bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetic Variation of Serotonin Function and Cognitive Control
Authors: Strobel Alexander , Dreisbach Gesine , Müller Johannes , Goschke Thomas , Brocke Burkhard , Lesch Klaus-Peter
Published: November 2007

Although it is widely accepted that serotonin plays a pivotal role in the modulation of anxiety- and depression-related personality traits as well as in the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders and depression, the role of serotonin in cognition is less clear. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of serotonin in cognitive behaviors by examining the impact of genetic variation in key regulators of serotonergic neurotransmission on behavioral measures in a cognitive control task. Eighty-five healthy participants performed a cued continuous performance task (the AX Continuous Performance Task [AXCPT]) and were genotyped for polymorphisms in the transcriptional control regions of the tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene (TPH2 G-703T; rs4570625) and the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR). The core result was that individuals lacking the rare TPH2 T allele were not faster than T allele carriers, but committed fewer errors and were less variable in responding. These findings parallel those of a recent study where an enhancement of executive control in individuals without the rare TPH2 T/T genotype was observed. Together with recent evidence that individuals without the T allele exhibit higher scores in anxiety- and depression-related personality traits, our results underscore the role of the TPH2 G-703T polymorphism in the modulation of behavior and raise the intriguing possibility that genetic variants associated with higher negative emotionality may have beneficial effects on some cognitive functions.
The Costs of Emotional Attention: Affective Processing Inhibits Subsequent Lexico-semantic Analysis
Authors: Ihssen Niklas , Heim Sabine , Keil Andreas
Published: November 2007

The human brain has evolved to process motivationally relevant information in an optimized manner. The perceptual benefit for emotionally arousing material, termed motivated attention, is indexed by electrocortical amplification at various levels of stimulus analysis. An outstanding issue, particularly on a neuronal level, refers to whether and how perceptual enhancement for arousing signals translates into modified processing of information presented in temporal or spatial proximity to the affective cue. The present studies aimed to examine facilitation and interference effects of task-irrelevant emotional pictures on subsequent word identification. In the context of forced-choice lexical decision tasks, pictures varying in hedonic valence and emotional arousal preceded word/ pseudoword targets. Across measures and experiments, high-arousing compared to low-arousing pictures were associated with impaired processing of word targets. Arousing pleasant and unpleasant pictures prolonged word reaction times irrespective of stimulus-onset asynchrony (80 msec, 200 msec, 440 msec) and salient semantic category differences (e.g., erotica vs. mutilation pictures). On a neuronal level, interference was reflected in reduced N1 responses (204–264 msec) to both target types. Paralleling behavioral effects, suppression of the late positivity (404–704 msec) was more pronounced for word compared to pseudoword targets. Regional source modeling indicated that early reduction effects originated from inhibited cortical activity in posterior areas of the left inferior temporal cortex associated with orthographic processing. Modeling of later reduction effects argues for interference in distributed semantic networks comprising left anterior temporal and parietal sources. Thus, affective processing interferes with subsequent lexico-semantic analysis along the ventral stream.
The Cerebellum Mediates Conflict Resolution
Authors: Schweizer Tom A. , Oriet Chris , Meiran Nachshon , Alexander Michael P. , Cusimano Michael , Stuss Donald T.
Published: November 2007

Regions within the frontal and parietal cortex have been implicated as important neural correlates for cognitive control during conflict resolution. Despite the extensive reciprocal connectivity between the cerebellum and these putatively critical cortical areas, a role for the cerebellum in conflict resolution has never been identified. We used a task-switching paradigm that separates processes related to task-set switching and the management of response conflict independent of motor processing. Eleven patients with chronic, focal lesions to the cerebellum and 11 healthy controls were compared. Patients were slower and less accurate in conditions involving conflict resolution. In the absence of response conflict, however, tasks-witching abilities were not impaired in our patients. The cerebellum may play an important role in coordinating with other areas of cortex to modulate active response states. These results are the first demonstration of impaired conflict resolution following cerebellar lesions in the presence of an intact prefrontal cortex.
Electrophysiological Evidence for Both Perceptual and Postperceptual Selection during the Attentional Blink
Authors: Giesbrecht Barry , Sy Jocelyn L. , Elliott James C.
Published: November 2007

