over the last four decades tell us about the health of contemporary British democracy–that structure the analyses in various chapters. Chapter 1 also presents an overview of the two major competing theoretical frameworks, the sociological and individual-rationality frameworks, and various specific models located in these frameworks, which are used to answer these questions. The 2001 BES data set and various other data sets employed in the analyses are described, and the content of the several chapters that follow is summarized.
Theories and Models of Party Support
Authors: Clarke Harold D. , Sanders David , Stewart Marianne C. , Whiteley Paul
Published: March 2005

Discusses the theoretical frameworks that guide the empirical analyses in Political Choice in Britain. The sociological framework identifies various aspects of an individual’s social location, such as social class, region, gender and ethnicity, as sources of differential voting patterns. The individual rationality framework encompasses both the Downsian and the valence approaches. Our characterization of the Downsian approach focuses on issue positions and issue proximities. The valence approach specifies that heuristics and other types of ‘rough and ready’ calculations inform voters’ party preferences. Although conceptualized quite differently, party identification is a predictor variable in both theoretical frameworks.
Electoral Choice in 2001
Authors: Clarke Harold D. , Sanders David , Stewart Marianne C. , Whiteley Paul
Published: March 2005

Investigates the sources of party support in 2001. The analyses specify a series of multivariate models that capture the effects of the key variables from each of the sociological and individual rationality frameworks. Party identification, leader images, issue proximities, and party performance evaluations on the economy and other important policy areas combine to exercise sizeable effects on vote choice. Tactical voting is also evident, benefiting the Liberal Democrats at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives. In contrast to many earlier studies of British electoral politics, we make strong claims about the effects of evaluations of party leader images on electoral choice. Exogeneity tests buttress these claims.
The 2001 Election and Democracy in Britain
Authors: Clarke Harold D. , Sanders David , Stewart Marianne C. , Whiteley Paul
Published: March 2005

Uses survey data gathered over the past four decades to investigate voters’ orientations towards themselves as political actors, as well as their orientations towards elections, parties, political institutions, and the wider democratic process. Levels of political interest and political efficacy, and willingness to engage in non-electoral actions, have changed little over the last 40 years. Like their predecessors, contemporary British voters are not particularly interested in politics and they do not feel particularly efficacious. Analyses of satisfaction with democracy indicate that people were more satisfied in 2001 than at any time since 1973. Democratic satisfaction is largely driven by valence politics considerations. The main sources of satisfaction are positive evaluations of state institutions, economic and social policies, and political leadership in general.
Valence Politics
Authors: Clarke Harold D. , Sanders David , Stewart Marianne C. , Whiteley Paul
Published: March 2005

Restates the argument that British electoral politics over the past 40 years can be best understood using a valence politics model. The three major predictors of electoral choice–leadership images, partisanship, and evaluations of economic performance–are key elements of the valence model. Analyses of turnout demonstrate the explanatory power of cost-benefit calculations that are augmented by assessments of overall benefits to the political system in general–which are elements of the general incentives model. Beyond electoral participation, satisfaction with the democratic process itself depends primarily on assessments of institutional and policy performance–that is, on valence judgements. The individual rationality framework and, in particular, its valence politics model, provide powerful analytic leverage for explaining political choice in Britain.
2 The Demand for Esteem
Authors: Brennan Geoffrey , Pettit Philip
Published: March 2005

If there is to be an economy of esteem, then esteem must be something that it makes sense for people to demand and seek out by their own efforts, thereby giving rise to unintended, aggregative consequences; it must be more that something that they welcome but can do nothing about attaining. It may seem that acting on the desire for esteem is counterproductive, since being seen to act on such a desire is unlikely to win esteem. But this does not hold under all circumstances, only in some special cases. And anyhow it will not be counterproductive to act under the virtual as distinct from the active control of that desire. The desire will be in virtual control when habit or other forces normally produce action but retain control only so long as the action does all right for the agent in esteem terms: if it fails to do so, then the desire for esteem may be activated and may take active control.
4 The Economy of Esteem
Authors: Brennan Geoffrey , Pettit Philip
Published: March 2005

We have found reason to think that three conditions are fulfilled in the case of esteem.

1. Esteem is an object of general desire that is in scarce supply, both in the sense of requiring effort to access and in the sense of occasioning competition.

2. Esteem is an effective demand among people in the sense that people can rationally try to increase their individual levels of esteem.

3. Esteem can be rationally supplied as well as pursued so that people can also resort to exchange in seeking to increase their esteem.

The fulfillment of these conditions promises to give rise to an economy of esteem and the remainder of the book seeks to explore this economy. The economy is illustrated here with reference to academic community and some general observations are made on the shape it is likely to assume. Some attention is given to the issue of how far people may be aware of the rule of the economy in their own lives.
5 A Simple Equilibrium in Performance
Authors: Brennan Geoffrey , Pettit Philip
Published: March 2005

How A scores in the esteem stakes depends on the assessment of A’s performance relative to standards. The higher the standards the greater the incentive to perform well, other things equal. But standards themselves reflect prevailing practice. So there is a feedback loop between performance and standards in any estimable domain. The aim of this chapter is to explore this feedback loop by constructing a simple equilibrium in the performance domain. Even if esteem is not ‘positional’ in the sense that it is awarded on the basis of one’s ranking, esteem exhibits zero-sum properties in the simplest cases. This fact raises questions about the normative properties of esteem-seeking behaviour.
6 A More Complex Equilibrium in Performance
Authors: Brennan Geoffrey , Pettit Philip
Published: March 2005

