bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multichannel EEG Frequency Analysis and Somatosensory-Evoked Potentials in Patients with Different Types of Organic Dementia
Authors: Rosén Ingmar , Gustafson Lars , Risberg Jarl
Published: August 2007

Thirty-five patients with organic dementia were investigated with multichannel FFT analysis of EEG. In 21 of them, somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) with stimulation of the median nerves were also recorded. Based on clinical and psychometric data and regional cerebral blood flow measurements, the patients were subdivided into Alzheimer-type dementia (DAT) of moderate (n = 10) and severe (n = 11) degree, multi-infarct dementia (MID) (n = 7), and frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) (n = 7). The FTD patients showed mild EEG abnormality and the MID patients showed increases of low frequency activity in combination with a well-preserved posterior dominant activity. The DAT patients showed the most pronounced abnormalities with deterioration of the posterior activity combined with a large increase of low frequency activity. The SEPs of the DAT group showed an amplitude enhancement of the parietal response components. The FTD group showed only a moderate delay of the precentral N30 component. The MID group showed individually varying abnormalities, including a delay of the primary cortical response. It is concluded that the different distributions of pathology in the different organic dementia disorders are reflected in the quantified EEG and SEPs as studied with multichannel technique.
Long-Term Effects of Bilateral Frontal Lobe Lesions from Neuropsychiatric and Neuroradiological Aspects
Authors: Hakola H.P.A. , Puranen M. , Repo L. , Tiihonen J.
Published: August 2007

Long-term effects of bilateral prefrontal lesions were studied in 14 Iobotomized schizophrenic patients who were operated in the fifties. CT scans revealed cystic bilateral frontal lesions in almost every patient and cortical atrophy was seen in 5 patients. The prefrontal syndrome was severe in 1 patient, marked in 1 patient, mild in 9 patients and absent in 3 patients. Primitive reflexes could be elicited in 2 patients, 3 patients suffered from epileptic seizures, and 8 from minor motor defects. Four patients committed a homicide in the period after the operation, which indicates that the frequency of committing homicidal acts had doubled when compared with the situation before the operation. The incidence of homicides after lobotomy is extremely high considering that all patients except 1 were kept under continuous observation in hospitals.
Delirium in the Elderly: Relationship of Clinical Symptoms to Outcome
Authors: Wada Yuji , Yamaguchi Nariyoshi
Published: August 2007

Twenty-eight elderly patients meeting the DSM-III-R criteria for delirium were evaluated using the Delirium Rating Scale (DRS) in order to examine the relation between the clinical symptoms of delirium and its outcome. Patients whose delirious episode improved within 1 week had a significantly lower DRS score at the time of psychiatric consultation than patients whose delirium lasted more than 1 week. Neither the difference between the mean ages nor the sex distribution in the two groups was statistically significant. The present study suggests that the DRS is a valuable instrument for predicting the clinical outcome of delirium.
Progressive Frontal Dysfunction
Authors: Benson D. Frank
Published: August 2007

A number of causes of progressive mental impairment show a preponderance of frontal lobe symptoms. It is proposed that these disorders can be subdivided into primary and secondary frontal dementias, based on the symptomatology and the site of major pathological disruption. An anatomical explanation, based on variations in cortical and subcortical influences, aids in understanding the clinical differences.
Preliminary Neurochemical Findings in Non-Alzheimer Dementia due to Lobar Atrophy
Authors: Francis P.T. , Holmes C. , Webster M.T. , Stratmann G.C. , Procter A.W. , Bowen D.M.
Published: August 2007

Non-Alzheimer''s dementia due to lobar atrophy had choline acetyltransferase activities comparable with control rather than Alzheimer''s disease values, based on 3 autopsy proven cases on Pick''s disease and biopsies from 3 examples of dementia of frontal lobe type. Muscarinic cholinergic receptors were relatively spared only in Alzheimer''s disease. Serotonin receptors were markedly reduced (based on Pick cases) whereas measures that reflected presynaptic serotonergic activity were either not affected or increased. Cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue measurements suggested that inhibitory interneurones and dopamine release were relatively spared. There was no in vitro evidence of hypometabolism.
Prion Diseases in Humans and Their Relevance to Other Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: Collinge John , Palmer Mark S.
Published: August 2007

Molecular genetics has led to considerable advances in our understanding of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. The identification of pathogenic mutations in the prion protein gene has enabled a molecular reclassification of the familial forms of these diseases, which may now be referred to as inherited prion diseases. Prion diseases of both humans and animals are associated with deposition of an abnormal isoform of a host-encoded protein, the prion protein (PrP). Human prion diseases have inherited, sporadic and acquired forms. A considerable body of evidence now supports the idea that the transmissible agent in these diseases may be an abnormal isoform of the prion protein. The identification of pathogenic mutations in the PrP gene has enabled the identification of cases of inherited prion disease that would not have been recognised using existing clinical and pathological diagnostic criteria. Since marked clinical and neuropathological overlap between the different neurodegenerative disorders is well recognised, PrP gene analysis is of increasing importance in differential diagnosis. Frontal lobe dementia of non-Alzheimer type and Pick''s disease share a number of important clinical and pathological features with prion diseases, and could be considered as candidate prion diseases. However, we have not been able to demonstrate either PrP mutations or the presence of the disease-associated isoform of prion protein in several well-characterised families with these disorders.
Functional Activation of the Frontal Lobes
Authors: Warkentin Siegbert , Passant Ulla
Published: August 2007

