bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Foreign direct investment and the demand for protection in the United States
Authors: Goodman John B. , Spar Debora , Yoffie David B.
Published: May 2009

Over the past decade, foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States has grown dramatically, changing the composition of many U.S. industries and bringing foreignowned firms into the domestic political process. Presumably, FDI also has affected the politics of protection, by both altering the domestic coalitions around protectionist demands and shifting the potential benefits that protectionism is likely to bring. To understand this process, we create and test a model that examines the level of inward investment and the extent to which this investment either complements or substitutes for existing import levels. Import-complementing investment, we suggest, will cause a split in protectionist demands, with local producers favoring protectionism and foreign investors pushing for free trade. Import-substituting investment, by contrast, will create convergent interests between local and foreign producers. In both cases, inward FDI reshuffles traditional alliances and demands for protection, challenging many prevailing views about protectionism in the United States.
United Nations intervention and recurring conflict
Authors: Diehl Paul F. , Reifschneider Jennifer , Hensel Paul R.
Published: May 2009

The end of the cold war has signaled a dramatic increase in the number and forms of United Nations (UN) intervention into ongoing conflicts. Yet, this larger UN role has not always translated into success. Short-term failures are evident, but the long-term effects of UN efforts are not readily apparent. We explore this longer-term impact by examining the incidence of recurring conflict between state dyads following a crisis. Overall, UN intervention has proved ineffective in inhibiting, delaying, or lessening the severity of future conflicts, independent of the level of violence in the precipitating crisis, the relative capabilities of the two states, the states' history of conflict, and the form of crisis outcome; nor were UN efforts successful in deterring future conflict. These sobering results suggest that changes in long-term strategy may be in order.
The Logistics Problems of a UN Military Force
Authors: Bowman Edward H. , Fanning James E.
Published: May 2009

The UN Secretariat has many international operations for which it must provide total or partial logistic support. Arrangements and provision must be made for about 500 conferences each year in various parts of the world. Support must be provided for the numerous offices of the Technical Assistance Board. The 35 information centers and the regional offices of the Economic and Social Council all place regular demands for support on the Secretariat. Support has been required for the many special political and peace-keeping missions—to mention a few, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, the Korean Reconstruction Agency, the UN Truce Supervisory Organization in Palestine, the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, and visiting missions to trust territories.
Headquarters-Field Relations: Some Notes on the Beginning and End of ONUC
Authors: Bloomfield Lincoln P.
Published: May 2009

Of the many aspects of the UN operation in the Congo (ONUC) that gave rise to controversy, some were unique and can reasonably be chalked up to novelty and inexperience. One, however, is as old as military history itself. This is the matter of political control of a force once it is in the field. Two levels are involved: first, control of the field operations by headquarters; second, control of the military force in the field by the civilian authority—in this case the representative of the Secretary-General.
The Political Conditions for an International Police Force
Authors: Morgenthau Hans J.
Published: May 2009

A police force, domestic or international, must meet two requirements: it must be reliable, and it must be effective. While obviously it cannot be effective if it is not reliable, it can be reliable without being effective, and it is for this reason that the two prerequisites must be distinguished. A police force, in order to be reliable, must be loyal to the political authorities and share their conceptions of law and justice. A police force, in order to be effective, must stand in a certain relation of power to that fraction of the population which is likely to call forth police action by breaking the law.
Erewhon or Lilliput? A Critical View of the Problem
Authors: Hoffmann Stanley
Published: May 2009

The predictive power of the social sciences is poor. That of the science of international relations is particularly mediocre, since it deals with a type of social action—the conduct of foreign policy—that is pervaded by uncertainty and in which even the most carefully calculated actions partake of gambling. Therefore, to try to forecast the chances of “international military force” in general during the years to come would be an exercise in futility. There are, however, two tasks which a political scientist can begin to perform. One consists of making the necessary distinctions; they may appear tiresome to the general reader and trifling to the impatient reformer, but both those gentlemen ought to remember that the opposite of distinctions is confusion. The second task consists of examining what kinds of international forces appear to be compatible with the international system in which we live.
Distributional coalitions and other sources of economic stagnation: on Olson'sRise and Decline of Nations
Authors: Cameron David R.
Published: May 2009

One of the most important recent contributions to the field of comparative political economy is Mancur Olson'sThe Rise and Decline of Nations. In that work, Olson deduces, from his logic of collective action, a series of implications regarding the impact of social organizations—in particular, “distributional coalitions”—on economic growth that can explain variations in national growth rates across a wide range of time and space. This article considers the assumptions upon which that logic is founded, the plausibility of the several implications drawn from that logic, and the application of the theory to account for differences among five nations in rates of economic growth in the post-World War II era. The analysis suggests that the characteristics of group activity emphasized by Olson represent, at best, only a small— perhaps negligible—part of the explanation of cross-national differences in growth. Instead, it suggests that an important source of the variation among nations in growth rates is the international political and economic system. In particular, the discussion of the German, Japanese, and British cases suggests that stagnation (or growth) is, to a considerable extent, the product of a nation's position in the world economy, the policy responses through which governments seek to perpetuate or improve that position, and the constraints upon (or opportunities for) growth-oriented domestic economic policy posed by that position.
The international economy as a constraint on U. S. macroeconomic policymaking
Authors: Weatherford M. Stephen
Published: May 2009

