bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
SITUATION‐SPECIFIC VERSUS ACTOR‐SPECIFIC APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL BARGAINING
Authors: JÖNSSON CHRISTER 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThis article illuminates the existing gap between situation‐specific and actor‐specific approaches to the study of international bargaining. According to game‐theoretically inspired situation‐specific models, situational factors determine the playing and outcome of bargaining games regardless of who the actors are. Actor‐specific models, on the other hand, focus on actor idiosyncrasies as explanatory variables. Certain actors or groups of actors are assumed to negotiate in characteristic ways. Examples of hypotheses derived from each of the two approaches are given, and the lack of rigid empirical tests by which these hypotheses could be validated, invalidated, or modified is noted. The thesis of this article is that the gap between situation‐specific and actor‐specific approaches could, and should, be bridged, and that this requires better coordination than hitherto of theoretical and empirical research in the field of international bargaining. One possible synthesis of actor‐specific and situation‐specific models, based upon the findings of an empirical study of Soviet negotiating behavior, is suggested.
Causes of Negotiation ‘Failure’*
Authors: UNDERDAL ARILD 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTNoting that international negotiations occasionally fail to tap the full integrative potential of the issues in question, the author discusses four major obstacles to negotiation success: uncertainty, inaccurate information, process‐generated stakes, and politically inadequate models for the design of substantive solutions. In a final section, the author briefly considers three pieces of ‘political technology’ that research in political science can contribute towards overcoming these obstacles.
Decline of Class Voting or Change in Class Voting? Social Classes and Party Choice in Denmark in the 1970s
Authors: ANDERSEN JØRGEN GOUL 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThe article criticizes stratification measures of social class and class voting, demonstrating that they may produce biased images of the relationship between social class and party choice. Firstly, it is argued that the conventional ‘Alford index of class voting’ is typically not comparable, neither over time nor across countries. Applying a materialist concept of social class, the author then concludes that class voting in Denmark has in fact increased, although Denmark is generally listed as the ‘prototypical’ evidence of the opposite. This difference in perception is due to significant changes in class behaviour which are concealed by stratification measures of social class.
Urban Hierarchies and Municipal Finances*
Authors: HANSEN TORE 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThe article examines how and to what extent municipal finances are affected by a city's position in an urban hierarchy. A distinction is made between collective and individual services on the one hand, and job‐ and residence‐related services on the other. It is hypothesized that job‐related collective services are more affected by a city's centrality than other services, and that residence‐related individual services are least affected. By and large, the results of the analyses lend support to this hypothesis, although they are inconclusive as to the difference between job‐ and residence‐related collective services. Altogether, the analysis demonstrates the importance of taking a city's centrality into consideration when assessing its financial problems.
Urban System Theory, and Urban Policy and Expenditures in England and Wales*
Authors: NEWTON K. 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRCTUrban systems theory offers a useful and potentially powerful way of analysing public policy and service expenditures, a research field which, in the past, has lacked in general theory and good empirical results. It is hypothesized that just as cities which play an important role in the national urban system provide a wide range of specialized and expensive goods and services in the private sector, so also will they tend to spend heavily on a range of public services and amenities. Following recent theoretical developments, the presence of the headquarters of major companies is used as a measure of the importance of English and Welsh cities in the national urban system, and this measure is related to service expenditures. The results strongly support the hypothesis, and suggest that levels of service expenditure, particularly on what are termed indivisible services, are related to the general characteristics of an urban system, rather than directly to the concentration of business headquarters.
Distributive Struggle and Economic Development in the 1970s in Developed Capitalist Countries*
Authors: PALOHEIMO HEIKKI 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThe intensity of the distributive struggle is an important determinant in explaining cross‐national differences in unemployment and inflation during the economic crisis of the 1970s. Unemployment is analysed as a result of corporate actions to counter the falling rate of profit. In countries with a high level of distributive struggle, the reduction of the labour force has been the main method of coping with problems of profitability. In countries with a low level of distributive struggle, other methods have also been used. Production costs have been stabilized by means of moderate incomes policy and by revaluing the currency. As a result of these policy differences, both the rates of unemployment and inflation were moderate in countries with a low level of distributive struggle, while countries with a high level faced severe problems of unemployment and inflation.
Political‐Economic Interdependence and the Management of Economic Crisis
Authors: LEHNER FRANZ , KEMAN HANS 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThis article takes up some crucial problems raised in the contributions to this issue and discusses them theoretically in order to show some avenues for further research. The article reconsiders the impact of a high political‐economic interdependence on policy‐making and suggests some new questions for public policy analysis. More specifically, the importance of structural arrangements and of the complex relationship between structural arrangements, types of policies and policy‐outcomes is stressed. Finally, some avenues for further research are outlined.
Security‐related Effort in Western Democracies: Towards a Comparative Political Economy of Defence*
Authors: KAMMLER HANS 
Published: May 2006

