bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Severity and timing of Cenozoic exhumation in the southwestern Barents Sea
Authors: Cavanagh Andrew J. , Di Primio R. , Scheck-Wenderoth M. , Horsfield B.
Published: August 2006

The juxtaposition of the North Atlantic rift system with the borderlands of the Eurasian Arctic shelf has resulted in an unusual basin evolution in the southwestern Barents Sea. Exploration has concentrated on the Mesozoic sandstone plays of the Hammerfest Basin. These have yielded abundant gas and very little oil. Such findings are typical of peripheral North Atlantic margin basins that have undergone Cenozoic exhumation. This is generally thought to have occurred during the Palaeocene, Oligocene–Miocene or Pleistocene. Hammerfest Basin erosion is widely estimated to be in the range of 500–1500 m. However, the relative severity of individual episodes and impact on fluid dynamics within the basin are poorly constrained. We apply basin modelling tools to establish the sensitivity of the petroleum system to three cited scenarios for Cenozoic exhumation. Vitrinite reflectance and temperature data constrain burial and thermal histories. Calibration is not possible using heat flow variations alone; erosion timing and magnitude are required to match available data. The calibrated model indicates a significant thermal disequilibrium in the Hammerfest Basin at the present day resulting from Late Cenozoic exhumation. Forward modelling of Pleistocene ice sheets allows for an estimation of pressure and temperature fluctuations in response to glacial–interglacial cycles.
A pre-Rodinian ophiolite involved in the Variscan suture of Galicia (Cabo Ortegal Complex, NW Spain)
Authors: Sánchez Martínez S. , Jeffries T. , Arenas R. , Fernández-Suárez J. , García-Sánchez R.
Published: August 2006

U–Pb dating of zircons from a metagabbro of the Purrido amphibolitic unit (Cabo Ortegal Complex, NW Iberian Massif) yielded an age of 1159 ± 39 Ma, interpreted to approximate the crystallization age of the gabbroic protolith. Considering the arc affinity of the metagabbroic rocks, the unit is interpreted as a pre-Rodinian ophiolite developed in a back-arc setting. It is suggested that the ophiolite was obducted over the West African terranes during the assembly of Rodinia. There, this terrane remained tectonically stable and facing an ocean for a long time, and eventually became part of the Gondwanan margin. The ophiolite was finally involved in the Variscan suture of Galicia where it is sandwiched between Palaeozoic rocks. The Purrido unit is so far the only example of a Mesoproterozoic ophiolite in the European Variscan belt, where pre-Neoproterozoic rocks are very scarce and restricted to small exposures.
IL-1 and IL-6 induce hepatocyte plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 expression through independent signaling pathways converging on C/EBPδ
Authors: Dong Jie , Fujii Satoshi , Imagawa Shogo , Matsumoto Shuichiro , Matsushita Michiaki , Todo Satoru , Tsutsui Hiroyuki , Sobel Burton E.
Published: August 2006

To elucidate signaling pathways activated by IL-1 and IL-6 that contribute to increased expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), we studied human hepatoma (HepG2) cells and primary mouse hepatocytes. HepG2 cell PAI-1 mRNA increased in response to IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-1β plus IL-6 as shown by real-time PCR. Activity of the transiently transfected PAI-1 promoter (−829 to +36 bp) increased as well. Systematic promoter deletion assays showed that the region from −239 to −210 bp containing a putative CCAAT-enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) binding site was critical. Point mutations in this region abolished the IL-1β and IL-6 responses. Antibody interference electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that C/EBPδ (but not C/EBPα or C/EBPβ) binding and protein were increased by IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-1β plus IL-6 in HepG2 cells. IL-1β and IL-6 increased expression of both PAI-1 mRNA and C/EBPδ mRNA in mouse primary hepatocytes as well. Downregulation of C/EBPδ induced with small interfering RNA (siRNA) decreased secretion of PAI-1. As judged from results obtained with inhibitors, signal transduction in all three of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways was involved in IL-1-inducible PAI-1 expression. By contrast, JAK signaling was responsible for the IL-6-induced inducible expression. Thus IL-1 and IL-6 exert directionally similar effects on PAI-1 expression, but the induction involves distinct signaling pathways with a final common mediator, C/EBPδ.
Nitric oxide-induced inhibition of smooth muscle cell proliferation involves S-nitrosation and inactivation of RhoA
Authors: Zuckerbraun Brian S. , Stoyanovsky Detcho A. , Sengupta Rajib , Shapiro Richard A. , Ozanich Brett A. , Rao Jayashree , Barbato Joel E. , Tzeng Edith
Published: August 2006

