bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Zinc on Hepatic Antioxidant Systems and the mRNA Expression Levels Assayed by cDNA Microarrays in Rats
Authors: Jing Ming-Yan , Sun Jian-Yi , Zi Nai-Tao , Sun Wei , Qian Li-Chun , Weng Xiao-Yan
Published: August 2007

Background: This study evaluated effects of zinc on the hepatic lipid peroxidation, antioxidant components and mRNA expression levels in rats. Methods: Three diets with different Zn levels including Zn adequacy (ZA; 34.50 mg/kg, control), Zn deficiency (ZD; 3.30 mg/kg), and Zn overdose (ZO; 345.45 mg/kg) were fed to rats for 6 weeks. The mRNA expression levels were analyzed by cDNA microarrays. Results: The body weight of rats fed the ZD diet was less (p < 0.01) than that of rats fed the ZA diet. Zn overdose elevated body weight, but the increase was not detected (p > 0.05) at week 6. Although copper and iron status in serum were declined (p < 0.01), those in liver were not affected (p > 0.05) by the high intake of zinc. The glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione (GSH) remained unchanged (p > 0.05) by zinc treatment. Rats fed the ZD diet showed reductions(p < 0.01) in the Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity, and increases (p < 0.01) in the malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents. Rats fed the ZO diet particularly had higher Cu-Zn SOD (p < 0.01) activity. The mRNA expression levels of SOD were upregulated in the ZO group, and CAT was downregulated in the ZD group, while no changes in GPx mRNA levels were found after zinc treatment. Conclusion: The study suggested that zinc deficiency largely decreased body weight; zinc overdose, however, moderately stimulated growth in the early growing phase of rats. High dietary zinc did not compete with liver copper and iron status. Although Zn deficiency impaired antioxidant functions, zinc overdose hardly enhanced the antioxidant systems of animals.
Effects of Various Dietary Amino Acid Preparations for Phenylketonuric Patients on the Metabolic Profiles along with Postprandial Insulin and Ghrelin Responses
Authors: Weigel C. , Rauh M. , Kiener C. , Rascher W. , Knerr I.
Published: August 2007

Aim: We investigated the metabolic profiles along with insulin and ghrelin responses following ingestion of various amino acid (AA) substitutes commonly used in the treatment of phenylketonuria to study the effects of added macronutrients. Methods: Twenty healthy and 6 phenylketonuric adults ingested AA mixtures with or without carbohydrates and fat (Anamix, Easiphen, or p-am 3; 0.35 g AA/kg body weight); milk powder shakes were used for control purposes. Serum AA, glucose, urea, insulin, and ghrelin were measured over 5 h. Results: Peak AA concentrations were achieved at around 60 min postprandially for supplemented AA powders and control shakes, significantly later than for pure AA. Of interest, the mean Phe/Tyr ratio declined by 40–50% in phenylketonuric patients following intake of Easiphen, Anamix, or p-am 3. The insulin peaks, up to 500% as compared with baseline, occurred at 30 min and were approximately 100% higher after intake of AA plus macronutrients. Glucose and urea remained constant. Ghrelin showed a nadir at 60 min, followed by a rise leading to a 30% increase of initial concentrations for pure AA as compared with more constant levels for preparations with macronutrients. Conclusion: An oral AA bolus together with macronutrients retards hyperaminoacidemia, displays a higher insulin secretion, normoglycemia, and more stable ghrelin concentrations, whereas the pure AA tested here exerted weaker anabolic effects.
Lumbar Intradural Extramedullary Bronchiogenic Cyst
Authors: Chongyi S. , Meng Y. , Dejun Y. , Yingjie L. , Qingpeng L.
Published: August 2007

The pathological findings of an intradural and extramedullary cyst at the L1 level of the spinal canal are described in a 28-year-old male who presented with chronic lumbago and progressive weakness and numbness in both lower limbs. Histopathological examination revealed the diagnosis of bronchiogenic cyst. Bronchiogenic cysts in the spinal canal are uncommon, and cysts at the L1 level are extremely rare. Their pathogenesis is still poorly understood. They are thought to be a malformation arising from a split notochordal syndrome. We conclude that intradural extramedullary bronchiogenic cysts may appear also at lumbar levels. Surgical resection can be achieved with good outcome.
Taurine Induces Anti-Anxiety by Activating Strychnine-Sensitive Glycine Receptor in vivo
Authors: Zhang Cheng Gao , Kim Sung-Jin
Published: August 2007

