bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Secularization as a Property of Action
Authors: Turina Isacco
Published: June 2007

English

Assuming that religion is socially relevant to the extent that it has influence on action, the article invites reconsideration of secularization not as a long-term historical process but as a property of action: any action, or a whole domain of action (economy, warfare, art, nutrition, sex, etc.), is therefore secularized if in carrying it out people are not influenced by religious doctrines or feelings about the way it should be done, and if it is not justified on this same basis. This definition, rooted in Weber's work, is intended to be operative for qualitative research and attentive to differences and interactions between groups and individuals, even within a single nation. Traditional accounts of secularization as overall decline of religion are not discussed. Nonetheless it is stressed that these theories are employed as resources in the activity of religious groups, or, in other words, that the perceived decline of religion has implications for social change.

French

Partant de l’idée que la religion est socialement relevante dans la mesure ou` elle influence l’action, l’article invite à repenser la sécularisation non plus comme un processus historique de long cours, mais comme une propriété de l’action: une action (ou un domaine d’action comme l’économie, la guerre, l’art, l’alimentation, la sexualité) serait alors sécularisée si les acteurs ne sont pas influencés par une doctrine ou un sentiment religieux et s’ils n’en donnent pas une justification religieuse. Cette définition, d’origine wébérienne, devrait ětre opérationnelle pour la recherche qualitative et prěter attention aux différences et aux interactions entre groupes et individus, měme au sein d’une měme nation. Les définitions de sécularisation comme déclin général de la religion ne sont pas discutées ici. Pourtant, l’auteur souligne que ces théories sont aussi des ressources pour l’activité de groupes religieux, autrement dit que la perception du déclin de la religion a elle-měme des conséquences pour le changement social.
At the Intersection of Faith and Life: A Narrative Approach to the Faith of Church Employees
Authors: Niemelä Kati
Published: June 2007

English

The author examines the status of faith among Church employees in Finland using a narrative research approach. In such an approach the basis of analysis lies in the meanings of the chain of events. In this study the aim is to explore the core narrative of an individual's faith. The core narratives are seen as the framework for a person's faith, from the perspective from which one deals with issues of religion and faith. The study is based on 21 in-depth interviews conducted among Church employees in Finland. The interviewees were clergy, deacons or youth workers. In the analysis six different core narratives were identified. Each of them represents a different overall stance to faith, which rests on different sources of religious authority. The interviewees were also asked to fill in a questionnaire. This enables us to compare the results of the narrative approach to the results of a quantitative study conducted among Church employees (N = 792).

French

L’auteure examine le statut de la foi parmi les employés de l’église en Finlande, en utilisant une approche narrative. Dans une telle approche, les fondements de l’analyse reposent sur les significations de la chane d’évènements. Dans cette étude, l’objectif est d’explorer le récit principal relatif à la foi d’un individu. Les récits principaux sont considérés comme des cadres de la foi des personnes, perspective à partir de laquelle une personne traite des questions de la religion et de la foi. Cette étude est basée sur 21 interviews approfondies menées parmi des employés de l’église en Finlande. Les interviewés comprennent des personnes du clergé, du diaconat ou des animateurs de jeunes. Dans cette analyse, six récits principaux différents ont été identifiés. Chacun représente une position générale différente par rapport à la foi, qui repose sur différentes sources d’autorité religieuse. Les interviewés ont également été priés de compléter un questionnaire. Ceci permet de comparer les résultats de l’approche narrative aux résultats de l’étude quantitative menée parmi les employés de l’église (N = 792).
Pentecôtisme et modernité urbaine: Entre déterritorialisation des identités et réinvestissement symbolique de l'espace urbain
Authors: Fer Yannick
Published: June 2007

English

Pentecostalism appears to be a religion of mobility, with an affinity for contemporary urban life, but the city is more often described by Pentecostal preachers as ``inhuman'', under demoniac influence. This representation of the city as the place of spiritual warfare for liberation, which is spread by the ``third Pentecostal wave'', leads to a symbolic reinvestment of territories, while believers tend to become independent of any territorial belonging through a personal conversion and voluntary religious involvement. The street is the very place on which these two contradictory foci of the Pentecostal mission can converge: a focus on individuals experiencing mobility; and a focus on the urban territory seen as a spiritual entity influencing the destiny of its dwellers. There is a deep affinity between the evangelization of the streets, frequently led by independent ``prophets'', and the Pentecostal paradigm based on an institutional ``invisible'' mediation and on the conviction that the true church should not remain inside the walls of the church.

