bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trait Emotional Intelligence and the Dark Triad Traits of Personality
Authors: Petrides K. V. , Vernon Philip A. , Schermer Julie Aitken , Veselka Livia
Published: April 2011

This study presents the first behavioral genetic investigation of the relationships between trait emotional intelligence (trait EI or trait emotional self-efficacy) and the Dark Triad traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. In line with trait EI theory, the construct correlated positively with narcissism, but negatively with the other two traits. Generally, the correlations were consistent across the 4 factors and 15 facets of the construct. Cholesky decomposition analysis revealed that the phenotypic associations were primarily due to correlated genetic factors and secondarily due to correlated nonshared environmental factors, with shared environmental factors being nonsignificant in all cases. Results are discussed from the perspective of trait EI theory with particular reference to the issue of adaptive value.
The Norfolk Island Eye Study (NIES): Rationale, Methodology and Distribution of Ocular Biometry (Biometry of the Bounty)
Authors: Mackey David A. , Sherwin Justin C. , Kearns Lisa S. , Ma Yaling , Kelly John , Chu Byoung-Sun , MacMillan Robert , Barbour Julie M. , Wilkinson Colleen H. , Matovinovic Elizabeth , Cox Hannah C. , Bellis Claire , Lea Rod A. , Quinlan Sharon , Griffiths Lyn R. , Hewitt Alex W.
Published: April 2011

Aim:To describe the recruitment, ophthalmic examination methods and distribution of ocular biometry of participants in the Norfolk Island Eye Study, who were individuals descended from the English Bounty mutineers and their Polynesian wives.Methods:All 1,275 permanent residents of Norfolk Island aged over 15 years were invited to participate, including 602 individuals involved in a 2001 cardiovascular disease study. Participants completed a detailed questionnaire and underwent a comprehensive eye assessment including stereo disc and retinal photography, ocular coherence topography and conjunctival autofluorescence assessment. Additionally, blood or saliva was taken for DNA testing.Results:781 participants aged over 15 years were seen (54% female), comprising 61% of the permanent Island population. 343 people (43.9%) could trace their family history to the Pitcairn Islanders (Norfolk Island Pitcairn Pedigree). Mean anterior chamber depth was 3.32mm, mean axial length (AL) was 23.5mm, and mean central corneal thickness was 546 microns. There were no statistically significant differences in these characteristics between persons with and without Pitcairn Island ancestry. Mean intra-ocular pressure was lower in people with Pitcairn Island ancestry: 15.89mmHg compared to those without Pitcairn Island ancestry 16.49mmHg (P= .007). The mean keratometry value was lower in people with Pitcairn Island ancestry (43.22 vs. 43.52,P= .007). The corneas were flatter in people of Pitcairn ancestry but there was no corresponding difference in AL or refraction.Conclusion:Our study population is highly representative of the permanent population of Norfolk Island. Ocular biometry was similar to that of other white populations. Heritability estimates, linkage analysis and genome-wide studies will further elucidate the genetic determinants of chronic ocular diseases in this genetic isolate.
Genetic and Environmental Contributions to the Overlap Between Psychological, Fatigue and Somatic Symptoms: A Twin Study in Sri Lanka
Authors: Ball Harriet A. , Siribaddana Sisira H. , Sumathipala Athula , Kovas Yulia , Glozier Nick , Rijsdijk Frühling , McGuffin Peter , Hotopf Matthew
Published: April 2011

Background:Somatic symptoms often co-occur with psychological symptoms but this overlap is poorly understood. Some aspects of this overlap differ in the South Asian context, but it is not clear whether this is a reporting effect or an underlying difference in experienced illness.Methods:Home interviews were administered to 4,024 twins randomly selected from a population-based twin register in the Colombo district of Sri Lanka (the CoTASS study). These included assessments of psychological, somatic and fatigue symptoms. The data were analyzed using factor analytic and quantitative genetic approaches.Results:Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the symptoms from the three scales represented three separate dimensions, rather than all tapping into a single dimension. However, familial correlations among the data were most consistent with a common pathway model. This implies that a portion of the underlying vulnerability is common across psychological, fatigue and somatic symptoms. There were sex differences in the etiology of this model, with shared environmental and genetic influences playing different roles in men and women.Conclusions:There is a complex etiological relationship between psychological, fatigue and somatic symptoms. This is similar in Sri Lanka to Western countries, but there may be a greater influence from the family environment, suggesting that care needs to be taken when generalizing research findings between countries. People who complain of certain fatigue or somatic symptoms may well also have psychological symptoms, or may have genetic or environmental vulnerabilities to such problems.
Perinatal Outcome of Twins Compared to Singletons of the Same Gestational Age: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Petit Nathalie , Cammu Hendrik , Martens Guy , Papiernik Emile
Published: April 2011

