bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Soviet Union and World Peace
Authors: Timasheff N. S.
Published: August 2009

On the two victory days, military action on the fronts stopped. But peace did not return, nor does anyone know when it will. Peace is not simply absence of military .ction. It is a state of international relations corresponding to “periods of normalcy” in the internal affairs of a nation. Peace exists, when these relations are dominated by good will, mutual understanding and friendly cooperation.

The post-war world longs for peace. But there is no peace because, among the sovereign states, there is one which acts against peace. This is the Soviet Union. Is it, however, certain that the foreign policy of the Soviets is aggressive? Is it not true that, in Moscow, aggressiveness is ascribed to the United States and to the alleged Western bloc headed by it?

In March, 1946, Professor E. Tarle, an authoritative spokesman of the Soviet government, placed in opposition “the old imperialistic concept of international relations” practiced by London and Washington and “the Soviet conception which is based on respect for the rights of the peoples and their real independence.”
Peace or Armistice in the Near East?
Authors: Arendt Hannah
Published: August 2009

Peace in the Near East is essential to the State of Israel, to the Arab people and to the Western world. Peace, as distinguished from an armistice, cannot be imposed from the outside, it can only be the result of negotiations, of mutual compromise and eventual agreement between Jews and Arabs.

The Jewish settlement in Palestine may become a very important factor in the development of the Near East, but it will always remain a comparatively small island in an Arab sea. Even in the event of maximum immigration over a long period of years the reservoir of prospective citizens of Israel is limited to roughly two million, a figure that could be substantially increased only by catastrophic events in the United States or the Soviet Union. Since, however, (apart from the improbability of such a turn of events) the State of Israel owes its very existence to these two world powers, and since failure to achieve a genuine Jewish-Arab understanding will necessarily make its survival even more dependent upon continued sympathy and support of one or the other, a Jewish catastrophe in the two great surviving centers of world Jewry would lead almost immediately to a catastrophe in Israel.
Belgian Political Parties Since Liberation
Authors: Oppenheim F. E.
Published: August 2009

The party structure in Belgium has always reflected not merely the graduation of opinions from the extreme right to the extreme left, but also the linguistic and religious differences of a nation divided into French and Flemish speaking people, and into Catholic believers and freethinkers. The latter distinction still remains the most important one. Thus, the parties continue, as during the nineteenth century, to be classified into “right” and “left” according to whether they have a religious or an agnostic character. The “right” is considered identical with the Catholic Party, and the “left” with the Liberal, Socialist, and Communist Parties. It is also true that the Catholic Party is considered politically conservative, and the “left,” taken as a whole, progressive. And since the “right” has an absolute majority in Flanders and the “left” in Wallonia (the French speaking region), it can be said that, very broadly, the religious, political, and linguistic groupings tend to place Catholics, conservatives, and Flemings against freethinkers, progressives, and Walloons.
History in Hegel's Philosophy of Right
Authors: Maletz Donald J.
Published: August 2009

Hegel'sPhilosophy of Rightis the first work to make a doctrine of progress in history conceived as an organized whole into an integral, even culminating, part of a systematic, philosophic political teaching. Certainly Kant and Rousseau, at the least, preceded Hegel in giving history an emphasis soon to be seen as characteristically modern; yet Hegel nevertheless transformed and deepened their rather tentative approaches into something more solid and comprehensive, perhaps also more grandiose, speculative and questionable. In establishing the view that history could be made theoretically intelligible, and an essential element of political philosophy, he produced a concept of historical progress which is free of utopian idealism, distinguishable from theologically inspired precursors, compatible with freedom (indeed, history becomes the story of the realization of freedom), and an alternative to a quite different form of historicism which thought insight into history would justify anti-rationalist realism or subjectivism.
The Totalitarian State
Authors: Gurian Waldemar
Published: August 2009

A few years ago the word totalitarian was unknown. The popular use of the term has its origin in Mussolini's famous article on the Fascistic doctrine. Mussolini probably took the expression totalitarian from Hegel's Philosophy of Law, where the word is used to characterize the organic unity of the people. “Liberalism,” wrote Mussolini, “negates the state in the interest of the single individual. Fascism affirms the state as the true reality of the individual. It is for the only freedom which can seriously be considered—the freedom of the state and of the individual within the state—because for the Fascist everything is in the state, and outside of the state nothing legal or spiritual can exist or still less be of value. In this sense Fascism is totalitarian.”
Presidential Statesmanship and the Constitution: The Limits of Presidential Studies
Authors: Engeman Thomas S.
Published: August 2009