French

Si le pentecotisme apparait comme une religion de la mobilité en affinité avec la sociabilité urbaine contemporaine, la ville est plus souvent présentée par les pré- dicateurs pentecotistes comme ‘‘inhumaine’’, sous emprise démoniaque. Cette représentation de la ville comme lieu d’un combat spirituel de libération, diffusée par la ‘‘troisième vague’’ pentecotiste, aboutitè un réinvestissement symbolique des territoires, alors měme que les croyants tendentè s’en émanciper, par la conversion personnelle et des engagements religieux affinitaires. La rue est le lieu où ces deux axes contradictoires de la mission pentecotiste peuvent converger: l’un tourné vers des individus en mobilité; l’autre vers le territoire urbain perç u comme une entité spirituelle influenç ant le destin de ses habitants. L’évangélisation des rues, fréquemment conduite par des ‘‘prophètes’’ indépendants, cultive des affinités profondes avec le paradigme pentecotiste fondé sur une médiation institutionnelle ‘‘invisible’’ et l’idée que la véritable é glise ne peut demeurer entre les murs de l’église.
Gender and Religious Orientation
Authors: Flere Sergej
Published: June 2007

English

Gender has been proven to be a substantial indicator of differences with respect to religiosity within Christianity. Females are always more frequently and intensively religious in comparison to males (Francis, 1997). The question of whether this holds for other religions remains unanswered. In this study we focus on university students in Catholic, Christian Orthodox and Muslim environments of Central Europe and in an American, predominantly Protestant environment. Religiosity is studied by differentiating between intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity (Allport and Ross, 1967). If it were found that females are more social-extrinsic religious, one couldspeak of a sociological, instrumental and situational religiosity among females. On the contrary, one is closer to speaking of an immanent difference between the genders. Sociological (with the exception of socialization) and Freudian explanations are not confirmed. Psychological explanations, which include anxiety, authoritarianism and femininity (Bem,1981) are good at explaining the differences in religiosity between the genders.

French

Le genre s’est révélé ětre un indicateur de séparation et de distinction à l’égard de la religion au sein du christianisme. Comparées aux hommes, les femmes sont toujours plus fréquemment et plus intensément religieuses (Francis, 1997). La validité de cette remarque pour ce qui concerne les autres religions reste à établir. Dans cette recherche, nous nous focalisons sur les étudiants d’université dans les milieux catholique, orthodoxe et musulman de l’Europe Centrale, ainsi qu’au sein de l’environnement protestant aux é tats-Unis. La religiosité est étudiée en différenciant la religiosité intrinsèque et la religiosité extrinsèque, en référence à l’approche d’Allport et Ross (1967). S’il s’avère que les femmes sont plus religieuses extrinsèquement et socialement, par comparaison aux hommes, on pourra évoquer une religiosité instrumentale, situationnelle et de caractère sociologique chez les femmes (c’est la position sociale qui est responsable de la différence). Dans le cas contraire, on pourra parler d’une différence immanente entre la religiosité des femmes et des hommes. Les hypothèses de type sociologique (à l’exception de la socialisation) et les explications freudiennes n’ont pas été confirmées. C’est la religiosité psychologique extrinsèque à l’égard de laquelle les différences entre les sexes sont les plus significatives. Des explications psychologiques invoquant anxiété, autoritarisme et féminité (Bem, 1981) sont opérantes pour expliquer les différences de religiosité liées au genre.
Laîcité religieuse, antireligieuse, a-religieuse: L'évolution de l'école française entre 1880 et 1918
Authors: Terral Hervé
Published: June 2007

English

France is currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of the passing of the Act of Separation between the Churches and the State (9 December 1905) and a particular committee was created in 2003 in order to reflect on the implementation of the principle of ``laîcité''. These two facts have jointly initiated a reconsideration of the past. The period between 1880 and 1914, with its numerous debates that ended up in more or less pronounced consensus, is a key one to better understand the current events. Indeed, through a close reading of the texts one can identify several interpretations of ``laîcité'', which are still underlying today's discussions with a different background: a ``laîcité'' which is stamped with a religious spirit, another anticlerical, or perhaps even antireligious, one, and finally an a-religious one. The upholders of each interpretation have endeavoured to answer, in their own way, to meet the human requirements of an ideal, irrespective of the period considered.

French

Le centenaire de la loi du 9 décembre 1905 sur la séparation des é glises et de l’état en France, tout comme la réflexion d’une commission spécifique sur l’application du principe de laîcité (2003) ont réactivé un retour sur le passé. La période 1880–1914 avec ses nombreux débats débouchant sur des consensus plus ou moins affirmés est essentielle pour une meilleure compréhension des événements actuels. On peut en effet, à travers une lecture attentive des textes, relever plusieurs interprétations de la laîcité, toujours présentes aujourd’hui en filigrane dans un autre contexte: une laïcité empreinte d’esprit religieux, une laîcité anticléricale, voire antireligieuse, une laîcité a-religieuse. Chacune d’elles s’est efforcée de répondre, à sa façon, à une demande tout humaine d’idéal, transcendant les époques.
Stark and Finke or Durkheim on Conversion and (Re-)Affiliation: An Outline of a Structural Functionalist Rebuttal to Stark and Finke
Authors: Hak Durk
Published: June 2007

English

In this article, a theory based on a structural functionalist scientific research programme (Lakatos) is constructed. Conversion and re-affiliation are seen as transgressions of universal societal norms. It appears that a structural functionalist theory on conversion and (re-)affiliation is at least as good as the recent one put forward by Stark and Finke, which was based on economic principles. The propositions that are derived from the theory and are developed here are supported empirically. Then, the theory is extended to incorporate political spheres, as well as other social domains. Brief overviews of both Stark and Bainbridge's and Stark and Finke's theories on religion precede the elaboration of the proposed theory.

