bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Sex, Age and Hearing Asymmetry on the Interaural Differences of Auditory Brainstem Responses
Authors: Hwang J.H. , Chao J.C. , Ho H.C. , Hsiao S.H.
Published: August 2007

Healthy patients with asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss who had received examination of auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were gathered for retrospective analysis. The effects of sex, age and hearing asymmetry on the interaural differences of ipsilateral ABR were determined by multivariant linear regression. Our results showed that the interaural differences of ABR wave III and wave V latencies were significantly affected by hearing asymmetry but not by sex or age. However, in female subjects younger than 50 years, differences of III-V intervals could be negatively correlated with hearing asymmetry. We suggest that plasticity in the auditory brainstem in younger females might account for asymmetrical peripheral hearing in this group.
Reliable Self-Replicating Machines in Asynchronous Cellular Automata
Authors: Lee Jia , Adachi Susumu , Peper Ferdinand
Published: August 2007

We propose a self-replicating machine that is embedded in a two-dimensional asynchronous cellular automaton with von Neumann neighborhood. The machine dynamically encodes its shape into description signals, and despite the randomness of cell updating, it is able to successfully construct copies of itself according to the description signals. Self-replication on asynchronously updated cellular automata may find application in nanocomputers, where reconfigurability is an essential property, since it allows avoidance of defective parts and simplifies programming of such computers.
The Relation Between Color Discrimination and Color Constancy: When Is Optimal Adaptation Task Dependent?
Authors: Abrams Alicia B. , Hillis James M. , Brainard David H.
Published: August 2007

Color vision supports two distinct visual functions: discrimination and constancy. Discrimination requires that the visual response to distinct objects within a scene be different. Constancy requires that the visual response to any object be the same across scenes. Across changes in scene, adaptation can improve discrimination by optimizing the use of the available response range. Similarly, adaptation can improve constancy by stabilizing the visual response to any fixed object across changes in illumination. Can common mechanisms of adaptation achieve these two goals simultaneously? We develop a theoretical framework for answering this question and present several example calculations. In the examples studied, the answer is largely yes when the change of scene consists of a change in illumination and considerably less so when the change of scene consists of a change in the statistical ensemble of surface reflectances in the environment.
Deviation from Weber's Law in the Non-Pacinian I Tactile Channel: A Psychophysical and Simulation Study of Intensity Discrimination
Authors: Güçlü Burak
Published: August 2007

This study involves psychophysical experiments and computer simulations to investigate intensity discrimination in the non-Pacinian I (NP I) tactile channel. The simulations were based on an established population model for rapidly adapting mechanoreceptive fibers (Güuçlü & Bolanowski, 2004a). Several intensity codes were tested as decision criteria: number of active neurons, total spike count, maximal spike count, distribution of spike counts among the afferent population, and synchronization of spike times. Simulations that used the number of active fibers as the intensity code gave the most accurate results. However, the Weber fractions obtained from simulations are smaller than psychophysical Weber fractions, which suggests that only a subset of the afferent population is recruited for intensity discrimination during psychophysical experiments. Simulations could also capture the deviation from Weber's law, that is, the decrease of the Weber fraction as a function of the stimulus level, which was present in the psychophysical data. Since the psychophysical task selectively activated the NP I channel, the deviation effect is probably not due to the contribution of another tactile channel but rather is explicitly produced by the NP I channel. Moreover, because simulations with all tested intensity codes resulted in the same effect, the activity of the afferent population is sufficient to explain the deviation, without the need for a higher-order network. Depending on the intensity code used, the mechanical spread of the stimulus, rate-intensity functions of the tactile fibers, and the decreasing spike-phase jitter contribute to the deviation from Weber's law.
Paul Sérusier: Art and Theosophy
Authors: Davenport Nancy
Published: August 2007

The art of Paul Sérusier and that of his artist friends has been interpreted in this essay as having its roots in the Theosophical themes prevalent in an interdependent circle of authors and spiritualists in 18th and 19th century France. These mystical thinkers were less concerned with the writings and indomitable presence of the acknowledged leading light of Theosophy Helena Petrovna Blavatsky than with a more specifically French national yearning for its imagined Celtic and traditionally Roman Catholic roots, smothered, in their view, by secular and materialistic modern sensibilities. Theosophy, “the essence of all doctrines, the inmost truth of all religions” as defined by the doyenne of French Theosophy Maria, Countess of Caithness and Duchess of Medina-Pomar, led Sérusier to seek elemental truth for his art in a remote inland village in Brittany where he painted for many years, to a Benedictine monastery on the Danube where formerly Nazarene artist/monks had created a system of drawing and painting believed to be based on the original design of the universe, and to the widely read text Les Grands Initiés (1899) by the mystic writer, Edouard Schuré. Sérusier's broad-reaching search for the Theosophical roots of art was one aspect of the fin de siècle malaise that led the arts out of the world into dreams.
Legal science and law in Late Antiquity Gaul and Africa
Authors: Sirks A.J.B.
Published: August 2007