According to Publius (thenom de plumeofThe Federalist'sauthors), a primary task of the Convention was to create an executive of sufficient energy and independence. As he says inFederalist, No. 70: “There is an idea, which is not without its advocates, that a vigorous executive is inconsistent with the genius of republican government. The enlightened well-wishers to this species of government must at least hope that the supposition is destitute of foundation.” The president must be able to administer the government and defend the nation but he must do so without destroying or being destroyed by constitutional limitations or the political independence of Congress.
On the Interpretation of International Thought
Authors: Weltman John J.
Published: August 2009

Methodological controversy and self-awareness have been endemic in international relations. Yet it is curious how little genuine debate this has engendered, if we understand by “debate” an arena in which arguments are joined rather than one in which assertions are juxtaposed. One has instead the sense of a number of separate guilds, each of which proceeds on the basis of its own indigenous premises, conscious of the work of other groups only as caricature. The various guilds, or intellectual groups, may be distinguished on the basis of their central notions as to the most important data in the field, the appropriate manner of investigating that data, and the character of the knowledge which can result. Occasionally exercises in critique or defense, ostensibly directed outward, are undertaken, but the effect of these sallies remains internal to the group of origin. One finds little evidence of essential change in major premises brought about in response to external criticism.
Rural Politics in Ba'thist Syria: A Case Study in the Role of the Countryside in the Political Development of Arab Societies
Authors: Hinnebusch Raymond A.
Published: August 2009

The importance of the countryside (rief) for the social and economic development of Arab societies whose populations are still greatly peasant in composition and whose wealth is still based on agriculture seems incontestable. Less obvious, but equally important, is the political role of the peasantry and the rural areas in the process of transition from traditional to more modern types of social and political systems in the Middle East. There is plenty of evidence that political modernization cannot take place without a solution to the peasant problem — without their incorporation into the political system. Huntington holds that in modernizing countries where the bulk of the population is rural but where politics remains a predominately urban game, governments are likely to be ephemeral, unstable and ineffective. He argues that the establishment of stable and effective regimes requires bridging the urban-rural gap through some coalition of urban and rural forces which will bring the peasantry into the system. Furthermore, both Huntington and Barrington Moore argue that the particular type of leadership under which the peasants are brought into the political system greatly shapes the whole subsequent development of the system. The countryside, according to Huntington, plays a crucial swing role and this role varies from very conservative to very revolutionary. Three possibilities seem to be typical. One outcome is where peasants are brought into the system by upper-class leadership, sometimes through a formally liberal type electoral system, informally based on patronage and traditional symbolism, sometimes through a conservative authoritarian system.
Giulio Salvadori and the Catholic Political Tradition in Italy
Authors: Drake Richard
Published: August 2009

The Catholic political tradition is at the very center of contemporary Italian politics, but the process by which that tradition came into existence and how it evolved remains obscure and often is subjected to extremely simplistic explanations. Modern Catholic political theory began to take shape during the period of the French Revolution. However, it was the Risorgimento that decisively influenced the political consciousness of Italy's Catholics. The unification of the country in 1860 came about largely at the Church's expense. Pius IX, once the darling of Catholic liberals, responded to the Risorgimento with a fusillade of counterrevolutionary invective inSillabo degli errori del nostro tempo(8 December 1864), still the most notorious example of anguished Catholic imprecations in the post-Risorgimento period. The Church, never comfortable in the post-1789 world, now made unforgettably clear her utter and irrevocable rejection of that world. Her role as the aggressive critic of modernity hardened into one of the outstanding conventions of nineteenthcentury European culture.
Britain and the Middle East, 1944–1950
Authors: Fitzsimons M. A.
Published: August 2009

Since the end of World War II British Policy in the Middle East has been plagued by the devils of the past, joined by a more formidable company of contemporary devils, some of whom bear a mocking resemblance to still earlier ones. Most of this region was once largely in the weak hands of the Turkish Empire. In this area, strategic for the control of the Mediterranean and the security of the Suez Canal, British policy had been to support the Turkish Empire against the heavy pressure of Tsarist Russia, until Turkey's association with Germany drove Britain to moderate its rivalry with Russia, to accept her partnership in Persia (1907), following a similar accommodation of differences with France (1904).

During the First World War the British sponsored the Arab Revolt against Turkey, thus shattering the feeble union of those lands, and creating in the Middle East a parody of the Habsburg succession states, complicated by concessions to France (the Sykes-Picot Agreement) and to Zionism (the Balfour Declaration).
Propaganda as Psychical Coercion
Authors: Meaney John W.
Published: August 2009

Aristotle mentions coercion first in his description of the elements of involuntariness: “What sort of acts, then, should be called compulsory? We answer that without qualification actions are so when the cause is in the external circumstances and the agent contributes nothing.” This statement clearly marks the essence of coercion as exteriority, as opposition not only to the higher degree of interiority, of “from-withinness,” which distinguishes voluntary actions, but also to the spontaneity common to all natural processes. Aristotle gives some instances of physical coercion: a man blown from his path by the wind, and a man carried away by kidnappers.

