bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
One session cognitive behavioural therapy for elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: KUNIK M. E. , BRAUN U. , STANLEY M. A. , WRISTERS K. , MOLINARI V. , STOEBNER D. , ORENGO C. A.
Published: July 2002

Background. We hypothesized that compared to an educational intervention, a single 2 h session of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), with 6-week follow-up, would reduce anxiety and depression, improve physical and mental functioning, and lead to a better quality of life and greater satisfaction with treatment in older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods. Fifty-six subjects were recruited from a large, urban, academically affiliated Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital, a non-profit private hospital, and a local newspaper, for a single blind randomized controlled clinical trial. One 2 h session of group CBT was designed to reduce symptoms of anxiety, with specific components including relaxation training, cognitive interventions, and graduated practice, followed by homework and weekly calls for 6 weeks. This was compared to a group that received 2 h of COPD education, followed by weekly calls. Pre- and post-intervention subjects in both groups were administered SF-36, Geriatric Depression Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, 6 min walk test, and the FEV-1. Following the intervention, both groups completed the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire.

Results. When compared with a group that received education about COPD, 2 h CBT group showed decreased depression and anxiety. Contrary to our hypothesis, despite the decrease in depression and anxiety, there was no change in the physical functioning of the patients.

Conclusions. Twenty to 40 % of patients with COPD have high levels of anxiety and depression. Our study finds that as little as 2 h of CBT administered in a group setting is able to reduce these anxious and depressive symptoms.
The influence of the economic and social environment on deliberate self-harm and suicide: an ecological and person-based study
Authors: HAWTON K. , HARRISS L. , HODDER K. , SIMKIN S. , GUNNELL D.
Published: July 2002

Background. Geographic variations in the incidence of deliberate self-harm (DSH) and suicide have been shown to be associated with area-based measures of socio-economic deprivation and social fragmentation. Previous studies have been subject to methodological limitations. None has investigated whether ecological associations are reflected in characteristics of individuals involved in suicidal behaviour.

Methods. DSH patients presenting to a general hospital between 1985 and 1995 and suicides (including open verdicts) from the same catchment area were studied. Mean annual rates of DSH and suicide by gender were calculated for electoral wards. The wards were amalgamated into 20 groups according to their ranking for socio-economic deprivation (Townsend) and social fragmentation scores. Associations of these variables with DSH and suicide rates were investigated. Characteristics of DSH patients living in ward groups with the highest and lowest socio-economic deprivation and social fragmentation scores were compared.

Results. Socio-economic deprivation was associated with DSH rates among males (r = 0·89) and females (r = 0·87). After controlling for social fragmentation the associations remained relatively strong, particularly in young males. Associations with social fragmentation in both genders (males, r = 0·83; females, r = 0·86) were attenuated after controlling for socio-economic deprivation. For suicide, the only significant association was with socio-economic deprivation in males (r = 0·79), but this was attenuated after controlling for social fragmentation. The characteristics of individual DSH patients reflected those of the areas where they lived.

Conclusions. Reducing socio-economic deprivation and its associated problems may be an important strategy in the prevention of suicidal behaviour, especially in young men.
Medical findings and predictors of long-term physical outcome in
anorexia nervosa: a prospective, 12-year follow-up study
Authors: HERZOG W. , DETER H.-C. , FIEHN W. , PETZOLD E.
Published: July 2002

Background. Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) run a
high risk of becoming chronically ill and of dying. In the acute phase
of their illness they present with numerous physical and laboratory
abnormalities. However, little is known about the long-term prognostic
value of these findings or about the medical morbidity in large
samples of consecutively treated patients in the long-term.

Methods. We evaluated 84 consecutive female patients with
AN who were studied again an average of 11·9 years later. The
ability of some of the laboratory data obtained at the initial
examination to predict a fatal or chronic course was analysed by
discriminant and multiple regression analyses.

Results. Abnormally low serum albumin levels ([les ] 36
g/l) and a low weight ([les ] 60% of average body weight) at the
initial examination were variables best able to predict a lethal
course. In addition, high serum creatinine and uric acid levels
predicted a chronic course. Most of the initial abnormal laboratory
findings were reversible with a normal food intake. At a 12-year
follow-up 67% of the chronic anorexic patients and 27% of those in the
good/intermediate outcome group (compared to 8% morbidity in
normal controls) presented with medical co-morbidity, in particular
osteoporosis and renal disease. The standardized mortality ratio was
9·6.

Conclusions. Laboratory findings obtained at the initial
examination may be helpful in predicting a fatal or chronic course of
AN. An evaluation of the long-term outcome of eating disorders should
include an assessment of the medical co-morbidity.
Can positive affect items be used to assess depressive

disorders in the Japanese population?
Authors: IWATA N. , UMESUE M. , EGASHIRA K. , HIRO H. , MIZOUE T. , MISHIMA N. , NAGATA S.
Published: July 2002

Background. The purpose of the present study was to examine

the measurement properties of

positive affect items among the Japanese population.

