bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Politics of Inner Space: Tragedies of Three Commons
Authors: LAVER MICHAEL 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThe tragedy of the commons is now a widely used allegory on the problems of collective action. This paper shows, however, that generalizations from the original story to other applications are dangerous. This is because several key properties of a common influence the most appropriate method of avoiding the tragedy. The argument is developed using discussion of three space commons. These are the broadcasting frequency spectrum, the geostationary satellite orbit and the Moon. Each has different properties that involve different tragedies and invite different solutions.
Age and Turnout Among the Newly Enfranchised: Life Cycle versus Experience Effects*
Authors: NIEMI RICHARD G. , STANLEY HAROLD W. , EVANS C. LAWRENCE 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThrough comparison of the relationship between age and voter turnout in new and established electorates, this article tests life cycle versus experience‐related explanations of political participation. The relationship between age and turnout for the newly enfranchised should resemble that for the previously enfranchised if life cycle forces dominate: turnout increasing with age until peaking in the middle years, then declining with old age. If experience with the vote dominates, the relationship of age to turnout should differ: with new electorates there should be a much smaller difference between the turnout of the young and the middle‐aged, peak turnout should occur at an earlier age than for established electorates, drop‐off among the elderly should be especially steep, and such differences between the electorates should decline over time after enfranchisement. The evidence examined for new electorates ‐data spanning 18 national elections in eight countries ‐ shows that the same relationship between age and turnout characterizes new and established electorates. Lack of experience with the vote, or resistance to acquiring new attitudes and behaviour, does not seem to alter appreciably the relationship of age to turnout in new electorates. Implications of this finding for the development of democratic participation and socialization theories of adult change are considered.
Social Movements and the Greens: New Internal Politics in Germany*
Authors: MÜLLER‐ROMMEL FERDINAND 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThis article is concerned with the relationship between the supporters of new social movements (peace, ecology, and anti‐nuclear power) and the Green Party in contemporary Germany. In theoretical terms the research interest lies in the question of the extent to which the new social movements in Germany are responsible for a change in the nature of the party system. Particular attention is given to the historical and electoral ties as well as the value system and the ideological orientation of the Green voters and the followers of new social movements. Their over‐all impact on future party system is still controversial: on the one hand, the Greens could prepare the way for a dealignment, and on the other hand they could determine the process of realignment within the German party system.
Elements of Consociational Democracy in Kenya
Authors: BERG‐SCHLOSSER DIRK 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThis paper attempts to apply and test some of the major propositions advanced by the ‘consociational school’ of democratic theory to the case of a Third World country, Kenya. These propositions concern both the specific, highly fragmented ‘plural’ social bases of politics and particular institutional arrangements (such as a ‘grand coalition’, proportional representation, etc.), Kenya is shown to be an interesting, though somewhat ‘deviant’, case in this regard. The analysis is based on available published sources, official documents and data from a general population survey conducted by the author. The concluding section discusses some of the inherent constraints in the Kenyan case and indicates some of the more general limitations of the concept of consociational democracy.
Local Politics in Centralized Systems: the Case of French Education
Authors: DUCLAUD‐WILLIAMS ROGER 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThis article reports on a research project on local educational politics in France, particularly on relations between the bureaucracy and the teachers’ unions. Three principal conclusions are reached. First, the local bureaucracy does not succeed in insulating itself from the political environment, nor does it seek to do so. Although curriculum decisions remain highly centralized, there has been sufficient administrative deconcentration to make lively local politics possible. Second, Communist control of the primary‐school teachers’ union does not restrict communication between union and local bureaucracy. Nor does it prevent the effective representation of individuals and groups. But it does make bureaucracy/union relations more formal than they are in other departments, and it does break down the clear barrier which exists elsewhere between the professional and the bureaucrat, through the creation of a coalition of teachers, parents and sympathetic local politicians. Third, the unions constrain administrative action more effectively at the departmental than at the regional level. This contrast is explained mainly in terms of the different responsibilities of departmental and regional authorities in education.
