bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polynomial‐time computability of the edge‐reliability of graphs using Gilbert′s formula
Authors: Marlowe Thomas J. , Schoppmann Laura
Published: April 2007

Reliability is an important consideration in analyzing computer and other communication networks, but current techniques are extremely limited in the classes of graphs which can be analyzed efficiently. While Gilbert′s formula establishes a theoretically elegant recursive relationship between the edge reliability of a graph and the reliability of its subgraphs, naive evaluation requires consideration of all sequences of deletions of individual vertices, and for many graphs has time complexity essentially
Θ
(N!). We discuss a general approach which significantly reduces complexity, encoding subgraph isomorphism in a finer partition by invariants, and recursing through the set of invariants.

We illustrate this approach using threshhold graphs, and show that any computation of reliability using Gilbert′s formula will be polynomial‐time if and only if the number of invariants considered is polynomial; we then show families of graphs with polynomial‐time, and non‐polynomial reliability computation, and show that these encompass most previously known results.

We then codify our approach to indicate how it can be used for other classes of graphs, and suggest several classes to which the technique can be applied.
Pattern of Local Recurrence After Conservative Surgery and Radiotherapy for Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Authors: Cleator Susan J. , Cottrill Chris , Harmer Clive
Published: April 2007

Purpose: Over the past three decades our centre has adopted a policy of conservative surgery followed by adjuvant radicaldose
radiotherapy for medium‐and high‐grade soft tissue sarcomas. For all cases of local recurrence following this treatment
we aimed to define the spatial relationship between sites of recurrence and the positions of the phase 1 and 2 radiotherapy
volumes.

Patients: We identified 25 cases of local recurrence recorded on our soft tissue sarcoma database between 1986 and 1999
inclusive. We excluded patients with macroscopic residual disease following surgery. Most patients were treated with a phase
I volume corresponding to the entire muscle compartment (50 Gy in 25 fractions over 5 weeks) and a phase II volume corresponding
to the tumour bed (10 Gy in five fractions). Six of the patients were treated according to a hyperfractionated
regimen.

Methods: For each case we reviewed the diagnostic imaging, planning radiographs and prescription sheets. We audited
whether treatment had been given according to protocol and defined whether recurrence had arisen in the phase 1 volume,
phase 2 volume or ‘out of field’.

Results: Four (16%) patients recurred within the phase I volume, 17 (68%) recurred within the phase II volume and four
(16%) outside the irradiated volume including one marginal recurrence. In six patients there had been deviation from our
radiotherapy protocol (usually unavoidable) including all three true out of field recurrences.

Discussion: The majority of recurrences occur in the phase 2 volume. Prospective multi‐centre data collection and, ideally,
a prospective randomised trial are required to formulate an improved treatment policy with respect to radiotherapy margins
and dose.
Leiomyosarcoma of the Great Saphenous Vein: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Marle Alexander G. J. , Bronkhorst Maarten W. G. A. , Brouwers Mark A. M.
Published: April 2007

Introduction: Leiomyosarcoma of the venous system is rare, even more so in the greater saphenous vein. In the 85 years since
van Ree described the first case in 1919 only 25 cases have been reported in the world.

Methods: We describe a case of an 85‐year‐old woman who was successfully treated by excision of the tumour. We also
reviewed pertinent literature with regard to age, gender spread, tumour size, survival, occurrence of metastases and therapy.

Results: The median age was 54 years (range 2–85 years), with a 3:2 female to male ratio. The median size of the tumours was
4.1 cm (range 2–12 cm) and metastases occurred in seven of the 25 cases. If any form of adjuvant therapy is used it is usually
radiotherapy. Chemotherapy seems to be reserved for cases where metastasis occurs. Average survival was 4 years (range
1 month to 17 years). Currently the best treatment seems to be wide excision of the tumour, with selective vascular
reconstruction combined with adjuvant radiotherapy.
Targeted and Untargeted CD137L Fusion Proteins for the Immunotherapy of Experimental Solid Tumors
Authors: Zhang Nan , Sadun Rebecca E. , Arias Robyn S. , Flanagan Meg L. , Sachsman Suzanne M. , Nien Yu-Chih , Khawli Leslie A. , Hu Peisheng , Epstein Alan L.
Published: April 2007

Introduction: CD137L is a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily that provides a costimulatory signal to T cells. In this study, two novel CD137L fusion proteins were produced and compared with the CD137 agonist antibody 2A.

Materials and Methods: Murine CD137L was linked to the COOH terminus of either the Fc fragment of immunoglobulin (untargeted version) or TNT-3 (targeted version), an antibody that binds to necrotic regions of tumors. Groups of mice bearing established Colon 26 tumors were then treated daily ×5 with each fusion protein or 2A to determine their immunotherapeutic potential.

