bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A dichotic listening study of attention control in older adults
Authors: ANDERSSON MARTIN , REINVANG IVAR , WEHLING EIKE , HUGDAHL KENNETH , LUNDERVOLD ASTRI J.
Published: March 2008

The influence of age on attentional control of bottom‐up processing was investigated with a dichotic‐listening paradigm. The typical right‐ear‐advantage (REA) without specific attentional instructions was used as a measure of bottom‐up processing (non‐forced condition). Top‐down attentional control was evaluated by instructing subjects to report only the right or left ear stimulus of the dichotic pair (forced‐right, forced‐left conditions). Both young and old participants showed a REA in the non‐forced condition and an increased REA in the forced‐right condition. The old group failed, however, to use attention to modulate the REA to the same degree as the younger participants in the forced‐left condition. Only the young group showed a significant left ear advantage (LEA). The results are discussed in relation to cognitive decline in normal aging and in early stages of dementia.
Robust normal reference bandwidth for kernel density estimation
Authors: Zhang Jin , Wang Xueren
Published: March 2008

Bandwidth selection is the main problem of kernel density estimation, the most popular method of density estimation. The classical normal reference bandwidth usually oversmoothes the density estimate. The existing hi‐tech bandwidths have computational problems (even may not exist) and are not robust against outliers in the sample. A highly robust normal reference bandwidth is proposed, which adapts to different types of densities.
The objects of evidence
Authors: Engelke Matthew
Published: March 2008

By and large, anthropology's reflections on the concept of evidence have been couched within other discussions – on truth, knowledge, and related concerns. This essay, which introduces the special issue, makes the case that evidence deserves more considered attention in its own right. Drawing on the small but growing body of literature in social and cultural anthropology that does address questions of evidence, I situate the articles here in relation to several anthropological conversations, suggesting in the process how an exploration of evidence can shed light on three key issues: anthropology's standards of judgement, the potentials within interdisciplinary collaboration, and the benefits of a public anthropology.

De manière générale, les réflexions de l'anthropologie sur le concept de preuve ont été imbriquées dans d'autres discussions concernant la vérité, la connaissance et d'autres questions connexes. En ouverture de ce numéro spécial, le présent essai avance que la preuve mériterait une attention plus spécifique pour elle‐même. À partir d'un corpus restreint mais grandissant d'études en anthropologie culturelle et sociale consacrées à la question de la preuve, l'auteur situe les articles réunis ici par rapport à plusieurs conversations anthropologiques, en suggérant comment une exploration de la preuve peut faire la lumière sur trois grandes questions : les critères de jugement de l'anthropologie, les possibilités offertes par une collaboration interdisciplinaire et les avantages d'une anthropologie publique.
Cultural evidence in courts of law
Authors: Good Anthony
Published: March 2008

This paper examines the problems arising when culture is teleologized in courts of law, by being treated as ‘objective evidence’ or as the direct cause of persecution or delinquency. It starts by explaining the role of expert witnesses, and the kinds of evidence they can and cannot provide. It then addresses the widespread use, especially in the United States, of the ‘cultural defense’ in cases involving immigrant or minority defendants. It summarizes anthropological approaches to the notion of culture; the ongoing debate between rights‐based and culture‐based approaches to international law; and the impact upon anthropology of current notions of legal and cultural pluralism. Finally, it briefly addresses the treatment of anthropological evidence in English courts, with special reference to asylum appeals under the rubric of the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Le présent article étudie les problèmes qui surviennent lorsque la culture est téléologisée dans les tribunaux en étant traitée comme une « preuve objective » ou une cause directe de persécution ou de délinquance. L'auteur commence par expliquer le rôle des experts devant les tribunaux et les types de preuves qu'ils peuvent et ne peuvent pas fournir. Il étudie ensuite l'usage très répandu, notamment aux États‐Unis, de la « défense culturelle » dans les cas impliquant des accusés issus de l'immigration ou d'une minorité. Il résume l'approche anthropologique de la notion de culture, le débat en cours entre les approches du droit international basées sur les droits et celles basées sur la culture, et l'impact sur l'anthropologie des notions actuelles de pluralisme juridique et culturel. Enfin, il aborde brièvement le traitement de la preuve anthropologique dans les tribunaux anglais, en faisant spécifiquement référence aux appels en matière de droit d'asile dans le cadre d'application de la Convention sur les réfugiés de 1951.
Three propositions for an evidence‐based medical anthropology
Authors: Ecks Stefan
Published: March 2008

Medicine seems to collect evidence in ways entirely different from social anthropology. It aims to gather ‘best evidence’ through large randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and advanced methods of statistical analysis. The latest phase in this drive towards quantification is the global rise of evidence‐based medicine (EBM). From the perspective of EBM, ethnographic evidence, with all its emphasis on ‘local’ knowledge, is at best anecdotal, at worst insignificant. Anthropological engagements with EBM have just begun, and much work – both empirically and conceptually – remains to be done. This paper takes up the challenge posed by EBM and develops three propositions for an ‘evidence‐based medical anthropology’. The first proposition is that anthropologists have to study medical evidence‐making differently than before. The second proposition is that EBM compels anthropologists to reconsider what they see as ‘evidence’. The third proposition reverses the analysis once more to suggest that anthropological evidence can discover fundamental blindspots in EBM. The examples presented here are drawn from research on treatments of depression by general physicians and psychiatrists in Kolkata (Calcutta, India).