Taurine has a variety of actions in the body such as cardiotonic, host-defensive, radioprotective and glucose-regulatory effects. However, its action in the central nervous system remains to be characterized. In the present study, we tested to see whether taurine exerts anti-anxiety effects and to explore its mechanism of anti-anxiety activity in vivo. The staircase test and elevated plus maze test were performed to test the anti-anxiety action of taurine. Convulsions induced by strychnine, picrotoxin, yohimbine and isoniazid were tested to explore the mechanism of anti-anxiety activity of taurine. The Rotarod test was performed to test muscle relaxant activity and the passive avoidance test was carried out to test memory activity in response to taurine. Taurine (200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reduced rearing numbers in the staircase test while it increased the time spent in the open arms as well as the number of entries to the open arms in the elevated plus maze test, suggesting that it has a significant anti-anxiety activity. Taurine’s action could be due to its binding to and activating of strychnine-sensitive glycine receptor in vivo as it inhibited convulsion caused by strychnine; however, it has little effect on picrotoxin-induced convulsion, suggesting its anti-anxiety activity may not be linked to GABA receptor. It did not alter memory function and muscle activity. Taken together, these results suggest that taurine could be beneficial for the control of anxiety in the clinical situations.
Pleural Fluid PCR Method for Detection of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae in Pediatric Parapneumonic Effusions
Authors: Utine G. Eda , Pinar Ahmet , Özçelik Uğur , Şener Burçin , Yalçin Ebru , Doğru Deniz , Menemenlioğlu Dilek , Gür Deniz , Kiper Nural , Göçmen Ayhan
Published: August 2007

Background: Parapneumonic effusions cause significant morbidity and mortality despite current developments in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Causative microorganisms may remain unidentified in a significant number of patients by cultures and Gram smears. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a molecular technique for the detection of causative bacteria; however, its efficiency in pleural fluids is less known. Objectives: The present study was performed to compare the efficiency of PCR in the detection of the three most common organisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophylus influenzae) with conventional methods. Methods: Twenty-eight consecutive patients with parapneumonic pleural effusions were studied. On admission, pleural fluid samples were obtained for Gram staining, routine culture and PCR analysis for S. aureus, S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae. Results: PCR analysis allowed detection of 11 microorganisms in 10 patients (35.7%), whereas pleural fluid cultures detected the etiological agent in only 2 (7.1%). S. pneumoniae was the most frequent agent. Conclusions: Pleural fluid cultures may have low diagnostic yields, partly due to prior antibiotic use. Pleural fluid PCR analysis may improve the etiologic diagnosis in parapneumonic pleural effusions, with technical advances leading to higher yields than obtained in this study.
Aporias of identity: Bicommunalism, Hybridity and the `Cyprus Problem'
Authors: Constantinou Costas M.
Published: August 2007

This article examines the predicaments and paradoxes of identity politics in Cyprus. It looks at the historical alliance of colonial practices and nationalist rationales that brought about a static bicommunal system, establishing the basis for inter-ethnic conflict, or what became known as the `Cyprus problem'. The advent of modern governmentality, dividing and classifying the Cypriot population, helped, in addition, to solidify fluid and ambiguous ethno-religious boundaries, making it more difficult for individuals to use ethno-religious identities flexibly and pragmatically, including their use as a tactic to resist the policies of consecutive regimes of power. The article suggests that the 'Cyprus problem' provides a moral alibi for the pursuit of a range of problematic regulations and practices against individuals caught between the dominant ethnic identities, even though there also exist windows of opportunity and resistance on the ground. The article focuses on the genealogy and presence of hybrid communities and syncretistic lifestyles, which complicate and transgress the binary of Greek/Christian versus Turk/Muslim, and the existence of which became progressively abnormalized or exoticized.
Does Quality of Life at Older Ages Vary with Socio-Economic Position?
Authors: Blane David , Netuveli Gopalakrishnan , Bartley Mel
Published: August 2007

The increase in life expectancy at middle age has added quality of life to the policy concerns related to older ages. The present article asks whether this quality of life varies with socio-economic position. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (n.d.), the article answers this question in terms of the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification and CASP-19, a measure of positive quality of life in early old age. Among all respondents aged 50 to 75 years, quality of life was found to be graded by social position, with the difference in quality of life between the higher managerial and professional group and the routine group being of comparable size to having a limiting long-standing illness; with the size of this difference varying between labour market sub-groups. The implication of these findings for ageing policy and for the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification are discussed.
Reinterpretation of cultural imperialism: emerging domestic market vs continuing US dominance
Authors: Yong Jin Dal
Published: August 2007

