bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ambiguity in the Ego: The Basis of the Self in American Psychoanalytic Theory
Authors: Kelen J. Susan
Published: June 2007

The introduction of ‘the self as a psychoanalytic concept in the United States is traced historically to developments in the ego. This article follows the transition in American psychoanalytic theory over a period of forty years, beginning with Anna Freud. These concepts, ‘ego’and ‘self, have been consistently interrelated, as observed in the formulations on narcissism. The impetus was to correct ambiguities that were seen in Freudian theory and to integrate theory and practice. Initially the self was presented as a self‐representation (Hartmann 1950, Kohut 1966, Kernberg 1966) and later as a supraordinate structure (Kohut 1977, Kernberg 1982). The formulation of the self within the subjective executive functions of the ego (Kernberg 1982) is suggested to be an attempt to place the self within psychoanalytic theory and resolve the ambiguity in Freud's ego concept. The subjective emotional side of the ego and the objective side which results in identity are addressed while the traditional structural formulation is maintained. The integration of subject and object is consistent with philosophical definitions of the self.
Dilemmas of‘Crosscultural Psychotherapy Supervision’
Authors: Batten Cecilia
Published: June 2007

Crosscultural psychotherapy supervision is defined as a specific three‐way interaction. The influences of bilingual and cross‐cultural differences between the therapistpatient dyad and the therapist‐supervisor dyad on the therapeutic and supervisory processes are described. The limitations and advantages of a traditional psychoanalytical model of supervision within a transcultural setting are also explored.
Shame and the Problem of Suicide: A Family Systems Perspective
Authors: Lansky Melvin
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT. Shame, a major yet neglected regulatory affect, is the emotion signalling threat to significant social bonding. Shame is often hidden or veiled by depression, guilt, anger or nonspecific psychic pain. Suicidal persons become flooded with shame if optimal distance to supportive persons is not maintained and the patient feels overregulated, abandoned or exposed as incapable of sustaining meaningful attachments. Details of the patient's sense of shame and protective manoeuvres to avoid shame should be sought in the patient's early familial background. Shame dynamics in current familial functioning or dysfunction should be clarified for effective clinical intervention. Illustrative cases are presented.
Envy, Self‐Esteem and the Fear of Separateness
Authors: Colman Warren
Published: June 2007

SUMMARY. This paper provides a critical discussion of Klein's theory of envy as primary, an innate aspect of the destructive forces. The author argues that envy is the outcome of a defective mother/ infant fit in which the infant's need for illusory omnipotence is not met, resulting in a sense of lack of sufficient internal resources to manage existence as a separate individual (i.e. feelings of worthlessness and helplessness). Envy arises from this sense of lack through the compensatory fantasy of an all‐providing other who possesses the qualities required to fill the gap. If the gap is felt to be intolerable, destructive spoiling ensues as an attempt to obliterate it. This aspect of envy is therefore seen as ultimately defensive rather than, as in Klein's view, a primary impulse against which defences are instituted.
Listening to Silence
Authors: Sabbadini Andrea
Published: June 2007

SUMMARY. I have examined the function of silence ‐ its possible role and meanings ‐ in the psychoanalytic encounter. I have argued that silence is complementary to words in general, and to analytic free‐associations in particular, and that silence in the patient is often more than just the expression of his resistance.

It could be useful to consider the silent space within a session as a sort of container of words ‐words that, for complex, over‐determined, unconscious reasons cannot be uttered. I have insisted on the significance of analytic silences and warned against responding to them either through a retaliatory silence or through a flood of premature interpretations. These inadequate reactions often stem from the analyst's own anxiety evoked in him by the patient's silence.

Anxiety and silence are closely connected. Each silence is a compromise formation, concealing the unconscious fantasy from which it originates, while expressing a conscious one, often related to the transference situation. It is the task of the analyst to listen to his patient's silences in order to help him understand their meanings.
Who's Afraid of Matte Blanco: An Introduction for People with No Mathematical Background
Authors: Mordant Ian
Published: June 2007

SUMMARY
Analysts and therapists have daily to cope with a difficulty, the fact that many of their patients' most important feelings are felt as infinite. For example that boundless despair so often apparent in a depressive patient is a felt infinity. This infinity often masks other unconscious infinities, such as those of boundless guilt, grandiosity or omniscience. It is thus an important aspect of Matte Blanco's work that it draws attention to the whole subject of infinite outcomes. The examination of such outcomes is aided in this paper by illustrations of some useful ways of picturing infinity.

Matte Blanco's work also contains a suggestion as to a major source of these infinities and, in discussing this, this paper will enable an analyst or therapist to look for this source of a particular patient's pathological infinities.

