bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Religious and National Identity after the Belfast Good Friday Agreement
Authors: Muldoon Orla T. , Trew Karen , Todd Jennifer , Rougier Nathalie , McLaughlin Katrina
Published: December 2006

National and religious identification processes can be seen as the basis of the conflict in Northern Ireland, and over the course of the conflict preferred social and political identities became increasingly oppositional and entrenched. This paper reviews this evidence using population‐level studies of self‐categorized national and religious identity. In an attempt to explore the bases of these identities, two interrelated qualitative studies examining the constructions of national and religious identification are reported. The findings presented suggest the continuing predominance of national and religious identities that have generally been constructed as opposing. Evidence of complete overlap of the identities is evidenced in conflation of religion and nationality in adolescents’ essays. Theoretical sampling of adults living on the border between Northern Ireland, the republic of Ireland, and those in mixed marriages highlight the strategic use of national and religious identities that may act to support divisions in post‐Agreement Northern Ireland.
The Minority‐Majority Conundrum in Northern Ireland: An Orange Order Perspective
Authors: Stevenson Clifford , Condor Susan , Abell Jackie
Published: December 2006

Researchers have argued that, depending on the framing of the Northern Ireland conflict, each group could either be a minority or a majority relative to the other. This complicates macrosocial explanations of the conflict which make specific predictions on the basis of minority or majority positions. The present paper argues that this conundrum may have arisen from the inherent variability in microidentity processes that do not fit easily with macroexplanations. In this paper the rhetoric of relative group position is analysed in political speeches delivered by leading members of an influential Protestant institution in Northern Ireland. It is apparent that minority and majority claims are not fixed but are flexibly used to achieve local rhetorical goals. Furthermore, the speeches differ before and after the Good Friday Agreement, with a reactionary “hegemonic” Unionist position giving way to a “majority‐rights power sharing” argument and a “pseudo‐minority” status giving way to a “disempowered minority” argument. These results suggest a view of the Northern Ireland conflict as a struggle for “symbolic power,” i.e., the ability to flexibly define the intergroup situation to the ingroup's advantage.
LOCATION OF VERTICALLY LINKED OLIGOPOLISTS
Authors: Da Silva Rocha André Barreira , Pontes José Pedro
Published: December 2006

This paper examines the geographical equilibrium of location of N vertically linked firms and its relation to the creation of an industrial cluster. In a two‐region spatial economy, a monopolist firm supplies an input to N consumer goods firms that compete in quantities. When the transport cost of the input increases, downstream firms prefer to agglomerate where the upstream firm is located, to save in production cost. However, simultaneous increases in the transport cost of the input and of the consumer good or increases in the number of downstream firms lead to a relative dispersion of these firms, to reduce competition and locate closer to the local final consumer. In contrast to Mayer (2000), when both transport costs increase, the location decision of downstream firms is based more on the geographical point that maximizes accessibility to the local final consumer than on the geographical point that minimizes the production cost.
THE ELASTICITY OF CAPITAL–LAND SUBSTITUTION IN THE HOUSING CONSTRUCTION SECTOR OF A RAPIDLY URBANIZED CITY: EVIDENCE FROM TURKEY
Authors: Erol Işıl , Güzel Alper
Published: December 2006

This paper estimates the elasticity of capital‐land substitution for the housing market in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. Using constant elasticity of substitution (CES) and variable elasticity of substitution (VES) production functions and cross‐section data, the paper provides new information to compare the housing supply elasticity of Ankara with that of the USA and the UK cases. Our regression results reveal that housing supply in Ankara is highly inelastic due to the uniform construction regime of local authorities. Moreover, we find that there is a considerable spatial differentiation of urban land density measures within the capital city. Because of the incomplete urbanization process, the elasticity of capital‐land substitution is significantly higher in the outer parts of the city.
THE EFFECT OF KNOWLEDGE ACCESSIBILITY ON INTERNATIONAL INCOME INEQUALITY
Authors: Nakajima Kentaro
Published: December 2006

Using a structural model of new economic geography, we estimate the effect of accessibility to foreign knowledge on international income distribution. Whereas previous literature has mainly focused on the importance of geographical accessibility to foreign markets, this paper emphasizes the role of accessibility to foreign knowledge in determining international income inequality. Using cross‐country data of income per worker, bilateral trade flows, and number of flight passengers, we find evidence that the accessibility to foreign knowledge raises per capita income significantly.
Why is Employment Protection Stricter in Europe than in the United States?
Authors: BELOT MICHÈLE
Published: December 2006