But we know that psychical forces can also bring about coercion. For example, the movements commanded of a person in deep hypnosis have their origin externally to him in the will of the hypnotist; the hypnotized person contributes nothing by way of voluntary decision to those movements. He is an instrument moved by the external, psychical force of the hypnotist's will; that is, he is subject to psychical coercion.
Communism, Islam and Nationalism in China
Authors: Lindbeck John M. H.
Published: August 2009

On January 19, 1950 the People's Republic of China established “a regional coalition Government” in Northwest China, embracing the five provinces of Shensi, Kansu, Ninghsia, Chinghai, and Sinkiang. This region is of special importance to China because of its strategic position at the nexus of Central Asia where Russian, Chinese and Pan-Islamic interests meet. The political orientation of the people in this area is of fundamental concern to the government of China.

Moslem communities are scattered throughout China, but the largest concentration of these is in China's Northwest. In this region under the present jurisdiction of the Northwest Military and Administrative Committee, having its seat of government at Sian, appear to be about half of China's Moslems. Within the region they represent something less than half the total population of about 23 million. The place of the Moslem communities in the Northwest Region determines in part its character and strength, for without the cooperation and loyalty of its Moslem groups, the region is politically weak and a constant strategic danger to Chinese authority and integrity in Central Asia.
The Masque of Uncertainty: Britain and Munich
Authors: Fitzsimons M. A.
Published: August 2009

Unless you are prepared on the one hand to say, “I will fight in every case on behalf of peace, which is one and indivisible,” or on the other hand to say, “I will only fight when I am myself the victim of attack”mdash;unless you are prepared to take one of those two positions there is an inevitable no-man's land of uncertainty lying between which is quite incapable, as I think, of antecedent definition.

—Viscount Halifax in the House of Lords, March 3, 1937.
Alexis de Tocqueville on England
Authors: Zemach Ada
Published: August 2009

“I have so many feelings and ideas in common with the English that for me England has become a second intellectual home.” So wrote de Tocqueville to one of his English friends, when signs of Napoleonic despotism reappeared in the troubled French skies and alarmed liberals began to worry about final issues and coming dangers.

England and its historical pattern of behavior, its “moeurs”, its institutions and above all the peculiar rhythm of its social development, played a most important part in the general formation of de Tocqueville's thought. The Anglo-Saxon world was in his eyes a fairly bright spot in a gloomy and unhappy European picture, a world from which one could occasionally gather some valuable guiding principles as to the understanding of the continental malady and its possible cure.
An Age of Revolutionary Wars: An Historical Parallel
Authors: Cobban Alfred
Published: August 2009

There is one point on which both sides in the present world conflict are agreed. Each may denounce the leadership of the other side, but neither supposes that a change in leadership would make any difference, because both believe that it is a conflict not of persons or governments, but of principles, or of systems of society. The commonly accepted explanation of the conflict, in short, is that the world is now divided between Communism and Capitalism. At the risk of seeming paradoxical it must be asked what this explanation explains, and whether, in fact, it does anything but provide convenient labels for the opposing forces. The implied assumption that states with differing economic systems must necessarily be hostile to one another is at least unproved, and goes against historical experience. It would be easier to explain the conflict as a religious war, and Communism certainly exhibits many of the features of a militant religion, but can we be quite content to dismiss Communists and capitalists as the Protestants and Catholics of the twentieth century? And if we are, can we find many religious wars in which secular and political interests did not provide as strong or stronger a motive than religion?
Machiavelli's Prince: Background and Formation
Authors: Voegelin Eric
Published: August 2009

The name of Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527), to the public at large, still lies in the shadow of moralistic condemnation. The anti-Machiavellian propaganda of the Counter-Reformation concentrated on the principles of political craftsmanship, developed in the Prince, as its target; and, apart from a narrower circle of historians, Machiavelli has ever since remained the author of the famous work, while the morality of his advice to rulers has remained the great issue of evaluation. It is hardly necessary to say that such preoccupations with moralistic propaganda cannot form the basis for a critical analysis of Machiavelli's ideas. All we can retain from the caricature is the consciousness that something extraordinary has occurred, a severe break with the traditions of treating political questions, the consciousness that with the author of the Prince we are on the threshold of a new, “modern” era. Even this element of the caricature, however, needs qualification. The furious concentration on the evil book has created the illusion that its author was a solitary figure, something like a moral freak. That, of course, is not so. There is nothing solitary or enigmatic about Machiavelli. His ideas, like everybody's, have a solid pre-history stretching over generations; and they were shared in his time by others. Historically unique, however, is the genius of Machiavelli as well as the strange disposition of circumstances directing his genius toward the crystallization of die ideas of die age in the symbol of die Prince who, through fortuna and virtù, will be the savior and restorer of Italy.
The Strength and the Weaknesses of the Soviet Union
Authors: Timasheff N. S.
Published: August 2009

On the political scene of the postwar world, the opposition between the United States and the Soviet Union has been the dominant fact. The unfolding of this opposition has been, and will be, to a large extent, determined by the relative strength of the two parties: the closer it is to equality, the easier could it develop into a shooting war. If it so develops, die same relationship of strength will become one of the major determinants of victory.