The present study examined the utility of the Word Fluency Test (WFT) as a frontal-lobe-activating test in brain imaging. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured during rest and during the WFT in 49 healthy volunteers and in 15 patients with frontal lobe dementia (FLD). The results showed a highly significant frontal lobe activation in 85% of the normal subjects. This finding was not related to age or to the level of performance on the WFT. A significant frontal activation was seen in 13 of the 15 FLD patients. The frontal flow increase did not reach normal levels, and was not related to age, illness duration or severity of clinical symptoms. The results suggest that the WFT is an ideal test to use in conjunction with functional imaging in normals as well as in patients with organic dementia.
Dendritic Atrophy and Remodeling of Amygdaloid Neurons in Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Scott Samuel A.
Published: August 2007

The current study examined changes in the dendritic arbor of basolateral amygdaloid neurons in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Quantitative analysis of Golgi Kopsch-impregnated tissue samples revealed a significant reduction in the total dendritic length per neuron in AD. Terminal and nonterminal dendritic segments were affected similarly. Somatofugal ordering of the same segments, however, indicated that the reductions were restricted to the inner portion of the dendritic tree, coupled with significant AD-related increases in the length and number of the highest order segments. These data suggest that despite an overall AD-related loss of dendritic length in this amygdaloid subregion, new dendritic segments continue to form. The loss of proximal segments, combined with the gain of distal segments, may be interpreted as dendritic remodeling in the course of the disorder.
APP Expression in Primary Neuronal Cell Cultures fromP6 Mice during in vitro Differentiation
Authors: Dichgans Martin , Mönning Ursula , König Gerhard , Sandbrink Rupert , Masters Colin L. , Beyreuther Konrad
Published: August 2007

Primary neuronal cell cultures from P6 mice were investigated in order to study amyloid protein precursor (APP) gene expression in differentiating neurons. Cerebellar granule cells which strongly express APP 695 allowed the identification of three distinct isoforms of neuronal APP 695. The high-molecular-weight form of APP 695 is sialylated. The expression pattern of neuronal APP 695 changes during in vitro differentiation. Sialylated forms become more abundant upon longer cultivation time. The secreted forms of sialylated, neuronal APP 695 are shown to comigrate with APP isolated from cerebrospinal fluid. We suggest that the different sialylation states of APP 695 may reflect the modulation of cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions during in vitro differentiation and regeneration.
Heparan Sulfate Expression Patterns in the Amyloid Deposits of Patients with Alzheimer's and Lewy Body Type Dementia
Authors: Van Gool D. , David G. , Lammens M. , Baro F. , Dom R.
Published: August 2007

Heparan sulfate (HS), along with serum amyloid P component, has been identified in all types of amyloid investigated so far, regardless of the type of amyloid protein deposited. To assess whether unique or specific HS proteoglycans (HSPGs) may be involved in the formation of these lesions, we have investigated the accumulation of several distinct HSPG epitopes in the cerebra of patients with different forms of neurodegenerative disease. A panel composed of several antibodies revealed distinctive patterns of HSPG accumulation. In patients with dementia of the Lewy body type, the burned-out-type plaques and preamyloid-type plaques were strongly stained by both the anti-HS ''chain'' and anti-HS ''stub'' antibodies, but by none of the available anti-core protein antibodies. In Alzheimer''s disease, the preamyloid-type plaques, dense-cored-type plaques, neuritic-type plaques and the neurofibrillary tangles were stained by the anti-''stub'' antibody. The anti-''chain'' and the anti-core protein antibodies, in contrast, failed to stain the preamyloid-type plaques and burned-out-type plaques, but stained the neuritic-type plaques in these patients. These data suggest differences in the types of HS and HSPG (fragments) that accumulate in amyloid lesions that may hallmark neurodegenerative disorders of different etiologies.
Growth Hormone Secretion in Alzheimer's Disease: Studies with Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone Alone and Combined with Pyridostigmine or Arginine
Authors: Ghigo E. , Nicolosi M. , Arvat E. , Marcone A. , Danelon F. , Mucci M. , Franceschi M. , Smirne S. , Camanni F.
Published: August 2007