The paper concludes by suggesting some extensions to Matte Blanco's work and some possible auras for future work.
Rescuers and Containers: Fathers and Mothers?
Authors: Gerrard Jackie
Published: June 2007

SUMMARY
This paper explores the internal images of the feminine Container and the masculine Rescuer and suggests that non containment by a mother figure leads to the search for a powerful male Rescuer. I have hypothesised that it is not until the child or patient can find containment and reduce the longing for an external Rescuer, that he or she can find his or her own inner rescuing capacity.
Countertransference and Politics
Authors: Samuels Andrew
Published: June 2007

SUMMARY
There is a more political spirit abroad in depth psychology. In the paper, I set out to politicise the countertransference and clinical theorising about it. Clinical depth psychology is a base for an integration of subjectivity into political discourse. The various ways in which clinicians have managed to overcome anxieties about ‘using’ the countertransference may be helpful to those in politics trying to overcome anxieties about using the subjective factor in political debate and policy formation. I suggest that a political linkage between therapist/analyst and patient may be the element that makes the existence of countertransference as communication possible.
Stop Making Sense: Talking ‐ Cures and Limits
Authors: Bacon Roger
Published: June 2007

This paper starts by suggesting that ‘talking’ in the “talking cure’ is a relatively unexamined phenomenon in psychoanalysis. It then proposes a re‐assessment of talking as an achievement from the interactional perspective of Jerome Bruner and his colleagues. This in turn, it is suggested, has interesting implications both for the notion of ‘cure’, and for the place and function of the analyst in the dynamics of the treatment.
The Transactional Object: Art Psychotherapy in the Treatment of Anorexia
Authors: Schaverien Joy
Published: June 2007

The premise of this paper is that, in the treatment of anorexia, art psychotherapy has a specific contribution to make. In the case of severe eating disorders the client's relationship to food may be understood to be a means of negotiating and mediating between the internal world and the external environment. It is proposed that pictures may also mediate between the inner and outer world of the client and so between the client and the therapist. As an object of transference itself the art object may temporarily, and unconsciously, become a substitute for the use of food. It may serve a positive function as a Transactional Object. This is distinguished from the ‘Transitional Object’ (Winnicott 1971) and the ‘Transformational Object’ (Bollas 1987). The view accords with those who consider that anorexia is a borderline disturbance. Thus the anorexic client is considered to be functioning at a pre‐symbolic level; she is concretising her experience and acting out through the use of food. If this need for concrete expression can be converted from an obsession with food to a use of art materials there is a beginning of a movement towards symbolisation.
A Man of Achievement ‐ Sophocles’ Oedipus
Authors: Williams Meg Harris
Published: June 2007

This paper traces the psychological implications of Sophocles’ treatment of the Oedipus legend, in the light of Bion's concept of‘catastrophic change’ and Keats's of ‘negative capability’. The first‐written play, Antigone, concludes with the curse of revenge which falls when the mind‐city fails to integrate conflicting emotions. The hero of Oedipus Tyrannos, however, overcomes the mindless pessimism which would deflect him from self‐knowledge, by means of a necessary weaning process founded on memories of infancy. Finally, Oedipus at Colonus shows how mental beauty or poetry metamorphoses from the appearance of ugliness and makes ideas transmissible.
Coups d'Etat and Catastrophic Change: Shakespeare's Julius Caesar*
Authors: Margaret  , Rustin Michael
Published: June 2007

Miscommunication, both in the form of deception and self‐deception, is endemic in the action of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. This article investigates why this should be, and links the functions of miscommunication in the play with its psychoanalytic meanings as these have been outlined in particular by Bion. The truth is avoided or manipulated by most of the protagonists of the play as a response to their anxieties about catastrophic change. The fear of the conspirators that Caesar is about to accept a crown is only the focal point of a deeper anxiety about the threat to the Roman republic. The play is shown to illuminate unconscious forces involved in political leadership and mass politics in particular. The preparation and enactment of the assassination add a burden of failed mourning and of unassimilable guilt to already deep anxieties, all of which lead to the cumulative tragedies which the play depicts.
Crossing the Threshold
Authors: Yariv Gail
Published: June 2007

The very first moments of contact with a patient may provide a vital clue to the core dynamic of the therapeutic process.

Some analysts have stressed the importance of the first dream of an analysis. Others have focused on the first session as being seminal. In this paper I want to raise a few questions about what goes on in the very first moments of meeting a patient and its potential implications for the subsequent work. I shall try to differentiate the nature of what occurs and suggest that such differentiations might contribute to assessment, particularly where the initial interview is also the first session with the same therapist.
An Analysis of Intellectual Dysfunction
Authors: Royston Robert
Published: June 2007

Thinking inhibitions may affect a person's academic and professional performance and damage aesthetic enjoyment. They can emerge in the analytic encounter as an inability to digest interpretive ideas and insights. The present paper describes the experience of intellectual blocking and offers a theory to account for the psychodynamics and causes. The argument is traced through three case studies, using an object relations theoretical approach that is distinguished from some other psychoanalytic viewpoints.
The Concept of Transference: A Critique
Authors: Handley Nick
Published: June 2007

In this paper, after noting the history of the development of the concept of transference and its application in clinical pratice, I offer a resume of some major criticisms of the concept. I pay special attention to a critique which may be made from an existential phenomenological perspective. I evaluate the current status of the concept of transference in clinical practice, arguing that the concept of transference should be retained, but placed on a sounder phenomenological footing, as advocated by authors such as May (1961, 1967), Boss (1963, 1979) and Binswanger (1962, 1963).
Report on Psychotherapy Audit in the NHS: How Long Do Patients Stay in Therapy?
Authors: Punter Jale
Published: June 2007

