bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Individual and gender differences in good and first‐class undergraduate degree performance
Authors: Farsides Tom , Woodfield Ruth
Published: September 2006

Corroborating recent findings elsewhere, women within a large undergraduate sample at the University of Sussex achieved a greater proportion of ‘good’ (first‐ or upper‐second‐class) degrees than did their male counterparts. This female advantage disappeared when statistically controlling for the trait openness to experience and for study‐related behaviour whilst at university (i.e. attending seminars and completing ‘non‐contributory’ assignments). Contrary to robust findings previously obtained elsewhere, only slight and unreliable evidence was found that men at Sussex obtained a greater proportion of first‐class degrees than did women. Moreover, differences favouring either gender were unreliable across the subjects of study. Indeed, ‘subject gaps’ often appeared more pronounced than ‘gender gaps’, where present. We conclude that emphasis should be shifted away from research on gender differences per se in favour of recent approaches that more directly explore reasons for successful undergraduate performance. However, to the extent that subject choice is an important determinant of degree performance, gender differences in subject choice will continue to be an important area of research.
Identifying potential predictors of traumatic reactions to psychotic episodes
Authors: Chisholm Brock , Freeman Daniel , Cooke Anne
Published: September 2006

Objectives The experience of a psychotic episode can sometimes lead to post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The objective of the research was to identify candidate predictors of such negative reactions for future prospective study. We examined six predictors identified from the PTSD and psychosis literatures in a retrospective study: a history of previous trauma, a history of previous episodes of psychosis, perceived helplessness and uncontrollability at the time of the index psychotic episode, the content of persecutory delusions at episode and the perceived presence of crisis support after the psychotic episode.

Design The design was a cross‐sectional self‐report and interview study of people with recently remitted symptoms of psychosis.

Method 36 individuals with delusions and hallucinations that had remitted in the past year were assessed for the presence of PTSD symptoms in reaction to their most recent psychotic episode. Measures of the potential predictors were also taken at this point and associations with PTSD symptoms tested.

Results 61% of the individuals with remitted positive symptoms had a reaction to their psychotic episode that was potentially severe enough to receive a PTSD diagnosis. Higher levels of PTSD symptoms were associated with all six predictors tested.

Conclusions The study provides further evidence that negative reactions to psychotic episodes are relatively common. Clinicians may wish to assess for such symptoms. The study extended these findings by identifying a number of candidate psychological predictors of PTSD reactions such as perceptions of uncontrollability and absence of support. Prospective longitudinal studies are required to test the causal significance of these factors. More broadly, the findings indicate that traumatic stress in response to intra‐psychic events such as delusions can be understood in similar ways to traumatic stress arising from physical traumas such as disasters.
Age, gender and IQ effects on the Rey‐Osterrieth Complex Figure Test
Authors: Gallagher Colin , Burke Teresa
Published: September 2006

Objectives The aims of the present study were (a) to examine the effects of age, gender and IQ on the Rey‐Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCFT), (b) to identify the best scores to use in interpreting test performance and (c) to compare the results with available normative data.

Design Participants were 117 normal volunteers, 60 males and 57 females, with an age range of 16–69 years and a mean age of 39.84 years (SD=16.26).

Methods Participants completed copy, 30‐second immediate recall and delayed recall trials of the ROCFT. Data consisted of raw scores from the three trials and percent‐retained scores for the memory trials.

Results Significant effects of age, gender and IQ were found on the copy trial and on the raw scores for the memory trials. Expressing the memory scores as a proportion of the copy score reduced these effects, but did not eliminate them. Only a ‘pure’ measure of delayed retention was found to be independent of age, gender and IQ.

Conclusion Results are discussed in relation to the adequacy of available norms, and the ideal scores to use for the ROCFT are identified. Caution is urged in interpreting scores on the ROCFT due to the danger of misclassification if currently available norms are used.
A preliminary evaluation of cognitive‐behaviour therapy for clinical perfectionism: A case series
Authors: Glover Dominic S. , Brown Gary P. , Fairburn Christopher G. , Shafran Roz
Published: September 2006

Objective The construct of ‘clinical perfectionism’ has been developed in response to criticisms that other approaches have failed to yield advances in the treatment of the type of self‐oriented perfectionism that poses a clinical problem. The primary aim of this study was to conduct a preliminary investigation into the efficacy of a theory‐driven, cognitive‐behavioural intervention for ‘clinical perfectionism’.

Design A multiple baseline single case series design was used.

Method A specific, 10‐session cognitive‐behavioural intervention to address clinical perfectionism in eating disorders was adapted to allow its use in nine patients referred with a range of axis I disorders and clinical perfectionism.