International economic factors increasingly influence American trade and exchange policy, and interdependence also circumscribes the autonomous choice of domestic policies. But the growing concern of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) policymakers over the potential for macroeconomic policy coordination to enhance national as well as world welfare implies that international economic relations present opportunities rather than constraints under some circumstances. This suggests that understanding domestic economic policy choice within its international context involves not only how policy choices are made within the bounds of international constraints, but also when countries might cooperate to modify the constraints themselves. This research looks to four important historical cases for information on these questions: the first three are the series of cumulating crises in the international monetary system during the 1960s and early 1970s, the fourth is the energy supply shock of 1973 and the recession that followed. The article describes the process of policy selection in each of these cases, contrasting domestic versus international premises for policy choice. The economics literature has emphasized the magnitude of domestic welfare gains available from coordinated national economic policies. Although the cases considered here do not contradict the importance of payoffs, they underline the corresponding role of political, economic, and strategic uncertainty in conditioning elites' policy choices.
Recent trends in UN human rights activity: description and polemic
Authors: Donnelly Jack
Published: May 2009

How have UN human rights goals and priorities evolved in the 1970s? The moderate compromise represented by the International Bill of Rights, as completed by the Covenants in 1966, has been undone in the seventies. A point-by-point examination of the major principles enunciated in General Assembly resolution 32/130 of 16 December 1977, which codified the trends of the decade and stands as the authoritative statement of the UN's strategic goals and priorities in the field of human rights, shows that the earlier moderation has been replaced by a one-sided, politicized, and often cynical approach. This development in UN doctrine merits polemical criticism.
Influence in international conferences
Authors: Codding George A.
Published: May 2009

A valuable source of data for the international organization researcher is interviews with delegates sent by their governments to participate in international conferences and meetings. With the appearance of many newly independent states in the 1960s and early 1970s, the size of international conferences and the workload of the individual delegate have grown to such an extent that it has become difficult to tap this resource effectively.
The issue cycle: conceptualizing long-term global political change
Authors: Vasquez John A. , Mansbach Richard W.
Published: May 2009

A conceptual framework for the analysis of global political change is presented and illustrated with examples drawn from the Cold War. The most important issues on an agenda, the critical issues, go through identifiable stages: genesis, crisis, ritualization, dormancy, decision making, and authoritative allocation. The effects of the different stages on behavior of international actors is examined in a preliminary fashion, and a theoretical rationale is offered. Each stage, treated in detail, relates to the others in terms of differences in behavior associated with each stage, the evolving of relationships among actors, and the resolution of issues. The concluding section elaborates the research implications.
Negotiation arithmetic: adding and subtracting issues and parties
Authors: Sebenius James K.
Published: May 2009

Students of international negotiations often examine strategic interactions among a given set of parties dealing with a specified group of issues. The issues and parties themselves are often choice variables whose ultimate configuration can have decisive effects on a bargain's outcome. Using a variety of international cases, I investigate the properties of several classes of moves that are intended to alter the issues and parties of an original negotiation. A unified approach to the analysis of such situations suggests numerous distinct means by which the “addition” or “subtraction” of issues can yield one-sided gains to the use of power; can yield joint gains that create or enhance a zone of possible agreement; and can reduce or destroy a zone of possible agreement. The effects of adding or subtracting parties are similarly analyzed. However, unintended complexity, unforeseen interrelationships, organizational considerations, transactions costs, and informational requirements may alter the analysis of such moves.
Hegemony and the structure of international trade reassessed: a view from Arabia
Authors: Lawson Fred H.
Published: May 2009

Mercantilist explanations for the development of international trading orders have assumed that changes in peripheral areas during the 19th century corresponded with developments among the largest and most advanced countries of the period. Relatively free trade, however, was not the rule at three important ports along the Arabian coast when Great Britain was in a hegemonic position in the area. Rather, British predominance in this part of the world was generally associated with increasing closure in commercial affairs at these three ports. This finding throws doubt on both the collective goods logic and the notions of “the imperialism of free trade” that have been appropriated by writers such as Gilpin, Kindleberger, Krasner, and Keohane. Two alternative ways of explaining the pattern of trading relations at these three ports are sketched, and three ways of amending the mercantilist position to account for these data are suggested.
Domestic adjustment to international shocks in Japan and the United States
Authors: Weatherford M. Stephen , Fukui Haruhiro
Published: May 2009