The Korean audio-visual industry has begun producing and exporting domestic television programs and films on a large scale, while reducing imports from the US. The reverse or counter-cultural imperialism, which emphasized the arrival of cultural pluralism, seems to apply in the case of Korea, with the rapid growth of domestic cultural industries and their exports to the East and Southeast Asian regions. The process remains complex, however, because the US still dominates the Korean cultural market through both cultural products and capital. This article investigates the recent development of Korea’s cultural industry as empirical evidence to demonstrate whether cultural imperialism has phased out. It explores Korean cultural product flow in Asia by focusing on product sourcing as well as several dimensions of causality for the increase in exports of cultural products to ascertain the role of the Korean cultural industry in audiovisual product trade in recent years. It then challenges the assertions made by the reverse cultural imperialism thesis and explores whether the concept of cultural imperialism is still useful in explaining the Korean cultural market. The article also analyzes the nature of the transnationalization of the Korea cultural industry as one of the most significant forms of current cultural imperialism
Children's implicit and explicit ethnic group attitudes, ethnic group identification, and self-esteem
Authors: Davis Stephanie C. , Leman Patrick J. , Barrett Martyn
Published: August 2007

An increasing amount of research explores how children distinguish different aspects of ethnic group attitudes. However, little work has focused on how these aspects tie in with other social and psychological processes. In the present study, 112 black and white children aged 5-, 7- and 9-years completed tests of implicit and explicit ethnic group attitudes, racial and ethnic identification, and self-esteem. Whereas all children exhibited coherent identification with ethnicity defined in terms of family ancestry, only black children identified with ethnicity as defined by racial colour terms. There were no differences in black and white children's self-esteem. Children from both ethnic groups stereotyped only the black character. This stereotyping was stable with age. Positivity was greater towards the black than the white target on implicit and explicit tasks. Negativity towards the white target was evidenced on the implicit task. Positivity, but not stereotyping, was greater on the explicit task compared with the implicit task. Black but not white children's in-group identification was associated with implicit in-group stereotypes. Self-esteem was related to in- and out-group stereotyping and positivity for white but not black children. The implications of these results for social identity development theory and social identity theory are discussed.
Emerging ethnic identity and interethnic group social preferences in middle childhood: Findings from the Children of Immigrants Development in Context (CIDC) study
Authors: Marks Amy Kerivan , Szalacha Laura A. , Lamarre Meaghan , Boyd Michelle J. , García Coll Cynthia
Published: August 2007

This study characterizes several aspects of emerging ethnic identity in childhood and its associations with interethnic group social preferences. Understanding these processes is important, as early interethnic group social practices may form a foundation for later interethnic group attitudes and behaviors in adolescence. Children of Cambodian, Dominican, and Portuguese heritage (aged 6—12 years) consistently and accurately identified with labels of their family's nationality of origin across the three study years, and reported strong ethnic pride. In support of existing developmental models of ethnic identity in adolescence, older children demonstrated greater ethnic identity exploration than younger children. Importantly, for second-generation children, a positive sense of ethnic identity was not only associated with ingroup social preferences, but also ethnic outgroup social preferences. Findings are discussed with regard to existing models of ethnic identity development.
Psychiatric Disorders in Adolescence and Early Adulthood and Risk for Child-Rearing Difficulties During Middle Adulthood
Authors: Johnson Jeffrey G. , Cohen Patricia , Kasen Stephanie , Brook Judith S.
Published: August 2007

Data from a community-based longitudinal study were used to investigate the associations of parental psychiatric disorders evident by early adulthood with child-rearing behavior during middle adulthood. A series of psychiatric assessments was conducted during the adolescence (mean ages 14 and 16) and early adulthood (mean age 22) of 153 males and 224 females. Child-rearing behavior was assessed at mean parental age 33 and mean offspring age 8. Parental anxiety, depressive, disruptive, substance use, and personality disorders evident by mean age 22 were each associated with more than one type of problematic child-rearing behavior at mean age 33, after parental and offspring age and sex and co-occurring parental disorders were controlled statistically. Antisocial, borderline, dependent, paranoid, and passive—aggressive personality disorder symptoms during adolescence and early adulthood were independently associated with the overall level of problematic child-rearing behavior at mean age 33.
A qualitative self-study of Retinitis Pigmentosa
Authors: Fourie Robert James
Published: August 2007

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is a retinal dege nerative disease causing progressive blindness. Most research on RP is biomedical, and mostly from an observer perspective, therefore poorly reflecting the lived experience of having RP. Accordingly, the researcher conducted a retrospective qualitative self-study, to analyse reflections on his own experience of diagnosis and receiving a mobility cane, as contained in emails sent to friends and colleagues. This analysis yielded a number of interesting themes significant to the RP experience, namely diagnosis, impact and dealing with RP. Reference is made to literature encouraging ophthalmologists to be actively involved in the facilitation of adjustment to loss of vision. Other significant issues relevant to visual impairment, such as the stigma associated with the long cane and challenging the dominant social discourse regarding disability, are discussed. In addition, the importance of qualitative research to elicit the stories of blind individuals is highlighted.
Emotional intelligence and goal setting — an investigation into interventions to increase motivation to work among visually impaired students in Nigeria
Authors: Eniola Mike S. , Adebiyi Kunle
Published: August 2007