When two masked targets are presented in rapid succession, correct identification of the first target (T1) leads to a dramatic impairment in identification of the second target (T2). Several studies of this so-called attentional blink (AB) phenomenon have provided behavioral and physiological evidence that T2 is processed to the semantic level, despite the profound impairment in T2 report. These findings have been interpreted as an example of perception without awareness and have been explained by models that assume that T2 is processed extensively even though it does not gain access into consciousness. The present study reports two experiments that test this assumption. In Experiment 1, the perceptual load of the T1 task was manipulated and T2 was a word that was either related or unrelated to a context word presented at the beginning of each trial. The event-related potential (ERP) technique was used to isolate the context-sensitive N400 component evoked by the T2 word. The ERP data revealed that there was a complete suppression of the N400 during the AB when the perceptual load was high, but not when perceptual load was low. Experiment 2 replicated the high-load condition of Experiment 1 while ruling out two alternative explanations for the reduction of the N400 during the AB. The results of both experiments demonstrate that word meanings are not always accessed during the AB and are consistent with studies that suggest that attention can act to select information at multiple stages of processing depending on concurrent task demands.
Lateral Inferotemporal Cortex Maintains Conceptual—Semantic Representations in Verbal Working Memory
Authors: Fiebach Christian J. , Friederici Angela D. , Smith Edward E. , Swinney David
Published: November 2007

Verbal working memory, that is, the temporary maintenance of linguistic information in an activated state, is typically assumed to rely on phonological representations. Recent evidence from behavioral, neuropsychological, and electrophysiological studies, however, suggests that conceptual-semantic representations may also be maintained in an activated state. We developed a new semantic working memory task that involves the maintenance of a novel conceptual combination. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquired during the maintenance of conceptual combinations, relative to an item recognition task without the possibility of conceptual combination, demonstrate increased activation in the posterior left middle and inferior temporal gyri (known to be involved in conceptual representations) and left inferior frontal gyrus (known to be involved in semantic control processes). We suggest that this temporo-frontal system supports maintenance of conceptual information in working memory, with the frontal regions controlling the sustained activation of heteromodal conceptual representations in the inferior temporal cortex.
Evidence for Attentional Gradient in the Serial Position Memory Curve from Event-related Potentials
Authors: Azizian Allen , Polich John
Published: November 2007

The occurrence of primacy versus recency effects in free recall is suggested to reflect either two distinct memory systems, or the operation of a single system that is modulated by allocation of attention and less vulnerable to interference. Behavioral and event-related brain potential (ERPs) measures were used to investigate the encoding substrates of the serial position curve and subsequent recall in young adults. Participants were instructed to remember lists of words consisting of 12 common nouns each presented once every 1.5 sec, with a recall signal following the last word to indicate that all remembered items should be written on paper. This procedure was repeated for 20 different word lists. Both performance and late ERP amplitudes reflected classic recall serial position effects. Greater recall and larger late positive component amplitudes were obtained for the primacy and recency items, with less recall and smaller amplitudes for the middle words. The late positive component was larger for recalled compared to unrecalled primacy items, but it did not differ between memory performance outcomes for the recency items. The close relationship between the enhanced amplitude and primacy retrieval supports the view that this positive component reflects one of a process series related to attentional gradient and encoding of events for storage in memory. Recency effects appear to index operations determined by the anticipation of the last stimulus presentation, which occurred for both recalled and unrecalled memory items. Theoretical implications are discussed.
Class Origin Effects on Downward Career Mobility in Sweden 1982—2001
Authors: Bihagen Erik
Published: November 2007

This article sheds light on the impact of class origin on career mobility by focusing on downward mobility from the so-called Service I class, which is the most privileged class of employees within the EGP (Erikson—Goldthorpe—Portocarero) class schema. A substantial proportion of the incumbents within Service I originate from the working class. It could be assumed that these people would experience higher levels of downward career mobility. Using Swedish survey data with panels covering the time period 1982 to 2001, this hypothesis receives support for women but not for men. A lower level of educational attainment characteristic of people originating in the working class seems to explain part, but not all, of the association between class origin and downward career mobility. An explanation is suggested based on the assumption of different responses to the problem of combining family and working life for women with different class origins.
The content and interactivity of health support group websites
Authors: Harrison Sandra , Barlow Julie , Williams Gareth
Published: November 2007

Objective To assess the online contents and interactivity provided by health support group (HSG) websites representing a range of chronic diseases.

Design Survey of 80 HSG websites.

Method A checklist of website content was developed rating the level of information and advice, interactivity and online support provided by each HSG website. Each website was examined page by page using the checklist. A comparison of website characteristics by HSG income was made. Results Information and advice: 97.5 per cent provided medical information and most provided some form of advice, especially about treatment (88.1 per cent); 93.75 per cent provided non-medical information with news items (77.5 per cent) and an events diary (61.3 per cent). Interactivity: all but one website had some form of interactivity but more complex content functions were less frequently present (e.g. self-evaluation questionnaire, 18.8 per cent) and tended to be restricted to larger HSGs. Online support: 52.5 per cent of websites offered a discussion forum and 63.8 per cent a helpline. Few websites (36.3 per cent) provided the date of the last update and where displayed it tended to be out of date (4.1 months). Accessibility for users with disabilities was limited with just 16.3 per cent offering manual adjustment of the website display.