What is the relative strength of the central foes? In this paper, the strength of the United States will be taken for granted. Contrariwise, the strength of the Soviet Union will be treated as an unknown magnitude to be found on the basis of evidence available.
Religion, Politics, and Oaths in the Glorious Revolution
Authors: Mullet Charles F.
Published: August 2009

Although at the end of the seventeenth century men were shifting their political terminology from the spiritual to the secular, from God to nature, they still invoked the absolutes of history, law, and scripture. They did not lightly overturn their monarch, but when the necessity for such action arose they sought absolution in concepts which the most rigorous and learned mediaeval theologian would have understood. They appealed to the law of nature but they meant the law of God; and the shift involved no betrayal of absolute standards, no withdrawal from the same ethical doctrines that had nourished their forebears. The time was soon to come when secular phrases expressed a secular outlook, but in 1689 they continued to cover the religious convictions of centuries. As soon as the bars were down and men grappled in hectic controversy, the secular side of their politics diminished and the ethical and spiritual aspects became pronounced.
Hannah Arendt on Eichmann: The Public, the Private and Evil
Authors: Dossa Shiraz
Published: August 2009

Since its publication,Eichmann in Jerusalemhas provoked a storm of controversy. With a few exceptions, critics reacted to the substance of Arendt's thesis with considerable bitterness and hostility. This article argues that her detractors badly misunderstood Arendt because they were insufficiently conversant with, or unaware of, her political theory. Fundamental to this theory, articulated at length in herThe Human Condition, is the crucial distinction between the public and the private. None of her critics, including those who sympathized with Arendt, have understood that her critical analysis of Eichmann's conduct and of the response of the Jewish leadership to the tragic fate that befell their people makes sense on the peculiar terrain of her political theory and particularly in terms of the public-private distinction which lies at the core of this theory.
Marx's Idealist Critique of Hegel's Theory of Society and Politics
Authors: Duquette David A.
Published: August 2009

The article is a comparative study of Hegel and Marx on the nature and function of the political state and it argues that Marx's critique of Hegel on this topic is aimed not at the “idealism” of the state, which concerns the principle of universal freedom, but rather at the “material” presuppositions of the state. Indeed, Marx's critique of political institutions is premised upon the way in which they are infected with the egoism and self-seeking of civil (bürgerliche) society. The relationship between the views of Hegel and Marx on these points is explored by (1) giving an exegesis of Hegel's conception of civil society as a foundation for freedom, (2) examining Marx's critique of Hegel's theory of the state, (3) distinguishing the Hegelian and Marxian philosophical conceptions of freedom, the individual, and community, and (4) evaluating the fairness and cogency of Marx's critique of Hegel.
The Significance of Lucrezia in Machiavelli'sLa Mandragola
Authors: Behuniak-Long Susan
Published: August 2009

The “fall” of Lucrezia in Machiavelli's playLa Mandragolais a puzzlement. She is presented as an intelligent and virtuous wife who by play's end not only agrees to commit adultery but murder as well. Any attempt to interpret the play must address the significance of Lucrezia and her fall. It is argued here, however, that the real deception is that Lucrezia does not undergo a conversion—she is of questionable character from the start. Upon examination, her similarity with the Goddess Fortuna reveals a deeper tale being told within the play. Machiavelh uses her to mock the Church, and St. Augustine in particular, and to deliver a frightening message that the free will is no match for the goddess.
Publius—A Split Personality?
Authors: Carey George W.
Published: August 2009

This article critically examines the widely accepted thesis that because of basic theoretical differences between Hamilton and Madison the Federalist is best read as the product of a “split personality.” An examination of the areas and concerns identified by leading proponents of this thesis (Douglass Adair and Alpheus T. Mason) fails to reveal any significant differences between Hamilton and Madison writing as “Publius.” In fact, this analysis reveals a very close correspondence in their views on the basic principles of the proposed system. These findings strongly support the proposition that the Federalist is a consensual work whose contradictions and tensions reflect more basic difficulties endemic to the proposed system and principles of republicanism rather than theoretical differences between its authors.
Ideology and Truth-Seeking in Liberal Theory: The Case of Ackerman's Social Justice in the Liberal State
Authors: Downing Lyle A. , Thigpen Robert B.
Published: August 2009