Our objective was to determine the perinatal outcome of first- and second-born twins compared to singletons, born at the same gestational age. To that end we conducted a case-control study in Flanders (Northern Belgium). During a 10-year period (01.01.1999–31.12.2008), the entire twin population — 11,154 first- and 11,118 second-born twins (cases) — was compared to 22,228 singletons (controls) with respect to fetal and neonatal (0–27 days) mortality. Only case and control infants of ≥ 500 grams were included, which explained the unequal number of first- and second-born twins. Mothers and their infants of cases and of controls were derived from the Flemish perinatal database and were matched for maternal age and parity, gestational age and gender of the offspring. The main outcome measures were fetal and neonatal mortality according to gestational age. The frequency of fetal death was statistically significantly less frequent in preterm born twins than in singletons, except at term where the reverse was seen in second-born twins compared to controls. After adjustment for congenital malformations, the results stayed unchanged. Below 28 weeks gestation, singletons had a significantly lower neonatal mortality rate than twins that persisted after adjustment for congenital malformations: the first-born twin versus singleton OR 1.71 (1.17–2.51) and second-born versus singleton OR 2.09 (1.43–3.05). Between 28 and 32 weeks, the second-born twin showed a survival advantage over the control singleton. Between 32 and 36 6/7 weeks both twins had a significantly higher survival rate than the corresponding singleton controls. However, after adjustment for congenital malformations, the aforementioned differences between 28 and 36 6/7 weeks disappeared. When at term, twins and singletons had a comparable, though very low, neonatal death rate. These results confirm previous published data. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the neonatal death rate was lower for twins between 32 and 36 weeks (from 28 weeks for the second born twin) when compared to a singleton of the same gestational age. After adjusting for congenital malformations, there was no statistical significant difference.
Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Levels in Twins and Its Correlation With Discordance
Authors: Canpolat Fuat Emre , Çekmez Ferhat , Sarici Serdar Ümit , Korkmaz Ayşe , Yurdakok Murat
Published: April 2011

This study aims to determine whether fetal growth is related to insulin-like growth factor-1 in dichorionic and monochorionic twins and also aims to investigate the correlation of insulin-like growth factor-1 to birthweight discordance in twins. We studied 100 women with twin pregnancies. The correlation tests of 36 discordant twins (15 monochorionic, 21 dichorionic) showed correlation between insulin-like growth factor-1 difference and birthweight discordance (insulin-like growth factor-1 vs. birthweight of first twin,r= +0.915, at 0.01 level, IGF-1 vs birthweight of second twinr= +0.790, at 0.01 level). In 49 monochorionic twins, independent of discordance, there was a correlation between birthweight discordance and insulin-like growth factor-1 difference (r= .538, at the 0.01 level). This correlation was not significant in dichorionic twins,r= .144,p= .01. These data suggest that growth discordances of twins exposed to the same maternal environment may be due to variations in IGF-1, depending upon the genetic similarity.
Obstetric and Perinatal Outcomes of Dichorionic Twin Pregnancies According to Methods of Conception: Spontaneous Versus In-Vitro Fertilization
Authors: Yang Hyoin , Choi Young Sik , Nam Ka Hyun , Kwon Ja Young , Park Yong Won , Kim Young Han
Published: April 2011

We have observed the inconsistent findings from various studies on twin pregnancy outcomes obtained by assisted reproductive technology and spontaneous conception. In most studies, however, the concrete chorionicity, regarded as a confounding factor for predicting the perinatal outcomes of twin pregnancies, has not been determined. The purpose of this study was to compare obstetric and perinatal outcomes of only the dichorionic twin pregnancies according to the methods of conception: spontaneous and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The twin pairs with dichorionicity reported from 1995 to 2008 were investigated and we divided them into two groups which consisted of 286 and 134 twins by spontaneous conception and IVF, respectively. Odds ratios for associations between IVF and pregnancy outcomes were analyzed after adjustment for maternal age and parity. There were no risk differences between the two groups regarding the obstetric complications, which include preterm delivery, preterm labor, preterm premature rupture of membranes, preeclampsia, placenta previa, and abruption. Any differences were not shown in the two groups for the risk estimates of perinatal outcomes, such as low birthweight, very low birthweight, small for gestational age, Apgar scores of < 7 at 5 minutes, discordance in birthweights, congenital anomalies and mortality. However, twins conceived after IVF were less likely to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit than those conceived spontaneously (adjusted OR 0.488; 95% confidence interval 0.261–0.910). In the cases of dichorionic twins, IVF may not be associated with adverse perinatal and obstetric outcomes compared with spontaneous conception.
Heritability of Verbal and Performance Intelligence in a Pediatric Longitudinal Sample
Authors: van Soelen Inge L.C. , Brouwer Rachel M. , Leeuwen Marieke van , Kahn René S. , Hulshoff Pol Hilleke E. , Boomsma Dorret I.
Published: April 2011