Methods. Responses to the Japanese version of the Center for

Epidemiologic Studies Depression

Scale and four additional negatively revised items of the original

positive affect items were

compared for 85 Japanese psychiatric out-patients with

dysphoric-mood-related symptoms and 255

demographically matched controls.

Results. Responses to positive affect items were generally

comparable between the two groups,

whereas responses to negative symptom items were markedly different

(P<0·002 for all

comparisons). The group difference was most marked for symptom

persistence. Responses to the

four negatively revised items of positive affect revealed a similar

picture to that of the negative

symptom items. The internal consistency of the scale significantly

improved when the original

positive affect items were replaced by the negatively revised items

(P<0·001 for both).

Conclusions. Positive affect items with positive wording

cannot be used to assess depressive

disorders in the Japanese population adequately, but this can be done

with the corresponding negatively revised items.
Unique genetic and environmental determinants of
prolonged fatigue: a twin study
Authors: HICKIE I. , KIRK K. , MARTIN N.
Published: July 2002

Background. Prolonged fatigue syndromes have been proposed
as prevalent and disabling forms of
distress that occur independently of conventional notions of anxiety and
depression.

Methods. To investigate the genetic and environmental antecedents
of common forms of
psychological and somatic distress, we measured fatigue, anxiety, depression
and psychological
distress in 1004 normal adult twin pairs (533 monozygotic (MZ), 471 dizygotic
(DZ)) over 50 years
of age.

Results. Familial aggregation of psychological distress, anxiety
and fatigue appeared to be due
largely to additive genetic factors (MZ[ratio ]DZ ratios of 2·12–2·69).
The phenotypic correlations
between the psychological measures (distress, anxiety and depression) were
moderate (0·67–0·79)
and higher than that between fatigue and psychological distress (0·38).
Multivariate genetic
modelling revealed a common genetic factor contributing to the development
of all the observed
phenotypes (though most strongly for the psychological forms), a second
independent genetic factor
also influenced anxiety and depression and a third independent genetic
factor made a major
contribution to fatigue alone. In total, 44% (95% CI 25–60%) of the
genetic variance for fatigue
was not shared by the other forms of distress. Similarly, the environmental
factor determining
psychological distress made negligible contributions to fatigue, which
was underpinned largely by
its own independent environmental factor.

Conclusion. This study supports the aetiological independence
of prolonged fatigue and, therefore,
argues strongly for its inclusion in classification systems in psychiatry.
Is disabling fatigue in childhood influenced by genes?
Authors: FARMER A. , SCOURFIELD J. , MARTIN N. , CARDNO A. , McGUFFIN P.
Published: July 2002

Background. Medically unexplained chronic fatigue in childhood
may cause considerable disability
and (by definition) its cause remains unclear. A study of fatigue in healthy
twins has been
undertaken to examine whether or not genetic factors play a part.

Method. A questionnaire survey of the main carers of an epidemiological
population-based sample
of 670 twin pairs who were asked about periods of unexplained and disabling
fatigue in their twins.
Out of 1340 individuals a period of disabling fatigue was reported for
92 (6·9%). Thirty-three
(2·5%) reported disabling fatigue for more than 1 month. Zygosity
could be confidently assigned
in 98% of the sample providing 278 monozygotic (MZ) and 378 dizygotic (DZ)
pairs. These data
were analysed using a structural equation modelling approach.

Results. The results showed that disabling fatigue in childhood
is highly familial with an MZ
tetrachoric correlation (rMZ) of 0·81 and a DZ tetrachoric correlation
(rDZ) of 0·59, for fatigue
lasting at least a week. The most acceptable model using Akaike's
information criteria, was one
containing additive genetic effects (A) and shared environment (C) plus
residual (or non-shared)
environment (E). For fatigue lasting at least a month rMZ was 0·75
and rDZ 0·47. The most
acceptable model included just A and E. However, the role of shared environment
could not be
conclusively rejected.

Conclusions. Unexplained disabling fatigue in childhood is
substantially familial. Both genetic and
shared environmental factors are worth further exploration in a search
for the causes.
Schizophrenia, temporal lobe epilepsy and psychosis:
an in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy and
imaging study of the hippocampus/amygdala
complex
Authors: MAIER M. , MELLERS J. , TOONE B. , TRIMBLE M. , RON M. A.
Published: July 2002

Background. We have used proton magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy to measure
hippocampus/amygdala volumes and anterior hippocampal metabolite concentrations (N-acetyl
aspartate (NAA), creatine/phosphocreatine and choline) in subjects with temporal lobe epilepsy
(TLE), schizophrenia and in normal controls.

Method. Four groups of right-handed patients were selected: 12 with TLE and psychosis (EP), 12
with TLE and no psychosis (ENP), 26 with schizophrenia, and 38 normal controls. Imaging and
spectroscopy were performed with a 1.5T Signa GE scanner.

Results. The schizophrenia group showed a significant left-sided reduction in all metabolites. In the
epilepsy groups NAA was reduced bilaterally. The NAA reduction in the EP group was greater than
in the ENP group, especially on the left, although the result did not reach significance. Total
hippocampus/amygdala volumes showed no significant differences in any of the groups when
compared with normal controls. When compared with controls significant, specific regional volume
reductions were present bilaterally in the EP group and in the left hippocampus/amygdala in
schizophrenia. The regional volume reduction found in schizophrenia was also present in EP but
not in ENP.