Results The intervention led to clinically significant improvements in self‐referential perfectionism from pretreatment to follow‐up for six of the nine participants on two perfectionism measures and for three of the nine participants on the measure of clinical perfectionism. Statistically significant improvements from pre‐ to post‐intervention for the group as a whole were found on all three measures. The improvements were maintained at follow‐up.

Conclusions The finding that clinical perfectionism is improved in the majority of participants is particularly encouraging given that perfectionism has traditionally been viewed as a personality characteristic resistant to change. These preliminary findings warrant replication in a larger study.
Exercise interventions as an adjunct therapy for psychosis: A critical review
Authors: Ellis Naomi , Crone Diane , Davey Rachel , Grogan Sarah
Published: September 2006

Purpose To review the existing evidence examining effectiveness of exercise as an adjunct therapy for psychosis.

Method A search of databases including Pub Med, Psych Info, Cochrane Library, Cinahl, Sports Discus and Web of Knowledge was conducted to identify studies investigating the psychological changes following exercise interventions in people with psychosis. Literature was subjected to a critical review to determine the effectiveness of exercise as a therapy for psychosis.

Results A total of ten studies met the inclusion criteria: four quantitative, two qualitative and four using a mixed method design. Exercise interventions were supervised and generally lasted between 10 and 12 weeks. Study samples were small, even in the quantitative studies, meaning that statistical analysis was not always possible. Study design and outcome measures varied across all studies. Generally the research findings demonstrated a positive trend towards improved mental health for those participants utilising exercise.

Conclusion The findings suggest the presence of a positive effect of exercise on mental health in people with psychosis, yet there is a need for greater consistency within the research to determine the size of effects and the most successful type of intervention. As exercise is increasingly used in the mental health service, more research is needed to provide a more comprehensive evidence‐based practice.
Under what circumstances do patients with schizophrenia jump to conclusions? A liberal acceptance account
Authors: Moritz Steffen , Woodward Todd S. , Lambert Martin
Published: September 2006

Background A consistent body of studies suggests that schizophrenia patients are extremely hasty when making decisions, and generally opt for the strongest response alternative. This pattern of results is primarily based on studies conducted with the beads task, which requires participants to determine from which of two possible jars a series of beads has been drawn. We have recently proposed a liberal acceptance (LA) bias to account for decision‐making biases in schizophrenia, which claims that under heightened ambiguity the jump to conclusions (JTC) bias is abolished in schizophrenia.

Methods A total of 37 schizophrenia patients were compared with 37 healthy controls on different versions of the beads paradigm. For the first task, participants were required to rate the probability that a bead was being drawn from one of two jars, and had to evaluate after each bead whether the amount of presented information would justify a decision. The second task was a classical draws to decision experiment with two jars. The third task confronted participants with four possible jars. If JTC was ubiquitous in schizophrenia hasty convergence on one alternative would be predicted for all three tasks. In contrast, the LA account predicts an abolishment of the JTC effect in the final task.

Results Tasks 1 and 2 provide further evidence for the well‐replicated JTC pattern in schizophrenia patients. In accordance with the LA hypothesis, no group differences were detected for task 3.

Discussion The present results confirm that JTC is not ubiquitous in schizophrenia: in line with the LA account a JTC bias in schizophrenia occurred under low but not high ambiguity. LA may partly explain the emergence of fixed, false beliefs.
Relationship of sociocultural factors and academic self‐esteem to school grades and school disengagement in North African French adolescents
Authors: Régner Isabelle , Loose Florence
Published: September 2006

The present study was designed to provide an integrated understanding of school grades and psychological disengagement among ethnic minority students. For that purpose, perceived parental involvement, acculturation orientations, and ethnic identity were simultaneously investigated in order to discover their respective contribution to grades among these students. Additionally, it was tested whether academic self‐esteem mediated the relationship between grades and psychological disengagement. North African French junior high‐school students completed a questionnaire assessing their ethnic identity, acculturation orientations, perceptions of parental involvement, academic self‐esteem and trend toward the devaluing and discounting facets of psychological disengagement. Their grades in the main courses were obtained from the school records. Although perceived parental involvement displayed the strongest contribution to grades, acculturation orientations and ethnic identity still predicted grades, after controlling for parental involvement. Academic self‐esteem mediated the influence of grades on both facets of disengagement, while this pattern was less clear for the devaluing process.
Identity motives and in‐group favouritism: A new approach to individual differences in intergroup discrimination
Authors: Vignoles Vivian L. , Moncaster Natalie J.
Published: September 2006