I argue that the reason why the United States prefers a lower level of employment protection than the European countries lies in the differences in gains and costs from geographical mobility. I present a model in which labour migration and employment protection are both determined endogenously. The labour market is modelled within a matching framework, where the employment protection reduces both the job finding and job firing rates. Countries with low migration costs and high economic heterogeneity may prefer no employment protection so that workers can move quickly to better horizons rather than being maintained in low productive activities.
O‐ring Wage Inequality
Authors: DALMAZZO ALBERTO , PEKKARINEN TUOMAS , SCARAMOZZINO PASQUALE
Published: December 2006

We examine the relationship between technological complexity and wage inequality, using an efficiency wage model that adopts Kremer's O‐ring production function. The model has two main implications: (i) when the production process becomes more complex, within‐task wage differences increase between plants, and (ii) between‐task wage differences increase within plants. We study these implications empirically using industry data providing quantified information on the complexity of the tasks. We find that wages increase in all the tasks with the complexity of the production process. Furthermore, the relationship between the complexity of the tasks and wages is steepest in the firms with more complex production processes.
Cyclical Productivity in Europe and the United States: Evaluating the Evidence on Returns to Scale and Input Utilization
Authors: INKLAAR ROBERT
Published: December 2006

This paper studies procyclical productivity growth at the industry level in the United States and three European countries (France, Germany and the Netherlands). Industry‐specific demand‐side instruments are used to examine the prevalence of non‐constant returns to scale and unmeasured input utilization. For the aggregate US economy, unmeasured input utilization seems to explain procyclical productivity. However, this correction still leaves one in three US industries with procyclical productivity. This failure of the model can also be seen in Europe and is mostly concentrated in services industries.
Can Coasean Bargaining Justify Pigouvian Taxation?
Authors: ROSENKRANZ STEPHANIE , SCHMITZ PATRICK W.
Published: December 2006

The fact that, according to the celebrated Coase Theorem, rational parties always try to exploit all gains from trade is usually taken as an argument against the necessity of government intervention through Pigouvian taxation in order to correct externalities. However, we show that the hold‐up problem, which occurs if non‐verifiable investments have external effects and parties cannot be prevented from always exploiting ex post gains from trade through Coasean bargaining, may be solved by government intervention. In this sense, the impossibility of ruling out Coasean bargaining (after investments are sunk) may in fact justify Pigouvian taxation.
Increased Pension Savings: Blessing or Curse? Social Security Reform in a Two‐Sector Growth Model
Authors: VAN GROEZEN BAS , MEIJDAM LEX , VERBON HARRIE A. A.
Published: December 2006

This paper analyses the consequences of a switch to a more funded pension scheme for economic growth in an economy that consists of a capital‐intensive commodity sector with endogenous growth and a labour‐intensive services sector. The increased savings cause long‐run growth to be higher in a closed economy, provided capital and labour are not strong substitutes. The reverse holds for a small open economy. More funding can therefore turn out to be a curse instead of a blessing for future generations, unless countries implement their reforms simultaneously or impose a tax on labour‐intensive services.
The Asset Management Industry in Asia: Dynamics of Growth, Structure, and Performance
Authors: Walter Ingo , Sisli Elif
Published: December 2006

We examine the industrial organization and institutional development of the asset management industry in Asian developing economies—specifically in China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and Thailand. We focus on the size and growth of the buy‐side of the respective financial markets, asset allocation, the regulatory environment, and the state of internationalization of the fund management industry in its key components—mutual funds, pension funds, and asset management for high net worth individuals. We link the evolution of professional asset management in these environments to the development of the respective capital markets and to the evolution of corporate governance. We find that the fund management industry occupies a very small niche in domestic financial systems that are dominated by banks. At the same time, we find that its growth has been very rapid in the early 2000s and we suggest that this is likely to persist as the demand for professional management of financial wealth in the region develops and as the pension fund sectors of the respective economies are liberalized to allow larger portions of assets to be invested in collective investment schemes.
THE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN FAITHS AND AN ‘AESTHETIC ATTITUDE’
Authors: CHEETHAM DAVID
Published: December 2006

This paper contains a discussion of the idea of using what could loosely be called an ‘aesthetic attitude’ (stemming largely from Kantian notions of disinterest and explicitly articulated by such writers in the 20th century as Edward Bullough and Jerome Stolnitz) in the context of the encounter between religions. The ‘problem’ that is addressed is formulated as an attempt to find a space in which the participation of those with committed faith positions (e.g. conservative evangelicals) in sympathetic and empathetic meeting with other faiths can be facilitated. To this end, the paper is critical of the use of spirituality (or inter‐spirituality) as an oft‐suggested mode by which religions meet and ‘converse’ in depth‐encounters. That is, it is argued that the language of inter‐spirituality that is employed by some interfaith writers often betrays liberal assumptions that are unsettling for more committed religious persons. Thus, it is suggested that by changing the language of encounter from ‘inter‐spirituality’ to a more aesthetic (or playful) mode of discourse, one is creating a different, but nonetheless experientially recognisable, space of empathetic meeting and encounter that might be deemed ‘safer’.
RUDOLPH OTTO'S IDEA OF THE HOLY: A REAPPRAISAL
Authors: WARE OWEN
Published: December 2006