This study examines the ideological and truth-seeking aspects of Ackerman's Social Justice in the Liberal State. Ackerman begins in a truth-seeking fashion by requiring all power and all distributive claims to be justified. In developing principles of social justice from imaginary dialogues that are assumed to be neutral toward the good, he defends the “neutrality principle” inadequately and employs it ideologically. The fundamental distributive principle, undominated equality, is derived from dialogues that are manipulated to prevent other principles from passing the “neutrality test.” Although Ackerman discusses issues of citizenship and birthrights that are ordinarily ignored, his attempt to protect the liberal state leads to ideological formulations.
Excessive Entanglement: A Wavering First Amendment Standard
Authors: Weber Paul J.
Published: August 2009

Theexcessive entanglementstandard is part of the Supreme Court's three-pronged test for determining the constitutional validity of government aid to religion. This article challenges in turn the validity of that standard and its two components, namely the criteria of administrative entanglement and political divisiveness. The administrative entanglement criterion is flawed because it violates the principle of equality. The political divisiveness standard, on the other hand, not only misreads the intention of the Founding Fathers but also ignores the value of religious conflict in a democracy and the strategy for handling such conflict proposed by James Madison.
Lonergan's Cognitional Theory: Toward A Critical Human Science
Authors: Nordquest David A.
Published: August 2009

Lonergan's cognitional theory, though generally unknown in the discipline, points the way toward a more concrete understanding of politics through its emphasis on the self-appropriation of our knowing. This article examines the invariant structure or method Lonergan finds in all practical or scientific knowing, the precepts that can be derived from the operations of the mind, the continuity between cognitive and moral self-transcendence, and the different horizons which may confine our knowing. It considers the biases which distort personal and political development, the need for cosmopolis, an informal community which helps to save practicality by transcending it, the methodological natural right which may be derived from norms inherent in our knowing, and the emergent probability of progress or decline set by the stock of insights or oversights operative in a society. It concludes that Lonergan's work makes a substantial contribution to the critical human science he seeks and that it could play a helpful role in unifying the discipline.
Thucydides' Contest: Thucydidean “Methodology” in Context
Authors: Orwin Clifford
Published: August 2009

Thucydides is famous for the speeches in his work, so rich in arresting generalities. Yet his handling of these speeches has been often questioned and seldom understood. This article illuminates his procedures by considering them within the context, too often ignored, of Thucydides' equally famous “Archaeology,” or account of ancient times, which expresses his criticism of previous writers. It attempts to vindicate his own methods, and in particular his own contribution to the speeches that he presents in the mouths of his characters, with reference to the political character of the speeches as originally delivered as well as of Thucydides' purpose in reproducing them.
Strauss Before Straussianism: Reason, Revelation, and Nature
Authors: Gunnell John G.
Published: August 2009

Despite the impact of Leo Strauss on American political science and political theory, where, exactly, Strauss was “coming from,” in both senses of that phrase, has been far from clear. Carl Friedrich, reviewing the, at that point, unknown author's book on Hobbes, noted that Strauss might have been more forthcoming about his own position, but he believed that it was safe to conclude that he was a “historical relativist.” Friedrich may have been closer to the mark than many subsequent commentators realized, but in order to understand Strauss's work, it is necessary to return to the universe he inhabited before “coming to America.” Since Strauss's death, his enterprise has been subject to careful scrutiny, but his early life and work have remained opaque.
A Latitude for Statesmanship? Strauss on St. Thomas
Authors: Schulh James V.
Published: August 2009

Leo Strauss often spoke of Jerusalem and Athens. He never spoke of Rome in the same context, never of Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome. Western civilization, in his view, was fertilized by the dynamic tension between only two, not three, cities. This theoretically unresolvable stress between Jerusalem and Athens was what made this culture unique. Western civilization stood between reason and revelation. For Strauss, it seemed self-evident that this tension, which initially arose when the pious Jews encountered the philosophers Plato and Aristotle, was incapable of intellectual reconciliation but still it remained the font of its cultural vitality.
Politics and Judgment: A Critique of Rational Choice Marxism
Authors: Bronner Stephen Eric
Published: August 2009

This article is an attempt to confront the assumptions underpinning rational choice Marxism along with its implications for politics and social theory. That initially calls for setting the new tendency within the Marxian tradition in order to see whether its proponents can deal with the issues deriving from the collapse of the old teleological vision. In this way, the subsequent epistemological critique will be undertaken within a theoretical and practical context. From this critique, it will become apparent that rational choice builds on the utilitarian assumptions of what Marx termed “vulgar materialism” and simply ignores the role of philosophical idealism entirely.
Observations on the Memorandum “The Crisis in Church-State Relationships in the U.S.A.”
Authors: Stritch Samuel Cardinal
Published: August 2009