Nitric oxide (NO) acts as a vasoregulatory molecule that inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation. Studies have illustrated that NO inhibits SMC proliferation via the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, leading to increased protein levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21Waf1/Cip1. The ERK pathway can be pro- or antiproliferative, and it has been demonstrated that the activation status of the small GTPase RhoA determines the proliferative fate of ERK signaling, whereby inactivation of RhoA influences ERK signaling to increase p21Waf1/Cip1 and inhibit proliferation. The purpose of these investigations was to examine the effect of NO on RhoA activation/ S-nitrosation and to test the hypothesis that inhibition of SMC proliferation by NO is dependent on inactivation of RhoA. NO decreases activation of RhoA, as demonstrated by RhoA GTP-binding assays, affinity precipitation, and phalloidin staining of the actin cytoskeleton. Additionally, these effects are independent of cGMP. NO decreases SMC proliferation, and gene transfer of constitutively active RhoA (RhoA63L) diminished the antiproliferative effects of NO, as determined by thymidine incorporation. Western blots of p21Waf1/Cip1 correlated with changes in proliferation. S-nitrosation of recombinant RhoA protein and immunoprecipitated RhoA was demonstrated by Western blotting for nitrosocysteine and by measurement of NO release. Furthermore, NO decreases GTP loading of recombinant RhoA protein. These findings indicate that inactivation of RhoA plays a role in NO-mediated SMC antiproliferation and that S-nitrosation is associated with decreased GTP binding of RhoA. Nitrosation of RhoA and other proteins likely contributes to cGMP-independent effects of NO.
Association of leupaxin with Src in osteoclasts
Authors: Sahu Surasri Nandan , Khadeer Mohammed Abdul , Robertson Brian W. , Núñez Stephanie M. , Bai Guang , Gupta Anandarup
Published: August 2006

Leupaxin (LPXN), which belongs to the paxillin extended family of adaptor proteins, was previously identified as a component of the sealing zone in osteoclasts. LPXN was found to associate with several podosomal proteins, such as the protein tyrosine kinase Pyk2, the protein-tyrosine phosphatase-PEST (PTP-PEST), actin-binding proteins, and regulators of actin cytoskeletal reorganization. It was previously demonstrated that inhibition of LPXN expression resulted in reduced osteoclast-mediated resorption. In the current study, overexpression of LPXN in murine osteoclasts resulted in both enhanced resorptive activity and cell adhesion, as assessed by in vitro resorption assays. The overexpression of LPXN resulted in an increased association of Pyk2 with LPXN. In an attempt to determine an additional biochemical basis for the observed phenomenon in increased osteoclast activity, a coimmunoprecipitation screen for additional binding partners revealed that Src, a protein tyrosine kinase that is critical to both podosome formation and osteoclast function, was also associated with LPXN. After exposure to the pro-inflammatory and osteoclastogenic cytokine TNF-α, there was an increase in the level of Src that coimmunoprecipitated with LPXN. Our data indicate that association of the scaffold protein LPXN with Src adds further complexity to the organization of the podosomal signaling complex in osteoclasts.
Gonadal hormone effects on entrained and free-running circadian activity rhythms in the developing diurnal rodent Octodon degus
Authors: Hummer Daniel L. , Jechura Tammy J. , Mahoney Megan M. , Lee Theresa M.
Published: August 2006

The slowly maturing, long-lived rodent Octodon degus (degu) provides a unique opportunity to examine the development of the circadian system during adolescence. These studies characterize entrained and free-running activity rhythms in gonadally intact and prepubertally gonadectomized male and female degus across the first year of life to clarify the impact of sex and gonadal hormones on the circadian system during adolescence. Gonadally intact degus exhibited a delay in the phase angle of activity onset (Ψon) during puberty, which reversed as animals became reproductively competent. Gonadectomy before puberty prevented this phase delay. However, the effect of gonadal hormones during puberty on Ψon does not result from changes in the period of the underlying circadian pacemaker. A sex difference in Ψon and free-running period (τ) emerged several months after puberty; these developmental changes are not likely to be related, since the sex difference in Ψon emerged before the sex difference in τ. Changes in the levels of circulating hormones cannot explain the emergence of these sex differences, since there is a rather lengthy delay between the age at which degus reach sexual maturity and the age at which Ψon and τ become sexually dimorphic. However, postnatal exposure to gonadal hormones is required for sexual differentiation of Ψon and τ, since these sex differences were absent in prepubertally gonadectomized degus. These data suggest that gonadal hormones modulate the circadian system during adolescent development and provide a new model for postpubertal sexual differentiation of a central nervous system structure.
Strain differences in response to acute hypoxia: CD-1 versus C57BL/6J mice
Authors: Zwemer Charles F. , Song Michael Y. , Carello Katari A. , D'Alecy Louis G.
Published: August 2006

