bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learning and Liking an Artificial Musical System: Effects of Set Size and Repeated Exposure
Authors: Loui Psyche , Wessel David
Published: November 2015

We report an investigation of humans' musical learning ability using a novel musical system. We designed an artificial musical system based on the Bohlen-Pierce scale, a scale very different from Western music. Melodies were composed from chord progressions in the new scale by applying the rules of a finite-state grammar. After exposing participants to sets of melodies, we conducted listening tests to assess learning, including recognition tests, generalization tests, and subjective preference ratings. In Experiment 1, participants were presented with 15 melodies 27 times each. Forced choice results showed that participants were able to recognize previously encountered melodies and generalize their knowledge to new melodies, suggesting internalization of the musical grammar.

Preference ratings showed no differentiation among familiar, new, and ungrammatical melodies. In Experiment 2, participants were given 10 melodies 40 times each. Results showed superior recognition but unsuccessful generalization. Additionally, preference ratings were significantly higher for familiar melodies. Results from the two experiments suggest that humans can internalize the grammatical structure of a new musical system following exposure to a sufficiently large set size of melodies, but musical preference results from repeated exposure to a small number of items. This dissociation between grammar learning and preference will be further discussed.
Music in Mood Regulation: Initial Scale Development
Authors: Saarikallio Suvi H.
Published: November 2015

Music is recognized as an effective means of regulating mood. However, there has not been a scale for assessing the use of different regulatory strategies related to musical activities, and the purpose of the current study was to construct such a scale. A survey study (N = 1515) was conducted with 10–20-year old adolescents. The measurement model of the scale for assessing the use of music for mood regulation was based on a previous theoretical model about the use of music for mood regulation in adolescence. A series of confirmatory factor analyses in the survey data supported the measurement model, and a 40-item scale for Music in Mood Regulation (MMR) was established. In addition, the relationships of the measure to relevant concepts were explored and differences in the use of music in mood regulation were studied.
A General Model for the Dynamic Functioning of Musical Systems
Authors: Leroy Jean-Luc
Published: November 2015

This article presents an overview of a general model for the dynamic functioning of musical systems within an anthropological perspective. This theoretical approach is based on a set of conjectures: — 1. Music fulfils an adaptive function of biopsychical regulation; — 2. This function is fulfilled by means of a multidimensional system; — 3. The system is determined by constraints of psychophysical, anatomophysiological, psychomotor, cognitive, cultural and psychical nature; — 4. Every sound/musical structure bears a potential energy; — 5. Actualisation of these potentialities results from the interaction of these structures with a subject.

The model is briefly presented here according to two axes: of potential tensions linked to sound and musical structures, and of the actualisation of these tensions by the individual. The first outlines ten dimensions (grouped together within three levels) by means of which the potential energy of sound and musical structures could be borne. The second places these dimensions and their mechanisms in context of the subject: the “affective system” enables a modulation of the investment of musical system dimensions; this investment is controlled by “operating models“; a stylistic mediation and an emotional mediation ensure the sociocultural integration of the dynamic “scenario” worked out by the subject. A general diagram sums up the model.
On the non-existence of music: Why music theory is a figment of the imagination
Authors: Wiggins Geraint A. , Müllensiefen Daniel , Pearce Marcus T.
Published: November 2015

We argue for an approach to the theory of music which starts from the position that music is primarily a construct of human minds (and secondarily a social construct) and contrast it with the approach implicit in the work of some music theorists, which treats music as though it were an externally defined quasi-Platonic absolute. We argue that a natural conclusion of this approach is that music theory, while already being a kind of folk psychology, can benefit from being more explicitly informed by music cognition studies. We give examples from work in the computational modelling of music cognition, following our approach, which attempts to place each musical phenomenon in an ecological context motivated by evolutionary considerations, and which aims to explain musical phenomena independently of the explicit intervention of the theorist. We argue that only thus can a theory be said veridically to explicate the phenomenology of music. We place our argument in context of the Generative Theory of Tonal Music (Lerdahl & Jackendoff, 1983), Generative Linguistics, and other papers in the current volume, and compare them all with results of modelling studies based on our espoused approach.
Corroborating external observation by cognitive data in the description and modelling of traditional music
Authors: Arom Simha
Published: November 2015

Any repertoire of traditional music - i.e., considered by the members of a cultural community to be part of their collective heritage - may be said to behave like a formal system.

In the great majority of civilizations with oral traditions, musical systems do not give rise to abstract speculation. The theory which underlies each of them is not formally expressed, thus remaining implicit.

In such a context, to describe the systematic organization of a given repertoire amounts to unearthing the rationale of (1) the principles and rules by which it is governed, (2) the ways in which it functions.

Modelisation consists in eliciting the minimal utterance to which each performer ultimately refers, when actualizing any one of the musical pieces in the system, or - in a multipart music - any of its component parts.