Economic interdependence complicates domestic policymaking by interposing the decisions of foreigners in the loop that links policy instrument settings to economic outcomes. Nowhere was this vulnerability to external decisions demonstrated more forcefully—even for the world's major economies—than by the energy supply shocks of 1973 and 1979. The oil shocks posed challenges that offer unusual insight into the way nations choose policies: their severity forced a policy response; their unpredictable timing and (at least in 1973) unprecedented nature ruled out conventional formulas and brought to the fore explicit policy trade-offs. This article seeks to explain how policymakers in the world's two major economies responded to these external shocks. The analysis successively employs three vantage points—system, society, and state—in tracing the sources of domestic adjustment policies. It focuses specifically on the extent to which policies accommodated or extinguished each shock's inflationary impulses and on the coherence and consistency with which the executive in each government formulated and pursued particular policy goals. A comparison of these four cases illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of increasingly detailed theoretical frameworks for explaining policy choice. Although the research does not contradict the depiction of the United States and Japan in terms of state strength, it does underscore the importance of looking beyond formal institutional arrangements to consider how elite policy preferences, ambitions, and capacities can define the way constraints influence policy.
Consuming for production: Japanese national security, nuclear fuel procurement, and the domestic economy
Authors: Samuels Richard J.
Published: May 2009

One of the most intriguing aspects of postwar Japan is a reversal of economic roles in which consumers serve producers rather than vice versa. By acquiescing to “consumer unfriendly” price and distribution systems, Japanese consumers have subsidized Japanese industry and Western consumers as well. Although much of the recent theorizing about Japanese production and consumption has focused on Japanese consumers as end users, it has seldom addressed the question of how Japanese producers that pay more than others for factor inputs remain competitive in world markets. This article uses the case of nuclear fuel price insensitivity, derived from security concerns, to explore how this behavior is institutionalized through regulatory policy in the larger Japanese economic culture.
Determining the need for issue linkages in multilateral trade negotiations
Authors: Hoekman Bernard M.
Published: May 2009

In multilateral trade negotiations, trade-offs usually are made within the issue-areas that are on the agenda. In the absence of cross-issue trade-offs (linkages), agreement may not be possible. To maximize both the potential gains from trade and the scope for agreement, negotiators need to be willing and able to consider the feasibility of issue linkages. This raises the practical problem of determining when such trade-offs are likely to be necessary. Although quantitative methods of policy analysis have been developed, they have not been widely used by policymakers, in part owing to the fact that negotiations focus largely on nontariff measures. This article proposes a qualitative approach to the problem and applies it to the Tokyo and Uruguay Round negotiations on safeguards to protect domestic industries from problems related to increases in imports.
Britain, Europe, and the Atlantic Community
Authors: Beloff Max
Published: May 2009

It would be difficult to imagine a more inappropriate moment for trying to assess the British role in the evolution of the Atlantic Community. Writing in May 1963, one is all too aware of the importance of the decisions that will still have to be taken to meet the situation that has arisen from the failure of Britain's application to join the Common Market. Both the protagonists of Britain's entry and the opponents of this move, however, drew closer together on at least one point as the long debate over the negotiations went on. Both sides agreed that the decision—one way or the other—would be a major turning point in Britain's history. Indeed, if we omit the crises of two world wars, it would be difficult to think of an adequate parallel. Even the bitterly contested repeal of the Corn Laws in the 1840's— the event which is usually taken as signifying the triumph of industrial over agrarian Britain—was less far-reaching in its implications.
Evolving United States Relations with the Atlantic Community
Authors: Merchant Livingston T.
Published: May 2009

Before considering evolving relations between the United States and the Atlantic Community, it is useful to examine briefly the meaning of the words “Atlantic Community,” a term that means different things to different people. It has no agreed definition because it is still a concept and not yet an institution. It purports to be geographically descriptive. However, when one considers the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which is generally regarded as the most important institutional reflection of a community of interests between the European and North American countries bordering the Atlantic basin, one finds Italy, Greece, and Turkey are members while Spain and Eire, both Atlantic countries, are absent. Similarly, if one looks at the membership of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which is another institution generally regarded as reflecting common interests of the “Atlantic Community,” one finds that all the NATO members belong as well as Eire, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, and Spain. Although there are political reasons to account for all this confusion, at the present time the term “Atlantic Community” connotes neither an agreed geographic area nor a specific group of countries.
The Atlantic Community and the United Nations
Authors: Wilcox Francis O.
Published: May 2009