This study examines emotional intelligence and goal setting in enhancing motivation to work among visually impaired students. The study employed a pre- and post-test experimental group design (N = 32) in which participants completed the Work Value Inventory. The study was carried out over a period of six weeks. The results obtained indicated that there was significant difference in the level of motivation of those who had experienced emotional intelligence and goal setting interventions ( F = 7.98; df = 1,28; p < 0.05). Potential further research is discussed.
Information work and the opportunity of innovation
Authors: Cullen John
Published: August 2007

Explains the need for fresh innovation in product development, suggesting that the industries that contributed to the last economic boom will be replaced by new ones in the future. Distinguishes between innovation and creativity, arguing that the two are complementary and that it is increasingly product users, rather than manufacturers, who are the inspiration for product innovations. Posits that, formerly, organizations have over-focused on the technological, whereas in fact innovation rarely happens outside the social. Suggests that information professionals are uniquely well placed to contribute to this process: because they have the equipment and technology to do it; because they constitute a knowledge-gathering node outside the political manoeuvring of the organization; and because they can provide leadership on knowledge about the field of information itself.
New trends in digital terrain analysis: landform definition, representation, and classification
Authors: Deng Yongxin
Published: August 2007

This article provides an ontological as well as methodological evaluation of recent progress in terrain analysis. It focuses on six topographic factors, or existences, that are important in characterizing the biophysical functions of topography: elevation, surface shape, topographic position, topographic context, spatial scale, and landform object. Terrain analysis approaches are assessed according to what they really deal with, as well as how they work. Important trends are consequently identified, in which spatial scale plays critical but non-uniform roles. An index-based approach to the compound function of multiple topographic existences is recognized as successful in modelling surface/subsurface moisture and mass movement potential, but not mountain temperature. A classification scheme categorises defined landforms in the literature according to the way they exist in human knowledge rather than their morphological properties and derivation methods. Five categories are outlined: bona fide objects, prototypical objects, fiat objects, landform classes, and multiscale objects. Peak object delineation is lastly assessed as an example demonstrating some of the recent trends in terrain analysis. Representations of higher-scale landscape context are identified to have great potential of linking vastly different spatial scales, as well as bridging field- versus object-based treatments of the terrain surface.
Lupus Around the World
Authors: Al-Rayes H. , Al-Swailem R. , Arfin M. , Sobki S. , Rizvi S. , Tariq M.
Published: August 2007

This study demonstrates demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics with special reference to infections in Saudi patients with SLE. One-hundred and ninety-nine patients with SLE treated at Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, Saudi Arabia over a period of 15 years (1990—2005) were retrospectively reviewed. There were 162 females and 37 males (4.4 : 1) with an average age of 35 years at onset of disease. Duration of diseases ranged from one to 23 years with a mean of 7.23 years. Some of the clinical characteristics of SLE patients observed were nephritis (53.7%), fever (53.26%), neuropsychological disorder (36.18%), malar/butterfly rash (27.6%), pulmonary disorder (22.6%), photosensitivity (21.6%), cardiac involvement (21.1%) and oral ulcers (19.09%). Infection was the major complication with 58.79% of SLE patient having suffered from various infections. A total of 22 species of pathogens including gram positive and gram negative bacteria, viruses and fungi were isolated from 117 SLE patients. Single to multiple episode of infection with various pathogens were recorded however, majority of patients harboured one or two species of pathogens. Bacterial infection was predominant (78.6%) followed by viral (28.2%) and fungal (28.2%) infections. Forty-four percent of SLE patients were found to be infected with organisms classified as opportunistic. The high incidence of infections in SLE patients may be attributed to the multiple intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors including deficiency of complement (C3 and C4), disease activity, renal impairment, use of glucocorticoid and cytotoxic drugs. It is concluded that more judicious use of corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive agents will be critical to limit the infections in SLE and a high alert and close monitoring of patients will ensure optimal patient outcome, both in terms of morbidity and mortality. Lupus (2007) 16, 755—763.
The New Violent Cartography
Authors: Shapiro Michael J.
Published: August 2007

Mapping the `new violent cartography', an inter-articulation of geographic imaginaries and antagonisms, based on models of identity-difference, this article begins with the analysis of a piece of photo-journalism, an image of a US soldier in a bombed-out bunker during the war in Afghanistan, and goes on to trace the institutions that are part of the contemporary aspects of militarization and securitization constituting the `war on terror'. The article ends with an analysis of the anti-war impetus of cinema and the cinematic spaces of film festivals.
Biopolitics of Specialized Risk: An Analysis of Kidnap and Ransom Insurance
Authors: Lobo-Guerrero Luis
Published: August 2007