Liebs has treated of legal science in Late Antiquity in two books, one on Africa, the other, recently reedited, on Gaul. As a result of his method we dispose now of valuable displays of the status quo, indicating that the level of jurisprudence was still acceptable; although regarding the Pseudopauline Sentences it is still unclear from which sources the author drew. Weßel, a pupil of Liebs', has analysed in detail the Tablettes Albertini, purchase deeds of land in Africa under the Vandal kings. In many cases he could refute the speculation by Saumagne (the first editor of these texts). Despite Weßel's contention, the farmers of Tuletanios cannot be identified with the coloni adscripticii of the 4th and 5th century, nor the conductores of the culturae mancianae of the 2nd century AD with the emphyteuticarii of later times. But Weßel's analysis shows in any case, that the law in those days was certainly not vulgarised: the sale does not distinguish itself basically from the classical law of sale.
Mancipes, pecunia, praedes and praedia in the epigraphic Lex agraria of 111 BC
Authors: de Ligt L.
Published: August 2007

The aim of this article is to shed new light on the history of the Roman ager publicus in Africa as revealed by the epigraphic Lex agraria of 111 BC. According to some recent commentators, this law refers to the leasing out of state-owned land in Africa in return for an annual rent (pequnia) and also to the farming-out of the right to collect this revenue to private tax-farmers. Against this it is argued that throughout the African part of the Lex agraria the term pequnia refers to the price of formerly public land sold off by the state. It is also argued that the enigmatic expression invito eo quei dabit in line 84 is part of a provision concerning the intervention of a third party on the buyer's behalf. The provision in question prescribes that if the buyer does not pay the price immediately and has not yet offered real security in the form of praedia, any third party willing to fulfil either of these obligations will be permitted to do so, even if the buyer does not want the third party to intervene. We are therefore dealing with an early text concerning unsolicited intervention on behalf of a debitor invitus, a topic that is also dealt with in D. 46,3,53 (Gaius) and in D. 17,1,53 (Papinian).
Suicide Attempt Patterns Among the Navajo Indians
Authors: Miller Sheldon I. , Schoenfeld Lawrence S.
Published: August 2007

THIS IS A REPORT of seven and one-half months of an on-going study of suicide and suicide attempts among the Navajo people. The study was undertaken in order to define the magnitude of the problem and to identify the high risk population. To date there have been only a few studies on successful suicides and even less on suicide attempts.

A suicide report form was constructed. Copies were made available to all facilities serving the Navajo Indian Reservation. The psysician first having contact with a pateint filled out the form and returned it to the authors for review and tabulation.

Results show that the highest risk group is younger than the general psychiatric population served. Drug ingestion is the most common method used. We have not found great differences between this population and other non- Indian populations described in the literature. This is true in respect to methods used as well as precipitating events.

It seems clear that suicide attempt is a real problem for the Navajo. It is no greater, however, than for other groups of people.
Grenade-Amok in Laos: a Psychosocial Perspective
Authors: Westermeyer Joseph
Published: August 2007

Most studies of amok have concentrated on surviving individuals brought to court or hospital. Thus, a biased sampling of such individuals has resulted. In this study anthropologic field techniques were employed to obtain extensive data on grenade- amok in Laos, including cases in which the individual died as a result of his violent behaviour. Data on premorbid state, precipitating events, and postmorbid psychopathology were collected for eighteen cases. In addition, demographic variables of the amok persons were obtained, and the social context of the amok behaviour was investigated. Hypotheses presented in the paper take into account both the psychological and the sociologic dimensions of this problematic behaviour.
Attitudes and Perception of Attitude Changes Within the Interdisciplinary Staff of an Evening Mental Health Clinic
Authors: Schlachter Roy H. , House William C. , Miller Sheldon I.
Published: August 2007

A study was made of the attitudes of a multidisciplinary staff of an evening mental health clinic. The focus of the clinic is on short-term treatment, and one of the main purposes of the study was to investigate the reactions of staff members to this type of treatment orientation. Results indicated that staff members, when considered as a whole felt that their confidence in their short-term treatment skills and their belief in the effectiveness of a short-term, interdisciplinary treatment center increased over the course of the first year the clinic was open. These results were not consistent across disciplines, and possible reasons for this inconsistency were discussed.
Anthropology and Affect: a Consideration of the Idiosyncratic Dimension of Human Behaviour
Authors: Izmirlian Harry
Published: August 2007