The presentation of what the author calls a “grave danger” which confronts the Church in the United States in my judgment is not comprehensive. All through our history, we Catholics in the United States have had to face this same attack upon the Church from non-Catholics. The point of the attack has been the same all through the years: namely, that Catholics cannot be loyal to the Constitution of the United States and at the same time loyal to their Church. The notion of religious freedom in the non-Catholic mind in the Englishspeaking world derives from the Protestant doctrine upholding the right of the individual to interpret for himself the Sacred Scriptures.
Americans All: World War II and the Shaping of American Identity
Authors: Gleason Philip
Published: August 2009

Although it is four decades since the United States entered World War II, some aspects of the nation's wartime experience are still virtually unstudied. Military and diplomatic historians have labored productively for many years, but historians interested in American social and intellectual developments are just beginning to turn their attention to the wartime era. Recent general studies by Richard Polenberg and John M. Blum are especially welcome since, by drawing greater attention to the period, they should stimulate further research. There is much left to be done because the war affected practically every dimension of American life. The present essay deals with one of its less obvious effects —the way in which it shaped the thinking of a whole generation on the subject of American identity.
A Critique of the Pro-Choice Argument
Authors: Voegeli William J.
Published: August 2009

The debate over abortion in America is at a standstill. The pro-life and pro-choice groups, having settled firmly on incompatible premises, have nothing to say to one another. Their “debate” is only “a battle of bumper stickers between people with their minds already made up.” More importantly, they have nothing to say to all the people in the middle who feel uncomfortable with both positions. If the crux of the abortion issue is choosing between being pro-life and pro-choice, then the undecided citizen who sincerely wants his country to act rightly has the dismal opportunity of deciding whether to be anti-choice or anti-life.
HumanBrucella canisoutbreak linked to infection in dogs
Authors: LUCERO N. E. , CORAZZA R. , ALMUZARA M. N. , REYNES E. , ESCOBAR G. I. , BOERI E. , AYALA S. M.
Published: August 2009

The zoonotic risk ofBrucella canishas been considered fairly high for persons who handle breeding dogs in kennels or are exposed to infected animals. Transmission to humans in other circumstances has been thought to be rare. We describe an uncommon outbreak of brucellosis caused byB. caniswhich, to the best of our knowledge, is the first reported in the literature. This outbreak involved six persons (three children and three adults), a bitch and three puppies which had close daily contact with the family. The clinical symptoms of the index case led to an erroneous diagnosis and the infection would have gone undiagnosed if culture had not been positive. This report aims to increase awareness of medical personnel of the need to order screening tests for children, immunodeficient persons or pregnant women presenting with fever of unknown origin, unexplained spleen or liver enlargement or other systemic signs. The emerging zoonotic potential of this disease in urban areas and the need to coordinate canine brucellosis surveillance systems should be evaluated.
Assessment of physical activity using accelerometry, an activity diary, the heart rate method and the Indian Migration Study questionnaire in South Indian adults
Authors: Bharathi Ankalmadagu V , Kuriyan Rebecca , Kurpad Anura V , Thomas Tinku , Ebrahim Shah , Kinra Sanjay , Lyngdoh Tanica , Reddy Srinath K , Dorairaj Prabhakaran , Vaz Mario
Published: August 2009

Objective

To validate questionnaire-based physical activity level (PAL) against accelerometry and a 24 h physical activity diary (24 h AD) as reference methods (Protocol 2), after validating these reference methods against the heart rate–oxygen consumption (HRVO2) method (Protocol 1).

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

Two villages in Andhra Pradesh state and Bangalore city, South India.

Subjects

Ninety-four participants (fifty males, forty-four females) for Protocol 2; thirteen males for Protocol 1.

Results

In Protocol 2, mean PAL derived from the questionnaire (1·72 (sd 0·20)) was comparable to that from the 24 h AD (1·78 (sd 0·20)) but significantly higher than the mean PAL derived from accelerometry (1·36 (sd 0·20); P < 0·001). Mean bias of PAL from the questionnaire was larger against the accelerometer (0·36) than against the 24 h AD (−0·06), but with large limits of agreement against both. Correlations of PAL from the questionnaire with that of the accelerometer (r = 0·28; P = 0·01) and the 24 h AD (r = 0·30; P = 0·006) were modest. In Protocol 1, mean PAL from the 24 h AD (1·65 (sd 0·18)) was comparable, while that from the accelerometer (1·51 (sd 0·23)) was significantly lower (P < 0·001), than mean PAL obtained from the HRVO2 method (1·69 (sd 0·21)).