This article offers a biopolitical security analytic of kidnap and ransom (K&R) insurance. It suggests that security phenomena should be analysed in terms of the problematizations through which they are expressed. With reference to Foucault's concept of biopower, K&R insurance is studied as part of a security dispositif designed to deal with the problematic of kidnap risk. The biopolitical security that results is aimed at enabling the circulation of the client should a kidnap event occur. As such, it is a personalized private provision of security premised upon the promotion of an individual's capacity to circulate in the future. Using the story of a kidnap event, the article analyses the micro-practices through which a population of `kidnapping prospects' is created, the underwriting process through which prospective clients undergo a security audit, and the forms of security that derive from this dispositif. It argues that the value of the concept of biopower for security analysis is its potential for explaining problematics that are not circumscribed to a fixed referent object but relate to the emergent features of the changing character of the human being.
Transition in Marriage Partner Selection Process
Authors: Shukla Sonal , Kapadia Shagufa
Published: August 2007

The present study was designed to examine matrimonial advertisements as a strategy for marriage partner selection in Hindu Gujarati upper middle class families, with a focus on the relative roles of the individual and the family in the entire process. It also provided insight into the difficulties, compromises, or adjustments experienced by married individuals in the process. Further, the study classified the emerging selection criteria and reasons for prioritising the same in terms of the reflection of individualistic or interrelated psychological orientations, in the context of the partner selection process. The results indicate that matrimonial advertisements are gaining prominence in the realm of marriage partner selection process, which is mainly used for seeking wider options and exercising personal choices. It is difficult to clearly demarcate the relative roles of the individual and the family in partner selection, as they are deeply interwoven in the process dynamics. There is a significant increase in the participation of individuals specifically in terms of articulation of personal preferences. The inputs of the family reflect an attitude of open-mindedness and a willingness to give “space” to individuals to select a partner of their own choice, thereby indicating an “individualist” orientation in a culture that is essentially defined as “collectivist”.
The Actual and Ideal Self-concept in Disabled Children, Adolescents and Adults
Authors: Ittyerah Miriam , Kumar Nimisha
Published: August 2007

The actual and ideal self-concepts of handicapped children, adolescents and adults were studied with the help of questionnaires to compare their responses to body image, skills/abilities, life experience, and social interaction. Results indicated that children had a more positive self-concept than adults and adolescents. Men had a more positive self-concept than females. Further, social interaction and abilities were rated more positively than body image and life experience. Correlations between the actual and ideal selves revealed a positive relation between the actual self and the desired ideal self for all the groups and there were no gender differences. Narrative analysis of the groups revealed that adults held a more positive view of life as compared to adolescents or children. The positive views of the self were a consequence of factors that are largely internal to the respondent, such as the use of mature ways of thinking and maintaining one's self-respect. The negative views of the self were rooted in external factors over which the individual had little or no control such as poverty and negative attitudes of others. Although the female disabled group had a lower selfconcept than males, there was a positive relationship between their actual and ideal selves indicating acceptance of their congenital defects as a challenge to integrate into the mainstream.
Learning Organizations
Authors: Akella Devi
Published: August 2007

Learning organizations have been described in reverential terms like employees’ paradises, good management practices, socialistic models and workplace democracies etc. These organizations provide working environments where the employees and management together reflect on all decisions, resolve all differences, if any, through mutual dialogue, and open communication systems resulting in high levels of trust, co-operation and commitment on the part of the employees which enables generation of learning. To develop such an atmosphere, these organizations adopt flat and flexible structures, use dialogue as a mode of open communication, a personnel oriented managerial style and appraisal systems, which encourage flexibility and creativity. This article will argue that the very essence of learning organizations i.e., its constituting elements or characteristics can be interpreted as a subtle form of a hegemonic control system which could impede the whole process of learning itself.
India as the Global Outsourcing Destination
Authors: Mitra Sumit
Published: August 2007

The Practice of outsourcing has been prevalent in the automobile industry for a very long time. Vehicle brand owners (VBO), also known as assemblers, have developed preferred relationships like Keiretsu with their suppliers to capture the complexities of outsourcing as also to reflect their regional idiosyncrasies. Against the backdrop of the Indian automobile industry becoming increasingly global, a field study conducted on suppliers of automobile components to vehicle manufacturers, captured patterns of outsourcing prevalent and provided interesting insights. Indian auto component suppliers, although aware of global opportunities, are left with little choice in transacting with their clients partly because of their own risk averse, status quo preferences and remaining for want of an efficient mechanism for horizontal cooperation among firms with complementary capabilities to form clusters/groups of globally competitive suppliers. On the other hand, such clusters often lack necessary institutional support leaving individual suppliers dependent on clients for business and growth. While this article investigates the existing relationship between auto assemblers and their suppliers to suggest a not so encouraging picture of global opportunity for the suppliers with pressures of global competition and sourcing, it also highlights areas in which to expect changes before the global opportunity can be leveraged.
Towards Energy Optimization: Emergent Task Allocation in a Swarm of Foraging Robots
Authors: Liu Wenguo , Winfield Alan F. T. , Sa Jin , Chen Jie , Dou Lihua
Published: August 2007