The longitudinal stability of IQ is well-documented as is its increasing heritability with age. In a longitudinal twin study, we addressed the question to what extent heritability and stability differ for full scale (FSIQ), verbal (VIQ), and performance IQ (PIQ) in childhood (age 9–11 years), and early adolescence (age 12–14 years). Genetic and environmental influences and correlations over time were evaluated in an extended twin design, including Dutch twins and their siblings. Intelligence was measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children — Third version (WISC III). Heritability in childhood was 34% for FSIQ, 37% for VIQ, and 64% for PIQ, and increased up to 65%, 51%, and 72% in early adolescence. The influence of common environment decreased between childhood and early adolescence from explaining 43% of the phenotypic variance for FSIQ to 18% and from 42% for VIQ to 26%. For PIQ common environmental influences did not play a role, either in childhood or in early adolescence. The stability in FSIQ and VIQ across the 3-year interval (rp) was .72 for both measures and was explained by genetic and common environmental correlations across time (FSIQ, rg= .96, rc= 1.0; VIQ, rg=.78, rc= 1.0). Stability of PIQ (rp=.56) was lower and was explained by genetic influences (rg= .90). These results confirm the robust findings of increased heritability of general cognitive abilities during the transition from childhood to adolescence. Interestingly, results for PIQ differ from those for FSIQ and VIQ, in that no significant contribution of environment shared by siblings from the same family was detected.
Blood Ties: Chimerism Can Mask Twin Discordance in High-Throughput Sequencing
Authors: Erlich Yaniv
Published: April 2011

Twin studies have long provided a means to separate the contributions of genetic and environmental factors. A recent pioneering report by Baranzini et al. presented an analysis of the complete genomes and epigenomes of a monozygotic (MZ) twin pair discordant for multiple sclerosis. This failed to find any difference between the twins, raising doubts regarding the value of whole-genome twin studies for defining disease susceptibility alleles. However, the study was carried out with DNA extracted from blood. In many cases, the hematopoietic lineages of MZ twins are chimeric due to twin-to-twin exchange of hematopoietic stem cells during embryogenesis. We therefore wondered how chimerism might impact the ability to identify genetic differences. We inferred the blood chimerism rates and profiles of more than 30 discordant twin cases from a wide variety of medical conditions. We found that the genotype compositions of the twins were highly similar. We then benchmarked the performance of SNP callers to detect discordant variations using high-throughput sequencing data. Our analysis revealed that chimerism patterns, well within the range normally observed in MZ twins, greatly reduce the sensitivity of SNP calls. This raises questions regarding any conclusions of genomic homogeneity that might be drawn from studies of blood-derived twin DNA.
Psychosexual Study of Communist Era Hungarian Twins
Authors: Metneki Julia , Tarnoki Adam Domonkos , Tarnoki David Laszlo , Littvay Levente , Czeizel Andrew
Published: April 2011

Our aim in this study is to describe the characteristics of sexual development in twins and estimate the role of heritability and environmental factors as causes of certain sexual disorders. Two hundred and ten adult same-sex twin pairs (92 monozygotic [MZ] female, 41 MZ male, 55 dizygotic [DZ] female and 22 DZ male pairs) were involved in the study. Data were collected in 1982 by self-administered questionnaires that included items on sexual maturation, sexual life, contraception, mutual sexual activity within twin pairs and alcohol use. The ratio of married to unmarried twins was nearly the same in MZs and DZs, with the exception that the divorce rate was higher in MZ female twins (14%), and DZ and male twins were slightly more likely to be single. Menarche was later in twins compared to non-twin Hungarian women. 57% of MZs experienced menarche within 3 months of each other, 77% within 6 months while it occurred for 30% and 43% respectively in DZs. The first seminal emission indicated some delay in male twins compared with the Hungarian general population sample. MZ first kisses occurred later than DZ's first kisses. The same was true for the first petting, masturbation and first sexual intercourse. Anorgasmy is 27% heritable but the estimate is not statistically significant. Concordance rate for premature ejaculation in MZs was greater than in DZs but the structural equation model showed significant misfit. Age at menarche appeared to be strongly heritable.
Lower Marriage and Divorce Rates Among Twins Than Among Singletons in Danish Birth Cohorts 1940–1964
Authors: Petersen Inge , Martinussen Torben , McGue Matthew , Bingley Paul , Christensen Kaare
Published: April 2011

Few studies have examined differences of civil status of twins and singletons and the conclusions are contradictory. In the present study, based on a linkage between the Danish Twin Register, a random 5% sample of the total Danish population, and administrative register databases, the authors compare rates of marriage and divorce in a sample of 35,975 twins and 81,803 singletons born 1940–1964. Cox-regressions are used in order to control for potential confounders. We find that compared with singletons twins have significantly lower marriage rates: (males: 15–19 years: Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.66 (95%CI: 0.58–0.76); 20–24 years: 0.85 (0.82–0.88); 25 years or more: 0.96 (0.93–0.98) and females: 15–19 years: 0.70 (0.67–0.75); 20–24 years: 0.83 (0.80–0.85); 25 years or more: 0.94 (0.91–0.97)). There is no difference in divorce rates for males, but a significantly lower divorce rate for female twins compared with singletons (HR=0.87, 95%CI: 0.83–0.90). These differences offset each other, thus 57% of both populations remain in their first marriage until censoring. The interpretation may be that since twins have a partner from birth, they do not have the same need for marriage as singletons but have more experience in maintaining a relationship if they do marry.
Beyond the Big Five: The Dark Triad and the Supernumerary Personality Inventory
Authors: Veselka Livia , Schermer Julie Aitken , Vernon Philip A.
Published: April 2011