There is evidence that GH secretion is reduced in normal elderly subjects as well as in patients with Alzheimer''s disease (AD). To clarify the mechanisms underlying this GH hyposecretory state in 14 elderly subjects (age 65–75 years) and 15 AD patients (age 61–78 years), we studied the effects of both pyridostigmine (PD, 120 mg orally), a cholinesterase inhibitor, and arginine (ARG, 0.5 g/kg i.v.), two substances likely acting via inhibition of hypothalamic somatostatin, on GH response to GHRH (1 (µg/kg i.v.). The GH response to PD alone was also studied. Twenty-two young healthy volunteers were studied as control group. Basal GH levels were similar in young, elderly and AD subjects (0.7 ± 0.2, 0.8 ± 0.2 and 0.9 ± 0.2 µg/1). IGF-I levels were lower (p < 0.005) in elderly (73.9 ± 8.2 µg/1) and in AD subjects (108.0 ± 5.9 µg/l) than in young subjects (288.7 ± 22.1 µg/l); however, they were higher (p < 0.01) in AD patients than in the elderly subjects. The PD-induced GH release did not significantly differ in young, elderly and AD subjects while the GH responses to GHRH in the elderly (AUC: 297.9 ± 49.2 µg/l/h) and in AD subjects (437.6 ± 93.5 µg/l/h) were lower (p < 0.01) than in young subjects (658.6 ± 100.1 µg/l/h). PD potentiated the GH response to GHRH both in elderly and in AD subjects (901.7 ± 222.4 and 1,070.3 ± 207.2 µg/l/h, p < 0.005) but these responses were lower (p < 0.0001) than those recorded in young subjects (2,041.1 ± 245.6 µg/l/h). ARG potentiated the GHRH-induced GH rise both in elderly and in AD subjects (1,545.2 ± 246.0 and 1,659.3 ± 196.8 µg/l/h,p < 0.001) but in this case, the GH response to GHRH + ARG overlapped with that in young subjects (2,140.2 ± 229.5 µg/l/h). In contrast to young subjects, in elderly and in AD subjects, the potentiating effect of ARG on GHRH-induced GH rise was higher (p < 0.01) than that of PD. These results show that testing neural controls of GH secretion with different neuroactive substances does not allow to differentiate normal aging from AD. In both groups, somatotroph responsiveness to GHRH is potentiated by the enhancement of the cholinergic activity but much more by ARG, which is compatible with the presence of a cholinergic impairments.
Neuropsychological Heterogeneity in Mild Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Binetti Giuliano , Magni Eugenio , Padovani Alessandro , Cappa Stefano F. , Bianchetti Angelo , Trabucchi Marco
Published: August 2007

In order to investigate neuropsychological differences in patients with mild AD, we carried out a pilot study on 28 patients with a clinical diagnosis of mild dementia (CDR: 0.5–1) using an extensive neuropsychological battery, in comparison with 28 normal controls. The results of a cluster analysis, applied on the neuropsychological variables, showed the existence of at least two main subgroups of patients. Cluster 1 patients had a mean age of 61.1 years and showed a greater impairment on measures of language, abstract reasoning and verbal fluency; cluster 2 patients, with a mean age of 72.0, had more severe impairment in memory function. These preliminary results may suggest the existence of different subtypes of AD characterized by selective neuropsychological deterioration in the early stages of the disease.
Age at Onset and SPECT Imaging in Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Caffarra P. , Scaglioni A. , Malvezzi L. , Previdi P. , Spreafico L. , Salmaso D.
Published: August 2007

It is generally accepted that presenile Alzheimer''s disease (AD) has faster progression and severer clinical manifestation than senile onset AD. Recently a relative left frontal hypoperfusion was only found in patients with presenile AD by using SPECT imaging. The aim of the present report was to ascertain whether the same conclusion could be drawn matching the population with respect to the severity of the cognitive profile and disease duration. Twenty subjects for each group were studied with SPECT and no differences emerged between groups. It is postulated that presenile and senile onset AD represent aspects of the same biological process.
Pattern of Cerebral Metabolic Interactions in a Subject with Isolated Amnesia at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease: A Longitudinal Evaluation
Authors: Pietrini Pietro , Azari Nina P. , Grady Cheryl L. , Salerno Judith A. , Gonzales-Aviles Arnaldo , Heston Leonard L. , Pettigrew Karen D. , Horwitz Barry , Haxby James V. , Schapiro Mark B.
Published: August 2007

A pattern of reduced cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (rCMRglc) has been shown by positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type. To verify if a similar rCMRglc pattern is present in subjects ''at risk'' for Alzheimer''s disease (AD), we used high-resolution PET to longitudinally study a subject with isolated memory impairment and a family history for autosomal dominant AD. Initial rCMRglc data did not reveal any consistent abnormality as compared to a group of sex- and age-matched healthy controls. However, 1 year later, a follow-up evaluation did reveal reduced parietal rCMRglc values coinciding with a worsening of cognitive impairment, which suggested that standard analyses of resting rCMRglc data may not be useful in the early diagnosis of AD. In contrast, when a previously determined discriminant function for distinguishing controls from AD patients was applied, the subject was correctly identified as an AD patient on both PET scans.
Fluorescent Cardiac Imaging
Authors: Detter Christian , Wipper Sabine , Russ Detlef , Iffland Andre , Burdorf Lars , Thein Eckart , Wegscheider Karl , Reichenspurner Hermann , Reichart Bruno
Published: August 2007

Background—

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the effect of coronary stenoses of variable severity on myocardial perfusion can be quantitatively assessed in vivo by analysis of fluorescent cardiac imaging (FCI) compared with the gold standard, the fluorescent microsphere method. FCI is a novel technology to visualize coronary vessels and myocardial perfusion intraoperatively using the indocyanine green dye with an infrared-sensitive imaging device.