Results: Both fusion proteins retained CD137L activity in vitro and TNT-3/CD137L showed tumor-binding activity by biodistribution analysis in tumor-bearing mice. The fusion proteins also produced similar responses in vivo at the 1 nmol per dose range and showed a 60% (TNT-3/CD137L) or 40% (Fc/CD137L) survival of treated mice at 150 days after tumor implantation, similar to the effects of 2A. Morphologic and immunohistochemical analyses showed massive central necrosis and infiltration of granzyme B–positive cells in necrotic areas and viable peripheral regions of treated tumors. Finally, cell depletion studies showed that CD137L-mediated tumor regression was CD8+ T cell dependent.

Conclusions: From these studies, it was determined that both targeted and untargeted CD137L fusion proteins showed effective antitumor activity, but that the targeted version was more potent. Therefore, the use of the natural CD137 ligand is a promising approach to the treatment of solid tumors by virtue of its ability to produce physiologic costimulation within the tumor, limiting side effects often seen with agonist antibody therapies.
Endothelial Mitochondria
Authors: Davidson Sean M. , Duchen Michael R.
Published: April 2007

Disturbances in vascular function contribute to the development of several diseases of increasing prevalence and thereby contribute significantly to human mortality and morbidity. Atherosclerosis, diabetes, heart failure, and ischemia with attendant reperfusion injury share many of the same risk factors, among the most important being oxidative stress and alterations in the blood concentrations of compounds that influence oxidative stress, such as oxidized low-density lipoprotein. In this review, we focus on endothelial cells: cells in the frontline against these disturbances. Because ATP supplies in endothelial cells are relatively independent of mitochondrial oxidative pathways, the mitochondria of endothelial cells have been somewhat neglected. However, they are emerging as agents with diverse roles in modulating the dynamics of intracellular calcium and the generation of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide. The mitochondria may also constitute critical “targets” of oxidative stress, because survival of endothelial cells can be compromised by opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore or by mitochondrial pathways of apoptosis. In addition, evidence suggests that endothelial mitochondria may play a “reconnaissance” role. For example, although the exact mechanism remains obscure, endothelial mitochondria may sense levels of oxygen in the blood and relay this information to cardiac myocytes as well as modulating the vasodilatory response mediated by endothelial nitric oxide.
Hydrologic Verification: A Call for Action and Collaboration
Authors: Welles Edwin , Sorooshian Soroosh , Carter Gary , Olsen Billy
Published: April 2007

Traditionally, little attention has been focused on the systematic verification of operational hydrologic forecasts. This paper summarizes the results of forecast verification from 15 river basins in the United States. The verification scores for these forecast locations do not show improvement over the periods of record despite a number of forecast process improvements. In considering a root cause for these results, the authors note that the current paradigm for designing hydrologic forecast process improvements is driven by expert opinion and not by objective verification measures. The authors suggest that this paradigm should be modified and objective verification metrics should become the primary driver for hydrologic forecast process improvements.
Objectively Analyzed Air–Sea Heat Fluxes for the Global Ice-Free Oceans (1981–2005)
Authors: Yu Lisan , Weller Robert A.
Published: April 2007

A 25-yr (1981–2005) time series of daily latent and sensible heat fluxes over the global ice-free oceans has been produced by synthesizing surface meteorology obtained from satellite remote sensing and atmospheric model reanalyses outputs. The project, named Objectively Analyzed Air–Sea Fluxes (OAFlux), was developed from an initial study of the Atlantic Ocean that demonstrated that such data synthesis improves daily flux estimates over the basin scale. This paper introduces the 25-yr heat flux analysis and documents variability of the global ocean heat flux fields on seasonal, interannual, decadal, and longer time scales suggested by the new dataset.

The study showed that, among all the climate signals investigated, the most striking is a long-term increase in latent heat flux that dominates the data record. The globally averaged latent heat flux increased by roughly 9 W m−2 between the low in 1981 and the peak in 2002, which amounted to about a 10% increase in the mean value over the 25-yr period. Positive linear trends appeared on a global scale, and were most significant over the tropical Indian and western Pacific warm pool and the boundary current regions. The increase in latent heat flux was in concert with the rise of sea surface temperature, suggesting a response of the atmosphere to oceanic forcing.
Variability in the Environmental Factors Driving Evapotranspiration from a Grazed Rangeland during Severe Drought Conditions
Authors: Alfieri Joseph G. , Blanken Peter D. , Yates David N. , Steffen Konrad
Published: April 2007