Economists and electorates: The subjective economy of governing party support in Canada
Authors: CLARKE HAROLD D. , STEWART MARIANNE C. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThis paper uses newly available Canadian data to address long‐standing debates on the rationality of the political economy of party support. We find that the subjective economic variable driving governing party support is sociotropic, not egocentric, and,pacerecent American and British studies, prospections do not dominate retrospections. Rather, models using national economic evaluations encompass rivals employing national expectations, personal expectations and perceived trends in personal expectations. Egocentric considerations are not irrelevant; rather, their effects on party support are indirect. We argue that these findings are consistent with an image of voters whose party‐support decisions are governed by a ‘rough‐and‐ready’ rationality appropriate to the information available to them and the politico‐economic systems of contemporary Western democracies.
Rationality and party activism: Encompassing tests of alternative models of political participation
Authors: WHITELY PAUL F. , SEYD PATRICK 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to test a rational actor model of political participation against rival models to see which provides the best theoretical account of participation. This is done using data from the first panel survey of Labour party members in Britain. The tests use encompassing methodology, an approach to model building which arises out of recent developments in applied econometrics. The rational choice model is tested against a social‐psychological model, and a ‘general incentives’ model which has been utilized in earlier research to explain party activism. The results show that while the rational choice model has important explanatory power, it provides an incomplete account of participation. A ‘reduced form’ model is developed which encompasses the other models, and provides the best explanatory account of party activism.
Anti‐party sentiment ‐ Conceptual thoughts and empirical evidence: Explorations into a minefield
Authors: POGUNTKE THOMAS 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThe literature about ‘crisis of party’ or ‘decline of party’ abounds, but most studies in this genre refer to underlying social changes when trying to explain these phenomena. Normative reservations about political parties have thus far been widely neglected in this debate. This article argues that more attention should be given to the interaction between elite theorizing about, and mass orientations towards, political parties. Even though direct survey evidence on popular attitudes towards political parties is largely unavailable, these attitudes can be indirectly measured using several attitudinal and behavioural indicators. Based on a survey of longitudinal data for 13 Western democracies, this article shows that signs of anti‐party sentiment have become more visible as we have moved into the 1980s; but that sweeping generalizations are unfounded.
Anti‐partyism in the USA and support for Ross Perot
Authors: OWEN DIANA , DENNIS JACK 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThis article provides an initial exploration into the phenomenon of anti‐sentiment in the USA. It explores the meaning and measurement of anti‐partyism, and introduces a series of empirical measures which tap three distinct dimensions of anti‐partyism ‐ dissatisfaction with the existing political parties, a preference for third party alternatives, and a desire to diminish the role of parties in the American political process. After using survey data to establish the basic trends in citizens’ feelings about parties, we probe the current nature and level of anti‐partyism in the American system. As a final step, we show how in the 1992 presidential election anti‐party sentiment was associated with support for Ross Perot and his grassroots political movement.
Microsomal Acetaldehyde Oxidation is Negligible in the Presence of Ethanol
Authors: Wu Yue‐Sheng , Salmela Katja S. , Lieber Charles S. 
Published: May 2006