Some mammals respond to hypoxia by lowering metabolic demand for oxygen and others by maximizing efficiency of oxygen usage: the former strategy is generally held to be the more effective. We describe within the same species one outbred strain (CD-1) that lowers demand and another inbred strain (C57BL/6J) that maximizes oxygen efficiency to markedly extend hypoxic tolerance. Unanesthetized adult male mice ( Mus musculus, CD-1 and C57BL/6J) between 20 and 35 g were used. Sham-conditioned (SC) C57BL/6J mice survived severe hypoxia (4.5% O2, balance N2) roughly twice as long as SC CD-1 mice (median 211 and 93.5 s, respectively; P < 0.0001). Following acute hypoxic conditioning (HC), C57BL/6J mice survived subsequent hypoxia 10 times longer than HC CD-1 mice (median 2,198 and 238 s respectively; P < 0.0001). Therefore, C57BL/6J mice are both naturally more tolerant to hypoxia and show a greater increase in hypoxic tolerance in response to hypoxic conditioning. Indirect calorimetry indicates that CD-1 mice lower mass-specific oxygen consumption (V̇′o2 in ml O2·kg−1·min−1) and carbon dioxide production (V̇′co2 in ml CO2·kg−1·min−1) in response to HC ( P = 0.002 and P < 0.0001, respectively), but C57BL/6J mice maintain V̇′o2 and V̇′co2 after HC. Respiratory exchange ratio and fluorometric assay of plasma ketones suggest that C57BL/6J mice rapidly switch to ketone metabolism, a more efficient substrate, while CD-1 mice reduce overall metabolic activity. We conclude that under severe hypoxia in mice, switching fuel, possibly to ketones, while maintaining V̇′o2, may confer a greater survival advantage than simply lowering demand.
Cyclothiazide Prolongs Low [Mg2+]–Induced Seizure-Like Events
Authors: Lasztóczi Bálint , Kardos Julianna
Published: August 2006

Here we address the effects of cyclothiazide (CTZ), an allosteric inhibitor of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptor desensitization, on low [Mg2+]–induced seizure-like events (SLEs) recorded from the CA3 pyramidal layer of juvenile rat hippocampal slices. CTZ (100 μM) made the period of tonic-like discharges (161 ± 18% of control) and the whole SLE (151 ± 15% of control) longer (in 7 of 9 slices) or induced endless SLE by stabilizing clonic-like bursting (in 2 of 9 slices). CTZ (30 μM) had no significant effects on SLE dynamics ( n = 4), whereas 300 μM CTZ induced endless SLEs in four of eight slices. Coapplication of CTZ (100 μM) with 100 μM GYKI-52466, the allosteric inhibitor of AMPA receptor function, restrained the effects of CTZ and shortened SLEs and their tonic phases to 37 ± 4.2 and 47 ± 4.2% of the control, respectively. Effects of GYKI-52466 and GYKI-52466 with CTZ on SLE dynamics were indistinguishable. 4-aminopyridine (4-AP; 50 μM) alone ( n = 5) or in combination with CTZ ( n = 6) transformed recurrent SLE pattern into incessant epileptiform activity with patterns distinguishable from those under 100 μM CTZ application. The effect of 4-AP may suggest a role for facilitated presynaptic glutamate release in disrupting recurrent dynamics. In contrast, the self-similar slow-down of low [Mg2+]–induced SLE dynamics by CTZ indicate AMPA receptor desensitization as a parameter shaping SLEs.
Simple Models Show the General Advantages of Dendrites in Coincidence Detection
Authors: Dasika Vasant K. , White John A. , Colburn H. Steven
Published: August 2006

Dendrites can influence and improve information processing in single neurons. Here, simple models are used to elucidate mechanisms underlying the dendritic enhancement of coincidence detection. We focus on coincidence-detecting cells in the auditory system, which have bipolar dendrites and show acute sensitivity to interaural time difference (ITD), a critical cue for spatial hearing. A three-compartment model consisting of a single-compartment soma and two single-compartment dendrites is primarily used, although multiple-compartment dendrites are also tested. Two varieties of somata, with and without active ion channels, are studied. Using constant conductance inputs, we show analytically that the somatic response to balanced bilateral inputs is largest, whereas the response monotonically decreases as the input distribution becomes increasingly monolateral. This enhancement is a consequence of the sublinear saturating dendritic voltage response to conductance input and occurs when dendrites are composed of a single compartment or either a finite number or an infinite number (i.e., a cable) of compartments. Longer, thinner dendrites or greater numbers of compartments increase the enhancement of the somatic response to bilateral input. The time-independent dendritic enhancement, moreover, underlies improved coincidence detection of time-varying input. Coincidence sensitivity to a pair of conductance pulses and rate–ITD modulation to low-frequency (400-Hz) periodic inputs increases with dendritic length. These findings are related to the length gradient in the avian system, where low characteristic frequency (CF) cells have long dendrites and high CF cells have short dendrites. We conclude that dendrites fundamentally improve coincidence detection, increasing the computational power of many neurons in the nervous system.
Functional Significance of Passive and Active Dendritic Properties in the Synaptic Integration by an Identified Nonspiking Interneuron of Crayfish
Authors: Takashima Akira , Hikosaka Ryou , Takahata Masakazu
Published: August 2006