Theories suggest that identity motives for self‐esteem, meaning, distinctiveness and belonging are implicated in intergroup discrimination. Experimental studies have supported predictions, but correlational tests have been hindered by methodological problems. Using a new approach to measuring identity motives, we compared predictions of individual differences in in‐group favouritism. Seventy British adults completed measures of identity motives, British identification and positive and negative trait typicality ratings of British and German nationalities. With greater identification, the strength of motives for distinctiveness and belonging increasingly predicted in‐group favouritism: consistent with optimal distinctiveness theory, the belonging motive predicted positive ratings of the national in‐group, whereas the distinctiveness motive predicted negative ratings of the national out‐group. Results show the value of disentangling measures of motive strength from measures of motive satisfaction.
Memory for stereotype (in)consistent information: The role of in‐group identification
Authors: Doosje Bertjan , Spears Russell , De Redelijkheid Hans , Van Onna Joost
Published: September 2006

Effects of identification with one's group on memory of stereotype consistent and inconsistent information about one's group were examined in two studies. In the first study, we focused on supporters of a low status soccer team, and observed that die‐hard fans were more likely to remember stereotype‐inconsistent results of their team than fair‐weather fans. This pattern was replicated in a second study, which was executed among supporters of a high status soccer team. We discuss the implications of these results for the role of motivational factors such as in‐group identification in cognitive social psychology.
The taboo against group contact: Hypothesis of Gypsy ontologization
Authors: Pérez Juan A. , Moscovici Serge , Chulvi Berta
Published: September 2006

The concept of this article is that the symbolic relationships between human beings and animals serve as a model for the relationships between the majority and the ethnic minority. We postulate that there are two representations that serve to organize these relationships between human beings and animals: a domestic and a wild one. If the domestic animal is an index of human culture, the wild animal is an index of nature which man considers himself to share with the animal. With the wild representation, contact with the animal will be taboo, as it constitutes a threat to the anthropological difference. We offer the hypothesis that ontologization of the minority, that is, the substitution of a human category with an animal category, and thus its exclusion from the human species, is a method the majority use when the taboo against contact with the wild nature is necessary. Three experiments confirm the hypothesis that the Gypsy minority (as compared with the Gadje majority) is more ontologized when the context (a monkey or a clothed dog) threatens the anthropological differentiation of the Gadje participants.
Interacting via SMS: Practices of social closeness and reciprocation
Authors: Spagnolli Anna , Gamberini Luciano
Published: September 2006

This paper deals with the sequential structure of communication via short message service (SMS) among adults and young adults, aged 25–35 and 50–65, respectively. A collection of 173 SMS exchanges for personal communication, spontaneously composed by participants, was gathered. Each exchange was photographed from the display of the participant's mobile phone and then analysed with the approach of conversation analysis. A questionnaire was also administered during the collection procedure. The analysis of the practices organizing the action sequence reveals that exchanges frequently lack openings and closures, show an effort towards reciprocation and use implicit or anticipated actions. Social presence seems then characterized by a sense of constant availability, symmetric commitment and shared understanding. It is concluded that the sequential structure of mediated communication may give insightful details on the nature of the social presence thereby constituted and may provide a criterion to compare different communication modes.
Status, equity and social identification during an intergroup merger: A longitudinal study
Authors: Amiot Catherine E. , Terry Deborah J. , Callan Victor J.
Published: September 2006

Using an intergroup perspective, this longitudinal study (N =215) examined the adjustment patterns of employees from low vs. high status pre‐merger organizations. The first questionnaire was distributed 3 months after the implementation of the merger, whereas the second was completed 2 years later. As predicted, members of the low status group perceived the merger to be implemented in a less fair manner at the start of the merger and reported a decreased adjustment to the merger over time. Members of the high status group showed an increase in adjustment over time, lower in‐group bias and a stronger identification with the new merged organization. Path analyses further confirmed that identification with the new merged organization mediated the associations between perceptions of fairness and in‐group bias as well as changes in adjustment over time. With its longitudinal design, this study replicates and extends past results by revealing the predictors of adjustment for members of low vs. high status groups involved in an intergroup merger.
Feedback format: Does it influence manager's reactions to feedback?
Authors: Atwater Leanne , Brett Joan
Published: September 2006

This study investigated the influence of feedback format (text versus numeric/normative) on leaders' reactions to 360 degree feedback received from bosses, direct reports, and peers. Leaders who received numeric/normative feedback reacted more favourably than those who received text feedback regardless of the source. The reactions recipients experienced following feedback were relevant to changes in their number of development needs compared pre‐ and post feedback. Those who reacted negatively had a larger number of development needs reported post feedback while those who had positive reactions showed fewer development needs post feedback. These findings suggest that, contrary to predictions of feedback intervention theory (FIT), feedback that provided scores and comparative information was reacted to more positively than text feedback that provided only self‐relevant data. In addition, negative reactions to feedback were detrimental to future changes.
Incongruence as an explanation for the negative mental health effects of unemployment: Meta‐analytic evidence
Authors: Paul Karsten Ingmar , Moser Klaus
Published: September 2006