IN this paper a theoretical perspective is presented in which affect occupies a central position and behaviour is viewed in terms of different degrees of affective expression. Such behaviour is conceptualized in terms of three models : a structural model, a rational model and a psychological model. While the first two models are frequently encountered in the literature, the psychological model has not received explict formulation, although, as shown here, it is crucial in understanding certain forms of idiosyncratic behaviour that have political and social relevance.
The Problem of Cultural Specificity of Mental Illness: a Survey of Comparative Psychiatry
Authors: Mahmoud El Sendiony Mohammed Farouk
Published: August 2007

THE question posed in the present paper arises from the relationship of psychiatric disorder to culture. This question is: Are mental diseases the same all over the world, or do certain mental diseases exist only in one country or cultural setting and therefore are the specific product of that given culture? After a careful review of the literature supplemented by his own anthropological observations and psychiatric reports, the author was able to conclude that most of the allegedly "specific" mental sickness, which reflect in their behaviour the specific cultural content of the victim's society, are simply local varieties of a common disease process to which human beings, as such, are vulnerable.
A Comparative Study of the Psychiatric Nurses' Attitudes Towards Mental Patients
Authors: Gutierrez J.L. Ayuso , Saiz Ruiz J.
Published: August 2007

THE aim of the present study is to analyse the effect of professional training on the psychiatric nurse's tolerance of mental disorders. We have used as samples two clearly-differentiated population groups : university students (N=328) and psychiatric nurses (N=50). The testing instruments were a semantic differential test and questionnaires on the subjects of aetiological factors, prognosis of mental disorders and social distance. We have found that while in an aetiological context the attitudes of both nurses and the students towards mental disorders are practi cally the same, attitudes towards prognosis and treatment seem greatly changed in those who possess psychiatric training and experience. Psychiatric nurses are not free from prejudice in respect of mental disorders.
Empathetic Relationships in Adolescents and Their Relevance To Prognosis in Psychiatric Breakdown
Authors: Haslam M.T.
Published: August 2007

MANY authors have shown that adolescent breakdown is often associated with emotional deprivation in childhood. Psychotherapeutic intervention before the personality becomes too fixed and rigid should offer a means of improvement through the creation of substitute empathetic relationships, and prognosis should be improved to the extent to which this is successful.

This hypothesis is tested through a follow-up study involving 100 adolescents, and the hypothesis is found proved in the diagnostic category of adolescent persona lity disorder, but of no apparent relevance in other groups.
Manifestations of Sexual and Aggressive Drives in Prelatency, Latency, and Postlatency Children
Authors: Pandey R.E.
Published: August 2007

The purpose of this study was to test Freud's proposition that the sexual drive is dormant during the latency stage. The null hypotheses were that there are no differences in the manifestations of sexual and aggressive drives during the pre latency and latency as well as the latency and postlatency stage groups. Subjects consisted of prelatency (3-5 years), latency (7-9 years), and postlatency (14-16 years) children. There were 180 subjects; 30 boys and 30 girls in each stage group. TAT cards 4, 10, 13MF chosen for sexual content; 3BM, 8BM, and 18GF for aggressive content; and 1, 2, 13B chosen for neutral content were used. Subjects rank ordered these nine cards in order of preference. Chi squares and t-values of Ss' preferences supported the Freudian concept of the latency age. In addition, the data also re vealed that the older a child becomes, the less likely he is to show interest in ag gressive content material. There was only one significant sex difference. This involved the preference for sexual content material among postlatency boys and girls.
The Development of a Community Psychiatric Program At Igbo-Ora, Nigeria
Authors: Ayonrinde Akolawole , Erinosho Olayiwola A.
Published: August 2007

The authors present a first report of their attempt to develop a community oriented mental health programme. The programme which was preceded by a survey of the attitudes of some opinion leaders in the community of the rural town of Igbo-Ora, Nigeria, was followed by a community mental health education and a record of the effect on the attitude of the opinion leaders. The mental health education was immediately followed by the introduction of a psychiatric clinic at the rural health centre. The paper reports on a fifteen-month neuropsychiatric intake at the clinic and presents some case illustrations to emphasise the impact this sort of programme could have on preventive mental health care.
Social Ecology: a Method for Evaluating Groups
Authors: Waters J. Eugene , Gavin Arthur B.
Published: August 2007

The applicability of social ecology as a means to evaluate psychotherapy groups is discussed by means of a case example. A Couples' Growth group in a community alcohol treatment programme was used to demonstrate a social ecological approach to the assessment and description of groups. Members' and leaders' perceptions of the group's social environment, as well as perceptions of an ideal group, were determined via a recently developed Group Environment Scale. This assessment pointed to areas of discrepancies, and the results were validated in a "group feedback session". Systematic data on the social ecology of groups will enable clinicians to better evaluate and describe this treatment setting in which behaviour change is being attempted.
Facilitating Deinstitutionalization: a Comparative Analysis
Authors: Aviram Uri
Published: August 2007