The validity of both description and modelisation results from the interaction of Western conceptual tools and the criteria of relevance obtained from pronouncements by the recipients of the tradition.

Formulating the theory of a musical system requires that at each stage of the investigative process the native's cognitive grasp of musical practice and its symbolic imports - whether this grasp is conceptual or metaphoric - be corroborated by the data gathered through observation.

In this paper I describe three case studies of research among “living laboratories” of African culture bearers, each of which illustrates a principle of such collective cognitive systems.
Cue Abstraction, Paradigmatic Analysis and Information Dynamics: Towards Music Analysis by Cognitive Model
Authors: Wiggins Geraint A.
Published: November 2015

I present a preliminary study intended to explore the explication of the mechanisms of cue abstraction (Deliège, 1987, ff.) in terms of the information dynamics of music. I build on the apparent relation between cue abstraction and the paradigmatic analysis technique of Ruwet (1972). I argue that the introduction of the IDyOM information-theoretic model of musical listening (Pearce, 2005; Wiggins et al., 2009) into the study begins to account for the appearance of cues and imprint formation, in Deliège's terms. I illustrate how the model may in future contribute to systems which are capable of automating the process of music analysis.
Is there Even a Grammar of Music ?
Authors: Dempster Douglas
Published: November 2015

Does the music that we know have a language-like semantics? I argue that mere agreement among auditors about their cognitive representations and descriptions of music doesn't give grounds for attributing meaning to music. I also argue that music does not have a language-like semantics not because it fails to be robustly referential, but because musical structures are not genuine grammars. The reason is that while music typically has very elaborate and regular structures - much like language - these structures do not apparently originate from nor are they in the service of the need to encode meanings - exactly unlike language. Nonetheless, the difference between languages and music is more a matter of degree than of kind. In other words, we can imagine transforming what we now call music into a language; if, by some strange necessity, music were pressed into service on a day-to day basis for the purposes of comprehension and communication, then it could without much trouble become a language. But we would very likely no longer regard the strangely melodious utterances of such a language to be real music once it came to serve, in a quite transparent way, its pragmatic communicative and cognitive functions. I explain these views as a consequence of an old-fashioned aesthetic theory of music cognition as newly formulated by Raffman (1993).
The Effect of Concurrent Music on Autobiographical Recall in Dementia Clients
Authors: Foster N. A. , Valentine E. R.
Published: November 2015

Twenty dementia clients were given vigilance and autobiographical recall tasks, both with and without background music in a repeated measures design. The music was either novel or familiar, the pieces being matched on three affective scales. Autobiographical recall was significantly better in music than in quiet, but there was no effect of familiarity. Performance on the vigilance task was subject to both floor and ceiling effects. There was some indication thatmusic was more beneficial for the more severely impaired clients. The results favour an explanation of the facilitatory effect of music in terms of increased arousal or decreased anxiety rather than association. Suggestions for further research and implications of the results for the therapeutic use of music for dementia clients are discussed.
Perceptual Dimensions of Pitch and Their Appearance in the Phonological System of Music
Authors: Rakowski Andrzej
Published: November 2015

The vocabulary of music's basic phonological code cannot be deduced by analysing a linear flow of musical events, but should be understood as composed of units operating separately in dimensions of particular perceptual domains. Over thousands years of human musical activity, special means have been developed in each of these domains to overcome memory constraints associated with the operation of large sets of perceptual units. Within the domain of pitch, the system split into four partly orthogonal dimensions: continuous (pitch height and pitch distance) and formally categorical (pitch classes and musical intervals). In each of those dimensions the number of more or less distinct categories is restricted due to limitations of memory. It generally conforms to Miller's (1956) “magical number 7 ±2” concerning memory capacity for magnitude levels of a unidimensional sensation. The compound nature of musical pitch sensation explains memory phenomena, which Miller was unable to rationalise.
Developing Concepts of Musical Style
Authors: Hargreaves David J. , North Adrian C.
Published: November 2015

This paper describes three studies which investigate age changes in different aspects of listeners' responses to musical styles. In the first study, 105 children between the ages of 8 and 14 years were asked make “odd one out” discriminations amongst triads of classical and popular excerpts drawn from four stylistic groups in each case. There were no consistent age differences, and there was a much higher proportion of correct identifications of the target excerpts for the popular than for the classical styles. The second study investigated stylistic knowledge in 196 participants between the ages of 8 and 80 years by asking them to list what they considered to be 8 prominent styles of music. Participants made finer distinctions amongst the specific styles with which they were likely to be familiar as a result of their particular age cohort. In the third study 275 participants between the ages of 9 and 78 years were asked to name as many styles as they could within each of three genres (classical, jazz, and pop/rock), and to rate how much they liked these nominated styles. The total number of styles nominated followed an inverted-U-shaped pattern with increasing age, and liking for the styles overall was similar across the age groups apart from a significant increase in the oldest group. These results are discussed in terms of LeBlanc's (1991) life-span model of stylistic tolerance and of arousal-based processes In aesthetic preference. Cognitive, or knowledge-based aspects of age differences in responses to musical style are clearly dependent on the social and cultural contexts within which they occur.
Public Opinion On The Death Penalty
Authors: Stack Steven
Published: November 2015

