bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fasting Serum Leptin Level Correlates With Mid‐Arm Fat Area in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients
Authors: Fang Te‐Chao , Lee Chung‐Jen , Wang Chih‐Hsien , Liou Hung‐Hsiang , Hsu Bang‐Gee
Published: August 2010

Leptin correlates with body fat content and plays a pivotal role in inflammatory response. This study aimed to investigate the relationships of fasting serum leptin levels and the anthropometric fat components among peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Fasting blood samples were obtained from 40 PD patients. Leptin levels were measured using a commercial enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kit. Body weight (r = 0.424; P = 0.006), waist circumference (r = 0.352; P = 0.026), body mass index (BMI; r = 0.483; P = 0.002), body fat mass (r = 0.352; P = 0.026), high sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP; r = 0.494; P = 0.001), triceps skinfold thickness (TSF; r = 0.505; P = 0.001), mid‐arm circumference (MAC; r = 0.471; P = 0.002), and mid‐arm fat area (MAFA; r = 0.564; P < 0.001) were positively correlated, while high density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol (r = −0.345; P = 0.028) was negatively correlated with fasting serum leptin levels among the PD patients. Multivariate forward stepwise linear regression analysis showed that MAFA (R2 = 0.318, P = 0.011) was the independent predictor of fasting serum leptin levels among the PD patients. In conclusion, fasting leptin level was positively associated with body fat composition (body weight, waist circumference, BMI, body fat mass, TSF, MAC, and MAFA) and hs‐CRP among PD patients, and MAFA was the independent predictor of fasting serum leptin levels among the PD patients.
PROCESSING OF LEGUMES: RESISTANT STARCH AND DIETARY FIBER CONTENTS
Authors: MAHADEVAMMA S. , THARANATHAN R.N.
Published: August 2010

Resistant starch (RS) and dietary fiber contents of differently processed Bengal gram (chickpea), black gram, green gram and red gram (pigeon pea) dhals were determined. In traditionally cooked dhals, RS increased 1.6 to 9 fold, whereas pressure cooked dhals showed a 2.1 to 8 fold increase over that of uncooked dhals. Deep fat frying of a black gram food product resulted in a 3 fold increase in RS. Germination of the whole legumes resulted in only a small increase in RS; but the content of insoluble dietary fiber was higher. Pressure‐cooking of red gram dhal in the presence of additives showed considerable variation in the yield recovery of RS. Lactic acid and ascorbic acid, added after cooking, enhanced (>100%) RS; addition of hydrocolloids had only marginal effects; whereas addition of spice powder before cooking lowered RS, an effect similar to the one observed upon addition of oils/lipids.
FOREIGN BODY DETECTION IN FOODS USING THE ULTRASOUND PULSE/ECHO METHOD
Authors: ZHAO BOSEN , JIANG YING , BASIR OTMAN A. , MITTAL GAURI S.
Published: August 2010

A “Foreign Body” (FB) is any undesirable piece of solid matter (metal, glass, stone, plastic) present in a food product. It is naturally desirable by the food industry that all FBs are detected and removed before they reach the customer. A FB detector was developed based on the ultrasound pulse/echo method. Unlike the time‐gating for flaw detection by nondestructive testing (NDT), a FB is detected by examining the amplitude ratios between the echoes from the container's outer and inner surfaces. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the ability of the proposed system to detect glass pieces in packed beverages and other foods.
SPICES AND HERBS: THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY AND ITS DETERMINATION1
Authors: ZAIKA LAURA L.
Published: August 2010

Throughout the years numerous investigations concerning the inhibition of microorganisms by spices, herbs, their extracts, essential oils and various constituents have been reported. Many of these materials possess significant antimicrobial activity, which in many cases is due primarily to a particular constituent. Interpretation and comparison of results of various studies is complicated by variations in the methodology used for the determination of antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial activity varies depending on the microorganism, the spice or herb and the test medium. These and other factors are examined in the light of their effect on the outcome of the test method.
IMPACT OF FOOD GRADE ANTIOXIDANTS ON PEANUT PODS AND SEEDS MYCOFLORA IN STORAGE SYSTEM FROM CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA
Authors: PASSONE M.A. , BLUMA R. , NESCI A. , RESNIK S. , ETCHEVERRY M.G.
Published: August 2010

A 5‐month (2005) study was conducted in Argentina to determine the effect of food‐grade antioxidants (butylated hydroxyanisole [BHA], butylated hydroxytoluene [BHT] and propyl paraben [PP]) alone and in mixtures on fungal spoilage from stored peanuts. Five experimental containers were filled with 200 kg of bulk peanuts. Four of them were treated with BHA (10 mM), BHA‐PP mixture (10 + 10 mM) and BHA‐PP‐BHT mixtures (10 + 5 + 10 mM) and (10 + 10 + 10 mM). Fungal counts from peanuts treated with binary and ternary mixtures were often significantly reduced. A total of 10,997 fungal isolates were identified from the control pod and seed tissues in the six samplings done compared to 5,164, 1,469, 1,217 and 1,228 fungi isolated from silos 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. Ninety‐eight percent of all fungi isolated were Deuteromycetes and Ascomycetes. Fungal isolation was greater from pod (91.9%) than from seed tissues. The most common fungi identified included Penicillium, Aspergillus, Monascus, Eurotium and Fusarium spp. Isolation frequencies of Penicillium spp. from both peanut tissues treated with antioxidant mixtures were reduced about of 82.5%. Along the storage period, the reduction percentages of Aspergillus spp. counts by antioxidant mixtures were estimated in 74.5%. The fungal genus more sensitive to the antioxidants action was Fusarium spp.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