The purpose of the paper is to highlight issues related to deinstitutionalization and community care of the mentally ill by using a comparative approach. Through a comparison of the trends in the U.S.A. and Israel, an attempt is made to account for factors which pro moted deinstitutionalization. The paper focuses on specific policies and programs which were crucial in reducing the rate of resident population in mental institutions and facilitating the development of community care for the mentally ill in the U.S. It points out the environ mental conditions, social, political, legal and organizational, which may be conducive to legis lative and administrative actions in order to facilitate deinstitutionalization.

It is now evident that during the last two decades the mental health service system has gone through a profound change. This change has occurred mainly in the western world and perhaps is most visible in the U.S. In recent years we have witnessed the gradual decline of the state hospital as the hub of the mental health system. At the same time the number and utilization of community-based services have been steadily increasing. Closely related, or even synonymous, to these trends, are the movement for community care and deinstitutionaliza tion. These movements have gained a great deal of interest among professionals and lay public alike.9 This interest has been manifested in a large number of articles on the various aspects of these movements. Delineating, categorizing and putting these issues in a conceptual and a theoretical perspective has become a task in itself.7

The purpose of this paper is to highlight some of the issues related to deinstitutionaliza tion and community care by using a comparative approach. Through a comparison of the trends in the U.S. and Israel an attempt will be made to account for factors which promoted deinstitutionalization. The paper focuses on trends which affected the reduction of resident population in mental institutions and facilitated the development of community care system for the mentally ill.
Patients' Rights Raises Questions for Psychology, Psychiatry and Law
Authors: Ziegenfuss James T.
Published: August 2007

This paper briefly introduces the issue of patients' rights which has become increasingly recognised in the United States. Resulting from the inter-relationship of law and mental health, the rights issue involves those psychologists and psychiatrists providing treatment as well as civil rights lawyers pressing for protection for their clients. A sample list of patients' rights demands is presented and discussed. It is suggested that resolution will be assisted by the inputs of the client consumer in collaboration with psychologists, psychiatrists, and lawyers. Research on the questions raised will be required.
The Changing Perceptions of Mental Illness in a Mexican-American Community
Authors: Parra Fernando , Yiu-Cheong So Alvin
Published: August 2007

The thesis that Mexican Americans' perceptions of mental illness are similar to those held by Anglos is so widely accepted by students of mental illness that its validity has seldom been questioned. Using survey research methods a comparative investigation between samples of Anglo and Mexican American respondents concerning perceptions toward mental illness was conducted in selected Los Angeles communities. The interviews centre on short vignettes describing imaginary persons as suffering from what psychiatrists generally consider mental illness. To account for changes in perceptions several hypotheses are tested: the acculcuration, Mexican culture, adolescent and Chicano generation theses. The Chicano generat on thesis proved to be significant. Young Chicanos perceive mental illness not only differently from, but in a narrower perspective than, the Anglo and the older Mexican American.
Pharmacokinetics and Absolute Bioavailability of Selegiline Following Treatment of Healthy Subjects With the Selegiline Transdermal System (6 mg/24 h): A Comparison With Oral Selegiline Capsules
Authors: Azzaro Albert J. , Ziemniak John , Kemper Eva , Campbell Bryan J. , VanDenBerg Chad
Published: August 2007

The selegiline transdermal system is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor that was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of major depressive disorder. The current study was conducted during the selegiline transdermal system development program to characterize the single‐dose pharmacokinetics and absolute bioavailability of selegiline administered by the 6‐mg/24‐h selegiline transdermal system in healthy volunteers. Selegiline transdermal system results were compared with those obtained after a single 10‐mg oral dose of selegiline HCl. The selegiline pharmacokinetics differed greatly between the 2 routes of administration. Transdermal selegiline administration reduced metabolism and produced a high, sustained plasma selegiline concentration over the dosing period, with an absolute bioavailability of 73%. By contrast, oral dosing produced a sharp plasma selegiline peak that occurred within 1 hour and declined rapidly, with an absolute bioavailability of 4%. The data provide the basis for therapeutic advantages of the selegiline transdermal system in administering antidepressant doses of selegiline.
Do Union Mergers Affect the Members? Short- and Long-term Effects on Attitudes and Behaviour
Authors: Sverke Magnus , Chaison Gary N. , Sjöberg Anders
Published: August 2007