Conclusion. Spectroscopic abnormalities were more pronounced in the epilepsy groups and were
bilateral, and abnormalities in schizophrenia were left sided. Specific regional hippocampus/amygdala
volume reductions were more marked in the EP group and were bilateral. Left-sided
regional volume reduction identified in the dominant hemisphere of schizophrenics was also present
in EP patients, but not in ENP, suggesting that this region in the left temporal lobe may be
significant in the aetiology of psychosis. This is further supported by the predominantly left-sided
NAA reduction in schizophrenia. High resolution morphometric studies may identify specific
regions of the brain associated with the development of psychosis.
Elevated circulatory level of GABAA – antagonistic neurosteroids in
patients with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder
Authors: SPIVAK B. , MAAYAN R. , KOTLER M. , MESTER R. , GIL-AD I. , SHTAIF B. , WEIZMAN A.
Published: July 2002

Background. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a multisystem neurobiological disorder with chronic alterations in various neurochemical systems. Levels of the GABAA – antagonistic neurosteroids plasma dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulphate derivate, dehydro-epiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) may be relevant to depressive and anxiety disorders, including PTSD.

Methods. We assessed the circulatory levels of morning plasma DHEA and DHEAS in 21 male out-patients with untreated chronic combat-related PTSD (CR-PTSD), and 18 healthy control male subjects.

Results. Compared with the control subjects, the PTSD patients showed significantly higher plasma DHEA and DHEAS levels.

Conclusions. Chronic CR-PTSD may be associated with increased circulatory level of neuroactive steroids with inhibitory activity at the GABAA receptors. Neurosteroid-induced decreased GABA-ergic tone may be relevant to the symptomatology and pathophysiology of chronic PTSD, as well as to the frequent co-morbidity of PTSD with depression and anxiety disorders.
Validation of the prospective NIMH-Life-Chart Method (NIMH-LCMTM-p) for longitudinal assessment of bipolar illness
Authors: DENICOFF K. D. , LEVERICH G. S. , NOLEN W. A. , RUSH A. J. , McELROY S. L. , KECK P. E. , SUPPES T. , ALTSHULER L. L. , KUPKA R. , FRYE M. A. , HATEF J. , BROTMAN M. A. , POST R. M.
Published: July 2002

Background. Systematic and accurate depiction of a patient's course of illness is crucial for
assessing the efficacy of maintenance treatments for bipolar disorder. This need to rate the long-term prospective course of illness led to the development of the National Institute of Mental Health
prospective Life Chart Methodology (NIMH-LCMTM-p or LCM). The NIMH-LCMTM-p allows for
the daily assessment of mood and episode severity based on the degree of mood associated
functional impairment. We have previously presented preliminary evidence of the reliability and
validity of the LCM, and its utility in clinical trials. This study is a further and more extensive
validation of the clinician rated NIMH-LCMTM-p.

Methods. Subjects included 270 bipolar patients from the five sites participating in the Stanley
Foundation Bipolar Network. Daily prospective LCM ratings on the clinician form were initiated
upon entry, in addition to at least monthly ratings with the Inventory of Depressive
Symptomatology-clinician rated (IDS-C), the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and the Global
Assessment of Functioning (GAF). We correlated appropriate measures and time domains of the
LCM with the IDS-C, YMRS and GAF.

Results. Severity of depression on the LCM and on the IDS-C were highly correlated in 270 patients
(r = −0·785, P < 0·001). Similarly, a strong correlation was found between LCM mania and the
YMRS (r = 0·656, P < 0·001) and between the LCM average severity of illness and the GAF
(r = −0·732, P < 0·001).

Conclusions. These data further demonstrate the validity and potential utility of the NIMH-
LCMTM-p for the detailed daily longitudinal assessment of manic and depressive severity and
course, and response to treatment.
Is physical deconditioning a perpetuating factor in
chronic fatigue syndrome? A controlled study on
maximal exercise performance and relations with
fatigue, impairment and physical activity
Authors: BAZELMANS E. , BLEIJENBERG G. , VAN DER MEER J. W. M. , FOLGERING H.
Published: July 2002

Background. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients often complain that physical exertion
produces an increase of complaints, leading to a greater need for rest and more time spent in bed.
It has been suggested that this is due to a bad physical fitness and that physical deconditioning is
a perpetuating factor in CFS. Until now, studies on physical deconditioning in CFS have shown
inconsistent results.

Methods. Twenty CFS patients and 20 matched neighbourhood controls performed a maximal
exercise test with incremental load. Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory tidal volume, O2
saturation, O2 consumption, CO2 production, and blood-gas values of arterialized capillary blood
were measured. Physical fitness was quantified as the difference between the actual and predicted
ratios of maximal workload versus increase of heart rate. Fatigue, impairment and physical activity
were assessed to study its relationship with physical fitness.