These results indicate that the application of food‐grade antioxidant mixtures, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)‐propyl paraben (PP) and BHA‐PP‐butylated hydroxytoluene, on peanuts for human consumption at storage level could preserve peanut quality by significant fungal reductions at the allowed exporting level.
RELATIONSHIP OF WATER ACTIVITY TO CONE CRISPNESS AS ASSESSED BY POSITIONAL RELATIVE RATING
Authors: GOERLITZ CHRISTINE D. , HARPER W. JAMES , DELWICHE JEANNINE F.
Published: August 2010

The current industry standard for the assessment of ice cream cone crispness is a relatively complex instrumental measurement that more directly measures hardness than crispness. The objective of this research was to identify a simpler instrumental measure that corresponds to the consumer perception of crispness in ice cream cones. Uniform cone pieces were equilibrated to three different water activity (Aw) levels and 50 untrained judges rated crisp intensity of the pieces at each Aw level twice on a 10‐point line scale using positional relative rating. Significant differences in perceived crispness between the three different Aw levels were found for two different cone types. No significant difference was found between replications. Correlation coefficients between perceived crispness and Aw were r = −0.999 (P < 0.01) for two different cones types. These findings suggest that Aw is a simple instrumental measure of crispness in sugar cones.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

This study contained two key findings. First, they show that water activity is highly correlated with the consumer perception of cone crispness, making it an excellent way to monitor crispness over time and from batch to batch. Second, these findings confirm that, as has been previously shown with model systems, positional relative rating reduces variability across replications when used with actual products. It also demonstrates that it can be used effectively with untrained consumers.
TOTAL POLYPHENOL CONTENT AND PERCEIVED ASTRINGENCY OF YERBA MATE “ILEX PARAGUARIENSIS” INFUSIONS
Authors: TAMASI O.P. , FILIP R. , FERRARO G. , CALVIÑO A.M.
Published: August 2010

The relation of total polyphenol content and dynamical astringency was investigated on infusions of yerba mate (YM) (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hilaire), a mild stimulant beverage habitually consumed in South America. YM is a heterogeneous mixture of leaves and small sticks giving place to the types with sticks (YM‐S) and without sticks (YM‐L) according to the composition. Phytochemical and sensory analysis on three brands of each YM type were performed in order to know if there are differences between types and among brands of the same type.

Total polyphenol content, determined by spectrophotometry in six YM infusions at 5% w/v, showed that chlorogenic acid levels were higher for two brands of the YM‐L type. Time–intensity (TI) curves revealed that infusions prepared with YM‐S lowered their maximal perceived astringency. Neither the type nor the brand of YM assessed affected temporal parameters of astringency TI curves.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Dynamic sensory analysis showed its effectiveness to reflect differences in astringent perception of infusions of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hilaire); the presence of sticks in this commodity lowered maximum intensity of astringency. No significant differences were found between these infusions for the remaining time–intensity parameters evaluated.
SENSORY ANALYSES OF NORWAY LOBSTER TREATED WITH DIFFERENT ANTIMELANOSIS AGENTS
Authors: GÓMEZ‐GUILLÉN M.C. , LÓPEZ‐CABALLERO M.E. , MARTÍNEZ‐ÁLVAREZ O. , MONTERO P.
Published: August 2010

Several antimelanosis formulations were used to compare the sensorial quality loss of fresh Norway lobster during ice‐chilled storage, by applying a designed grading system based on an overall sensory score (quality index). A first experiment was conducted with Norway lobster treated conventionally with a commercial sulfite‐based product. A subsequent experiment was done using known concentrations of sulfites and 4‐hexylresorcinol (4‐HR). The presence of antimelanotics was responsible for a limited perception of changes in melanosis and yellow/greenish discolorations in the head during the first 7 days of storage, especially in the lots treated with 4‐HR. Norway lobster treated with 4% commercial sulfites was considered unacceptable at around 9 days of storage. However, 4‐HR‐based formulations delayed the rejection point up to day 13 and 14 when using concentrations of 0.05 and 0.1% of 4‐HR, respectively.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

A simple and practical grading system is proposed, based on the assignment of demerit points to several quality attributes of raw Norway lobster during chilled storage. The presence of antimelanotics is responsible for a limited perception of visual changes related to freshness loss; thus, odor is a main quality indicator, highly differentiated as compared to the other sensory attributes. In this context, the shelf life has been proved to be increased by the addition of 4‐hexylresorcinol as antimelanotic agent, instead of the more conventional sulfites.
Review article: a cardiologist's view of the risks and benefits of cyclo‐oxygenase‐2 inhibitors, aspirin and other non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs
Authors: BONNET J.
Published: August 2010

Cyclo‐oxygenase‐2 inhibitors are very interesting drugs, capable of inhibiting the main source of inflammatory prostaglandins in the joint while also avoiding gastrointestinal complications.