When I reported to a colleague that I was writing a chapter on the relationship between the Atlantic Community and the United Nations, the response was immediate, emphatic, and somewhat disconcerting. “What do you propose to say?” he snorted. “Actually the two things are quite separate and distinct. There really is no relationship between them at all.”
Strategy and the Atlantic Alliance
Authors: Bowie Robert R.
Published: May 2009

The debate over strategy, forces, and nuclear control, which now divides the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is framed largely in military terms: what is the best way to protect the NATO area and its members from aggression? The military aspects are complex in themselves, but the import of these issues extends far beyond defense. Their handling will greatly affect prospects for a partnership between the United States and a strong, united Europe
Integration in the West: The Conflict of Perspectives
Authors: Wolfers Arnold
Published: May 2009

From the time of the Marshall Plan to the present, American policy toward Europe has been guided simultaneously by two aspirations. One has been to see western Europe unified, the other—stemming from the conviction that the fate of the United States is inextricably tied to that of Europe—has been to create strong bonds among the Atlantic nations. Until quite recently it was believed that these two aspirations stood in a kind of predetermined harmony to each other: the more tightly the European nations would band together, gaining strength and prosperity from their union, the better it would be for all members of the Atlantic Community; and the more intimately Europe was linked with the United States, the more Europe, as a unit, would stand to gain.
A Concert of Free Nations
Authors: Fulbright J. W.
Published: May 2009

“The nations seem to be advancing to unity,” wrote Alexis de Tocqueville in 1835. “Our means of intellectual intercourse unite the most remote parts of the earth; and it is impossible for men to remain strangers to each other, or to be ignorant of the events which are taking place in any corner of the globe.”
European restructuring and import policies for a textile industry in crisis
Authors: Dolan Michael B.
Published: May 2009

In the last ten years, employment in the textile and clothing industry in the European Community has decreased by roughly one million workers. In the face of falling employment, profits, and investment, and of surplus capacity, business and labor have increasingly pressured state and European authorities for adjustment assistance and import protection. Although most industrialized countries face similar pressures, policy making in the member states of the European Economic Community is made difficult by the uneven development of the EEC, which regulates trade policy and state aids to industry and restricts business practices but which is not able to construct interventionist or structural policies. Further complicating the situation is the split between two groups of states that differ profoundly on whether the EEC should adopt a liberal trading, noninterventionist position or a protectionist trade policy combined with state aids to mitigate the economic and social effects of restructuring. Tracing these developments over the last ten years, I argue that contradictions in the European political economy in textiles have led to a protectionist bias in Community policies, notwithstanding important developments in outward processing as a means of restructuring.
The unraveling of the Multi-Fiber Arrangement, 1981: an examination of international regime change
Authors: Aggarwal Vinod K.
Published: May 2009

As competition between newly industrializing and advanced industrialized countries has increased, trade protection has become a key issue. In textile and apparel trade, international regimes to regulate trade intervention have existed since the early 1960s. The 1981 renewal of the Multi-Fiber Arrangement poses two puzzles. First, why did countries choose to continue to manage conflict through an international regime rather than through some other arrangement? Second, why did the regime become weaker and more protectionist than in the past? An international structure approach suggests that regimes are wanted to prevent arrangements in larger systems from being undermined, to control the behavior of other countries, and to reduce information costs. Variation in regime strength can be explained by asymmetry in the distribution of capabilities in various systems. The nature of the regime is influenced by changes in international competition and by nesting. A domestic structure approach, on the other hand, focuses on the relationships between state and societal groups (the Commission and member states in the case of the EEC). The relative strength of groups affects national policies and the development and characteristics of regimes. A “processtracing” examination of international textile negotiations, emphasizing the response of decision makers to structural constraints and incentives, allows us to ascertain the relative influence of international and domestic structures on the negotiations and outcomes.
Socialization and hegemonic power
Authors: Ikenberry G. John , Kupchan Charles A.
Published: May 2009

Hegemons exercise power in the international system not only by manipulating material incentives but also by altering the substantive beliefs of elites in other nations. Socialization—the process through which leaders in these secondary states embrace a set of normative ideals articulated by the hegemon—plays an important role both in establishing an international order and in facilitating the functioning of that order. This article develops the notion of socialization in the international system and examines three hypotheses about the conditions under which it occurs and can function effectively as a source of power. The first hypothesis is that socialization occurs primarily after wars and political crises, periods marked by international turmoil and restructuring as well as by the fragmentation of ruling coalitions and legitimacy crises at the domestic level. The second is that elite (as opposed to mass) receptivity to the norms articulated by the hegemon is essential to the socialization process. The third hypothesis is that when socialization does occur, it comes about primarily in the wake of the coercive exercise of power. Material inducement triggers the socialization process, but socialization nevertheless leads to outcomes that are not explicable simply in terms of the manipulation of material incentives. These hypotheses are explored in the historical case studies of U.S. diplomacy after World Wars I and II and the British colonial experience in India and Egypt.
Multilateral negotiations: a spatial analysis of the Arab–Israeli dispute
Authors: de Mesquita Bruce Bueno
Published: May 2009

A model for forecasting political choices and for explaining the perceptual conditions that lead to those choices is delineated. The model, based on the median voter theorem and on the axioms of expected utility maximization, is applied to the prospects for a multilateral peace conference in the Middle East. The analysis helps provide insights into the motivations behind recent actions by leaders in the Soviet Union, the United States, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organization, and Israel.