This paper explores the ambiguity in Rudolph Otto's discussion of the mysterium tremendum in order to address a broader set of difficulties in The Idea of the Holy (1917). In doing so, I outline two common criticisms of Otto's position. The first attacks Otto for not providing a secure transition from the numinous experience of terror to the holy experience of faith. The second attacks Otto for upholding a kind of theistic dualism, which seemingly puts his thought at odds with mysticism. Rather than reconstruct Otto's argument in favour of theism, I maintain that numinous experience, while still a form of otherness or alterity, is best characterized as the breakdown of subject‐object dualism. I further suggest that this breakdown is best understood in non‐theistic terms. For examples of the latter, I briefly turn to Jean‐Luc Marion's notion of saturated phenomena.
A GIFT TO THEOLOGY? JEAN‐LUC MARION'S ‘SATURATED PHENOMENON’ IN CHRISTOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Authors: ROBINETTE BRIAN
Published: December 2006

Jean‐Luc Marion has recently established himself as one of the most important and theologically fertile thinkers within the phenomenological tradition. With his study of ‘the gift’ and ‘the saturated phenomenon’, Marion presents a challenge to theology to rethink revelation in its surprising givenness, as exceeding the boundaries often set up in advance by metaphysics and a priori anthropological foundations. This paper examines Marion's mature thought, particularly within the perspective of Christology. The paper argues that Marion's phenomenological style of reflection, as adapted to theology, is deeply contemplative and markedly Johannine in sensibility. As a strategy for theology, the phenomenological style gives to it important incentives and skills for reading off God's self‐revelation in Christ in its surprising and counter‐intuitive beauty. Marion's challenge/gift to theology is, however, in need of a balancing emphasis, one that appears too infrequently in his work: the ethical‐prophetic dimension of the Christ event. In view of keeping both the mystical and prophetic poles of theology closely linked, the paper argues that just as beauty is a key category for saturated phenomena, so too is the reality of suffering and evil. However, whereas beauty invites a humble receptivity to and contemplative enjoyment of the gift, the inscrutable reality of suffering and evil, which so often exceeds comprehension, touches off a critical and practical response. In broadening the study of saturated phenomena to include the refractory character of experience, especially that which threatens humanity, Marion's valuable contributions to theology require a complementary emphasis from those narrative‐practical Christologies that highlight the prophetic aspects of the tradition.
United we stand? Collaboration as a means for identifying children and adolescents at risk
Authors: Wiklund Stefan
Published: December 2006

The study describes collaborative involvement of child welfare agencies in Sweden with mandated reporters and analyses the association between socioeconomic and demographic factors as well as collaborative involvement on referral rates. The empirical material consists of data collected on location in 100 Swedish child welfare agencies, augmented with register data. The study shows that: (i) collaboration is common in the child welfare field, (ii) structural factors moderately predict municipal variations in child welfare referrals and (iii) most importantly, that collaboration on the aggregate level seems to serve as a marginal, or even counter‐productive, measure in identifying children and adolescents at risk. The results are particularly discussed in the context of policy principles in Swedish child welfare, i.e. collaboration as a statutory requirement for child welfare agencies and the official notion of collaboration as an important means to facilitate early interventions.
Welfare state regimes and family policy: a longitudinal analysis
Authors: Guo Jing , Gilbert Neil
Published: December 2006

The primary aim of the article is to access the extent to which welfare state regimes support distinct family policies across OECD (Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development) countries and over time. Focusing in particular on the work of Esping‐Andersen we address the following questions: (i) What is the relation between de‐commodification and de‐familialisation? (ii) Are there distinct welfare state regimes that support different levels of family policy? (iii) To what extent have levels of support for family policy differed over the last decades toward divergence or convergence among OECD welfare states? Using data from the OECD Social Expenditure database (1980–2001), we find that the degree of de‐familialisation through welfare state regimes parallels the de‐commodification scores. However, the findings indicate a degree of instability in the relationship between levels of support for family policy and welfare state regimes over the last decades. We conclude by discussing how the findings speak to the changing character of welfare regimes and the implications of a longitudinal perspective.
A transhumant shepherd on Mount Aigoual: sheep transhumance and the shepherd's knowledge
Authors: Grellier Bernard
Published: December 2006

In Languedoc, sheep can be raised only if they are brought to summer pastures: this is a climatic necessity. And sheep are as indispensable in the plains as in the highlands. Transhumance has thus shaped the landscape, the paths, and human relations. In this context, the shepherd's knowledge has proved to be effective and pertinent. Today, questions are raised concerning the transmission of this knowledge in a global economy that does not necessarily need sheep, but is preoccupied by the biodiversity resulting from and saved by the traffic and the grazing of the flocks.
Diversity in Saami terminology for reindeer, snow, and ice
Authors: Magga Ole Henrik
Published: December 2006