This article presents a simple adaptation mechanism to automatically adjust the ratio of foragers to resters (division of labor) in a swarm of foraging robots and hence maximize the net energy income to the swarm. Three adaptation rules are introduced based on local sensing and communications. Individual robots use internal cues (successful food retrieval), environmental cues (collisions with team-mates while searching for food) and social cues (team-mate success in food retrieval) to dynamically vary the time spent foraging or resting. Simulation results show that the swarm demonstrates successful adaptive emergent division of labor and robustness to environmental change (in food source density), and we observe that robots need to cooperate more when food is scarce. Furthermore, the adaptation mechanism is able to guide the swarm towards energy optimization despite the limited sensing and communication abilities of the individual robots and the simple social interaction rules. The swarm also exhibits the capacity to collectively perceive environmental changes; a capacity that can only be observed at a group level and cannot be deduced from individual robots.
Linked Local Navigation for Visual Route Guidance
Authors: Smith Lincoln , Philippides Andrew , Graham Paul , Baddeley Bart , Husbands Philip
Published: August 2007

Insects are able to navigate reliably between food and nest using only visual information. This behavior has inspired many models of visual landmark guidance, some of which have been tested on autonomous robots. The majority of these models work by comparing the agent's current view with a view of the world stored when the agent was at the goal. The region from which agents can successfully reach home is therefore limited to the goal's visual locale, that is, the area around the goal where the visual scene is not radically different to the goal position. Ants are known to navigate over large distances using visually guided routes consisting of a series of visual memories. Taking inspiration from such route navigation, we propose a framework for linking together local navigation methods. We implement this framework on a robotic platform and test it in a series of environments in which local navigation methods fail. Finally, we show that the framework is robust to environments of varying complexity.
Measurement of Interface Fracture Toughness of Sandwich Structures under Mixed Mode Loadings
Authors: Østergaard Rasmus C. , Sørensen Bent F. , Brøndsted Povl
Published: August 2007

Fracture of sandwich structures loaded with axial forces and bending moments is analyzed in the context of linear elastic fracture mechanics. A closed form expression for the energy release rate of interface cracking of a sandwich specimen is found by analytical evaluation of the J-integral. A method for determining the mode mixity is described and applied. Expressions are presented whereby the mode mixity can be calculated analytically for any load combination when the mode mixity is known for just one load case.

The theory presented is applied to a new test method based on double cantilever beam sandwich specimens loaded with uneven bending moments. The interface fracture toughness of two sandwich types are measured as function of the mode mixity. The sandwich structures that are tested consist of glass fiber reinforced polyester skins and PCV core. The tests show that the interface fracture toughness depends strongly on the mode mixity. Under dominated normal crack opening, the crack grows just below the interface in the core at a constant fracture toughness. Under dominated tangential crack deformation, the crack grows into the laminate resulting in extensive fiber bridging and an increase in fracture toughness. As a result of the development of a large process zone due to fiber bridging, the analysis by linear elastic fracture mechanics becomes invalid and modeling with cohesive zones is proposed.
Buckling Load Design of Sandwich Panels Made with Hybrid Laminated Faces and Transversely Flexible Core
Authors: Aiello Maria Antonieta , Ombres Luciano
Published: August 2007

This article presents an analytical approach for evaluating the buckling load of sandwich panels made of hybrid laminated faces and a transversely flexible core. Useful design indications are obtained once the influence of main parameters influencing the structural response is examined. The proposed model is based on a priori assumption of the displacement field through the thickness, which is composed of two sets of modal configurations, one symmetric and one antisymmetric, besides a pure compressive mode. An equivalent `single layer approach', considering all displacement components (u, v, w) that linearly vary across the panel thickness, is used. For simply supported flat sandwich panels subjected to in-plane biaxial and shear loads, the Rayleigh—Ritz method is used to evaluate the buckling loads. Predictions of the proposed model are compared with those obtained by other available theoretical models and with experimental results. Finally, the best arrangement of sandwich panels, corresponding to the maximum buckling loads, is investigated by varying the parameters of both the faces and the core material.
Global viewing in East London
Authors: Al-Ghabban Ammar
Published: August 2007