Although union mergers have occurred since the earliest stages of unionization, few attempts have been made to uncover the psychological effects of merger on member attitudes and behaviour. The literature suggests that the intended results of a merger (e.g. economies of scale, reduced jurisdictional disputes) can be accompanied by unintended consequences, such as lowered degrees of union commitment and membership participation. This study examined the effects of a union merger on members’ attitudes and participation in union activity using questionnaires. Baseline data from two merging unions and a comparison union were collected a year prior to the merger, and longitudinal follow-up surveys were administered twice. The results suggest that membership commitment, satisfaction and participation do not necessarily have to be sacrificed for the bene.t of building larger, more stable and powerful unions through mergers.
Gender (In)Equality, European Integration and the Transition of Swedish Corporatism
Authors: Bergqvist Christina
Published: August 2007

This article presents data on the development of women’s representation in social partner organizations and corporatist arrangements in Sweden. It analyses changes in corporatist arrangements and the emergence of a European ‘corporatist policy community’. What are the implications for gender equality if corporatism moves from the national level to the EU level? The article shows that it is usually harder for women to gain access to corporatist arrangements than to directly elected bodies. The mechanisms behind this are related to the openness and transparency of the institution. The more democratic and the more open an institution is to criticism and scrutiny by citizens, voters, members, media, etc., the more women we .nd. Usually, corporatist arrangements based on organized interests are more closed, exclusionary and discriminatory against women than the more open electoral/parliamentary system. The article concludes that the fact that we now might see a new form of corporatism at EU level could lead to a situation where some of the gains women have won in the national arena are lost in the European arena.
Self-assessment in second language testing: a meta-analysis and analysis of experiential factors
Authors: Ross Steven
Published: August 2007

Self-assessment has been used widely in language testing research, but has produced variable results. In many quarters self-assessment is considered a viable alternative to formal second language assessment for placement and criterion-referenced interpretations, although variation in self-assessment validity coefficients suggests potential difficulty in accurate interpretation. This article first summarizes the research literature with the use of a formal meta-analysis conducted on 60 correlations reported in the second language testing literature. These are the basis for estimates of median effect sizes for second language speaking, listening, reading and writing tests. The second phase of the study is an empirical analysis of the validity of a self-assessment instrument. 236 ‘just-instructed’ English as a foreign language learners completed self-assessments of functional English skills derived from instructional materials and from general proficiency criteria. The learners’ teachers also provided assessments of each of the 236 learners. The criterion variable was an achievement test written to assess mastery of the just-completed course materials. Contrastive multiple regression analyses revealed differential validities for self-assessment compared to teacher assessment depending on the extent of learners’ experience with the language skill self-assessed.
Application of the rule-space procedure to language testing: examining attributes of a free response listening test
Authors: Buck Gary , Tatsuoka Kikumi
Published: August 2007

This study uses the rule-space methodology to explore the cognitive and linguistic attributes that underlie performance on an open-ended, short-answer, listening comprehension test. This is the first application of the methodology to language testing. The rule-space methodology is an adaptation of statistical pattern recognition techniques applied to the problem of diagnosing the cognitive attributes (knowledge, skills, abilities, strategies, etc.) underlying test performance. The methodology provides diagnostic information about the individual test-takers on each of these attributes. Based on a literature search, attribute candidates were identified which seemed likely to explain performance on the listening test. Two rule-space analyses were carried out, and the final attribute list had 15 attributes, with 14 interactions. With this, 96% of the test-takers were successfully classified into their respective latent knowledge states, and given scores on each attribute. This result suggests that the rule-space methodology can be used to identify attributes underlying performance on language tests. The study also provided useful information about the listening construct.
Using FACETS to model rater training effects
Authors: Weigle Sara Cushing
Published: August 2007

This article describes a study conducted to explore differences in rater severity and consistency among inexperienced and experienced raters both before and after rater training. Sixteen raters (eight experienced and eight inexperienced) rated overlapping subsets of essays from a total sample of 60 essays before and after rater training in the context of an operational administration of UCLA’s English as a Second Language Placement Examination (ESLPE). A three-part scale was used, comprising content, rhetorical control, and language. Ratings were analysed using FACETS, a multi-faceted Rasch analysis program that provides estimates of rater severity on a linear scale as well as fit statistics, which are indicators of rater consistency. The analysis showed that the inexperienced raters tended to be both more severe and less consistent in their ratings than the experienced raters before training. After training, the differences between the two groups of raters were less pronounced; however, significant differences in severity were still found among raters, although consistency had improved for most raters. These results provide support for the notion that rater training is more successful in helping raters give more predictable scores (i.e., intra-rater reliability) than in getting them to give identical scores (i.e., inter-rater reliability).
Serum prolactin levels, plasma risperidone levels, polymorphism of cytochrome P450 2D6 and clinical response in patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Wang Lei , Yu Lan , Zhang Ai-Ping , Fang Chao , Du Jing , Gu Niu-Fan , Qin Sheng-Ying , Feng Guo-Yin , Li Xing-Wang , Xing Qing-He , He Lin
Published: August 2007