The physical environment leaves its mark on cultures. Knowledge of snow and ice conditions has been a necessity for subsistence and survival in the Arctic and sub‐Arctic areas. Snow and ice terminology in the North Saami language, which is spoken in the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland, is based on the physical condition of different kind of layers of ice and snow. In addition, the relation to changes of weather and temperature conditions is often integrated in the terminology. Very basic in the meanings is also the quality and quantity of snow, judged according to the practical needs of people and animals. The author demonstrates this by explaining the terminology for conditions and layers of snow, terms based on the transportation and pasture needs of reindeer and those based on different kind of tracks in the snow. These are all nouns. With different kinds of derivations, the number of nouns, verbs and adjectives denoting snow, ice, freezing, and melting may easily amount to 1,000 lexemes. By analysing this kind of terminology, we can learn much about snow and ice conditions in the Arctic and living conditions for animals and human beings.
Healing the wounds of school by returning to the land: Cree elders come to the rescue of a lost generation
Authors: Roué Marie
Published: December 2006

How can indigenous peoples react to a situation of change that has a particularly strong effect on their youth? This article attempts to understand whether young Crees, who today find themselves all too often in a situation of double social exclusion, can complete their schooling, thus qualifying for work in the dominant society, while at the same time gaining command of the knowledge and know‐how of their own society. Among the James Bay Cree Indians, some elders welcome youngsters after a period of delinquency and who are having problems into their hunting camps, and by initiating them to life “on the land” succeed in restoring their relationship with the world. This exemplary experience makes it possible to imagine solutions for helping indigenous youth fully to benefit from the two worlds in which they have roots. The elders, by inventing a healing process based on an initiation to the natural and cultural environment, offer a modern‐day shamanism.
A creolising South Africa? Mixing, hybridity, and creolisation: (re)imagining the South African experience
Authors: Martin Denis‐Constant
Published: December 2006

The present state of South Africa's society is the outcome of protracted processes of contacts and mixing, in the course of which people coming from different cultural areas blended and produced an original culture. More than three centuries of racism and apartheid have bequeathed representations in which South Africa is construed as an addition of different people, each with its own culture and language. Such representations do not take into account the interactions between them that produced what is today a mix that is impossible to disentangle. This article attempts to look at theories ofmétissageand creolisation that have been devised to analyse societies in South America and the West Indies and check whether they could contribute to producing a better understanding of the history of South Africa. Édouard Glissant's theories of métissage and creolisation, because they stress processes and relations, because they consider that creolisation is a continuous process, could be relevant to South Africa. However, the example of Brazil shows that re‐imagining the past does not suffice to pacify memories of violence and segregation; it remains ineffective if it is not accompanied by economic and social policies aiming at redressing the inequalities inherited from this very past.
The Maraîchine breed: a biological object mediating various forms of knowledge
Authors: Steyaert Patrick
Published: December 2006

Is the preservation of biodiversity a matter for specialists alone? Can the practical knowledge of those involved in preservation contribute to the conception of desired changes, and if so how? This article presents a case study of the protection of the Maraîchine cow, a breed limited in number living in the marshlands of the French Atlantic coastal region. The following analytical point of view is adopted: the breed is a biological object mediating different forms of knowledge, that is, it is a vector of learning for different actors. It plays this role because those involved with it are placed in a situation of dialogue with respect to its preservation and in a concrete situation as breeders, which leads them to modify how they represent a “suitable animal”. The hardy Maraîchine, adapted to extensive breeding, is leading farmers to move gradually away from the intensive production that has been their reference point. The breed enables them to reconsider the relations between their activity, the marshland areas, and the preservation of nature. It leads farmers to reconstruct links among themselves and with the world of consumers. In this sense, the Maraîchine is the basis on which breeders in wetland areas have re‐established an individual and collective identity.
Biodiversity, traditional management systems, and cultural landscapes: examples from the boreal forest of Canada
Authors: Berkes Fikret , Davidson‐Hunt Iain J.
Published: December 2006

There is a relationship between biodiversity conservation and the cultural practices of indigenous and traditional peoples regarding land and resource use. To conserve biodiversity we need to understand how these cultures interact with landscapes and shape them in ways that contribute to the continued renewal of ecosystems. This article examines the significance of traditional knowledge and management systems and their implications for biodiversity conservation. We start by introducing one key traditional ecological practice, succession management, in particular through the use of fire. We then turn to the example of the indigenous use of boreal forest ecosystems of northern Canada, with a focus on the Anishnaabe (Ojibwa) of north‐western Ontario. Their traditional practices and cultural landscapes provide temporal and spatial biodiversity, and examples of the mechanisms that conserve biodiversity. Learning from traditional systems is important for broadening conservation objectives that can accommodate the sustainable livelihoods of local people. The lens of cultural landscapes provides a mechanism to understand how multiple objectives (timber production, non‐timber forest products, protected areas, tourism) are central to sustainable forest management in landscapes that conserve heritage values and support the livelihood needs of local people. The use of broader and more inclusive definitions of conservation and multiple, integrated objectives can help reconcile local livelihood needs and biodiversity conservation.
Misunderstanding the notion of conservation in the Philippine rice terraces – cultural landscapes
Authors: Guimbatan Rachel , Baguilat Teddy
Published: December 2006