The present paper is concerned with the effects of incongruence between a person's level of employment commitment (measured with scales of work involvement, Protestant work ethic or similar concepts) and his or her current employment situation (employed or not employed). We hypothesize that this kind of incongruence (a) is a typical characteristic of the unemployment situation and (b) is systematically associated with diminished well‐being and mental health. Meta‐analyses of empirical data endorse both hypotheses. (a) Employed people show only marginally stronger levels of employment commitment than unemployed people (d= 0.11, equivalent tor= .05). Both groups are characterized by high mean levels of employment commitment. Therefore, unemployed people are in an incongruent situation, while employed people are not. (b) Incongruent levels of employment commitment, that is, high levels among the unemployed and low levels among the employed, are significantly associated with psychological distress (mixed symptoms of distress:r= .19; depression:r= .19; anxiety:r= .14; subjective well‐being/life satisfaction:r= .13; self‐esteem:r= .08). In sum, available cross‐sectional data clearly endorse the incongruence model. Meta‐analyses of longitudinal data, although based on small sample sizes, are also consistent with the model.
Effort‐reward‐imbalance, overcommitment and self‐reported health: Is it the interaction that matters?
Authors: Preckel Daniel , Meinel Michael , Kudielka Brigitte M. , Haug Hans‐Joachim , Fischer Joachim E.
Published: September 2006

In recent years, the effort‐reward‐imbalance (ERI) model has become widely used as a framework for examining job characteristics and employee's health. The present study tested the predictive validity of the ERI model's components ‐ ERI, over‐commitment (OC) and their interaction ‐ on the basis of self‐reported health outcomes. In a cross‐sectional study, data were obtained from 1,587 employees working in the aircraft manufacturing industry in southern Germany. Results suggested that all components of the ERI model (effort‐reward‐ratio, effort, reward and over‐commitment) are associated with health‐related quality of life, vital exhaustion, depression and quality of sleep. The separate variables effort and reward explained more of the observed variance than the effort‐reward ratio. No interaction between ERI and OC in predicting measurements of self‐reported health could be found. The findings suggest (1) that the ERI ratio does not provide more information than the separate use of the variables effort and reward, and (2) that there are main effects of ERI and OC but no interaction effect on employees' health. Implications for theory and applied research are discussed.
Goal orientations and the seeking of different types of feedback information
Authors: Janssen Onne , Prins Jelle
Published: September 2006

Based on the goal orientation model of feedback‐seeking behaviour, goal orientations are proposed to influence employees in the type of information they seek from knowledgeable others in the work environment. As hypothesized, a survey conducted among 170 medical residents of a Dutch university hospital showed that a learning‐approach goal orientation had a positive relationship with the seeking of self‐improvement information and a negative relationship with the seeking of self‐validation information. In contrast, a performance‐approach goal orientation was negatively related to the seeking of self‐improvement information, while a performance‐avoidance goal orientation was positively related to the seeking of self‐validation information. Unexpectedly, a performance‐avoidance goal orientation was also found to be positively related to the seeking of self‐improvement information.
A typology of the part‐time workforce: Differences on job attitudes and turnover
Authors: Martin James E. , Sinclair Robert R.
Published: September 2006

Differences between full‐time (FT) and part‐time (PT) employees have long been of interest to organizational psychologists. While most research assumes PT employees are a single, undifferentiated group, some studies have established the diversity of the PT workforce, particularly in terms of participation in other work and non‐work roles. An important gap in this research concerns how different types of PT employees may differ from one another, as well as from FT employees. In this study, we proposed and tested a typology of the PT workforce. We identified several groups of PT employees with substantially different patterns of involvement in school, family, and work roles. The PT groups had generally more favourable job attitudes than did the FT employees. Although the PT groups generally had higher turnover than the FT employees, we found substantial differences among the groups in their turnover behaviour. We discuss the implications of our findings for future work status research and for managing the PT workforce.
Diversity training: Putting theory into practice
Authors: Pendry Louise F. , Driscoll Denise M. , Field Susannah C. T.
Published: September 2006

Diversity training initiatives are an increasingly large part of many organizations' diversity management portfolio. Little is known, however, about the effectiveness of such initiatives. In this article, we demonstrate how increased adherence to the principles of established social psychological theory can guide and make more coherent the development of diversity initiatives. Likewise, outcomes of diversity training can inform and make more practical social psychological theory and research. In short, both diversity trainers and academics would benefit from greater dialogue, as well as grappling with the tensions that naturally arise when theory and practice collide.
Employee commitment and support for an organizational change: Test of the three‐component model in two cultures
Authors: Meyer John P. , Srinivas E. S. , Lal Jaydeep B. , Topolnytsky Laryssa
Published: September 2006