Results. There were no statistically significant differences in physical fitness between CFS patients
and their controls. Nine CFS patients had a better fitness than their control. A negative relationship
between physical fitness and fatigue was found in both groups. For CFS patients a negative
correlation between fitness and impairment and a positive correlation between fitness and physical
activity was found as well. Finally, it was found that more CFS patients than controls did not
achieve a physiological limitation at maximal exercise.

Conclusions. Physical deconditioning does not seem a perpetuating factor in CFS.
Fatigue and psychiatric disorder: different or the same?
Authors: VAN DER LINDEN G. , CHALDER T. , HICKIE I. , KOSCHERA A. , SHAM P. , WESSELY S.
Published: July 2002

Background. Fatigue and psychiatric symptoms are common in the community, but their
association and outcome are sparsely studied.

Method. A total of 1177 patients were recruited from UK primary care on attending their general
practitioner. Fatigue and psychiatric disorder was measured at three time points with the 12-item
General Health Questionnaire and the 11-item Fatigue Questionnaire.

Results. Total scores for fatigue and psychiatric disorder did not differ between the three time
points and were closely correlated (r around 0·6). The association between non-co-morbid (‘pure’)
fatigue and developing psychiatric disorder 6 months later was the same as that for being well and
subsequent psychiatric disorder. Similarly, having non-co-morbid psychiatric disorder did not
predict having fatigue any more than being well 6 months previously. Between 13 and 15% suffered
from non-co-morbid fatigue at each time point and 2·5% suffered from fatigue at two time points
6 months apart. Less than 1% of patients suffered from non-co-morbid fatigue at all three time
points.

Conclusions. The data are consistent with the existence of ‘pure’ independent fatigue state.
However, this state is unstable and the majority (about three-quarters) of patients become well or
a case of psychiatric disorder over 6 months. A persistent, independent fatigue state lasting for 6
months can be identified in the primary-care setting, but it is uncommon – of the order of 2·5%.
Non-co-morbid (pure) fatigue did not predict subsequent psychiatric disorder.
Targeting Social Need: Why are Deprivation Levels in
Northern Ireland Higher for Catholics than for Protestants?
Authors: BOROOAH VANI K.
Published: July 2002

This article addresses two issues. First, using data drawn from the Sample
of Anonymised Records of the 1991 Northern Ireland Census, for over
13,000 individuals, it constructs a deprivation index and then, using this
index, compares the deprivation levels of Catholics and Protestants.
Second, it relates the level of deprivation of the individuals in the sample
to their personal characteristics and circumstances. In particular, it
examines the possibility that while higher deprivation levels among
Catholics may have been partly due to the fact that they
possessed, to a greater degree than Protestants, the attributes that were
correlated with deprivation, it may also have been the result of Catholics
being penalised more harshly than Protestants for possessing these
attributes.
The construction of conflicting accounts in public participation TV
Authors: THORNBORROW JOANNA
Published: July 2002

Some of the recent work in the field of media discourse
has been concerned with various levels in the organization
and structure of audience participation programs on radio
and television; other approaches to the analysis of talk
in these settings have focused on the interactional frameworks
at play in the talk. The aim of this article is to develop
the interactional approach by looking at the production
of narratives in a mediated context: specifically, the
production of a story from two different, and conflicting,
points of view. The stories I analyze occur within two
different program genres (talk show and television court)
where lay members of the public are often called upon to
produce accounts of events which are then contested by
another participant. This article discusses the significance
of tense shifting in these second versions, from narrative
past to conversational historic present, in the public
construction of believable alternative stories.
Jeff MacSwan, A minimalist approach to intrasentential
codeswitching. New York and London: Garland, 1999.
Pp. xxvi, 305. Hb $76.00.
Authors: Meechan Marjory
Published: July 2002

In this book, MacSwan accounts for code-switching
constraints between Spanish and Nahuatl, a Uto-Aztecan
language of central Mexico, while testing two main hypotheses:
(1) Nothing constrains code-switching apart from the requirements
of the mixed grammars; and (2) code-switchers have the same
grammatical competence as monolinguals for the languages
they use (p. 22).
Probing affective pictures: Attended startle and tone probes
Authors: Cuthbert Bruce N. , Schupp Harald T. , Bradley Margaret , McManis Mark , Lang Peter J.
Published: July 2002

Reflexive eyeblinks to a startle probe vary with the pleasantness of affective pictures, whereas the corresponding P300 varies with emotional arousal. The impact of attention to the probe on these effects was examined by varying task and probe type. Probes were either nonstartling tones or startling noises presented during affective picture viewing. Half the participants performed a task requiring attention to the probes; the other participants were told to ignore the probes. Blinks to the startle probe varied with picture pleasantness for both task and nontask conditions. In contrast, P300 magnitudes for both startle and tone probes were reduced during emotionally arousing pictures, irrespective of pleasantness, in task and nontask conditions. Further, attending to the startle probe prompted an augmentation of N100 during unpleasant pictures. The data suggest that affective modulation of probe responses reflects obligatory processes in picture perception.
Olfactory P3 in young and older adults
Authors: Morgan Charlie D. , Geisler Mark W. , Covington James W. , Polich John , Murphy Claire
Published: July 2002