The Dark Triad of personality, comprising Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy, was investigated in relation to the Supernumerary Personality Inventory (SPI) traits, because both sets of variables are predominantly distinct from the Big Five model of personality. Correlational and principal factor analyses were conducted to assess the relations between the Dark Triad and SPI traits. Multivariate behavioral genetic model-fitting analyses were also conducted to determine the correlated genetic and/or environmental underpinnings of the observed phenotypic correlations. Participants were 358 monozygotic and 98 same-sex dizygotic adult twin pairs from North America. As predicted, results revealed significant correlations between the Dark Triad and most SPI traits, and these correlations were primarily attributable to common genetic and non-shared environmental factors, except in the case of Machiavellianism, where shared environmental effects emerged. Three correlated factors were extracted during joint factor analysis of the Dark Triad and SPI traits, as well as a heritable general factor of personality — results that clarified the structure of the Dark Triad construct. It is concluded that the Dark Triad represents an exploitative and antisocial construct that extends beyond the Big Five model and shares a theoretical space with the SPI traits.
A Test for Common Genetic and Environmental Vulnerability to Depression and Diabetes
Authors: Scherrer Jeffrey F. , Xian Hong , Lustman Patrick J. , Franz Carol E. , McCaffery Jeanne , Lyons Michael J. , Jacobson Kristen C. , Kremen William S.
Published: April 2011

Molecular genetic research has provided some evidence for the association between depression and metabolic disorders. We sought to determine if molecular findings are reflected in twin analyses testing if common genetic and environmental risk factors contribute to the co-occurrence of diabetes and depression. Data to derive depression and diabetes were collected from 1,237 male-male twins who participated in the 2005 Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA). The 1,237 twins were comprised of 347 MZ pairs, 3 MZ singletons, 267 DZ pairs and 6 unpaired twins. Depression was defined as a score below 46 on the Short Form-36 mental component summary score. Diabetes was defined by self report, use of anti-diabetic medications and insulin. Twin models were fit to estimate the correlation of genetic and environmental contributions to depression and diabetes. Consistent with other studies these data support the association between depression and diabetes (OR = 1.7; 95%CI: 1.1–2.7). Genetic vulnerability accounted for 50% (95%CI: 32%–65%) of the variance in risk for depression and 69% (95%CI: 52%–81%) of the variance in risk for diabetes. The genetic correlation between depression and diabetes was r = 0.19 (95%CI: 0–0.46) and the non-shared environmental correlation was r = 0.09 (95% CI: 0–0.45). Overall there is little evidence that common genetic and environmental factors account for the co-occurrence of depression and diabetes in middle aged men. Further research in female twins and larger cohorts is warranted.
Absolute Pitch Twin Study and Segregation Analysis
Authors: Theusch Elizabeth , Gitschier Jane
Published: April 2011

Absolute pitch is a rare pitch-naming ability with unknown etiology. Some scientists maintain that its manifestation depends solely on environmental factors, while others suggest that genetic factors contribute to it. We sought to further investigate the hypothesis that genetic factors support the acquisition of absolute pitch and to better elucidate the inheritance pattern of this trait. To this end, we conducted a twin study and a segregation analysis using data collected from a large population of absolute pitch possessors. The casewise concordance rate of 14 monozygotic twin pairs, 78.6%, was significantly different from that of 31 dizygotic twin pairs, 45.2%, assuming single ascertainment (x2 = 5.57, 1 df, p = .018), supporting a role for genetics in the development of absolute pitch. Segregation analysis of 1463 families, assuming single ascertainment, produced a segregation ratio pD = .089 with SEpD = 0.006. Unlike an earlier segregation analysis on a small number of absolute pitch probands from musically educated families, our study indicates that absolute pitch is not inherited in a simple Mendelian fashion. Based on these data, absolute pitch is likely genetically heterogeneous, with environmental, epigenetic, and stochastic factors also perhaps contributing to its genesis. These findings are in agreement with the results of our recent linkage analysis.
Estimated Number of Siblings in Japanese Families with Multiple Birth Children using Two Sets of Census Data: 1990 and 1995
Authors: Imaizumi Yoko , Nishida Etsuo
Published: April 2011

The purpose of this study was to estimate the number of siblings in each Japanese family with multiple birth children using two sets of census data, from 1990 and 1995. The mean number of siblings for singletons was 2.3 in 1990 (2.4 in 1995), 2.9 (2.9) for one set of twins, 4.6 (4.5) for two sets of twins, and 3.5 (3.3) for one set of triplets. For birth order of multiples, the highest mean sibling number was 4.4 for one set of twins (the middle), 7.5 for two sets of twins (the middle-middle), and 4.3 for one set of triplets (the last). The mean sibling number was slightly higher for like-sexed twins and triplets than in unlike-sexed twins and triplets. The mean sibling number was highest in the Okinawa District, among nine districts (0.4 for singletons, 0.6 for one set of twins, 1.0 for two sets of twins and 0.6 for triplets). The current study of the number of siblings in each family with multiple birth children will help provide data for designing programs to help support multiple-birth families. The method of using census data on multiple births might result in a system to analyze nationwide data on multiple birth children if there is no national registry of multiple births after live births in any country.
Motor Development of Triplets: A Japanese Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Yokoyama Yoshie , Sugimoto Masako , Miyake Yu , Sono Jun , Mizukami Kenge , Kaprio Jaakko , Silventoinen Karri
Published: April 2011