The outstanding natural and cultural value of the Ifugao rice terraces has generated attention and interventions that have directly and indirectly subjected the landscape to social, cultural, economic and environmental pressure. To some extent, they have also altered the perception of the local people on their heritage value and have generated an ambivalent attitude on external impositions, especially when these become an impediment to the fulfilment of their perceived needs. One important factor that has not been considered in past conservation attempts is the people's aversion to foreign restrictions. The Ifugao hierarchy of heritage values is another factor that has not been fully grasped. However, since its endangered listing in 2001, these factors have been taken into account through a conservation approach that puts premium on local wisdom and fostering cooperation among the Ifugao and other stakeholders. The approach is a work in progress, mobilised by a group of a local‐based civil society organisation gradually spawning creativity and cooperation among the present generation of Ifugao stakeholders. This article presents issues in the conservation of the rice terraces and shares information on current initiatives to resolve these issues as identified by the Ifugao who are facilitating conservation work. The objective of this article is not to render judgment on failed conservation interventions in the past as a result of recognition, but to inform the outside world about the realities of managing a protected living landscape that also happens to be the enclave of an indigenous community, with the hope of generating improved approaches in the conservation of other sites of similar value.
An education rooted in two worlds: the Karen of northern Thailand
Authors: Odochao Jonni , Nakashima Douglas , Vaddhanaphuti Chayan
Published: December 2006

In Karen culture, the family is traditionally the basic unit for the education of the child. In the early 1970s, when Jonni Odochao began to notice that children could not relate to their elders or respect them, he surmised that the problem stemmed from the modern education system and its increasing influence upon youth values, behaviour and ways of thinking. To counter this trend he set in place a two‐pronged strategy. Inspired by an old Karen saying, a wide‐ranging alliance of persons with complementary expertise was established to advocate legislative change. In addition, Karen culture was reflected upon and revived by integrating traditional knowledge into the curricula of local schools. For the Karen, the ultimate goal is to be better understood by the society at large and to re‐establish their role as guardians of the forest.
Migraine in The Elderly: A Review
Authors: Haan J , Hollander J , Ferrari MD
Published: December 2006

Although migraine is less prevalent in older than in younger age groups, the absolute increase in the number of subjects in older age groups may lead to an increase in the total number of migraine patients. Consequently, more elderly migraine patients may seek medical attention. In this review, the epidemiology and clinical aspects of migraine in the age group of ≥60 years are summarized, with special attention to comorbidity. The review will focus on treatment choices in elderly migraine patients. These must be based on knowledge of mechanisms of physiological and pathological ageing.
Bayard Horton's Clinicopathological Description of Giant Cell (Temporal) Arteritis
Authors: Boes CJ
Published: December 2006

The author set out to review the thought processes of Bayard Horton as he was clinicopathologically describing the first cases of temporal arteritis. The Mayo Clinic records of the original temporal arteritis patients were examined. Horton obtained the first biopsies of the temporal arteries in temporal arteritis and was the first to describe the histopathology. Horton initially thought his first two patients had actinomycosis of the temporal arteries, but later abandoned this diagnosis. He reported these two patients in 1932 as ‘an undescribed form of arteritis of the temporal vessels’. He was the first to describe jaw claudication. He saw a patient with blindness and symptoms suggestive of temporal arteritis before this complication was described in the literature, but initially felt the patient had some other disease. The sedimentation rate was elevated in his first patient. He cared for the first temporal arteritis patient ever treated with cortisone.
Assessment of Headache Diagnosis. A Comparative Population Study of a Clinical Interview With a Diagnostic Headache Diary
Authors: Phillip D , Lyngberg AC , Jensen R
Published: December 2006