French

Dans cet article, une théorie fondée sur un programme de recherche scienti- fique structuro-fonctionaliste (Lakatos) est construite. La conversion et la (ré-)affiliation sont considérées comme des transgressions de normes sociétales universelles. Il apparait qu'une théorie structuro-fonctionaliste sur la conversion et la (ré-)affiliation est au moins aussi bonne qu'une théorie plus récente proposée par Stark et Finke, basée sur des principes économiques. Les propositions dérivant de la théorie et qui sont développées ici sont soutenues empiriquement. La théorie est ensuite élargie, de manière à intégrer la sphère politique, aussi bien que d'autres domaines sociaux. Un bref panorama des théories sur la religion de Stark et Bainbridge, et de Stark et Finke précède l'élaboration de la théorie proposée.
Pour une perspective concentrique du catholicisme brésilien
Authors: Reesink Mísia Lins
Published: June 2007

English

Use of the word ``popular'' attached to the term ``religion'' or ``Catholicism'' is quite current in the area of the social sciences. Those terms tend to introduce a dichotomy in the field of religion. Despite all the warnings and recognition of the fact that it is a problematic epithet, most researchers still use it. Yet, and in opposition to that position, this work intends to show that a dichotomic view of Brazilian Catholicism fails to grasp all its dynamics and the tension between its plurality and its universality. Based on ethnographic experience among Catholics of the Casa Amarela neighbourhood (Recife-Brazil), and in establishing a dialogue with the literature produced on this subject, we herein propose a model of comprehension that aims to go beyond the usual dichotomic approach to this religion. This is done on the basis of an outlook wherein Brazilian Catholicism is seen as a concentric Catholicism.

French

L’utilisation du mot ‘‘populaire’’ accolé au terme ‘‘religion’’ ou ‘‘catholicisme’’ est très courante dans le domaine des sciences sociales. Ces termes introduisent ainsi une dichotomie dans le champ religieux. En dépit de toutes les mises en garde et de la reconnaissance du fait qu’il s’agit d’un épithète problématique, la plupart des chercheurs l’utilisent encore. Cependant, et à l’encontre de cette position, ce travail entend démontrer qu’une perspective dichotomique du catholicisme brésilien ne rend pas compte de toute sa dynamique et de la tension entre sa pluralité et son universalité. À partir d’une expérience ethnographique chez les catholiques du quartier de Casa Amarela (Recife-Brésil) et en établissant un dialogue avec la littérature produite sur ce sujet, est ici proposé un modèle de compréhension envisageant de dépasser l’habituelle approche dichotomique de cette religion. Cela est réalisé à partir de l’élaboration d’une perspective où le catholicisme brésilien se veut un catholicisme concentrique.
A Geometrical Model for the Single Pique (Lacoste) Knits
Authors: Alpyidiz Tuba , Kurbak Arif
Published: June 2007

Geometrical modelling of the single pique (Lacoste) knitted fabrics is studied. Elliptical shapes for the head of loops (tuck and plain) and general helices for the rest of the parts including the arms of the loops are used. The coordinates of the points on the fitting curves are found and these points are used in the simulation of the front and back views of the single pique knitted fabrics
Creation of a Geometrical Model for Milano Rib Fabric
Authors: Kurbak Arif , Amreeva Gulmira
Published: June 2007

A geometrical model for milano rib fabric at a normal tightness condition, based on Kurbak's (1998) plain-knitted loop model, was created. The model showed that small yarn compressions at the interlocking points and 50% yarn swellings away from the interlocking points might have occurred in the experimental sample used for comparison. Drawing of the model using the 3DS MAX computer graphic program gave a similar shape to that obtained experimentally with the real fabrics.
Temperature/pH Dual Sensitive N-isopropylacrylamide/ Polyurethane Copolymer Hydrogel-grafted Fabrics
Authors: Hu Jin-Lian , Liu Bao-Hua , Liu Wen-Guang
Published: June 2007