Methods and Results—

Graded stenoses and total vessel occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery were created in 11 open-chest pigs. Stenoses were graded to reduce resting left anterior descending coronary artery flow by 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of baseline flow measured by transit-time flowmeter. FCI images were analyzed with a digital image processing system. The impairment of myocardial perfusion was quantified by background-subtracted peak fluorescence intensity and slope of fluorescence intensity obtained with FCI and compared with myocardial blood flow assessed by fluorescent microsphere. All stenoses resulted in an impairment of myocardial perfusion visualized by FCI. Occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery resulted in a total perfusion defect (no fluorescence intensity) of the corresponding anterior myocardial wall. During graded stenosis and total vessel occlusion, normalized background-subtracted peak fluorescence intensity and slope of fluorescence intensity decreased significantly (
P
<0.0001). Both background-subtracted peak fluorescence intensity (
r
=0.92,
P
<0.0001) and slope of fluorescence intensity (
r
=0.93,
P
<0.0001) analyzed by FCI demonstrated good linear correlation with fluorescent microsphere–derived myocardial blood flow.

Conclusions—

The impairment of myocardial perfusion in response to increased coronary stenosis severity and total vessel occlusion can be quantitatively assessed by FCI and correlates well with results obtained by fluorescent microsphere.
Preservation of Left Ventricular Function and Attenuation of Remodeling After Transplantation of Human Epicardium-Derived Cells Into the Infarcted Mouse Heart
Authors: Winter E.M. , Grauss R.W. , Hogers B. , van Tuyn J. , van der Geest R. , Lie-Venema H. , Steijn R. Vicente , Maas S. , DeRuiter M.C. , deVries A.A.F. , Steendijk P. , Doevendans P.A. , van der Laarse A. , Poelmann R.E. , Schalij M.J. , Atsma D.E. , Gittenberger-de Groot A.C.
Published: August 2007

Background—

Proper development of compact myocardium, coronary vessels, and Purkinje fibers depends on the presence of epicardium-derived cells (EPDCs) in embryonic myocardium. We hypothesized that adult human EPDCs might partly reactivate their embryonic program when transplanted into ischemic myocardium and improve cardiac performance after myocardial infarction.

Methods and Results—

EPDCs were isolated from human adult atrial tissue. Myocardial infarction was created in immunodeficient mice, followed by intramyocardial injection of 4×10
5
enhanced green fluorescent protein–labeled EPDCs (2-week survival, n=22; 6-week survival, n=15) or culture medium (n=24 and n=18, respectively). Left ventricular function was assessed with a 9.4T animal MRI unit. Ejection fraction was similar between groups on day 2 but was significantly higher in the EPDC-injected group at 2 weeks (short term), as well as after long-term survival at 6 weeks. End-systolic and end-diastolic volumes were significantly smaller in the EPDC-injected group than in the medium-injected group at all ages evaluated. At 2 weeks, vascularization was significantly increased in the EPDC-treated group, as was wall thickness, a development that might be explained by augmented DNA-damage repair activity in the infarcted area. Immunohistochemical analysis showed massive engraftment of injected EPDCs at 2 weeks, with expression of α-smooth muscle actin, von Willebrand factor, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca
2+
-ATPase, and voltage-gated sodium channel (α-subunit; SCN5a). EPDCs were negative for cardiomyocyte markers. At 6-weeks survival, wall thickness was still increased, but only a few EPDCs could be detected.

Conclusions—

After transplantation into ischemic myocardium, adult human EPDCs preserve cardiac function and attenuate ventricular remodeling. Autologous human EPDCs are promising candidates for clinical application in infarcted hearts.
Noninvasive Assessment of the Right Ventricular Filling Pressure Gradient
Authors: Cortina Cristina , Bermejo Javier , Yotti Raquel , Desco M. Mar , Rodríguez-Pérez Daniel , Antoranz J. Carlos , Rojo-Álvarez José Luis , Garcia Damien , García-Fernández Miguel A. , Fernández-Avilés Francisco
Published: August 2007

Background—

The physiological basis of right ventricular (RV) diastolic function remains incompletely studied in humans. The driving force responsible for RV filling, the pressure gradient along the RV inlet from the right atrium to the RV apex, has never been measured in the clinical setting.

Methods and Results—

We validated a method for measuring the RV filling pressure difference (RVFPD) from color Doppler M-mode recordings in 12 pigs undergoing interventions on RV preload, afterload, and lusitropic states (error, −0.1±0.4 mm Hg compared with micromanometers; intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.88). Peak early RVFPD correlated directly with mean right atrial pressure and inversely with the time constant of RV relaxation. In 21 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, the peak RVFPD was 1.0 mm Hg (95% CI, 0.8 to 1.2), significantly lower than in age-matched control subjects (1.4 mm Hg; 95% CI, 1.2 to 1.6). In another population of 19 young healthy volunteers, the peak RVFPD was 2.3 mm Hg (95% CI, 2.0 to 2.6), which was reduced by nitroglycerine and esmolol and was augmented by volume overload and atropine infusions. RVFPD was generated almost exclusively by inertial forces.