We analyzed whether motor development in early life is different between singletons and triplets in Japan. The motor development was reported by mothers by postal questionnaire for 1,121 triplet children and in regular health check-ups for 13,906 singleton children. Children who were suspected of having neurological abnormality or disability were excluded from the analysis. The ages of milestone achievements were significantly higher in triplets for each outcome compared to singletons. Further, after adjustment for gestational age, birthweight, and birth length, the differences were significant for maintaining head, sitting alone and standing holding on. In children with birthweight of 2 kg or more, the ages of milestone achievements were significantly higher in triplets for each outcome compared to singletons, except walking holding on. Moreover, after adjustment for the confounding factors, the differences were significant for sitting alone and walking independently. On the contrary, singletons attained motor development facilitating crawling, walking holding on, and walking independently slower than triplets among those children with birthweight of 2 kg or less after adjustment for gestational age. In conclusion, triplets are overall at higher risk for the delay of gross motor milestones as compared to singletons independently of birth-related factors. In contrast, among children with a birthweight of less than 2 kg, singletons showed slower motor development than triplets after adjusting for gestational age. There is an obvious need to apply developmental standards that consider at least both multiple birth status (singleton, twin or triplet) and birthweight.
The Relationships of Umbilical Venous Volume Flow, Birthweight and Placental Share in Monochorionic Twin Pregnancies With and Without Selective Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Authors: Chang Yao-lung , Chang Shuenn-dyh , Chao An-shine , Wang Chao-nin , Wang Tzu-hao , Cheng Po-jen
Published: April 2011

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship among umbilical venous volume flow, birthweight and placental share in monochorionic twins with or without selective growth restriction. Having excluded cases complicated with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and one co-twin suffering intrauterine fetal death, a total of 51 monochorionic twin pregnancies were divided into two groups as with (group 1) and without (group 2) selective intrauterine growth restriction. Umbilical venous volume flow was calculated by multiplying the umbilical vein cross-sectional area by half of the maximal velocity around mid-trimester. The placentas were cut along the vascular equator into two individual placental masses. The discordance of birthweight was calculated as [(birthweight of larger twin—birthweight of smaller twin)/birthweight of larger twin 100%]. The discordances of umbilical venous volume flow and placental share were calculated in a similar fashion. The median umbilical venous volume flow discordances (68.4% and 15.3% in groups 1 and 2 monochorionic twins, respectively) were similar and correlated well with the placental share discordances (66.6% and 18.5% in groups 1 and 2 monochorionic twins, respectively) but not with the birthweight discordance (28.6% and 6.4% in groups 1 and 2 monochorionic twins, respectively) in both groups. We concluded that the umbilical venous volume flow discordance reflects the placental share discordance rather than the birthweight discordance in monochorionic twin pregnancies.
Twins' Injuries: Genetic and Environmental Risks / Twin Research Reports / Human Interest Stories
Authors: Segal Nancy L.
Published: April 2011

The relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to unintentional injuries are of interest to families with young twins. A recent study found that childhood injuries are explained mostly by child-specific environmental factors. Next, twin research reviews of the association between periodontal disease and cancer, secular trends in gestational age and birthweight, and language development in hearing and deaf co-twins are also summarized. Interesting reports of newborn twins, twin-like relationships, twin interactions and missed twin relationships are presented.
Writing with a choreographer's notebook
Authors: Lee Rosemary , Pollard Niki
Published: April 2011

This article is concerned with a British choreographer's decision to write about her choreographic process, which led into projects of writing as a mode of making alongside choreographic processes. Dual in voice and perspective, the article is written by choreographer Rosemary Lee and
her collaborator on the writing projects, dancer-writer Niki Pollard. Lee is a widely respected and experienced choreographer whose work spans more than two decades. Her works include large-scale site-specific performances (e.g. Common Dance 2009), short films (e.g. Boy 1995)
and installations (e.g. Remote Dancing 2004) and her collaborators have included artist/film-makers Nic Sandiland, Peter Anderson and David Hinton. Lee is a research associate at ResCen, the Centre for Research into Creation in the Performing Arts at Middlesex University. It is argued
that Lee writes here as a choreographer, even if her words may also serve as illustration of an argumentmade in the interest of a university economy. The imperative of the article remains as much creative to make as it is analytic to reveal or increase understanding. The article focuses on
the relationship between Lee's first anticipation of a piece in a notebook, prior to casting, and to her subsequent studio practice with performers, taking as example the making of Passage (2001). Finally, it is observed that Lee's enquiry into her process circled back into her process
of making Common Dance (2009).
Nomadic diagrams: Choreographic topologies
Authors: Rubidge Sarah
Published: April 2011