Nearly one-half of the earth’s terrestrial surface is susceptible to drought, which can have significant social, economic, and environmental impacts. Therefore, it is important to develop better descriptions and models of the processes linking the land surface and atmosphere during drought. Using data collected during the International H2O Project, the study presented here investigates the effects of variations in the environmental factors driving the latent heat flux (λE) during drought conditions at a rangeland site located in the panhandle of Oklahoma. Specifically, this study focuses on the relationships of λE with vapor pressure deficit, wind speed, net radiation, soil moisture content, and greenness fraction. While each of these environmental factors has an influence, soil moisture content is the key control on λE. The role of soil moisture in regulating λE is explained in terms of the surface resistance to water vapor transfer. The results show that λE transitioned between being water or energy limited during the course of the drought. The implications of this on the ability to understand and model drought conditions and transitions into or out of droughts are discussed.
Gender and Young Voters in 2004
Authors: Banwart Mary Christine
Published: April 2007

Research suggests the presence of gender differences in knowledge about political candidates and campaign issues during elections, coining such differences as the “knowledge gap.” This study explores that perspective by examining young voters' perceptions of their political knowledge and interest during the 2004 election. Findings indicate that although perceptions of knowledge differ by gender, interest levels between young women and men do not significantly differ and overall are high. Once perceptions of political cynicism and candidate evaluations are examined by perceived knowledge and interest, no differences emerge, although uninterested young women are likely to vote differently than uninterested young men.
Comparing Young Voters' Political Engagement in the United States and Europe
Authors: Esser Frank , de Vreese Claes H.
Published: April 2007

The growing reluctance among youth to participate in politics and exercise their right to vote rings alarm bells across the globe. This study adopts a comparative perspective to identify factors that might help reengage youth in the political process by documenting the scope and pervasiveness of the problem in the United States and the EU. This cross-national study shows that the antecedents of youth turnout are highly similar in the United States and in the EU member states. The authors also find a strong and consistently positive effect of news media use and interactive communication (online and interpersonal) on youth turnout.
Policy-Making Rhetoric and Youth Issues in the 2004 Presidential Campaign
Authors: Howard Alison D. , Hoffman Donna R.
Published: April 2007

Campaigns make strategic decisions about appealing to various electoral groups. In 2004, both presidential campaigns did choose to appeal to those younger than 30 with their policy-making rhetoric. The authors find, however, that Bush and Kerry approached this demographic differently. Bush did not single out young adults to the extent Kerry did. Instead, Bush chose to treat young voters more as a part of the general electorate than a distinct group, appealing to their self-interest. Kerry was more attentive, directly targeting young citizens by focusing on issues of higher education and especially seeking to appeal to service-oriented young adults.
Political Advertising Effects and America's Racially Diverse Newest Voting Generation
Authors: Jasperson Amy E. , Hyun Jung Yun
Published: April 2007

Because of historical structural barriers to their participation, minority groups have been characterized in past studies as less participatory, less efficacious, and more cynical than racial and ethnic majority voters. This study examines minority youth voters in terms of attitudes and feelings toward political candidates, channels of political information, and feelings of efficacy and cynicism through advertising experiments conducted across the United States. There was little effect on minority voter cynicism after exposure to ads, suggesting that young minorities find candidates believable, credible, and trustworthy. Peers are identified as the most significant source of information in these groups, making interpersonal communication a major change agent for young minority voters.
The Effects of Political Advertising on Young Voters
Authors: Lee Kaid Lynda , Postelnicu Monica , Landreville Kristen , Hyun Jung Yun  , LeGrange Abby Gail
Published: April 2007

Political advertising effects on candidate evaluations, issue recall, political cynicism, and gender differences are explored in this pretest—posttest examination of 764 young adult participants. Results show no major gender differences in evaluation of candidates. Participants reported learning more about Bush's image and more about Kerry's issues through the ads. Exposure to ads did not produce increased cynicism among the participants but significantly increased political information efficacy.
Examining Internet Interactivity Effects on Young Adult Political Information Efficacy
Authors: Tedesco John C.
Published: April 2007

Political information efficacy theory was examined in this pretest-posttest experiment of Web interactivity. Experimental (high) and control (low) interactive conditions produced significantly different effects for the participants ( N = 271). Exposure to highly interactive Web features resulted in significant increases in political information efficacy. Participants in the highly interactive condition were also significantly more likely than those in the low interactive condition to indicate that voting was an important behavior.
Political Engagement Through Debates
Authors: McKinney Mitchell S. , Chattopadhyay Sumana
Published: April 2007

This study examines how exposure to a televised debate affects young citizens' normative democratic tendencies, attitudes that have been linked to increased civic and political participation, including voting behavior. The authors also are interested in the confidence young citizens express in the political knowledge they possess—their political information efficacy—and specifically how confidence in one's knowledge may be affected by exposure to such a sustained and “information-rich” source of campaign information as a 90-minute candidate debate. Findings reveal that debates strengthen, at least in the short term, democratic attitudes and also strengthen young citizens' levels of political information efficacy.
Celebrity Spectacle Influence on Young Voters in the 2004 Presidential Campaign
Authors: Payne J. Gregory , Hanlon John P. , Twomey David P.
Published: April 2007

