bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms mediating the oxygen-induced vasoreactivity of the ductus arteriosus in the chicken embryo
Authors: Greyner Henry , Dzialowski Edward M.
Published: September 2008

The avian embryo provides a novel model for studying the ductus arteriosus (DA) during the transition from in ovo to ex ovo life. Here we examined the mechanisms regulating the vasoreactivity of the two morphologically distinct portions of the chicken DA (proximal and distal) in response to O2. Oxygen-induced contraction is redox sensitive and reversed by the reducing agent dithiothreitol and the H2O2scavenger N-mercaptopropionylglycine. As in the mammalian DA, inhibiting mitochondrion-derived reactive oxygen species production with rotenone and antimycin A relaxed the O2-constricted DA. The contractile response to O2matures during hatching and is mimicked by the Kvchannel inhibitor 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) on day 19 and externally pipped (EP) embryos. Together, O2and 4-AP significantly increase DA tone above that observed with either alone. The O2-induced contraction is mediated by influx of extracellular Ca2+through l-type Ca2+and store-operated channels. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive Ca2+stores play a minor role in the O2-induced contraction. The O2-induced contraction is mediated by the Rho kinase pathway, as fasudil and Y-27632 significantly relax the O2contracted DA. Prostaglandins E2, F2α, and D2produce significant contraction of the proximal DA. The O2-induced relaxation of the distal portion of the DA is mediated by an endothelial-derived nitric oxide/cGMP pathway. Both 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one and endothelial cell removal inhibit O2-induced relaxation in the distal segment. Mechanisms regulating O2-induced contraction in chicken proximal DA are similar to those found in mammalian DA, making the chicken a useful model for studying development of this O2-sensitive vessel.
Conditional increase in SERCA2a protein is able to reverse contractile dysfunction and abnormal calcium flux in established diabetic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Suarez Jorge , Scott Brian , Dillmann Wolfgang H.
Published: September 2008

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is characterized by reduced cardiac contractility independent of vascular disease. A contributor to contractile dysfunction in the diabetic heart is impaired sarcoplasmic reticulum function with reduced sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a) pump activity, leading to disturbed intracellular calcium handling. It is currently unclear whether increasing SERCA2a activity in hearts with existing diabetic cardiomyopathy could still improve calcium flux and contractile performance. To test this hypothesis, we generated a cardiac-specific tetracycline-inducible double transgenic mouse, which allows for doxycycline (DOX)-based inducible SERCA2a expression in which DOX exposure turns on SERCA2a expression. Isolated cardiomyocytes and Langendorff perfused hearts from streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice were studied. Our results show that total SERCA2a protein levels were decreased in the diabetic mice by 60% compared with control. SERCA2a increased above control values in the diabetic mice after DOX. Dysfunctional contractility in the diabetic cardiomyocyte was restored to normal by induction of SERCA2a expression. Calcium transients from diabetic cardiomyocytes showed a delayed rate of diastolic calcium decay of 66%, which was reverted toward normal after SERCA2a expression induced by DOX. Global cardiac function assessed in the diabetic perfused heart showed diminished left ventricular pressure, rate of contraction, and relaxation. These parameters were returned to control values by SERCA2a expression. In conclusion, we have used mice allowing for inducible expression of SERCA2a and could demonstrate that increased expression of SERCA2a leads to improved cardiac function in mice with an already established diabetic cardiomyopathy in absence of detrimental effects.
The ROMK potassium channel is present in mammalian urinary tract epithelia and muscle
Authors: Spector David A. , Yang Qing , Klopouh Leonid , Deng Jie , Weinman Edward J. , Steplock Deborah A. , Biswas Rajatsubhra , Brazie Marc F. , Liu Jie , Wade James B.
Published: September 2008

There is increasing evidence that mammalian urinary tract epithelial cells utilize membrane channels and transporters to transport solutes across their apical (luminal) and basalateral membranes to modify solute concentrations in both cell and urine. This study investigates the expression, localization, and regulation of the ROMK (Kir1.1) potassium channels in rat and dog ureter and bladder tissues. Immunoblots of homogenates of whole ureter, whole bladder, bladder epithelial cells, and bladder smooth muscle tissues in both rat and dog identified ∼45- to 50-kDa bands characteristic of ROMK in all tissues. RT-PCR identified ROMK mRNA in these same tissues in both animal species. ROMK protein localized by immunocytochemistry was strongly expressed in the apical membranes of the large umbrella cells lining the bladder lumen and to a lesser extent in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells and smooth muscle cells in the rat bladder. ROMK protein and mRNA were also discovered in cardiac, striated, and smooth muscle in diverse organs. There was no difference in immunoblot expression of ROMK abundance in bladder homogenates (whole bladder, epithelial cell, or muscle cell) or ureteral homogenates between groups of rats fed high- or low-potassium diets. Although the functional role of ROMK in urinary tract epithelia and smooth muscle is unknown, ROMK may participate in the regulation of epithelial and smooth muscle cell volume and osmolality, in the dissipation of potassium leaked or diffused from urine across the epithelial cell apical membranes or tight junctions, and in net or bidirectional potassium transport across urinary tract epithelia.
Low-vitamin E diet exacerbates calcium oxalate crystal formation via enhanced oxidative stress in rat hyperoxaluric kidney
Authors: Huang Ho-Shiang , Ma Ming-Chieh , Chen Jun
Published: September 2008