The workshop described in this article responds choreographically to geographer Nigel Thrift's challenge that non-representational theory is best interrogated through performative means (Thrift 2007). The workshop constitutes an experiment in interweaving theory and choreographic practice
in such a way as to give full value to both. Taking the form of a series of movement activities interspersed with a spoken discussion of the theoretical concerns inherent within them; the workshop addresses concepts of topological space and cartography through movement itself. The theoretical
focus of the workshop adopts the Deleuzian concepts of the diagram and affect as central conceits, and draws on the work of contemporary geographers and theorists of space such as de Certeau and Lefebvre.
Articulations: Walking as daily dance practice
Authors: Bannon Fiona
Published: April 2011

This article explores the generation and organization of ideas through practice-led research that investigates urban walking as a form of social choreography. The formulation of the script intertwines the methodical lived inquiry of walking with the experience of documenting walking.
As part of an ongoing process of slow art research the article attempts to maintain fluid dialogue between the multiple material features that together constitute the work of the walk.
The dearest of cemeteries: European intertexts in Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer
Authors: Garland Sarah
Published: April 2011

This essay reads Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer (1934) as the trace of a belated expatriate moment that forms an American literary nexus by drawing together a number of provocative European artistic contexts. Miller's relationship to the rhetoric of the manifesto is discussed, as is the creation of a powerful literary persona and narrating voice from the traces of a tissue of intertextual quotations. Miller draws on contemporary tropes of death, decadence and last things, and in the process, I argue, brings late Romantic and early twentieth-century texts from Nietzsche, Spengler, Strindberg, Goethe, Joyce, lie Faure and Giovanni Papini together to articulate a late apocalyptic modernism.
Huck and Hank go to the circus: Mark Twain under Barnum's big top
Authors: Storey Mark
Published: April 2011

This essay argues that Mark Twain's acquaintance with P. T. Barnum, and more especially Twain's fascination with the world of popular entertainment that Barnum epitomized, provided inspiration and material for some of Twain's most enduring works. In particular, the essay argues that
two of Twain's most revered novels The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) and A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court (1889) are invested both thematically and generically in the complex cultural associations of the postbellum circus. Embodying the commercial capitalism of industrialized
America whilst also offering a romantic liberation from everyday life, the circus becomes a condensation of many of the competing impulses of Twain's life and work: between irreverent humour and sober social critique and between the desire for imaginative freedom and a recognition of financial
imperatives.
The cultural expansion of America: Imperialism, civic design and the Philippines in the early 1900s
Authors: Morley Ian
Published: April 2011

This article grants a narrative of the conception of American city plans for the Philippine settlements of Baguio and Manila, two of the early twentieth century's most important exercises in city designing and nation-building. In so doing the work examines how the conceptualization
and construction of the settlements in 190405 spoke of America's yearning to disassociate the Philippines away from its past as an uncivilized place, and to create a fresh national identity by means of instigating new physical and cultural environments that epitomized imperial hopes, principles
and pride. Using well-established research methods to align political and cultural transitions occurring during the 1890s and early 1900s with the realization of instantly recognizable new visions of nationhood in built environmental form, the article ventures to explicate the connection between
the evolution of American culture, the modern art of civic design and imperial nation-building through a consideration of environmental images, meanings and associations. In this manner it is anticipated that the work shall deepen the comprehension of how cultural, political, artistic and
environmental forces operated upon and affected each other during an era when American society underwent profound evolution.
Reviews
Authors: Hallett Adam , Stanley Alison , Veitch Karen
Published: April 2011

American Travel and Empire, Susan Castillo and David Seed (eds.) (2009) Liverpool: Liverpool U.P., 288 pp. ISBN: 978-1-84631-180-2 (hbk) 65.

American Culture in the 1950s, Martin Halliwell (2007) Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 336 pp., ISBN: 978-0-7486-1884-9
(pbk) 19.99

American Culture in the 1980s, Graham Thompson (2007) Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press 260 Theophilus Savvas is the author of Don DeLillo article in index ISBN: 978-0-7486-1910-8 (pbk), 17.99/$29.50
Demystifying three-dimensional virtual worlds for art education
Authors: Lu Lilly (Li-Fen)
Published: April 2011

Three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds (VW) have great potential for contemporary art education. This article introduces the characteristics of 3D VWs and addresses the theory and practice of utilizing the VWs as virtual learning environments (VLE) for art education. The author investigated
student art conversations conducted and facilitated through a 3D VW, Art Caf, in Second Life (SL) after students visited the virtual exhibitions. The findings show that all participants were highly engaged and motivated to participate in art conversations in SL. They were able
to be open and freely discuss art in depth because of their anonymous identities. Study implications and recommendations for future research and art education practice are addressed in the conclusion.
Illuminating the gap: An overview of classroom-based arts education research in Australia
Authors: Klopper Christopher , Power Bianca
Published: April 2011