Although commitment is commonly identified as an essential element for the effective implementation of organizational change, little empirical evidence exists to support this claim. We conducted two studies to replicate and extend findings pertaining to Herscovitch and Meyer's three‐component model of commitment to an organizational change. In the first study, we examined relations within and across time between employees' commitment (affective, normative and continuance) and level of support for a strategic initiative undertaken by a Canadian utility company in response to deregulation. In the second study, we tested the model in a sample of managers in an Indian organization undergoing major restructuring. In both studies we found considerable support for the relations between commitment and support predicted by the model. However, we also found evidence for potential culture differences. Implications for theory, research and change management practice are discussed.
Gendered career‐making practices: On doing ambition or how managers discursively position themselves in a multinational corporation
Authors: Sools A. M. , Van Engen M. L. , Baerveldt C.
Published: September 2006

Although in the last decades there have been an increasing number of female managers, few make it to top management positions. In this study we want to gain insight into the persistence of the ‘glass ceiling’ by analyzing, from an ethnomethodologically informed discursive approach, how managers discursively position themselves in career making practices. Our study is located at the Dutch site of a multinational corporation where no women were found in higher positions, despite their growing presence in management positions. We aim at unraveling the implied membership competencies to participate in career making practices. In line with research on gendered organizations we consider these competencies to be gendered. In a detailed discursive analysis of interview material we identified an underlying paradox of ‘doing ambition’. We conclude that the women in this study who are ‘doing ambition’ are inevitably caught in a double bind position. The (re)production of gender inequality can be understood in terms of this double bind that is normalized in the organization. We argue that the discursive approach demonstrated in this article, is suitable for gaining insight into the often paradoxical demands managers, and especially women, face in daily career practices.
Defining the term new in new employee research
Authors: Rollag Keith
Published: September 2006

Researchers and managers use the term ‘new’ to describe organizational members who have recently joined an organization, but how long are arriving recruits considered ‘new employees’, and what factors drive this new‐to‐old transition? In this paper I hypothesize that co‐worker perceptions of an individual's ‘newness’ in the organization are a function of (1) the individual's relative position in the firm's tenure distribution and (2) the frequency of interaction between the rater and the individual. To evaluate these hypotheses I conducted a sociometric survey among four entrepreneurial organizations (N = 200), asking respondents to evaluate the newness of their co‐workers. The results support both hypotheses, but suggest that relative tenure (defined as a member's percentile rank in the firm's tenure distribution) is the strongest predictor of organizational newness perceptions. More specifically, ‘new employees’ are the 30% of the organization with the lowest tenure. This means that organizational growth and turnover have a major effect on how long arriving recruits are considered new employees, which in turn has implications for new employee research in areas like socialization, mentoring, training and career development.
Taking a sickie: Job satisfaction and job involvement as interactive predictors of absenteeism in a public organization
Authors: Wegge Jürgen , Schmidt Klaus‐Helmut , Parkes Carole , Van Dick Rolf
Published: September 2006

Correlations between absenteeism and work attitudes such as job satisfaction have often been found to be disappointingly weak. As prior work reveals, this might be due to ignoring interactive effects of attitudes with different attitude targets (e.g. job involvement and organizational commitment). Drawing on basic principles in personality research and insights about the situational variability of job satisfaction judgments, we proposed that similar interactions should be present also for attitudes with the same target. More specifically, it was predicted that job involvement affects absenteeism more if job satisfaction is low as this indicates a situation with weak constraints. Both attitudes were assessed in a sample of 436 employees working in a large civil service organization, and two indexes of absence data (frequency and time lost) were drawn from personnel records covering a 12‐month period following the survey. Whereas simple correlations were not significant, a moderated regression documented that the hypothesized interaction was significant for both indicators of absence behaviour. As a range of controls (e.g. age, gender, job level) were accounted for, these findings lend strong support to the importance of this new, specific form of attitude interaction. Thus, we encourage researchers not only to consider interactions of attitudes with a different focus (e.g. job vs. organization) but also interactions between job involvement and job satisfaction as this will yield new insights into the complex function of attitudes in influencing absenteeism.
Further validation of the short self‐esteem scale with sexual offenders
Authors: Webster Stephen D. , Mann Ruth E. , Thornton David , Wakeling Helen C.
Published: September 2006

Objective. This research was designed to validate a brief measure of self‐esteem in sexual offenders: the Short Self‐Esteem Scale (SSES).

Method. The SSES was administered to 1,376 adult males serving a prison sentence for a sexual offence, and 40 non‐offending males.

Results. The internal consistency and test–retest reliability of the measure were excellent. The measure was able to discriminate between different types of sexual offender, and between sexual offenders with differing levels of static risk. The instrument's sensitivity to sexual offender treatment intervention was also demonstrated.