Vitamin E was previously reported to reduce calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal formation. This study explored whether vitamin E deficiency affects intrarenal oxidative stress and accelerates crystal deposition in hyperoxaluria. The control (C) group of rats received a standard diet and drinking water, while the experimental groups received 0.75% ethylene glycol (EG) in drinking water for 42 days. Of the latter, one group received a standard diet (EG group), one received a low-vitamin E (LE) diet (EG+LE group), and the last received an LE diet with vitamin E supplement (4 mg) (EG+LE+E group). The C+LE and C+LE+E groups were the specific controls for the last two experimental groups, respectively. In a separate experiment, EG and EG+LE rats were studied on days 3–42 to examine the temporal relationship between oxidative change and crystal formation. Urinary biochemistry and activity/levels of antioxidative and oxidative enzymes in glomeruli and tubulointerstitial specimens (TIS) were examined. In EG rats, CaOx crystal accumulation was associated with low antioxidative enzyme activity in TIS and with increased oxidative enzyme expression in glomeruli. In the EG+LE group, marked changes in antioxidative and oxidative enzyme levels were seen and correlated with massive CaOx deposition and tubular damage. The increased oxidative stress seen with EG+LE treatment was largely reversed by vitamin E supplementation. A temporal study showed that decrease in antioxidative defense and increased free radical formation in the EG+LE group occurred before crystal deposition. This study shows that low vitamin E disrupts the redox balance and causes cell death, thereby favoring crystal formation.
Responses to Interaural Time Delay in Human Cortex
Authors: von Kriegstein Katharina , Griffiths Timothy D. , Thompson Sarah K. , McAlpine David
Published: September 2008

Humans use differences in the timing of sounds at the two ears to determine the location of a sound source. Various models have been posited for the neural representation of these interaural time differences (ITDs). These models make opposing predictions about the lateralization of ITD processing in the human brain. The weighted-image model predicts that sounds leading in time at one ear activate maximally the opposite brain hemisphere for all values of ITD. In contrast, the π-limit model assumes that ITDs beyond half the period of the stimulus center frequency are not explicitly encoded in the brain and that such “long” ITDs activate maximally the side of the brain to which the sound is heard. A previous neuroimaging study revealed activity in the human inferior colliculus consistent with the π-limit. Here we show that cortical responses to sounds with ITDs within the π-limit are in line with the predictions of both models. However, contrary to the immediate predictions of both models, neural activation is bilateral for “long” ITDs, despite these being perceived as clearly lateralized. Furthermore, processing of long ITDs leads to higher activation in cortex than processing of short ITDs. These data show that coding of ITD in cortex is fundamentally different from coding of ITD in the brain stem. We discuss these results in the context of the two models.
Dynamic Translation of Surface Coarseness Into Whisker Vibrations
Authors: Lottem Eran , Azouz Rony
Published: September 2008

Rodents in their natural environment use their whiskers to distinguish between surfaces having subtly different textures and shapes. They do so by actively sweeping their whiskers across surfaces in a rhythmic motion. To determine how textures are transformed into vibration signals in whiskers and how these vibrations are expressed in neuronal discharges, we induced active whisking in anesthetized rats, monitored the movement of whiskers across surfaces, and concurrently recorded from trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons. We show that tactile information is transmitted through high-frequency micromotions superimposed on whisking macro motions. Consistent with this, we find that in most TG neurons, spike activity, and high-frequency micromotions are closely correlated. To determine whether these vibration signals can support texture discrimination, we examined their dependence on surface roughness and found that both vibration signals carry information about surface coarseness. Despite a large variability in this translation process, different textures are translated into distinct vibrations profiles. These profiles depend on whiskers properties, on radial distance to the surface, and on whisking frequency. Using the characteristics of these signals, we employ linear discriminant analysis and found that all whiskers were able to discriminate between different textures. While deteriorating with radial distance, this classification did not depend on whisking frequency. Finally, increasing the number of whisks and integrating tactile information from multiple whiskers improved texture discrimination. These results indicate that surface roughness is translated into distinct whisker vibration signals that result in neuronal discharges. However, due to the dynamic nature of this translation process, we propose that texture discrimination may require the integration of signals from multiple spatial and temporal sensory channels to disambiguate surface roughness.
Evidence for a Frontoparietal Control System Revealed by Intrinsic Functional Connectivity
Authors: Vincent Justin L. , Kahn Itamar , Snyder Abraham Z. , Raichle Marcus E. , Buckner Randy L.
Published: September 2008