The level of agreement between headache information, attained by clinical interview and headache diary, was evaluated in subjects who frequently suffered from headache and were participating in an epidemiological study of headache. One hundred and six subjects were interviewed and asked to complete a diary for a period of 4–8 weeks; 46% completed the study. For migraine the diary and clinical diagnoses demonstrated agreement in 82%, κ value 0.57, sensitivity 90% and specificity 64%. For tension-type headache they demonstrated agreement in 87%, κ value 0.39, sensitivity 97%, specificity 29% and a good agreement of frequency of tension-type headache was also obtained. In migraine, but not in tension-type headache, accompanying symptoms tended to be overestimated in the interview. The diary was not useful for the diagnosis of migraine with aura, but proved valuable in distinguishing between migraine and tension-type headache, and in the identification of coexisting headache disorders. Combined use of a diagnostic diary and clinical interview is recommended.
Histological skin changes in heterozygote carriers of mutations in ABCC6, the gene causing pseudoxanthoma elasticum
Authors: Martin L , Chassaing N , Delaite D , Estève E , Maître F , Le Bert M
Published: December 2006

Background  Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is related to mutations in the ABCC6 gene and characterized pathologically by dystrophic and mineralized elastic fibres. Heterozygote carriers of ABCC6 mutations may have a limited PXE phenotype.

Objective  To compare histological changes in the skin of genotyped siblings from two PXE pedigrees.

Methods  Mutation analysis of ABCC6 was performed. Skin biopsy samples were stained (orcein) and immunolabelled for elastin, and for vitronectin and bone sialoprotein, which are partially responsible for the mineralization within the elastorrhexic fibres.

Results  In all individuals mutation analysis of ABCC6 allowed definition of the genotype status, i.e. PXE (n = 2), heterozygote (n = 7) or wild type (n = 2). The study identified three histological phenotypes related to the ABCC6 genotype in siblings from both families. Heterozygote carriers had changes in dermal elastic fibre organization, morphology and labelling midway between those seen in PXE skin and normal skin.

Conclusion  Even though the number of individuals studied here is small and precludes any hasty generalization, having a single mutation in the ABCC6 gene seems enough to modify dermal elastic fibres. The relevance of performing a skin biopsy to identify heterozygote carriers in the family of a PXE patient remains to be determined.
Service User Outcomes of Staff Training in Positive Behaviour Support Using Person‐Focused Training: A Control Group Study
Authors: Grey Ian M. , McClean Brian
Published: December 2006

Background  Effectively supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities who display challenging behaviours continues to be a priority for service providers. Person‐focused training (PFT) is a model of service delivery which provides staff with skills in functional assessment and intervention development. Existing longitudinal data from a study of 138 cases suggest that implementation of staff‐developed behaviour support plans through PFT is effective in reducing challenging behaviour in approximately 77% of cases [McClean et al.Journal of Intellectual Disability Research (2005) vol. 49, pp. 340–353]. However, no control group was used in this study.

Method  The current study involves the use of a control group of individuals with challenging behaviours matched against those selected for PFT over a 6‐month period. Groups were matched on type of challenging behaviour, duration of challenging behaviour, gender and level of disability. Information on the frequency, management difficulty and severity of challenging behaviour was collected pre‐ and post‐training using the Checklist of Challenging Behaviours (CCB) for both groups. Observational data were collected for the target group alone. Rates of psychotropic medication were tracked across the training period.

Results  Significant reductions in the frequency, management difficulty and severity of challenging behaviour were found for service users in the target group but not in the control group after 6 months. No significant changes were found in the use of psychotropic medication for either group over the 6‐month period.

Conclusion  Overall results suggest that PFT is an effective model for providing support to individuals with challenging behaviours.
A Communication Training Programme for Residential Staff Working with Adults with Challenging Behaviour: Pilot Data on Intervention Effects
Authors: Smidt Andy , Balandin Susan , Reed Vicki , Sigafoos Jeff
Published: December 2006

Background  Challenging behaviour often serves a communicative function. It therefore stands to reason that the residential staff working in developmental disability services require training to foster appropriate communicative interactions with adults with challenging behaviour.

Method  Eighteen members of staff working in three residential services participated in a 4 week communication training programme. The programme focused on staff attitudes to and beliefs about challenging behaviour, communicative interactions between staff and residents and working as a team. Objective measurements were made of the effects of the training programme on staff use of augmentative and alternative communication, praise and use of inappropriate language in a multiple‐baseline design across three organizations. Changes in the rate of challenging behaviours among the residents were also evaluated.

Results  As staff's use of AAC and praise increased, and inappropriate language decreased, there was some concomitant decrease in residents’ levels of challenging behaviour; however, these results were not sustained in the long‐term.

Conclusion  This pilot data suggest that an approach to staff training based on modifying attitudes and beliefs is potentially beneficial to both staff and residents.
Impact of a 3‐Day Training Course on Challenging Behaviour on Staff Cognitive and Emotional Responses
Authors: Tierney Edel , Quinlan Dave , Hastings Richard P.
Published: December 2006

Background  A range of factors have been suggested as determinants of staff behaviour in the context of working with people with challenging behaviour. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a typical challenging behaviour staff training course had an effect on staff feelings of efficacy, their negative emotional reactions to challenging behaviour, and their causal beliefs.