Media attention to celebrities during the 2004 U.S. presidential campaign was substantial. This article traces some of the more remarkable celebrity roles throughout the campaign. Through an account of journalistic experience, the authors provide evidence of the way celebrity spectacle dominated much of the campaign rhetoric in the 2004 election. Analysis of what to expect in the future suggests only increased attention to the role of celebrities in U.S. politics as the line between information and entertainment is blurred.
Candidate Campaign Blogs
Authors: Sweetser Trammell Kaye D.
Published: April 2007

Blogs, Web pages that are frequently updated with posts arranged so the most recent post is at the top of the page, were widely adopted by candidates in the 2004 campaign. These online tools that are popular with young voters, though widely adopted as a “hip” technology, fell short of successfully targeting young voters. This content analysis found only 8% of all campaign posts on the official major-party candidate Web sites targeted youth ( N = 106). Although Bush published fewer posts overall, he produced more youth-targeted posts than Kerry. The topics of posts, issues, and message strategies used in youth-targeted posts were analyzed. Additionally, the use of images was explored. The article concludes that campaigns failed to fully employ blogs as a strategic tool to reach out to young voters.
Does Presentation Style of Presidential Debates Influence Young Voters' Perceptions of Candidates?
Authors: Wicks Robert H.
Published: April 2007

In this study, college students were exposed to the final 2004 Bush—Kerry televised presidential debate. Participants were randomly assigned to one of five presentation conditions (i.e., ABC, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, and PBS). Using a pretest—posttest experimental design, participants rated the candidates on 12 personal and professional attributes. A feeling thermometer also assessed whether the participants' feelings toward the candidates changed following the debate. The results suggest that various presentation styles influenced perceptions of Kerry on the attributes of success and friendliness and on the feeling thermometer. Changes in perceptions on the attribute of strength were also found for Bush.
The Roles of the Family and the Welfare State
Authors: Björnberg Ulla , Latta Mia
Published: April 2007

Swedish family policies are integrated within a general welfare policy where the state has acquired a significant responsibility for the welfare of individuals, independent of family membership. A common assumption is that the state has contributed to weakening the sense of personal and family responsibility in Swedish families. In this article, the interrelationship between public and private financial support is investigated as are some dimensions of practical help. Drawing on results of a survey carried out in 2001 in Sweden comprising 2666 individuals, this article explores financial support and practical help between family members of different generations. The article presents results regarding the prevalence of private financial support, attitudes to giving support and motives for giving and receiving financial support. The sample, aged from 18 to over 65 years old, was drawn from a public database providing longitudinal data (1993—2001) on public transfers. The respondents supplied information about private transfers given and received over a period of five years. The survey data and the register information from the database make up the full data set.
Curriculum Making as Novice Professional Development
Authors: Clayton Christine D.
Published: April 2007

This qualitative case study presents three novices in urban schools who enacted curricular projects as participants in a university-based professional development program. This experience created an opportunity for practical risk taking, enabling them to consider the consequences of curricular choices in personal terms. Such professional development pivoted on epistemological inquiry grounded in three critical tension areas: management of relationships, curricular ownership, and the sources of classroom knowledge. In these cases, practical risk taking seemed to precede conceptual changes in the teachers' thinking about curriculum itself, raising concerns about how novices learn during an accountability era where such risk taking is often discouraged.
Three stages of root infinitive production in early child Russian
Authors: Kallestinova Elena
Published: April 2007

Recent studies of child Russian have offered some interesting insights into the phenomenon of Root Infinitives (RIs) in early child language. This paper offers a new perspective on the RI phenomenon in child Russian by arguing that the RI production consists of three developmental stages, which cannot be accounted for by the theories that propose optional projection of Tense/Agreement (Wexler, 1998) or underspecification of NumberP (Hoekstra, Hyams & Becker, 1997) or AspectP (Gavruseva, 2003). It is proposed that stage 1 results from underspecification/open value of AspP, TP and ModalP, while stage 2 results from underspecification/open value of ModalP only. Full specification of ModalP during stage 3 accounts for decrease in RI production.
The expression of temporal relations in Thai children's narratives
Authors: Winskel Heather
Published: April 2007

The acquisition of temporal relations in the narratives of Thai children (aged 4 years, 6 years and 9 years) and of adults as control was investigated. Narratives were elicited using the `frog story'. Results revealed common and language-specific developmental patterns: (1) a developmental progression from relating events at a local to a more global level; (2) use of fewer forms that have a broader range of functions in the younger children; (3) acquisition of least restricted forms prior to more restricted forms; (4) qualified support for the acquisition of sequentiality prior to simultaneity. In the youngest children there was a greater reliance on usage of grammatical aspect; subsequently, as children acquired the ability to use bi-referential reference, temporal connectives played a more significant role. Eventually mature narrators are able to use a combination of explicit and implicit linguistic devices.
Influence of preterm birth on early lexical and grammatical acquisition
Authors: Gayraud Frédérique , Kern Sophie
Published: April 2007