The microsomal ethanol oxidizing system (MEOS), inducible by ethanol and acetone, oxidizes ethanol to acetaldehyde, which causes many toxic effects associated with excess ethanol. Recent studies reported that rat liver microsomes also oxidize acetaldehyde, thereby challenging the validity of the assessment of MEOS activity by measuring acetaldehyde production and suggesting that MEOS activity results in the accumulation not of acetaldehyde but, rather, of its less toxic metabolite, acetate. To address these issues, we compared both metabolic rates of ethanol and acetaldehyde and the effect of ethanol on the acetaldehyde metabolism.Liver microsomes were prepared from Sprague‐Dawley rats induced either with acetone for 3 days or ethanol for 3 weeks. NADPH‐dependent acetaldehyde (300 /μM) metabolism was measured in two ways: (1) by detection of acetaldehyde disappearance by headspace gas chromatography, and (2) by assessment of acetaldehyde oxidation by liquid scintillation counting of acetate formed from [1,2‐14C]acetaldehyde. Ethanol (50 mM) oxidation was measured by gas chromatography. In acetone‐ and ethanol‐induced rat liver microsomes, the acetaldehyde disappearance (p< 0.0001) and oxidation (p< 0.0001) rates were both significantly increased. The rates of acetaldehyde oxidation paralleled those ofp‐nitrophenol hydroxylation (r= 0.974,p< 0.0001), with a Kmof 82 ± 14 μM and a Vmaxof 4.8 ± 0.5 nmol/min/mg protein in acetone‐induced microsomes. Acetaldehyde disappearance in acetone‐induced microsomes and acetaldehyde oxidation in acetone‐induced and ethanol‐induced microsomes were significantly lower than the corresponding ethanol oxidation, with rates (nmol/min/mg protein) of 4.6 ± 0.6 versus 9.0 ± 0.8 (p< 0.005), 4.4 ± 0.3 versus 9.1 ± 0.5 (p< 0.0005), and 14.0 ± 0.9 versus 19.5 ± 1.8 (p< 0.05), respectively. The presence of 50 mM ethanol decreased this metabolism to 0.9 ± 0.3 (p< 0.005), 0.5 ± 0.1 (p< 0.001), and 1.8 ± 0.3 (p< 0.001), resulting in rates of acetaldehyde metabolism of only 9.8 ± 3.2%, 6.0 ± 0.5%, and 9.5 ± 1.2% (respectively) of those of ethanol oxidation.In conclusion, rat liver microsomes oxidize acetaldehyde at much lower rates than ethanol, and this acetaldehyde metabolism is strikingly inhibited by ethanol. Accordingly, acetaldehyde formation provides an accurate assessment of MEOS activity. Furthermore, because acetaldehyde production vastly exceeds its oxidation, the net result of MEOS activity is the accumulation of this toxic metabolite.
Acute Effect of Alcohol on Estradiol, Estrone, Progesterone, Prolactin, Cortisol, and Luteinizing Hormone in Premenopausal Women
Authors: Sarkola Taisto , Mäkisalo Heikki , Fukunaga Tatsushige , Eriksson C. J. Peter 
Published: May 2006

Background: Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with menstrual irregularities, including anovulation, luteal‐phase dysfunction, recurrent amenorrhea, and early menopause. In addition, moderate to heavy alcohol intake has been found to increase the risk of spontaneous abortions and breast cancer. These adverse effects could at least in part originate from alcohol‐mediated changes in hormone levels. Method: The acute effect of alcohol on the hormone balance in women using oral contraceptives (OC+) and also in nonusers (OC‐), was evaluated in 30 OC– and 31 OC+ subjects, representing the whole period of the menstrual cycle. It was also evaluated in 40 OC‐ and 47 OC+ subjects during the midcycle phase and in 10 OC+ subjects with unknown cycle phase. Result: We found that among subjects who used oral contraceptives, estradiol levels increased and progesterone levels decreased after intake of alcohol (0.5 g/kg). No dose effect (0.34‐1.02 g/kg) on progesterone was observed in a substudy on 10 OC+ subjects. With regard to estrone levels, no effect was observed, although a significant increase was found in the estradiol‐to‐estrone ratio. Among subjects not using oral contraceptives, progesterone levels decreased after intake of alcohol (0.5 g/kg). No effect was found in estradiol, estrone, or the estradiol‐to‐estrone ratio during midcycle in this study group. A transient elevating effect of alcohol (0.5 g/kg) on prolactin levels was observed in both study groups. We found that alcohol (0.5 g/kg) had no significant effect on luteinizing hormone (LH) levels among subjects not using oral contraceptives, and observed a decline among subjects using oral contraceptives at midcycle. Conclusions: We suggest that the estradiol and progesterone effects are related to decreased steroid catabolism, resulting from the alcohol‐mediated increase in the hepatic NADH‐to‐NAD ratio. The transient effect on prolactin levels may reflect acute changes in opioid and dopamine levels in the hypothalamus. The present findings regarding female sex steroids may be of relevance in the association between moderate to heavy alcohol consumption and the development of breast cancer.