The results of an audit project on treatment length from an NHS department of psychoanalytic psychotherapy are outlined. Average lengths of treatment in individual and group therapy are reported. A discrepancy was found between the ‘prescribed’ length of therapy and length of time actually spent in therapy. The change of practice prompted by the findings of this audit project is explained.
Methods of Identifying Conspicuous Countertransference Reactions
Authors: Holmqvist Rolf
Published: June 2007

In order to understand the significance of countertransference reactions, it is important to separate unexpected and unusual therapist reactions from those that are normal and expected. In this paper, two different perspectives on how to estimate the unusualness of countertransference reactions are presented. The first method compares professionally expected reactions with professionally unexpected reactions. The second method uses the recurrent reaction pattern of the therapist and the recurrent reaction pattern towards the patient to sort out countertransference reactions that can be considered as unusual. The data for the analysis consists of answers by milieu therapists on a check‐list about feelings for patients. The comparison between the methods shows that it is misleading to evaluate a countertransference reaction against a common professional norm. Only when the habitual patterns of therapist and patients are used as norms is it possible to assess the significance of the countertransference reaction.
From Wounded Victims to Scarred Survivors
Authors: Sabbadini Andrea
Published: June 2007

The author reports on working psychotherapeutically with refugees who are ‘victims’, or rather ‘survivors’, of torture. He argues for the importance of understanding their experience of loss and also considers the problem of the recovery of painful memories by suggesting that these patients are trapped by the need to remember what they only wish to forget. As illustration he presents clinical material on patients suffering from anxiety states, sleeplessness and terrifying nightmares resulting from imprisonment and torture, and focuses on the specific aspects of transference and countertransference that emerged in their therapy.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A ‘PSYCHOANALYTIC’ AND A SO‐CALLED ‘NORMAL’, EVERYDAY RELATIONSHIP? THE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN FREUD AND FERENCZI
Authors: Russell Carla
Published: June 2007

Is the form Freud gave to the analytic relationship definitive? This question will be answered by analysing the argumentation in the Freud‐Ferenczi controversy concerning the design of the therapeutic relationship. The current albeit superficial mode of interpretation of this controversy is mainly in terms of a supposed ‘warm’ emotional involvement of the analyst, as opposed to his ‘cold’ aloofness. Fundamentally however, the controversy concerns the way one should delineate the psychoanalytic relationship, as a method of treatment, from our everyday relationships. Freud and Ferenczi are the historical figures exemplifying what can be considered an ongoing debate.

…My recommendations on technique given at the time were essentially negative. I considered it most important to underline what should not be done and to show the temptations opposing analysis. Almost everything to be done positively I left to the ‘tact’ introduced by you. But I aimed not at the obedients who were not aware of the elasticity of my remarks and subjected themselves to my recommendations as if they were taboo‐regulations. This should be revised one day, without, however, doing away with the obligations. Freud in a letter to Ferenczi, 4.1.1928 (Ferenczi 1928a, p. 99)
SHOULD PSYCHOANALYSTS BELIEVE WHAT THEY SAY?
Authors: Smith David L.
Published: June 2007

Science does not rest upon solid bedrock. The bold structure of its theories rises, as it were, above a swamp. It is like a building erected on piles. The piles are driven down from above into the swamp, but not down to any natural or ‘given’ base; and if we stop driving the piles deeper, it is not because we have reached firm ground. We simply stop when we are satisfied that the piles are firm enough to carry the structure, at least for the time being. (Popper 1959, p. 111)
THE ABUSE OF POWER WITHIN THE ANALYTIC SETTING
Authors: Valentine Marguerite
Published: June 2007

This paper explores how a therapeutic encounter may be experienced as abusive by the patient. Avoiding explanations of either patient inadequacy or therapist incompetency, it argues that political and institutional dynamics, based on power broking and competition between theoretical and institutional ‘views of the world’, may become enacted out within an analysis, to the detriment of the patient.

The [psychoanalytic] imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals. It enables him to take into account how individuals, in the welter of their daily experience, often become falsely conscious of their social positions. (C. Wright Mills 1970, p. 12)1
THE HOLOCAUST AND THE POWER OF POWERLESSNESS: SURVIVOR GUILT AN UNHEALED WOUND
Authors: Garwood Alfred
Published: June 2007

The four elements of the trauma suffered by Holocaust survivors are powerlessness, annihilation anxiety, object loss and torture. A central and persistent component of the so‐called survivor syndrome is survivor guilt. Classical theories of guilt do not explain it satisfactorily. Psychoanalysis or psychodynamic therapy for survivors is one of the most difficult challenges due to the powerful countertransferences that the therapists must struggle with. The essential psychic process underlying survivor guilt is self blame which is a defensive omnipotent phantasy. Powerlessness and annihilation threat resurrect unconscious memories of neonatal helplessness, dependency, vulnerability and primal agony, generating the need for defensive omnipotence. In the traumatic environment created by the Nazis, self blame was virtually the inevitable psychic defence. It has persisted because mourning is obstructed by the conscious and unconscious fear of being overwhelmed by the re‐emergence of the originating feelings of powerlessness, annihilation anxiety and pain of object loss. Adaptive and maladaptive defences are used throughout later life which attempt to avoid powerlessness and loss. Healing can still take place through creative reparation and memorialization which may facilitate successful mourning.
Initial Stage of Natural Convection Over a Hot Aerosol Sphere
Authors: Mograbi Elaad , Bar-Ziv Ezra
Published: June 2007