Olfactory event‐related potentials (OERPs) were recorded monopolarly at the Fz, Cz, and Pz electrode sites in 16 young adults and 16 older adults to assess aging effects on the olfactory P3. Amyl acetate was used to elicit the OERPs, with an intertrial interval of 45 s. Young adults produced significantly larger P3 amplitudes and shorter P3 peak latencies than older adults. The olfactory P3 response appears to be sensitive to age‐related changes in the olfactory system and may reflect cognitive slowing in the central nervous system.
The case against memory consolidation in REM sleep
Authors: Vertes Robert P. , Eastman Kathleen E.
Published: July 2002

We present evidence disputing the hypothesis that memories are processed or consolidated in REM sleep. A review of REM deprivation (REMD) studies in animals shows these reports to be about equally divided in showing that REMD does, or does not, disrupt learning/memory. The studies supporting a relationship between REM sleep and memory have been strongly criticized for the confounding effects of very stressful REM deprivation techniques. The three major classes of antidepressant drugs, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), profoundly suppress REM sleep. The MAOIs virtually abolish REM sleep, and the TCAs and SSRIs have been shown to produce immediate (40–85%) and sustained (30–50%) reductions in REM sleep. Despite marked suppression of REM sleep, these classes of antidepressants on the whole do not disrupt learning/memory. There have been a few reports of patients who have survived bilateral lesions of the pons with few lingering complications. Although these lesions essentially abolished REM sleep, the patients reportedly led normal lives. Recent functional imaging studies in humans have revealed patterns of brain activity in REM sleep that are consistent with dream processes but not with memory consolidation. We propose that the primary function of REM sleep is to provide periodic endogenous stimulation to the brain which serves to maintain requisite levels of central nervous system (CNS) activity throughout sleep. REM is the mechanism used by the brain to promote recovery from sleep. We believe that the cumulative evidence indicates that REM sleep serves no role in the processing or consolidation of memory.
Neurons amongst the symbols?
Authors: Beaman C. Philip
Published: July 2002

Page's target article presents an argument for the use of localist, connectionist models in future psychological theorising. The “manifesto” marshalls a set of arguments in favour of localist connectionism and against distributed connectionism, but in doing so misses a larger argument concerning the level of psychological explanation that is appropriate to a given domain.
The waking-to-dreaming continuum and the effects of emotion
Authors: Hartmann Ernest
Published: July 2002

The three-dimensional “AIM model” proposed by Hobson et al. is imaginative. However, many kinds of data suggest that the “dimensions” are not orthogonal, but closely correlated. An alternative view is presented in which mental functioning is considered as a continuum, or a group of closely linked continua, running from focused waking activity at one end, to dreaming at the other. The effect of emotional state is increasingly evident towards the dreaming end of the continuum.

[Hobson et al.; Nielsen; Solms]
Nielsen's concept of covert REM sleep is a path toward a more realistic view of sleep psychophysiology
Authors: Pace-Schott Edward F.
Published: July 2002

Nielsen's concept of “covert REM sleep” accounts for more of the complexity in sleep psychophysiology than its conceptual predecessors such as the tonic-phasic model. With new neuroimaging findings, such concepts lead to more precise sleep psychophysiology including both traditional polysomnographic signs and neuronal activity in greater proximity to the actual point sources and distributed networks which generate dreaming.

[Hobson et al.; Nielsen]
Long-term potentiation: What's learning got to do with it?
Authors: Shors Tracey J. , Matzel Louis D.
Published: July 2002

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is operationally defined as a
long-lasting increase in synaptic efficacy following high-frequency
stimulation of afferent fibers. Since the first full description of
the phenomenon in 1973, exploration of the mechanisms underlying
LTP induction has been one of the most active areas of research
in neuroscience. Of principal interest to those who study LTP,
particularly in the mammalian hippocampus, is its presumed role
in the establishment of stable memories, a role consistent with
“Hebbian” descriptions of memory formation. Other
characteristics of LTP, including its rapid induction, persistence,
and correlation with natural brain rhythms, provide circumstantial
support for this connection to memory storage. Nonetheless, there
is little empirical evidence that directly links LTP to the storage of
memories. In this target article we review a range of cellular and
behavioral characteristics of LTP and evaluate whether they are
consistent with the purported role of hippocampal LTP in memory
formation. We suggest that much of the present focus on LTP reflects
a preconception that LTP is a learning mechanism, although
the empirical evidence often suggests that LTP is unsuitable for such
a role. As an alternative to serving as a memory storage device, we
propose that LTP may serve as a neural equivalent to an arousal or
attention device in the brain. Accordingly, LTP may increase in a
nonspecific way the effective salience of discrete external stimuli
and may thereby facilitate the induction of memories at distant
synapses. Other hypotheses regarding the functional utility of this
intensely studied mechanism are conceivable; the intent of this target
article is not to promote a single hypothesis but rather to stimulate
discussion about the neural mechanisms underlying memory storage and
to appraise whether LTP can be considered a viable candidate for such
a mechanism.
Synchronization of neural activity and information processing
Authors: Borisyuk Roman , Borisyuk Galina , Kazanovich Yakov
Published: July 2002