Methods  Forty‐eight staff attending a 3‐day training course on understanding challenging behaviour and managing stress were assessed pre‐training and at a 3‐month follow‐up. Questionnaires assessing self‐efficacy, emotional reactions and causal beliefs were used.

Results  Perceived self‐efficacy in dealing with challenging behaviours increased significantly from pre‐ to post‐training. There were no significant changes in either emotional reactions to challenging behaviours or causal beliefs.

Conclusion  In common with previous research, there was a sizeable impact on staff confidence and efficacy after a 3‐day training course. Given the potential significance of emotional reactions both in terms of staff behaviour and their psychological well‐being at work, more research is needed to explore how these reactions might best be dealt with in staff training interventions.
On the Economic Link Between Asset Prices and Real Activity
Authors: Peña Juan Ignacio , Rodríguez Rosa
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  This paper presents a model linking two financial markets (stocks and bonds) with real business cycle, in the framework of the Consumption Capital Asset Pricing Model with Generalized Isoelastic Preferences. Besides interest rate term spread, the model includes a new variable to forecast economic activity: stock market term spread. This is the slope of expected stock market returns. The empirical evidence documented in this paper suggests systematic relationships between business cycle's state and the shapes of two yield curves (interest rates and expected stock returns). Results are robust to changes in measures of economic growth, stock prices, interest rates and expectations generating mechanisms.
Influences of parturition on home range and microhabitat use of female black‐faced impalas
Authors: Matson T. K. , Putland D. A. , Jarman P. J. , Le Roux J. , Goldizen A. W.
Published: December 2006

The use of home ranges and microhabitats by female black‐faced impalas Aepyceros melampus petersi was investigated using radio‐telemetry over a 4‐month period that coincided with parturition at Ongava Game Reserve, north‐west Namibia. The aim of the study was to test how ranging patterns and microhabitat use were affected by the presence of young. The mean minimum convex polygon (MCP) home range of the 11 tracked female black‐faced impalas exceeded the largest of home ranges of impalas elsewhere by at least six times, and females used significantly larger total ranges (MCPs) after birth, although (50% kernel) core areas did not change significantly. Females were more likely to be solitary or alone with a lamb in the first week of their lambs' lives than in the periods after or before that time, and they both shifted their home ranges and changed their microhabitat use after parturition. Decisions on microhabitat and space use by female black‐faced impalas appeared to be affected by parturition.
Avian brachial index and wing kinematics: putting movement back into bones
Authors: Nudds R. L. , Dyke G. J. , Rayner J. M. V.
Published: December 2006

The relationship between wing kinematics, wing morphology and the brachial index of birds (BI=humerus length/ulna length) was examined. BI was found to differ between three groups of birds, which were classified on the basis of similar wing kinematics. In addition, a comparative analysis of a large dataset, using phylogenetically independent contrasts, suggested a significant, albeit weak, correlation between BI and four measures of wing morphology (wing loading, wing area, wing length and aspect ratio). Although wing kinematics and wing morphology are both correlated with BI in birds, the dominant selective pressure upon this ratio is probably wing kinematics. The previously identified clade specificity of BI within Neornithes is most likely because birds with similar BIs fly with kinematic similarity and closely related birds have similar flight styles. A correlation between BI and wing kinematics means that it may be possible to characterize the wing beat of fossil birds. A more robust relationship between wing morphology and BI may emerge, but only after the relationship between wing kinematics and BI is quantified. A comparative and quantitative study of wing‐bone anatomy and wing kinematics is a priority for future studies of avian wing‐skeleton evolution and functional morphology.
Effects of perceived stress and uplifts on inflammation and coagulability
Authors: Jain Shamini , Mills Paul J. , Von Känel Roland , Hong Suzi , Dimsdale Joel E.
Published: December 2006

We investigated whether depressed mood and chronic hassles and uplifts predicted levels of hemostasis markers D‐Dimer and type‐1 plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI‐1), as well as the proinflammatory markers interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (sICAM‐1) in 108 healthy individuals. One hundred eight African‐American and Euro‐American men and women were studied (58 men, 50 women; mean age = 36.5 ± 8 years). D‐Dimer, PAI‐1, IL‐6, and sICAM‐1 plasma levels were analyzed from fasting venous blood samples. Data were analyzed via hierarchical linear regression and followed with partial correlation analysis. Regression analyses combined with partial correlation analyses suggested that increases in hassle frequency predicted elevated levels of sICAM‐1 (p= .034), and increases in hassle severity predicted elevated levels of D‐Dimer (p= .017). Increases in uplift intensity predicted lower levels of PAI‐1 (p= .004) as well as showed a trend for decreased IL‐6 (p= .069). Depressed mood did not significantly predict any dependent variable. These results were independent of sociodemographic, biological, and other related mood variables. The findings suggest that for even relatively healthy persons, increased perceptions of hassles are independently associated with greater inflammation and hypercoagulability, whereas increased perceptions of uplifts are independently associated with decreased hypercoagulability.
Visual novel stimuli in an ERP novelty oddball paradigm: Effects of familiarity on repetition and recognition memory
Authors: Cycowicz Yael M. , Friedman David
Published: December 2006