ABSTRACTThe life expectancy of all political systems depends, among other factors, on the ability to resist military pressure and other means of coercion, that is, to mount and sustain a sufficient ‘security‐related effort’(SRE). Yet over the last decades, SRE in the West has increasingly fallen short of what is required, especially vis‐à‐vis the main systemic competitor, the Soviet bloc. This trend can be explained by the interplay of two kinds of long‐term change in Western societies. The first is the gradual penetrating and remoulding of their structures by capitalism, replacing both threat and integrative relations by exchange as a social organizer and thus delegitimizing the military (and other means of organized coercion), and at the same time rendering war much more destructive and costly by harnessing modern science and technology to the design and production of weaponry. The second process is the diffusion of representative, subsequently democratized, systems of government: decision‐making by representative assemblies generates, via the mechanism of log‐rolling, allocative decisions biased towards providing private goods (e.g. by tax reductions), merit goods, and transfer payments, and consequently disfavouring public goods such as deterrence of potential aggressors.
Plurality competition and party realignment in Italy: The 1994 parliamentary elections
Authors: BARTOLINI STEFANO , D'ALIMONTE ROBERTO 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThis paper deals with the 1994 Italian elections to both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. It discusses: the new electoral system introduced for these elections; the realignment of the Italian party system since the previous election; patterns in the election results and the implications of these for the future. The paper argues that crucial differences in electoral law explain differences in the pattern of Senate and Chamber results. Considering regional patterns of voting, only the southern part of the country showed signs of close competition between the main party cartels. Comparing plurality and PR voting at constituency level, the paper highlights the inability of candidates of the left to mobilise supporters of other parties in their cartel in plurality elections, a factor that does not augur well for the left in future elections.
Decline of electoral turnout: The case of Norway
Authors: NARUD HANNE MARTHE , VALEN HENRY 
Published: May 2006

AbstractWhy do sudden changes occur in electoral turnout from one election to the next? This article proposes two general hypotheses as explanations for declining turnout. The first hypothesis draws on rational choice theory, and is based on the assumption that elections are devices for the selection of governments. It states that abstention is rational when government alternatives are unclear. The second hypothesis implies that non‐voting is a result of social‐psychological mechanisms, and suggests that voters abstain in situations of disagreement with their own party concerning some important issue. The hypothesis predicts that strong identifiers under cross‐pressure are more inclined to stay home than weak identifiers and non identifiers. In using the 1993 parliamentary election in Norway as a test case, the analysis suggests that the application of a rational choice approach is fruitful for studying electoral turnout. Because of the absence of clear‐cut government alternatives voter involvement was low in the election and people did not distinguish much between the various political platforms offered to them. The second hypothesis of disagreement with own party received only limited support. The differences due to cross‐pressures are not very big, and the prediction that strong identifiers under cross pressure are more inclined to stay home was not supported. Altogether, our case study suggests that very few costs are involved in changing partisanship and that party identification reflects a strong cognitive rather than affective aspect.
Skeletal Muscle Ribonuclease Activities in Chronically Ethanol‐Treated Rats
Authors: Reilly Matthew E. , Erylaz Eda Imren , Amir Abdu , Peters Timothy J. , Preedy Victor R. 
Published: May 2006

Alcoholic myopathy occurs in up to two thirds of alcohol misusers and is characterized by selective atrophy of type II (anaerobic, fast‐twitch) fibers; type I (aerobic, slow twitch) fibers are relatively unaffected. Both clinical and animal studies have indicated that skeletal muscle RNA content is reduced in response to ethanol exposure, and contributes to impaired protein synthesis. We hypothesized that the reduction in muscle RNA may be due to raised ribonuclease (RNase) activities that enhance RNA catabolism. To test this hypothesis, we measured the total tissue and plasma RNase activities as well as the activities of general (RNase A) and specific or “restriction” RNases (T1L, T2L) in ethanol‐treated rats.Chronically treated rats were fed a nutritionally complete liquid diet with 35% of calories as ethanol. Weight‐matched controls were pair‐fed with isocaloric glucose. Rats were killed at time‐points up to 6 weeks. For comparative purposes, the effect of acute (24 hr) starvation was also analyzed in a second group of rats relative to a group of control rats allowed free access to food and water over 24 hr.Results showed that the type II fiber‐predominant plantaris muscle exhibited a significant increase in total RNase, RNase A and RNase T1L activities (increases ranged from +59% to +196%; P‐values between 0.025 and 0.01) concomitant with large falls in RNA and protein content. In contrast, none of the RNase activities measured in the type 1 fiber‐predominant soleus muscles were significantly affected; compositional changes were also smaller in the soleus. This effect was independent of reduced nutrition. In conclusion, the raised total RNase, RNase A and RNase T1L activities may contribute to the type II fiber‐specific reduction in total RNA in chronically ethanol‐treated rats. In turn, this may contribute to the alterations in cellular protein metabolism seen under these treatments.
Voluntary Ethanol Drinking During the First Three Postnatal Weeks in Lines of Rats Selectively Bred for Divergent Ethanol Preference
Authors: McKinzie D.L. , Cox R. , Murphy J.M. , Li T.‐K. , Lumeng L. , McBride W.J. 
Published: May 2006