Research on public support for the death penalty has neglected comparative analysis. It is not clear whether the results of past research based disproportionately on the United States will replicate in other nations with varied institutional and cultural frameworks. The present article has two central aims: (a) to replicate U.S.-based findings, based on the theoretical perspectives of instrumentalism (crime-centeredness) and broader, non-crime-centered symbolic orientations, for a set of 17 nations, and (b) to partially test the elite leadership hypothesis. The latter refers to the notion that legal abolition of the death penalty will substantially delegitimate capital punishment in a nation's cultural system and will lead to a steady decline in death penalty support. Individual-level data are from the International Social Science Program and refer to 17,725 respondents in 17 nations. A multiple logistic regression analysis largely confirmed U.S.-based research. In particular, indicators from an instrumental approach that were found to be significant included individuals' degree of punitiveness and nations' homicide rates. Measures of symbolic orientations that were found to be significant predictors of death penalty support included authoritarianism and fundamentalism. Some support was found for the elite leadership hypothesis. Residents of abolitionist nations, especially if they resided in nations with a long history of abolition, were significantly less supportive of the death penalty than residents of retentionist nations. The full model explained 25 percent of the variance in support for capital punishment, providing systematic cross-national evidence for U.S.-based theories of death penalty support.
Stenosing Tenosynovitis of the Pseudosheath of the Tendo Achilles
Authors: Gould Nathaniel , Korson Roy
Published: November 2015

This entity consists of a chronic inflammatory process of the peritenon of the tendo Achilles (usually bilateral) at variable points of the tendon itself but usually near the insertion in the Achilles. Its occurrence, not only in runners but in relatively sedentary individuals of both sexes, seems to be the result of microtrauma with insidious onset of local pain in increasing degree with physical activity.

Clinically, in the advanced cases, fibrillation, modulation, and “yellowing” of the edematous tendon occur and probably are a precursor to later ruptures.

Pathological changes consist of one or more of the following: a myxomatous degeneration of collagenous tissue; fibrosis; round cell inflammatory infiltrate; and proliferation of fibrovascular connective tissue. The use of steroid injections seems to be of no help and probably is contraindicated.

Surgery consists of excision of the entire pseudosheath, allowing the tendon to assume a new, nonconstricting alignment. All but one of the nine patients with a follow-up of at least one year went on to clinical, painless recovery, with unrestricted future activity, in just a few months.
The Injury Risk Associated with Pes Planus in Athletes
Authors: Michelson J.D. , Durant D.M. , McFarland E.
Published: November 2015

Despite the common prophylactic use of rigid orthotics in athletes with flat feet to prevent subsequent injury, there is little scientific data in the literature examining the relationship between pes planus and athletic injuries to the lower extremity. The current prospective study was undertaken to establish what relationship, if any, exists between foot morphology and subsequent lower extremity injury.

A total of 196 subjects were enrolled in the study, of which 143 (73%) were male and 53 (27%) were female. Forty-two percent of the participants (83) engaged in contact sports. There were a total of 227 episodes of injury involving the lower extremity. Logistic regression using contact sports, gender, and all of the different foot contact areas that were measured at the beginning of the study was undertaken. Although gender and participation in contact sports was predictive of some lower extremity injuries, the existence of pes planus as measured by medial midfoot contact area as a percentage of total contact area was not a risk factor for any injury of the lower extremity. This study shows that in an athletic population that is representative of collegiate athletics, the existence of flat footedness does not predispose to subsequent lower extremity injury. The routine prophylactic use of orthotics in flat-footed athletes to prevent future injury may therefore not be justified based on the data available.
The First Intermetatarsal Angle in Hallux Valgus: An Analysis of Measurement Reliability and the Error Involved
Authors: Condon Finbarr , Kaliszer Michael , Conhyea Dyanane , Donnell Turlough O' , Shaju Anthony , Masterson Eric
Published: November 2015

In view of the importance placed on the first intermetatarsal angle in the assessment of surgical intervention in hallux valgus, we assessed the reliability with which one measures this angle. The study involved 10 observers of varying experience measuring the angle using a standard technique on 10 weightbearing AP X-rays of the foot on three separate occasions. The margin of error in measuring the angle was ±3.60° with a 95% confidence interval. Increasing and averaging the number of readings per observer or the readings of a number of observers, reduces the error. Experience doesn't improve reliability. In conclusion, improvement in the reliability of the measurements can be achieved by careful technique, performing the measurements at least twice, and averaging them.
The Impact of Instrumented Gait Analysis on Surgical Planning: Treatment of Spastic Equinovarus Deformity of the Foot and Ankle
Authors: Fuller David A. , Keenan Mary Ann E. , Esquenazi Alberto , Whyte John , Mayer Nathaniel H. , Fidler-Sheppard Rebecca
Published: November 2015

Background: Despite the logic behind instrumented gait analysis, its specific contribution to clinical and surgical decision making is not well known. Our purpose in this study was to determine the influence of gait analysis with dynamic electromyography upon surgical planning in patients with upper motor neuron syndrome and gait dysfunction.