Examination of Judgments of Drunkenness, Binge Drinking, and Drunk‐Driving Tendencies in Teens With and Without a Family History of Alcohol Abuse
Authors: Turrisi Rob , Wiersma Kimberly 
Published: May 2006

Background:The present study examined judgment processes of individuals with and without a family history of alcohol abuse. Despite the alarming statistics involving alcohol‐related consequences in this population, very little is known about what judgment processes they use or how beneficial these processes are at preventing intoxication and alcohol‐related consequences. Methods: Participants were 270 individuals, 16‐18 years old, screened on the basis of the history of family alcohol abuse. Individuals were asked to (1) make judgments of drunkenness in relation to the legal limits in response to factorially manipulated external cues on number of drinks, time taken to consume, and type of beverage, using the methodology of Jaccard and Turrisi (1987), and (2) answer several questions regarding their alcohol‐related behaviors. Results: Our results indicated that individuals with a positive family history of alcohol abuse were more likely to make judgmental errors and underestimate their drunkenness relative to individuals without a positive family history of alcohol abuse. Moreover, the errors in judgments were more pronounced in situations involving moderate to heavy alcohol consumption. Finally, family history was found to moderate the relationship between underestimation errors and drinking, and drinking and driving tendencies. For individuals with a positive family history of alcohol abuse, the more they tended to underestimate their drunkenness, the more likely they were to binge drink and drive after drinking. Conclusions: The findings suggest that judgmental errors tend to be an important process variable in the relationship between family history and alcohol‐related behavioral tendencies. The findings are discussed with respect to potential behavioral antecedents (e.g., student binge drinking) and development of prevention programs geared toward training students to make more accurate judgments, using external cues.
Association Between Drinking‐Related Antisocial Behavior and a Polymorphism in the Serotonin Transporter Gene in a Japanese Population
Authors: Ishiguro H. , Saito T. , Akazawa S. , Mitushio H. , Tada K. , Enomoto M. , Mifune H. , Toru M. , Shibuya H. , Arinami T. 
Published: May 2006

Background: Involvement of the serotoninergic system (S/S) in alcoholism has been suggested in both mice and humans. Previous studies have suggested the S/S genotype of the serotonin transporter gene promoter polymorphism to be associated with severe alcohol dependence marked by severe withdrawal symptoms. It has also been associated with alcoholics who exhibit a dissocial personality disorder. Methods: We examined the polymorphism in 166 Japanese alcoholics who experienced withdrawal seizure or delirium and 290 Japanese controls. Results: The S/S genotype was not increased in the patients. Exploratory analyses showed significantly less frequent S allele and S/S genotype frequencies in the alcoholics with a history of drinking‐related arrests than in the controls (p= 0.009 and p= 0.03, respectively), perhaps reflecting previously reported harm avoidance personality traits associated with S/S. Alcoholics with the L allele had a significantly earlier onset of alcohol dependence than those with the S/S genotype (p= 0.01). Conclusions: The present study failed to provide supportive evidence for an association of the S/S genotype with severe alcoholism marked by physical withdrawal symptoms or with antisocial behaviors among the Japanese. Although our data support involvement of the central serotoninergic system in some types of alcoholism, the potential association findings of this study emerged as only exploratory and, therefore, should be understood as tentative until replicated in other studies.
Fetal Associative Learning Mediated Through Maternal Alcohol Intoxication
Authors: Abate Paula , Pepino Marta Yanina , Dominguez Héctor Daniel , Spear Norman E. , Molina Juan Carlos 
Published: May 2006

Background:The aim of the present study was to analyze whether alcohol as an unconditioned stimulus is capable of supporting associative learning in near‐term fetuses.Methods:In experiment 1, we determined pharmacokinetic profiles of alcohol and of an aromatic substance (cineole) in amniotic fluid and maternal blood during late gestation. The results obtained through gas chromatographic analysis allowed a second experiment in which we explicitly paired peak levels of cineole with peak levels of alcohol in amniotic fluid and blood, by intragastrically administering cineole and ethanol to the dams during gestational days 17 through 20 (paired condition). Control groups were dams given cineole 4 hr before commencement of an acute state of alcohol intoxication (long‐delay group) or were only exposed to water administrations (water control group). The progeny were evaluated during postnatal day 16 in terms of behavioral responsiveness to intraorally infused solutions (cineole or alcohol presented in milk vehicle, or milk alone).Results:Mouthing responsiveness to cineole was strongly affected by the nature of prenatal treatments. Pups in the paired prenatal condition mouthed significantly less than did long‐delay and water controls. Physical and behavioral measures allowed us to reject the possibility that these effects were due to teratogenic effects of alcohol during late gestation.Conclusions:These results indicate that before birth, rat fetuses are capable of acquiring associative memories supported by the unconditioned properties of alcohol. This associative memory can be expressed during infancy through a significant reduction in mouth movements in the presence of the specific orosensory cue explicitly paired with alcohol interoceptive effects in utero.