Conclusion While HSGs are providing useful information and support, most are not yet exploiting the full potential of a website, with the interactive elements on these sites still in their infancy and not being regularly up-dated.
Understanding women's breast screening behaviour: A study carried out in South East London, with women aged 50—64 years
Authors: Barter-Godfrey Sarah , Taket Ann
Published: November 2007

Objective To understand low uptake of breast cancer screening through exploring the personal reasoning underlying women's attendance or non-attendance, and identifying differences between those who attend and those who decline.

Design Cross-sectional survey.

Setting Community and home environments of women eligible for breast screening aged 50—64 years, living in South East London. Method Structured, self-completed or assisted-completion questionnaires.

Results The decision to attend or decline screening is rational and personally justifiable, engaging factors linked to emotions and attitude. Attitudes about breast screening and perceived personal importance of breast screening are the strongest predictors of attendance and non-attendance. There are differences between ethnic groups in perceptions of breast screening. Regular attendance at screening is associated with ethnicity, although consistent avoidance of mammography is not. Inconvenience is an important factor in missing appointments, and tends to be prolonged rather than specific to the time or day of the pre-booked invitation. GP and health worker advice are good persuaders towards attendance. Pain and anxiety during mammography are notable dissuaders against re-attending.

Conclusion Appropriate service provision requires consideration of local factors, as well as the medical needs of the population eligible for breast screening. Lay perceptions of potential personal costs of attending or not attending breast screening are important for guiding health promotion. Information providers should consider the language needs of a culturally and educationally mixed community. Health care professionals are well placed to encourage uptake of breast screening through disseminating information that promotes attendance, both within and outside the breast screening service.
Evolution of policy leading to the 2006 General Dental Service contract and some possible outcomes
Authors: Downer Martin C. , Drugan Caroline S.
Published: November 2007

Background and objective This paper was designed to rehearse the evolution of policy for the UK NHS General Dental Service (and related services) since its inception in 1948, culminating in the establishment of a new contract for general dental practitioners in 2006.

Methods Information was abstracted from the literature, historical records, relevant websites and government publications, and collated to form a concise account of the key developments in policy.

Results Policy developments have followed a more or less logical sequence in response to the changing requirements and aspirations of the government, the dental profession and the public. The main events in the chain are presented.

Conclusions The development of the new contract, its rationale and its possible consequences are discussed.
Women's absenteeism in the popular press: Evidence for a gender-specific absence culture
Authors: Patton Eric , Johns Gary
Published: November 2007

This study explores the societal expectations surrounding women's absenteeism from work by means of a content analysis of newspaper articles that have appeared in the New York Times over the last 100 years. The results suggest that a distinct absence culture exists for women that might legitimize their absenteeism, but might also perpetuate gender stereotypes and lead to gender discrimination.
Lacanian theory's contribution to the study of workplace envy
Authors: Vidaillet Bénédicte
Published: November 2007

In this article, we wish to develop further the reflection undertaken by the few authors who have started using Lacan's theories in their research on organizations. We suggest that using a framework based on Lacanian theory can help us better understand workplace envy, which is such a complex emotion, and better integrate the existing studies on organizational envy. Our analysis is based on a clinical case study. Whereas Kleinian theory sees envy as involving two subjects, Lacanian theory approaches envy as a triangular relationship between an envied subject and a quasi similar envious person, watched (approvingly/disapprovingly) by a `big Other'. This theory helps understand that envy and narcissism are related and that they originate at the stage in psychic development that Lacan calls the `mirror stage'. Whereas the Kleinian approach highlights the differences between the Envious and the Envied and the position of dependence of one on the other, Lacanian theory outlines the role of the `double', the symmetrical position of the Envied and the Envious, and the alienation to the Other. The Lacanian approach also enables us to consider interventions in contexts where envy is present.
Australia's Social and Commercial Engagement with China: What Direction for the Relationship?
Authors: Burrow Sharan
Published: November 2007

This article suggests four criteria that any Australian Government should satisfy in promoting new forms of social and commercial engagement in the Australia—China economic and trading relationship. Any Free Trade Agreement (FTA) should require a high level of commitment to meet four standards. First, the inclusion of a labour clause within the agreement. Second, the government must now ensure that there is no disadvantage to Australian industry particularly for the purpose of applying anti-dumping provisions. Third, an Australia—China FTA would need to demonstrate how the economic and trading relationship would become more balanced and why a bilateral FTA will not further compromise the multilateral system. Fourth, the government must demonstrate its commitment to make Australia free trade ready so the nation can maximize the benefits and minimize the costs of commercial engagement with China and other counties. Ultimately corporate globalization will only work for the world's workers and their families when it is underpinned by a fair set of global rules including labour rights.
Australia/US/China Preferential Trade Negotiations: Building Alliances and Realizing Workers' Rights to a `Voice at the Table'
Authors: Nyland Chris , Maharaj Elizabeth Ann , O'Rourke Anne
Published: November 2007