Synchronization of neural activity in oscillatory neural
networks is a general principle of information processing in the brain
at both preattentional and attentional levels. This is confirmed by a
model of attention based on an oscillatory neural network with a
central element and models of feature binding and working memory
based on multi-frequency oscillations.
The Ego has landed! The .05 level of statistical significance is soft (Fisher) rather than hard (Neyman/Pearson)
Authors: Krueger Lester E.
Published: July 2002

Chow pays lip service (but not much more!) to Type I errors
and thus opts for a hard (all-or-none) .05 level of significance
(Superego of Neyman/Pearson theory; Gigerenzer 1993). Most
working scientists disregard Type I errors and thus utilize a soft
.05 level (Ego of Fisher; Gigerenzer 1993), which lets them report
gradations of significance (e.g., p < .001).
Relational complexity metric is effective when assessments are based on actual cognitive processes
Authors: Halford Graeme S. , Wilson William H. , Phillips Steven
Published: July 2002

The core issue of our target article concerns how relational
complexity should be assessed. We propose that assessments must
be based on actual cognitive processes used in performing each step
of a task. Complexity comparisons are important for the orderly
interpretation of research findings. The links between relational
complexity theory and several other formulations, as well as its
implications for neural functioning, connectionist models, the roles
of knowledge, and individual and developmental differences, are
considered.
The living individual and its kind
Authors: Thompson Michael
Published: July 2002

The empirical advances the target article makes over Atran
(1990) tend not so much to enrich our knowledge of the “folk
taxonomic” hierarchy as to militate against the idea of one.
Folk-biological domain-specific universals are to be found not in
“taxonomic” kind-kind subordination relations, but in
the relation of individual organisms to low ranking kinds and in the
peculiarities of those kinds.
In time and over time
Authors: Smithers Tim
Published: July 2002

Van Gelder's clear distinction between the quantitative
nature of dynamical systems and the nonquantitative nature of
computational processes provides a firm basis for distinguishing
between processes that happen in time and processes that
happen over time. Symbolic reasoning, the presumed basis of
intelligent behavior in robots, happens over time. However,
the movements and actions that robots must make to behave
intelligently, happen in time. Attempting to connect the two,
as classical artificial intelligence and robotics have presumed to be
necessary, has produced a tension and an arbitrarily moving interface
in the construction of robots. Adopting a robotic version of the
dynamical hypothesis offers sound theoretical and scientific
justification for those robotics researchers who continue to insist
that getting the interaction dynamics of intelligent behavior right
is a purely dynamical matter, and never a symbolic computational
one.
The relevance of sex differences in risk-taking to the military and the workplace
Authors: Browne Kingsley R.
Published: July 2002

Sex differences in willingness to take physical risks and in
concern for peer esteem may be relevant to whether women should
serve in combat, since two major fears soldiers experience are of
being injured and of not measuring up as warriors. Women's
relative aversion to nonphysical risk may have workplace implications,
since risk taking is an attribute of most successful
executives.
How trivial is the “trivial neuron doctrine”?
Authors: Daniel Steven G.
Published: July 2002

I argue that Gold & Stoljar's “trivial neuron
doctrine” is not in fact trivial. Many familiar positions in the
philosophy of mind run afoul of it, and it is unclear that even those
whom Gold & Stoljar identify as adherents of the trivial neuron
doctrine can be comfortably described as such.
Warrior values and social identity
Authors: Caporael Linnda R.
Published: July 2002

A single evolved psychological mechanism, social identity, may
help explain the development of salient sex differences in aggression.
Bearing children automatically provides a basis for positive social
identity for females. Masculine identity is more problematic,
especially where the range of possible cultural roles is small.
Ethnohistorical data provides insight into the overlap between
masculine values and warrior values.
Syntax, or, the embryogenesis of meaning
Authors: Jorion Paul J. M.
Published: July 2002

Syntax is better viewed as the dynamics of a morphogenetic field on a semantic universe of “content” words. This may take widely different forms, making the acquisition of any language by an aspiring speaker an entirely new experience. The existence of an underlying “universal syntax” might be illusory.
Horseshoes and the Conley index spectrum
Authors: CARBINATTO MARIA C. , KWAPISZ JAROSLAW , MISCHAIKOW KONSTANTIN
Published: July 2002

Given a continuous map on a locally compact metric space and an isolating neighborhood which is decomposed into two disjoint isolating neighborhoods, it is shown that the spectral information of the associated Conley indices is sufficient to conclude the existence of a semi-conjugacy onto the full shift dynamics on two symbols.
Bratteli–Vershik models for Cantor minimal systems: applications to Toeplitz flows
Authors: GJERDE RICHARD , JOHANSEN ØRJAN
Published: July 2002

We construct Bratteli–Vershik models for Toeplitz flows and characterize a class of properly ordered Bratteli diagrams corresponding to these flows. We use this result to extend by a novel approach—using basic theory of dimension groups—an interesting and non-trivial result about Toeplitz flows, first shown by Downarowicz. (Williams had previously obtained preliminary results in this direction.) The result states that to any Choquet simplex $K$, there exists a $0$–$1$ Toeplitz flow $(Y,\psi)$, so that the set of invariant probability measures of $(Y,\psi)$ is affinely homeomorphic to $K$. Not only do we give a conceptually new proof of this result, we also show that we may choose $(Y,\psi)$ to have zero entropy and to have full rational spectrum.