By viewing multilateral negotiations in a rational choice context, it is possible to elucidate the contents of calculations that reflect decision makers' considerations if they are trying to do what they believe is in their best interest. By modeling the decision process and then using comparative statics simulations, it is also possible to discern when perceptions and reality are likely to deviate from each other and to gauge the hypothesized responses of all the actors to changed circumstances. In this way, the likely impact of Soviet moderation, Israeli intransigence, Jordanian vacillation, or U.S. intervention can be identified.
Exploring the “myth” of hegemonic stability
Authors: Grunberg Isabelle
Published: May 2009

There is a growing discrepancy between the popularity of the hegemonic stability theory and the amount of material pointing to the theory's shortcomings, both analytic and empirical. This article begins with a discussion of the theory's major weaknesses and then offers an analysis of the theory's discourse. Using methods of structural analogy and the study of imagery, the investigation proceeds from the most superficial to the most deep-seated and universal imagery found in the theory's discourse. It argues that the idea of hegemonic stability and the notion of the benevolent hegemon have their roots in powerful and interrelated myths, including myths of the golden age, the Savior, and the death of the sun. It also argues that the ability of these myths to sway human emotions has interfered with the process of theory-building and scientific investigation, of which intuition is a vital component. It concludes that the continuing popularity of the hegemonic stability theory is based on the timeless appeal of the myths that it incorporates.
Global prohibition regimes: the evolution of norms in international society
Authors: Nadelmann Ethan A.
Published: May 2009

The dynamics by which norms emerge and spread in international society have been the subject of strikingly little study. This article focuses on norms that prohibit, both in international law and in the domestic criminal laws of states, the involvement of state and nonstate actors in activities such as piracy, slavery, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, the hijacking of aircraft, and the killing of endangered animal species. It analyzes the manner in which these norms have evolved into and been institutionalized by global prohibition regimes and argues that there are two principal inducements to the formation and promotion of such regimes. The first is the inadequacy of unilateral and bilateral law enforcement measures in the face of criminal activities that transcend national borders. The second is the role of moral and emotional factors related to neither political nor economic advantage but instead involving religious beliefs, humanitarian sentiments, fears, prejudices, paternalism, faith in universalism, the individual conscience, and the compulsion to proselytize. The ultimate success or failure of an international regime in effectively suppressing a particular activity depends, however, not only on the degree of commitment to its norms or the extent of resources devoted to carrying out its goals but also on the vulnerability of the activity to its enforcement measures.
Seroprevalence of Toxocara canis infection among asymptomatic children with eosinophilia in Croatia
Authors: Sviben M. , Čavlek T.V. , Missoni E.M. , Galinović G.M.
Published: May 2009

A total of 142 serum specimens from Croatian children aged 3–18 years, with peripheral eosinophilia and without any clinical symptoms, were tested for the presence of Toxocara canis IgG antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot method. The overall T. canis seropositivity rate in the samples tested was 31%. There was no statistical difference in the seroprevalence rate between boys (32.1%) and girls (29.7%, χ2 = 0.092, P = 0.761). The T. canis seropositivity varied significantly between age groups both in boys (Fisher's test P < 0.001) and girls (Fisher's test P = 0.007). The highest seroprevalence rate was found in boys aged 11–14 (42.9%) and girls aged 7–10 (44.2%). Our results showed a high seroprevalence rate of T. canis infection among children with eosinophilia. It is important that testing for toxocariasis should be included in a differential diagnosis of eosinophilia, especially in children.
Selective (intra-arterial), rapid infusion chemo-radiotherapy to preserve the larynx in advanced laryngeal carcinoma: preliminary results
Authors: Nakashima T , Mihoki T , Ono T , Umeno H , Tanaka N
Published: May 2009

Objectives:

We had previously treated patients with advanced stage laryngeal cancer by laryngectomy with or without post-operative radiotherapy. In order to improve such patients' quality of life, we sought to preserve the larynx by selective (intra-arterial), rapid infusion chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy.

Methods:

Chemotherapy was administered intra-arterially in the angiography suite via transfemoral catheterisation of the superior thyroid artery. Patients received up to four once-weekly infusions of cisplatin (75 mg/patient) with simultaneous intravenous administration of sodium thiosulphate, a neutralising agent. Patients also received external radiation simultaneously at a dose of 1.8 or 2.0 Gy per fraction, once daily for five days a week for 7 weeks.

