Crucial Aspect (crucial + aspect)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The Paradoxes of Environmental Policy and Resource Management in Reform-Era China,

ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2000
Joshua Muldavin
Abstract: Over the last 5,000 years serious environmental problems,deforestation, desertification, erosion, and widespread pollution of air, land, and water,have prevailed throughout most of China, brought about by a diverse set of social and political contexts. In this paper I focus on an enduring contradiction associated with the post-1978 reforms, namely accelerated environmental resource degradation in rural areas amid unprecedented national economic growth. Declining entitlements to assets and social capital in China's rural village populations are a crucial aspect of altered state-peasant relations, as these are increasingly mediated by the market during China's transition to a hybrid economy. This has resulted in changing patterns of resource use, impacting both the environment and peasant livelihoods. A brief assessment of China's postrevolutionary environmental policy and management practices provides the context for detailed case studies in Henan Province. These examples highlight the relationship between political-economic changes and environmental policy and management. Contrary to reform rhetoric, rural peasants' embracing of reform policies does not necessarily optimize their welfare or promote sustainable use of resources. The case studies reveal alternative pathways for villages, ones that ought to be brought into the policy debate spotlight. [source]


Increasing the vertical resolution of conventional sub-bottom profilers by parametric equalization

GEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 2 2002
P. Cobo
ABSTRACT Vertical resolution, i.e. the ability to resolve two close reflectors, is a crucial aspect of pulses used in geo-acoustic exploration of sea sub-bottoms. This paper deals with the problem of exploring the shallowest unconsolidated layers of the seafloor with conventional piezo-electric sonar pulses. Such transducers do not have a sufficiently broad transmission response to enable them to radiate short high-resolution pulses. Therefore, some kind of equalization process must be applied to broaden the transmission response. Here, inverse filtering is used to calculate the transducer driving waveform so that the subsequent acoustic pulse has a zero-phase cosine-magnitude nature. Within a specified bandwidth, this pulse has minimum length, i.e. maximum resolution. The method has been applied to compress the acoustic pulses radiated by two piezo-electric transducers. In conventional performance, these transducers radiate narrowband pulses which contain several cycles at the natural resonance frequency. Under equalized driving, both transducers emit broadband pulses, with resolving power greatly increased, at the cost of some amplitude loss. That is, the pulses radiated by both transducers have been shortened from 1 ms (low-frequency transducer) and 0.274 ms (high-frequency transducer) in conventional performance to 0.13 ms and 0.038 ms in equalized mode, with amplitude losses of 33% and 56%, respectively. The great improvement in the resolution of this technique is demonstrated by comparing the synthetic echograms that should be obtained when exploring a wedge model using zero-phase cosine-magnitude pulses with conventional ping pulses. [source]


Robust adaptive remeshing strategy for large deformation, transient impact simulations

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 13 2006
Tobias Erhart
Abstract In this paper, an adaptive approach, with remeshing as essential ingredient, towards robust and efficient simulation techniques for fast transient, highly non-linear processes including contact is discussed. The necessity for remeshing stems from two sources: the capability to deal with large deformations that might even require topological changes of the mesh and the desire for an error driven distribution of computational resources. The overall computational approach is sketched, the adaptive remeshing strategy is presented and the crucial aspect, the choice of suitable error indicator(s), is discussed in more detail. Several numerical examples demonstrate the performance of the approach. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Finite element modelling of fibre reinforced polymer sandwich panels exposed to heat