The object of this study is to assess 1) the relationship between plasma antipsychotic drug concentration, serum prolactin levels and the clinical efficacy of risperidone, 2) the relationship between the CYP2D6 polymorphisms and metabolizing of risperidone and 3) the role of 9-hydroxyrisperidone in elevating prolactin levels. One-hundred and eighteen Chinese schizophrenia patients (40 males, 78 females, age 15—60 years) were given risperidone at dosages ranging from 2—8 mg/day for 8 weeks. Clinical efficacy was determined using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scores (BPRS). Serum prolactin levels were assayed before and after the 8 week treatment and plasma risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone levels were also measured at the end of the 8-week treatment. The results showed there was no significant correlation between the concentration of active moiety and clinical response. Risperidone treatment significantly increased serum prolactin levels. Furthermore, changes of prolactin levels were not correlated with the clinical response. For the risperidone/ 9-hydroxyrisperidone ratio, there was a statistically significant difference among the CYP2D6*1/*1, *1/*10, *10/*10 genotypes (Kruskal—Wallis test, p = 0.012). No significant differences were found in the concentration of 9-hydroxyrisperidone and active moiety among the genotypes. In addition, the concentration of 9-hydroxyrisperidone was not significantly correlated with the increase of serum prolactin. In conclusion, our study has, for the first time, produced evidence that in Chinese schizophrenic patients, the metabolism of risperidone is dependent on CYP2D6. Neither changes in serum prolactin levels nor plasma concentration of active moiety were significantly correlated with clinical efficacy of risperidone. 9-hydroxyrisperidone may not play a predominant role in elevating serum prolactin level.
Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction: randomized double-blind placebo-controlled parallel-group fixed-dose study of a potential adjuvant compound, VML-670
Authors: Baldwin David , Hutchison John , Donaldson Kirsteen , Shaw Bob , Smithers Andrew
Published: August 2007

Sexual dysfunction is common during acute and continuation treatment of depressed patients with selective serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) re-uptake inhibitors (ssRIs), but there is no consensus on clinical management. Compounds with 5-HT1A agonist properties have been proposed as adjuvant agents in patients continuing with ssRIs. Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled parallel-group fixed-dose 4-week treatment study. Previously depressed male or female patients in symptomatic remission receiving stable doses of fluoxetine or paroxetine but experiencing treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction were randomised to double-blind treatment with placebo or VML-670 (a 5-HT1A and 5-HT1D agonist). sexual dysfunction was assessed by the Arizona sexual Experiences scale (ASEX). Two-hundred and eighty-eight patients (204 women, 84 men; mean age 44.2 years) received VML-670 ( n = 149; 107 women, 42 men) or placebo ( n = 139; 97 women, 42 men). In the intention-to-treat, last-observation carried forward analysis ( n = 282), proportionately more patients became free of sexual dysfunction with VML-670 (34.3% versus 27.9% with placebo) but this difference was not statistically significant. Male patients treated with VML-670 showed a significantly greater ( p =0.01) improvement in ability to achieve and maintain penile erection (a secondary outcome measure). A similar proportion of patients reported on-treatment, treatment-emergent adverse events with VML-670 (71.1%) and placebo (68.3%), and a similar proportion experienced at least one treatment-related adverse event (36.9% versus 35.3%). Double-blind treatment with VML-670 offered no significant advantage over placebo on the primary outcome measure in the overall sample. Further studies may be warranted in larger groups of male patients with sexual dysfunction.
Producing vertical territory: geology and governmentality in late Victorian Canada
Authors: Braun Bruce
Published: August 2007

This paper relates developments in the science of geology to forms of governmental rationality in Canada during the late nineteenth century. By so doing it opens for discussion a topic rarely broached by political theorists: the role that the earth sciences played in the historical evolution of forms of political rationality. The paper contests theoretical approaches that understand the relation between scientific knowledge and state rationality as only instrumental. Instead, the paper demonstrates how attending to the temporality of science (as evident in the emergence of specifically geological ways of seeing nature during the period) helps us understand the ways in which science is constitutive of political rationality, rather than merely its instrument. This argument is developed through a critique of Michel Foucault’s concept of ‘governmentality’, a concept that historicizes political rationality, yet remains silent on how the physical sciences contributed to its varied forms. The paper concludes with reflections on the implications of such an argument for theories of the social production of nature.
Eating the food of the ancestors: place, tradition, and tourism in a Chinese frontier River town
Authors: Oakes Tim
Published: August 2007