Nonspiking interneurons control their synaptic output directly by membrane potential changes caused by synaptic activities. Although these interneurons do not generate spikes, their dendritic membrane is endowed with a variety of voltage-dependent conductances whose functional significance in synaptic integration remains unknown. We quantitatively investigated how the passive and active dendritic properties affect the synaptic integration in an identified nonspiking interneuron of crayfish by computer simulation using its multicompartment model based on electrophysiological measurements and three-dimensional morphometry. At the resting potential level, the attenuation factor ( Vs/ Vt) of a unitary synaptic potential in the course of its spread from a dendritic terminal ( Vs) to other terminals ( Vt) ranged from 4.42 to 6.30 with no substantial difference between hyperpolarizing and depolarizing potentials. The compound synaptic responses to strong mechanosensory stimulation could be reproduced in calculation only as the result of spatial summation of attenuated potentials, not as any single large potential. The characteristic response could be reproduced by assuming that the active conductances were distributed only in the dendritic region where the synaptic summation was carried out. The active conductances in other parts of the cell affected neither the shape of the compound synaptic response nor the dendritic spread of synaptic potentials. These findings suggest that the active membrane conductances do not affect the spatial distribution of synaptic potentials over dendrites but function in sculpting the summed synaptic potential to enhance temporal resolution in the synaptic output of the nonspiking interneuron.
Capacitance Measurements in the Mouse Rod Bipolar Cell Identify a Pool of Releasable Synaptic Vesicles
Authors: Zhou Zhen-Yu , Wan Qun-Fang , Thakur Pratima , Heidelberger Ruth
Published: August 2006

The mouse is an important model system for understanding the molecular basis of neuronal signaling and diseases of synaptic communication. However, the best-characterized retinal ribbon-style synapses are those of nonmammalian vertebrates. To remedy this situation, we asked whether it would be feasible to track synaptic vesicle dynamics in the isolated mouse rod bipolar cell using time-resolved capacitance measurements. The results demonstrate that membrane depolarization triggered an increase in membrane capacitance that was Ca2+dependent and restricted to the synaptic compartment, consistent with exocytosis. The amplitude of the capacitance response recorded from the easily accessible soma of an intact mouse rod bipolar cell was identical to that recorded directly from the small synaptic terminal, suggesting that in the carefully selected cohort of cells presented here, axonal resistance was not a significant barrier to current flow. This supposition was supported by the analysis of passive membrane properties and a comparison of membrane capacitance measurements in cells with and without synaptic terminals and reinforced by the lack of an effect of sine-wave frequency (200–1,600 Hz) on the measured capacitance increase. The magnitude of the capacitance response increased with Ca2+entry until a plateau was reached at a spatially averaged intraterminal calcium of about 600 nM. We interpret this plateau, nominally 30 fF, as corresponding to a releasable pool of synaptic vesicles. The robustness of this measure suggests that capacitance measurements may be used in the mouse rod bipolar cell to compare pool size across treatment conditions.
Complex Spike-Event Pattern of Transienton-offRetinal Ganglion Cells
Authors: Greschner Martin , Thiel Andreas , Kretzberg Jutta , Ammermüller Josef
Published: August 2006

on-off transient ganglion cells of the turtle retina show distinct spike-event patterns in response to abrupt intensity changes, such as during saccadic eye movements. These patterns consist of two main spike events, with the latency of each event showing a systematic dependency on stimulus contrast. Whereas the latency of the first event decreases monotonically with increasing contrast, as expected, the second event shows the shortest latency for intermediate contrasts and a longer latency for high and low contrasts. These spike-event patterns improve the discrimination of different light-intensity transitions based on ensemble responses of the on-off transient ganglion cell subpopulation. Although the discrimination results are far better than chance using either spike counts or latencies of the first spikes, they are further improved by using properties of the second spike event. The best classification results are obtained when spike rates and latencies of both events are considered in combination. Thus spike counts and temporal structure of retinal ganglion cells carry complementary information about the stimulus condition, and thus spike-event patterns could be an important aspect of retinal coding. To investigate the origin of the spike-event patterns in retinal ganglion cells, two computational models of retinal processing are compared. A linear–nonlinear model consisting of separate filters for on and off response components fails to reproduce the spike-event patterns. A more complex cascade filter model, however, accurately predicts the timing of the spike events by using a combination of gain control loop and spike rate adaptation.
Holding an Object: Neural Activity Associated With Fingertip Force Adjustments to External Perturbations
Authors: Ehrsson H. Henrik , Fagergren Anders , Ehrsson Gustav O. , Forssberg Hans
Published: August 2006

When you hold an object, a sudden unexpected perturbation can threaten the stability of your grasp. In such situations grasp stability is maintained by fast reflexive-like grip-force responses triggered by the somatosensory feedback. Here we use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural mechanisms involved in the grip-force responses associated with unexpected increases (loading) and decreases (unloading) in the load force. Healthy right-handed subjects held an instrumented object (of mass 200 g) between the tips of right index finger and thumb. At some time during an interval of 8 to 45 s the weight of the object was suddenly increased or decreased by 90 g. We analyzed the transient increases in the fMRI signal that corresponded precisely in time to these grip-force responses. Activity in the left primary motor cortex was associated with the loading response, but not with unloading, suggesting that sensorimotor processing in this area mediates the sensory-triggered reflexive increase in grip force during loading. Both the loading and the unloading events activated the cingulate motor area and the medial cerebellum. We suggest that these regions could participate in the updating of the sensorimotor representations of the fingertip forces. Finally, the supplementary somatosensory area located on the medial wall of the parietal lobe showed an increase in activity only during unloading, indicating that this area is involved in the sensorimotor processing generating the unloading response. Taken together, our findings suggest different central mechanisms for the grip-force responses during loading and unloading.
Dynamics of Spatial Resolution of Single Units in the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus of Cat During Brief Visual Stimulation
Authors: Ruksenas O. , Bulatov A. , Heggelund P.
Published: August 2006