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2004
P. Krysl
Abstract A finite element model that predicts temperature distribution in a composite panel exposed to a heat source, such as fire, is described. The panel is assumed to be composed of skins consisting of polymer matrix reinforced with fibres and a lightweight core (the paper concentrates on the crucial aspect of the problem, i.e. the behaviour of the ,hot' skin of the panel. The core is assumed not to decompose, and the ,cold' skin is treated exactly as the ,hot' skin.) It is assumed that the polymer matrix undergoes chemical decomposition. Such a model results in a set of coupled non-linear transient partial differential equations. A Galerkin finite element framework is formulated to yield a fully implicit time stepping scheme. The crucial input parameters for the model are carefully identified for subsequent experimental determination. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Diabetic persons with foot ulcers and their perceptions of hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 14 2009
Hjelm Katarina
Aim., To elucidate how diabetic patients with limb-threatening foot lesions perceive and evaluate content and organisation of treatment in a multi-place hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Background., To our knowledge there are no patients' evaluations of diabetes care in a high-technology area like the hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The burden on persons with diabetic foot complications might be increased if adjuvant therapy with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) within a locked airtight vessel is given. Design., Explorative study. Participants., Participants were included in the HODFU study, a prospective randomised double-blind study, designed to evaluate whether HBOT heals more chronic foot ulcers than placebo treatment with hyperbaric air. Six females and 13 males, aged 44,83 years (median 70), with diabetic foot ulcers, participated. Method., Focus-group interviews by an external evaluator. Results., Management was perceived as well-functioning with competent staff delivering quick treatment in a positive manner and in good co-operation. HBOT sessions, in groups, were described as unproblematic and pleasant, through sharing experiences with others, although time-consuming and tiring. Recognising the responsible physician and communication with other physicians in the health-care chain was perceived as problematic. Placebo treatment, when given, did not reveal any problems; many perceived HBOT as the last resort and respondents had a negative view of future health and expressed fears of new wounds and amputation. Conclusions and relevance to clinical practice., From patients' perspective HBOT in the delivered health-care model was perceived as well-functioning, taking into consideration both technical and relational aspects of care in this high-technology environment. Communication with the patient and between different care givers, with a consistent message given and information about who is responsible and to whom one should turn, wherever treated, is the most crucial aspect of the model. Future fears need to be recognised and group interaction can be encouraged to share the burden of disease. [source]


The efficiency of mitochondrial electron transport chain is increased in the long-lived mrg19 Saccharomyces cerevisiae

AGING CELL, Issue 6 2009
Nitish Mittal
Summary Integrity of mitochondrial functionality is a key determinant of longevity in several organisms. In particular, reduced mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) production leading to decreased mtDNA damage is believed to be a crucial aspect of longevity. The generation of low mtROS was thought to be due to low mitochondrial oxygen consumption. However, recent studies have shown that higher mitochondrial oxygen consumption could still result in low mtROS and contribute to longevity. This increased mitochondrial efficiency (i.e. low mtROS generated despite high oxygen consumption) was explained as a result of mitochondrial biogenesis, which provides more entry points for the electrons to the electron transport chain (ETC), thereby resulting in low mtROS production. In this study, we provide evidence for the existence of an alternative pathway to explain the observed higher mitochondrial efficiency in the long-lived mrg19 mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although we observe similar amounts of mitochondria in mrg19 and wild-type (wt) yeast, we find that mrg19 mitochondria have higher expression of ETC components per mitochondria in comparison with the wt. These findings demonstrate that more efficient mitochondria because of increased ETC per mitochondria can also produce less mtROS. Taken together, our findings provide evidence for an alternative explanation for the involvement of higher mitochondrial activity in prolonging lifespan. We anticipate that similar mechanisms might also exist in eukaryotes including human. [source]


Venous outflow obstruction in liver transplantation is associated with the anastomotic technique

LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 12 2007
James D. Perkins M.D. Special Editor
The outflow venovenous anastomosis represent a crucial aspect during orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) with inferior vena cava (IVC) preservation. The modified Belghiti liver hanging maneuver applied to the last phase of hepatectomy, lifting the liver, provides a better exposure of the suprahepatic region and allows easier orthogonal clamping of the three suprahepatic veins with a minimal portion of IVC occlusion. The outflow anastomosis constructed with a common cloacae of the three native suprahepatic veins is associated with a lower incidence of graft related venous outflow complications. The procedure planned in 120 consecutive OLT was achieved in 118 (99%). The outflow anastomosis was constructed on the common cloaca of the three hepatic veins in 111/120 cases (92.5%). No major complications were observed (bleeding during tunnel creation, graft outflow dysfunction, etc) except in one patient with acute Budd-Chiari, who successfully underwent retransplantation. [source]


Die Monetarisierung ökologischer Schäden in einer europäischen Haftungsregelung: Anmerkungen zur Schadensbewertung angesichts der Erfahrungen in den USA