Conclusions—

For the first time, the RV driving filling force can be accurately measured noninvasively in the clinical setting, and the method is sensitive to detect the effects of preload, chronotropic, and lusitropic states. In patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, the RV filling force is markedly reduced, indicating severely impaired RV relaxation. These findings suggest that this is a useful tool for improving the clinical assessment of RV diastolic function.
Meta-Discourse: Plato's Timaeus according to Calcidius
Authors: Reydams-Schils Gretchen
Published: August 2007

This paper brings Calcidius' 4th. c. AD Latin commentary on Plato's Timaeus into the fold of research on the methodological assumptions and hermeneutical practices of the ancient commentary tradition. The first part deals with the question of how Calcidius sees his role as a commentator in relation to the original text, to his audience, and to the Platonist tradition. The second part examines the organizing principles and structuring devices of the commentary, and what these can tell us about connections between exegesis and worldview. As with many other commentaries, Calcidius' purpose becomes clearer if we approach him from a pedagogical angle. His practice, like most of the content of his commentary, appears to connect him to older layers of Platonism, pre-dating so-called Neoplatonism. It reveals a distinct authorial voice, of someone who is very conscious of his role as a cultural mediator and who has a philosophical line to pursue.
Single gene mutations causing exaggerated fins also cause non-genetic changes in the display behavior of male zebrafish
Authors: Iovine  , Itzkowitz
Published: August 2007

We show that the exaggerated changes in fin lengths of zebrafish (Danio rerio) caused by a single gene mutation also resulted in changes in the lateral display rate. However, the increase in this threat display rate only occurred when both fish had very long fins. Fish with shorter fins did not show such an increase when they met fish with longer, same size, or shorter fins. Cutting the long fins to resemble the shorter fin types reduced the display rate, demonstrating that genetic differences do not account for the differences in behavior. These results suggest that species differences in the performance of a display may reflect only the physical differences in the display structure.
Social aggression in an age-dependent dominance hierarchy
Authors: Cronin Adam , Field Jeremy
Published: August 2007

Social aggression arises from conflicts of interest over reproduction in animal societies. Aggression is often highly variable between individuals in a group, may be correlated with dominance, and is often integral to the establishment of dominance hierarchies that in turn determine reproductive opportunities. However, reproductive dominance is not always linked with social dominance: 'queens' are not always the most aggressive individuals in a group. Furthermore, in some animals social rank is determined without aggression, and derived through another means, such as gerontocracy. In such instances, what is the role of aggression, and what underlies the variation between individuals? Here, we investigate the relationship between inheritance rank and aggression in the hover wasp Liostenogaster flavolineata, which has an age-based inheritance queue. All females in this study were of known age and, thus, rank could be determined independently of behaviour. Observations of intra-colony aggression indicated that aggression increased with inheritance rank and occurred among non-breeding subordinates. This cannot be explained by models that do not account for aggression between non-breeders. It is likely that contests over inheritance rank and the higher future fitness anticipated by high-ranking individuals account for this pattern.
Successful Aging and Gambling
Authors: Preston Frederick W. , Shapiro Paul D. , Keene Jennifer Reid
Published: August 2007

Using a sample of 449 Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, residents ages 55 and older, the authors examine predictors of past-year and lifetime risk for problem gambling behavior. They examine the salience of gambling opportunities for the respondents' decision to move to Las Vegas and whether they currently gamble as a significant part of their recreation. Bivariate analyses show the importance of gambling opportunities for predicting at-risk status. Logistic regression analyses demonstrate that those who currently use gambling as a significant part of their recreation are 4 times more likely than others to be at risk. Furthermore, respondents who primarily play video poker are twice as likely as others to be at risk. Respondents' race, income, and length of time living in Las Vegas also predict at-risk behavior. The authors discuss the implications of these findings and their relationships to the aging, gambling, and problem gambling literatures.
Tensions and Contentions
Authors: Smith Garry J. , Campbell Colin S.
Published: August 2007

This article addresses electronic machine gambling in Canada, in particular, how it evolved, the social problems associated with the activity, and why it continues to flourish in spite of evidence-based research showing it to be the most addictively potent gambling format. Also discussed are the corporate principles applied to the promotion of electronic machine gambling and how this distorts regulatory objectives.
In the Death Zone: A study of limits in the 1996 Mount Everest disaster
Authors: Tempest Sue , Starkey Ken , Ennew Christine
Published: August 2007