Results:

Intra-arterial infusion chemo-radiotherapy was performed in eight patients with advanced laryngeal carcinoma (four glottic, three supraglottic and one subglottic type carcinoma). A complete response was achieved at the primary site and at lymph node metastases in all eight patients. Overall toxic side effects were modest. No catheter-related thrombo-embolic complications were observed during any of the chemotherapy sessions.

Conclusions:

Selective (intra-arterial), rapid infusion chemo-radiotherapy may enable laryngeal preservation in patients with advanced laryngeal carcinoma.
Conservative treatment for recurrent dislocation of temporomandibular joint
Authors: Sato K , Umeno H , Nakashima T
Published: May 2009

Objective:

Recurrent dislocation of the temporomandibular joint is difficult to treat with nonsurgical methods. A new nonsurgical method for the treatment of this condition is presented.

Methods:

Routine dental arch bars were applied to the teeth, and two latex elastic bands were placed between the two arch bars on either side of the dental arch. Muscular exercises (i.e. active mouth opening) were then performed regularly over approximately three months.

Results:

Patients were followed up for two to five years, and the treatment proved successful in five of five cases (i.e. no recurrence was seen). The advantages of this treatment are its simplicity and the lack of special equipment needed. No surgery is required, although patients must perform regular muscular exercises. Surgical complications such as trismus and facial nerve palsy are avoided. The disadvantages of this method are the requirement for patient compliance, and its lack of usefulness in patients without teeth.

Conclusions:

The described method is useful for patients complaining of recurrent dislocation of the temporomandibular joint.
Supraglottic carcinoma treatment results analysed by therapeutic approach
Authors: Chijiwa H , Mihashi H , Sakamoto K , Umeno H , Nakashima T
Published: May 2009

This study reviewed 161 patients with supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma who underwent radical therapy at Kurume University Hospital between 1989 and 2003. The five-year survival rate was 89 per cent in patients with stage III disease and 75 per cent in stage IV patients, thus demonstrating favourable results even for patients with advanced cancer. The five-year local control rate and the laryngeal preservation rate were poor in patients with T3tumours (being 75 per cent for both), but the overall five-year local control rate for all patients was 86 per cent. Laser surgery plus chemo-radiotherapy was the most frequently used treatment. The local control rates and laryngeal preservation rates were poor in patients with tumour infiltration to the glottis and the laryngeal ventricle. In conclusion, the indications for combination laser therapy for supraglottic carcinoma should in future be extended, and the type and number of chemotherapy courses for this cancer should be further clarified.
Management of composite defects of the nose, cheek, eyelids and upper lip
Authors: Jones N S , Raghavan U
Published: May 2009

Aim:

To assess the results of reconstruction of composite defects involving the nose which extend to involve the cheeks, eyelids or upper lip.

Study design:

Retrospective observational study.

Material:

Sixteen patients with defects of the nose extending to the adjoining cheek, upper lip or eyelid.

Method:

A combination of flaps and grafts were needed to reconstruct these defects so that the aesthetic subunits were replaced and joined at their junctions wherever possible.

Results:

Where the defect required three or four flaps, there was some unpredictable cicatrisation at their junction that resulted in some asymmetry. This problem primarily occurred at the alar base, and was compounded if there was tissue loss of the premaxilla or maxilla.

Conclusion:

If a defect that involves the nose, cheek and upper lip is repaired with a combination of cheek advancement, nasolabial, paramedian forehead and/or septal flaps, there can be unpredictable cicatrisation at their junction, particularly at the alar base. In these circumstances, we recommend replacing the nasal and other defects with a slightly more generous amount of tissue than would be taken to repair a similar, but solitary, defect. It is important to replace any loss of the facial skeleton, in order to provide support for overlying flaps.
Accuracy of clinical assessment of paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea in two English centres
Authors: Sproson E L , Hogan A M , Hill C M
Published: May 2009

Objectives:

To ascertain the sensitivity and specificity of clinical diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea in children, and to determine if a published clinical algorithm identifies those at high risk of post-adenotonsillectomy complications.

Method:

Sixty-seven children aged three to eight years underwent clinical assessment and overnight polysomnography.

Results:

Polysomnography detected a significant apnoea–hypopnoea index (i.e. ≥5, indicating significant obstructive sleep apnoea) in 13 (43 per cent) children with a clinical diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea and in six (19 per cent) children with no such diagnosis. The sensitivity of clinical assessment was 68.4 per cent and the specificity 59.5 per cent. The post-operative risk algorithm failed to identify any high risk children, although in actuality seven had severe obstructive sleep apnoea confirmed by polysomnography.