When the Australian and Chinese governments announced their intention to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement this news generated apprehension among employee bodies. This was because many workers believe China's competitiveness is underpinned by its government's refusal to allow China's workers to realize basic labour rights and because Australian labour and the wider community has been unable to participate in the debate surrounding the proposed agreement. The latter concern is the focus of this article. We accept organized labour has a right to `sit at the table' when trade policy is being determined and that the union movement needs to forge effective alliances if it is to achieve this goal. To assist this process we draw on submissions generated by the United States—Australia (AUSFTA) and Australia—China (ACFTA) trade agreements to argue that Australian unions and civil society groupings can influence the outcome of bilateral trade negotiations and in so doing offer suggestions regarding the issues likely to be most conducive to alliance building.
Is the ACFTU a Union and Does it Matter?
Authors: Taylor Bill , Li Qi
Published: November 2007

This article seeks to examine whether the All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is a trade union organization, with implications for foreign unions, governments and other parties seeking to engage it. After examining the international context of pressure on China, the article will briefly outline the historical and present structure of the ACFTU and examine the problems the ACFTU faces in carrying out its functions. The article will argue through a number of criteria of union characteristics that the ACFTU is not a union. This is a more fundamental position than arguing the ACFTU is not an independent union. However, because the ACFTU is a state organ, closely subordinated to the Chinese Communist Party, foreign engagement can potentially lead to positive results for China's domestic labour. Finally, the article will briefly make suggestions for constructive engagement with the ACFTU as a state organ rather than as a union.
The Structural Events Approach — A `Better' Way to Understand Long-term Change in Trade Union Structure: The Australian Story (1986—96)
Authors: Saville Kerrie
Published: November 2007

Traditional studies of long-term change in trade union structure have predominantly focused on aggregate trends in union merger activity in constructing explanations of change. Using the Australian trade union movement as an example, this article argues that our understanding of the long-term change in the external structure of trade unions would be better served by a structural events approach (Waddington, 1995) that examines the incidence of union formations, dissolutions, and breakaways, in addition to that of union mergers. In doing so, this article presents new data on structural change in the Australian trade union movement between 1986 and 1996, and explains the additional contribution made by union dissolutions and union formations to the reductionist effects of the merger wave that dominated these years.
Industrial Relations, Migration, and Neoliberal Politics: The Case of the European Construction Sector
Authors: Lillie Nathan , Greer Ian
Published: November 2007

Transnational politics and labor markets are undermining national industrial relations systems in Europe. This article examines the construction industry, where the internationalization of the labor market has gone especially far. To test hypotheses about di ferences between “national systems,” the authors examine the United Kingdom, Finland, and Germany, alongside European-level policy making. Regardless of overall national institutional framework, employers seek to avoid industrial relations rules, while unions attempt to relocalize labor relations. Both use shop-floor, national, and European power resources. The authors argue that comparative industrial relations should take seriously the connection between action at the national and transnational levels.
An Analytical Approach to Performance Analysis of an Asynchronous Web Server
Authors: Praphamontripong U. , Gokhale S. , Gokhale Aniruddha , Gray Jeff
Published: November 2007

Concurrency can be implemented in a Web server using synchronous or asynchronous mechanisms provided by the underlying operating system. Compared to the synchronous mechanisms, asynchronous mechanisms are attractive because they provide the benefit of concurrency while alleviating much of the overhead and compleXity of multi-threading. The Proactor pattern in middleware, which encapsulates the asynchronous mechanisms provided by the operating system, can be used to implement a high performance Web server. The performance eXpectations imposed on a Web server make it necessary to analyze its performance prior to deployment. While the performance of a server can be measured after implementation, design-time performance analysis, conducted early in the life cycle, can enable informed configuration and provisioning choices. A model-based approach can be used for such design-time performance analysis. In this paper we present a performance model of the architecture of an asynchronous Web server which uses the Proactor pattern. We discuss the implementation of the performance model using the Stochastic Reward Net (SRN) modeling paradigm. A model decomposition strategy along with its SRN implementation to facilitate the application of the model to practical Web servers is then described. We demonstrate the use of the model to guide key provisioning and configuration decisions with several eXamples.
Immanence and Transcendence in the Religious and the Political
Authors: Corten André , Doran Marie-Christine
Published: November 2007