Vinyl-capped polyurethane anionomer(VPUA) was synthesized from isophorone diisocyanate, polyoxytetramethylene glycol, 2,2-dimethylol propionic acid and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. VPUA and N-isopropylacrylamide were graft copolymerized onto the nonwoven fabrics by ammonium persulfate initiation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectrometry confirmed the occurrence of grafting reaction. The measurement of weight indicated that the percentage of grafted polymer was strongly dependent on the monomer concentrations. At lower concentrations, only a small amount of poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and polyurethane (PU) was grafted onto the fabrics; at higher concentrations, the fabrics were coated with thin or thick layers of hydrogel, as verified by scanning electron microscope imaging. The differential scanning calorimetry results revealed that the incorporation of PU did not vary the phase transition temperature of PNIPAAm. The equilibrium water content of the grafted fabrics could be tuned by adjusting environmental temperature and pH and furthermore, the temperature sensitivity of PNIPAAm/PU hydrogel-grafted fabrics was reversible. In addition, the typical syneresis of PNIPAAm hydrogel was hindered to some extent by copolymerization with PU.
Explaining Variations in Co-worker Assistance in Organizations
Authors: Frenkel Stephen J. , Sanders Karin
Published: June 2007

In an age of flattened hierarchies and networked organizations, lateral processes in organizations take on added significance. Co-worker assistance refers to a key aspect of lateral relations: workers' helping behaviour in relation to their immediate colleagues. Using data from a Dutch survey of public sector and related service employees, we develop and test a model of co-worker assistance. We argue that reciprocity facilitates management-induced co-worker assistance and that this depends on the extent of workers' organizational commitment. This in turn is influenced by the manner in which management exercises control over employees. We find evidence for organizational commitment acting as a partial mediator between co-worker assistance and bureaucratic control, co-worker control, and facilitative supervision respectively. Group cohesion, forged by workers independent of management, has a strong direct effect on co-worker assistance and a particularly strong effect when interacting with co-worker control. We also find that co-worker control is more strongly related to co-worker assistance where tasks are more interdependent.
Formal Strategic Analyses and Organizational Performance: Decomposing the Rational Model
Authors: Mueller George C. , Mone Mark A. , Barker Vincent L.
Published: June 2007

Although a substantial body of literature suggests a positive relationship between decision process rationality and organizational performance, there is also compelling evidence that this relationship is negative. We argue that these equivocal findings may be due, in part, to a lack of construct specificity and different methodologies employed to assess decision process rationality. Drawing from Langley's (1989) framework of decision process rationality, we examined the effects of formal analysis for purposes of information, persuasion and communication, control and direction, and symbolism, considering also their effects in the context of environmental dynamism. Using survey data from top management teams in 42 organizations, we found that in both high and low dynamism environments, the instrumental use of information in decision processes was positively linked with organizational performance. In dynamic environments, while analyses for symbolic and control purposes were positively associated with performance, analysis for persuasion was negatively associated with performance. By unraveling the performance effects of different elements of decision-making rationality, we can better understand the nature of relationships between strategic decision processes and organizational performance. This understanding might ultimately lead to better strategic decision making in organizations.
Politics and the Evolution of Inter-firm Networks: A Post-Communist Lesson
Authors: McDermott Gerald A.
Published: June 2007

This article attempts to account for both continuity and change in network structures and relationships by analyzing how a country's political approach to institution building shapes the reproduction of industrial networks. While firm-level actors may develop tenacious socio-economic relationships, the authority structure of a network emerges from the ways certain constituent firms align themselves with public institutions. I empirically examine this approach by analyzing the evolution of Czech industrial networks during and after communism. The fragility, eventual stability, and subsequent changes in networks come not from purely `intra-network' factors, but rather from the political approaches of the government toward institution building. In short, this article aims to renew our focus on the origin and evolution of social capital and networks by enjoining network analysis with recent work in political economy.
Product Strategies and Survival in Schumpeterian Environments: Evidence from the US Security Software Industry
Authors: Giarratana Marco S. , Fosfuri Andrea
Published: June 2007

This paper seeks to explore the drivers of survival in environments characterized by high rates of entry and exit, fragmented market shares, rapid pace of product innovation and proliferation of young ventures. The paper aims to underscore the role played by post-entry product strategies, along with their interaction, after carefully controlling for `at entry' factors and demographic conditions. Based on a population of 270 firms that entered the US security software industry between 1989 and 1998, we find evidence that surviving entities are those that are more aggressive in the adoption of versioning and portfolio broadening strategies. In particular, focusing on any one of these two strategies leads to a higher probability of survival as opposed to adopting a mixed strategy.
Michal the Misinterpreted
Authors: White Ellen
Published: June 2007

Interpretation is always done within one’s own context. It is impossible to interpret a text without the impact of one’s worldview and ideological positions seeping into the interpretive process. Due to this contextual approach to interpretation, one must analyze the history of interpretation from a critical viewpoint, rather than blindly accepting a historical understanding. The character of Michal in the books of Samuel is a good example of how the history of interpretation can be guided by the interpreter’s ideology and also why the historical understandings need to be re-evaluated. This article contains one example of how such interpretations can be challenged and reassigned in relation to Michal.
Is Shame a Matter of Patronage in the Communal Laments?
Authors: Tucker W. Dennis
Published: June 2007