Conclusions:

This study of two English centres confirms that the clinical diagnostic process for obstructive sleep apnoea is reasonably insensitive and has low specificity. The studied algorithm discriminated poorly between children with and without severe obstructive sleep apnoea. Realistic diagnostic screening guidelines for paediatric sleep apnoea are overdue in the UK, where access to polysomnography is limited.
Psychiatric morbidity associated with same-sex sexual behaviour: influence of minority stress and familial factors
Authors: Frisell T. , Lichtenstein P. , Rahman Q. , Långström N.
Published: May 2009

Background

Increased psychiatric morbidity has been widely reported among non-heterosexual individuals (defined as reporting a homosexual/bisexual identity and/or same-sex sexual partners). However, the causes of this psychiatric ill-health are mostly unknown.

Method

We attempted to estimate the influence of minority stress and familial factors on psychiatric disorder among adults with same-sex sexual partners. Self-report data from a 2005 survey of adults (age 20–47 years, n=17 379) in the population-based Swedish Twin Registry were analysed with regression modelling and co-twin control methodology.

Results

Rates of depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), eating disorders, alcohol dependence and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were increased among men and women with same-sex sexual experiences. Adjusting for perceived discrimination and hate crime victimization lowered this risk whereas controlling for familial (genetic or environmental) factors in within-twin pair comparisons further reduced or eliminated it.

Conclusions

Components of minority stress influence the risk of psychiatric ill-health among individuals with any same-sex sexual partner. However, substantial confounding by familial factors suggests a common genetic and/or environmental liability for same-sex sexual behaviour and psychiatric morbidity.
Enhanced ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’ in borderline personality disorder compared to healthy controls
Authors: Fertuck E. A. , Jekal A. , Song I. , Wyman B. , Morris M. C. , Wilson S. T. , Brodsky B. S. , Stanley B.
Published: May 2009

Background

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is partly characterized by chronic instability in interpersonal relationships, which exacerbates other symptom dimensions of the disorder and can interfere with treatment engagement. Facial emotion recognition paradigms have been used to investigate the bases of interpersonal impairments in BPD, yielding mixed results. We sought to clarify and extend past findings by using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), a measure of the capacity to discriminate the mental state of others from expressions in the eye region of the face.

Method

Thirty individuals diagnosed with BPD were compared to 25 healthy controls (HCs) on RMET performance. Participants were also assessed for depression severity, emotional state at the time of assessment, history of childhood abuse, and other Axis I and personality disorders (PDs).

Results

The BPD group performed significantly better than the HC group on the RMET, particularly for the Total Score and Neutral emotional valences. Effect sizes were in the large range for the Total Score and for Neutral RMET performance. The results could not be accounted for by demographics, co-occurring Axis I or II conditions, medication status, abuse history, or emotional state. However, depression severity partially mediated the relationship between RMET and BPD status.

Conclusions

Mental state discrimination based on the eye region of the face is enhanced in BPD. An enhanced sensitivity to the mental states of others may be a basis for the social impairments in BPD.
Language in and out of the classroom: Connecting contexts of language use with learning and teaching practices
Authors: Higgins Christina
Published: May 2009

A colloquium presented at the Second Language Research Forum on 16 October 2008 at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
Passive dynamic walking with flat feet and ankle compliance
Authors: Wang Qining , Huang Yan , Wang Long
Published: May 2009

This paper presents a bipedal locomotion model for passive dynamic walking with flat feet and compliant ankles. The two-dimensional seven-link model extends the simplest walking model with the addition of hip actuation, knee joints, flat feet and torsional springs based compliance on ankle joints, concerning heel-strike and toe-strike transitions, to achieve adaptive bipedal locomotion on level ground with controllable walking speed. We investigate the effects of foot geometric parameters and ankles stiffness on bipedal walking. The model achieves satisfactory walking results not only on even ground but also on uneven terrain with no active control and on different walking velocities. In addition, from the view of stability, there is an optimal foot-ankle ratio of the passivity-based walker. The results can be used to explore further understanding of bipedal walking, and help the design of future intelligent ankle-foot prosthesis and passivity-based robot prototypes towards more practical uses.
Completely positive maps into corona algebras
Authors: KUCEROVSKY DAN Z. , NG P. W.
Published: May 2009

We prove a decomposition theorem similar to the well-known result of Voiculescu's: namely that completely positive mapsA→(B)/Bfactor through a given homomorphism ι:A→(B)/Bwhen the homomorphism ι has a certain infiniteness property.