Arts education is an internationally recognized term referencing education through the arts. The term arts is seen to encompass different things in different contexts, including but not limited to the performing arts- music, dance, drama, and theatre; visual arts, media, industrial
arts, and literary arts. In this article, the authors provide an overview to date of classroom-based arts education research in Australia. In so doing, the gap in the literature describing and discussing classroom-based arts education is illuminated. We call for attendance to classroom-based
arts education research in Australia given that the heart of curriculum transfer and transformation is in the classroom. We offer a research methodology and design of practitioner enquiry to empower and enlighten collective knowledge sharing of professional practice. Such attendance will establish
a base that can bring about sustained policy and practice change.
Freedom and dignity Identity through creation
Authors: Buschkhle Carl-Peter
Published: April 2011

The Images & Identity research project, which is funded by the European Union, develops materials that can be used for the multidisciplinary teaching within the subjects of Citizenship Education and Art Education. On the basis of a project in a class of year 9 German high-school
pupils focusing on the issue of Freedom and Dignity, this article examines the extent to which art education can act as creative work on identity. Joseph Beuys once stated: Everyone is an artist. In this comment, he refers to every individual's ability to shape their own life. In order to
do so, the individual needs to comprehensively train his/her creative abilities. Is art, in connection with reflected knowledge and individual creation, able to advance the development of such abilities? If so, does this give rise to the prospect of art as an alternative principle of education
and learning?
An intercultural learning of similarities and differences of rituals and customs of two cultures
Authors: Shin Ryan , Willis Steve
Published: April 2011

In this article, we present intercultural learning as an art education approach that can develop a student's sense of cultural diversity and its value by qualitative immersion in and comparison to other cultures (Amorim 2001). As an example, we chose two popular rituals, Korean Ancestor
Worship Ceremony and Native American Sweat Lodge, which are written as anecdotal narratives providing first-person voice to cultural experiences, to discuss cultural similarities and differences discovered in both ceremonies. We hope that our approach of intercultural learning provides an
example to honour each other's tradition and culture, treating each other as a member of the group of people who have equally invaluable cultural traditions, as well as leading to learning that cultural information should be understood in its authentic contexts.
Meaning making, democratic participation and art in early childhood education: Can inspiring objects structure dynamic curricula?
Authors: Fredriksen Biljana C
Published: April 2011

Young students' democratic participation in the pedagogical work of early childhood education is required by law in Norway. In order to explore pedagogical methods, which allow students' democratic participation in visual arts curricula, an action research project with a sociocultural
profile was conducted. Generating space for the students' contributions required ongoing interpretation and reflection during the pedagogical work, and through this process a new understanding of curricula as dynamic emerged. During the research project the teachers and students mutually and
continuously influenced each other's meaning making. This challenged the teachers to search for a suitable balance between planning and pedagogical improvisation, which involved careful listening to children. The findings from the study suggest that flexible curricula can be structured around
careful choices of inspirational objects (stories, sculptures, art paintings and art materials) in art-based and interdisciplinary work in early childhood education.
DVD Reviews
Authors: Conterio Martyn , Chandler Jess , Presence Steve
Published: April 2011

A Christmas Tale/Un Conte de Nol,
(2009) France Director Arnaud Desplechin Screenplay Arnaud Desplechin Adaptation by Arnaud Desplechin and Emmanuel Bourdieu Producer Pascal Caucheteux Cinematographer Eric Gaultier Editor Laurence
Briaud Music Grgoire Hetzel With Catherine Deneuve (Junon), Jean-Paul Rousillion (Abel), Mathieu Almaric (Henri), Anne Cosigny (Elizabeth), Melvil Poupaud (Ivan), Emmanuelle Devos (Faunia) and Chiara Mastroianni (Sylvia). Runtime 152 minutes DVD USA, 2009 Produced
and Distributed by The Criterion Collection (Region 1) Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Sound Mix Surround Sound Colour Language French with English subtitles Extras New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Arnaud Desplechin. L'Aimee,
Desplechin's 2007 documentary about the sale of his family home. Arnaud's Tale, a new 35-minute documentary featuring interviews with Desplechin and actors Mathieu Almaric and Catherine Deneuve. Original theatrical trailers. A booklet featuring an essay by critic Philope Lopate.

The
Exterminating Angel/El ngel exterminador,
(1962) Mexico Director Luis Buuel Screenplay Luis Buuel Original story by Luis Alcoriza and Luis Buuel Producer Gustavo Alatriste Cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa With Silvia Pinal (Leticia La Valkiria),
Enrique Rambal (Edmundo Nobile), Lucy Gallardo (Luca de Nobile), Claudio Brook (Julio, the steward), Augusto Benedico (Carlos Conde, the doctor), Jos Baviera (Leandro Gomez) Runtime 93 minutes DVD USA, 2008 Produced and Distributed by The Criterion Collection (region 1)
Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Sound Mix Dolby Digital 1.0 mono Extras New, restored high-definition transfer. Theatrical trailer. New and improved English subtitle translation. The Last Script: Remembering Luis Buuel (2008), a 90-minute documentary featuring screenwriter
Jean-Claude Carrire and Buuel's son, director Juan Luis Buuel. Interviews with actress Silvia Pinal and filmmaker Arturo Ripstein. A 36-page booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Marsha Kinder and an interview with Buuel from the 1970s.