This article engages with the understandings, responses and news viewing frameworks of young multi-ethnic, working-class Londoners following the war in Iraq and the so-called 'War on Terror'. Is television news itself viewed as a monolithic entity, either in its own right or as the mouthpiece of whichever regime is in power? Are some viewers more prone to accept the invitations of certain television news discourses than others, while some remain aloof, sceptical and critical? Based on a sustained qualitative analysis of audience research in East London, this article problematizes the often taken-for-granted answers to these questions. It urges a rethinking of simplistic assumptions about the connections between discourses on the TV screen and in the living room. It finds unusual gaps and connections between discourses used by politicians at given points in time and those that affect communities in their material and psychic life in particular places.
News cultures, security and transnational belonging
Authors: Rizvi Sadaf
Published: August 2007

Muslim women have often been stereotyped as being trapped in an oppressive and patriarchal system that neither provides freedom of expression nor develops their full potential. This study addresses such 'misconceptions', highlighting the ability of British Muslim women to construct their religious, national and gender identities by engaging in lively debates and questioning what appears to be unjust. Dominant public and media discourses currently often equate Muslims with 'terrorists'. Muslim women challenge this conception by participating in news cultures and negotiating their transnational citizenship. This study shows that the religious and political cultures of families shape women's perceptions and experiences of security and transnational belonging, rather than education.
Unravelling identities
Authors: Yousuf Zahbia
Published: August 2007

The decision to go to war by the government of the day is assumed to be a decision taken on behalf of all citizens of the nation, conceived as a collective united by a harmony of interests. Yet in the case of the Iraq War, there is clearly no unified voice of support from the British people. There is division between the state and its citizens, and the latter also reflect the multilayered identities of an increasingly multicultural society. How do individuals displaying multilayered identities relate politically, socially and culturally to the abstract, unified idea of Britishness, and how does this impact upon perceptions concerning the legitimacy of state action?
Troublesome convergences
Authors: Schiffauer Werner
Published: August 2007

Post-9/11 developments in the UK and Germany contrast. On the one hand, in the UK, as a consequence of the 'War on Terror', a group which had been promised participation in a multicultural society has been increasingly stigmatized and branded with 'otherness'. On the other hand, in Germany, groups that had previously been 'outside' as 'foreigners' are being selectively accepted into German society, but the groups which are excluded from this process (and even more branded with 'otherness') are notably the Muslims. These different trajectories led to different reactions: embitterment, disappointment and anger in the UK, and cynicism and resignation in Germany. An overall convergence of policies toward Islam is observable not only in Germany and the UK but throughout Europe. It seems to be more related to the construction of a collective European identity than to Islam itself.
Security, media and multicultural citizenship
Authors: Gillespie Marie
Published: August 2007

This special issue reports on a collaborative UK research project which examined how new security challenges are constituted in the intersecting relationships between political and military actors, news producers, news representations and discourses, and news audiences. This article introduces the ethnographic reports which follow, and describes the theoretical premises and methodological strategies of the research. It outlines an innovative, multi-disciplinary methodology - `Integrated Multidisciplinary Media Analysis' - which integrates Collaborative Media Ethnography (a novel method in itself) with institutional and textual analysis. This combination of mutually informing approaches affords unique insights into social and cultural processes. The research process began with explorations of how public knowledge and understanding of security issues relate to and are shaped by everyday cultures of media practice, the subject of the following reports. Combined with the findings of researchers investigating the perceptions and working practices of security-policy and media professionals, and others working on the textual analysis of salient news broadcasts, our study reaches three main conclusions. First, that ritualized interactions between policymakers, journalists and 'citizen audiences' constitute the media-security nexus as a 'battlespace' of mutual disrespect and suspicion. Second, that this exacerbates the marginalization and racialization of many ethnic minority groups but in particular British Muslims, who face declining prospects for multicultural citizenship. Third, that security policymakers must struggle to find public legitimacy in view of the growing scepticism and hostility of national and diasporic news media and audiences.
Articulating the Third World in/and cultural studies
Authors: Lai Ming-yan
Published: August 2007

This article seeks to articulate the Third World in/and cultural studies through a critical interrogation and refiguration of the term with reference to the current condition of global capitalism and its structuring effects on collective struggles. Tracing critiques of the term to the historical connection between the Third World and the nation-form, the article suggests a deterritorialization of the Third World to reclaim its relevance under global capitalism as a discursive site of utopian longings for unity among the oppressed and the creation of alternative futures. The deterritorialized Third World is refigured through a theoretical deployment of `queering' and discussed with reference to the experiences of Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong.
Testing PETUS: Expectations and Outcomes of the
Authors: Dimitrova E.
Published: August 2007