Two functionally distinct, and potentially competing, brain networks have been recently identified that can be broadly distinguished by their contrasting roles in attention to the external world versus internally directed mentation involving long-term memory. At the core of these two networks are the dorsal attention system and the hippocampal-cortical memory system, a component of the brain's default network. Here spontaneous blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal correlations were used in three separate functional magnetic resonance imaging data sets ( n = 105) to define a third system, the frontoparietal control system, which is spatially interposed between these two previously defined systems. The frontoparietal control system includes many regions identified as supporting cognitive control and decision-making processes including lateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and inferior parietal lobule. Detailed analysis of frontal and parietal cortex, including use of high-resolution data, revealed clear evidence for contiguous but distinct regions: in general, the regions associated with the frontoparietal control system are situated between components of the dorsal attention and hippocampal-cortical memory systems. The frontoparietal control system is therefore anatomically positioned to integrate information from these two opposing brain systems.
Sensory Neuron Sodium Current Requires Nongenomic Actions of Thyroid Hormone During Development
Authors: Yonkers Marc A. , Ribera Angeles B.
Published: September 2008

Development of the embryonic nervous system requires thyroid hormone. However, the underlying mechanisms and targets of thyroid hormone action are not well defined. To identify embryonic roles for thyroid hormone we tested for effects on a key neuronal trait, voltage-gated sodium current ( INa), in the zebrafish model system. We recorded from Rohon–Beard sensory neurons (RBs) using whole cell voltage-clamp methods. Here, we provide in vivo evidence for thyroid hormone regulation of INa. Chronic thyroid hormone application increased RB peak INadensity 1.4-fold. However, INadensity showed a similar increase within 5 min of an acute hormone application, a time course not expected for a genomic mechanism. Tetraiodothyroacetic acid (tetrac), a thyroid hormone blocker, blocked both chronic and acute effects. Further, the thyroid hormone precursor thyroxine (T4) affected INa, yet the traditionally active form triiodothyronine did not. Consequently, we tested for a nonconventional T4 receptor. LM609, a selective antagonist of integrin αVβ3, occluded the rapid effect of T4, implicating a specific integrin dimer as a T4 receptor. Chronic application of either tetrac or LM609 significantly reduced sodium conductance, demonstrating an in vivo requirement for T4-integrin regulation of INa. Further, removing endogenous T4 levels via yolkectomy reduced sodium conductance, an effect that was partially rescued by T4 supplementation following surgery. Because RBs mediate the embryonic touch response, we tested for behavioral effects. Tetrac and LM609 significantly reduced the percentage of touch trials eliciting a normal touch response. T4's rapid effect on RB INahighlights the importance of embryonic T4 availability and nongenomic T4 signaling.
Regulation of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation by PPARβ/δ
Authors: Müller Rolf , Rieck Markus , Müller-Brüsselbach Sabine
Published: September 2008

Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐β/δ (PPARβ/δ) is a ligand‐activated transcription factor with essential functions in the regulation of lipid catabolism, glucose homeostasis, and inflammation, which makes it a potentially relevant drug target for the treatment of major human diseases. In addition, there is strong evidence that PPARβ/δ modulates oncogenic signaling pathways and tumor growth. Consistent with these observations, numerous reports have clearly documented a role for PPARβ/δ in cell cycle control, differentiation, and apoptosis. However, the precise role of PPARβ/δ in tumorigenesis and cell proliferation remains controversial. This review summarizes our current knowledge and proposes a model corroborating the discrepant data in this area of research.
A Novel, One-Step Palladium and Phenylsilane Activated Amidation from Allyl Ester on Solid Support
Authors: Ruan Zheming , Van Kirk Katy , Cooper Christopher B. , Lawrence R. Michael
Published: September 2008

The direct conversion of solid-supported carboxylic acid allyl esters to carboxamides through the use of phenylsilane and catalytic Pd under mild reaction conditions is reported. The use of this methodology for the generation of a 48 compound solid-phase array is described herein.
Comparing Quantitative Trait Loci and Gene Expression Data
Authors: Han Bing , Altman Naomi S. , Mong Jessica A. , Klein Laura Cousino , Pfaff Donald W. , Vandenbergh David J.
Published: September 2008

We develop methods to compare the positions of quantitative trait loci (QTL) with a set of genes selected by other methods, such as microarray experiments, from a sequenced genome. We apply our methods to QTL for addictive behavior in mouse, and a set of genes upregulated in a region of the brain associated with addictive behavior, the nucleus accumbens (NA). The association between the QTL and NA genes is not significantly stronger than expected by chance. However, chromosomes 2 and 16 do show strong associations suggesting that genes on these chromosomes might be associated with addictive behavior. The statistical methodology developed for this study can be applied to similar studies to assess the mutual information in microarray and QTL analyses.
Photocatalytic Degradation of a Water Soluble Herbicide by Pure and Noble Metal Deposited TiO2 Nanocrystalline Films
Authors: Pelentridou Katerina , Stathatos Elias , Karasali Helen , Dionysiou Dionysios D. , Lianos Panagiotis
Published: September 2008