Within the Hebrew Bible, the concept of shame in both narrative and prophetic texts has received significant treatment. Typically, connections between gender identity and the shame/honor value complex are highlighted. In the Psalms, however, shame does not necessarily appear to be predicated upon gender identity. This article offers some initial observations regarding shame in the Psalms by suggesting that the shame language in the Psalter is actually predicated upon another feature of ancient societies, the patron—client relationship. Drawing from the work of cultural anthropologists S.N. Eisenstadt and L. Roniger, this study notes the features of patronage present within the language of the Psalter itself and, in particular, Psalms 44, 74, and 79.
`Exile Atones for Everything': Coping with Jeremiah 22.24-30
Authors: Schipper Jeremy
Published: June 2007

The oracles concerning Jehoiachin in Jer. 22.24-30 seem both severe and absolute. This article examines how both early rabbinic and contemporary scholars cope with its unrelenting condemnation of Jehoiachin. Early rabbinic exegesis focuses on the idea that this passage contains an oath, whereas many contemporary scholars focus on the idea that at least part of this passage contains a lament. Yet these distinctions do not reflect objective classifications of the passage's literary type. Rather, they become a means of opening up the exegete's interpretative imagination. By reviewing some representative examples from early rabbinic and contemporary exegesis, this article argues that, in both cases, interpreters end up presenting a characterization of a god who does not give an unwavering endorsement of Jeremiah's harsh announcement.
Deliberative Planning through Citizen Advisory Boards
Authors: Laurian Lucie
Published: June 2007

Federal agencies are responsible for the cleanup of thousands of toxic sites in the United States and increasingly rely on Community Advisory Boards (CABs) to provide public participation in cleanup decisions. CABs, designed to function as collaborative and deliberative participatory mechanisms, have the potential to enhance democratic decision making. This study seeks to identify whether they successfully provide for two-way communication between agencies and the public, and to explore potential differences between CABs sponsored by military and civilian agencies. The analysis is based on a general model of information and feedback flows and consists of five comparative case studies of CABs sponsored by the EPA, DOD, and DOE. It focuses on communicative processes recorded in meeting minutes, interviews with participants, and surveys of nonparticipants. The study shows that CABs do not necessarily provide effective deliberative mechanisms: participation is limited by the lack of public awareness of participatory opportunities, CABs emphasize one-way agency-to-CAB communication, and public input does not significantly influence agency decisions. The military culture of secrecy appears to hinder participation at some sites, although the case-study approach and differences between boards do not allow broad generalizations about interagency differences.
Planning for School Facilities
Authors: Norton Richard K.
Published: June 2007

A prominent part of current debates on sprawl involves the relationship between schools and communities. Two key questions on this issue are to what extent considerations about community growth and development influence school boards as they decide, first, whether to renovate an existing school or build new and second, if building new, whether to site the new school in an urban or exurban location. Research on these questions to date has relied largely on case study or anecdotal analysis and has yielded a variety of recommended policy reforms. This paper presents the results of a systematic statewide study of local school board decision making in Michigan. Based primarily on a survey of school district superintendents and a parallel survey of local government officials, along with review of demographic data and selected local plans, the study was designed to test a number of assertions commonly made in the literature about factors influencing school board decision making. The findings suggest that school boards, in general, are influenced most by a sense of competition with neighboring districts and by shifting demographics. Moreover, little meaningful coordination is occurring between school districts and local governments, largely because of the institutional arrangements that shape the school board decision-making process.
Dialogical Values in Public Goods Provision
Authors: Sager Tore
Published: June 2007

Economic incentive theory is used to examine whether the attractive properties of Habermasian dialogue can be achieved in public goods provision. The aim is to enhance realism in the expected results of communicative planning. Hard trade-offs must be made, as manipulation and exclusion cannot be eliminated from democratic processes while other desirable qualities are retained. Demand-revealing schemes can remove citizens' motives to misrepresent their preferences for public goods and “free-ride” on others' contributions. However, the planners designing these schemes might have motives to behave opportunistically and collect too much money for administering the system. Two proposals for reducing this surplus and correcting the demotivating effects of its collection are studied. Results show that new participatory planning bodies are required to make amendment procedures work. Hence, some efficiency problems in public goods provision can be solved by expanding dialogue. This reveals a noteworthy common interest between communicative planners and economists.
Isolated Posterior Cerebellar Vermal Defect: A Morphological Study of Midsagittal Cerebellar Vermis in 4 Fetuses—Early Stage of Dandy-Walker Continuum or New Vermal Dysgenesis?
Authors: Russo Rosa , Fallet-Bianco Catherine
Published: June 2007