Background: Analytical study is presented on the transient problem of buoyancy-induced motion due to the presence of a hot aerosol sphere in unbounded quiescent fluid. Method of Approach: Because the initial flow field is identically zero, the initial stage of the process is governed by viscous and buoyancy forces alone where the convective inertial terms in the momentum and energy balances are negligible, i.e., the initial development of the field is a linear process. The previous statement is examined by analyzing the scales of the various terms in the Navier-Stokes and energy equations. This scale analysis gives qualitative limitations on the validity of the linear approximation. A formal integral solution is obtained for arbitrary Prandtl number and for transient temperature field. Results: We consider, in detail, the idealized case of vanishing Prandtl number for which the thermal field is developed much faster than momentum. In this case, analytical treatment is feasible and explicit expressions for the field variables and the drag acting on the particle are derived. Detailed quantitative analysis of the spatial and temporal validity of the solution is also presented. Conclusions: The linear solution is valid throughout space for t<10 diffusion times. For t>10, an island in space appears in which inertial effects become dominant. The transient process is characterized by two different time scales: for short times, the development of the field is linear, while for small distances from the sphere and finite times, it is proportional to the square root of time. The resultant drag force acting on the sphere is proportional to the square root of time throughout the process.
Numerical Study of the Injection Process in a Transonic Wind Tunnel—Part I: The Design Point
Authors: Falcão Filho João B. P. , Ortega Marcos A.
Published: June 2007

Injectors are to be installed in a transonic wind tunnel with the ultimate objective of expanding the Reynolds number envelope. The aim of this research effort is to numerically simulate the steady mixing process involving the supersonic jets and the tunnel subsonic main stream. A three-dimensional, Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes numerical code was developed following the main lines of the finite-difference diagonal algorithm, and turbulence effects are accounted for through the use of the Spalart and Allmaras one-equation scheme. This paper focuses on the “design point” of the tunnel, which establishes (among other specifications) that the static pressures of both streams at the entrance of the injection chamber are equal. Three points are worth noting. The first is related to the numerical strategy that was introduced in order to mimic the real physical process in the entire circuit of the tunnel. The second corresponds to the solution per se of the three-dimensional mixing between several supersonic streams and the subsonic main flow. The third is the calculation of the “engineering” parameters, that is, the injection loss factor, gain, and efficiency. Many interesting physical aspects are discussed, and among them, the formation of three-dimensional shocks’ and expansions’ “domes”
Experimental Leak-Rate Measurement Through a Static Metal Seal
Authors: Marie Christophe , Lasseux Didier
Published: June 2007

This paper presents an experimental study to characterize fluid leakage through a rough metal contact. The focus is on an original experimental setup and procedure designed to measure the fluid micro (or nano) leak rate with great precision over several orders of magnitude. Liquid leak-rate measurements were carried out under two distinct operating conditions, i.e., in the case of a pressure gradient applied between contact edges and in the case of a pure diffusive effect resulting from a species concentration gradient. Experimental leak-rate results are discussed in terms of effective contact permeability—or transmissivity—and in terms of effective contact diffusivity versus contact tightening.
The Asymmetry of the Large-Scale Structures in Turbulent Three-Dimensional Wall Jets Exiting Long Rectangular Channels
Authors: Hall J. W. , Ewing D.
Published: June 2007

The development of the large-scale structures in three-dimensional wall jets formed using long rectangular channels with aspect ratios of 1 and 4 was investigated using measurements of the fluctuating wall pressure and point measurements of the turbulent velocity throughout the near and intermediate field. The instantaneous pressure fluctuations in both jets were laterally asymmetric causing the fluctuating wall pressure to be poorly correlated across the jet centerline. A frequency-dependent proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) of the fluctuating pressure measurements indicated that the first two mode shapes were opposite and each mode made similar contributions to the mean square fluctuations at all frequencies in order to capture the instantaneous asymmetry of the pressure field. The mode shapes in the intermediate field of both jets were strongly frequency dependent, and a subsequent wavelet analysis indicated that there are both large-scale horseshoe structures that span one-half of the jet and separate, smaller, near-wall structures located near the jet centerline. The initial development of the large-scale structures in the two jets differed, with the most energetic fluctuations being more antisymmetric in the square jet.
Modulation of the Cellular Accumulation and Intracellular Activity of Daptomycin towards Phagocytized
Staphylococcus aureus
by the P-Glycoprotein (MDR1) Efflux Transporter in Human THP-1 Macrophages and Madin-Darby Canine Kidney Cells
Authors: Lemaire Sandrine , Van Bambeke Françoise , Mingeot-Leclercq Marie-Paule , Tulkens Paul M.
Published: June 2007