Transcendence and immanence as concepts have taken a new relevance in the context of converging processes of crisis of legitimacy, in both religious and political conceptions, linked with a growing individualism. The authors attempt to situate this growing interest, which crosses various fields of study, by examining the literature and by discussing the heuristic value of transcendence and immanence when placed in the current context of what they analyse as a transformation, rather than a withering away, of the relationship between collectivities and the sacred, whether on religious or political levels.
The European Compromise: Between Immanence and Transcendence
Authors: Massignon Bérengère
Published: November 2007

The European construction is heuristically useful when it comes to analysing the mutations affecting relations between the religious and the political in western European countries. The European Union is an archetype of immanence in politics. While access to Europe's pluralistic, competitive public space imposes a relative secularization upon the religious, complex transactions nonetheless are at work in Brussels, where a European compromise between immanence and transcendence is being forged. Religions, as patrimonial and anthropological resources, they testify to/are the repository of an idea of transcendence by which they propose a critique of individualistic and market-driven Europe. Suffering from a symbolic deficit, European institutions call upon religions in order to ``to give Europe a soul''.
Le transcendant au service de l'immanent. L'art islamiste comme exemple d'art totalitaire en Iran
Authors: Kamrane Ramine
Published: November 2007

The author demonstrates the rift between Islamist art, which is a variant of ideological art, and the traditional art of the Muslim countries, often called ``Islamic art''. More than applying canonical prohibitions, Islamist art has taken over ideology in the aesthetical field, its main function being the falsification of reality and the sanctification of the Islamist regime. This art has two layers: first, a false realism, which tries not to describe but to transform reality with the help of the repressive system; and second, a method of sanctification based on a religious symbolism, which enables it to relate the immanent to the transcendental.
Notions of Evil, the Devil and Sin among Chilean Businessmen
Authors: Thumala Olave Maria Angélica
Published: November 2007

On the basis of interview material with businessmen and managers from the 13 largest economic conglomerates in Chile, the author presents the conceptions of evil, the Devil and sin among modern individuals. The evidence of beliefs in the supernatural (in miracles and the existence of a personified Devil) alongside rationalized and non-traditional understandings of sin is used to criticize secularization theory and its assumption that religious belief and modern rationality are incompatible. The argument is made that changes in the language utilized to refer to the sacred and the supernatural (such as the abandoning of traditional imagery to speak of the Devil and Hell), which are proper to the religious parlance of contemporary educated individuals, do not imply the end of belief. Most important, rather than concentrate on the degrees of secularization found in a society the focus should be placed on the specific shapes adopted by religious belief.
Numerical Analysis of Multi-Ply Fabric Impacts
Authors: Joo Kiho , Jin Kang Tae
Published: November 2007

The impact behavior of multi-ply fabric was modeled considering different fabric features. The viscoelastic yarn model was adopted to represent the dynamic behavior of fibers. Yarn pullout on the fabric edges was considered as well as yarn slippage on the warp and weft crossovers. Crimp straightening, slippage on the clamped areas, as well as bending are also described. Interlayer penetration was prevented by monitoring particle—particle collisions of the nodes on the neighboring fabric layers. Deformation and damage of the separate layers were evaluated by a self-developed code which is based on the impulse-momentum balance equations. The deformation and kinetic energy dissipation depending on each ply are calculated. The code was optimized by excluding calculations for events that are not likely to happen. The model predicted the deformation of the fabric reasonably well and showed good agreements with the test results. The gradual failure of the fabric layers from the impacted side was demonstrated in the simulation.
Selection and Evaluation of Input Parameters of Neural Networks Using Grey Superior Analysis
Authors: Yin Xiang-Gang , Yu Weidong
Published: November 2007

Grey superior analysis (GS) has been primarily studied in order to select the efficient input variables of an artificial neural network during the worsted yarn manufacturing. The analysis of the processed data indicates that the parameter selection by means of the grey relevancy matrix can obtain the corresponding sequence according to their correlation degree and derive out a group of main factors as the input variables with high grey-correlation for the ANN model. Through the actual calculation and prediction accuracy analysis, the parameters selected by using the grey superior analysis are more correct and effective but less in number than those produced by the subjective and empirical method popularly used in the field of the textile industry. The prediction and the optimization of the processing techniques can be executed with the ANN model optimized by GS. Moreover, three coefficients for the evaluation of the validity of the input variables selected to ANN have been put forward, which are covering experience coefficient, α, experience redundant coefficient, β, and new information coefficient, γ. Comparing the subjective and experiential method (SE) with GS, α = 0.30~0.60, β = 1.00~ 2.75, and γ = 0.17~0.35, that means the traditional used SE method is only partial correct with a relatively high redundancy.
Mechanical Behavior of Thru-air Bonded Nonwoven Structures
Authors: Rawal Amit , Lomov Stepan , Ngo Thanh , Verpoest Ignaas , Vankerrebrouck Jozef
Published: November 2007