La recherche de preuves en anthropologie sociale et en médecine semble être radicalement différente. Le but de cette dernière est de réunir « les meilleures preuves » grâce à de grandes études randomisées et contrôlées et à des méthodes avancées d'analyse statistique. La dernière phase de cette recherche de quantification est la montée en régime de la médecineevidence‐based, basée sur les preuves, dans le monde entier. Du point de vue de la médecine basée sur les preuves, la preuve ethnographique, mettant l'accent sur la connaissance « locale », est au mieux anecdotique, au pire insignifiante. Les anthropologues commencent tout juste à relever les défis posés par cette démarche et beaucoup de travail reste à faire au niveau à la fois empirique et conceptuel. L'auteur développe trois propositions pour une « anthropologie médicale basée sur les preuves ». La première proposition est que les anthropologues doivent changer d'approche dans leur étude de la recherche de preuves en médecine. La deuxième est que la médecine basée sur les preuves oblige les anthropologues à reconsidérer ce qu'ils voient comme des « preuves ». La troisième proposition inverse une fois de plus l'analyse pour suggérer que la preuve anthropologique peut révéler les angles morts fondamentaux de la médecine basée sur les preuves. Les exemples présentés ici sont issus de recherches sur le traitement de la dépression réalisées par des généralistes et des psychiatres à Kolkata (Calcutta), en Inde.
MODELLING THE IMPACT OF TELECOMMUTING ON FUTURE URBANISATION IN THE NETHERLANDS
Authors: MUHAMMAD SAIM , OTTENS HENK F.L. , DE JONG TOM
Published: March 2008

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have evolved to such a level that they can facilitate people's access to opportunities in virtual space (through telecommuting, teleshopping, e‐learning, and so forth) along with accessing them in physical space. A hybrid space is therefore emerging, which will have consequences for people's spatial behaviour. In particular telecommuting is expected to change residential preferences and affect future urbanisation patterns. To explore this assertion, residential land‐use allocation in the 2000 to 2030 period is projected for the Netherlands using a specially designed set of linked models for two scenarios (physical space and hybrid space). Results indicate that urban decentralisation and deconcentration are likely to accelerate because of increasing telecommuting. Attractive regions to live in at medium distances from large cities will in particular be confronted with new urban pressure of a sprawling nature. Urban policies have to be reconsidered to cope with these new spatial development trends.
ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF INTERNAL MIGRATION RATES: A COMPARISON ACROSS FIVE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Authors: VAN DER GAAG NICOLE , VAN WISSEN LEO
Published: March 2008

This paper addresses the issue of the relationship between internal migration rates at NUTS 2 level and economic developments. For five European countries, several hypotheses were tested on three groups of economic variables: general business cycle indicators, financial variables as well as variables reflecting more structural labour market developments. The empirical analysis is based on first differences of all variables. Although some support was found for all of the hypotheses tested but one, the main conclusion is that there is a stable relationship between GDP per capita and internal migration that is highly similar across countries.
The Governance of Terror: Precautionary Logic and Counterterrorist Law Reform After September 11
Authors: GOLDSMITH ANDREW
Published: March 2008

This article examines how lawmakers respond through law reform to the prospect of further terrorist attacks after September 11. The first part examines ways of conceptualizing the terrorist threat, drawing upon notions of risk, fear, catastrophe, and precaution. The concept of the Precautionary Principle is introduced and explored as a tool for making sense of, and improving, law reform processes in counterterrorism. The second part deploys these concepts through two case studies of counterterrorist law reform: Canada and Australia. What constitutes expertise in this area is considered, as is the capacity of legislators to scrutinize the arguments of necessity and prognoses of dire threat put forward by executive government.
MAN‐MADE LANDSCAPES FROM THE THIRD–SECOND MILLENNIA BC: THE EXAMPLE OF CASTELO VELHO (FREIXO DE NUMÃO, NORTH‐EAST PORTUGAL)
Authors: FIGUEIRAL ISABEL , JORGE SUSANA O.
Published: March 2008

Summary.  The analysis of charred plant material from Castelo Velho (north‐eastern Portugal) yields information about the environmental background of a long‐term architectural project. Work focuses on the physical characteristics of this sui generis site and on the interrelationships between human communities and their vegetal environment. Important vegetation changes are recorded despite the fact that site ‘occupation’ is considered to be sporadic and therefore causing only minor anthropogenic impact. Evergreen oaks (Quercus, evergreen) dominate during the first two stratigraphic layers but are replaced by the tree‐strawberry (Arbutus unedo) during a third layer. This change may result from a premeditated woodland management, ensuring that the site remained visible in the distance. Special attention is given to the plant assemblage and broken pottery found in a sealed structure (layer 3) and thought to have served a ‘ritual’ purpose. Seeds of Triticum aestivum/compactum are largely predominant.
IRON AGE DIET AT GLASTONBURY LAKE VILLAGE: THE ISOTOPIC EVIDENCE FOR NEGLIGIBLE AQUATIC RESOURCE CONSUMPTION
Authors: JAY MANDY
Published: March 2008