P-glycoprotein (P-gp; MDR1), a major efflux transporter, recognizes various antibiotics and is present in macrophages. We have examined its effect on the modulation of the intracellular accumulation and activity of daptomycin towards phagocytized
Staphylococcus aureus
(ATCC 25923) in human THP-1 macrophages, in comparison with MDCK epithelial cells (wild type and MDCK-MDR1 overexpressing P-gp; the bulk of the protein was immunodetected at the surface of all three cell types). Daptomycin displayed concentration-dependent intracellular activity (Hill equation pattern) in THP-1 and MDCK cells with (i) 50% effective drug extracellular concentration (EC
50
; relative potency) and static concentrations at 9 to 10 times the MIC and (ii) maximal efficacy (
E
max
; CFU decrease at infinite extracellular drug concentration) at 1.6 to 2 log compared to that of the postphagocytosis inoculum. Verapamil (100 μM) and elacridar (GF 120918; 0.5 μM), two known inhibitors of P-gp, decreased daptomycin EC
50
(about threefold) in THP-1 and MDCK cells without affecting
E
max
. Daptomycin EC
50
was about three- to fourfold higher and accumulation in MDCK-MDR1 commensurately lower than in wild-type cells. In THP-1 macrophages, (i) verapamil and ATP depletion increased, and ouabain (an inducer of
mdr1
[the gene encoding P-gp] expression) decreased the accumulation of daptomycin in parallel with that of DiOC
2
(a known substrate of P-gp); (ii) silencing
mdr1
with duplex human
mdr1
siRNAs reduced the cell content in immunoreactive P-gp to 15 to 30% of controls and caused an eight- to 13-fold increase in daptomycin accumulation. We conclude that daptomycin is subject to efflux from THP-1 macrophages and MDCK cells by P-gp, which reduces its intracellular activity against phagocytized
S. aureus
.
Levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease: clinical features, pathogenesis, prevention and treatment
Authors: Thanvi Bhomraj , Lo Nelson , Robinson Tom
Published: June 2007

Levodopa is the most effective drug for treating Parkinson's disease. However, long-term use of levodopa is often complicated by significantly disabling fluctuations and dyskinesias negating its beneficial effects. Younger age of Parkinson's disease onset, disease severity, and high levodopa dose increase the risk of development of levodopa-induced dyskinesias (LID). The underlying mechanisms for LID are unclear though recent studies indicate the importance of pulsatile stimulation of striatal postsynaptic receptors in their pathogenesis. The non-human primates with MPTP-induced parkinsonism serve as a useful model to study dyskinesia. Once established, LID are difficult to treat and therefore efforts should be made to prevent them. The therapeutic and preventative strategies for LID include using a lower dosage of levodopa, employing dopamine agonists as initial therapy in Parkinson's disease, amantadine, atypical neuroleptics, and neurosurgery. LID can adversely affect the quality of life and increase the cost of healthcare.
Endoscopic mucosal resection of Barrett's oesophagus containing dysplasia or intramucosal cancer
Authors: Seewald S , Ang T L , Soehendra N
Published: June 2007

Barrett's oesophagus is premalignant. Oesophagectomy is traditionally regarded as the standard treatment option in the presence of high grade intraepithelial neoplasia or intramucosal cancer. However, oesophagectomy is associated with high rates of mortality and morbidity. Endoscopic ablative therapies are limited by the lack of tissue for histological assessment, and the ablation may be incomplete. Endoscopic mucosal resection is an alternative to surgery in the management of high grade intraepithelial neoplasia and intramucosal cancer. It is less invasive than surgery and, unlike ablative treatments, provides tissue for histological assessment. This review will cover the indications, techniques and results of endoscopic mucosal resection.
Sulfasalazine-induced immune thrombocytopenia
Authors: Cantarini L , Tinazzi I , Biasi D , Fioravanti A , Galeazzi M
Published: June 2007

Sulfasalazine is a well established disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug commonly used in the treatment of rheumatic disorders and inflammatory bowel disease. Sulfasalazine was generally well tolerated in clinical trials, the most frequently reported adverse effects being adverse gastrointestinal effects, headache, dizziness and rash; myelosuppression can also occur. We are now reporting the first case of autoimmune thrombocytosis following sulfasalazine treatment.
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
Authors: Koulaouzidis A , Bhat S , Karagiannidis A , Tan W C , Linaker B D
Published: June 2007

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is the infection of ascitic fluid in the absence of any intra-abdominal, surgically treatable source of infection. Despite timely diagnosis and treatment its reported incidence in ascitic patients varies between 7–30%. Ascitic paracentesis remains the chief diagnostic procedure. Automated cell counters have the same diagnostic accuracy as the manual measurement of white cells. Lately, the use of leucocyte reagent strips (dipsticks) has emerged as a useful alternative. Examination of the fluid is not complete unless the sample is inoculated in blood culture bottles. Treatment is currently with third-generation cephalosporins or oral quinolones. Following a single episode of SBP patients should have long term antibiotic prophylaxis.
A THREE-DETECTOR MEASURING SYSTEM USING A PURE-Ge DETECTOR
Authors: SERA K. , TERASAKI K. , MURAO S. , FUTATSUGAWA S. , SAITOH Y.
Published: June 2007