PERSPEKTIVEN DER WIRTSCHAFTSPOLITIK, Issue 1 2005
Axel Klaphake
One crucial aspect of the design of the directive is whether the damage should be compensated in monetary terms or based on natural restoration and how the size of the damage should be calculated. The current proposal is mainly based on the US Oil Pollution Act (OPA), which largely abandoned the concept of monetary compensation. Instead, it relies on a resource-based compensation and mainly measures the cost of compensatory restoration. This article discusses whether this is acceptable from an economic point of view or whether monetary valuation should be used to a larger extent. [source]


Ratiometric Singlet Oxygen Nano-optodes and Their Use for Monitoring Photodynamic Therapy Nanoplatforms

PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2005
Youfu Cao
ABSTRACT Ratiometric photonic explorers for bioanalysis with biologically localized embedding (PEBBLE) nanoprobes have been developed for singlet oxygen, using organically modified silicate (ORMOSIL) nanoparticles as the matrix. A crucial aspect of these ratiometric singlet-oxygen fluorescent probes is their minute size. The ORMOSIL nanoparticles are prepared via a sol-gel,based process and the average diameter of the resultant particles is about 160 nm. These sensors incorporate the singlet-oxygen,sensitive 9,10-dimethyl anthracene as an indicator dye and a singlet-oxygen,insensitive dye, octaethylporphine, as a reference dye for ratiometric fluorescence-based analysis. We have found experimentally that these nanoprobes have much better sensitivity than does the conventional singlet-oxygen,free dye probe, anthracene-9, 10-dipropionic acid disodium salt. The much longer lifetime of singlet oxygen in the ORMOSIL matrix, compared to aqueous solutions, in addition to the relatively high singlet oxygen solubility because of the highly permeable structure and the hydrophobic nature of the outer shell of the ORMOSIL nanoparticles, results in an excellent overall response to singlet oxygen. These nanoprobes have been used to monitor the singlet oxygen produced by "dynamic nanoplatforms" that were developed for photodynamic therapy. The singlet oxygen nanoprobes could potentially be used to quantify the singlet oxygen produced by macrophages. [source]


The nature of market visioning for technology-based radical innovation

THE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2001
Gina Colarelli O'Connor
The ability to link advanced technologies to market opportunities is a crucial aspect of radical innovation. When markets do not yet exist, it is difficult to persevere, given organizational pressures for immediate profit. To study this problem, eleven radical innovation projects are examined in nine large, mature organizations in a real-time field setting. The sample is augmented by interviews of four additional individuals who have repeated experiences in linking advanced technologies to markets. From results that are qualitative in nature, four themes emerge. First, vision is built and sustained through a variety of mechanisms that may operate in combination or serially. Second, there are a number of roles that individuals play in creating and evangelizing a vision through an organization. Third, there exist a few tools and methods for aiding in developing visions that are not dependent strictly on individual initiative, but these are not systematically employed by organizations. Finally, visions undergo a process of validation and internal acceptance that may depend heavily on reaching out beyond the familiar customer/market set of the firm. Building on these themes, we derive two sets of insights. The first identifies three different ways that visions might develop. We did not discover a singular process across firms or even within a single firm by which visions develop. Second, we identify three elements that occur when a vision is formulated and utilized in organizations: Motivation, Insight and Elaboration. Thus a vision does not arise through a single creative leap, but develops over time and requires focus, discipline, energy, and the involvement of many people. Awareness of this conceptual underpinning of visioning may help managers understand how to encourage this activity and help sustain long-term growth and renewal in their organizations. [source]


mRNPs take shape by CLIPPING and PAIRING

BIOESSAYS, Issue 11 2006
Robert B. Denman
The interaction of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) with RNA is a crucial aspect of normal cellular metabolism. Yet, the diverse number of RBPs and RNA motifs to which they bind, the wide range of interaction strengths and the fact that RBPs associate in dynamic complexes have made it challenging to determine whether a particular RNA-binding protein binds a particular RNA. Recent work by three different laboratories has led to the development of new tools to query such interactions in the more physiological environs of cultured cells. The use of these methods has led to insights into (1) the networks of RNAs regulated by a particular protein, (2) the identification of new protein partners within messenger ribonucleoprotein particles and (3) the flux of RNA-binding proteins on an mRNA throughout its lifecycle. Here, I examine these new methods and discuss their relative strengths and current limitations. BioEssays 28: 1132,1143, 2006. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Public perceptions of biotechnology

BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 9 2007
Alan McHughen Dr.
Abstract The very term ,Biotechnology' elicits a range of emotions, from wonder and awe to downright fear and hostility. This is especially true among non-scientists, particularly in respect of agricultural and food biotechnology. These emotions indicate just how poorly understood agricultural biotechnology is and the need for accurate, dispassionate information in the public sphere to allow a rational public debate on the actual, as opposed to the perceived, risks and benefits of agricultural biotechnology. This review considers first the current state of public knowledge on agricultural biotechnology, and then explores some of the popular misperceptions and logical inconsistencies in both Europe and North America. I then consider the problem of widespread scientific illiteracy, and the role of the popular media in instilling and perpetuating misperceptions. The impact of inappropriate efforts to provide ,balance' in a news story, and of belief systems and faith also impinges on public scientific illiteracy. Getting away from the abstract, we explore a more concrete example of the contrasting approach to agricultural biotechnology adoption between Europe and North America, in considering divergent approaches to enabling coexistence in farming practices. I then question who benefits from agricultural biotechnology. Is it only the big companies, or is it society at large , and the environment-also deriving some benefit? Finally, a crucial aspect in such a technologically complex issue, ordinary and intelligent non-scientifically trained consumers cannot be expected to learn the intricacies of the technology to enable a personal choice to support or reject biotechnology products. The only reasonable and pragmatic alternative is to place trust in someone to provide honest advice. But who, working in the public interest, is best suited to provide informed and accessible, but objective, advice to wary consumers? [source]


Assessing the attitudes to prostate cancer treatment among European male patients

BJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2007
Claude Schulman
OBJECTIVES, To understand the attitudes of patients with prostate cancer toward the disease in general and to the use of hormone therapy as treatment; to assess unmet needs in the management of prostate cancer; and to gauge patient receptivity to a potential 6-month formulation of a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist. PATIENTS AND METHODS, Face-to-face interviews, lasting 50 min on average, were conducted during January and February 2007 with 200 European men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. RESULTS, Most patients were very satisfied with their physician, particularly with specialists, with 94% of men being satisfied with their expertise and 67% fully trusting the recommended treatment. Therapeutic efficacy was considered the most crucial aspect of treatment, although maintaining their lifestyle during treatment was also considered important (83% of patients). In all, 67% of patients believed that consideration should be given to lifestyle needs when selecting treatment; however, over half (55%) had never raised lifestyle issues with their physicians. Most patients would prefer fewer injections, with 68% (135/200) preferring 6-monthly injections over 3- or 1-monthly depots. Perceived advantages of 6-monthly injections include less discomfort/pain, more quality of life, fewer reminders of the disease and more ability to undertake activities without restriction. CONCLUSIONS, Patients with prostate cancer are generally very satisfied with their physicians and the information they receive, yet find it difficult to communicate their lifestyle needs. Most patients would prefer 6-monthly LHRH agonist therapy due to the many advantages associated with fewer injections, including its efficacy in reducing testosterone levels. Improving patients' willingness to raise lifestyle issues with their physicians, providing more effective patient-physician communication and less frequent injections might assist in achieving both optimal control of testosterone and optimal management of prostate cancer. [source]


Quality of life in allergic rhinitis

CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY REVIEWS, Issue 3 2006
G. Passalacqua
Summary Quality of life (QoL)or, better, health-related quality of life, is now recognized as a crucial aspect in assessing the impact of a given disease on the general well-being of patients. This fact was ascertained in the last 10 years also for respiratory allergy (asthma and rhinitis). In particular, it was shown that allergic rhinitis (AR), although not life threatening, profoundly affects many aspects of everyday life. In this regard, a number of specific questionnaires (instruments) have been developed and validated to assess the quality of life in adults, adolescents and children. Although the concept of QoL is easy to understand, the development and validation process of questionnaires is quite complex and time consuming. The literature provided strong evidence of the effects of AR and its treatments on QoL, but also evidenced some controversial points, including the weak correlation of QoL with objective parameters. It has therefore become clear that QoL questionnaires measure aspects of the disease that partially differ from the routinely evaluated parameters and that quality of life should integrate, not replace, the objective measurements. In the near future, ,sharper' instruments are expected to be developed for the evaluation of quality of life and of the effects of treatments in AR. [source]