Summary.  The British Iron Age site at Glastonbury Lake Village in Somerset is well known for the extensive and prolonged excavations, the comprehensive publications and the superb preservation of organic remains. The environmental material recovered has led to detailed discussion about the nature of the inhabitants' diet. In particular, the recovery of fish and bird bone has led to speculation about the consumption of foods from the wetlands. Previous carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis of British Iron Age skeletal material has failed to detect significant levels of aquatic resources in the diet during this period, even where sites are located directly on the coast or close to river systems. There is also very little archaeological evidence to suggest that fishing was a major subsistence strategy. The isotopic analysis of skeletal material from Glastonbury Lake Village was undertaken with the hypothesis that if aquatic resources were to be found at significant levels in the diet of a British Iron Age community, this was a site which might reveal it. The results suggest that such consumption is not visible isotopically and was negligible.
Mental fatigue alters the pattern and increases the volume of cerebral activation required for a motor task in multiple sclerosis patients with fatigue
Authors: Tartaglia M. C. , Narayanan S. , Arnold D. L.
Published: March 2008

Fatigue is one of the most disabling symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS) and there is increasing evidence it has a central origin. Our aim was to assess the impact of mental fatigue on motor task‐related cerebral activation. Ten relapsing‐remitting MS patients with fatigue were recruited and compared with seven controls. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired while subjects performed a finger‐thumb apposition task. The Paced‐Auditory‐Serial Addition Task (PASAT) was administered to induce fatigue and the fMRI motor paradigm was then repeated. Our results revealed that the PASAT altered the MS patients’ activation patterns on the motor task. After the mentally fatiguing PASAT task, repeating the motor task was associated with patients recruiting significantly more of their brain including bilateral cingulate gyri and left primary sensory cortex, while activating less of the left premotor and supplementary motor area. The control subjects decreased their level of activation after the PASAT. Our current results reveal that a challenging mental task can alter the pattern and increase the volume of cerebral activation on an unrelated motor task in fatigued MS patients. These data support the hypothesis that a substrate for MS fatigue could be a generally elevated demand placed on functioning neural circuits.
Prevalence of disabling spasticity 1 year after first‐ever stroke
Authors: Lundström E. , Terént A. , Borg J.
Published: March 2008

Objective:  To estimate the prevalence of disabling spasticity (DS) 1 year after first‐ever stroke.

Design:  Cross‐sectional survey 1 year after first‐ever stroke.

Methods:  Patients above 18 years from one county with first‐ever stroke were identified by use of the national stroke registry. A representative sample of 163 patients was created and 140 of these were followed up. Assessments of motor function and ability with the modified Ashworth Scale, the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), the Barthel Index (BI) and clinical evaluation were performed in order to identify patients with spasticity‐related disability.

Results:  The observed prevalence of any spasticity was 17% and of DS 4%. Patients with DS scored significantly worse than those with no DS on the mRS (P = 0.009) and the BI (P = 0.005). DS was more frequent in the upper extremity, correlated positively with other indices of motor impairment and inversely with age. There was an independent effect of severe upper extremity paresis (OR 22, CI 3.9–125) and age below 65 years (OR 9.5, CI 1.5–60).

Conclusions:  The prevalence of DS after first‐ever stroke is low but corresponds to a large number of patients and deserves further attention with regards to prevention and treatment.
Ultrasound, atherosclerosis and stroke at a young age: a cross‐sectional long‐term follow‐up in western Norway
Authors: Waje‐Andreassen U. , Naess H. , Thomassen L. , Eide G. E. , Meijer R. , Vedeler C. A.
Published: March 2008

Background and purpose:  Previous studies have shown significantly higher mortality and vascular morbidity amongst patients with ischaemic stroke onset at a young age compared with controls after a mean observation time of more than 11 years.

Methods:  In the present cross‐sectional study, we measured the carotid intima‐media thickness (IMT) in 140 (75%) of 187 survivors of ischaemic stroke after a mean observation time of 11.9 years. Their mean age when included was 41.1 years. IMT was measured by B‐mode ultrasonography.