Unfortunately, double‐blind studies have clearly demonstrated that cyclo‐oxygenase‐2 agents increase cardiovascular risk. This phenomenon appears to be a class effect although it seems to be less pronounced with celecoxib. These adverse cardiovascular events are mainly due to an elevated thrombotic risk and are possibly linked to the increase in blood pressure. The decision about whether to continue with cyclo‐oxygenase‐2 treatment can only be undertaken after consideration of both the cardiovascular risk and the gastrointestinal risk of an individual patient.

In contrast, low‐dose aspirin continues to be the simplest and most effective way to prevent cardiovascular disease. However, the increased risk of adverse gastrointestinal events associated with aspirin use, such as gastrointestinal bleeding and intracerebral bleeding, must not be forgotten. Ideally, the prescription of low‐dose aspirin should be avoided for low cardiovascular risk patients and reserved for those patients with high or intermediate cardiovascular risk. In these patients, the risk of gastrointestinal events should prompt the prescription of a gastroprotectant, such as a proton‐pump inhibitor, to be taken concomitantly, which will help avoid the significant problem of non‐compliance in high cardiovascular risk patients.
Review article: low‐dose aspirin, non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs and cyclo‐oxygenase inhibitors – balancing risks and benefits
Authors: CHAN F. K.‐L.
Published: August 2010

In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of patients using aspirin for the prevention of cardiovascular events and also other non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, including cyclo‐oxygenase‐2 inhibitors, for the treatment of arthritis. However, aspirin and non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs are associated with an increase in gastrointestinal risk. Recent studies have shown that cyclo‐oxygenase‐2 inhibitors, and possibly non‐selective non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, increase the cardiovascular risk.

In patients taking aspirin, the ‘gold standard’ therapy to reduce gastrointestinal risk is concomitant therapy with a gastroprotective agent, such as a proton‐pump inhibitor. Other gastroprotective agents, such as misoprostol, while equally effective may be associated with a higher proportion of adverse events. Helicobacter pylori infection has been shown to increase the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding associated with low‐dose aspirin. Emerging data suggest that the eradication of H. pylori reduces the gastrointestinal risk of high‐risk aspirin users. Other antiplatelet agents such as clopidogrel that were thought to be non‐ulcerogenic have been widely used as alternatives to aspirin. However, recent studies have shown that clopidogrel induces an unacceptably high rate of ulcer bleeding in high‐risk patients.

When prescribing non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs therapy, treatment needs to be individualized according to the patients’ gastrointestinal and cardiovascular risk factors.
ETHICS AND EXPERTISE IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE: MAINTAINING DEMOCRACY IN AN ERA OF PROFESSIONALISM
Authors: Streib Gregory
Published: August 2010

“Perhaps there is no single problem in public administration of moment equal to the reconciliation of the increasing dependence upon experts with an enduring democratic reality.”–Paul Appleby
SOVIET FOREIGN POLICY IN THE GORBACHEVERA: A POST‐REALIST EXPLANATION OF STATE ACTION
Authors: Ballard E. Peny
Published: August 2010

Understanding the general principles of state action and the practice of governments is a necessary basis for attempts to refine theory or to extend the analysis to non‐state actors. Approaches using new concepts may be able to supplement, enrich, or extend a basic theory of state action, but they cannot substitute for it.

Robert Keohane (1986, 159)
JOB CHANGE DECISIONS FOR MANAGERS IN ALABAMA STATE GOVERNMENT: A COMPARISON BY GENDER
Authors: Liscum Becky , Guy Mary E.
Published: August 2010

A survey was conducted of women and men in middle and upper level management positions in Alabama state government. This analysis probes their motivation for changing jobs as their careers developed. The results provide insights about recruitment and retention of public managers.
STRATEGIC CALCULATIONS AND QUALITY CHALLENGERS IN UNITED STATES HOUSE ELECTIONS, 1986–1990
Authors: Goidel Robert Kirby , Gross Donald A.
Published: August 2010

In the following analysis, we consider the decision of quality challengers to enter (or to not enter) into a campaign against a sitting incumbent. In addition to updating the literature on challenger quality, the analysis adds to the existing literature in the following ways: (1) it provides a more thorough examination of the determinants of challenger quality; (2) it pays special attention to the manner in which these factors influence the decision making of strategic politicians; and (3) it employs more than a single measure of challenger quality. We find that while the presence of a quality challenger appears to be determined primarily by the results of the previous election, the pool of quality candidates, national partisan tides, and the amount of money in the incumbent's campaign war chest also factor into the decision of a quality challenger to enter the electoral arena.
THE SUPREME COURT, POLITICAL PARTIES, AND PATRONAGE
Authors: Vinzant Janet C.
Published: August 2010