Conclusions. The SSES is a useful screening tool for self‐esteem deficits in sexual offenders. However it cannot identify problematic high self‐esteem and it does not differentiate between types or domains of self‐esteem.
An experiential perspective on persecutory paranoia: A grounded theory construction
Authors: Boyd Tom , Gumley Andrew
Published: September 2006

Recently there has been a large volume of research on persecutory paranoia. Evidence has emerged for the role of social factors in the development of paranoia. There have, however, been no studies that have collaborated with users to develop an experiential perspective on paranoia. This study used a social constructionist version of grounded theory to develop an experiential perspective on persecutory paranoia. Ten individuals who had experience of persecutory paranoia were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using the grounded theory method. A core process of fear and vulnerability was constructed. Subcategories of confusion and uncertainty, and self under attack contributed to the core process. These processes led to an engaging of the safety systems. Subthemes of these categories were identified. Many of these factors interacted to create the complex and dynamic experience of paranoia. Participants were often responding to genuinely frightening experiences but were also attacking themselves. Paranoia evolved as a mechanism of keeping oneself safe in dangerous situations. The need to negotiate a shared meaning of paranoia with users is emphasized. Direction for future research was discussed.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy: A systematic review of techniques, indications and empirical evidence
Authors: Leichsenring Falk , Leibing Eric
Published: September 2006

Purpose. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is one of the most frequently applied methods of psychotherapy in clinical practice. However, it is the subject of controversial discussion, especially with regard to empirical evidence. In this article we aim to give an up‐to‐date description of the treatment and to review the available empirical evidence. Evidence is reviewed for both efficacy and mechanisms of change of short‐ and moderate‐term psychodynamic psychotherapy. Furthermore, results of effectiveness studies of long‐term psychoanalytic therapy are reviewed.

Methods. With regard to efficacy, a protocol for a Cochrane review for (short‐term) psychodynamic psychotherapy is available specifying inclusion criteria for efficacy studies.

Results. Twenty‐three randomized controlled trials of manual‐guided psychodynamic psychotherapy applied in specific psychiatric disorders provided evidence that psychodynamic psychotherapy is superior to control conditions (treatment‐as‐usual or wait list) and, on the whole, as effective as already established treatments (e.g. cognitive‐behavioural therapy) in specific psychiatric disorders. With regard to process research, central assumptions of psychodynamic psychotherapy were confirmed by empirical studies.

Conclusions. Further research should include both efficacy studies (on specific forms of psychodynamic psychotherapy in specific mental disorders) and effectiveness studies complementing the results from experimental research settings. Future process research should address the complex interactions among interventions, patient's level of functioning, helping alliance and outcome.
A preliminary study of a measure of role‐play competence in psychodynamic interpersonal therapy
Authors: Palmieri G. , Margison F. , Guthrie E. , Moorey J. , Hardy G. , Evans C. , Barkham M. , Rigatelli M.
Published: September 2006

We report a 15‐item role‐play competence measure. Ratings by three judges of 34 role plays from psychodynamic interpersonal therapy training showed good inter‐rater (.73–.79) and internal reliability (.84–.96). Validity was supported as scores were statistically significantly associated with psychotherapy experience. Most participants achieved satisfactory ratings supporting the training.
Subjective health and ill health‐related behaviour
Authors: Lazar Anna , Sandell Rolf , Grant Johan
Published: September 2006

Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between self‐rated health measures and ill healthrelated behaviour.

Design. The study design was based on a self‐report questionnaire taken for three consecutive years.

Method. Path analysis was used to test the relations between (a) The Self‐rated Health Scale (SRH) and the General Symptom Index (GSI) from the Symptom Checklist‐90 (SCL‐90), and (b) self‐reports on sick leave, health care utilization and medication, in a group of 155 persons who had terminated psychotherapeutic treatment the year before our three‐year panel survey. To investigate the potential moderating function of ongoing psychotherapeutic treatment, we repeated each test in a group of 152 patients in the midst of psychotherapeutic treatment.

Results. Only weak or zero relations were found between the self‐rated health measures and ill health‐related behaviour. The multi‐group analyses indicated between‐group differences in model fit. The few significant specific between‐group differences all concerned autoregressive relations.