This essay explores the development of tourism as a local cultural production in a remote region of south-west China. It offers a case study in the contests over how landscapes are represented and reconstructed for tourist consumption. Two issues underlie the analysis: One is the relationship between broader cultural discourse and its local appropriation and manipulation. In this case, that broader cultural discourse is one dominated by ideals of Chinese tradition, civilization, and refinement. The other issue is the way tourism gets mixed up in this process of local appropriation, rendering its development as much a local cultural product as it is an external force linking specific localities to much broader circuits of exchange and capital accumulation. The goal is a more culturally complex rendering of tourism’s ‘consumption’ of places, one that sees not merely a globalizing force bearing down upon a once-isolated community but also the dynamic ways local cultural meanings wrap the tourism experience in an envelope of local meaning.
Cultural globalization and the identity of place: the reconstruction of Amsterdam
Authors: Nijman Jan
Published: August 2007

This article discusses the effects of cultural globalization on urban identities, and concentrates on a case study of Amsterdam. The theoretical part of the paper defines cultural globalization and outlines its effects on localities, including the ways in which the images of localities are transformed in the process of global information exchange. It emphasizes the importance of rapidly growing flows of people, in particular in the form of mass tourism, in the deliberate and spontaneous re-identification and changing meaning of places. The empirical part of the paper juxtaposes the historically grown urban identity of Amsterdam since the sixteenth century with the city’s re-created identity of recent decades. It is argued that Amsterdam’s present-day image as a city with very liberal attitudes towards sex and drugs emerged under the influence of global mass tourism, and that it is not as authentic as is often suggested or believed. The discussion concentrates on past and present cultural traits of Amsterdam in the form of Calvinism, commercialism, morality and tolerance.
Orientalism, gender and class in Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s Turkish Embassy Letters: to persons of distinction, men of letters & c
Authors: Secor Anna
Published: August 2007

In 1717, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu accompanied her husband, Edward Wortley Montagu, on his ambassadorial mission to the Ottoman court. During their sojourn, Montagu composed what would become her most famous writings: the collection of edited letters which constitute the Turkish Embassy Letters. The reading of the Letters presented in this paper situates Montagu’s text, including her famous claim that Turkish women have more liberty than British women, within the material and discursive context of eighteenth-century England and the geopolitical relations of the day. I argue that Montagu’s travel narrative reproduces dominant discourses which naturalize class relations of her times, even and especially in moments when gendered or Orientalist expectations are subverted. I conclude that though class has been relatively neglected in recent readings of travel narratives, class-based discourses play an important role in the construction of difference and should be accorded greater attention in the literature.
The Sikorsky S-16 and Russian Aviation during the Great War
Authors: Stamper George Lee
Published: August 2007

The history of aviation before and during the First World War seldom includes Russia. When the Russian experience is examined, historians typically resort to the `backward' generalization and minimize Russian contributions to aviation history. Often, Russia is portrayed as a nation of non-flyers, hopelessly unable to master flight or raise a modern air force. The story of the Sikorsky S-16 fighter, in conjunction with the evolution of the Squadron of Flying Ships and the Imperial Russian Air Force, reveals a sophistication that is not readily apparent. It demonstrates that Russia did possess the technical know-how to design state-of-the-art aircraft and the doctrinal savvy to employ them to great effect. But, it also illustrates the weakness of Russian aviation that has been evident to historians. Russia chose not to develop her technical-industrial infrastructure and, therefore, was unable to translate her engineering capability into a strong fleet of aircraft.
Armed But Not Dangerous: Women in the Israeli Military
Authors: van Creveld Martin
Published: August 2007

Over the years, the fact that Israel has been the only country in history to conscript women for military service has given rise to many myths. This article will separate those myths from the facts. The facts are as follows. During pre-state days, women formed about 15% of the armed movements that opposed the British. When the War of Independence broke out, however, women were taken out of combat units. They were never allowed to return; instead, as in other armed forces, they filled `traditional' slots. The expansion of women's role in the military, which took place during the late 1970s, was the result of the Israel Defence Force's (IDF) desperate quest for manpower. This expansion of women's roles coincided with the incipient decline of the Israeli Army as a fighting force. As first the Lebanese adventure and then the need to put down the Palestinian Intifada accelerated that decline during the eighties, more women entered the IDF; the more women entered the IDF, the more its prestige declined. Thus, in the IDF as in the armed forces of all other developed countries, the entry of women into the military, far from representing a feminist triumph, is both cause and symptom of the decline of the military.
The Origins of MBFR: West German Policy Priorities and Conventional Arms Control
Authors: Bluth Christoph
Published: August 2007