While politicians and political scientists have debated the nature and fate of American political parties for over 200 years, the increasing involvement of the Supreme Court over the past two decades marks a new development in this dialogue. Scholars have disagreed about the implications of judicial involvement, but many have concluded that the Court is becoming increasingly sympathetic to partybuilding efforts. This analysis explores the theoretical orientation toward parties evidenced in the Supreme Court decisions on political patronage. It demonstrates that while these cases were framed as First Amendment disputes, the decisions were predicated on progressive reform values and a nonpartisan model of democracy. This raises a number of questions with regard to the Court's support for stronger parties and the appropriateness of using the judicial forum to determine the role of political parties in American governance.
CUTBACK BUDGETING IN FLORIDA: CAUSES, APPROACHES, AND CONSEQUENCES
Authors: Grizzle Gloria A. , Trogen Paul C.
Published: August 2010

Structural and cyclical causes of cutbacks in Florida state budgets include growing school enrollment and population; the state's corrections policy and Medicaid spending; an inelastic tax structure coupled with an anti‐tax political culture; and federal mandates, aid reduction, and court decisions. Given these stresses, the 1989 recession and resulting revenue shortfalls triggered a series of adjustments to the budget made up of quick fixes, tax increases, and spending cuts. These actions did not address the structural causes of the shortfall. Thus, Florida emerged from the 1989 recession in a weakened financial condition, with an unreformed revenue structure unable to keep up with economic growth, a public service less able to respond to the increased demands for service created by structural factors outside the state's control, and a physical infrastructure and human capital unprepared to compete in a global economy. The result is long‐term fiscal stress.
PARTISANSHIP AND COMPETITIVENESS IN CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS: SOURCE OF THE INCUMBENCY ADVANTAGE, 1964–1992
Authors: Millmore J. Timothy
Published: August 2010

Work postulating the development of a “candidate‐centered” style of politics approaches the level of conventional wisdom. This research casts doubt on the conclusions of that research. Through analysis of congressional election results between 1964 and 1992, this research illustrates the importance of party as a factor in district‐level voting. Continuity in party voting, both within and across House districts, suggests support for the “party‐centered” model of politics.
LEGISLATIVE CHANGE IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Authors: Graham Cole Blease , Moore William V.
Published: August 2010

A century ago, the South Carolina General Assembly was dominated largely by representatives from a small number of rural counties. Today, state legislators are elected from redrawn representation districts and their individual characteristics illustrate the greater populationdiversity ofanurban‐izing state. Legislators have simultaneously reduced their dependence on seniority as a basis for decisionmaking and they have added professional staff to enhance the operational capacity of each house. Recent concerns about legislative ethics and financial conflicts of interest have generated new statues upgrading the legislature and its practices.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE FORMAL POWERS OF GOVERNORS AND STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL
Authors: Wall Diane E. , Winder David W.
Published: August 2010

Using numerical indices, this study describes and analyzes the relationship between governors and attorneys general in regard to formal powers. An index of formal power for each office is presented and divided into high and low categories. In examining the relationship between the formal powers of the two offices, the fifty states fall into four patterns for the combinations of formal power. Each of the power combinations suggests either greater competition or cooperation between these two important constitutional officers. The relationship of the formal power of the two offices is one significant factor which has implications for the governor's leadership in the executive branch.
THE CLASSICAL CONSERVATISM OF PETER VIERECK
Authors: Sheridan Earl
Published: August 2010

This paper explores the political philosophy of the conservative thinker Peter Viereck, and the implications of his thought for understanding contemporary American conservatism. Viereck, a historian and Pulitzer prize‐winning poet was a leading figure in the post‐World War II resurgence of American conservatism, yet he fell into disrepute among many conserva‐tives who claimed he was more liberal than conservative. He is still a pariah among many conservatives. Viereck praised the New Deal, applauded Brown v. Board of Education and criticized conservatives such as William F. Buckley, Barry Goldwater and Russell Kirk. On the surface Viereck would appear to be a closet liberal, but a closer examination of his thought reveals him to be exactly what he claimed—a classical conservative. His “liberal” issue positions are defensible on classical conservative grounds. His conservatism still speaks to the American situation. He deserves more study by scholars of conservatism.
INTRA‐PARTY COALITIONS AND ELECTORAL STRATEGIES: EUROPEAN SOCIAL DEMOCRACY IN SEARCH OF VOTES
Authors: Koelble Thomas A.
Published: August 2010