Conclusions. Subjective health did not predict ill health‐related behaviour. Ongoing psychotherapeutic treatment did not affect the predictive value of subjective health variables. The weak relations found in the current study illuminate paradoxical outcome differences between subjective well‐being and ill health‐related behaviour. Our findings are discussed in the light of cultural and personality factors.
Identifying target genes of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (Arnt) using DNA microarray analysis
Authors: Wang Feng , Shi Shengli , Zhang Ruixue , Hankinson Oliver
Published: September 2006

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (Arnt) is a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein that also contains a Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain. In addition to forming heterodimers with many other bHLH-PAS proteins, including the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and hypoxia-inducible factors 1α, 2α and 3α, Arnt can also form homodimers when expressed from its cDNAin vitroorin vivo. However, target genes of the Arnt/Arnt homodimer remain to be identified. In this study, we have elucidated the profile of genes responsive to the reintroduction of Arnt expression in an Arnt-deficient mouse hepatoma cell line (c4), using DNA microarray analysis. The expression of 27 genes was upregulated by 1.5-fold or more in c4 cells infected with a retroviral vector expressing mouse Arnt, while no genes were found to be downregulated. Among the upregulated genes, BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa-interacting protein 1 (NIP3), serine (or cysteine) proteinase inhibitor, clade E, member 1 (PAI1), and N-myc downstream regulated-like (NDR1), were confirmed to be induced by Arnt using real-time PCR. We also found that the 5′ promoter region of 15 out of 20 upregulated genes contain the type 2 E-box 5′-CACGTG-3′ Arnt/Arnt binding sequence, consistent with the notion that they represent target genes for Arnt.
Utilization of Discarded Fly Ash as a Raw Material in the Production of Portland Cement
Authors: Bhatty JI , Gajda J , Botha F , Bryant MM
Published: September 2006

This paper describes the high-volume use of fly ash as a raw material in the manufacture of Portland cement. This approach provides three critical benefits to cement manufacturing and the environment. First, being rich in silica, alumina, and iron, the fly ash can essentially replace raw materials in cement raw feed, such as shale and clay, which are otherwise mined or purchased. Second, the carbon content in fly ash can provide a fuel supplement for the energy-intensive cement manufacturing process. Finally, high-volume consumption of fly ash will reduce the annual volume of waste and improve the overall environment. This concept has been repeatedly demonstrated at commercial scale in which several hundred tons of dry fly ash with up to 20 % unburned carbon was used as a raw mix component in several cement plants in the Midwest. Prior to the demonstrations, the fly ash was evaluated for compatibility and fuel value to optimize its use (at rates up to 6 % of the raw mix). The demonstrations realized several material, operational, energy, and environmental benefits. The plant operations were efficient, stable, and predictable. The cement plants realized an approximate fuel savings of 4 % and a nearly 10 % increase in cement production. Cements produced from the demonstrations showed properties comparable to those of the normally produced cements. The demonstrations prove that using fly ash in this regard is beneficial to both cement plants and power plants, and the environment.
Suicide in Peacekeepers: Risk Factors for Suicide Versus Accidental Death
Authors: Thoresen Siri , Mehlum Lars
Published: September 2006

To investigate risk factors for suicide in veterans of peacekeeping, 43 suicides and 41 fatal accidents in Norwegian peacekeepers (1978 to 1995) were compared in a psychological autopsy study. Mental health problems were the most important risk factor for suicide. Both living alone and the break‐up of a love relationship contributed uniquely to suicide risk, even when controlling for mental health problems. No peacekeeping‐related factor was associated with suicide. Preventive measures should focus on firearms control, improved detection systems for mental health problems in the military, and peer support through veterans' associations.
Source-Goal (in)difference and the typology of motion events in the clause
Authors: Wälchli Bernhard , Zúñiga Fernando
Published: September 2006

Starting from the clause, the functional domain of motion events with the three loci Verbal, Adnominal, and Adverbal, the paper investigates various grammatical and lexical means of expression for the encoding of the local roles Source and Goal in a sample of 117 languages and in more detail in one language with grammatically indifferent Source-Goal encoding, Mapudungun. It is found that the feature Source-Goal (in)difference forms a global cline with Consistent languages clustering in Eurasia and Indifferent languages being most frequent in the New World.
Notch Signaling Induces Apoptosis in Primary Human CD34+ Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells
Authors: Chadwick Nicholas , Nostro Maria Cristina , Baron Martin , Mottram Rachel , Brady Gerard , Buckle Anne-Marie
Published: September 2006

Notch signaling regulates diverse cell fate decisions during development and is reported to promote murine hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal. The purpose of this study was to define the functional consequences of activating the Notch signaling pathway on self-renewal in human HSCs. Subsets of human umbilical cord blood CD34+ cells were retrovirally transduced with the constitutively active human Notch 1 intracellular domain (N1ICD). N1ICD-transduced cells proliferated to a lesser extent in vitro than cells transduced with vector alone, and this was accompanied by a reduction in the percentage and absolute number of CD34+ cell populations, including CD34+Thy+Lin− HSCs. Ectopic N1ICD expression inhibited cell cycle kinetics concurrent with an upregulation of p21 mRNA expression and induced apoptosis. Transduction of cells with HES-1, a known transcriptional target of Notch signaling and a mediator of Notch function, had no effect on HSC proliferation, indicating that the mechanism of the Notch-induced effect is HES-1-independent. The results of this study show that activation of the Notch signaling pathway has an inhibitory effect on the proliferation and survival of human hematopoietic CD34+ cells populations. These findings have important implications for strategies aimed at promoting self-renewal of human HSCs.
The Role of Bisphosphonates in Early Breast Cancer
Authors: Paterson Alexander H.G.
Published: September 2006