This study compares early grammatical and lexical acquisition in 323 preterm and 166 full-term children at 24 months. The French MacArthur-Bates parental report was employed for analysis. Gestational age and birth order showed a significant effect on vocabulary size and grammatical distribution. Preterm children showed fewer words and produced more games, routines and animal noises words. Except for the group of extremely premature children, first-born children in each gestational age group produced more words than second-born. In contrast, first-born children exhibited more predicates than second-born children. It is concluded that preterm children show delayed rather than deviant language development.
Socialization environments of Chinese and Euro-American middle-class babies: Parenting behaviors, verbal discourses and ethnotheories
Authors: Keller Heidi , Abels Monika , Borke Jörn , Lamm Bettina , Yanjie Su  , Yifang Wang  , Lo Wingshan
Published: April 2007

Children's socialization environments reflect cultural models of parenting. In particular, Euro-American and Chinese families have been described as following different socialization scripts. The present study assesses parenting behaviors as well as parenting ethnotheories with respect to three-month-old babies in middle-class families in Los Angeles and Beijing. Euro-American parents' behaviors towards their children, as well as their parental ethnotheories are assumed to express the cultural model of autonomy; whereas Chinese parents' socialization strategies are assumed to be shaped by the cultural model of relatedness. The results reveal that Euro-American and Chinese mothers embody different cultural models in their verbal parenting behaviors and verbalized parenting strategies. However, the differences are not consistent and there are no differences with respect to non-verbal parenting behaviors. The results are discussed as illustrating the complexity of cultural models of parenting, where cultural messages are expressed differently in different domains.
Using positive youth development to predict contribution and risk behaviors in early adolescence: Findings from the first two waves of the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development
Authors: Jelicic Helena , Bobek Deborah L. , Phelps Erin , Lerner Richard M. , Lerner Jacqueline V.
Published: April 2007

Theories of positive youth development (PYD) regard such development as bases of both community contributions and lessened likelihood of risk/problem behaviors. Using data from the 4-H Study of PYD, we tested these expectations by examining if PYD in Grade 5 predicted both youth contributions and risk behaviors and depression in Grade 6. Results of random effects regression and SEM models indicated that, as expected, PYD in Grade 5 predicted higher youth contributions and lower risk behaviors and depression at Grade 6. There were significant sex differences for contribution (girls had higher scores) and for risk behaviors (boys had higher scores), but not for depression. In turn, the structural model fit was equivalent for boys and girls. Results are discussed in regard to promoting PYD to enhance successful development, or thriving, and to reduce problem behaviors.
Peer social preference and depressive symptoms of children in Italy and the United States
Authors: Lansford Jennifer E. , Capanna Cristina , Dodge Kenneth A. , Caprara Gian Vittorio , Bates John E. , Pettit Gregory S. , Pastorelli Concetta
Published: April 2007

This study examined the role of low social preference in relation to subsequent depressive symptoms, with particular attention to prior depressive symptoms, prior and concurrent aggression, mutual friendships, and peer victimization. Italian children ( N = 288) were followed from grade 6 through grade 8, and American children ( N = 585) were followed from kindergarten through grade 12. Analyses demonstrate that low social preference contributes to later depressive symptoms. The effects are not accounted for by depressive symptoms or aggression experienced prior to low social preference but are mostly accounted for by the co-occurrence of depressive symptoms with concurrent aggressive behavior; gender, mutual friendships, and peer victimization generally did not moderate these associations. We conclude that peer relationship problems do predict later depressive symptoms, and a possible mechanism through which this effect occurs is through the effect of poor peer relationships on increasing aggressive behavior, which is associated with depressive symptoms.
Out of Order
Authors: Graham Stephen , Thrift Nigel
Published: April 2007

This article seeks to demonstrate the centrality of maintenance and repair to an understanding of modern societies and, particularly, cities. Arguing that repair and maintenance activities present a kind of 'missing link' in social theory, which is usually overlooked or forgotten, the article begins by recalling Heidegger's concept of material things as being 'ready to hand'. The main elements of practices of repair and maintenance are then elaborated on so as to help establish the argument that, by focusing on failure and breakdown in technical artefacts and systems, their vital contribution can be brought to the fore. The article then moves on to suggest that prevailing cultural constructions, and imaginations, of the 'infrastructure' that sustains modern societies, actively work to push repair and maintenance activities beyond the attention of social science. To exemplify these arguments, the article explores in detail some of the repair and maintenance activities that sustain, first, the nexus between computer communications and electricity and, second, the system of automobility. The article concludes by excavating a politics of repair and maintenance in modern cities and societies.
Post-hegemony?
Authors: Johnson Richard
Published: April 2007