How do political parties develop policy preferences and how do they change them? By examining the strategic choices of four social democratic parties in Europe, this article contends that political parties serve diverse internal constituencies. Instead of analyzing political parties as goal‐oriented, rational organizations bent on winning votes or offices, the article views political parties as a vehicle for internal groups to promulgate their ideological and political preferences. Party strategy emerges from a tug‐of‐war between these internal constituencies and may often produce seemingly “irrational” results in terms of vote or office maximization. Social democratic parties with close organizational ties to unions representing workers in declining industries experience difficulties in adjusting their policy orientation to new socio‐economic conditions as a result of resistance from such unions.
FETAL PROTECTION POLICIES IN THE WORKPLACE: THE RESPONSE TO UAW v. JOHNSON CONTROLS
Authors: Feldmeier John P.
Published: August 2010

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in UAW v. Johnson Controls rejected employers' use of sex‐specific fetal protection policies to exclude female employees from working in hazardous work areas. Although the Court was unanimous in striking down the policy instituted by Johnson Controls, the less‐than‐clear language of the opinion made the implementation and impact of the Court's decision uncertain. A review of the responses by employers and other affected political actors indicates that the Court's ruling was almost self‐executing, with little resistance and few challenges by those charged with enforcing the Court's decision. However, many political actors have sought to use the Court's decision to further other political interests beyond those of fetal protection—a U.S. senator used the case to impeach a Supreme Court nominee; employers manipulated the Court's language to justify the non‐accommodation of pregnant employees; and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission broadly interpreted the opinion in advancing arguments in other, non‐fetal protection related, cases. All of these actors functioned as “spin doctors” in trying to manipulate the Court's language to meet their own political objectives.
SHOULD THE ECONOMY BE DEMOCRATIZED?
Authors: Winfield Richard Dien
Published: August 2010

With communism's collapse, the democratization of the economy might appear to be the specter haunting the new world order. Indeed, proponents have called for economic democracy as a prerequisite of both political freedom and social justice. They argue that extending democracy to the economy overcomes the limits of popular participation in modern representative government, remedies the subordination of politics to privileged social groups, and provides a training ground for political involvement. In addition, they maintain that democratizing the economy is necessary to realize economic freedom and curtail economic inequality. All these arguments neglect the distinction between civil society and the state and between social and political freedom. When this distinction is observed, the call to democratize the economy gets supplanted by the challenge of regulating markets to insure equal economic opportunity and to prevent economic factors from undermining the autonomy of politics and the equal political opportunity of citizens.
BUDGETING IN VIRGINIA: ASSESSING INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE IN A STATE LEGISLATURE
Authors: Palazzolo Daniel J. , Whelan John T.
Published: August 2010

The purpose of this paper is to explain the major institutional developments in the Virginia budget process from the 1960s. During this time the budget process within the legislature became more open, participatory, and partisan. Meanwhile, conflict between the governor and the General Assembly grew more intense. These developments are explained by a combination of institutional reforms that strengthened the legislature, changes in political conditions that enhanced the role of the Republican party in a traditionally Democrat‐dominated institution, and fiscal constraints. We draw some preliminary comparisons with legislatures in other states.
TURNOUT DIFFERENCES AMONG REGISTERED VOTERS
Authors: Richardson Lilliard E. , Neeley Grant W.
Published: August 2010

Much of what we know about turnout in American elections is based on national surveys of voters participating in presidential elections. Much less is known about voter participation in other types of elections. Using verified turnout and registration data, we surveyed registered voters to determine the demographic and attitudinul differences between two groups of voters: those who participated only in presidential elections and others who participated in midterm congressional, state, and local elections as well as presidential elections. We find that age, education, gender, social connectedness, personal contact with local public officials, and satisfaction with government services are significant factors in explaining electoral participation by registered voters.
RETHINKING CONGRESSIONAL CAREERS: THE CHANGING BEHAVIORAL IMPLICATIONS OF CAREER PATHSELECTION
Authors: Moore Michael K. , Herrick Rebekah
Published: August 2010

Institutional reforms are expected to influence the behavior of the institution's members. In this paper we examine how institutional changes affected the desirability of different career paths and the behavior associated with those career options for members serving in the 84th through 99th Congresses. Our findings reveal an increase in the number of members pursuing leadership and higher office careers. Additionally, the findings indicate that institutional changes have had unique consequences for members pursuing different career paths.
CONTACTING ON THE LOCAL AND EXTRALOCAL LEVELS: RESULTS FROM THE 1987 GENERAL SOCIAL SURVEY (NORC)
Authors: Traut Carol Ann , Emmert Craig F.
Published: August 2010

The contacting of public oficials is a major form of political participation. Using data from the 1987 NORC General Social Survey, this study expands the scope of contacting research by examining the determinants of contacting behavior at the state and national level as well as at the local level. Overall contacting at the local level is determined by SES, efficacy, awareness, and political ties. At the extralocal level, race, ideology (liberalism), and personal economic dissatisfaction are also significant factors. When contactors are divided into general‐referent and particularized‐referent contactors, we find that SES is an important determinant for general but not for particularized contacting.
DEMOCRATIC POSTURING AND PECULIAR LIBERALISM: LEO STRAUSS, HIS STUDENTS, AND AMERICA
Authors: Duncan Christopher M.
Published: August 2010