Sharpness of vision depends on the resolution of details conveyed by individual neurons in the visual pathway. In the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), the neurons have receptive fields with center-surround organization, and spatial resolution may be measured as the inverse of center size. We studied dynamics of receptive field center size of single LGN neurons during the response to briefly (400–500 ms) presented static light or dark spots. Center size was estimated from a series of spatial summation curves made for successive 5-ms intervals during the stimulation period. The center was wide at the start of the response, but shrank rapidly over 50–100 ms after stimulus onset, whereupon it widened slightly. Thereby, the spatial resolution changed from coarse-to-fine with average peak resolution occurring ∼70 ms after stimulus onset. The changes in spatial resolution did not follow changes of firing rate; peak firing appeared earlier than the maximal spatial resolution. We suggest that the response initially conveys a strong but spatially coarse message that might have a detection and tune-in function, followed by transient transmission of spatially precise information about the stimulus. Experiments with spots presented inside the maximum but outside the minimum center width suggested a dynamic reduction in number of responding neurons during the stimulation; from many responding neurons initially when the field centers are large to fewer responding neurons as the centers shrink. Thereby, there is a change from coarse-to-fine also in the recruitment of responding neurons during brief static stimulation.
Crisis Decision-Making in Finland
Authors: Forsberg Tuomas , Pursiainen Christer
Published: August 2006

This article reviews 17 Finnish crises since the Second World War from a perspective of three sets of questions derived from the theoretical literature. The questions deal with the construction of crisis, formation of the decision-making unit and rationality of decision-making. Although it is not possible to find a fully regular pattern of a particular type of crisis behaviour, some general observations can be made. In Finland, decision-making is often left in the hands of a small elite group, except in the case of civilian emergencies when key decisions are made at the operational level. The political elite, including the business community, have been fairly united and have rejected critical opinions during a crisis. Yet, contrary to some assumptions about the government using ‘crisis’ as a vehicle for acquiring more power, Finns generally avoid defining difficult situations as a ‘crisis’, instead reacting to them cautiously rather than in panic.
Culture and Collective Action
Authors: Nabers Dirk
Published: August 2006

In order to put a lens on the issue of international security cooperation after 11 September 2001, this article examines the question of how collective action in International Relations becomes possible. The author maintains that a fair amount of inter-state collective action can be understood, even explained, by analysing the culture of the international system. Using discourse analysis as a tool, the analysis addresses the underlying ideas, norms and identities that constitute the relationship between the United States and Japan, on the one hand, and Germany and the United States, on the other, as it has evolved since September 2001. The method exposes how some ideas are privileged over others, how norms are maintained, reformulated and abandoned, how identity is constructed and how power is legitimized in the ‘war on terror’.
The Cultural Economy of Fashion Buying
Authors: Entwistle Joanne
Published: August 2006

The aim of this article is to examine the qualification and mediation of fashionable clothing by fashion buyers at Selfridges, London. The author examines the ‘active and reflexive role of economic agents in the qualification of products’ in their ‘habitual and routine’ working practices, describing how buyers are active in defining, shaping, transforming, qualifying and requalifiying products. Through this qualification process, buyers act upon markets, their selections resulting in the assemblage of products on the shop-floor that constitute fashionable clothing for the store. One problem with this idea of qualification is that it views the process as linear. To overcome this, the author draws on Cronin's idea of ‘multiple regimes of mediation’, which emphasizes the many directions and mediations that take place between agents in their qualification of products. To demonstrate this, the author examines three critical encounters buyers have with products, suppliers and consumers. During these encounters, buyers mediate numerous interests, tastes and identities, deal with suppliers and come to ‘know’ their customer(s). Focusing on these encounters provides, in the words of Cronin, for an ‘expanded and nuanced definition of mediation’ and critical analysis of fashion buyers as, to borrow Bourdieu's term, ‘cultural intermediaries’ whose work has been hitherto unexamined.
Contextual Knowledge
Authors: Aspers Patrik
Published: August 2006