The New Basel Capital Adequacy Framework

ECONOMIC NOTES, Issue 3 2001
Giovanni Carosio
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision is about to publish a second consultative paper on the reform of the 1988 Accord on capital adequacy. The new document takes into account the comments received on the June 1999 consultative paper, gives a much clearer picture of crucial aspects of the reform that were only presented in very general terms in the earlier paper, and quantifies most of the parameters that will be needed to calculate the capital requirements. Although considerable progress has been made towards reaching operational status, several aspects of the regulation still need to be worked out and further reflection is needed on the best way to tackle some of the more problematic issues that have been identified. Comments, suggestions, criticisms such as today's seminar will certainly provide, are therefore most welcome. There will be time to take them into consideration, as the final draft of the regulation will not be completed before the end of 2001. My presentation is divided into three parts: I first illustrate the objectives of the reform, then describe the essential features of the new regulation, and finally discuss the possible impacts of its implementation. (J.E.L. G21, G28). [source]


Transatlantic constitutionalism: Comparing the United States and the European Union

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2004
SERGIO FABBRINI
The European Union has more to learn from the American experience of constitutionalism than from any of its own Member States. Like the United States, the European Union will have a frame of government constitution that will try to order a system of multiple and concurrent communities of interests, as happened in America, and designed by an indirectly elected assembly. The European Union and the United States will continue to manifest many differences in other crucial aspects of their institutional and cultural development. However, although constrained by their respective historical and institutional paths, their constitutional evolution is making the Atlantic Ocean less wide than it used to be. [source]


BMP inhibition enhances axonal growth and functional recovery after spinal cord injury

JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2008
Iichiro Matsuura
Abstract Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are multifunctional growth factors that belong to the transforming growth factor-, superfamily. BMPs regulate several crucial aspects of embryonic development and organogenesis. The reemergence of BMPs in the injured adult CNS suggests their involvement in the pathogenesis of the lesion. Here, we demonstrate that BMPs are potent inhibitors of axonal regeneration in the adult spinal cord. The expression of BMP-2/4 is elevated in oligodendrocytes and astrocytes around the injury site following spinal cord contusion. Intrathecal administration of noggin , a soluble BMP antagonist,leads to enhanced locomotor activity and reveals significant regrowth of the corticospinal tract after spinal cord contusion. Thus, BMPs play a role in inhibiting axonal regeneration and limiting functional recovery following injury to the CNS. [source]


A sociolinguistic application of Bakhtin's authoritative and internally persuasive discourse

JOURNAL OF SOCIOLINGUISTICS, Issue 4 2004
Lukas D. Tsitsipis
Through the use of two central Bakhtinian concepts, authoritative and internally persuasive discourse (word), this paper examines the tension between the ideology of linguistic hegemony as a source of power in the Greek public sphere and the condition of language shift faced by the Albanian-speaking communities of modern Greece. I argue here that a cautious application of these two notions, which are relevant to linguistic ideology, can reveal crucial aspects of two processes: that of subordination to and that of questioning of the dominant linguistic ideology by local Albanian-speaking communities. Thus, in language shift contexts, it is possible that no simple relations obtain that place social agents in unquestionable and easily predictable positions. Such an approach proves useful for the sociolinguistic study of threatened language communities. [source]


An Australian Perspective on Class Action Settlements

THE MODERN LAW REVIEW, Issue 3 2006
Vince Morabito
Recent studies of the class action device have prompted legal commentators to turn their attention to the crucial issue of whether this device should be introduced in England and Ireland and, if so, what features this device should possess. The aim of this article is to contribute to this debate by providing an analysis of the Australian experience with one of the most crucial aspects of this device, namely, the settlement of class proceedings. The United States jurisprudence on class action settlements is also extensively referred to. [source]


Examining Interactions across Language Modalities: Deaf Children and Hearing Peers at School

ANTHROPOLOGY & EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2003
Professor Elizabeth Keating
Deaf youth easily become communicatively isolated in public schools, where they are in a small minority among a majority of hearing peers and teachers. This article examines communicative strategies of deaf children in an American "mainstream " school setting to discover how they creatively manage their casual communicative interactions with hearing peers across multimodal communicative channels, visual and auditory. We argue that unshared sociolinguistic practices and hearing-oriented participation frameworks are crucial aspects of communicative failure in these settings. We also show that what look like "successful" conversational interactions between deaf and hearing children actually contain little real language and few of the complex communication skills vital to cognitive and social development. This study contributes to understanding the social production of communicative isolation of deaf students and implications of mainstream education for this minority group. [source]