Methods: Two surgeons prospectively evaluated 36 consecutive adult patients with a spastic equinovarus deformity of the foot and ankle. After an initial history and physical exam, each surgeon independently formulated a surgical plan. Surgical treatment options for each individual muscle/tendon unit crossing the ankle included lengthening, transfer, release or no surgery. After the initial clinical evaluation and surgical planning, all patients then underwent instrumented gait analysis collecting kinetic, kinematic and poly-EMG data using a standard protocol by a single experienced physiatrist. Each surgeon reviewed the gait studies and patients independently and again formulated a surgical plan. The surgical plans were compared for each surgeon before and after gait study. The agreement between the two surgeon's surgical plans was also compared before and after gait study. Each patient was evaluated for the clinical outcome of surgery.

Results: Overall a change was made in 64% of the surgical plans after the gait study. The frequency of changing the surgical plan was not significantly different between the more and less experienced surgeons. The agreement between surgeons increased from 0.34 to 0.76 (p = 0.009) after the gait study. The number of surgical procedures planned by each surgeon converged after the gait studies. Correction of the varus deformity was seen in all patients that underwent surgical treatment.

Conclusion: Instrumented gait analysis alters surgical planning for patients with equinovarus deformity of the foot and ankle and can produce higher agreement between surgeons in surgical planning.

Clinical Relevance: The equinovarus deformity is due to a variety of deforming forces and a single, best operation does not exist to correct all equinovarus deformities. Rather, a muscle specific approach that identifies the deforming forces will produce the best outcomes when treating the spastic equinovarus deformity.
The Value of Subtalar Arthroscopy in the Management of Intra-articular Calcaneus Fractures
Authors: Rammelt Stefan , Gavlik Johann Marian , Barthel Sven , Zwipp Hans
Published: November 2015

A wealth of clinical and experimental data suggests, that anatomical restoration of the posterior calcaneal facet is a major predictor of outcome after intra-articular calcaneus fractures. The value of subtalar arthroscopy was examined in three clinical study groups (I–III).

Materials and Methods: (I) The subtalar joint was inspected arthroscopically in 28 patients during hardware removal one year after open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). This procedure was accompanied by subtalar arthrolysis in all cases. (II) Open subtalar arthroscopy was performed to evaluate the quality of reduction after ORIF of intra-articular calcaneus fractures in 59 cases. Arthroscopy was performed after seemingly exact reconstruction of the posterior facet as judged visually and fluoroscopically. (III) Arthroscopically assisted percutaneous reduction and screw fixation (PRSF) was performed in 18 patients with Sanders II fractures. Reduction was achieved with a Schanz screw introduced percutaneously into the tuberosity fragment and controlled fluoroscopically, while fine corrections were made under arthroscopic guidance.

Results: (I) Clinical results after ORIF of intra-articular calcaneus fractures were highly correlated to the degree of residual incongruities and chondromalacia of the posterior facet as seen arthroscopically during hardware removal (P<0.01). (II) In 13 of 59 cases (22.0%) during ORIF despite seemingly accurate reduction, steps between 1–2 mm were detected arthroscopically in the posterior calcaneal facet and reduction was repeated subsequently in these cases. (III) Fifteen patients who underwent arthroscopically guided PRSF were re-evaluated after a minimum of one year with excellent clinical results (94.1 pts. with the AOFAS scales). No wound complications were seen.

Conclusions: Subtalar arthroscopy provides a most precise and thorough view of the posterior facet of the calcaneus both in assessing the quality of initial reduction as well as evaluation during hardware removal after intra-articular calcaneus fractures. It is more precise than intra-operative fluoroscopy and less time consuming than standard Brodén views during surgery. The use of arthroscopy allows anatomical percutaneous reduction and screw fixation of Sanders II fractures. It therefore provides a useful additional tool in treating intra-articular calcaneus fractures.
Functional Outcome of Patients Following Open Reduction Internal Fixation for Bilateral Calcaneus Fractures
Authors: Zmurko Matthew G. , Karges David E.
Published: November 2015

Treatment of displaced intra-articular calcaneus fractures has historically been controversial, but recent developments have led to resurgence in open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) for displaced calcaneus fractures. Recent functional outcome studies comparing operative to nonoperative treatment of unilateral calcaneus fractures has shown a trend towards improved function with ORIF. No studies have investigated the functional outcome of patients who have required operative treatment of bilateral displaced calcaneus fractures. The purpose of this study was to review our operative experience with bilateral displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures.