Background: Using a procedure first developed by Hall (1979), we examined ethanol self‐administration in preweanling pups from Wistar rats and in lines of rats selectively bred for divergent ethanol preference (alcohol‐preferring P, alcohol‐nonpreferring NP, high‐alcohol‐drinking HAD‐1 and ‐2, and low‐alcohol‐drinking LAD‐2) to determine if factors contributing to high and low alcohol intakes arc present early in development. Methods: From postnatal days 5 to 20, nondeprived male and female rat pups received 30 min daily access to either water or a 15% (v/v) ethanol solution. In each daily session, pups were placed in a heated chamber containing Kimwipes soakcd with a water or ethanol solution. Pups were weighed before and after each session, and intake levels were calculated as a percentage of body weight change. Results: Similar to previous reports, Wistar pups exhibited over a 2‐fold higher level of ethanol ingestion than water on postnatal days 9 through 14, with ethanol intakes approaching 3 g/kg body weight. When the drinking patterns of the selected lines were examincd, only the HAD replicate lines showed a comparable preference for ethanol versus water during the preweanling period. The ethanol consumption of P, NP, and LAD lines was not consistently distinguishable from water intake levels. To reveal whether early ethanol exposure would influence later ethanol drinking behavior, a subset of HAD and LAD rat pups received free‐choice ethanol access upon weaning. Although the divergent ethanol preference between high‐ and low‐alcohol‐drinking lines was evident within the first 4 days of access (>4 g/kg/day for HAD; <2 g/kg/day for LAD). preweanling ethanol exposure did not alter the acquisition or maintenance of ethanol drinking in cither line. Conclusions: Overall, these results suggest that (a) the enhanced ethanol ingestion observed during the middle portion of the preweanling period is a robust phenomenon and generalizes across nonselected strains of rats, (b) selective breeding for divergent alcohol preference has arrested this age‐specific effect in all hut the HAD lines of rats, and (c) early ethanol exposure does not alter genetic dispositions for later high or low alcohol prefercnce.
Ethanol Suppression of the Functional State of Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes Obtained From Uninfected and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Rhesus Macaques
Authors: Stoltz David A. , Zhang Ping , Nelson Steve , Bohm Rudolf P. , Murphey‐Corb Michael , Bagby Gregory J. 
Published: May 2006

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and alcohol abuse frequently coexist in the host and are known to suppress individually the host response to a variety of opportunistic infections.Methods: This study examined the effects of in vitro ethanol exposure on several functions of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) that were obtained from uninfected and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)‐infected rhesus macaques, at the asymptomatic and terminal stages of infection.Results: The PMNs obtained from rhesus macaques at both the asymptomatic and terminal stage of SIV disease had elevated phagocytic activity and increased CD11b expression compared with PMNs from uninfected animals. In vitro 100 mM ethanol suppressed phagocytosis and CD1lb adhesion molecule expression by PMNs, regardless of the stage of SIV infection. Treatment of PMNs with granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) attenuated the inhibitory effect seen with prior ethanol exposure.Conclusions: Thcsc data demonstrate that the functional state of PMNs from uninfected as well as SIV‐infected rhesus macaques is impaired by direct exposure to intoxicating concentrations of ethanol and that this effect can be attenuated by G‐CSF. If alcohol intoxication similarly suppressed PMN function in vivo. it would further increase susceptibility of these hosts to secondary infections. Furthermore, G‐CSF may be useful in overcoming the suppressive effects of ethanol on PMN function in such patients.
Roles of FMO and CYP450 in the Metabolism in Human Liver Microsomes of S‐Methyl‐N, N‐Diethyldithiocarbamate, a Disulfiram Metabolite
Authors: Pike M. Gennett , Martin Yvette N. , Mays Dennis C. , Benson Linda M. , Naylor Stephen , Lipsky James J. 
Published: May 2006