We present the photocatalytic degradation of a water soluble sulfonylurea herbicide: azimsulfuron in the presence of titania nanocrystalline films. Efficient photodegradation of herbicide was achieved by using low‐intensity black light tubes emitting in the Near‐UV. The degradation of the herbicide follows first‐order kinetics according to the Langmuir‐Hinshelwood model. Intermediate products were identified by the LC‐MS‐MS technique during photocatalytic degradation. In order to increase photodegradation rate of the herbicide, we examined the effect of titania modification by depositing noble metals at various quantities and valence states. The presence of platinum at neutral valence state and optimum concentration induced higher photodegradation rates while silver‐modified titania exhibited similar photocatalytic rates with those obtained with pure nanocrystalline TiO2 films. Finally, the effect of initial pH value was also examined. Acidic or alkaline media were unfavorable for azimsulfuron photodegradation.
Assessing Meteorological Variable and Process Relationships to Modeled PM2.5 Ammonium Nitrate and Ammonium Sulfate in the Central United States
Authors: Baker Kirk , Scheff Peter
Published: September 2008

Many counties are required to submit an emissions control plan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce concentrations of particulate matter of less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5), which are dominated by ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate in the central United States. These control scenarios are simulated with photochemical models, which use emissions and meteorological variables to simulate PM2.5 formation, transport, and deposition. A monitor study was established in the central United States to measure simultaneously the PM2.5 sulfate ion, nitrate ion, ammonium ion, and chemical precursor species sulfur dioxide, nitric acid, and ammonia during 2004. These data, combined with nearby meteorological observations, provide an opportunity to assess whether meteorological variables or deposition processes may introduce systematic biases in PM2.5 ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate predictions. Skill in estimating total wet deposition is assessed by comparing model output with National Atmospheric Deposition Program monitors in the region. Meteorological variables that are important for mass transport (wind vector) and thermodynamic chemistry (temperature and relative humidity) compare well to observations. A model sensitivity, in which the temperatures in the inorganic chemistry module are adjusted to compensate for an underprediction bias, shows a minimal model response in predicted PM2.5 ammonium nitrate. The dry deposition of sulfur dioxide seems to have a systematic impact on ambient estimates of sulfur dioxide in the photochemical model. An attempt to correlate bias and error in meteorological variables to bias and error in PM2.5 species showed the most relationship between relative humidity and temperature and ammonium nitraite. Wet deposition of total sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium tend to be underpredicted in the winter months.
A Scalable Datalogging System with Serial Interfaces and Integrated GPS Time Stamping
Authors: Behn Mario , Hohreiter Vincent , Muschinski Andreas
Published: September 2008

A scalable datalogging system for micrometeorological, fast-response, in situ, and remote sensing applications is presented. The system is based on a standard x86 MINI-ITX computer and the open-source operating system Linux. Real-time access for debugging and remote system control is implemented via a network interface. A 160-GB, 2.5-in. hard disk drive provides extended local storage. The recorded data can alternately be stored at a remote location using the Network File System (NFS) included in Linux. Accurate time stamping of collected data points is implemented using the open-source software Network Time Protocol (NTP) and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver. The operational capability of the system is demonstrated over a period of several weeks with data from seven ultrasonic anemometer–thermometers and a barometer.
A Technique for the Automatic Detection of Insect Clutter in Cloud Radar Returns
Authors: Luke Edward P. , Kollias Pavlos , Johnson Karen L. , Clothiaux Eugene E.
Published: September 2008

The U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program operates 35-GHz millimeter-wavelength cloud radars (MMCRs) in several climatologically distinct regions. The MMCRs, which are centerpiece instruments for the observation of clouds and precipitation, provide continuous, vertically resolved information on all hydrometeors above the ARM Climate Research Facilities (ACRF). However, their ability to observe clouds in the lowest 2–3 km of the atmosphere is often obscured by the presence of strong echoes from insects, especially during the warm months at the continental midlatitude Southern Great Plains (SGP) ACRF. Here, a new automated technique for the detection and elimination of insect-contaminated echoes from the MMCR observations is presented. The technique is based on recorded MMCR Doppler spectra, a feature extractor that conditions insect spectral signatures, and the use of a neural network algorithm for the generation of an insect (clutter) mask. The technique exhibits significant skill in the identification of insect radar returns (more than 92% of insect-induced returns are identified) when the sole input to the classifier is the MMCR Doppler spectrum. The addition of circular polarization observations by the MMCR and ceilometer cloud-base measurements further improve the performance of the technique and form an even more reliable method for the removal of insect radar echoes at the ARM site. Recently, a 94-GHz Doppler polarimetric radar was installed next to the MMCR at the ACRF SGP site. Observations by both radars are used to evaluate the potential of the 94-GHz radar as being insect free and to show that dual wavelength radar reflectivity measurements can be used to identify insect radar returns.
Loop Current Response to Hurricanes Isidore and Lili
Authors: Shay Lynn K. , Uhlhorn Eric W.
Published: September 2008