The contemporary economy is characterized by design and marketing as means to create brands and market niches. An aesthetic economy is made up of many aesthetic markets that are distinguished by changing products and lack of an entrenched quality order to evaluate them. Aesthetic creative work plays a central role in this type of economy. This work includes design of the products sold in markets. The purpose of this article is to study what is here called contextual knowledge. The suggested approach enables us to better understand and research creative aesthetic work and aesthetic workers' knowledge. Three qualitatively different dimensions of contextuality are discussed. First, contextuality is related to the network of actors who contribute to the production of the items or the activities. Second, contextuality is related to various arenas of aesthetic expressions, such as visual art, which can be used as a source of inspiration by aesthetic creative workers. The third dimension of contextuality refers to the final consumer markets. Contextual knowledge must be seen against a backdrop of a shared lifeworld and it involves interpretation. This article draws on material from two empirical studies, one on the garment industry, and one on fashion photographers.
The Role of Trade Fairs in the Global Fashion Business
Authors: Skov Lise
Published: August 2006

This article analyses the role played by trade fairs in fashion production today. It uses Goffman's concept of frames to analyse the way in which trade fairs constitute a kind of ‘neutral ground’ onto which exhibitors inscribe their relative position vis-a-vis other exhibitors. The article includes both a macro-analysis of the changing function of fairs as buyer–supplier relations have become routinized throughout the year, and a micro-analysis that zooms in on different encounters that take place during fairs. These include encounters for trade, networks and knowledge. The term ‘intermediary fairs’ is introduced to capture the recent development from export fairs, designed to represent regionally based industries, to a highly globalized condition. As the regional base of industries is eroding, fairs increasingly redefine themselves as global sourcing hubs with a number of added functions and services.
Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion
Authors: Kawamura Yuniya
Published: August 2006

This study is a macro-sociological analysis of the social organization of Japanese street fashion and a micro-interactionist analysis of teen consumers who form various subcultures. These subcultures directly and indirectly dictate fashion trends. The present study shows the interdependence in the production process of fashion between institutions within the industries and the Japanese teens. Street fashion in the fashionable districts of Tokyo, such as Harajuku and Shibuya, is independent of any mainstream fashion system and goes beyond the conventional model of fashion business with different marketing strategies and occupational categories. This article shows that fashion is no longer controlled or guided by professionally trained designers but by the teens who have become the producers of fashion.
`The intolerable wrestle with words and meanings': John 21, T. S. Eliot and the Sense of an Ending
Authors: Jack Alison
Published: August 2006

This article is an exploration of the relationship between the endings of John’s Gospel and T. S. Eliot’s Little Gidding, in the light of some of the ideas in Frank Kermode’s The Sense of an Ending. Of particular interest is the way the final sections of both texts seek to change the mindset of their readers by their re-use and re-interpretation of words and images which are familiar from earlier in the texts. It is suggested that both point to new beginnings rather than closed finalities.
Chance and Gesture in Zadie Smith's White Teeth and The Autograph Man
Authors: Sell Jonathan P.A.
Published: August 2006

After showing how White Teeth enacts a dialectic between determinism and chance from which the latter emerges as the winner, the article investigates how such a metaphysic affects Zadie Smith's notion of identity in The Autograph Man where identity becomes a series of gestures through which, individually, we make pragmatic self-presentations. At the same time, an identity is also produced for us socially, which never matches our own self-presentation. Thus social relations are informed by a dynamic of chance and instability and conducted through a process of interpretation and misinterpretation which, dependent as it is on communication, may actually enhance the prospect of social communion. While this model of identity is particularly fitted to postmodern, multicultural society, its origins in Epicureanism and its literary affinity with comedy suggest that Smith's notion of identity owes more to the comedic inclination of novels than to any political imperatives.
A Critical Political Economy of the Small Island Developing States Concept
Authors: Campling Liam
Published: August 2006

The 1994 Declaration of Barbados and the Barbados Programme of Action (BPOA) was a watershed in the scale and scope of international cooperation between small island developing states (SIDS). It was also the beginning of a heightened international concern with the particularities of SIDS developmental trajectories, constraints and opportunities. However, while the Declaration opens with the affirmation that ‘sustainable development programmes must seek to enhance the quality of life of peoples, including their health, well-being and safety’, it does not affirm the centrality of island peoples as key agents in this development. In order to investigate this issue, this article demonstrates historical shifts in SIDS discourse and provides a critical evaluation of contemporary claims for the particularity of SIDS. It goes on to critically assess empirical and theoretical examples of South–South cooperation in order to generate possible insights for the SIDS grouping. The article argues that for the genuine ‘sustainable development’ of SIDS, a popular democratic base of island citizens must exist within island societies that in turn cooperate and coordinate–including material, political-social and operational linkages–across the spatially disparate regions of the global oceans. It is suggested that only through the heightened consciousness of island citizens of linkages across oceanic regions and their explicit incorporation as social agents to complement and, if required, counter inter state negotiations and strategies can contemporary forms of inter-island cooperation in the global ‘South’ be sustained.
Culture, Catholics and Condoms
Authors: McMurray Christine
Published: August 2006