Clinical trials are investigating the use of bisphosphonates in patients with early (nonmetastatic) breast cancer. Results from trials of clodronate are generally encouraging but somewhat contradictory. Of the three trials published to date, two reported that clodronate had beneficial effects on both bone metastases and survival. In contrast, the third trial reported that clodronate had no effect on metastases and a negative effect on survival. Small studies of adjuvant pamidronate and zoledronic acid also produced promising data, but these need to be reproduced in a large-scale, randomized trial setting before clinically meaningful conclusions can be drawn. A number of adjuvant trials are in progress to further evaluate the role of oral clodronate and i.v. zoledronic acid and to examine the effects of the newer bisphosphonate, ibandronate (oral formulation), in this setting. One of these trials is the joint Southwest Oncology Group/Intergroup/National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project trial, which is designed to compare the efficacy and safety of all three of these bisphosphonates in approximately 6,000 women with early breast cancer. Patient preference for oral or i.v. therapy will also be assessed.
Ibandronate: Its Role in Metastatic Breast Cancer
Authors: Cameron David , Fallon Marie , Diel Ingo
Published: September 2006

Bisphosphonates are the most effective agents for treating and/or preventing complications of bone metastases and are the standard of care in this setting. Currently, four bisphosphonates are available for metastatic bone disease (MBD): clodronate, pamidronate, zoledronic acid, and ibandronate. Although all four of these bisphosphonates have been shown to reduce the incidence of skeletal-related events in patients with bone metastases, there are substantial differences among these agents in their potency, dose and route of administration, and side effects. Ibandronate and zoledronic acid, the two newer aminobisphosphonates, appear to have similar biochemical efficacies when phase III trial data are compared. Both agents were equally effective in reducing markers of bone resorption in the only prospective comparative trial carried out to date, but no data on relative clinical efficacy are available from head-to-head comparisons. Both the oral and i.v. formulations of ibandronate have also shown long-term efficacy in managing metastatic bone pain (MBP), but the onset of action of standard bisphosphonate treatment is not sufficient when rapid relief of pain is required. Because of its favorable renal safety profile, i.v. ibandronate can be administered daily for 3 days, as a so-called “loading dose.” This dosing regimen has allowed rapid and effective relief of MBP without the unwanted side effects associated with opioids and other analgesics. Ibandronate is thus an effective, flexible, and well-tolerated bisphosphonate that can meet the varying requirements of patients with MBD.
Adjuvant Trastuzumab: A Milestone in the Treatment of HER-2-Positive Early Breast Cancer
Authors: Baselga José , Perez Edith A. , Pienkowski Tadeusz , Bell Richard
Published: September 2006

Up to one fourth of women diagnosed with early breast cancer (EBC) have tumors that are human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) positive. This is associated with a high risk of relapse and death from meta-static disease. Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against the extracellular domain of HER-2, improves survival and quality of life in women with HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer receiving chemotherapy. Four major adjuvant trials—Herceptin® Adjuvant (HERA), National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-31, North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) N9831, and Breast Cancer International Research Group (BCIRG) 006—including between them >13,000 women with HER-2-positive EBC, have investigated different adjuvant treatment approaches with trastuzumab. These trials have shown that trastuzumab reduces the 3-year risk of recurrence by about half in this population. The benefit was similar across the trials despite differences in patient populations, chemotherapy regimens, and sequencing of treatment. At a 2-year follow-up, interim results from the combined analysis of the NSABP B-31 and NCCTG N9831 trials showed a one third lower mortality for trastuzumab, and there was a trend toward an overall survival benefit in the HERA and BCIRG trials. A small Finnish trial, FinHer, investigating another regimen of trastuzumab, has also shown similarly positive results. Further follow-up of the major adjuvant trials will clarify the survival benefit for women receiving trastuzumab, as well as the optimal treatment duration (1 or 2 years). Notably, cardiac events in the trastuzumab-containing arms of these trials have remained within acceptable levels, with a slightly higher (0.6%–3.3%) incidence of congestive heart failure that mostly responded to treatment. Further follow-up will provide information on long-term cardiac safety. Overall, results from clinical trials are sufficiently compelling to consider 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab treatment for women with HER-2-positive EBC based on the risk:benefit ratio demonstrated in these studies.