Recent hurricane activity over the Gulf of Mexico basin has underscored the importance of the Loop Current (LC) and its deep, warm thermal structure on hurricane intensity. During Hurricanes Isidore and Lili in 2002, research flights were conducted from both National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) WP-3D aircraft to observe pre-, in- and poststorm ocean conditions using airborne expendable ocean profilers to measure temperature, salinity, and current structure. Atmospheric thermodynamic and wind profiles and remotely sensed surface winds were concurrently acquired as each storm moved over the LC.

Observed upper-ocean cooling was about 1°C as Isidore moved across the Yucatan Straits at a speed of 4 m s−1. Given prestorm ocean heat content (OHC) levels exceeding 100 kJ cm−2 in the LC (current velocities >1 m s−1), significant cooling and deepening of the ocean mixed layer (OML) did not occur in the straits. Estimated surface enthalpy flux at Isidore’s eyewall was 1.8 kW m−2, where the maximum observed wind was 49 m s−1. Spatially integrating these surface enthalpy fluxes suggested a maximum surface heat loss of 9.5 kJ cm−2 at the eyewall. Over the Yucatan Shelf, observed ocean cooling of 4.5°C was caused by upwelling processes induced by wind stress and an offshore wind-driven transport. During Hurricane Lili, ocean cooling in the LC was ∼1°C but more than 2°C in the Gulf Common Water, where the maximum estimated surface enthalpy flux was 1.4 kW m−2, associated with peak surface winds of 51 m s−1. Because of Lili’s asymmetric structure and rapid translational speed of 7 m s−1, the maximum surface heat loss resulting from the surface enthalpy flux was less than 5 kJ cm−2.

In both hurricanes, the weak ocean thermal response in the LC was primarily due to the lack of energetic near-inertial current shears that develop across the thin OML observed in quiescent regimes. Bulk Richardson numbers remained well above criticality because of the strength of the upper-ocean horizontal pressure gradient that forces northward current and thermal advection of warm water distributed over deep layers. As these oceanic regimes are resistive to shear-induced mixing, hurricanes experience a more sustained surface enthalpy flux compared to storms moving over shallow quiescent mixed layers. Because ocean cooling levels induced by hurricane force winds depend on the underlying oceanic regimes, features must be accurately initialized in coupled forecast models.
An Object-Oriented Verification of Three NWP Model Formulations via Cluster Analysis: An Objective and a Subjective Analysis
Authors: Marzban Caren , Sandgathe Scott , Lyons Hilary
Published: September 2008

Recently, an object-oriented verification scheme was developed for assessing errors in forecasts of spatial fields. The main goal of the scheme was to allow the automatic and objective evaluation of a large number of forecasts. However, processing speed was an obstacle. Here, it is shown that the methodology can be revised to increase efficiency, allowing for the evaluation of 32 days of reflectivity forecasts from three different mesoscale numerical weather prediction model formulations. It is demonstrated that the methodology can address not only spatial errors, but also intensity and timing errors. The results of the verification are compared with those performed by a human expert.

For the case when the analysis involves only spatial information (and not intensity), although there exist variations from day to day, it is found that the three model formulations perform comparably, over the 32 days examined and across a wide range of spatial scales. However, the higher-resolution model formulation appears to have a slight edge over the other two; the statistical significance of that conclusion is weak but nontrivial. When intensity is included in the analysis, it is found that these conclusions are generally unaffected. As for timing errors, although for specific dates a model may have different timing errors on different spatial scales, over the 32-day period the three models are mostly “on time.” Moreover, although the method is nonsubjective, its results are shown to be consistent with an expert’s analysis of the 32 forecasts. This conclusion is tentative because of the focused nature of the data, spanning only one season in one year. But the proposed methodology now allows for the verification of many more forecasts.
Choice
Authors: Greenberg Jay
Published: September 2008

Understanding how and why analysands make the choices they do is central to both the clinical and the theoretical projects of psychoanalysis. And yet we know very little about the process of choice or about the relationship between choices and motives. A striking parallel is to be found between the ways choice is narrated in ancient Greek texts and the experience of analysts as they observe patients making choices in everyday clinical work. Pursuing this convergence of classical and contemporary sensibilities will illuminate crucial elements of the various meanings of choice, and of the way that these meanings change over the course of psychoanalytic treatment.
Freud's Little Oedipus: Hans as Exception To the Oedipal Rule
Authors: Ahbel-Rappe Karin
Published: September 2008