This article responds to Lash and Thoburn's articles in this volume by arguing for the value of Gramsci's strategic concept of hegemony today. It places post-hegemony theories as replicating one particular reading of Gramsci as a theorist of ideology and politics only, a reading that was deepened by certain appropriations of post-structuralist theory in the 1980s. It argues that the Prison Notebooks contain a richer legacy of concepts and historical methods, many of which are applicable to today's global reach of power and communication. In particular, Gramsci was concerned with the relations between Fordist innovation and changes in state, civil society, intellectual formations and ways of living. He was especially interested in popular 'common sense', which, in his view, was the starting point of political work and could be the product of a renovative political activism. His ideas remain relevant to understanding recent transitions, especially since 11 September 2001, and the reach and limits of global neo-liberal hegemonies today, including the role of neo-liberal intellectuals and of a deepened individualism in everyday life. They also offer resources for counter-hegemonic strategies. Although Lash and Thoburn grasp a crucial coagulation of power today, their superseding of hegemony is based on an impoverished reading of the history of Gramscianism in cultural studies, and on a collapse of key complexities and local differences which is typical of some versions of social theory.
Patterns of Production
Authors: Thoburn Nicholas
Published: April 2007

While the concept of hegemony had a central place in the crystallization of 1980s cultural studies, recent developments in cultural economy, information and communication technologies, and globalization suggest a decline in the utility of the frameworks of democracy and the 'logic of equivalence' that lie at the heart of the hegemony thesis and its conception of the social. This article considers how cultural studies is engaging with this situation by arguing that a set of themes can be seen that approach power and culture through an expanded understanding of production, a production considered as the patterning – or mobilization, arrangement and distribution – of rich social, technical, economic and affective relations. The perspective of production does not carry the unifying project that hegemony and democracy gave to an earlier cultural studies, but is instead composed of diverse problematics that suggest heterogeneous sites of critical intervention and politicization. Situating the discussion in the frame of Deleuze's figure of 'control society', the article explores the overlapping themes of communication, affect, fear, work, class and war.
Futurepublic
Authors: Terranova Tiziana
Published: April 2007

This article advances some considerations on the current production of hegemonic effects, starting with some problems posed by the work of one of the most influential writers in cultural studies – the American Palestinian critic Edward Said. Said's commentary on the coverage of Islam in the US media in the late 1970s allows for some challenging considerations on how hegemonic strategies directed at the formation of publics and public opinion are increasingly integrated within a global noopolitics of communication whose understanding of the public is not derived from the notion of civil society but from the biopolitical element of the population – and the bio-racist segmentation that constitutes it. As outlined in Michel Foucault's analysis of liberal and neoliberal governmentality, such understanding of the public locates the latter straight within a new dispositif of power which is biopolitical and noopolitical at the same time, that is, which addresses itself at the same time to the biological, economic and spiritual life of the population. Such understanding involves a reconsideration of the constitution of publics and public opinion in times of netwars and information warfare as both subjects and objects of power/knowledge. In as much as such noopolitics affects what Maurizio Lazzarato calls a second bios, the life of the brain, it has the potential to give expression to the virtual power of immaterial events of subjectification which materialize in the bodies which actualize them and the possible, shared worlds that they are capable of producing.
Spirits of Late Capitalism
Authors: Kemple Thomas M.
Published: April 2007

Taking Max Weber's conception of the modern capitalist world system as a classical precedent, and with reference to a series of analytical schemas on capital formation, this essay takes three recent books as a starting point for examining the revival of critical theoretical attention to 'the new capitalism'. The Social Structures of the Economy by Pierre Bourdieu focuses on the erosion of the separation between business and household economies by providing a case study of the construction boom in single-family dwellings which replaced the public housing movement in 1980s France. Also concentrating on recent French history, Luc Boltanski and Eve Chiapello, in their monumental book The New Spirit of Capitalism, argue that the post-industrial restructuring of 'formally free' labour was provoked by countercultural protest in the 1960s and further justified by managerial discourses advocating postmodern 'flexibilization' in the 1990s. Finally, Nigel Thrift's Knowing Capitalism enumerates recent examples demonstrating how the 'rational' accounting of economic capital is increasingly expanded and intensified by commodified cultural circuits which facilitate flows of information between business schools, management consultants and entrepreneurial gurus and in a variety of everyday spaces and ordinary practices. While each of these works convincingly projects the resurrection of 'the spirit of capitalism' on local and global scales, they have less to say about the underlying political dynamics or emerging alternatives to this process.
The Appropriation of Suffering
Authors: Skultans Vieda
Published: April 2007