A retrospective review of medical charts indicated 13 patients had undergone ORIF for bilateral calcaneus fractures. Nine patients could be contacted and brought to the clinic for functional evaluation and radiographic CT studies. Functional outcome was assessed by the Musculoskeletal Functional Assessment Score (MFA) and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Hindfoot Score (AOFAS). The average follow-up was 56 months. Over half of the patients required additional surgeries. The average MFA and AOFAS scores were 31.1 and 71.8, respectively. Functional outcome decreased for patients with multiple traumatic fractures and surgical procedures of the calcaneus.

Our results show a diminished functional outcome for patients sustaining bilateral calcaneus fractures treated with ORIF when compared to patients managed surgically for unilateral calcaneus fractures, but better functional outcomes than patients who do not undergo ORIF for unilateral calcaneus fractures. This diminished function limits work capacity and ability to perform daily activities that require standing.
Transcutaneous Oxygen Measurements Under Hyperbaric Oxygen Conditions as a Predictor for Healing of Problem Wounds
Authors: Strauss Michael B. , Bryant Brandon J. , Hart George B.
Published: November 2015

Controversy exists as to what transcutaneous oxygen (PtcO2) levels are required for wound healing and what role hyperbaric oxygen has for this. Current information suggests that 30 to 40 mmHg juxta-wound oxygen tensions in room air are required. We recorded PtcO2 measurements in room air and with hyperbaric oxygen in 190 patients with foot wounds; then looked retrospectively and prospectively whether there was any effect on healing. Transcutaneous oxygen measurements under hyperbaric oxygen conditions defined a responder group (PtcO2 > 200 mmHg) with a sensitivity of 0.80 and a positive predictive value of 0.88 for healing, regardless of room air measurements when hyperbaric oxygen was used as an adjunct to wound management. This information helps to objectify the indications for hyperbaric oxygen and predict healing especially in those patients with problem wounds of the foot and ankle.
Surgical Versus Accommodative Treatment for Charcot Arthropathy of the Midfoot
Authors: Pinzur Michael
Published: November 2015

Background: The treatment of Charcot foot arthropathy is one of the most controversial issues facing orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons. Although current orthopaedic textbooks are in almost universal agreement that treatment should be nonoperative, accommodating the deformity with orthotic methods, most peer-reviewed clinical studies recommend early surgical correction of the deformity. In a university health system orthopaedic foot and ankle clinic with a special interest in diabetic foot disorders, a moderate approach evolved for management of this difficult patient population. Methods: Patients with Charcot arthropathy and plantigrade feet were treated with accommodative orthotic methods. Those with nonplantigrade feet were treated with surgical correction of the deformity, followed by long-term management with commercial therapeutic footwear. The desired outcome for both groups was long-term management with standard, commercially available, therapeutic depth-inlay shoes and custom-fabricated accommodative foot orthoses. During a 6-year period, 198 patients (201 feet) were treated for diabetes-associated Charcot foot arthropathy. The location of the deformity was in the midfoot in 147 feet, in the ankle in 50, and in the forefoot in four. Results: At a minimum 1-year follow-up, 87 of the 147 feet with midfoot disease (59.2%) achieved the desired endpoint without surgical intervention. Sixty (40.8%) required surgery. Corrective osteotomy with or without arthrodesis was attempted in 42, while debridement or simple exostectomy was attempted in 18 feet. Three patients had initial amputation (one partial foot amputation, one Syme ankle disarticulation, and one transtibial amputation), and five had amputation (two Syme ankle disarticulations and three transtibial amputations) after attempted salvage failed. Conclusion: Using a simple treatment protocol with the desired endpoint being long-term management with commercially available, therapeutic footwear and custom foot orthoses, more than half of patients with Charcot arthropathy at the midfoot level can be successfully managed without surgery.
Surgical Correction of Crossover Deformity of the Second Toe: A Technique for Tenodesis
Authors: Barca Francesco , Acciaro Andrea Leti
Published: November 2015

Twenty-seven patients with 30 crossover toe (COT) deformities of the second toe were evaluated. This deformity in the transverse and sagittal planes at the second metatarsophalangeal joint may be caused by hindfoot pronation. Compression of the lateral plantar nerve may produce incompetence of the second dorsal interosseous muscle and an increased extension-adduction pull by the lumbrical and first dorsal interosseous muscles. A surgical procedure for tenodesis is described to correct these deformities and restore the extrinsic-intrinsic musculotendinous balance at the second MTP joint. Our results are encouraging, with 83% good or excellent results. There was one recurrence.
Subjective versus Objective Uncertainty during Visual Sampling
Authors: Kvålseth Tarald O.
Published: November 2015