Results:  Total maximum IMT <1.0 mm was found in 34 (24%) patients, [1.0–1.2 mm) in 29 (21%) patients, [1.2–1.5 mm) in 29 (21%) patients and ≥1.5 mm in 48 (34%) patients. Increasing total maximum IMT was related to increasing age, male gender, recurrent ischaemic stroke, coronary atherosclerosis, peripheral atherosclerosis, smoking, hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

Discussion:  IMT changes confirm increased vascular morbidity in patients who suffered ischaemic stroke at a young age.
Transient Horner’s syndrome during lumbar epidural anaesthesia
Authors: Rohrer J. D. , Schapira A. H.
Published: March 2008

Epidural analgesia is a common procedure during labour. Neurological complications during pregnancy and labour in particular can indicate serious underlying pathology that may require urgent intervention to prevent permanent damage. The development of Horner’s syndrome may, for instance indicate a variety of acute neurological conditions including carotid dissection. We describe a patient who developed Horner’s syndrome during epidural anaesthesia. We discuss possible causes and emphasize that this may have a benign aetiology and following a careful clinical evaluation, may not require any investigation.
Prospective randomized non‐blinded clinical trial on the use of dapsone plus antihistamine vs. antihistamine in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria
Authors: Engin B , Özdemir M
Published: March 2008

Background  Treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) is difficult.

Objective  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dapsone in CIU.

Methods  The response to dapsone was evaluated in 65 CIU patients with a randomized, two armed study: 3‐month dapsone + desloratadin and 3‐month desloratadin. All were followed for up to 3 months and 3 months after; all took desloratadine 10 mg daily throughout the study. The primary measure of efficacy was a daily urticaria activity score (UAS) of weal numbers and itch (maximum score, 42 per week).

Results  Sixty‐five patients completed the randomized 3‐month trial medication. Mean reduction in UAS from baseline at 3 months was 7 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 6.92–7.08] for active group and 5.77 (95% CI, 5.47–6.08) for control subjects (P < 0.001). The reduction in visual analogue score (VAS) at 3 months for active group (mean, 2.58; 95% CI, 2.33–2.83) and control subjects (mean, 2.55; 95% CI, 2.38–2.73) was also significant (P < 0.001). The reduction of UAS and VAS at 3 months compared between active group and control subjects showed no significant difference. Mean reduction in UAS from the end of the study at 3 months after was 1.16 and –4.8 for active and control subjects, respectively. These results were compared with each other, and it was statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05).

Limitations  No placebo was used. The study was not blinded. Lack of blinding may have led to bias. The follow‐up period was short.

Conclusion  This study shows that dapsone leads to a persistent decrease in VAS and UAS and is associated with complete remission in some patients.
The effects of skin colour distribution and topography cues on the perception of female facial age and health
Authors: Fink B , Matts PJ
Published: March 2008

According to evolutionary psychology, the preference for some facial characteristics reflects adaptations for mate choice because they signal aspects of mate quality. Although morphological features such as facial symmetry and sexually dimorphic traits have been studied extensively in recent years, little is known about skin condition in this context. The preferences for young and healthy looking skin could offer an explanation as to why women place such an importance on the condition of their skin and its refinement through e.g., cosmetic products. Recent research showed that facial skin colour distribution significantly influences the perception of age and attractiveness of female faces, independent of skin surface topography cues. However, the relative effect of skin colour distribution and topography cues on age and health perception remains to be investigated. We present data showing that both skin colour distribution and skin surface topography cues not only significantly influence the perception of female facial age and health but also convey differential information with regard to the strength of these effects. Our data indicate that skin surface topography cues account for a large proportion of variation in facial age perception, whereas skin colour distribution seems to be a stronger health cue.
Expression of human beta‐defensin‐2 and ‐3 in verrucae vulgares and condylomata acuminata
Authors: Meyer‐Hoffert U , Schwarz T , Schröder J‐M , Gläser R
Published: March 2008

The human beta defensins (hBDs) 2 and 3 contribute to the inducible antimicrobial peptides in human skin. Besides an important role in fighting bacteria, they may also exert antiviral function. Verrucae vulgares and condylomata acuminata are typical cutanous viral diseases caused by different subtypes of the human papillomavirus. Their tendency for spontaneous regression could be caused by antiviral proteins like defensins. In a retoperspective study, we investigated lesions of verrucae vulgares and condylomata acuminata for the presence of hBD‐2 and hBD‐3 by immunohistochemistry. All of the specimens of verrucae vulgares (n = 20) were positive for hBD‐2 and hBD‐3. The specimens of condylomata acuminata (n = 15) exhibited expression for hBD‐2 and hBD‐3, with the exception of three and two samples, respectively. The expression levels in condyloma acuminata were lower for both defensins compared with verrucae vulgares. Normal skin tissue exhibited no staining of both hBD‐2 and hBD‐3 with the exception of two cases. Taken together, this is the first report of an increased expression of the hBD‐2 and hBD‐3 in cutaneous papillomavirus infections.
Foreign‐body granuloma of the penis in sexually active individuals (penile paraffinoma)
Authors: Pehlivanov G , Kavaklieva S , Kazandjieva J , Kapnilov D , Tsankov N
Published: March 2008

Background  The practice of insertion of foreign bodies in the penis is well documented, but the clinical characteristics of penile foreign‐body granuloma (FBG) and social motivation of the patients has not been studied in large groups.

Objective  The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with penile insertion of foreign bodies and assess the significance of social motivation.