Furthermore, our Bratteli–Vershik model for a given Toeplitz flow explicitly exhibits the factor map onto the maximal equicontinuous (odometer) factor. We utilize this to give a simple proof of the existence of a uniquely ergodic 0–1 Toeplitz flow of zero entropy having a given odometer as its maximal equicontinuous factor and being strongly orbit equivalent to this factor. By the same token, we show the existence of 0–1 Toeplitz flows having the 2-odometer as their maximal equicontinuous factor, being strong orbit equivalent to the same, and assuming any entropy value in $[0,\ln 2)$.

Finally, we show by an explicit example, using Bratteli diagrams, that Toeplitz flows are not preserved under Kakutani equivalence (in fact, under inducing)—contrasting what is the case for substitution minimal systems. In fact, the example we exhibit is an induced system of a 0–1 Toeplitz flow which is conjugate to the Chacon substitution system, thus it is prime, i.e. it has no non-trivial factors.

The thrust of our paper is to demonstrate the relevance and usefulness of Bratteli–Vershik models and dimension group theory for the study of minimal symbolic systems. This is also exemplified in recent papers by Forrest and by Durand, Host and Skau, treating substitution minimal systems, and by papers by Boyle, Handelman and by Ormes.
Regularization and topological entropy for the spatial n-center problem
Authors: BOLOTIN S. V. , NEGRINI P.
Published: July 2002

We show that the n-center problem in \mathbb{R}3 has positive topological entropy for n\ge 3. The proof is based on global regularization of singularities and the results of Gromov and Paternain on the topological entropy of geodesic flows. The n-center problem in S3 is also studied.
The closing lemma for holomorphic maps
Authors: FORNÆSS JOHN ERIK , SIBONY NESSIM
Published: July 2002

The closing lemma is proved for various classes of holomorphic
self-maps on ${\Bbb C}^k$. These classes include those
consisting of biholomorphic maps, endomorphisms and
symplectomorphisms.
Substitutional dynamical systems, Bratteli diagrams and dimension groups
Authors: DURAND F. , HOST B. , SKAU C.
Published: July 2002

We explore substitution minimal systems and their relation to stationary Bratteli diagrams and stationary dimension groups. The constructions involved are algorithmic and explicit and render an effective method to compute an invariant of (ordered) $K$-theoretic nature for these systems. This new invariant is independent of spectral invariants which have previously been extensively studied. Before we state the main results we give some background.
Limiting Long-Term Illness and Household Structure among People Aged 45 and over, Great Britain 1991
Authors: GLASER KAREN , MURPHY MIKE , GRUNDY EMILY
Published: July 2002

The aim of the study reported here was to investigate
the relationship between
health and household composition among older people. The 1 per cent and
2
per cent SARs (Samples of Anonymised Records) drawn from 1991 British
Census data were used to examine the frequency of a limiting long-term
illness
among older people according to different types of living arrangements.
These
data include the population in institutions and our results show that previous

studies based only on the private household population have underestimated

the prevalence of illness among older people. Long-term illness rates vary

across family and household types, with higher frequencies found for those

individuals not living in families (either alone or with others) or in
lone parent
families, compared with those living as part of a couple. Importantly,
our
results show a previously unreported clustering of long-term illness in

households. Those over 45 suffering from a limiting long-term illness were

more likely than those without such an illness, to live in households including

others with long-term illness. These results indicate that health should
be
considered from a household, rather than just an individual, perspective.
Our
findings support those who have argued that families including an older
ill
member need more help from formal services. However, it is unlikely that
this
can be achieved solely by redeploying services from those living alone
as long-term illness rates were also high in this group.
Continuity and Discontinuity in Attitudes

toward Marital Power Relations:

Pre-retired vs Retired Husbands
Authors: KULIK LIAT , ZUCKERMAN BARELI HAIA
Published: July 2002

Taking a life-cycle approach to marital power relations, the paper
compares

the attitudes of married men close to retirement with those who are retired.
An

integrative model based on Resource Theory was designed to analyse the

effect of several variables on the husband's perceptions of power
relations:

perceived resources, attitudes toward gender roles, emotional commitment
to

his wife and anticipated dependence on her. The model was tested on a sample

of 348 Israeli men – 137 pre-retired and 211 retirees. Contrary to

expectations

of a decline in the retired husband's perceived power, no differences
were

found between the two groups except for a reported increase in social power

among the older group. Major differences were found, however, regarding
the

overall impact of variables: perceived economic resources had the strongest

explanatory power for pre-retired respondents, whereas it was psycho-social

factors (anticipated dependence on the wife for satisfaction of emotional
needs,

psychological resources, and emotional commitment to the wife) that best

explained variance among retirees. The increased dependence of retired

husbands on their wives' expressive resources seems to contradict
their reports

of greater social power, suggesting that their perceptions of marital power

relations may be coloured by feelings of status anxiety.
‘Just live for today’. Living, caring, ageing and dying
Authors: HOWARTH GLENNYS
Published: July 2002