The argument in this essay is that far from being the Machiavellian/Platonists as their harsher critics have described them, Strauss and his students are in fact defenders of a particular kind of liberal‐democracy. Unfortunately, however, the Straussian theorization of such a regime is both theoretically flawed, and practically impotent, especially in the American liberal context, leaving both him and his students with what could perhaps be called a “Calhoun problem.”
CAMP SISTER SPIRIT VS. OVETT: CULTURE WARS IN MISSISSIPPI
Authors: Greene Kate , Wheat Edward M.
Published: August 2010

This paper examines the political controversy surrounding the building of Camp Sister Spirit, a feminist cultural and educational retreat for women, on 120 acres of land in rural Jones County, Mississippi. The intensity of the resulting confrontation with individuals and groups in nearby communities quickly raised the scope of conflict and attracted national media and political attention, including intervention by the Clinton administration and hearings by the Subcommittee on Civil Rights of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. In discussing this ongoing controversy, we locate Camp Sister Spirit in the history of the search for alternative community and analyze the nature and rhetoric of the conflict between the camp and some of the citizens of the small town of Ovett, Mississippi, as a complex moment in the tension between the competing languages and value systems of individualism and community in the American political culture.
THE POLITICS OF WOMEN STATE LEGISLATORS: A SOUTH/NON‐SOUTH COMPARISON
Authors: Ford Lynne E. , Dolan Kathleen
Published: August 2010

As a result of the 1992 elections, women now make up 20.4 percent of the elected representatives in United States state legislatures nationwide, yet women comprise only 13 percent of southern legislators. The literature supports several theories as to why women in the South are less likely to seek and win office than women outside the South. What has yet to be examined, however; is what difference these factors make in the kind of woman that is ultimately successful in winning a legislative seat in a southern state. Based on an original survey and a representative sample of over 600 women serving during the 1991–1992 legislative session, we find that southern women legislators are in fact significantly different from non‐southern women legislators in both attitudes and behaviors; that regionalism exerts a powerful influence on women state legislators' attitudes toward themselves, their job, and their behavior once elected. These findings are important in exploring the diversity of women serving at the state level, particularly as their numbers continue to grow.
THE REHNQUIST COURT AND JUDICIAL ACTIVISM: THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONSERVATIVE HABEAS CORPUS POLICY
Authors: Thomas William R. , Sussman Stephen E.
Published: August 2010

This paper links the selection of Supreme Court justices to change in federal habeas corpus policy. This change, sought by every Republican president since Richard Nixon, is strongly conservative. It restricts access to federal court by state prisoners seeking redress for alleged violation of Constitutional rights. This research analyzes the judicial selection process after Earl Warren's retirement as Chief Justice. It compares decisions of the Warren, Burger and Rehnquist Courts on habeas corpus questions using descriptive quantitative analysis and qualitative doctrinal analysis. The Burger Court was unsuccessful in bringing about conservative change, but the Rehnquist Court, by the early 1990s, had dramatically accomplished its goals. The Rehnquist Court developed much stricter standards for obtaining review in the areas of the abuse of the writ in successor petitions, procedural default and retroactivity of new constitutional rules. The Rehnquist Court's conservative policy was judicially activist in that it overturned precedent and used statutory interpretation to bring about policies rejected by Congress.
SURVEYING THE INTERNET: DEMOCRATIC THEORY AND CIVIC LIFE IN CYBERSPACE
Authors: Fisher Bonnie , Margolis Michael , Resnick David
Published: August 2010

The Internet, with its rapidly growing worldwide community of users, provides the means to develop a new public space that facilitates democratic participation in politics adapted to advanced post‐industrial societies. We describe models of electronic democracy that derive from the power of the Internet to enhance citizens' participation in politics. We then explain how we developed and administered a survey to collect data on how people use the Internet to participate in civic life. After reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of our data collection, we analyze and report the results. Finally, we evaluate our results with regard to the validity of the models of democracy with which we began, and we comment on some of their broader substantive and methodological implications for democratic theory.
INFLUENCE RELATIONSHIPS: JUSTICE O'CONNOR AND THE SUPREME COURT
Authors: Clouatre Douglas
Published: August 2010

Sandra Day O'Connor's recent disagreements with conservatives on the Supreme Court, most notably in the areas of abortion, free speech and religious freedom, have led scholars to reassess her ideological position on the Court. O'Connor's dissents and concurrences have split the Court's conservative majority and led Court watchers to redefine her as a “moderate.” Using O'Connor's influence relationships, this paper argues that she has not moderated her ideology but instead is a restraintist conservative who is unwilling to support conservative judicial activism. The paper concludes that O'Connor remains committed to judicial restraint and is influenced neither by the Court's conservatives nor liberals.
THE BOX THE HEART CAME IN: “RELIGION” AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT
Authors: Granstaff Bill
Published: August 2010