The algebraBis only assumed to be separable and nonunital; in particular, it is not assumed to be stable. The C*-algebraAis assumed to be separable, unital and nuclear.
Finitely determined singularities of ruled surfaces in 3
Authors: MARTINS R. , NUÑO–BALLESTEROS J. J.
Published: May 2009

We study local singularities of ruled surfaces in 3. We show that any map germ f : (2, 0) → (3, 0) with a simple singularity is -equivalent to a ruled surface. Moreover, we give a topological classification of -finitely determined singularities of ruled surfaces and show that there are just eleven topological classes.
Spanish Bioethics Comes Into Maturity: Personal Reflections
Authors: GRACIA GUILLÉN DIEGO
Published: May 2009

The birth of bioethics in Spain—and the rest of Europe—has not necessarily been a replication of what happened in North America, despite the arguments made by a number of mainstream American authors. From a European perspective, this thesis looks incomplete at best, if not entirely erroneous. Let us see why.
Assisted Reproductive Technology in Spain: Considering Women's Interests
Authors: DE MELO-MARTÍN INMACULADA
Published: May 2009

It might come as a surprise to many that Spain, a country with a strong Catholic tradition that officially banned contraceptive technologies until 1978, has some of the most liberal regulations in assisted reproduction in the world. Law No. 35/1988 was one of the first and most detailed acts of legislation undertaken on the subject of assisted-conception procedures. Indeed, not only did the law permit research on nonviable embryos, it made assisted reproductive technologies available to any woman, whether married or not, through the national healthcare system.
Kindness, Not Compassion, in Healthcare
Authors: FAUST HALLEY S.
Published: May 2009

“Dissecting Bioethics,” edited by Tuija Takala and Matti Häyry, welcomes contributions on the conceptual and theoretical dimensions of bioethics.

The section is dedicated to the idea that words defined by bioethicists and others should not be allowed to imprison people's actual concerns, emotions, and thoughts. Papers that expose the many meanings of a concept, describe the different readings of a moral doctrine, or provide an alternative angle to seemingly self-evident issues are therefore particularly appreciated.

The themes covered in the section so far include dignity, naturalness, public interest, community, disability, autonomy, parity of reasoning, symbolic appeals, and toleration.

All submitted papers are peer reviewed. To submit a paper or to discuss a suitable topic, contact Tuija Takala at tuija.takala@helsinki.fi.
The effect of interaction between macromolecule supplement and oxygen tension on bovine oocytes and embryos culturedin vitro
Authors: Mingoti G.Z. , Caiado Castro V.S.D. , Méo S.C. , Barretto L.S.S. , Garcia J.M.
Published: May 2009

Aiming to improvein vitroproduction of bovine embryos and to obtain supplements to replace serum forin vitromaturation (IVM), this study evaluated the effects of macromolecular supplementation of IMV medium (bovine serum albumin – BSA, polyvinyl alcohol – PVA, polyvinyl pyrrolidone – PVP, Ficoll, KnockoutSR, or fetal calf serum – FCS) and oxygen tension [5% CO2in air (20% O2) or 5% CO2, 5% O2and 90% N2(5% O2)] on oocyte maturation and embryo development. Nuclear progression to germinal vesicle breakdown, metaphase I and metaphase II stages were evaluated and overall results revealed that undefined (FCS) and semi-defined (BSA) media gave better results at 20% O2and defined media (PVA, PVP and Ficoll) at 5% O2. Independent of macromolecule supplement, IVM at 20% O2was considered optimal for nuclear maturation. To evaluate embryo development, oocytes matured in the previously described conditions were fertilized and cultured at the same oxygen tension used for IVM and assessed for cleavage (43.0 to 74.8%) and development to morulae (16.4 to 33.8%), blastocyst (7.7 to 52.9%) and hatched blastocyst (9.6 to 48.1%). Apart from oxygen tension, all treatments, except Knockout (22.7%), gave similar results for blastocyst development (26.5 to 38.7%). Independently of macromolecule supplement, higher development rates were obtained in an oxygen tension of 20% O2(67.4% cleavage, 29.2% morulae, 40.8% blastocyst and 34.0% hatched blastocyst) when compared with 5% O2(52.5, 21.8, 18.2 and 15.6%, respectively). This study indicates that BSA, PVA, PVP and Ficoll can replace serum during IVM and that the optimal atmospheric condition forin vitroproduction of bovine embryos is 5% CO2and 20% O2.
WHY ARE CAPITAL INCOME TAXES SO HIGH?
Authors: Floden Martin
Published: May 2009

The Ramsey optimal taxation theory implies that the tax rate on capital income should be zero in the long run. This result holds even if the social planner only cares about workers that do not hold assets, or if the planner only cares about any other group in the economy. This paper demonstrates that although all households agree that capital income taxation should be eliminated in the long run, they do not agree on how to eliminate these taxes. Wealthy households would prefer a reform that is funded by higher taxes on labor income, whereas households with little wealth would prefer a reform that is funded mostly by high taxes on initial wealth. Pareto-improving reforms typically exist, but the welfare gains of such reforms are modest.