This paper compares the subjective and objective uncertainty about the state of a process being monitored by a human operator. These comparisons are made on the basis of data generated in a laboratory experiment. Particular emphasis is placed on the nature of the distribution of uncertainty preceding decisions to sample the process.
A Composite View of Task Performance in Hot Environments
Authors: Ramsey J.D. , Morrissey S.J.
Published: November 2015

This paper proposes a set of isodecrement curves for performance of perceptual motor tasks as a function of temperature and exposure time. Tasks studied include reaction time, mental tasks, vigilance and tracking.
Human Factors Design Criteria for Transilluminated Displays
Authors: Hall Robert J. , Sanderlin James C.
Published: November 2015

This paper reviews recent studies of human factors design criteria for transilluminated displays and the development of a computerized data base and modeling tools to supplement human engineering design criteria for visual displays. The inherent limitations of present military standards for dealing with a wide range of variables in a variety of operational environments and the need to include changes in the state-of-the-art are addressed. Data base design and computer modeling are suggested as an intermediate approach between out of date standards and costly physical simulation.
Progress in Molecular Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Hisama Fuki M. , Schellenberg Gerard D.
Published: November 2015

Recent intensive work has highlighted the genetic basis of several forms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mutations in the amyloid precursor protein gene on chromosome 21 can cause either an early-onset autosomal dominant AD or hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis. On chromosome 14, a second gene associated with 70 to 90% early-onset familial AD (FAD) was identified by positional cloning in 1995. Still other kindreds show no linkage to either chromosome 21 or chromosome 14; the third locus (on chromosome 1) was recently identified in affected descendants of a group of families known as the Volga Germans. In late-onset (age >65 years) AD, the apolipoprotein E gene allele ∊e4 on chromosome 19 has clearly been shown to be a risk factor for the development of AD and appears to modify the age of onset of the disease. The emerging picture is that AD is a genetically complex, heterogeneous disorder. Precisely how these genetic factors interact with each other and with other yet-to-be-identified genetic and nongenetic (environmental) factors to produce the clinical and pathologic findings in AD remains to be elucidated. The Neuroscientist 2:3–6, 1996
GabaA Receptors: Pharmacology, Behavioral Roles, and Motor Disorders
Authors: Lüddens Hartmut , Korpi Esa R.
Published: November 2015

τ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), the most prevalent inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain, exerts its main action through GABAA receptors. They belong to the superfamily of ligand-gated ion channels and respond to GABA by the opening of an intrinsic anion channel. Multiple GABAA receptor subtypes in the brain show differential regional and developmental expression patterns. The receptors have a pentameric structure and are formed from members of at least three different subunit families (α1–6, β1–3, and τ1–3). The regulation of functional properties by GABA and its analogs and by benzodiazepine (BZ) receptor ligands differs dramatically with the type of α variant in the receptor complex. Additional variations of GABAA receptors result from substitution of γ subunits. The role of the β subunits, which are essential for receptor assembly, is less well defined on a functional basis. Besides their involvement in anxiolysis and sedation, GABAA receptors clearly have an impact on motor coordination. However, with the possible exception of the alcohol-and BZ-sensitive alcohol non-tolerant (ANT) rat line, it is not well documented whether a genetic alteration in this receptor system is directly involved in the impairment of animal or human motor activity.
HSV and the CNS
Authors: Meyding-Lamadé Uta , Lamadé Wolfram
Published: November 2015

Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE) is an encephalitis with a predelection for the temporal lobes and related structures that is caused by HSV-1 or HSV-2. Because HSV has many properties that would be ideal for a gene transfer vector targeting the nervous system, an understanding of HSVE is of experimental, as well as clinical, importance to neuroscientists. Herpesviruses have a characteristic architecture of the virion. The molecular aspects of HSVE include the consequences of latency and neurovirulence. Studies on neurovirulence have focused on peripheral multiplication of HSV, the invasion of the CNS, and growth in the CNS. The virus appears to gain access to the CNS via the olfactory and trigeminal nerves and, transneuronally, the limbic system. The definition of latency has still to be clarified; in general, latency includes three separable phases: establishment, maintenance, and reactivation. In humans, there exists a large overlap of clinical presentations of patients with HSVE and those of patients with encephalitis of other origin. However, the presence of memory loss, personality changes, and olfactory hallucinations correlate with the limbic and temporal lobe pathology in HSVE and are characteristic. Several factors correlate with poor outcome in patients: age, time of establishment of therapy, and level of consciousness on admission of patients.
Oxidative Damage in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: Beal M. Flint
Published: November 2015