This paper presents the methodological approach applied within the FP5-funded `Practical Evaluation Tools for Urban Sustainability' (PETUS) project to test the applicability of the developed `decision support system' (DSS) with current working practices and varying local conditions in different European countries. The effectiveness criteria applied, the testing strategy, procedures and instruments are outlined. The author analyses the results of the collaboration with potential end-users of the DSS during the testing and discusses the contributions made by testing to the DSS development, to the debate on sustainability in urban policy and in the broader `theory—practice' dialogue. The work shows a need for further mutual learning of theory and practice about urban change, political processes and partnerships to build on the path to sustainable development.
Structural System Identification and Damage Detection using the Intelligent Parameter Varying Technique: An Experimental Study
Authors: Saadat Soheil , Buckner Gregory D. , Noori Mohammad N.
Published: August 2007

The unique capabilities of the intelligent parameter varying (IPV) technique for structural system identification and damage detection have been previously documented via comparative simulations. An intelligent parameter varying (IPV) approach for non-linear system identification of base excited structures. International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics, 39(6), 993—1004; Saadat, S., Noori, M.N., Buckner, G.D., Furukawa, T.D. and Suzuki, Y. (2004). Structural health monitoring and damage detection using an intelligent parameter varying (IPV) technique. International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics, 39(10), 1687—1697). These simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of IPV in detecting the existence and location of damage in base excited structures, and conclude that accuracy is not compromised by the introduction of realistic structural nonlinearities and ground excitation characteristics. This study presents an experimental verification of the IPV technique for structural system identification and damage detection. A scaled three-story, base-excited structure is designed and fabricated for these experiments. The structure is excited using a displacement-controlled shake table, and damage is introduced by triggering the release of cross-bracing tendons, i.e., inducing sudden changes in the restoring forces. Experimental results using harmonic and recorded earthquake excitation data clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of this IPV technique.
Treating Depression and Compensatory Narcissistic Personality Style in a Man With Chronic Lyme Disease
Authors: Leedy Melissa J. , Jackson Melissa , Callahan Jennifer L.
Published: August 2007

The following case study illustrates a client-centered, cognitive-behavioral approach to the psychological treatment of Mr. M, a 41-year-old male diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease, a mood disorder from Lyme disease, and narcissistic personality disorder. Mr. M's personality difficulties are conceptualized as representing compensatory narcissism, a strategic way of coping with feelings of insecurity. The goals of treatment included positively integrating Mr. M's chronic illness into his identity, decreasing depressive symptoms, and improving his interpersonal skills. Treatment was successful in decreasing both Mr. M's depressive symptoms and his narcissistic orientation to thinking and interacting with others.
Patient Perspectives: Barriers to Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies Create Problems for Patients and Survivors
Authors: Fonfa Ann E.
Published: August 2007

There are multiple barriers to better understanding of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches and the use of natural substances to reduce cancer risk. CAM approaches are not patentable, and the pharmaceutical industry has no interest in the area. Research generally approaches concepts from the deconstructionist side: there may be interest in herbal mixtures but its “active” constituents are explored one at a time, missing any synergistic or even additive effects. Little attention has been paid to environmental pollutants and exposures. Most patients believe these are active causes of their disease, but researchers are still exposing animals to one chemical one time, which fails to duplicate human exposures. Attention to lifestyle issues is presented almost solely in terms of obesity—a concept that is a barrier to change by itself. Research animals rarely if ever are fed dietary components that humans normally eat, such as soda or diet soda, potato chips, and high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, artificial flavors, other additives, or combinations of bad fats with too much sugar, too much salt, and artificial ingredients. Long-term treatment effects on survivors may not necessarily require a solely pharmaceutical approach. Drugs to treat each condition separately may require even more drugs to offset the unwanted effects of each. Whole systems approaches to research are urgently needed. A final barrier is that once a treatment is accepted in mainstream, it ceases to be considered “alternative.” The genesis is soon forgotten and the remaining alternative modalities continue to be viewed with suspicion, doubt, and misunderstanding, to the detriment of both patients in treatment and cancer survivors.
State of the Art Review: Advances in Physical Activity and Mental Health: Quality of Life
Authors: McAuley Edward , Morris Katherine S.
Published: August 2007

Biomedical advances and the practice of preventive health behaviors have resulted in an unprecedented growth in the older population of the United States, a trend projected to continue during the next several decades. However, the addition of years to life is no guarantee that those years will be quality years. There is growing evidence to suggest that physical activity is a behavioral modality that is consistently associated with quality of life outcomes. However, there are numerous conceptual, theoretical, and definitional ambiguities associated with this literature. In this review, we examine the literature on physical activity and quality of life in older adults. Specifically, attention is given to the conceptualization of quality of life in the medical and psychological disciplines and how these differential viewpoints influence the outcomes measured and the nature of the relationships reported. We also address the question of whether a dose-response relationship exists between these constructs, as well as the extent to which physical activity is associated with important aspects of cognitive, physical, and psychosocial function. Finally, we propose a multidimensional model for examining the potential mediating and moderating factors in the physical activity and quality-of-life relationship and discuss the practical implications that such a model has for practitioners.