Background: The conversion of S‐methyl‐N,N‐diethyldithiocarbamate (MeDDC) to MeDDC sulfine is the first step after methylation in the metabolic pathway of disulfiram, an alcohol deterrent, to its ultimate active metabolite. Various isoforms of CYP450 have recently been shown to catalyze this reaction, but the involvement of flavin monooxygenase (FMO) in this metabolism in humans has not been evaluated. In this study we examined the ability of recombinant human FM03 in insect microsomes to metabolize MeDDC, and investigated the relative roles of FMO and CYP450 in the metabolism of MeDDC in human liver microsomes. Methods: HPLC‐mass spectrometry was used to identify the products of MeDDC formed by human liver microsomes and by recombinant human FM03. MeDDC metabolism in human liver microsomes was studied by using either heat inactivation to inhibit FMO, or N‐benzylimidazole (NBI) or antibodies to the CYP450 NADPH reductase to inhibit CYP450. Results: We confirmed by HPLC‐mass spectrometry that MeDDC sulfine was the major product of MeDDC formed by human liver microsomes and by FM03. Recombinant FM03 was an efficient catalyst for the formation of MeDDC sulfine (5.3 ± 0.2 nmol/min/mg, mean ± SEM, n = 6). Inhibition studies showed MeDDC was metabolized primarily by CYP450 in human liver microsomes at pH 7.4, with a 10% contribution from FMO (total microsomal activity 3.1 ± 0.2, n= 17). In the course of this work, methyl p‐tolyl sulfide (MTS), sulfoxidation of which is used by some investigators as a specific probe for FMO activity, was found to be a substrate for both FMO and CYP450 in human liver microsomes. Conclusions: Our results prove that MeDDC sulfine is the major product of MeDDC oxidation in human liver microsomes, MeDDC is a good substrate for human FM03, and MeDDC is metabolized in human liver microsomes primarily by CYP450. We also showed that use of MTS sulfoxidation as an indicator of FMO activity in microsomes is valid only in the presence of a CYP450 inhibitor, such as NBI.
Alcohol Increases Commission Error Rates for a Continuous Performance Test
Authors: Dougherty Donald M. , Moeller F. Gerard , Steinberg Joel L. , Marsh Dawn M. , Hines Stella E. , Bjork James M. 
Published: May 2006

Background: Studying the effects of alcohol on Continuous Performance Test (CPT) performance was of interest for two reasons, i.e., (1) perhaps because of the ease of the task used in previous experiments, alcohol has not been found to impair performance, and (2) CPT commission errors (described below) have been related to impulsive behavior. Methods: In this study, the CPT featured both an Immediate Memory Task (IMT) and a more difficult Delayed Memory Task (DMT). We compared the performance of 18 subjects under both alcohol and placebo conditions, using a within‐subject design. Both the IMT (0.5‐sec delay) and the DMT (3.5‐sec delay, with distracter stimuli at 0.5‐sec intervals) required the subject to respond if a briefly displayed number was identical to the one presented before it. Stimuli included target (identical match), catch (4 of 5 digits matched), and novel (random number) stimuli. On 2 separate days, subjects performed between administrations of three hourly placebo drinks or three hourly drinks containing 0.20 g/kg of alcohol (producing peak breath alcohol concentrations of approximately 0.035%). Results: The main finding was that alcohol consumption increased responses to catch stimuli (i.e., commission errors) in the DMT. In contrast, performance in the IMT (the easier task) was unaffected by alcohol. Commission errors measured during peak breath alcohol concentrations were significantly correlated with scores on the Barratt Impulsivity Scale for both the IMT and DMT. Discriminability (A') between target and catch stimuli was reduced by alcohol for the DMT only. Conclusions: These data indicate that even small amounts of alcohol can produce measurable changes in CPT performance parameters if the task is of sufficient difficulty and that commission errors can be increased by alcohol consumption.
Effects of Ethanol on Intestinal Absorption of Drugs: In Situ Studies with Ciprofloxacin Analogs in Acute and Chronic Alcohol‐Fed Rats
Authors: Ferrando R. , Ganigues T. M. , Bermejo M. V. , Martin‐Algarra R. , Merino V. , Polache A. 
Published: May 2006

Background: Previous work from our laboratory on the effect, in rats, of chronic ethanol intake on the intestinal absorption of ciprofloxacin analogs suggested an increased polarity of the lipoidal membrane constituents without effects on the aqueous environment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of acute ethanol intake on the absorption of the same series of compounds. Methods: The effects of in situ ethanol exposure on intestinal absorption were determined in rats fed either a standard liquid diet or a 5% (w/v) ethanol‐containing liquid diet. Acute intestinal exposure to 5% (w/v) ethanol was performed in situ in each feeding group. The biophysical absorption model was used to establish correlations between the actual absorption rate constants, and the lipophilicity indexes, for each group of rats. Results: Acute exposure to ethanol produces an increase only in the absorption of hydrophilic homologs in both control and chronic ethanol fed groups. This suggests the absence of homeoviscous adaptation of the intestinal membrane. The biophysical model used allows us to discriminate between the effects of acute and chronic ethanol treatment on the intestinal membrane. Conclusions: These results suggest that in contrast to previous reports chronic ethanol treatment increases membrane polarity and acute alcohol intake appears to modify membrane fluidity.