This article examines the May 1996 Everest disaster through the lens of limits and liminality to provide an alternative interpretation of the significance of the event as a counterpoint to existing accounts. The Everest disaster is an example of management under the most extreme conditions and also an example of a common managerial mindset that is prevalent in the literature on leadership and strategy that anything can be achieved by organizations with appropriate strategic intent and leadership. Rather than focusing upon how disaster could have been avoided by better management, we trace the roots of the disaster to the impact of liminality in extreme conditions and we consider the implications for organizations with liminal team members, a condition that is becoming more prevalent in contemporary organizations.
Globalization
Authors: Meyer John W.
Published: August 2007

Since the Second World War, there has been a steadily increasing awareness of a global society, and of national interdependencies in this society. The catastrophes of the war (and earlier Depression) and the extraordinary violations of human rights and welfare are involved. So are rapid decolonization, and political and economic interdependencies. Consciousness of a global society, however, has led to nothing like a world state, so all the much-perceived interdependencies lead to global movements to control the national and social actors that are understood to carry the burden of social control. Thus world culture has created wave after wave of somewhat standardized national policies, committing countries to the pursuit of collective progress and individual welfare and equality, and to international cooperation. The political logic here is one of natural law, not positive law, since there is no world state. Extraordinary expansions of world political society result — an explosion in the use of science, and various principles of standardized social rationality, and dramatic emphases on individual rights, welfare, and empowerment.
World Society, NGOs and Environmental Policy Reform in Asia
Authors: Frank David John , Longhofer Wesley , Schofer Evan
Published: August 2007

We examine the role of domestic nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in environmental policy reform in Asia. Standard accounts treat NGOs as critical players in the policy process, responding to local environmental degradation and pressing states for environmental reforms. We argue, by contrast, that environmental policy changes are borne largely of the global environmental regime, and that domestic environmental NGOs in Asia are better seen as products of world society than as independent actors driving policy change. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses support our view. In event-history analyses of policy reform, we find that both ties to world society and linkages to the global environmental regime are stronger predictors of policy adoption rates than domestic environmental NGOs or local degradation. We suggest that the rhetorical centrality of `grassroots' NGOs results not from any direct impact such associations have on political change but rather from their roles in the theater of democracy, which is staged in a post-Second World War liberal world culture that celebrates bottom-up voluntary organizing and participation, even when such associational activity is only loosely connected to domestic political change.
Redefining National Identity: Dutch Evidence on Global Patterns
Authors: Lechner Frank J.
Published: August 2007

This article uses evidence drawn from Dutch policy arenas to challenge claims about the erosion of national identity due to globalization. More specifically, it complements and revises neoinstitutionalist arguments about the enactment of world culture within nation-states by showing how the redefinition of national identity takes the form of reflexive discourse, varies across sectors and over time, and entwines local with global pressures. Reinforcing a thrust in recent scholarship on globalization that focuses on the continued impact of national paths and the resilience of national traditions, the complex pattern in Dutch identity redefinition illustrates the importance of locally oriented analysis in assessing `macrophenomenological' arguments.
After Sport Culture
Authors: Wheaton Belinda
Published: August 2007

The subcultural theory associated with the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) has received numerous and wide-ranging critiques. Debate has been particularly prevalent within sociological work on youth, music, and style, a context in which some commentators have rejected the idea of subculture, favoring more fleeting, transient socialites. However, these debates have rarely been considered within the context of the study of sporting subcultures. In this article, the author reviews the post-CCCS oeuvre, exploring the implications for the study of sporting subcultures, questions of individuality, difference, and collective identity, and the possibility and nature of cultural or subcultural resistance. The author evaluates Atkinson and Wilson's proposition that bodily experiences or performances can resist constraints imposed by mainstream culture, illustrating this in the context of lifestyle sport culture. Thus, this article contributes to a revised agenda for the study of subcultures in sport.
Relationships between daily sexual interactions and domain-specific and general models of personality traits
Authors: Smith C. Veronica , Nezlek John B. , Webster Gregory D. , Paddock E. Layne
Published: August 2007

Although sexuality is an important component of personal relationships, there has been relatively little research on relationships between personality and everyday sexual behavior. Moreover, existing research on sexual behavior and personality (defined in terms of the Five-Factor Model, FFM) has found weak and inconsistent relationships. We hypothesized that sexual behavior can be better understood in terms of a model of personality that focuses on sexuality rather than in terms of a general model of personality. The present study examined relationships between two models of personality and daily sexual behavior. For 3 weeks, two different samples described their sexual interactions and they completed a measure of the FFM (N = 104) and the Sexy Seven (N = 48). A series of multilevel modeling analyses found that personality as measured by both models was related to both positive (e.g., feeling desired) and negative (e.g., feeling guilty) reactions to sexual experiences. As predicted, comparisons of the strength of the relationships between reactions to daily sexual experience and the two models found reactions to sexual experience were related more strongly to the Sexy Seven than to the FFM. The importance of considering both domainspecific and general measures of personality is discussed in terms of understanding sexual behavior.
Feeling supported and feeling satisfied: How one partner's attachment style predicts the other partner's relationship experiences
Authors: Kane Heidi S. , Jaremka Lisa M. , Guichard AnaMarie C. , Ford Máire B. , Collins Nancy L. , Feeney Brooke C.
Published: August 2007