Increasing evidence has implicated oxidative damage in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. The major source of free radicals in the cell is the mitochondria. Peroxynitrite is formed by the reaction of superoxide with nitric oxide, and it produces both oxidative damage and protein nitration. Mutations in CuZn superoxide dismutase associated with familial ALS may result in increased −OH radical generation or in increased reactivity with peroxynitrite to nitrate proteins. There is evidence for increased oxidative damage in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease in neurons undergoing neurodegenerative changes. A role for oxidative damage in Parkinson's disease toxicity and in Huntington's disease is supported by studies in animal models. Improved antioxidant therapies may prove useful in slowing or halting the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.
Autoantibody-Mediated Channelopathies at the Neuromuscular Junction
Authors: Newsom-Davis John
Published: November 2015

The neuromuscular junction is vulnerable to antibody-mediated autoimmune attack, probably because it lacks the protection of the blood-brain barrier. This review focuses on three disorders: myasthenia gravis (MG) and the Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), in both of which there is fatiguable muscle weakness, and acquired neuromyotonia (ANMT), in which hyperexcitable peripheral nerves lead to continuous muscle fiber activity and sometimes parasthesias. Each can occur as a paraneoplastic disorder (thymoma in MG and ANMT, and small cell lung cancer in LEMS). The clinical abnormalities are improved following plasmapheresis (which removes circulating antibodies), and injection of experimental animals with immunoglobulins of patients transfers the pathophysiological changes. The ion channel targets in these three disorders are the muscle acetylcholine receptor (a ligand-gated cation channel) in MG, nerve terminal and autonomic voltage-gated calcium channels in LEMS, and peripheral nerve voltage-gated potassium channels in ANMT. The autoantibody attack results in a reduced number of functional channels. Each of the autoantibodies can be detected in serum by immunoassay. These discoveries have allowed new approaches to treatment and suggest that there may be other undiscovered antibody-mediated ion channelopathies. NEUROSCIENTIST 3:337–346, 1997
Neurorehabilitation: Three New NMR Tools
Authors: Prichard James W.
Published: November 2015

NMR methods suitable for neurological diagnosis and research have proliferated since the biomedical NMR era began with the introduction of MRI in the late 1970s. The versatility and noninvasive nature of NMR present special opportunities for the study of tissue repair in the nervous system. Longitudinal observations of anatomical, functional, and biochemical aspects of repair processes through well-established NMR techniques are already feasible. Three newly developed techniques that promise to extend the range and depth of NMR work on neurorehabilitation are discussed in this article. These new techniques allow for the detection of 1) nerve fiber bundle orientation through the diffusional anisotropy of axoplasmic and interstitial water, 2) signs of neural activation within the first few hundred milliseconds after task onset, and 3) two-dimensional mapping of biochemical changes associated with tissue damage and repair. NEUROSCIENTIST 4: 231–235, 1998
Regulation of Excitability in the Epileptic Human Dentate Gyrus
Authors: Williamson Anne , Patrylo Peter R.
Published: November 2015

Numerous anatomical and physiological changes occur in the dentate gyrus of patients with medial temporal lobe sclerosis, a specific form of temporal lobe epilepsy. Although many of the reported changes are potentially preconvulsive, patients do not seize continuously. We hypothesize that neuromodulatory systems present in the epileptic dentate gyrus may help limit neuronal hyperexcitability and/or hypersynchronization. Three such systems are described in detail, including GABA, zinc, and adenosine. In addition, we briefly discuss several other modulatory systems that have not been studied extensively in the epileptic human hippocampus but that are also well suited to controlling neuronal excitability.
Transrorming the Pre-Graduation Malaise
Authors: Thompson Sheryl
Published: November 2015

When my Advanced Placement senior English students read Kafka's Metamorphosis, I learned something I hope never to forget: even instruction in great literature can become formulaic—as desiccated as the husk of Gregor who carelessly surrendered human fulfillment. Willingness to listen and to adapt might save all in my classroom from death by routine and inflexibility. Whatever the lesson, my students—alive and unpredictable—represent the heart of the class.
Too Many Courses Fail to Transfer
Authors: Bell W. J.
Published: November 2015

Most two-year institutions consider primary purpose of their journalism programs is to prepare students for senior college. But many report journalism education exists to produce student newspaper or yearbook.
How Production Value Impacts Perceived Technical Quality, Credibility, and Economic Value of Video News
Authors: Cummins R. Glenn , Chambers Todd
Published: November 2015

Although media professionals use production value to refer to technical aspects of program quality, evidence suggests that viewers are not adept at recognizing this property of content. Nonetheless, broadcasters are attempting to differentiate news product based on technical dimensions. To test the utility of this strategy, this experiment examined how production value impacts perceived technical quality, credibility, and economic value across two age cohorts. Viewers recognized variation in production value and judged stories high in production value as more credible than identical stories low in production value. However, they placed no greater value on high production value content.
The Comparative Approach: Key to More Effective Writing
Authors: Ross Albion
Published: November 2015