A three-detector measuring system making use of a pure- Ge detector combined with two Si ( Li ) detectors has been developed. The efficiency curve of the pure- Ge detector has been determined easily as relative efficiencies to those of the existing Si ( Li ) detectors, since this system allows us to analyze a sample with the pure- Ge and the Si ( Li ) detectors simultaneously under the same irradiating conditions. It is found that detection efficiencies of the pure- Ge detector decrease just above the absorption edge of Ge owing to absorption of X-rays in the dead layer of the detector. Accuracy of the efficiency curve thus obtained was confirmed by analyzing a few samples whose elemental concentrations are known. It is confirmed that a pure- Ge detector can be used in place of a Si ( Li ) detector for the purpose of analysis of elements Z ≧ 19, since its energy resolution is almost equal to that of a high-performance Si ( Li ) detector and efficiencies at high energies are far better. Moreover, it becomes possible to detect prompt γ-rays and to analyze light elements such as fluorine, which arouses much interest from the point of view of environmental contamination. Detection limit of fluorine is found to be less than 0.1 ppm for water samples.
DIAGNOSIS OF SPATIAL RESOLUTION FOR MICROBEAM SCANNING PIXE USING STIM METHOD AND CR-39 TRACK DETECTOR IN PASTA
Authors: Hamano T. , Imaseki H. , Yukawa M. , Ishikawa T. , Iso H. , Matsumoto K.
Published: June 2007

In PIXE analysis system and Tandem Accelerator facility (PASTA) of NIRS, we are using Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy (STIM) method and solid track detector to diagnose the spatial resolution of scanning microbeam PIXE analysis system. These methods are widely used by many microbeam facilities.
MULTI-SITE AEROSOL MONITORING USING MINI STEP SAMPLER
Authors: Matsuyama S. , Katoh K. , Sugihara S. , Ishii K. , Yamazaki H. , Satoh T. , Amartaivan Ts. , Tanaka A. , Komori H. , Hotta K. , Izukawa D. , Mizuma K. , Orihara H. , Nakamura E. , Satoh N. , Futatsugawa S. , Sera K.
Published: June 2007

We developed mini step samplers with low manufacturing and running costs for application in multi-site air-pollution monitoring. The miniaturization of the sampler was achieved by reducing the suction nozzle size. We tested the samplers with suction nozzle diameters of 2 and 4 mm through simultaneous exposure in the same site. Elemental concentrations of aerosol collected by these samplers were consistent within ±20% during comparison and the sample uniformity did not differ significantly. Sampling with small suction nozzle did not adversely affect aerosol collection. Aerosol samples were collected simultaneously at two sites in our laboratory and in the hall outside for 3 days and analyzed subsequently by PIXE. The time variation of elemental concentrations was high during daytime and low at night time and also during the weekend. Elemental concentrations in the hall were always higher than those in the laboratory. In our laboratory, we change shoes at the entrance and therefore, elemental concentrations inside the lab are lower than in the hall. In a second field experiment, we carried out simultaneous multi-site aerosol sampling during two periods in correlation with meteorological data (wind direction and velocity). It was observed that elemental concentrations of some soil origin elements changed periodically. On the other hand, the concentration of Cu and Zn showed irregular concentration spikes whose pattern showed a variation with the sites. Analysis using the data of wind directions showed that Cu had been transported to the sites from northeasterly direction and that the concentration of Zn was influenced by two big factories nearby. In conclusion, it has been demonstrated that the multi-site sampling system combined with meteorological data is well suited to identify sources of pollution.
Fluid-Structure Interaction Analyses of Stented Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
Authors: Kleinstreuer C. , Li Z. , Farber M.A.
Published: June 2007

Rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) alone is the thirteenth leading cause of death in the United States. Thus, reliable AAA-rupture risk prediction is an important advancement. If repair becomes necessary, the minimally invasive technique of inserting a stent-graft (SG), commonly referred to as endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), is a viable option in many cases. However, postoperative complications, such as endoleaks and/or SG migration, may occur. Computational fluid-structure interaction simulations provide physical insight into the hemodynamics coupled with multi-wall mechanics’ function as an assessment tool for optimal SG placement and improved device design.
Phage Integration and Chromosome Structure. A Personal History
Authors: Campbell Allan
Published: June 2007

In 1962, I proposed a model for integration of λ prophage into the bacterial chromosome. The model postulated two steps (i) circularization of the linear DNA molecule that had been injected into the cell from the phage particle; (ii) reciprocal recombination between phage and bacterial DNA at specific sites on both partners. This resulted in a cyclic permutation of gene order going from phage to prophage. This contrasted with integration models current at the time, which postulated that the prophage was not inserted into the continuity of the chromosome but rather laterally attached or synapsed with it. This chapter summarizes some of the steps leading up to the model including especially the genetic characterization of specialized transducing phages (λgal) by recombinational rescue of conditionally lethal mutations.