Soul Power,
(2008) USA Director
Jeffrey Levy-Hinte Producers Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Leon Gast, David Sonenberg Cinematographers Paul Goldsmith, Kevin Keating, Albert Maysles, Roderick Young Editor David A. Smith Sound Design John Moros With The Spinners, OK Jazz feat, Franco, Bill Withers,
Miriam Makeba, Pembe Dance Troupe, The Crusaders, Fania All-Stars, Big Black, Afrisa feat, Tabu Ley Rochereaux, James Brown and The Mighty J.B.'s, Muhammad Ali, Don King, Yomo Toro, Celia Cruz, Trio Madjesi, George Plimpton, Sister Sledge and The Crusaders. Runtime 93 minutes DVD USA
2009 Produced and Distributed by Eureka Entertainment as part of the Masters of Cinema series Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Sound Mix Dolby Digital Extras Extra scenes. Extra performances by James Brown, Sister Sledge, Abeti, Pointer Sisters and Pembe Dance Troupe. Interview
with director. UK theatrical trailer.
Book Reviews
Authors: Chandler Jess , Newth Tom von Logue , McSweeney Terence , Dickison Stephanie , Jelaca Dijana
Published: April 2011

Vincente Minnelli: The Art of Entertainment, Joe McElhaney (ed.), (2009) Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 512 pp., ISBN 9780814333075 (pbk), $29.95

Orson Welles and the Unfinished RKO Projects: A Postmodern Perspective, Marguerite H. Rippy,
(2009) Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 248 pp., ISBN 0809329123 (pbk), 35.00

Casablanca: Movies and Memory, Marc Aug, (2009) Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press, 120 pp., ISBN 081665641X (pbk).

Roman Polanski, James Morrison,
(2007) Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 208 pp., ISBN 9780232074662 (pbk), $19.95, ISBN 9780252032059 (hbk), $50.00

The Cinema of the Balkans, Dina Iordanova (ed.), (2006) London: Wallflower Press, 291 pp., ISBN 1904764809 (pbk), 18.99, ISBN
1904764816 (hbk), 50.00
Introduction: Mauritius in/and global culture: politics, literature, visual arts
Authors: Lionnet Franoise , Spear Thomas C
Published: April 2011

Independent since 1968, Mauritius is often cited as a unique example of peaceful and proud multiculturalism and multilingualism. Political scientists, sociologists and cultural critics have stressed the nation's enviable diversity and its cosmopolitan Creole culture. A British Crown colony between 1810 and 1968, Mauritius is part of the Commonwealth but remains strangely invisible in Anglophone postcolonial discourse. Even the 2004Cambridge Companion to Postcolonial Literary Studies, which opens with a useful and detailed chronology of the relevant political, historical and literary events that took place between 1898 and 2003, makes no mention of this island-nation when listing the dates of independence for countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. This collection of essays on contemporary Mauritius, its artists and writers seeks to establish an interdisciplinary critical conversation about historical and current dynamics, globalization and its gendered inequalities, visual and literary culture, creolization and cosmopolitanism. The volume brings to a bilingual public a small sample of the vitality of Mauritian artists active in many media.
Between words and images: A comparative study of Barlen Pyamootoo's Bnars and its film adaptation
Authors: Ravi Srilata
Published: April 2011

This study investigates the relation between literature in French and emerging cinema in Mauritius. It will focus specifically on a comparative analysis between Pyamootoo's novelBnars(1999) and its film adaptation (2005). It will first examine the themes of absence and immobility central to the novel and show how the film transposes these thematic considerations on to the big screen. Secondly, it will examine the imagined tale of the voyage to Banaras, the Indian city, which is embedded in the main narrative of the return voyage to the Mauritian village of Bnars. In the novel, this play between the real and the imagined narratives is a crucial strategy that breaks the linearity of a conventional travel narrative. The discussions will demonstrate how the film deals with this important textual feature. Finally, it will ask if Pyamootoo's filmic transformation of his novel reinforces cultural differences that are discreet and underplayed in the original text. The responses to these interconnected questions along with a reflection on the use of Mauritian Creole as the film's language will provide a set of crucial analyses to review the concepts of national, transnational and universal in the context of Mauritian literature and culture.
La littrature mauricienne et les dbuts de la critique
Authors: Mew Evelyn Kee
Published: April 2011

Jean-Louis Joubert used to say that Mauritian literature has been around for a very long time, but remains in the shadows. The same can be said about the local critical discourse that emerged alongside Mauritian literature from its beginnings. The colonization of Mauritius in the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries was initially characterized by the absence of literature given that its inhabitants were struggling to clear and sow the land. In the nineteenth century, the colonial elites began to feel the need to enlighten the populace, to bring about a sense of belonging and to
do so through the establishment of a literary heritage that would be recognized by the motherland (France) and by the other islands of the Indian Ocean. This patriotic objective was taken up by the first literary journals supported by literary groups which produced the journals. Those journals
have played a predominant role in the rapid growth of Mauritian literature and its literary criticism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This local critical discourse, mainly by author-journalists, shows two trends: francotropisme and mauricianisme. It also played a major role in giving
Mauritian literature its distinct identity.