The Value of CAGE, CUGE, and AUDIT in Screening for Alcohol Abuse and Dependence Among College Freshmen
Authors: Aertgeerts B. , Buntinx F. , Bande‐Knops J. , Vanderrneulen C. , Roelants M. , Ansoms S. , Fevery J. 
Published: May 2006

Background:This study attempted to (1) determine the prevalence of alcohol problems in college freshmen, (2) assess the performance of both the CAGE and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaires in this population, and (3) assess the possibility of improving the CAGE and/or AUDIT.Methods:A sample of 3564 consecutive college freshmen, with a mean age of 18 years, at the Catholic University of Leuven, (Belgium) completed, during a cross‐sectional study, a questionnaire assessing drinking behavior and identifying students at risk as defined by DSM‐IV criteria. The questionnaire also included the CAGE questionnaire and the AUDIT. Calculations of sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, positive predictive value, likelihood ratios, and receiver operating characteristic curves for different scores of the CAGE and the AUDIT were performed, using DSM‐IV criteria as the reference standard.Results:The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the CAGE and the AUDIT was 0.76 and 0.85, respectively. The cutoff score of 1 for the CAGE was associated with a sensitivity of 42%, a specificity of 87%, a positive predictive value of 36%, and a negative predictive value of 90%. A score of 6 or more for the AUDIT gave a sensitivity of 80%, a specificity of 78%, a positive predictive value of 37%, and a negative predictive value of 77%. These results were related with a prevalence of 14.1% of alcohol problems. Replacing one question of the CAGE by “often driving under the influence'’resulted in the CUGE (acronym for “cut down, under influence, guilty feelings, and eye opener”), with an area under the curve of 0.96, a positive likelihood ratio of 8.7, and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.04.Conclusions:Prevalence of alcohol problems in college students is confirmed to be high. When screening for alcohol problems in a college freshmen population, one question seems extremely important. The newly constructed CUGE questionnaire may improve screening efforts in students, compared with existing questionnaires.
Ability of Baclofen in Reducing Alcohol Intake and Withdrawal Severity: I—Preclinical Evidence
Authors: Colombo Giancarlo , Agabio Roberta , Carai Mauro A.M. , Lobina Carla , Pani Marialaura , Reali Roberta , Addolorato Giovanni , Gessa Gian Luigi 
Published: May 2006

Background:The similarities between the pharmacological effects of the γ‐aminobutyric acid receptor agonist, baclofen, and the alcohol‐substituting agent, γ‐hydroxybutyric acid, led us to investigate whether baclofen was capable of reducing (a) ethanol withdrawal syndrome in ethanol‐dependent rats and (b) voluntary ethanol intake in ethanol‐preferring rats.Methods:In experiment 1, Wistar rats were rendered physically dependent on ethanol by the repeated administration of intoxicating doses of ethanol for 6 consecutive days. Baclofen was acutely administered intraperitoneally at doses of 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg. In experiment 2, baclofen (0, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) was administered once a day for 14 consecutive days to ethanol‐preferring sP rats that had continuous access to ethanol (10%, v/v) and water under the two‐bottle free choice regimen.Results:In experiment 1, baclofen dose‐dependently decreased the intensity of ethanol withdrawal signs; furthermore, 20 mg/kg of baclofen protected from audiogenic seizures in ethanol‐withdrawn rats. In experiment 2, baclofen selectively and dose‐dependently reduced voluntary ethanol intake; a compensatory increase in water intake left total fluid intake virtually unchanged.Conclusions:These results are in close agreement with those of a preliminary clinical study and suggest that baclofen may constitute a novel therapeutic agent for alcoholism.