The study of journalistic practices in other countries and cultures not only makes clearer the context in which we write; it also helps to reveal better ways of handling complicated subject matter. The author, a long-time foreign correspondent, advocates use of the comparative method to raise standards.
The Impact of Income Taxes on Labor's Productivity: A Human Capital Approach
Authors: Stephan Paula E.
Published: November 2015

This paper explores the impact of several income tax policies on the acquisition of personal skills within the framework of a life-cycle model of human capital accumulation. The analysis considers the impact of taxes during both the early years of the life cycle when the individual allocates all time to learning and during the later years when the individual participates in the market. The paper demonstrates that an income tax can lower the market productivity of the labor force even when it is assumed that the individual allocates a fixed amount of time to the production of human capital and the market. Specifically, I demonstrate that a tax on earned income can lead to a flatter age-capital profile, and in addition, that the imposition of a tax will make the training process relatively more time intensive since the tax policy operates to lower the relative value of time.
The Private Provision of Public Goods: A Note on the Demsetz Model
Authors: Hulett Joe R. , Lund Robert B. Eke , Crain W. Mark
Published: November 2015

In this paper, the authors examine some important unsettled issues in the theory of public goods supply. In particular, certain conclusions and inferences drawn by Professor Demsetz from his “competitive” model of public goods provision are critically examined. First, the equilibrium implications of the Demsetz model are shown to be contingent upon the adoption of a nonstandard concept of competition; second, Demsetz's attempt to apply the joint supply model by analogy to the production of TV programs is challenged; and third, the argument that the private provision of public goods will produce allocative efficiency even if consumers engage in “fraudulent behavior” is shown to contain a serious flaw.
Tax Reductions versus Transfers in a Public Choice Model
Authors: Browning Edgar K.
Published: November 2015

This paper compares tax reductions and transfers as methods of redistribution in a public choice setting. It shows that tax reductions, by altering the set of tax prices confronting voters, can have unexpected effects on the political determination of nonredistributive expenditure policies. These effects can be avoided if transfers rather than tax reductions are used to redistribute income.
The Domestic Consequences of Alternative Systems of Corporate Taxation
Authors: Byrne William J. , Sato Mitsuo
Published: November 2015

Four different approaches to the integration of corporate and personal income taxes are discussed in terms of their effects upon the dividend payout ratio, total private saving, corporate investment, allocative efficiency and equity. It is concluded that the choice between the approaches must weigh (a) the relative importance of these considerations, (b) the degree of shifting of the corporate tax, and (c) the severity of the capital gains tax with which it will be associated.
Provincial Grants and Local Government Expenditure
Authors: Auld D.A.L.
Published: November 2015

This paper examines the explanatory power of linear and nonlinear expenditure functions in assessing conditional grants to local governments in Ontario, Canada. The results are similar in both cases with a slightly better performance from the linear model. The results also suggest that such grants had a positive impact on local spending.
The Tax Sacrifice Rules under Alternate Definitions of Progressivity
Authors: Vitalano Donald F.
Published: November 2015

This article extends the author's previous publication in PFQ on the utility Abstract sacrifice rules of taxation. Whether a particular sacrifice rule and income utility function together require progressive. proportional, or regressive taxation is shown to be independent of the manner in which the degree of progression is measured. Musgrave's three alternate ways of measuring progression are considered: average rate, liability, and residual income progression.
Local Taxes and Industrial Location
Authors: Fox William Franklin
Published: November 2015

A model is developed which focuses on the relationship between fiscal variables and industrial location. Industrial location decisions are hypothesized to be made within a system of supply and demand. On the supply side, communities determine the optimal level of industrial activity based on a trade-off between tax revenues and the local environment. Firms choose between sites so as to minimize costs. The marginal prices of education and environment faced by communities are derived, and from these we get a supply of industrial sites equation which reveals how much industry a given community would be willing to accept. One conclusion is that the community's behavior in the setting of tax rates, business services, and zoning can have significant impacts on the location of industry. Another result is that the property tax is not an excess burden, but allows efficient market principles to be applied to the location of industry.
On Budget Deficits as a Major Cause of Inflation: A Reply
Authors: Sharp Ansel M.
Published: November 2015

This article analyzes a recent attempt to test the hypothesis that budget deficits are a major cause of inflation. It finds that the proposed tests are inappropriate for several reasons; chiefly that there is a reverse causation phenomena present for economies with nonindexed progressive tax systems.
Regional Prices and the Conflict between Horizontal and Vertical Equity
Authors: Heins A. James , Primeaux Walter J.
Published: November 2015

This article points up a fundamental conflict between the horizontal and vertical equity of a progressive income tax when prices vary spatially. A model is developed to show that progressive taxes on nominal income—designed to further vertical equity in taxation—create inequalities among people with equal real income before the tax is applied. The magnitude of this effect is illustrated for taxpayers in five U.S. cities in 1975. Earlier work has tied this effect to inflation; here the effect is shown to exist even when prices are stable over time.