Methods  Twenty‐five heterosexual male patients, who visited our clinic from 1990 to 2005, were retrospectively studied. All of them had implanted two different types of foreign bodies in their penis and had tattoos in the same area. Twenty‐five male patients with genital tattoos served as clinical controls.

Results  The age of peak incidence of patients with penile FBG was 28 years. The youngest patient was 19 years. Twenty‐three (23 of 25, 92%) of the patients were from gipsy origin, and two men were of Bulgarian origin. All the patients had risky social behaviour (prisoners and beggars). The motivation of 20 (20 of 25, 80%) of the patients was to enlarge the penile size. Fifteen (15 of 25, 60%) wanted to increase the feelings of the sexual partners. The majority of the patients (23 of 25, 92%) had injection of fatty substances, and 2 (2 of 25, 8%) had undergone implantation of a plastic pellet. In 14 cases (14 of 25, 56%), the insertion of mineral oil was complicated by formation of fistulas and wide ulcers with histological features of FBG.

Conclusion  The reported cases represent an example of the detrimental effects of the insertion of foreign bodies in the penis. Immediate measurements should be performed to prevent severe outcomes.
Comparison between familial and sporadic cutaneous melanoma in Valencia, Spain
Authors: Nagore E , Botella‐Estrada R , Garcia‐Casado Z , Requena C , Serra‐Guillen C , Llombart B , Sanmartin O , Guillen C
Published: March 2008

Some clinical, pathological and genetic features have been associated to familial melanoma, particularly multiple melanoma and earlier age at diagnosis.

To compare the clinical, epidemiological and pathological differences between familial and sporadic melanoma patients in Valencia, Spain, a series of 959 patients with cutaneous melanoma were selected at a single institution. For this study the following variables were selected: age, sex, melanoma site and presence of solar lentigines on the melanoma surrounding skin, histological subtype, tumor thickness, stage, family and personal history of cutaneous melanoma and of other neoplasias, personal history of non‐melanoma skin cancer, past personal history of severe sunburns, cutaneous phenotype (phototype, hair and eyes colors number of common nevus, number of atypical nevi, presence of solar lentigines).

Forty‐one (4.28%) familial and 918 sporadic melanoma were identified. Among the multiple variables studied, a younger age at diagnosis (median age of 42 vs 53 years), higher frequency of the presence of at least one clinically atypical nevus (36.1% vs 17.7%), multiple melanomas (12.2% vs 3.4%) and red/blonde hair (33.3% vs 18.9%), and a lower rate of cases with solar lentigines in melanoma site (33.3% vs 56.3%) were found for familial cases. Except for hair color and age, the other variables remained statistically significant after the multivariate study. Interestingly, no acral melanomas were found among the familial cases.

In summary, phenotypic risk factors for familial melanoma are a tendency to develop multiple melanomas, to have clinically atypical nevi and to present less actinic damage at the melanoma site. All these results enhance the relevancy of genetic susceptibility associated to the ability to produce atypical nevi and partly to a higher sensitivity to the sun.
Suction–curettage with combination of two different cannulae in the treatment of axillary osmidrosis and hyperhidrosis
Authors: Kim WO , Song Y , Kil HK , Yoon KB , Yoon DM
Published: March 2008

Objective  To investigate the efficacy and safety of suction–curettage with a combination of two different cannulae for treatment of axillary osmidrosis and hyperhidrosis.

Design  Retrospective analysis of patients who underwent surgery from September 2004 to September 2006.

Setting  Outpatient clinic for hyperhidrosis at a university‐affiliated hospital.

Subjects  Sixty‐five patients who were treated for axillary malodor and hyperhidrosis.

Interventions  Patients were sequentially treated with Fatemi and Cassio cannulae.

Main outcome measures  Demographic data, severity data (assessment of malodor), degree of satisfaction, sweating, hair growth, scarring, recurrence and complications.

Results  Sixty of the 65 patients (96.9%) had excellent to fair results, and only 2 patients (3.1%) had poor results. Complications occurred in 4 patients (6.2%). Recurrence occurred in 3 patients (4.6%).

Conclusions  This simplified and inexpensive method resulted in a high success rate with low complications and high satisfaction with minimal scarring and rapid recovery.
How does one speak of social psychology in a nation in transition?
Authors: Ramphele Mamphela
Published: March 2008

Abstract:  Although South Africa's transition into nationhood has been remarkable by all measures, persistent inequalities remain. These are directly traceable to the impact of the social engineering of apartheid which has left a legacy of poverty and a lack of education. In this talk, I focus on three key dilemmas for South Africans: identity as a nation of citizens with multiple identities, capacity for self‐knowledge and self‐acceptance and openness to new impulses. Acceptance of multiple identities is widespread but how deep is the acceptance of difference, especially when conflicts of opinion emerge? Finding a language of self‐knowledge and acceptance requires a language that enables us to gain greater mastery of the complexities of living in a diverse society. How can psychology help with this task? In African cultures illness is described as a visitation from the ancestors: affected persons become wounded healers whose healing powers come from their acknowledged weakness. To what extent might you, as analytical psychologists, help find the ritual processes and language to be effective healers of your own nation?
Shifting shadows: shaping dynamics in the cultural unconscious
Authors: Kaplinsky Catherine
Published: March 2008

Abstract:  Jung has suggested that wars, social upheavals and religions are ‘but the superficial symptoms of a secret psychic attitude unknown even to the individual himself, and transmitted by no historian … ’ (Jung 1964, para. 315; emphasis author's). With a focus on South Africa and some dream material, I explore this idea with particular emphasis on the cultural unconscious and the emerging theory of cultural complexes. Different cultures demand the repression of different aspects of the self and have different ways of actualizing a moral code. These repressions are part of what make up a dynamic and shifting cultural complex which inevitably plays a part in historical change. In turn, historical change plays its part in shifting these dynamics.