The serendipitous discovery of the conditional lethals is also described.
Strain Tuning of Ferroelectric Thin Films
Authors: Schlom Darrell G. , Chen Long-Qing , Eom Chang-Beom , Rabe Karin M , Streiffer Stephen K , Triscone Jean-Marc
Published: June 2007

Predictions and measurements of the effect of biaxial strain on the properties of epitaxial ferroelectric thin films and superlattices are reviewed. Results for single-layer ferroelectric films of biaxially strained SrTiO3, BaTiO3, and PbTiO3 as well as PbTiO3/SrTiO3 and BaTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices are described. Theoretical approaches, including first principles, thermodynamic analysis, and phase-field models, are applied to these biaxially strained materials, the assumptions and limitations of each technique are explained, and the predictions are compared. Measurements of the effect of biaxial strain on the paraelectric-to-ferroelectric transition temperature (TC) are shown, demonstrating the ability of percent-level strains to shift TC by hundreds of degrees in agreement with the predictions that predated such experiments. Along the way, important experimental techniques for characterizing the properties of strained ferroelectric thin films and superlattices, as well as appropriate substrates on which to grow them, are mentioned.
Role of Dietary Proteins and Amino Acids in the Pathogenesis of Insulin Resistance
Authors: Tremblay Frédéric , Lavigne Charles , Jacques Hélène , Marette André
Published: June 2007

Dietary proteins and amino acids are important modulators of glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Although high intake of dietary proteins has positive effects on energy homeostasis by inducing satiety and possibly increasing energy expenditure, it has detrimental effects on glucose homeostasis by promoting insulin resistance and increasing gluconeogenesis. Varying the quality rather than the quantity of proteins has been shown to modulate insulin resistance induced by Western diets and has revealed that proteins derived from fish might have the most desirable effects on insulin sensitivity. In vitro and in vivo data also support an important role of amino acids in glucose homeostasis through modulation of insulin action on muscle glucose transport and hepatic glucose production, secretion of insulin and glucagon, as well as gene and protein expression in various tissues. Moreover, amino acid signaling is integrated by mammalian target of rapamycin, a nutrient sensor that operates a negative feedback loop toward insulin receptor substrate 1 signaling, promoting insulin resistance for glucose metabolism. This integration suggests that modulating dietary proteins and the flux of circulating amino acids generated by their consumption and digestion might underlie powerful new approaches to treat various metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
Energy Metabolism During Human Pregnancy
Authors: Forsum Elisabet , Löf Marie
Published: June 2007

This review summarizes information regarding how human energy metabolism is affected by pregnancy, and current estimates of energy requirements during pregnancy are presented. Such estimates can be calculated using either increases in basal metabolic rate (BMR) or increases in total energy expenditure (TEE). The two modes of calculation give similar results for a complete pregnancy but different distributions of energy requirements in the three trimesters. Recent information is presented regarding the effect of pregnancy on BMR, TEE, diet-induced thermogenesis, and physical activity. The validity of energy intake (EI) data recently assessed in well-nourished pregnant women was evaluated using information regarding energy metabolism during pregnancy. The results show that underreporting of EI is common during pregnancy and indicate that additional longitudinal studies, taking the total energy budget during pregnancy into account, are needed to satisfactorily define energy requirements during the three trimesters of gestation.
Metabolic Regulation and Function of Glutathione Peroxidase-1
Authors: Lei Xin Gen , Cheng Wen-Hsing , McClung James P.
Published: June 2007

Glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPX1) represents the first identified mammalian selenoprotein, and our understanding in the metabolic regulation and function of this abundant selenoenzyme has greatly advanced during the past decade. Selenocysteine insertion sequence–associating factors, adenosine, and Abl and Arg tyrosine kinases are potent, Se-independent regulators of GPX1 gene, protein, and activity. Overwhelming evidences have been generated using the GPX1 knockout and transgenic mice for the in vivo protective role of GPX1 in coping with oxidative injury and death mediated by reactive oxygen species. However, GPX1 exerts an intriguing dual role in reactive nitrogen species (RNS)-related oxidative stress. Strikingly, knockout of GPX1 rendered mice resistant to toxicities of drugs including acetaminophen and kainic acid, known as RNS inducers. Intracellular and tissue levels of GPX1 activity affect apoptotic signaling pathway, protein kinase phosphorylation, and oxidant-mediated activation of NFκB. Data are accumulating to link alteration or abnormality of GPX1 expression to etiology of cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, autoimmune disease, and diabetes. Future research should focus on the mechanism of GPX1 in the pathogeneses and potential applications of GPX1 manipulation in the treatment of these disorders.
Genomic Insights into the Contribution of Phytopathogenic Bacterial Plasmids to the Evolutionary History of Their Hosts
Authors: Sundin George W.
Published: June 2007