Conclusions

The questionnaire showed acceptable validity with the reference methods in a group with a wide range of physical activity levels. The accelerometer underestimated PAL in comparison with the HRVO2 method.
Measuring State Disgust
Authors: Ihme Jan Marten , Mitte Kristin
Published: August 2009

The aim of the present analysis was to develop and evaluate a state disgust questionnaire (Ekel-State-Fragebogen, ESF) in German, considering three student sample studies. Twenty-six items were constructed using information drawn from literature research and from the self-report of subjects after an induction of disgust. In Study 1, the questionnaire was given to 160 subjects after disgust induced by a film sequence and in a second session without induction. Study 2 had an experimental design where disgust or positive mood was induced by scents (60 subjects), followed by a state disgust measurement. Study 3, a repeated measure design, involved 102 subjects in whom disgust, fear, and neutral mood were induced by film sequences. Data from all three studies supported a one-factor solution. The ESF showed the highest means in disgust conditions. The correlations of the ESF with state anxiety (STAI State) ranged from .68 to .79, with trait disgust from .42 to .48 in disgust conditions, and with trait anxiety from .24 to .41. Thus, the ESF showed good results in measuring state disgust in a specific, reliable, and valid manner. Based on these results, a short version of 15 items was developed.
Self-Perceived Creativity
Authors: Kreitler Shulamith , Casakin Hernan
Published: August 2009

In view of unclear previous findings about the validity of self-assessed creativity, the hypothesis guiding the present study was that validity would be proven if self-assessed creativity was examined with respect to a specific domain, specific product, specific aspects of creativity, and in terms of specific criteria. The participants were 52 architecture students. The experimental task was to design a small museum in a described context. After completing the task, the students self-assessed their creativity in designing with seven open-ended questions, the Self-Assessment of Creative Design questionnaire, and a list of seven items tapping affective metacognitive aspects of the designing process. Thus, 21 creativity indicators were formed. Four expert architects, working independently, assessed the designs on nine creativity indicators: fluency, flexibility, elaboration, functionality, innovation, fulfilling specified design requirements, considering context, mastery of skills concerning the esthetics of the design representation, and overall creativity. The agreement among the architects’ evaluations was very high. The correlations between the nine corresponding indicators in students’ assessment of their design and those of the experts were positive and significant with respect to three indicators: fluency, flexibility, and overall creativity. On the contrary, the correlations of the rest noncorresponding indicators with those of the experts were not significant. The findings support the validity of self-assessed creativity with specific restrictions.
MHD nature of night‐time MSTIDs excited by the solar terminator
Authors: Afraimovich E. L. , Edemskiy I. K. , Leonovich A. S. , Leonovich L. A. , Voeykov S. V. , Yasyukevich Y. V.
Published: August 2009

We have obtained first experimental evidence in favour of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) nature of night‐time medium‐scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs). We used total electron content (TEC) measurement data from the dense GPS networks in California and in Japan for 2008–2009. It was found that the spectral MSTID characteristics are determined by the solar terminator (ST) dynamics. In summer, MSTIDs are detected 1.5–3 hours before the evening ST at 100 km above the point of observations, but at the moment of the evening ST passage through the magnetoconjugate point. At the equinox MSTIDs are registered at once after ST appearance. In winter, MSTIDs are observed 1.5–3 hours after the evening ST occurrence at the point of observations, but at the moment of the evening ST passage in the magnetoconjugate point. The MSTID occurring synchronously with the ST passage through the magnetoconjugate area suggest that the ST‐excited MSTIDs are of MHD nature.
Emissions of greenhouse gases from a North American megacity
Authors: Wunch D. , Wennberg P. O. , Toon G. C. , Keppel‐Aleks G. , Yavin Y. G.
Published: August 2009

Atmospheric column abundances of carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) have been measured above the South Coast air basin (SCB), a densely populated urban region of Southern California, USA, which includes Los Angeles and the surrounding suburbs. Large diurnal variations in CO and CH4 are observed which correlate well with those in CO2. Weaker correlations are seen between N2O and CO2, with large uncertainties. We compute yearly SCB emissions of CO and CH4 to be 1.4 ± 0.3 Tg CO and 0.6 ± 0.1 Tg CH4. We compare our calculated emissions to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) estimates. Our measurements confirm that urban emissions are a significant source of CH4 and in fact may be substantially higher than currently estimated. If our emissions are typical of other urban centers, these findings suggest that urban emissions could contribute 7–15% to the global anthropogenic budget of methane.
Implications of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor for Postischemic Neurovascular Remodeling
Authors: Hermann Dirk Matthias , Zechariah Anil
Published: August 2009