Freud's “The Analysis of a Phobia in a Five-Year-Old Boy” is regarded by Freud and by analytic readers and commentators as a prototype of his conception of the oedipus complex. A literary methodology is used to show that the interpretation of the oedipus complex at work in Freud's text in fact differs from Freud's standard view of it. While studying the paper as text, not as case report, may obscure or distort some clinical matters, it is valuable in that it makes legible a sort of theoretical unconscious in the text. In contrast to Freud's typically tragic view of the oedipus complex (in the tradition of ancient Greek tragedy), the Hans study evokes a comic vision (in the tradition of Greek New Comedy). This comic vision allows Hans a happy imaginative ending to the oedipal dilemma, challenges certain epistemic pretensions, and emphasizes the oedipus complex as a set of abiding existential questions. Given the deep link between Freud”s oedipus concept and a tragic view of human life, this departure in the Hans paper is a fascinating anomaly.
The Analyst's Attitude Toward Pharmacotherapy
Authors: Purcell Stephen D.
Published: September 2008

The increased acceptance of medication in psychoanalysis has occurred with too little consideration of possible complications. The potentially adverse psychological effects and disintegrative aspects of this important technical modification require further examination. While the use of phenomenologically defined diagnostic criteria provides valuable guidance to the clinician, the decision to include pharmacotherapy in a psychoanalysis must be understood also as a transference-countertransference enactment. The analyst's attitude toward pharmacotherapy is an essential element in some defensive and gratifying enactments, resistances that can interfere with psychoanalytic processes. Clinical material is presented illustrating narcissistic and perverse resistances that might be facilitated by analysts' attitudes toward pharmacotherapy, attitudes often tacitly communicated in decisions to use combined treatment.
State, society and market in the aftermath of natural disasters in colonial India
Authors: Roy Tirthankar
Published: September 2008

How did South Asian societies rebuild their economies following natural disasters? Based on five episodes from colonial India, this article suggests that between the mid-nineteenth and the mid-twentieth century, the response to disasters changed from laissez-faire to more state intervention. Despite this change, post-disaster rebuilding was complicated by unspecified rights to lost property, conflicting claims to property, asymmetric information between aid-givers and receivers, conflicts between agencies, lack of cooperation between gainers and losers, and in some of these examples, clashes between the colonial state and nationalist organisations.
A Propensity Score Matching Analysis of the Effects of Special Education Services
Authors: Morgan Paul L. , Frisco Michelle L. , Farkas George , Hibel Jacob
Published: September 2008

We sought to quantify the effectiveness of special education services as naturally delivered in U.S. schools. Specifically, we examined whether children receiving special education services displayed (a) greater reading or mathematics skills, (b) more frequent learning-related behaviors, or (c) less frequent externalizing or internalizing problem behaviors than closely matched peers not receiving such services. To do so, we used propensity score matching techniques to analyze data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998—99, a large-scale, nationally representative sample of U.S. schoolchildren. Collectively, results indicate that receipt of special education services has either a negative or a statistically nonsignificant impact on children’s learning and behavior. However, special education services do yield a small, positive effect on children’s learning-related behaviors.
Reliability and Validity of Self-Concept Scores in Secondary School Students in Trinidad and Tobago
Authors: Worrell Frank C. , Watkins Marley W. , Hall Tracey E.
Published: September 2008

In this study we examined the reliability and validity of global, mathematics and English self-concept scores from the Self-Description Questionnaire II (SDQ-II, Marsh, 1990b) in a random sample of 870 secondary school students in Trinidad and Tobago. The results provided strong evidence for the structural validity of the scores and yielded reliability estimates in the moderate to high range. There were no differences across gender and ethnic subgroups and a single grade level difference was found. The authors concluded that SDQ-II scores are useful for screening purposes, and in some cases individual decision making, in this population and recommended that the scores be examined for convergent and discriminant validity.
The Vocational Personality of School Psychologists in the United States
Authors: Toomey Kristine D. , Levinson Edward M. , Morrison Takea J.
Published: September 2008

This study represents the first empirical test of the vocational personality of US school psychologists. Specifically, we investigated the personality of school psychologists using Holland's (1997) well-researched theory of vocational personalities and work environments. The sample consisted of 241 randomly selected members of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). The Self-Directed Search (Holland, 1994) was used to identify personality types. Results offered general support for the three-letter vocational personality code for school psychologists that is listed in the Dictionary of Holland Occupational Codes (Gottfredson and Holland, 1996).
The Impact of Peer Tutoring on the Improvement of Linguistic Competence, Self-Concept as a Writer and Pedagogical Satisfaction
Authors: Duran Gisbert David , Monereo Font Carles
Published: September 2008

After examining several conceptual elements of peer-assisted learning and peer tutoring, this article presents a study analysing the effects of peer tutoring — with fixed and reciprocal roles — in the improvement of curricular competence of Catalan language skills, self-concept as a writer and satisfaction with pedagogical assistance. The results, using curricular competence improvement as a control, show an increase in self-concept as a writer for all students who were given the opportunity to act as tutors; either in fixed or in reciprocal role tutoring. Only fixed tutees, but not reciprocal tutees, feel more satisfied with their peer tutors than with the teacher's help.
An Innovative Method for Testing Children's Achievement-Related Reactions
Authors: Titscher Anna , Kubinger Klaus D.
Published: September 2008