In the analytic setting via the transference and countertransference, we are familiar with what is being repressed in relation to shadow dynamics, complexes and obsolete defences. Such dynamics relate to themes of boundary, identity and otherness which, in turn, reach back to early infantile strivings as well as forward in the service of unfolding. Central to this dynamic is the absorption of cultural attitudes—including that which must be repressed, allowed in or defended against. Major political shifts—historical change—inevitably affect cultural dynamics, ‘secret psychic attitude(s)’ and shifting shadows.
Encounter with a traditional healer Western and African therapeutic approaches in dialogue
Authors: Maiello Suzanne
Published: March 2008

Abstract:  The paper explores the extent to which cultural aspects contribute to the modalities of human relations and consequently to the qualities of the internal objects and the sense of identity. Therapeutic relationships and techniques, as well as the theories on which they are based, are seen as being equally embedded in their cultural context.

An encounter with a traditional African healer offers the author, a western trained European analyst, an opportunity to think about similarities and differences in the therapeutic approach to mental distress, as well as in the training of therapists/healers in the two cultures.

Special attention is given to the role of ancestor reverence in African culture. The notion of the ancestors is related to what psychoanalysis describes as internal objects. Cultural differences in the role and importance of verbal language in the therapeutic relationship are described, and the importance and meaning of non‐verbal forms of communication are explored.
HIV/Aids: an encounter with death or a journey into life?
Authors: Gosling John
Published: March 2008

Abstract:  This is an account of a panel discussion.1 It focuses on an encounter with the HIV/Aids virus. Such an encounter may result in a descent into despair, hopelessness and ultimately death, or it may offer the opportunity of possible transformation of consciousness to embrace a life lived productively and meaningfully with a chronic but manageable disease.

A picture is provided of the dire situation that exists regarding the HIV/Aids pandemic in South Africa. The HI‐virus is compared to a malevolent trickster type energy that uses ingenious means to gain access to the host. It is an impersonal agent seeking only its own survival but if left untreated will ultimately result in the death of the host.

Reference is made to characters in the musical, The Lion King, to illustrate that it is the willingness to suffer the painful emotions evoked following a diagnosis of being HIV‐positive more consciously that allows for a transformation from despair and hopelessness to a life lived productively and meaningfully.

Two of the panellists who are HIV‐positive share their experiences of this process. One recounts how, living with Aids, his connections with others and human relatedness helped to restore his dignity and self‐worth. The other relates how his willingness to state his status publicly allowed him to overcome the stigma and shame that are evoked when diagnosed as HIV‐positive. This has allowed him to seek appropriate treatment with ARV's. He now lives with a chronic but manageable infection and leads a creative and significant life.

The difficulties encountered regarding the prevention of HIV/Aids when attempting to change potentially destructive sexual behaviours in teenagers are discussed. An inspiring account of work in treating those that live with HIV/Aids under difficult circumstances is also discussed.
The relationship between cigarette smoking, endothelial function and intrauterine growth restriction in human pregnancy
Authors: Quinton AE , Cook C‐M , Peek MJ
Published: March 2008

This study examined the relationship of cigarette smoking and endothelial function in pregnant women by comparing smokers with nonsmokers. Endothelial function was assessed at 28–32 weeks of gestation by flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD) using ultrasound of the brachial artery. The initial FMD was significantly different between the smoking group (n = 21) at 4.0 ± 2.3, indicating endothelial dysfunction, and the nonsmoking group (n = 20) at 9.7 ± 4.0 (P < 0.001). After smoking, this difference in the groups persisted. Babies who were growth restricted (<10th percentile) had mothers with a significantly lower FMD, that is endothelial dysfunction. This work demonstrates persistent endothelial dysfunction in smoking pregnant women.
Transcriptional interruption of cAMP response element binding protein modulates superoxide dismutase and neuropeptide Y‐mediated feeding behavior in freely moving rats
Authors: Hsieh Yih‐Shou , Yang Shun‐Fa , Chu Shu‐Chen , Ho Ying‐Jui , Kuo Chih‐Sheng , Kuo Dong‐Yih
Published: March 2008