Neurovascular remodeling has been recently recognized as a promising target for neurologic therapies. Hopes have emerged that, by stimulating vessel growth, it may be possible to stabilize brain perfusion, and at the same time promote neuronal survival, brain plasticity, and neurologic recovery. In this review, we outline the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the ischemic brain, analyzing how this growth factor contributes to brain remodeling. Studies with therapeutic VEGF administration resulted in quite variable results depending on the route and time point of delivery. Local VEGF administration consistently enhanced neurologic recovery, whereas acute intravenous delivery exacerbated brain infarcts due to enhanced brain edema. Future studies should answer the following questions: (1) whether increased vessel density translates into improvements in blood flow in the hemodynamically compromised brain; (2) how VEGF influences brain plasticity and contributes to motor and nonmotor recovery; (3) what are the actions of VEGF not only in young animals with preserved vasculature, on which previous studies have been conducted, but also in aged animals and in animals with preexisting atherosclerosis; and (4) whether the effects of VEGF can be mimicked by pharmacological compounds or by cell-based therapies. Only on the basis of such information can more definite conclusions be made with regard to whether the translation of therapeutic angiogenesis into clinics is promising.
Brain-Targeting Mechanisms of Lactoferrin-Modified DNA-Loaded Nanoparticles
Authors: Huang Rongqin , Ke Weilun , Han Liang , Liu Yang , Shao Kun , Ye Liya , Lou Jinning , Jiang Chen , Pei Yuanying
Published: August 2009

Ligand-mediated brain-targeting drug delivery is one of the focuses at present. Elucidation of exact targeting mechanisms serves to efficiently design these drug delivery systems. In our previous studies, lactoferrin (Lf) was successfully exploited as a brain-targeting ligand to modify cationic dendrimer-based nanoparticles (NPs). The mechanisms of Lf-modified NPs to the brain were systematically investigated in this study for the first time. The uptake of Lf-modified vectors and NPs by brain capillary endothelial cells (BCECs) was related to clathrin-dependent endocytosis, caveolae-mediated endocytosis, and macropinocytosis. The intracellular trafficking results showed that Lf-modified NPs could rapidly enter the acidic endolysosomal compartments within 5 mins and then partly escape within 30 mins. Both Lf-modified vectors and NPs showed higher blood–brain barrier-crossing efficiency than unmodified counterparts. All the results suggest that both receptor- and adsorptive-mediated mechanisms contribute to the cellular uptake of Lf-modified vectors and NPs. Enhanced brain-targeting delivery could be achieved through the synergistic effect of the macromolecular polymers and the ligand.
Frontal Cerebral Blood Flow Changes after Hormone Replacement Therapy in Depressed Postmenopausal Women
Authors: Yao Wei-Jen , Pan Hsien-An , Wang Shan-Tair , Yang Yen-Kuang , Yu Chin-Yin , Lin Hong-Dun
Published: August 2009

We investigated the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on frontal cerebral blood flow (CBF), depressive symptoms, and cognitive function in depressed postmenopausal women. Fourteen postmenopausal women with depressive symptoms underwent HRT, and seven controls not undergoing HRT were studied. We evaluated frontal CBF, expressed as frontal/cerebellum (F/C) ratio, using Tc-99m hexamethyl propylene amine oxime single photon emission computed tomography (Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT), cognitive function using the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), and depression using the HAD (Hospital Anxiety and Depression) scale. All studies were carried out at initial status and after 9 months. Single photon emission computed tomography was performed at rest and at activation during the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Initial frontal CBF was not different between groups. After 9 months, resting frontal CBF was similar between groups. However, activated frontal CBF was significantly higher in the HRT group than in controls (F/C ratio: 0.924±0.04 versus 0.853±0.05, P=0.007). Furthermore, the increase in the activated F/C ratio was inversely associated with years since menopause. Mini-Mental Status Examination scores improved after HRT, but depression scores did not. Hormone replacement therapy improved frontal CBF and cognitive function but not depression in postmenopausal women. The changes in frontal CBF were detected only during WCST activation and were most apparent during early postmenopausal years.
Characterizing the Origin of the Arterial Spin Labelling Signal in MRI Using a Multiecho Acquisition Approach
Authors: Wells Jack A , Lythgoe Mark F , Choy Mankin , Gadian David G , Ordidge Roger J , Thomas David L
Published: August 2009

Arterial spin labelling (ASL) can noninvasively isolate the MR signal from arterial blood water that has flowed into the brain. In gray matter, the labelled bolus is dispersed within three main compartments during image acquisition: the intravascular compartment; intracellular tissue space; and the extracellular tissue space. Changes in the relative volumes of the extracellular and intracellular tissue space are thought to occur in many pathologic conditions such as stroke and brain tumors. Accurate measurement of the distribution of the ASL signal within these three compartments will yield better understanding of the time course of blood delivery and exchange, and may have particular application in animal models of disease to investigate the relationship between the source of the ASL signal and pathology. In this study, we sample the transverse relaxation of the ASL perfusion weighted and control images acquired with and without vascular crusher gradients at a range of postlabelling delays and tagging durations, to estimate the tricompartmental distribution of labelled water in the rat cortex. Our results provide evidence for rapid exchange of labelled blood water into the intracellular space relative to the transit time through the vascular bed, and provide a more solid foundation for cerebral blood flow quantification using ASL techniques.