There is an assumption in western societies that death in old age is not only
‘natural’ but also ‘easy’. It is often characterised
as death which occurs at the
end of life with goals complete. By contrast death in youth is a traumatic and
untimely end. This paper draws on interviews with people over the age of 75
to explore the nature of attitudes to death in old age. It focuses on the issues
raised by elderly people themselves when given the opportunity to talk about
death and dying. In so doing, attitudes to death and dying are separated into
‘death of self’ and ‘death of other’.
Each of these categories is then divided
thematically according to the issues raised by respondents.
Long-term bandwagoning and short-term balancing: the lessons of coalition behaviour from 1792 to 1815
Authors: WHITENECK DANIEL J.
Published: July 2002

Recent literature in International Relations has argued that the absence of ‘balancing’ behaviour by European states during the Napoleonic Wars from 1798 to 1815 calls into question current explanations for the presence or absence of such behaviour in international relations. This literature has argued that: (1) Napoleonic France presented a significant threat to the stability of the international system; (2) European states did not balance against this threat from 1798 to 1813, and subsequently balanced only after Napoleon's defeat in Russia in 1812; (3) members of the system possessed adequate power to balance successfully against this threat; and (4) since European states engaged in co-opting, rewarding, avoiding, or bandwagoning behaviour towards the French threats to the system, a new explanation for the absence of balancing behaviour is required. Each of these four points can be refuted by: taking a longer time perspective of the international system during the period in question, expanding state motives to include interests other than security, using a long cycle model of coalition leadership by a global leader, recognizing the constraints faced by European states in their choices of balancing or bandwagoning behaviour under threats from France, and taking into account the role of innovation and change in a period of global war.
Dynamic characterisation of a flexible manipulator system
Authors: Tokhi M.O. , Mohamed Z. , Shaheed M.H.
Published: July 2002

This paper presents theoretical and experimental investigations into the
dynamic modelling and characterisation of a flexible manipulator system. A constrained planar single-link flexible manipulator is considered. A dynamic model of the system is developed based on finite element methods. The flexural and rigid dynamics of the system as well as inertia effects and structural damping are accounted in the model. Performance of the algorithm in describing the dynamic behaviour of the system is assessed in comparison to an experimental test-rig. Experimental results are presented for validation of the developed
finite element model in the time and frequency domains.
Swing-free transportation of suspended objects with robot manipulators
Authors: Alici Gürsel , Kapucu Sadettin , Bayseç Sedat
Published: July 2002

This paper addresses the swing-free transport of simply suspended objects which cannot be grasped by robot manipulators, and therefore, must be carried
by a hook or a similar device attached to the manipulator endpoint. Two methods are presented to stop the suspended object in a swing-free state at the end of a
move/gross motion; (1) limiting transportation time, thus stopping the manipulator
at the instant when the object completes one or more full cycle(s), and (2) adjusting traveling time of each section of a three-piece continuous trajectory provided that a given transportation time is unchanged. A hydraulically actuated robot manipulator carrying a
compound pendulum was employed as an experimental system to test the methods. Simulation and experimental results are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of both methods. It is concluded that while limiting transportation time is not a preferred way to eliminate
swing at the end of the move as it depends on the period of oscillation of the suspended object, the latter is a more practical and applicable method and is valid for moves of any length. The results reveal that by properly planning the acceleration of the transporting device, a robot manipulator or a similar device such as a crane, a swing-free stop is obtainable. The proposed approaches are simple and easy to implement.
Slip compensated manipulation of an object with cooperating multiple robots
Authors: Munawar Khalid , Uchiyama Masaru
Published: July 2002

Cooperating multiple robots may experience slips between their
end-effectors and the object when making no rigid grasps, as is the case of manipulating fingers. Consequently, these slips make the robotic system unsuccessful in executing a job properly and can even cause a failure of control. Contact-point slips can
be avoided by defining multiple constraints on grasping forces and usable workspace, but these constraints limit the utilization of a robotic system. The researchers working on finger grasps and multiple robots cooperation with contact have always been assuming no slips
at the contact points. However, in normal practice, one has to encounter this problem. Hence, this paper has taken this contact-point slip problem as its main topic and theme of work. Consequently, the slip phenomenon is analyzed thoroughly and then generalized for a multiple robot system manipulating a geometrically regular-shaped object. Different slip configurations are introduced and methods for their detection are proposed. This detection does not consider dedicated sensors neither for the object's posture nor for the slip detection. It, rather, utilizes only the finger-tip position information usually available
from the kinematics based on very common sensors available with the manipulator. Utilizing the proposed methodology, it is possible to detect the end-point slips in most of the cases and realize an exact task execution and stability of control, with a minimum number of sensors.