Thermally bonded structures are amongst the most widely used nonwoven structures, with applications ranging from baby diapers to high performance geotextiles. These structures undergo various modes of deformation during their performance. In this study, the mechanical properties namely, tension, shear, bending and compression of thermal bonded polyester fabrics, have been investigated, including directional dependence of the tensile and bending tests, revealing anisotropic characteristics. In addition, the fiber orientation distribution was determined using two-dimensional (2D) image analysis of fabric cross-sections, a technique that is generally used for measuring fiber orientation in short-fiber reinforced composites. The ambiguities, errors and corrections employed in the measurements of fiber orientation are discussed. The initial tensile response of thermal bonded nonwovens has been predicted and compared with the experimental stress-strain curves obtained in various test directions. Bending and compression measurements were done on KES-F and shear measurements were carried out using picture frame test up to a shear angle of 45°.
After Trident: Proliferation or Peace?
Authors: Gittings John
Published: November 2007

The British government decision on `Trident renewal' forms part of a much wider rebuff to the non-proliferation and peace agenda. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty risks being discredited at its next review in 2010; new nuclear powers are setting the pace for others; another `war' is being threatened which will last `for generations'. There has been no post-Cold War peace dividend, and the chance to make up for lost time has been missed. War, not peace, is once again seen as the universal default mode.

It is now clear that traditional arguments in favour of peace and nuclear disarmament are never going to succeed. The view that one `cannot predict the unpredictable', used to justify the Trident decision, will always result in decisions being reached on a worst-case scenario. New arguments need to be developed with a broader appeal based not only on strategic calculation but on a compelling alternative world view.

Looking both forward and back into history we have to rediscover peace, not war, as humanity's central concern. Just as the test of the good ruler in ancient China was to maintain peace within the four corners of the kingdom, so today modern states have a shared obligation to exercise good governance across the globe. The effort to reshape our common goals will require a sustained exercise in the re-education of elites, and the mobilisation of multitudes .
The Political Life of Public International Lawyers: Granting the Imprimatur
Authors: Scott Shirley V.
Published: November 2007

The intervention of international lawyers in public debate in the US, UK and Australia regarding the 2003 invasion of Iraq spotlighted the political agency of international lawyers in according or withholding legitimacy from major foreign policy decisions and raised the question of how to delimit the scope of international lawyers' political agency. Rejecting the close fit of either the transnational advocacy network or epistemic community concepts to the role played by the collectivity of international lawyers, this article identifies factors that both permit international lawyers to function as the grantors or withholders of foreign policy legitimacy and serve to define the limits on their fulfilling that role.
The Territorial Strategy of the Italian City-State
Authors: Vigneswaran Darshan
Published: November 2007

Long-term studies of European history address the origins and evolution of state territoriality. Some scholars have suggested that the late medieval revival of European cities engendered variation in this region's territorial practices. However, their work struggles to explain the origins, nature and demise of the territorially `fragmented' Italian city-states. This study addresses this gap by shifting focus from the city's economic functions to the state-building process occurring within Italian urban walls. It shows that Italian rulers deliberately `centralised' their resources to challenge the violent actors and military installations that had become concentrated in town. This analysis strengthens the argument that coercive factors drove the early evolution of European territoriality. The work uses these findings to create fresh lines of inquiry for research on variation in modern territorial forms.
The European Union as a Leader in International Multilateral Negotiations — a Problematic Aspiration?
Authors: Elgström Ole
Published: November 2007

This article analyses the leadership role of the European Union (EU) in international multilateral negotiations. The purpose is to problematize the role of the EU as a multilateral leader by contrasting its self-images as an active initiator with other negotiating actors' perceptions of the Union. This is done by comparing the role conceptions presented by EU representatives with the images presented by delegates from non-member states in three different multilateral negotiating contexts. My results present a picture of the EU as a `restricted leader'. The undisputable great power status that the EU is claimed to hold is not necessarily transformed into a leadership role. The causes vary: in two cases it is internal disunity and co-ordination problems that create obstacles to intellectual leadership; in the third case it is perceived role conflicts that make the EU less than credible in its leadership aspirations. The existing potential for structural leadership is therefore not translated into practice.
Russia's Quest for International Society and the Prospects for Regional-Level International Societies
Authors: Aalto Pami
Published: November 2007