This report is a neuropathological description of posterior cerebellar vermis agenesis/hypoplasia at midgestation. This defect was demonstrated by prenatal ultrasound in four 21- to 24-week-old fetuses. Neuropathological findings were characterized macroscopically by hypoplasia of the posterior vermis with normal cerebellar hemispheres and brainstem; hypoplasia of the posterior vermian lobules 6 to 10, mildly cystic dilatation of the ventricular cavity, and a flat profile of the roof of the fourth ventricle also were demonstrated. Microscopically, a hypercellular and abnormally located germinal matrix and abnormal migration of external granule cell precursors into the meningeal tissue above the outer surface of the cerebellum were found. These abnormalities might result in delayed growth and foliation of the posterior vermian lobules. This feature might be the neuropathological pattern of the early stage of the Dandy-Walker continuum, although it cannot be excluded as a consequence of a primary developmental failure of the vermal primordium.
Pediatric Epilepsy Evaluations From the Prenatal Perspective
Authors: Scher Mark S. , Kidder Brenda M. , Bangert Barbara A.
Published: June 2007

Prenatal contributions to childhood epilepsy include malformations and acquired injuries, which can occur from conception and throughout gestation. Five case histories from the Pediatric Epilepsy Service are discussed that exemplify maternal, fetal, and placental conditions that contribute to childhood epilepsy. Two full-term neonates presented with neonatal seizures, with or without accompanying encephalopathy. Placental pathology suggested antepartum maternal-placental diseases that caused or contributed to their brain disorders. Two children presented as preterm infants with systemic organ system diseases that also implicated brain injury. One child had a complicated maternal history with both genetic and acquired illnesses. Two children required epilepsy surgery, with improved seizure control despite persistent neurocognitive and neurobehavioral deficits related to diffuse encephalopathies. Dual pathology should include prenatal contributions to childhood epilepsy on both a genetic and acquired basis. Epileptologists should consider an ontogenetic approach to study the epileptic condition from a fetal neurology perspective.
Estimating Premorbid General Cognitive Functioning for Children and Adolescents Using the American Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fourth Edition: Demographic and Current Performance Approaches
Authors: Schoenberg Mike R. , Lange Rael T. , Brickell Tracey A. , Saklofske Donald H.
Published: June 2007

Neuropsychologic evaluation requires current test performance be contrasted against a comparison standard to determine if change has occurred. An estimate of premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ) is often used as a comparison standard. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) is a commonly used intelligence test. However, there is no method to estimate premorbid IQ for the WISC-IV, limiting the test's utility for neuropsychologic assessment. This study develops algorithms to estimate premorbid Full Scale IQ scores. Participants were the American WISC-IV standardization sample (N = 2172). The sample was randomly divided into 2 groups (development and validation). The development group was used to generate 12 algorithms. These algorithms were accurate predictors of WISC-IV Full Scale IQ scores in healthy children and adolescents. These algorithms hold promise as a method to predict premorbid IQ for patients with known or suspected neurologic dysfunction; however, clinical validation is required.
Kidney Stones and the Ketogenic Diet: Risk Factors and Prevention
Authors: Sampath Amitha , Kossoff Eric H. , Furth Susan L. , Pyzik Paula L. , Vining Eileen P. G.
Published: June 2007

A cohort study was performed of children started on the ketogenic diet for intractable epilepsy from 2000 to 2005 (n = 195). Children who developed kidney stones were compared with those without in terms of demographics, urine laboratory markers, and intervention with urine alkalinization (potassium citrate). Thirteen children (6.7%) developed kidney stones. The use of oral potassium citrate significantly decreased the prevalence of stones (3.2% vs 10.0%, P = .049) and increased the mean time on the ketogenic diet before a stone was first noted (260 vs 149 patient-months, P = .29). The prevalence of kidney stones did not correlate with younger age or use of carbonic anhydrate inhibitors (eg, topiramate or zonisamide) but trended toward higher correlation with the presence of hypercalciuria (92% vs 71%, P = .08). No child stopped the diet due to stones; in fact, the total diet duration was longer (median 26 vs 12 months, P < .001). Kidney stones continue to occur in approximately 1 in 20 children on the ketogenic diet, and no statistically significant risk factors were identified in this cohort. As oral potassium citrate was preventative, prospective studies using this medication empirically are warranted.
Different Seizure Types and Skin Lesions in Oculocerebrorenal Syndrome of Lowe
Authors: Erdoğan Füsun , Ismailoğullari Sevda , Soyuer Işin , Ferahbaş Ayten , Poyrazoğlu Hakan
Published: June 2007

Oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe is an X-linked recessive disorder localized to Xq24-26.1. The phenotypic features of this disorder are Fanconi-type renal failure, mental retardation, and various eye abnormalities. Seizures may accompany the disease, and the skin-related findings are poorly defined. This case of a 9-year-old patient, diagnosed as having and followed for oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe, has been presented for his seizures, which were initially myoclonic but subsequently atonic, and for his skin findings, understood to be trichoepithelioma, cystic in nature, and stemming from mature hair follicles. In monitoring the disease, the manifestation of the seizures as atonic seizures accompanied by focally initiated secondary generalized epileptic discharges is a finding previously undefined in oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe. Moreover, the presence of dermal findings of a cystic nature is reported in few cases of this syndrome. In this rare syndrome, it is necessary to be aware of the presence of atonic seizures, which have an association with the progression of the disease that has not been previously reported in the literature, and of the cystic dermal lesions as part of the syndrome.
Surgical Treatment for Acute Symptomatic Refractory Status Epilepticus: A Case Report
Authors: Mohamed Ismail S. , Otsubo Hiroshi , Imai Katsumi , Shroff Manohar , Sharma Rohit , Chuang Sylvester H. , Donner Elizabeth , Drake James , Snead O. Carter
Published: June 2007