The Supreme Court's decisions regarding the Religion Clauses seem to be pleasing more and more Americans less and less. The justices themselves acknowledge this problem. This essay argues that much of the inconsistency and confusion characterizing contemporary Religion Clauses jurisprudence is the result of a modern misconception about the way the Framers used the word “religion” in the First Amendment. The following discussion utilizes historical writings, and an exegesis of the First Congress's Religion Clauses debate to show that the First Amendment's “religion” designates what moderns understand as religious faith. When “religion” is understood as religious faith—not religious institutions—a new principle emerges that can assuage a significant portion of the jurisprudence's disarray.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE IRISH? THE TRANSFORMATION OF POLITICAL IDENTITY IN IRELAND
Authors: White Timothy J.
Published: August 2010

This article offers a theoretical explanation of the transformation of national identity in the Republic of Ireland. Because of fundamental changes in the nature of Irish society, the post‐colonial nationalism of the de Valera era has given way to a much more cosmopolitan sense of self. Initially after independence, Irish nationalists strove to recreate an authentic Gaelic world as they idealized it. Ultimately, this conception of Irish national identity was challenged by the forces of urbanization, industrialization, secularization, and more cosmopolitan values emanating from the rest of Europe. Census and survey data provide empirical evidence that changes in the social bases of Irish nationalist identity has indeed transformed a historic ethno‐nationalism into a more secular and potentially less divisive basis of political identification.
MEDIA USE IN THE CONTEMPORARY PRESIDENCY
Authors: Stuckey Mary E. , Macy Elizabeth L.
Published: August 2010

The mass media are an integral part of the contemporary presidency, yet the empirically‐based scholarship analyzing the relationship between presidents and the media tends to be confined to campaign environments rather than to the context of governing. This essay begins to rectify that situation by providing a preliminary analysis of mediated speech in the first year of presidential administrations. Presidents Carter through Clinton are included in the analysis. The findings indicate the growth of the media as an audience for presidential speech, and a tendency for presidents to bifurcate their speech into specific policy appeals presented to narrowly defined audiences on the one handandgeneralizedappeals forpersonalizedsupport presented to broadly defined national audiences on the other hand.
RETHINKING THE INTERORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS OF PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS
Authors: Morris John C. , Burns Mark
Published: August 2010

The authors suggest that most existing attempts to classify interorganiza‐tional environments are founded on inappropriate assumptions concerning human action, particularly when such frameworks are applied to public‐sector settings. Proceeding from that contention, the authors apply the concepts of referent organizations and rule sets to develop an alternative typology of interorganizational environments. The resulting matrix suggests four distinct types of interorganizational environments: (1) the natural market, (2) the structured market, (3) the bureaucratic environment, and (4) the associative environment. An examination of these environments and their relevance for public‐sector organizations suggests that rule‐based conceptions of interorganizational action that take into account the role of referent organizations are more consistent with traditional democratic theory than are purely market‐based conceptions of action. The alternative framework presented in this paper also has useful implications for both practical public administration, and especially for general concepts of public policy.
BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS‐DOES REGIME MATTER?
Authors: Heinisch Reinhard
Published: August 2010

This paper argues that government performance in securing basic economic and political rights (basic human rights) is an eminently political phenomenon and that much of the cross‐national variation can be adequately explained by two key regime type variables—political competitiveness and political openness. Both components prove analytically more powerful than commonly advanced economistic explanations centered around economic development, economic growth, income equality and international trade. Conceptualizing basic human rights as subsistence and security rights and operationalizing regime type in terms of competitiveness and participation addresses several important problems associated with empirical human rights and regime research. After exploring the relationship between regime type and basic human rights practices in some 100 countries, several multivariate regression models are introduced which not only explain a substantial portion of the variation in basic human rights practices, but which also demonstrate the central importance of regime type compared to the above economic variables.
City Orientations and Privatization
Authors: Greene Jeffrey D.
Published: August 2010

What types of cities use privatization? Could the same city‐level orientations that affect local economic development also influence a city's propensity to use privatization? This paper finds broader application for a model developed in the local economic development literature by Bowman and Pagano. This model is useful because it classifies cities based on two factors that are important in the decision to privatize services: fiscal stress and politics. These two factors produce four city‐level orientations:sur‐vivalist, market, expansionist, and maintenance. This inquiry compares the amount of privatization used by the cities included in the Bowman and Pagano study. The findings suggest that privatization levels vary significantly among the four city‐level orientations.
OPPORTUNISTIC FOREIGN POLICY AND THE POLITICAL MANAGEMENT OF THE NEWS MEDIA CONTENT: THE CASE OF GRENADA
Authors: Van Belle Douglas A.
Published: August 2010

This paper presents an example of foreign policy decision making motivated primarily by opportunistic desires to make gains in domestic politics through foreign policies. An opportunistic action is similar to the international conflicts studied in the diversionary theories of war, where leaders act conflictually in international conflict in response to domestic conflict. However, an opportunity decision is broader in that it has the capability of addressing instances where the leader is simply pursuing gains rather than responding to domestic unrest, and more specific in that it focuses on the media s influence on policy and the president's efforts to manage the content of the news. An opportunistic foreign policy action is when the president acts dramatically to use the near zero‐sum nature of the domestic news media to distract from a troublesome issue that the leader either cannot, or does not wish to address directly. To highlight the model, the US invasion of Grenada is examined briefly as an exemplary case.
FACTIONS, COALITIONS, AND POWER IN THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Authors: Schousen Matthew M.
Published: August 2010