This study explored the association between one partner's attachment style and the other partner's relationship experiences (N = 305 couples). It was hypothesized that individuals would be more satisfied in their relationship when their partners were more secure (lower in attachment avoidance and anxiety), and that this association would be mediated by perceived caregiving. Results indicated that men were less satisfied when their female partners were higher in attachment anxiety, whereas women were less satisfied when their male partners were higher in avoidance. Structural equation modeling revealed that these links were partially mediated by perceived caregiving; individuals who were involved with insecure partners were less satisfied in part because they perceived their partners to be less effective caregivers.
Democratizing Science Movements
Authors: McCormick Sabrina
Published: August 2007

This paper develops a framework for understanding social movements that address issues related to science, technology and expert knowledge. `Democratizing science movements' contest, reframe, and engage in the production of official scientific research in order to achieve their goals. They contest the seeming objectivity and neutrality of science and seek to legitimate lay perspectives. In order to empirically explore why such movements arise and how they work, I discuss two cases: the anti-dam movement in Brazil and the environmental breast cancer movement in the USA. While there are obvious internal and contextual differences between these two movements, they both exemplify similar characteristics of democratizing science movements. In this sense, these cases are representative of a broader, transnational phenomenon. Qualitative data in the form of interviews, ethnographic observations and document collection were used to study these cases.
Power, Anger, and Sadistic Rapists
Authors: Pardue Angela , Arrigo Bruce A.
Published: August 2007

The extant research on rapists repeatedly indicates that particular offender types can be specified. These include the power, anger, and sadistic assailants. Despite such classifications, limited empirical or anecdotal efforts have undertaken the task of exploring the personality features of each rapist type. This article endeavors to fill this gap in the literature. Using the heuristic analytical lens and the case study method, the high-profile crimes of Gilbert Escobedo (power type), Paul Bernardo (anger type), and Jeffrey Dahmer (sadistic type) are reviewed. As the article discloses, unique personality features were exhibited. Moreover, each rapist type displayed a number of convergent as well as divergent character traits. Given these findings, the article concludes with a series of summary observations relevant for future research on rape and personality as well as prospects for clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Baseline Subjective Stress Predicts 1-Year Outcomes Among Drug Court Clients
Authors: Garrity Thomas F. , Prewitt Sallie H. , Joosen Michelle , Tindall Michele Staton , Webster J. Matthew , Leukefeld Carl G.
Published: August 2007

Psychological stress has long been known to predict negative changes in physical and behavioral health in the general population. The same relationships have been found in research on drug abusers. In this longitudinal study, 477 clients of two Kentucky drug courts were followed for 1 year to examine the relationship between subjective stress at intake and outcomes 1 year after the baseline of this 18-month drug court program. Greater baseline subjective stress was significantly associated with poorer employment, substance use, criminal justice, and health outcomes at 1-year follow-up, even after adjusting for selected demographic characteristics and baseline levels of the outcomes of interest. If these results are replicated in these and other drug courts, then a stress reduction treatment trial within the drug court context should be attempted and evaluated.
Global Risk Factors and the Prediction of Recidivism Rates in a Sample of First-Time Misdemeanant Offenders
Authors: Gavazzi Stephen M. , Yarcheck Courtney M. , Sullivan Jason M. , Jones Sheri C. , Khurana Atika
Published: August 2007

This article examines the prediction of recidivism using the Global Risk Assessment Device (GRAD), a reliable and valid measure of dynamic factors associated with family characteristics, peers, mental health, substance abuse, trauma exposure, educational concerns, accountability, and health risks. Using a sample of adult caregivers of first-time misdemeanant offenders, two factors—education and accountability—were significantly associated with recidivistic behavior, supporting the use of GRAD data in correctly identifying first-time offenders who have the greatest and the least likelihood for future offending behavior. Additional analyses utilizing parent reports on African American males indicate that the GRAD provides discrimination in the prediction of recidivism in a group typically seen as being high risk simply because of their gender and race. The assessment drives intervention approach of the GRAD is discussed in terms of using reports from adults to accurately place youth into appropriate levels of supervision and treatment.
Labor migration to world cities: with a research agenda for the Arab Gulf
Authors: Malecki Edward J. , Ewers Michael C.
Published: August 2007

We place labor flows, involving both highly skilled professionals and unskilled workers, within the framework of research on world cities. These flows are central to understanding the growth of world cities, particularly those whose growth is not primarily a result of advanced producer services. The context of Arab Gulf cities allows us to understand urban growth in the region as an outcome of wealth accumulation that stimulates large flows of skilled westerners and of unskilled workers from poor regions in Asia. We conclude with an agenda for research on migration to world cities and the division of labor in those cities.
What is Left of the Angel?
Authors: Argullol Rafael
Published: August 2007

The author raises the problem of the presence of terror in contemporary life. He analyzes the continuous dynamic between fear, terror and hopes of peace in contemporary societies. Dignity appears as a blueprint of the ubiquitous presence of terror and fear.
The Human Being in Chinese Civilization
Authors: Xin Ru
Published: August 2007