Negotiations on Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions, 1973-86, continued for a long time without progress. Research in East German archives confirms that the Warsaw Pact sought to protect its existing advantage in conventional forces in Europe. The conventional view is that the Western side was against any reductions and that the political objectives of the talks (for the Eastern side the conclusion of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), for the Western side the maintenance of domestic support for troop commitments to Europe) were achieved without any progress in the negotiations. This view is challenged by research in German archives which shows that for a time there was strong support in the West German government for far more ambitious goals, seeing the talks as a mechanism to affect fundamentally the structure of European security on the basis of more radical force reductions. This paper analyses these documents in the context of West German Ostpolitik and Alliance politics.
The Defence of Calais and the Development of Gunpowder Weaponry in England in the Late Fifteenth Century
Authors: Grummitt David
Published: August 2007

This article challenges the prevalent perception that the development and use of gunpowder weaponry in England in the late fifteenth century differed markedly from that in France and Burgundy. This is done in the light of the evidence of the Calais victuallers' accounts. Calais was England's most important military and commercial frontier, and the unique survival of large amounts of archival material allows its gunpowder weaponry to be reconstructed in detail. The accounts show that from the 1460s the Crown systematically increased and modernized the ordnance in Calais and, moreover, extended increasing royal control over it, bringing English gunpowder weaponry and its use in line with that of France and Burgundy.
The Character and Organization of the Admiralty Operational Intelligence Centre during the Second World War
Authors: Hamilton C. I.
Published: August 2007

By early 1943 the OIC was almost fully developed, and had long been a vital part of the naval war effort. The staff processed a mass of intelligence, including decrypts from Bletchley Park, and passed it on as necessary for operational exploitation, often accompanied by good advice. The work was hectic and highly demanding, made more difficult by the cramped conditions of the offices, in the Admiralty `Citadel'. The OIC had been set up in 1937, but only the sinking of Glorious in 1940 finally consolidated its position. It depended increasingly on pay officers, the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and civilian graduates, including women, and also in other ways was anomalous from the prewar naval staff point of view, even if it never became as `long hair' as Bletchley Park. The war forced the OIC to adapt, but it did not expand greatly after 1940. The chief personnel followed a cherished naval tradition, and strove to do their job with the resources at hand. They were encouraged to do this by restrictions on recruitment and space, but there was also the brief that the best results were gained by depending on a comparatively small number of first-class people, and overloading them with work.
Body Dissatisfaction and Patterns of Media Use Among Preadolescent Children
Authors: Jung Jaehee , Peterson Michael
Published: August 2007

This study examined school‐age children's satisfaction/dissatisfaction with their body sizes and their media consumption and image perception patterns. A sample of preadolescent children at the ages between 8 and 11 (N = 50) was recruited for in‐depth individual interviews from a university‐sponsored child care facility in a mid‐Atlantic state. Results suggested that boys and girls were significantly different in their ideal body preferences. Similar to the results from previous studies on young adults and older teens, preadolescent boys desired to have a heavier body size, whereas girls desired to be thinner than their perceived actual body size. For the pattern of media use, boys showed a greater attraction toward and recall of muscular appearances and athletic ability in all media venues, whereas girls' responses indicated a greater proclivity toward beauty and looks. Results suggest a need to address the development and maintenance of healthy body images among children.
College Students' Attribution of Blame in Father–Daughter Incest
Authors: Adams Rebecca A.
Published: August 2007

Incest is one of the most repugnant things that can occur. If the educational programs have been effective, it would appear that individuals would not blame the victim. The Jackson Incest Blame Scale was administered to students in marriage and family classes at a midwestern university. Female students strongly supported the concept that women being treated as sex objects and sex and violence in the media influence offenders to commit incest. Discussion raises questions about the potential incongruent treatment of women in university family and consumer sciences departmental curricula.
GLMM approach to study the spatial and temporal evolution of spikes in the small intestine
Authors: Faes Christel , Aerts Marc , Geys Helena , Bijnens Luc , Ver Donck Luc , Lammers Wim JEP
Published: August 2007

Mixed models can be applied in a wide range of settings. Probably, they are most commonly used to handle grouping in the data. In addition, mixed models can be used for smoothing purposes as well. When dealing with non-normal data, the use of smoothing methods within the generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) framework is less familiar. We explore the use of GLMM for smoothing purposes in both spatial and longitudinal dimensions. The methodology is illustrated by analysis of spike potentials in the small intestine of different cats. Spatio-temporal models that use two-dimensional smoothing splines across the spatial dimension and random effects to account for the correlations during successive slow-waves are developed. A major advantage of the mixed-model approach is that it can handle smoothing together with grouping (or other types of correlations) in a unified model. In this way, areas with high spike incidence compared with other areas can be detected. Also, the temporal and spatial characteristics of spikes during successive slow-waves can be identified.