A previously healthy 10-year-old boy developed generalized convulsive status epilepticus following a mild febrile illness. Prolonged video-electroencephalographic monitoring revealed frequent right hemispheric electrographic seizures that were refractory to high-dose suppressive therapy. Ictal and interictal magnetoencephalography demonstrated dipole sources projecting from the right mesial temporal region. Diffusion-weighted imaging showed restricted diffusion involving the right hippocampus. Right anterior temporal lobectomy resulted in cessation of status epilepticus. At 1-year follow-up, he attends regular school and has infrequent nocturnal seizures on chronic antiepileptic drug therapy. Surgical treatment should be considered to stop status epilepticus in selected cases of acute symptomatic refractory status epilepticus with no preexisting epilepsy or magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities and may avoid the complications associated with prolonged high-dose suppressive therapy.
Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Alehan Füsun , Erol Ilknur , Agildere A. Muhtesem , Ozcay Figen , Baskin Esra , Cengiz Nurcan , Alioglu Bülent , Haberal Mehmet
Published: June 2007

Posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome is a recently identified clinical and radiologic entity. The characteristic radiologic findings are bilateral gray and white matter edema in the posterior regions of the cerebral hemispheres. This article reports clinical and radiologic findings in 10 consecutive episodes of posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome that were diagnosed in 9 children and adolescents. The causes were immunosuppressive therapy in 7 patients and a combination of renal failure and hypertension in 3. The most common presenting symptoms were seizure and altered consciousness; others included headache, sixth nerve palsy, and cortical blindness. Imaging demonstrated abnormalities in the parietal and occipital lobes in all 10 episodes. The signs and symptoms resolved after immunosuppressive agents were reduced or discontinued, or after uremia and hypertension were corrected. Four patients underwent follow-up cranial imaging, and the images showed nearly complete or complete resolution. The syndrome was clinically reversible in all patients.
A Case Report of Neonatal Convulsions Due to Maternal Herpes Gestationis
Authors: Okumus Nurullah , Esra Önal E. , Turkyilmaz Canan , Serdaroğlu Ayşe , Atalay Yildiz , Öztaş Murat , Cansu Ali , Erdem Özlem
Published: June 2007

Herpes gestationis is a rarely seen autoimmune vesiculobullous and pruritic dermatosis of pregnancy. Neonatal morbidity associated with maternal herpes gestationis is controversial. The authors report the first case of neonatal convulsion with abnormal electroencephalography findings and transient vesicular eruption due to maternal herpes gestationis.
Choroid Plexus Papilloma Expansion Over 7 Years in Aicardi Syndrome
Authors: Frye Richard E. , Polling Jon S. , Ma Louis C. K.
Published: June 2007

Choroid plexus papillomas have been reported in Aicardi syndrome. Management of these tumors is controversial because their natural progression in Aicardi syndrome has only been rarely documented. This report describes the progression of such a tumor over 7 years in a girl with Aicardi syndrome. A magnetic resonance imaging study at 2 months of age demonstrated a right ventricular mass that was consistent with a unilateral choroid plexus papilloma. The mass enlarged over the next 7 years without causing any clinically apparent symptoms, ventricular enlargement, hydrocephalus, or mass effect. The tumor was removed without change in behavior or development. The known cases of Aicardi syndrome associated with choroid plexus papillomas are reviewed. The heterogeneous nature of this lesion is highlighted.
Addressing Nonadherence in the Schizophrenic Population
Authors: Singh Angela C. , Massey Angela J. , Thompson Michael D. , Rappa Leonard R. , Honeywell Marlon S.
Published: June 2007

Nonadherence within the schizophrenic population is a challenge for both the patient and the clinician. This problem not only causes an increase in health care use and cost but also places the patient at risk of relapse and dissatisfaction with medical care. Nonadherence is influenced by several factors including disease, treatment, and psychological and social factors. All of these factors must be addressed if the clinician hopes to reduce nonadherence within this patient population. This article will attempt to identify factors that contribute to nonadherence and review strategies that can be implemented to address each of these factors.
The Interface of Multiculturalism and Psychopharmacology
Authors: Rey Jose A.
Published: June 2007