This paper examines the relationship between ideological factions operating on the House floor and the ideological makeup of the three most important House committees between 1931 and 1994. The data show that the strength of the conservative coalition and party‐unity voting on the House floor are related to the size and influence of the ideological factions that make up the Appropriations, Rules, and Ways and Means Committees. This paper makes two important contributions to the congress literature: 1) it shifts the emphasis from parties and individual lawmakers to ideological factions and factional coalitions as the units of analysis, and 2) it suggests that we need to examine the House floor and prestige committees together, rather than as separate entities, in order to understand legislative outcomes in the House.
White‐Voter Response to Black Political Power: The Case of New Orleans, 1980–1994
Authors: Liu Baodong , Vanderleeuw James M.
Published: August 2010

This paper examines three current theories employed to explain white voting behavior—racial threat, symbolic racism, and racial tolerance. In so doing, it examines white crossover voting across a series of biracial municipal elections in New Orleans from 1980 through 1994. During this period the City of New Orleans underwent a pronounced change in its racial composition and in the shift from white to black political power. Within the context of this transition, the findings are most compatible with the racial tolerance explanation of white voting behavior. However, these findings suggest that white‐voter support for black candidates is in fact a more complex process than suggested by any of these three theories.
Is Winning Local Office Comparable to Getting A Magic Lamp? Examining The Impact of Political Empowerment on the Employment Opportunities of African‐Americans
Authors: Wu Chung‐li
Published: August 2010

This study examines the impact of political empowerment on employment opportunities in the private sector for African‐Americans. Translating that political power into economic advantages, it is hypothesized that African‐American success in capturing local elective office leads to an increase in the group's access to the economic resource of employment competition in the private sector. Viewed in this light, biracial differences in employment allocation in the private work force should tend to decrease. The findings reveal that the effects of empowerment are considerably less an influence than expected on improving African‐American employment chances in obtaining private jobs. For African‐Americans, controlling local power in reality becomes a “hollow prize.”
Jean‐Jacques Rousseau and Mary Wollstonecraft on The Sexual Politics of Republican Motherhood
Authors: Gunther‐Canada Wendy
Published: August 2010

This essay contributes to the ongoing contemporary debate about the eighteenth century ideology of “Republican Motherhood,” a feminine ideal that gave new status to women as mothers but limited their participation as citizens. It examines critical distinctions between Rousseau and Wollstone‐craft concerning women's place within the republic and their role as mothers within the family. At issue is whether the ideology of republican motherhood represented a compromise or a misstep on women's journey to full democratic citizenship. Wollstonecraft's emancipatory politics makes her association with the republican motherhood thesis problematic because as a feminist she rejected the separation of spheres that was the foundation of this gender ideology. She argued that women must have their own political identity and represent their interests in government. Her feminist political theory can be read as promoting a notion of “enlightened maternity” aimed at reconciling the natural rights of woman as citizen with her role as a nurturer within the family. Wollstonecraft concluded that the reciprocal nature of rights and duties demanded both men and women exercise the rights of citizenship and the duties of parents in order for the republic to be virtuous.
International Human Rights Norms and Political Liberalization
Authors: Stiles Kendall , Roscoe Douglas D.
Published: August 2010

This research utilizes seven case studies to develop a general model of the relationship between international human rights treaty adoption and domestic political liberalization. Past approaches have stressed either the role of norms in influencing state behavior or, conversely, the importance of immediate state interests in embracing human rights treaties. The model developed here provides a more complex and interactive picture of the relationship between treaty adoption and domestic reforms. The model distinguishes between two types of domestic actors, “xenophobic and traditionalists,” who oppose the infiltration of Western influence, and “cosmopolitan professionals,” who are generally receptive to Western values and ideals. Similarly, the model identifies two types of ties to the international community and specifies their impact on treaty adoption. Integration with the international community creates sympathy to and acceptance of international norms, while dependency creates isolation from international norms and a resistance to treaty adoption.
LINDY BOGGS: A DEMOCRAT FOR ALL SEASONS
Authors: Haydel Judith , Ferrell Thomas H.
Published: August 2010

Lindy Boggs achieved a number of firsts in her political career. Most notably, she was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives from Louisiana, as well as the first woman and first southerner to serve as ambassador to the Holy See. The keys to understanding her career are her family background, her Catholicism, and her relations with the various factions of the Democratic Party. This analysis examines the influences of these three variables on Boggs' career. It uses the pattern of Democratic factionalism identified by Nicol C. Rae to argue that Boggs was effective and influential among her Democratic congressional colleagues at least partially because she possessed characteristics of all of the party's major factional groups.