The appetite‐suppressing effect of phenylpropanolamine (PPA) has been attributed to its inhibitory action on neuropeptide Y (NPY), an appetite stimulant. However, molecular mechanisms underlying this effect are not clear. This study aimed to investigate if cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) signaling was involved. Moreover, possible role of superoxide dismutase‐2 (SOD‐2) during PPA treatment was also examined. Rats were daily treated with PPA for 4 days. Changes in hypothalamic NPY, protein kinase A, CREB, and SOD‐2 mRNA contents were measured and compared. Results showed that protein kinase A, CREB, and SOD‐2 mRNA levels increased during PPA treatment, which is concomitant with decreases in NPY and feeding. Moreover, CREB DNA binding activity detected by electromobility shift assay increased during PPA treatment, revealing an involvement of CREB‐dependent gene transcription. Furthermore, infusions of CREB antisense oligonucleotide (or missense control) into cerebroventricle were performed at 1 h before daily PPA treatment in free‐moving rats, and results showed that CREB knockdown could block PPA‐induced anorexia and modify NPY and SOD‐2 mRNA content toward normal. It is suggested that CREB signaling may participate in the central regulation of PPA‐mediated appetite suppression via the modulation of NPY gene expression and that an increase of SOD‐2 may favor this modulation.
Age structure changes and extraordinary lifespan in wild medfly populations
Authors: Carey James R. , Papadopoulos Nikos T. , Müller Hans‐Georg , Katsoyannos Byron I. , Kouloussis Nikos A. , Wang Jane‐Ling , Wachter Kenneth , Yu Wei , Liedo Pablo
Published: March 2008

The main purpose of this study was to test the hypotheses that major changes in age structure occur in wild populations of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) and that a substantial fraction of individuals survive to middle age and beyond (> 3–4 weeks). We thus brought reference life tables and deconvolution models to bear on medfly mortality data gathered from a 3‐year study of field‐captured individuals that were monitored in the laboratory. The average time‐to‐death of captured females differed between sampling dates by 23.9, 22.7, and 37.0 days in the 2003, 2004, and 2005 field seasons, respectively. These shifts in average times‐to‐death provided evidence of changes in population age structure. Estimates indicated that middle‐aged medflies (> 30 days) were common in the population. A surprise in the study was the extraordinary longevity observed in field‐captured medflies. For example, 19 captured females but no reference females survived in the laboratory for 140 days or more, and 6 captured but no reference males survived in the laboratory for 170 days or more. This paper advances the study of aging in the wild by introducing a new method for estimating age structure in insect populations, demonstrating that major changes in age structure occur in field populations of insects, showing that middle‐aged individuals are common in the wild, and revealing the extraordinary lifespans of wild‐caught individuals due to their early life experience in the field.
DETECTING TRENDS IN THE PREDICTION OF THE BURIED PAST: A REVIEW OF GEOPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES IN ARCHAEOLOGY*
Authors: GAFFNEY C.
Published: March 2008

Geophysical survey techniques are a highly visible part of the scientific toolkit that is now used by archaeologists. In this paper, the history of the use of geophysical techniques in archaeology will be discussed, as will significant research themes associated with the most widely used prospecting devices. It is apparent that while the use of geophysical techniques is at an all‐time high, there are many key areas where prospecting is rapidly developing. Some of the advances relate to fundamental aspects of the techniques, while others dictate how we undertake survey in the future. There is a movement away from pre‐gridded survey areas towards real‐time GPS for navigation. This allows greater integration, or fusion, of disparate data sources using visualization techniques derived from associated disciplines. The analysis of landscapes has become a major component of the application of new technology and there are many challenges to be tackled, including how to analyse and interpret significant archaeology within large‐scale, data‐rich, multi‐technique investigations. The reflective nature of the review acknowledges the important role of Archaeometry in the development of archaeological geophysics.
CERAMIC PRODUCTION, PROVENANCE AND USE—A REVIEW*
Authors: TITE M. S.
Published: March 2008

The contribution of the physical sciences to the reconstruction of the production technology (i.e., processing of raw materials, forming, surface treatments and firing methods) for earthenwares, stonewares, porcelains and stonepaste bodies are summarized. The organization of production and the reasons for technological choice are considered. Provenance studies based on both chemical analysis and thin‐section petrography are discussed, with the investigation of Minoan and Mycenaean pottery being taken as the case study. The approaches to determining how pottery vessels were used in antiquity are outlined. Finally, future developments in ceramic studies are briefly considered.
FIFTY YEARS OF LUMINESCENCE DATING*
Authors: WINTLE A. G.
Published: March 2008

Luminescence techniques for dating both heated materials (e.g., pottery and burnt stone) and sediments have gone through three phases in the past 50 years. The first 22 years, from 1957 to 1979, were devoted to thermoluminescence (TL) techniques applied to heated material. In the next six years, from 1979 to 1985, it was found that TL dating could be applied to sediments. However, the TL signals of both quartz and feldspar grains observed for modern sediments were small, but were not zero, thus making them useful only for older sediments. A new luminescence signal that was totally zeroed by exposure to sunlight for a relatively short period of time, a few hours or less, was found; this led to the development of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating techniques in 1985. Further developments have continued to the present day. Within the past 22 years, 1999 was also a year with major developments. A reliable procedure for single aliquots of quartz that have a rapidly bleached (‘fast’) OSL component was formalized and an instrument that allowed rapid measurement of equivalent doses for single grains was constructed. These developments have led to OSL becoming a major dating tool in Quaternary geology, at least for the past 100 000 years, and in archaeology, particularly as related to the dispersal of modern humans.
RADIOCARBON DATING: REVOLUTIONS IN UNDERSTANDING*
Authors: BRONK RAMSEY C.
Published: March 2008