This article enters the recent debate on the decline in the features of international society within the current system by looking at the case of Russia; a case that has, to date, received little attention. Russia is considered one of the great powers. It is also characterised by a long-standing quest for membership in international society. In addition, Russia merits closer attention as a result of its strategic partnership with the EU. The EU offers Russia access to regional-level international societies with a thicker set of institutions than are available in its relations with the United States and Asia. The fact that Russia identifies itself with Europe has driven it to experiment with some of the solidarist institutions typifying EU-centred societies, most notably the market. As a result there are tangible prospects for maintaining and even expanding the features of international society at the level of greater Europe regardless of the systemic constraints.
Jean Bethke Elshtain's Just War Against Terror: A Tale of Two Cities
Authors: O'Driscoll Cian
Published: November 2007

Jean Bethke's Elshtain's Just War Against Terror provoked a heated response upon its publication in 2003. The book aroused controversy by the manner in which it drew upon Augustinian just war thought as a source of support for the US-led `War on Terror'. Many scholars were especially aggrieved by Professor Elshtain's backing for the Bush administration and, in the later 2004 edition, the invasion of Iraq. This article questions the tension between Professor Elshtain's Augustinian political theology and her willingness to countenance a far-reaching jus ad bellum which would allow powerful states like the US greater licence to wage humanitarian wars. By way of conclusion, a critique of Professor Elshtain's conception of the just war tradition is offered.
Relational to Collective: Significant-Other Representations, Ethnic Categories, and Intergroup Perceptions
Authors: Adil Saribay S. , Andersen Susan M.
Published: November 2007

Social perception is known to be affected by the social-cognitive process of transference—that is, by a new person bearing a minimal resemblance to a significant other, which activates the significant-other representation and indirectly the relational self. We examined relational processes in social identity and intergroup bias in two studies testing the dual hypothesis—that activating a significant-other representation in transference activates the significant other's ethnic category, which is then applied to the new person, and that under this circumstance the participant's own ethnic identity should also be activated as the relational self is activated, particularly if the participant shares the significant other's ethnicity. This should lead to shifts in intergroup bias as moderated by the ethnic diversity of the significant other's own social network. The evidence largely supports this, revealing the interplay of relational and collective levels of self.
Justifying Decisions in Social Dilemmas: Justification Pressures and Tacit Coordination Under Environmental Uncertainty
Authors: de Kwaadsteniet Erik W. , van Dijk Eric , Wit Arjaan , De Cremer David , de Rooij Mark
Published: November 2007

This article investigates how justification pressures influence harvesting decisions in common resource dilemmas. The authors argue that when a division rule prescribes a specific harvest level, such as under environmental certainty, people adhere more strongly to this division rule when they have to justify their decisions to fellow group members. When a division rule does not prescribe a specific harvest level, such as under environmental uncertainty, people restrict their harvests when they have to justify their decisions to fellow group members. The results of two experimental studies corroborate this line of reasoning. The findings are discussed in terms of tacit coordination. The authors specify conditions under which justification pressures may or may not facilitate efficient coordination.
Nonverbal Self-Accuracy in Interpersonal Interaction
Authors: Hall Judith A. , Murphy Nora A. , Mast Marianne Schmid
Published: November 2007

Four studies measure participants' accuracy in remembering, without forewarning, their own nonverbal behavior after an interpersonal interaction. Self-accuracy for smiling, nodding, gazing, hand gesturing, and self-touching is scored by comparing the participants' recollections with coding based on videotape. Self-accuracy is above chance and of modest magnitude on average. Self-accuracy is greatest for smiling; intermediate for nodding, gazing, and gesturing; and lowest for self-touching. It is higher when participants focus attention away from the self (learning as much as possible about the partner, rearranging the furniture in the room, evaluating the partner, smiling and gazing at the partner) than when participants are more self-focused (getting acquainted, trying to make a good impression on the partner, being evaluated by the partner, engaging in more self-touching). The contributions of cognitive demand and affective state are discussed.
On the Automatic Association Between America and Aggression for News Watchers
Authors: Ferguson Melissa J. , Hassin Ran R.
Published: November 2007

Across three experiments, the nonconscious perception of American cues increase the accessibility of aggressive constructs in memory, aggressive and negative judgments of other people, and aggressive displays of behavior following a mild provocation. These effects emerge only for American participants who regularly follow the American political news media. For American participants who do not follow the news, these effects are absent or tend to be in the opposite direction. Participants' political party orientation (Republican vs. Democratic) does not moderate any of the results. Interpretations and implications of the findings are discussed.
Relations Between Implicit and Explicit Measures of Attitudes and Measures of Behavior: Evidence of Moderation by Individual Difference Variables
Authors: Conner Mark T. , Perugini Marco , O'Gorman Rick , Ayres Karen , Prestwich Andrew
Published: November 2007