A critical problem facing many of the small island nations of the Pacific is the growing imbalance between population and resources. Families of five or more children are typical of traditional Pacific lifestyles, but in the majority of Pacific countries average population growth rates now exceed average economic growth rates, and there are growing rural-urban inequalities in access to services and wage employment opportunities. Some Pacific countries have used migration to offset natural population increase and earn remittances to supplement national income, but that strategy has several disadvantages, including a tendency to support high fertility. This article argues that despite efforts made by some Pacific countries to reduce their population growth rates, such strategies are unlikely to succeed unless families and communities can be convinced that future benefits from having smaller families will exceed the known advantages of a large family size. Recent initiatives to slow the rate of population increase in the atoll nation of Kiribati are examined and their prospects of success are evaluated in the light of Kiribati culture and prevailing attitudes.
Between deliberative and participatory democracy
Authors: Vitale Denise
Published: August 2006

Deliberative democracy has assumed a central role in the debate about deepening democratic practices in complex contemporary societies. By acknowledging the citizens as the main actors in the political process, political deliberation entails a strong ideal of participation that has not, however, been properly clarified. The main purpose of this article is to discuss, through Jürgen Habermas’ analysis of modernity, reason and democracy, whether and to what extent deliberative democracy and participatory democracy are compatible and how they can, either separately or together, enhance democratic practices. Further exploration of this relationship will permit a better understanding of the possibilities and limits of institutionalizing both discourses, as well as of developing democracy in a more substantive dimension.
Constitutional patriotism as a model of postnational political association
Authors: Shabani Omid Payrow
Published: August 2006

Economic globalization has resulted in the transfer of national power to supranational actors and their supranational procedures and institutions. Concomitant with this trend is the ascendancy of the discourses of democracy and human rights that have given rise to the idea of cosmopolitan justice. These trends, in turn, have weakened statehood [ Entstaatlichung], requiring theoretical envisioning and practical institutionalization of a supranational model of political association. Among the competing theories, in this article I will defend the Kantian project of constitutionalization of international law. In doing so, I take the doctrine of constitutional patriotism as an appropriate model of supranational political association in the European Union and defend it against the republican critique that rejects the idea as deficient. I argue that the European project of constitution-making can overcome the charges of democratic deficit and the lack of European demos by establishing the terms and conditions for democratic negotiation and institutionalizing shared practices of law-making.
The state as the mystical foundation of authority
Authors: Trainor Brian T.
Published: August 2006

In this article I argue that Jacques Derrida is correct in holding that the law is always an authorized force but that he is mistaken in suggesting that its ultimate font or origin (what he calls the ‘mystical foundation of authority’) is an originary or ‘foundationalional’ act of violence. I suggest that Derrida and, more recently, Jens Bartelson fall prey to a curious, one-sided narrow view of ‘foundationalism’ and contrast their overly ‘architecturalized’ image of the ‘foundation’ of authority with the foundationalism of Thomas Hobbes which is, I shall argue, architectural only as and when appropriate. I also suggest that Hobbes helps us to see that the state, strictly speaking, does not ‘have’ or ‘exercise’ authority but that it is, rather, the font or source of the authority wielded by its (empirical) government.
Problems experienced by children with cognitive visual dysfunction due to cerebral visual impairment – and the approaches which parents have adopted to deal with these problems
Authors: McKillop Elisabeth , Bennett David , McDaid Gillian , Holland Barbara , Smith Garth , Spowart Katherine , Dutton Gordon
Published: August 2006

Damage to the brain in children results in a multiplicity of visual difficulties which have to be managed both at home and at school. Parents of such children have detailed knowledge about the nature and characteristics of their child's visual difficulties and develop a range of coping strategies, often without realizing they have done so. The parents of children with such problems were invited to a meeting in which they were encouraged to share their experiences with each other. This article provides a detailed account of the approaches which the parents described as being helpful in the day to day care of their children.
A collaborative action research project in an inclusive setting: Assisting a blind student
Authors: Argyropoulos Vassilios , Stamouli Marina
Published: August 2006

There has been a lot of discussion about the context and the content of integration and inclusion in Greece for the students with visual impairments. These discussions have led to the formulation of models of inclusion such as the co-teaching scheme. This article presents a project focused on an educational setting within which a sixth-grader blind student was integrated in a public rural primary school. The project was undertaken by teachers of the school and researchers from the University of Thessaly in an action research framework. The aim of this research was to achieve better inclusion in terms of the blind student's participation in the school subject matters. The reflection on the phases of the research revealed many dimensions of the student's tactile exploration as well as dimensions which were pertinent to the type of inclusion applied by the teachers. The discussion considers issues such as integrated curriculum and practical implications and highlights the value of action research as part of a commitment to improve the quality of teaching via reflection and inquiry.
Full-screen magnification on a budget: Using a hardware-based multi-display graphics card as a screen-magnifier
Authors: Sales Anthony , Evans Shirley , Musgrove Nick , Homfray Richard
Published: August 2006