The present study, based on the work of Dweck (2000) and her description of helpless and mastery-orientated children, was designed to find a new, simple and economic way of assessing helplessness while testing a child's intelligence. Two hundred and thirty-two Austrian grammar-school children, previously classified as either helpless or mastery-oriented, were tested with the Adaptive Intelligence Diagnosticum (AID 2; Kubinger and Wurst, 2000), a German intelligence test-battery for children and adolescents. During the testing, the children were asked if they would prefer to continue with easier, equally difficult or harder items after each task block. Analysis of variance revealed that it is possible to identify helpless subjects during the regular test procedure with AID 2.
Tensions and Dilemmas as Drivers For Change in an Analysis of Joint Working Between Teachers and Educational Psychologists
Authors: Davies Susan M.B. , Howes Andrew J. , Farrell Peter
Published: September 2008

This article discusses the value of Cultural Historical Activity Theory as an analytic tool that can be used to understand the underlying processes that help and hinder teachers and educational psychologists in their use of action research to develop inclusive practice in secondary schools. It draws on the emerging findings from Prosiect Dysgu Cydradd, a two and a half year research project that is part of the UK wide government funded Teaching and Learning Research Programme. A core feature of this project centres on secondary school staff working on an aspect of inclusive practice with the educational psychologists acting as a facilitator. This has revealed tensions and dilemmas that are linked to teachers' continuing professional development, their expectations of educational psychologists and the relationships between them. The article concludes with a discussion of how Activity Theory can deepen our understanding of these tensions and dilemmas and provides suggestions as to how they might be overcome.
Politics as the quest for unity
Authors: Trainor Brian T.
Published: September 2008

In this article I argue against the view, recently espoused by several authors, that the `incommensurability of values' and `political pespectivism' offer us decisive reasons as to why we should break the link between representation and (the quest for) unity. I hold that it is of paramount importance to retain this essential link. Since Sir Isaiah Berlin has played a major (and in my view unfortunate) role in linking `politics as the quest for unity and the common good' with the `totalitarian temptation', I proceed to show how it is possible to have an understanding of politics as precisely such a quest, but without succumbing to the temptation to totalitarianism that Berlin alerts us to. I then take issue with Chantal Mouffe's view that the tendency to antagonism, rather than the quest for unity and rational consensus, is `the essence of the political'.
Berlin, value pluralism and the common good
Authors: Crowder George
Published: September 2008

Brian Trainor argues that the current hostility of political theorists towards the idea of the common good is in part due to the influence of Isaiah Berlin's concept of `value pluralism', or the incommensurability of basic human values. I agree with Trainor's opposition to the `agonistic' interpretation of pluralism, associated with thinkers like Chantal Mouffe. However, it is not the case that the only alternative to the pluralism— agonism thesis is the monist defence of a thick common good advocated by Trainor. Between these extremes there is a middle way that accepts the deep plurality of values in Berlin's sense, but recognizes a case for a thin conception of the common good — that is, a liberal political framework.
REVIEW ESSAY: Respect and toleration reconsidered (Under consideration: Rainer Forst's Toleranz im Konflikt: Geschichte, Gehalt, und Gegenwart eines umstrittenen Begriffs (Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, 2003) (English translation forthcoming, Cambridge University Press))
Authors: Paetzold Heinz
Published: September 2008

Toleration and respect belong to those concepts that in contemporary political debates are very frequently used, but also misused. This review article is an attempt to enter these discussions and clarify the meaning of the concepts. It is done through reference to the most advanced theory on toleration today, by the German philosopher Rainer Forst. Since his approach allows for ill-considered implications, in the final part of my article I introduce arguments that question some of them. It seems too far-reaching to presuppose an ongoing process of advancement in toleration. Furthermore, one cannot argue that we have to establish a ranking in universal morality at the bottom and the particular ethicality above. Forst, however, explains toleration as a balanced conflict between universally accepted moral norms and particular ethical world-views.
“Those Are Only Slogans”
Authors: Simon-Vandenbergen Anne-Marie
Published: September 2008

This article examines a newspaper and a television debate between a philosopher and two politicians of the extreme rightwing party the Flemish Bloc ( Vlaams Blok) in Flanders (Belgium). The debates took place in the summer and autumn of 2004, respectively, after the party had been condemned for racism by the Belgian court. The debates center around the fundamental question asked by the philosopher to what extent and in what way the party has abandoned the views which led to the verdict. The research questions are the following: (a) What tactics are used in this situation, which creates a conflict between the party's ideology and legality? (b) Are implicit meanings uncover-able beneath the surface tactics which give an answer to the philosopher's question? (c) Is the political debating style of the speakers as politicians belonging to an extremist party the same as or different from that of mainstream politicians?
A Brief Note on Giacometti
Authors: Boyne Roy
Published: September 2008