The orienting response, the brain's reaction to novel and/or out of context familiar events, is reflected by the novelty P3 of the ERP. Contextually novel events also engender high rates of recognition memory. We examined, under incidental and intentional conditions, the effects of visual symbol familiarity on the novelty P3 recorded during an oddball task and on the parietal episodic memory (EM) effect, an index of recollection. Repetition of familiar, but not unfamiliar, symbols elicited a reduction in the novelty P3. Better recognition performance for the familiar symbols was associated with a robust parietal EM effect, which was absent for the unfamiliar symbols in the incidental task. These data demonstrate that processing of novel events depends on expectation and whether stimuli have preexisting representations in long‐term semantic memory.
Theta phase resetting and the error‐related negativity
Authors: Yeung Nick , Bogacz Rafal , Holroyd Clay B. , Nieuwenhuis Sander , Cohen Jonathan D.
Published: December 2006

It has been proposed that the error‐related negativity (ERN) is generated by phase resetting of theta‐band EEG oscillations. The present research evaluates a set of analysis methods that have recently been used to provide evidence for this hypothesis. To evaluate these methods, we apply each of them to two simulated data sets: one set that includes theta phase resetting and a second that comprises phasic peaks embedded in EEG noise. The results indicate that the analysis methods do not effectively distinguish between the two simulated data sets. In particular, the simulated data set constructed from phasic peaks, though containing no synchronization of ongoing EEG activity, demonstrates properties previously interpreted as supporting the synchronized oscillation account of the ERN. These findings suggest that the proposed analysis methods cannot provide unambiguous evidence that the ERN is generated by phase resetting of ongoing oscillations.
An event‐related potentials study of face identification and naming: The tip‐of‐the‐tongue state
Authors: Díaz Fernando , Lindín Mónica , Galdo‐Alvarez Santiago , Facal David , Juncos‐Rabadán Onésimo
Published: December 2006

With the aim of identifying event‐related potential (ERP) correlates of the tip‐of‐the‐tongue (TOT) state, we employed a task involving identification and naming of the faces of famous people with three response categories: KNOW (correct naming), DON'T KNOW (name not known), and TOT. Before 450 ms, no differences are observed between TOT and KNOW conditions in ERPs related to face processing and recognition. The smaller mean amplitude in TOT than in KNOW responses over the 550–750‐ms interval and the N‐TOT difference wave are correlates of the onset of the TOT state, probably reflecting a division of processing resources and low activation of the lexical–phonological route. The smaller amplitude of a late negative wave (between 1350 and 1550 ms) in TOT than in DON'T KNOW responses, and the P‐TOT difference wave, seem to indicate that an important amount of processing resources is engaged in resolving the TOT.
Resisting recently acted‐on cues: Compatibility of Go/NoGo responses to response history modulates (frontal P3) event‐related potentials
Authors: Freitas Antonio L. , Azizian Allen , Leung Hoi‐Chung , Squires Nancy K.
Published: December 2006

Using event‐related potentials to investigate compatibility between past and present cue–response interactions, an experiment combined elements of selective‐attention and Go/NoGo tasks. In the selective‐attention part of each trial, participants responded to one of two visible numerical digits. Immediately afterward, in the Go/NoGo part of each trial, one of the same two digits appeared, with participants required to press the corresponding key on Go trials and to withhold responding on NoGo trials. Higher‐amplitude anterior P3 responses on NoGo than on Go trials emerged when participants withheld responding to a recently selected cue but were greatly diminished when participants withheld responding to a recently ignored cue. The findings suggest that episodic traces of past Go/NoGo responses guide future action decisions, such that increased response control is needed to overcome bias to respond to recently acted‐on NoGo cues.
Genetic and environmental influences on emotion‐modulated startle reflex: A twin study
Authors: Anokhin Andrey P. , Golosheykin Simon , Heath Andrew C.
Published: December 2006

Emotion‐modulated startle reflex is an important indicator of traitlike differences in affective processing implicated in the biological basis of personality and psychopathology. This study examined heritability of startle modulation by affective pictures in 66 pairs of monozygotic and 57 pairs of dizygotic female twins. Consistent with previous studies, startle magnitude was significantly influenced by emotional valence of the picture (positive<neutral<negative). Absolute response magnitude showed high heritability in all three valence conditions (59–61%); however, there were no significant genetic influences on the amount of startle modulation. Thus, our data do not support the hypothesis that emotion‐modulated startle can serve as an indicator of genetically transmitted individual differences in affective processing.