Plasmids are common residents of phytopathogenic bacteria and contribute significantly to host evolution in a multi-faceted manner. Plasmids tend to encode determinants of virulence and ecological fitness that can enhance adaptation to a specific niche or can influence niche expansion. Many of these determinants appear to have been acquired from other bacteria via horizontal transfer, illustrating an important function of plasmids in the acquisition of sequences that enable rapid evolution. These genes can ultimately be delivered to the host chromosome through plasmid integration events, thus stabilizing important acquired determinants within the genome. Most plasmids characterized in phytopathogenic bacteria are self-transmissible and possess suites of genes encoding type IV secretion systems. In addition, the phytopathogenic bacterial plasmid “mobilome” includes insertion sequence and other transposable elements that contribute to the movement of sequences within and between genomes. Possession of mosaic and ever-changing plasmids allows phytopathogenic bacteria to maintain a dynamic, flexible genome and possible advantage in host-pathogen and other environmental interactions that belies the concept of plasmids as apparently selfish genetic elements.
The Epidemiology and Management of Seedborne Bacterial Diseases
Authors: Gitaitis Ronald , Walcott Ronald
Published: June 2007

Although seed production has been moved to semiarid regions to escape seedborne pathogens, seedborne bacterial diseases continue to be problematic and cause significant economic losses worldwide. Infested seeds are responsible for the re-emergence of diseases of the past, movement of pathogens across international borders, or the introduction of diseases into new areas. Considerable attention has been paid to improving the sensitivity and selectivity of seed health assays by using techniques such as flow cytometry and the polymerase chain reaction. There has also been progress in understanding infection thresholds and how they influence seed sample size determination and ultimately the reliability of seed health testing. Disease development and dissemination of pathogens from contaminated seedlots can be predicted using formulas that take into account inoculum density and environmental pressures. In general, seeds infested with bacterial pathogens are distributed within a Poisson distribution. In a subset of contaminated seeds, bacteria are distributed in non-Gaussian distributions, e.g., a lognormal distribution.
Cell Wall–Associated Mechanisms of Disease Resistance and Susceptibility
Authors: Hückelhoven Ralph
Published: June 2007

The plant cuticle and cell wall separate microbial pathogens from the products of plant metabolism. While microbial pathogens try to breach these barriers for colonization, plants respond to attempted penetration by a battery of wall-associated defense reactions. Successful pathogens circumvent or suppress plant nonself recognition and basal defense during penetration and during microbial reproduction. Additionally, accommodation of fungal infection structures within intact cells requires host reprogramming. Recent data highlight that both early plant defense to fungal penetration and host reprogramming for susceptibility can function at the host cell periphery. Genetic evidence has also widened our understanding of how fungal pathogens are restricted during penetration at the plant cell wall. This review summarizes the current view of how plants monitor and model their cell periphery during interaction with microbial invaders.
The Sociology of Markets
Authors: Fligstein Neil , Dauter Luke
Published: June 2007

The sociology of markets has been one of the most vibrant fields in sociology in the past 25 years. There is a great deal of agreement that markets are social structures characterized by extensive social relationships between firms, workers, suppliers, customers, and governments. But, like in many sociological literatures, the theory camps that have formed often seem to speak by each other. We show that some of the disagreement between theory camps is due to differences in conceptual language, and other disagreements stem from the fact that theory camps ignore the concepts in other theory camps, thereby making their theories less complete. We end by considering deeper controversies in the literature that seem open both to new conceptualization and further empirical research.
Minimally invasive radio-guided parathyroidectomy on a group of 452 primary hyperparathyroid patients
Authors: Mariani G. , Pelizzo M. R. , Rubello D. ,   Italian Study Group of Radioguided Surgery and ImmunoScintigraphy (GISCRIS)
Published: June 2007

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of minimally invasive radio-guided parathyroidectomy (MIRP) in primary hyperparathyroid (PHPT) patients. Patients, methods: 452 consecutive PHPT patients were evaluated. Inclusion criteria for MIRP were (a) evidence at scintigraphy of a solitary parathyroid adenoma (PA); (b) a clear sestamibi uptake in the PA; (c) the absence of concomitant thyroid nodules; (d) no history of familial HPT or MEN; (e) no history of previous neck irradiation. Intra-operative protocol consisted of the injection of a low 37 MBq sestamibi dose in the operating suite 10 min before surgery. A hand held 11-mm collimated gamma probe was used. Quick PTH (QPTH) was routinely measured. Results: 344 out of the 452 patients met the inclusion criteria, and MIRP was successfully performed in 321 of them (93.3%). No major intra-operative complication was recorded. MIRP required a mean operative time of 32 min, and a mean hospital stay of 1.2 d. The parathyroid to background ratio (P/B) calculated by the probe was well correlated with the P/B calculated by sestamibi SPECT (r = 0.91; p <0.01), while no significant correlation was found between the probe-calculated P/B and the P/B calculated at planar sestamibi scan. Conclusions: In our experience: a) an accurate preoperative localising imaging protocol based on planar and SPECT sestamibi scan, and neck US is effective in selecting PHPT patients for MIRP, b) the P/B calculated by sestamibi SPECT seems able to predict the probe-calculated P/B more accurately than the P/B calculated at planar scan, c) the low 37 MBq sestamibi dose protocol proved to be a safe and effective approach to perform MIRP.