The impact of culture and ethnicity on psychopharmacological drug response continues to be a topic of interest and research. Diagnostic issues among patients of different races and cultures and also the influence of race and culture of the treating clinician are factors to consider before pharmacotherapy is even prescribed, although it also appears to affect the type of pharmacotherapy prescribed as well. Culture and ethnicity may also influence the response rates to treatment with pharmacotherapy along with affecting the reporting of adverse effects, compliance with the treatment regimen, and perception of need for such treatments compared to alternative health beliefs. African Americans may be diagnosed with a more severe disorder compared to Caucasians, and African Americans may also receive comparatively different, and higher, doses for the same level of symptoms compared to white patients. Asian patients may require different doses of psychotropics compared to Caucasian patients. Some of these dosing differences may be explained by pharmacogenetic differences, whereas some may be explained by cultural perceptions of illness among the different patient populations. This interface between biology, ethnicity, and cultural issues poses a challenge for the practitioner to pay attention to the multiple factors that may influence an individual's response to pharmacotherapy.
The Responsibility Dance
Authors: Cradock Gerald
Published: June 2007

Governmentality scholars conceive freedom as characterized by individuals' self-governance through responsible and prudent subjectivities. However, scholars have paid little attention to children and whether childhood subjectivities are equally subject to the neoliberal expectation of responsible self-governance. This article analyses two Canadian juridical examples of the perceived relationship between government, foster families and foster children. It shows the perception of children as free — understood as rights-bearers — is undermined through a conception of children as family members. Children are shown to have no direct relationship with government due to juridical assertions that only families can turn children into (self-) responsible citizens.
The Sociology of Childhood as Scientific Communication
Authors: King Michael
Published: June 2007

This article begins by identifying a close relationship between the image of children generated by several sociologists working within the new sociology of childhood perspective and the claims and ambitions of the proponents of children's autonomy rights. The image of the child as a competent, self-controlled human agent are then subjected to observation from the perspective of Niklas Luhmann's social systems theory. The new sociology of childhood's constructivist approach is compared and contrasted with Niklas Luhmann's theory of `operational constructivism'. The article applies tenets of Luhmann's theory, to the emergence of the new childhood sociologist's image of the child as a competent, self-controlled social agent, to the epistemological status of this image and, in particular, to claims that it derives from scientific endeavour. The article proceeds to identify two theoretical developments within sociology — sociology of identity and social agency — which have brought about fundamental changes in what may be considered `sociological' and so `scientific' and paved the way for sociological communications about what children `really are'. In conclusion, it argues that the merging of sociology with polemics, ideology, opinion and personal beliefs and, at the level of social systems, between science and politics represents in Luhmann's terms `dedifferentiation' — a tendency he claims may have serious adverse consequences for modern society. This warning is applied to the scientific status of sociology — its claim to be able to produce `facts' for society, upon which social systems, such as politics and law, may rely. Like the mass media, sociology may now be capable of producing only information, and not facts, about children.
Body Work
Authors: Pilcher Jane
Published: June 2007

This article focuses on a neglected topic in the historical sociology of childhood, namely health education, and explores a neglected theme, namely the gendered character of (re)constructions of childhood. Drawing on primary sources, the article argues that while health education for children played an important role in a broader set of British national, political strategies to ensure the health and fitness of `the Nation' during the 20th century, it was girls who were the primary targets and recipients. Gender was thus central to the `body work' in childhood that the official publications on health education sought to promote.
Making Sense of Neonatal Imitation
Authors: Tissaw Michael A.
Published: June 2007

This essay applies philosophical principles and method to compare `imitation' as it is used in everyday contexts with its use in laboratory research and theorizing on human neonates. Its primary goal is to demonstrate the practicability and effectiveness of a philosophical method of conceptual analysis and to suggest benefits of the method's use in contexts of empirical research and theorizing in psychology. A selective summary of research and theorizing including and subsequent to Meltzoff and Moore's experiments on neonatal imitation is followed by a discussion of general principles of conceptual analysis in the analytical tradition, including the distinction between `sense' and `nonsense'. The concept of imitation is analyzed toward producing a `conceptual snapshot' for direct comparison between its possibilities of use and meaning outside and in the laboratory. Analysis shows that the concept is virtually devoid of sense in latter contexts. Results of analysis are defended against possible objections and applied to some relevant theorizing.
Dissenters in the Sanctuary
Authors: Osbeck Lisa M. , Malone Kareen R. , Nersessian Nancy J.
Published: June 2007

Critiques of cognitive psychology and cognitive science principally target cognitiv ism, defined here as doctrinal commitment to computational processing over internal representations as a model of human intelligence. This paper reviews the principal points of critique, but argues that some prominent efforts within cognitive science currently exhibit conceptual and methodological broadening, to the point of revision or rejection of the core assumptions of cognitivism. Three such efforts are highlighted: Hutchins' distributed cognitive framework, Nersessian and Newstetter's ethnographic and historical analysis of innovation in engineering laboratories, and Tomasello's account of cultural evolution in relation to cognitive achievement. The paper claims that such research efforts and the philosophical frameworks that support them offer unrealized opportunities for enhanced dialogue and participation with cognitive science for psychologists critical of cognitivism. Conceptual and methodological advantages of critical engagement are acknowledged, with focus on the problems of innovation and cognitive failure in science.