Giacometti's work is not comforting. Whether it is seen as driven by abandonment of faith in history, or the surrealist recognition that everything is part of pitiless connection and transmutation, the role of Giacometti's self-understanding in the critical and popular reception of his work is highly significant, and perhaps not sufficiently challenged. Through short discussions of the commentaries on Giacometti's work, by Krauss, Sartre, Sylvester and Danto, and using contrasts with other 20th-century art, it is suggested that the search for the meaning and explanation of the specific creative works in the artist's subjectivity, while very often providing fascinating and invaluable narratives, cannot be taken as an adequate foundation for aesthetic understanding.
PowerPoint in Public
Authors: Stark David , Paravel Verena
Published: September 2008

When policy issues involve complex technical questions, demonstrations are more likely to marshal charts, graphs, models, and simulations than to mobilize popular movements in the streets. In this paper we analyze PowerPoint demonstrations, the most ubiquitous form of digital demonstrations. Our first set of demonstrations are the PowerPoint presentations made in December 2002 by the seven finalist architectural teams in the Innovative Design competition for rebuilding the World Trade Center. Our second case occurred some blocks away, several months later: Colin Powell's PowerPoint demonstration at the United Nations. We argue that Edward Tufte's denunciation of PowerPoint does not capture the cognitive style made possible by the affordances of this pervasive new technology. On the basis of our case materials, we demonstrate the distinctive morphology of PowerPoint. Its digital character provides affordances (1) that allow heterogeneous materials to be seamlessly re-presented in a single format that (2) can morph easily from live demonstration to circulating digital documents that (3) can be utilized in counter-demonstrations. A careful examination of this widely used technology is critical for understanding public discourse in a democratic society.
Making a Case for Multiculture
Authors: Pathak Pathik
Published: September 2008

The horror of 7/7 and the radicalization of young British Muslims have prompted a flurry of obituaries gleefully chronicling the demise of multiculturalism. This article turns the clock back to revisit Bhikhu Parekh's Rethinking Multiculturalism, the scholarly cousin of the report by the Runnymede Commission on The Future of Multi-ethnic Britain, both published in 2000. It argues that multiculturalism has never been as universally acceptable as recent critiques would lead us to believe, but also that philosophical multiculturalism (of which Parekh's is totemic) is the unfortunate victim of a lazy conflation with political multiculturalism. While Parekh's multiculturalism is worryingly sympathetic to the prevailing management of cultural diversity, it also illuminates the orthodox Left's elective disengagement with questions of culture, ethnicity and religion. Recent events have brought home the message that neglecting the complexity of belonging only strengthens the impulse for sectarian collectivism. They awaken us to the fact that Britain's emerging political actors will be multiculturalism's children: citizens who refract their interests through the lens of their inherited cultures. The question is whether we constitute the fact of cultural diversity as a full stop, as Parekh does, or whether we creatively seize it to enable `multicultures' of social justice, as this article advocates.
Pain assessment tools in palliative care: an urgent need for consensus
Authors: Hjermstad MJ , Gibbins J , Haugen DF , Caraceni A , Loge JH , Kaasa S ,   On behalf of the EPCRC, European Palliative Care Research Collaborative
Published: September 2008

At present, there is no universally accepted cancer pain assessment tool for use in palliative care (PC). The European Palliative Care Research Collaborative (EPCRC), therefore, aims to develop an international consensus-based computerised pain assessment tool. As part of this process, we have performed (1) a literature review on pain assessment tools for use in the PC and (2) an international expert survey to gain information on the relevant dimensions for pain assessment in PC. 230 publications were identified, only six met the inclusion criteria. Three further articles were identified through manual searching, totalling 11 different pain assessment tools. Nine tools were multidimensional. Pain intensity was assessed in seven, using various numerical/verbal rating scales (NRS/VRS); five tools focused on pain management. Three publications did not identify the rationale for the need to develop a new tool, and the selection procedure for items/dimensions was not described in six tools. Patient and/or professional expert groups were involved in the development of five tools and only two tools were extensively validated or cross-culturally tested. Thirty-two experts (71%) completed the expert survey and identified ‘intensity’, ‘temporal pattern’, ‘relief/exacerbation’, ‘pain quality’ and ‘location’ as the five most relevant dimensions. Most preferred assessment of ‘pain intensity’ was by NRS rather than VRS. Time windows extending 24 h were regarded as less relevant. Development of PC pain assessment tools seems to be a continuous process, which does not adhere to systematic guidelines, thus does not contribute to a universally accepted tool. No tool contained all relevant dimensions as defined by the experts. Many tools focused on particular dimensions, suggesting that specific research interests may drive the tool development process. Extensive literature reviews, expert and patient input and clinical studies are a needed approach in the development of a new consensus-based pain assessment tool.