Radiocarbon dating has undergone a number of ‘revolutions’ in the past 50 years. This is in part because it is a field in continuous development, but perhaps more because of its profound impact on archaeology and the nature of interdisciplinary research. In order to understand the use of radiocarbon as a dating tool, it is necessary to understand the life cycle of radiocarbon, from its production in the upper atmosphere, through its sequestration in reservoirs and samples and its final decay. Different elements in this life cycle lead to complications, or subtleties that need to be understood if we wish to develop high‐resolution chronologies. Most of the changes that have influenced radiocarbon dating are revolutions in understanding of the natural world in disparate academic disciplines. More than ever, it is necessary for users of radiocarbon to understand and engage with the science that underlies the method.
Centralisation versus Decentralisation of Public Policies: Does the Heterogeneity of Individual Preferences Matter?*
Authors: Mazzaferro Carlo , Zanardi Alberto
Published: March 2008

This paper explores the role of the heterogeneity of fiscal preferences in the assignment of policy tasks to different levels of government (decentralisation versus centralisation). With reference to a sample of European countries, a median‐voter mechanism of collective decision is assumed to work at both a national and a supranational level. Using data from a large international survey (the International Social Survey Programme, ISSP), a series of econometric models are estimated in order to make individual attitudes representative of different categories of public expenditure and of different countries. The dominance of decentralisation over centralisation or vice versa is determined on the basis of the utility loss that each individual suffers in connection with the distance between his or her own most preferred level of public expenditure and that chosen by the national/supranational median voter. The main finding is that, differently from the predictions of Oates's decentralisation theorem, the assignment of responsibilities at the supranational level (centralisation) for a number of public expenditure programmes (healthcare, education, unemployment benefits) dominates (or is close to dominating) decentralisation, even in the absence of economies of scale and interregional spillovers. However, when the possibility of interjurisdictional mobility is explicitly considered, in line with the predictions of Tiebout's model, decentralisation dominance becomes more and more substantial and also prevails in the sectors where, under the nonmobility assumption, the assignment of responsibilities at the supranational level is efficient.
Distributional Effects of Price Reforms in the Italian Utility Markets*
Authors: Miniaci Raffaele , Scarpa Carlo , Valbonesi Paola
Published: March 2008

In this paper, we analyse some distributional effects of the reforms to water and energy services in Italy. We first document the new regulation setting in these services, illustrating the dynamics of utility prices and of household expenditure in the period 1998‐2005. We then propose a way to measure the affordability of public utilities, in order to investigate how many households would incur a potentially excessive burden if they consumed a minimum quantity of utility services. Finally, we calculate this index on data from the Survey on Family Budgets (Indagine sui consumi delle famiglie). Our results show how the affordability of utility bills varies from region to region depending on climate, income, family endowment and family size. The analysis ‐ also based on a counterfactual exercise ‐ finds that so far, utility reforms do not seem to have produced any negative effects on weaker households.
It must be green: meeting society’s environmental concerns
Authors: Dawson T L
Published: March 2008

Consumers today are increasingly demanding goods which not only conform to the public’s image of being ‘eco‐friendly’ and ‘organic’ but of having been produced ‘ethically’. Meeting such high ideals has a down side, both in higher costs and often in that of having to accept more distant suppliers. Present trends in the coloration of foods with natural dyes rather than synthetic ones, increasing consumption of organic products (including fibres) and energy‐saving trends in dye application methods, fuels and lighting, as well as the means of capturing solar energy, are discussed. The discovery of some interesting and historic green colours, the wider use of green (in both senses of the word) products and green chemistry’s future role in producing them are also reviewed.
An analysis of the factors influencing unlevelness of a direct dye on a pilot‐scale jet dyeing machine
Authors: Ferus‐Comelo Martin
Published: March 2008

The investigation used a pilot‐scale jet dyeing machine to examine the relationship between the dye exhaustion rate per contact and dye unlevelness on the fabric. It was found that a commercially acceptable degree of unlevelness could be obtained for a direct dye on pure cotton fabric as long as the exhaustion rate did not exceed 1.0% per contact, independent of the dye amount used. Bath contacts and fabric contacts influenced unlevelness in equal manner. Non‐ionic surfactants, which had been selected so as not to influence the dye exhaustion rate or its equilibrium uptake, appeared to have little or no influence on unlevelness. Control of the dye uptake by electrolyte addition proved to be a more efficient dyeing strategy than controlling it by dye addition, as unlevelness in the first case was much lower at the same exhaustion rate.