Performances in some estimable domain might be neither esteemed nor disesteemed: they might fall in some ‘normal’ range. This fact makes for a more complex model of equilibrium than that explored in Ch. 5, but many of the same feedback effects are present. However, it is not the case that esteem-seeking is strictly zero-sum: increased esteem for A is not necessarily bought at the cost of less esteem for all others. The ‘three-range’ version of the basic model has implications for risk-taking and risk-aversion over different ranges of performance: persons earning small amounts of positive esteem will tend to be risk-loving. Persons earning small amounts of disesteem will tend to be risk-averse. Some policy implications of this property are derived.
8 Publicity and Individual Responses
Authors: Brennan Geoffrey , Pettit Philip
Published: March 2005

Esteem requires observation; and the magnitude of the esteem (or disesteem) on offer seems likely to be a function of audience size and quality. ‘Publicity’ can then be understood either in terms of increased audience size or in terms of reputation effects–where the esteem-givers are not direct observers. The case of ‘fame’ (and ‘infamy’) is characterized by the fact that it is a matter of common belief among a relevant population that the famous person is esteem-worthy. However, because that belief need not depend on direct observation, fame may prove vulnerable to the ‘emperor’s new clothes’ phenomenon–fame may be unstable.

Publicity is one of the primary levers by which esteem effects can be supported or suppressed. Accordingly, we examine briefly ‘publicity policy’ and isolate various decisions that are involved in mobilizing publicity policy most effectively, including whether the policy context is a ‘best shot’ or ‘weakest link’ one.
10 Seeking and Shunning Publicity
Authors: Brennan Geoffrey , Pettit Philip
Published: March 2005

Esteem-seekers can affect the esteem they desire not only by improving their performances but also by adjusting their audience size–seeking secrecy to avoid disesteem and seeking audience to magnify positive esteem. Such behaviour affects performance partly by affecting esteem incentives and partly by absorbing energy and effort that might otherwise have been put into performance enhancement. One effect of particular interest here is the case where esteem cannot operate because the actor is not given ‘recognition’. The search for recognition may involve a desire for publicity/attention for its own sake as well as for the esteem that publicity offers. A striking case in which attention-seeking and esteem-seeking come apart is in the ‘enfant terrible’ case where the actor performs deliberately badly (and receives disesteem) in order to get greater attention. We offer an explanation for this case in terms of long-term esteem-seeking.
12 Involuntary Associations
Authors: Brennan Geoffrey , Pettit Philip
Published: March 2005

Voluntary esteem associations form for the purposes of magnifying positive esteem of their members. But individuals can be disesteemed by virtue of their being associated–as members of a race might be in a case of racial prejudice. This will imply: that members of the disesteemed association will not be given access to ‘voluntary’ esteem associations for which they would otherwise qualify; and that individuals’ esteem is attached to the esteem of the association to which they are assigned whether they like that or not. Such involuntary associations can readily form groups: only ‘in-group’ esteem may be available for them. Moreover, such groups may be especially good at managing free-rider problems by mobilizing extreme in-group loyalty. Or at least, will be so unless individuals can disguise their membership of the disesteemed class. Secrecy and the related phenomenon of ‘coming-out’ are discussed in this connection.
13 The Intangible Hand in Profile
Authors: Brennan Geoffrey , Pettit Philip
Published: March 2005

The economics of esteem can have a normative as well as a positive aspect, directing us to lessons in institutional design and policy-making. The case for this view is set out in these final chapters fairly abstractly, since the empirical groundwork for a more detailed program in institutional design is just not available. The economy of esteem, when it works for good, is an intangible hand that operates in parallel to the invisible hand of the market and the iron hand of the state. Intangible-hand regulation promises to be a particularly attractive and effective way for society to arrange its affairs. In particular, it promises to be more attractive and more effective in a number of respects than the more familiar alternatives.
Popular Support for Electing Women in Eastern Europe
Authors: Wilcox Clyde , Stark Beth , Thomas Sue
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines the demand for women in the legislatures of post-communist Central and Eastern Europe. There is currently little demand for female legislators, with a prevailing attitude in many countries that men make better political leaders. Although this view is most evident among older less educated citizens, it is sufficiently echoed by younger and better educated women. Support for the women’s movement in Eastern and Central Europe appears to be for a non-feminist, maternalist movement; men and women generally believe that the role of homemaker and mother is essential to a woman’s happiness.
Women in Russian Regional Assemblies: Losing Ground1
Authors: Nowacki Dawn
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines the variations in women’s representation in Russian regional assemblies. A study of representation levels according to economic regions and distance from the Moscow-St. Petersburg axis show that women have done much better in peripheral regions than in the central regions. Political institutions such as the electoral system, district size, and the level of support for political reform play influence the variation in female representation. Political culture, measured indirectly using dominant religion, also plays a major role in women’s access to regional parliaments.
Establishing a Machocracy: Women and Elections in Macedonia (1990–8)
Authors: Ristova Karolina
Published: March 2005

Democratization in Macedonia appears to have established a “machocracy”, rule by men. This chapter examines how machocracy has contributed to the low supply and demand for female candidates in Macedonia. It is argued that organized pressure to recruit more women can increase the supply of female candidates and the demand of party leaders for them. The experience with the mixed electoral system implemented in 1998 shows that the wider introduction of proportional representation can improve women’s representation.
Women in the Polish Sejm: Political Culture and Party Politics versus Electoral Rules
Authors: Siemieńska Renata
Published: March 2005

This chapter examines changes in the representation of women in the Polish parliament from the 1990s to 2001. Women candidates had the best outcome in the 2001 election due to electoral law change, improvements in public attitudes towards women, the fact that women arguing for better representation were more organized and mobilized than in the past, and the parties that tended to be more representative of women did much better than in the previous election.