Glioma Pathophysiology: Insights Emerging from Proteomics

BRAIN PATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2010
Ruth F. Deighton
Abstract Proteomics is increasingly employed in both neurological and oncological research to provide insight into the molecular basis of disease but rarely has a coherent, novel pathophysiological insight emerged. Gliomas account for >50% of adult primary intracranial tumors, with malignant gliomas (anaplastic astrocytomas and glioblastoma multiforme) being the most common. In glioma, the application of proteomic technology has identified altered protein expression but without consistency of these alterations or their biological significance being established. A systematic review of multiple independent proteomic analyses of glioma has demonstrated alterations of 99 different proteins. Importantly 10 of the 99 proteins found differentially expressed in glioma [PHB, Hsp20, serum albumin, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), EA-15, RhoGDI, APOA1, GFAP, HSP70, PDIA3] were identified in multiple publications. An assessment of protein,protein interactions between these proteins compiled using novel web-based technology, revealed a robust and cohesive network for glioblastoma. The protein network discovered (containing TP53 and RB1 at its core) compliments recent findings in genomic studies of malignant glioma. The novel perspective provided by network analysis indicates that the potential of this technology to explore crucial aspects of glioma pathophysiology can now be realized but only if the conceptual and technical limitations highlighted in this review are addressed. [source]


Protein Targets of Oxidative Damage in Human Neurodegenerative Diseases with Abnormal Protein Aggregates

BRAIN PATHOLOGY, Issue 2 2010
Anna Martínez
Abstract Human neurodegenerative diseases with abnormal protein aggregates are associated with aberrant post-translational modifications, solubility, aggregation and fibril formation of selected proteins which cannot be degraded by cytosolic proteases, ubiquitin,protesome system and autophagy, and, therefore, accumulate in cells and extracellular compartments as residual debris. In addition to the accumulation of "primary" proteins, several other mechanisms are involved in the degenerative process and probably may explain crucial aspects such as the timing, selective cellular vulnerability and progression of the disease in particular individuals. One of these mechanisms is oxidative stress, which occurs in the vast majority of, if not all, degenerative diseases of the nervous system. The present review covers most of the protein targets that have been recognized as modified proteins mainly using bidimensional gel electrophoresis, Western blotting with oxidative and nitrosative markers, and identified by mass spectrometry in Alzheimer disease; certain tauopathies such as progressive supranuclear palsy, Pick disease, argyrophilic grain disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration linked to mutations in tau protein, for example, FTLD-tau, Parkinson disease and related ,-synucleinopathies; Huntington disease; and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, together with related animal and cellular models. Vulnerable proteins can be mostly grouped in defined metabolic pathways covering glycolysis and energy metabolism, cytoskeletal, chaperoning, cellular stress responses, and members of the ubiquitin,proteasome system. Available information points to the fact that vital metabolic pathways are hampered by protein oxidative damage in several human degenerative diseases and that oxidative damage occurs at very early stages of the disease. Yet parallel functional studies are limited and further work is needed to document whether protein oxidation results in loss of activity and impaired performance. A better understanding of proteins susceptible to oxidation and nitration may serve to define damaged metabolic networks at early stages of disease and to advance therapeutic interventions to attenuate disease progression. [source]


THE ANALYTIC RELATIONSHIP: INTEGRATING JUNGIAN, ATTACHMENT THEORY AND DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVES

BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY, Issue 1 2009
Jean Knox
abstract This paper highlights some key features of a Jungian approach to transference and countertransference and suggests that a Jungian model has crucial aspects in common with contemporary views in attachment theory on the nature of the analytic relationship. The analytic relationship is examined in terms of the fundamental processes of psychic development described in attachment theory and affective neuroscience, namely affect regulation and development of reflective function and of self-agency. The relative value of three analytic techniques, those of interpretation, new relational experience and regression, are discussed in relation to these processes. I suggest that each of the traditional psychoanalytic and Jungian analytic models concentrates on differing aspects of these psychic processes and analytic techniques. I construct a grid to illustrate this and to demonstrate how attachment theory and developmental neuroscience offer a theoretical basis on which we can develop an integrated model of the nature of the analytic relationship and tasks. [source]