The author provides an introductory view of the notion of dignity and yen (benevolence) in Confucius’ and Mencius’ doctrines. It compares them with classical Western positions (viz. Plato’s), through an analysis of the Analects and Mencius’ works. It shows that because of a strong emphasis on the importance and dignity of the human person, Chinese humanism has been developing under a specific social and cultural background which is entirely different from that of Western countries.
Unesco at 60
Authors: Lévi-Strauss Claude
Published: August 2007

This paper reports the text of the intervention pronounced by Claude Lévi-Strauss for the 60th anniversary of Unesco in 2006. Lévi-Strauss recalls the intersections between his activity in the field of anthropology and ethnology and Unesco since its foundation, and the role Unesco can play nowadays in the preservation of cultural diversity and biodiversity.
The Originating Breaks Up: Merleau-Ponty, Ontology, and Culture
Authors: Rechter Sue
Published: August 2007

In Merleau-Ponty's work there is an intimate and reciprocal involvement of socio-cultural and philosophical concerns, more profound and central than Merleau-Ponty himself acknowledged. This gives rise to productive tensions over the course of his works, between the paradigm of perception and an emerging, more culturalist paradigm: language, history, and culture penetrate to the heart of perception, and at the same time the historicity at the heart of perception offers us new ways of understanding the sense and dynamics of the social, cultural and historical fields. The outcome is an outline of an ontology which allows us to think of both nature and culture in new ways and in new relationships. Particularly fruitful is Merleau-Ponty's development of the paradigms of perception and of the life world in the concept of the World, emerging as an original ontological figure, and offering a way of thinking about meaning from our first opening upon it to the cultural world horizon and beyond.
Simulation of Three-dimensional Fiber Orientation in Weldline Areas During Push-pull-processing
Authors: Patcharaphun S. , Zhang B. , Mennig G.
Published: August 2007

Push-pull-processing (PPP) is a live in-mold manipulation method of co-injection molding providing increased opportunities for controlling the melt flow during solidification. The mold has two gates connected to two synchronized injection units. During the packing phase, the melt moves through the mold several times. This modified filling process influences the orientation of fibers in a part significantly. In this work, a modified 3-D model for PPP has been developed and performed with the aid of a commercial software package (Moldflow) in order to predict the fiber orientation distribution within the weldline area of PPP parts. The predicted values of orientation tensor components (a11) are found to agree reasonably well with corresponding experimental measurements.
Progressive Failure Analysis for Prediction of Post-buckling Compressive Strength of Laminated Composite Plates and Stiffened Panels
Authors: Chen Nian-Zhong , Guedes Soares C.
Published: August 2007

A progressive failure analysis for prediction of the post-buckling compressive strength of laminated composite plates and stiffened panels is presented. A non-linear finite element code with a new explicit through-thickness integration scheme is proposed for the prediction of the structural responses. A progressive failure analysis is then developed with use of the finite element code coupled with the Tsai—Wu criterion and a limited property degradation model to determine the post-buckling compressive strength of laminated composite plates and stiffened panels. The numerical accuracy and the computational efficiency of the progressive failure analysis were evaluated with reference to the available experimental data, the numerical results of several references, and the analysis with use of the traditional finite element model. A parametric study to investigate the effects of the stacking sequences and the lamina thickness on the post-buckling compressive strength of laminated composite plates and stiffened panels is performed.
Learn to Read and Write Systematic Reviews: The Belgian Campbell Group
Authors: Hannes Karin , Claes Laurence ,   The Belgian Campbell Group
Published: August 2007

Practitioners working in social welfare, education, judicial circuits, psychology, and many other domains of human sciences daily decide on best treatments for their clients. The authors expect those practitioners to base their decisions on evidence from scientific research. The Campbell collaboration is an international nonprofit organization that supports a systematic evaluation of the effects of existing and new arising interventions in social sciences. In November 2005, 20 local volunteers launched the Belgian Campbell group. The most important tasks of this group are (a) to organize course programs on systematic reviews and (b) to assist Belgian authors willing to contribute to the Campbell collaboration in the writing of their protocol and systematic review. In this article, the authors introduce the concept of a systematic review and present the first achievements of the Belgian Campbell group, its current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Feminist sexualities, race and the internet: an investigation of suicidegirls.com
Authors: Magnet Shoshana
Published: August 2007

This article analyzes representations of feminism and sexuality on Suicide Girls (www.suicidegirls.com), a commercial site which features the online journals, profiles and nude photographs of young, heavily tattooed, punk women. It highlights the ways in which this site attempts to subvert the male gaze by changing contemporary photographic practices. It also interrogates the way in which the feminist potential of this site remains constrained by its inclusion of only a limited number of women of colour and only as a marketing `strategy' of diversity. It argues that rather than a critical race feminist commitment to inclusivity and structural change, this strategy of `diversity' is reflective of the internet tenet which holds that `content diversity is good business'. Thus, it concludes that rather than a feminist site which operates in the hope of broadening understandings of female sexuality, this site prioritizes profit to the detriment of feminist content.