This study brings together socio-theoretical and ethnographic approaches to psychiatry, demonstrating the role of the clinic as a major consolidator of ideologies as well as the site where personal miseries are registered as markers of social failure. It focuses on innovation in psychiatric taxonomies, changes in the figurative language of the emotions, changes in conceptualizations of the self and how all of these relate to changing socio-economic events and circumstances.
Cultural Theory and its Futures
Authors: Venn Couze
Published: April 2007

This introduction surveys a number of problems for contemporary cultural theory, which arise from the transformations in culture that have been produced by developments ranging from the globalization of third wave capitalism to the emergence of tele-technologies. It summarizes arguments presented by Lash, Thoburn, Johnson, Terranova and Venn, as well as a number of reflections on the state of cultural studies outside Euro-America, to present alternative genealogies of cultural studies and open up new sites for theoretical elaboration.
Statistical Analysis of Bearing Strength of Glass—Fiber Composite Materials
Authors: Aktaş Alaattin
Published: April 2007

In this study, bearing strength of woven glass—fiber composite plates has been statistically analyzed by Weibull distribution. The ratio of the edge distance to the pin diameter (E/D), and the ratio of the specimen width to the pin diameter (W/D) were systematically varied during analyses. Eight specimens were tested for each specimen configuration. The results show that the 99% reliability values of each bearing strength configuration is approximately equivalent to the 0.7 average value of the bearing strength. In addition, the bearing strengths obtained from Weibull distribution and from average value reach their upper limit when (E/D) and (W/D) ratios are equal or greater than 4.
Shape Effect of Platelet Clay Filler on Mechanical Behaviors of Pultruded Polymer Composites under Shear Loading
Authors: Park Jin Y. , Lee Namyong
Published: April 2007

An analytical investigation aimed at examining the mechanical behavior of pultruded polymer composites under shear loading is presented. Micromechanical models that account for the presence and shapes of inhomogeneities in composite matrix materials were developed for estimating the extensional and in-plane shear moduli, and Poisson's ratio. The inhomogeneities in composite matrices include platelet clay fillers and voids in this study. The analytical results were compared with the properties obtained by experiments. For the experiments, three different pultruded polymer composites containing clay fillers as well as E-glass fiber and vinylester resin were selected, analyzed and tested under shear loading. The effects of the volume fractions of the constituents on the mechanical properties of the composites were also investigated.
Victim Advocates' Perceptions of the Role of Health Care Workers in Sexual Assault Cases
Authors: Payne Brian K.
Published: April 2007

Victim assistance officials work to ensure that victims can overcome the negative consequences of victimization. In performing these activities, they collaborate with a number of professionals from seemingly disparate fields. Among others, they often work with various health care professionals. In this article, attention is given to the barriers that may limit effective collaboration between health care professionals and victim assistance professionals. A total of 44 sexual assault crisis center workers completed a survey assessing collaboration barriers. Results suggest that the types of barriers arising vary among specific types of health care providers. One set of barriers arises when collaborating with health care professionals such as nurses and hospital workers. Another set of obstacles arises with mental health workers. Implications are provided.
Deformation forms the course of literary history
Authors: Martindale Colin
Published: April 2007

The Russian Formalists and Czech Structuralists argued that foregrounding devices such as deformation and deautomatization are central to literature. They saw that such devices build a pressure for novelty into literature. Literature must change constantly because readers gradually become used to and bored with initially novel and interesting deformations. Formalist and Structuralist theorists saw that literature should change but could not explain the direction in which it would change. They hypothesized that the direction of change is determined by extra-literary sociocultural forces. I argue that this hypothesis may be wrong. If we examine the way in which people think of novel word combinations in the first place, we can formulate a theory that explains the direction of literary change. Production of novelty often involves movement away from ordinary waking consciousness toward an altered state of consciousness. Within the confines of a given style, to produce something even more novel, poets must regress to an even more altered state of consciousness. The state of mind in which a poem is produced to some extent determines the words used in the poem. Given that the pressure for novelty is always present whereas other forces acting upon poets vary, we can predict the direction in which poetry tends to move from the alterations in consciousness required to produce ever more novel poetry. Statistical analyses of several poetic traditions show that this is, indeed, the main direction in which poetry evolves.
Foregrounding and the sublime: Shelley in Chamonix
Authors: Miall David S.
Published: April 2007

Commentators have spoken of the moment of sublime experience as one of amazement, of being overwhelmed by the strikingness of the sublime appearance. The sublime, in other words, is an effect of defamiliarization. If a poet is to embody the sublime experience in language (i.e., in the poetic sublime), we would expect the resources of linguistic foregrounding to be central to this effort. The defamiliarizing moment is, of course, central to the modern conception of the response to foregrounding. It is thus also at the heart of response to the sublime.