Potentially, computers can balance some of the effects of visual impairment and provide equality of opportunity (Gerber, 2003). Students' individual needs entail that they and their teachers have access to a range of assistive technologies that may vary according to the task as well as to the learner. A dual output graphics card with a twin monitor set-up was initially used to broaden the assistive technology provision in the School of Applied Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Learning and Teaching (University of Wolverhampton). This was then trialled at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford and found to be a relatively inexpensive alternative to other magnification systems, relatively straightforward to use by teachers and students and also usable as a teaching aid. The technical aspects of the system and the trial with three students with visual impairment are described here with a view to indicating the potential for wider usage.
Examining the experiences of sight-impaired travellers: The next station stop?
Authors: Jones Tim , Jain Juliet
Published: August 2006

In acknowledging and reflecting upon the infrastructure barriers faced by blind and partially sighted travellers at UK train stations, this article focuses on the unique interplay between infrastructure and experience, and how the opportunities and limitations that arise from potential barriers influence the overall experience of travel. Recommendations are made for new research at a critically important time in UK rail policy, and the importance of representing the real experiences of sight-impaired travellers in both policy and practice, with a view to providing accessible rail stations for all, is stressed.
Infant massage: A strategy to promote self-efficacy in parents of blind infants
Authors: Lappin Grace
Published: August 2006

For successful communication to exist between a caregiver and infant, the caregiver must feel confident about her/his ability to parent and also have specific and accurate knowledge about the behaviours required for optimal care-giving; lack of this knowledge may lead to feelings of uncertainty and less than optimal communication. Studies indicate that the highest levels of caregiver distress were experienced by caregivers who had low feelings of self-efficacy and infants with functional limitations. Many caregivers of blind infants have high levels of distress and low selfefficacy due to lack of information, resources, and support. Research indicates that a majority of care givers of atypically developing infants are able to ‘bring the best’ to their infants when appropriately supported by a professional or intervention. Infant massage is an inexpensive and easily utilized intervention which may help increase caregiver self-efficacy and promote sensitive communication in dyads where the infant is blind.
A Case Study of a Case Study
Authors: Mjøset Lars
Published: August 2006

Debates on ‘case studies and generalization’ have been too strongly committed to dualisms (general/specific, explanation/understanding) that polarize social science into natural-science-inspired and humanities-inspired camps. One should be aware of a third option, a pragmatist (participationist) attitude. Rather than relying on parallels with external academic fields, this attitude thinks about research with reference to the conduct of social science only. This article discusses these three attitudes with reference to a single case study of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict (asking why that conflict became one of the deepest and most persistent conflicts in recent history). The three attitudes imply different strategies of generalization and specification. The single case study of the Middle East conflict relies on a pragmatist strategy of generalization, and the rest of the methodological discussion shows how this strategy transcends the general/specific or explanation/ understanding dichotomies.
A Leader's Misleading and a Prostitute's Profession: A Re-examination of Joshua 2
Authors: Sherwood Aaron
Published: August 2006

The interpretive difficulties of Joshua 2 lead some scholars to conclude that ch. 2 is a textual interpolation. Additionally, close literary readings of Joshua 2 often fail to explore adequately how Joshua 2 fits within the larger narrative. Close attention to the poetics of Joshua 2 and its place in the structure of chs. 1-12 reveals three levels of theological critique within the text: Joshua 2 represents a false start in Joshua’s overall successful career; it presents Rahab positively, since she seeks covenantal inclusion into Israel; and the primary focus is an extremely positive evaluation of God as a sovereign and gracious divine warrior. Thus, ch. 2 fits into the larger context in that it affirms God’s commitments from ch. 1, which are the foundation for the conquest described in the subsequent narrative.
David's Play: Fertility Rituals and the Glory of God in 2 Samuel 6
Authors: Rosenstock Bruce
Published: August 2006

This article proposes that in 2 Samuel 6 we find a utopian representation of David as a king who debases his own glory and rejects Michal’s perspective in which royal glory mirrors divine glory and where both are supposed to remain invisible. The narrative of David’s dance and self-display can be illuminated against the background of pan-Mediterranean rituals, widely attested in the Greek cultural sphere, involving dance, genital self-display, and mocking speech designed to elicit laughter. David is represented as ‘carnivalizing’, to use Bakhtin’s term, the religious ideology of royal phallic power as the embodiment of divine glory that these rituals supported. Constructing an ideal image of David entering Jerusalem, the narrative is ironically reversed with the cursing of David as he leaves Jerusalem by Shimi in 2 Samuel 16.
Forty-Two Songs for Elohim: An Ancient Near Eastern Organizing Principle in the Shaping of the Elohistic Psalter
Authors: Burnett Joel S.
Published: August 2006

This article identifies a scholarly consensus that has emerged regarding the place of the Elohistic Psalter (Pss. 42-83) in the growth and development of the book of Psalms. Based on this shaping framework, this study discusses the organizational and thematic significance of the number 42 in this portion of the Psalter, as suggested recently by Laura Joffe. On the basis both of evidence internal to the book of Psalms (including the Dead Sea manuscripts) and comparisons with ancient Near Eastern hymnic and religious texts, this article concludes that the number 42, as well as the use of the divine designation ‘Elohim’, did indeed function as an organizing principle in the formation of the Elohistic Psalter.