The moderating role of individual difference variables (Self-Reported Habit Index [SRHI], Need for Cognition [NFC]) on relationships between implicit (Implicit Association Test [IAT], Extrinsic Affective Simon Test [EAST]) or explicit measures of attitude and behavior is assessed in two studies. A dissociation pattern is found on self-report diary measures of behavior. In Study 1, the EAST—behavior relationship is moderated by SRHI; explicit measures of the attitude—behavior relationship are moderated by NFC. In Study 2, the IAT—behavior relationship is moderated by SRHI; explicit measures of the attitude—behavior relationship are moderated by NFC. Higher levels of SRHI and NFC are associated with stronger relationships between the implicit or explicit measures of attitude and the measure of behavior. In Study 2, the SRHI × IAT interaction is replicated for an objective behavior measure. Implications for understanding the relationship between implicit and explicit measures of attitudes and measures of behavior are discussed.
Deliberating Competence
Authors: Chilvers Jason
Published: November 2007

The “participatory turn” cutting across technical approaches for appraising environment, risk, science, and technology has been accompanied by intense debates over the desired nature, extent, and quality of public engagement in science. Burgeoning work evaluating the effectiveness of such processes and the social study of science in society more generally is notable, however, for lacking systematic understanding of the very actors shaping these new forms science-society interaction. This paper addresses this lacuna by drawing on United Kingdom based in-depth empirical research that made space for participatory appraisal experts to reflect on effective practice and novel questions of competence, expertise, and citizen-specialist relations within analytic-deliberative processes. Emerging practitioner principles warn that existing participatory models have not sufficiently considered constructivist perspectives on knowledge, analysis, and deliberation. Effective participatory appraisal under uncertainty needs to guard against the “technocracy of participation” by opening up to diversity, difference, antagonism, and uncertainties/indeterminacies.
The Threefold Cord
Authors: Lambert Nathaniel M. , Dollahite David C.
Published: November 2007

This study reports results from in-depth interviews with 57 highly religious middle-aged married couples representing the major Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) and residing in New England and Northern California. The study uses grounded theory methods to create themes that describe the ways that religiosity influences marital commitment. Couples reported that religious beliefs and practices helped them include God as the third partner in their marriage, believe in marriage as a religious institution that lasts, and find meaning in committing to marriage.
Sociology as Reflexive Science
Authors: Robbins Derek
Published: November 2007

The article focuses on the fact that the consequence of Bourdieu’s death is that we now have to respond specifically to the texts that he produced between 1958 and 2002, rather than to the impact of writing and political action in combination, which was his goal during his life. The article raises general questions about the status of social texts in relation to the practices of philosophy and social scientific enquiry to which Bourdieu must have returned in preparing his final course of lectures, published in 2001 as Science de la science et réflexivité. It then offers three case studies of this relationship in action in Bourdieu’s early work, considering his textual and scientific practices. It discusses aspects of the contemporary philosophical debate about the referentiality of texts at the time of this early work and thus indicates that this was a question of continuous importance in Bourdieu’s work. The article next reflects on the significance of Bourdieu’s thinking in this respect for the ways in which we should now respond to his texts and deploy his concepts empirically. It takes three examples of different ways in which Bourdieu’s texts have become pretexts for further research practice. These are characterized as ‘academic exploitation’, ‘nominal appropriation’ and ‘informed divergence’. The conclusion is that Bourdieu’s work demands a reflexive response, which requires that respondents should analyse rigorously their own situations and the grounds for transferring received concepts, and that this entails detailed attention to both Bourdieu’s texts and the contexts of their production, rather than a superficial exploitation or appropriation of his ‘consecrated’ texts.
Empire and Counter-Empire in the Italian Far Right
Authors: Spruce Damian
Published: November 2007

What old Fascisms and new nationalisms circulate in the political spaces of Europe? Through an analysis of their split on immigration policy in 2003, this article examines the myths and ideologies of the two major far right parties in Italy, the Lega Nord and the Alleanza Nazionale. It argues that the anti-imperial mythology of the Lega, based on the defence of Lombardy against the Holy Roman Empire, has led it into a modernist politics of territoriality, borders and homogeneity. On the other hand, the Alleanza Nazionale has used its Fascist heritage, and in particular the mythologizing of the Roman empire, to open up a postmodern imperial politics, involving the expansion of borders, and the incorporation of new peoples and territories. Through the use of interviews with militants and deputies, it looks at how the Alleanza has re-articulated imperial Fascist mythologies within a new pro-European Union discourse, while the Lega has maintained its role of protest against deterritorialization despite the seeming inevitability of the territorial integration.