In this article I consider the resources of foregrounding called upon by Shelley in his letter from Chamonix and his poem `Mont Blanc', and suggest that these enable us as readers to enact his experience through striking figurative, phonetic, and metrical features. I focus on four features: the sense of defamiliarization; disrupted or unusual syntax; the senses being under pressure; and figures that suggest a merging of mind and nature. In particular, I develop a conception of the ecological significance of the sublime scene, showing how Shelley creates an ethical view of Mont Blanc through three concepts that I term presence, community, and autonomy.
Foregrounding in poetic discourse: between deviation and cognitive constraints
Authors: Shen Yeshayahu
Published: April 2007

Foregrounding theory generally assumes that poetic language deviates from norms characterizing the ordinary use of language (e.g. at the phonological, grammatical, semantic or pragmatic levels) and that this deviation interferes with cognitive principles and processes that make communication possible. However, a neglected issue in foregrounding theory is whether any constraints exist, and if so, what characterizes them. The present article proposes that foregrounding theory should be complemented by a cognitive theory that specifies constraints on such deviations, on the basis of theoretical and empirical considerations. Due to the privileged status of figurative language among the foregrounding devices, this general argument is illustrated by a close analysis of two figurative types, similes and oxymora. The analysis examines their distribution in poetic discourse and investigates the psychological processes involved in the way people comprehend them. It is proposed that for each of these figures there is a set of existing structures that could equally instantiate them as a foregrounding device. However, poetic discourse, both cross-linguistically and cross-culturally, robustly favours the use of the cognitively simpler option. The implications of these empirical findings are discussed in the light of foregrounding theory.
Lines on feeling: foregrounding, aesthetics and meaning
Authors: van Peer Willie , Hakemulder J. , Zyngier S.
Published: April 2007

Research in experimental aesthetics suggests a relation between complexity and novelty on the one hand and hedonic value on the other (Berlyne, 1980). Defining foregrounding as deviation from daily language, the concept seems closely associated with novelty, and therefore a relation may be expected between the degree of deviation and readers' aesthetic appreciation. Also, deviation is assumed to be the key to understanding style, and leads readers in their interpretation of a text. These hypotheses are confirmed by recent evidence (Miall and Kuiken, 1994; Hakemulder, 2004; Zyngier, van Peer and Hakemulder, in press). The present study aims to enhance control over potential factors, refining the assessment of readers' background variables, and excluding interference of text factors other than deviation. For this purpose six versions of one poetry line were written, with an ascending degree of foregrounding from the first to the sixth line. More than 300 participants were assigned randomly to a total of 13 groups. Some read one of the six lines of a poem. To other groups, adjacent lines were presented hierarchically or in a large difference in degree of foregrounding (four lines apart in the hierarchy). Participants evaluated the single line they had been assigned to, or compared their two lines on a number of items measuring aesthetic appreciation, evaluation of aesthetic structure, and perceived cognitive, emotive, social and attitudinal impact. In addition, they completed a questionnaire on reading habits. It was hypothesized that higher degrees of deviation would lead to higher scores on these measures. Part of the predictions was confirmed by the results.
Low Cycle Fatigue Based on Unilateral Damage Evolution
Authors: Ganczarski A. , Barwacz L.
Published: April 2007

This article deals with the modeling of the low cycle fatigue of AISI 316L stainless steel from the viewpoint of continuum damage mechanics. The concept of kinetic law of damage evolution is adapted and three models are presented: one in which the effect of crack closure/opening is excluded and two others where either classical or new continuous microcrack closure/opening effects are taken into account. The problem is described by a system of ordinary differential equations derived for the case of uniaxial stress, then extended to the three-dimensional (3D) state of stress accompanying strain localization by the use of approximate, axisymmetric 3D stress formulas by Davidenkov and Spridonova. The results of numerical simulation for all models are compared and verified in order to achieve the best agreement with the experimental data. Detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis of obtained solutions confirms the necessity and correctness of an application of continuous microcrack closure/opening effect.
Structural Damage Analysis of Masonry Walls using Computational Homogenization
Authors: Massart T.J. , Peerlings R.H.J. , Geers M.G.D.
Published: April 2007

This contribution deals with the application of computational homogenization techniques for structural masonry computations, as an alternative to the formulation of complex closed-form macroscopic constitutive laws. The complexity of modeling masonry material stems from the anisotropy evolution and localization induced by mesostructural damage. This phenomenon appears with preferential damage orientations, which are intimately related to the initial periodic structure of the material. The upscaling procedure used here relies on the formulation of mesoscopic constitutive laws at the level of the individual brick and mortar materials. A mesostructural unit cell with its corresponding periodicity requirements is used to deduce the average response of the masonry material through a scale transition. At the macroscopic scale, this averaged material response is used in the frame of an enhanced continuum approach with embedded localization bands, the widths of which are directly deduced from the initial periodicity of the material. The results obtained by the framework are illustrated and discussed by means of a structural computation example, which involves a complex cracking evolution together with fully anisotropic damage development.