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Terms modified by Ambiguous Selected AbstractsFamily Caregivers' Patterns of Positive and Negative Affect,FAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 1 2007Suzanne M. Robertson Abstract: Stressful and positive family caregiving experiences were examined as predictors of caregivers' patterns of positive and negative affect in a sample of families providing care for a relative with dementia (N= 234). Four affect pattern groups were identified: (a) Well Adjusted (i.e., high positive affect, low negative affect); (b) Ambiguous (i.e., low on both positive and negative affect); (c) Intense (i.e., high on both positive and negative affect); and (d) Distressed (i.e., high negative affect, low positive affect). A multivariate model that included demographic characteristics and indicators of stressful and positive experiences of caregiving yielded 2 significant discriminant functions that served to classify caregivers correctly into their known affect groups. Implications for improving intervention efforts targeting family caregivers are discussed. [source] Techne versus Technoscience: Divergent (and Ambiguous) Notions of Food "Quality" in the French Debate over GM CropsAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 4 2007CHAIA HELLER In the French debate over genetically modified organisms (GMOs), actors present divergent definitions of food quality located between poles of technoscience and techne. Although scientists often define food quality in terms of technoscience, assessing food safety, small farmers often appeal to technes of production, positing GMOs as a rupture with artisanal culture. Whereas small farmers (from the union the Confédération Paysanne [CP]) deploy notions of "techne" to promote their anti-GMO campaign, they often define quality in an ambiguous way, vacillating between ideas of agricultural method (technique) or production scale. Despite this ambiguity, the CP successfully designates GMOs as la malbouffe, or "bad" food, establishing themselves as protectors of artisanal technés such as Roquefort. Finally, unlike many cultures that cast GMOs as "unnatural," the CP tends to frame GMOs as "uncultural." In the French debate, the CP posits culture against a "culturelessness" associated with technoscience and industry-driven foods such as GMOs and McDonald's. [source] Model Based Evaluation of Bridge Decks Using Ground Penetrating RadarCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2008Kimberly Belli Interpretation of the radar signal is typically performed through preliminary filtering techniques and interpretation is based on viewing numerous signals in the form of a scan. Although anomalies can be evident in the scanned image, quantification and interpretation of the main issue remain ambiguous. This article presents the ambiguity and common methods of interpretation based on response amplitude and travel time. An integrated medium is developed and used as a forward modeling tool to generate a realistic radar reflection of a reinforced concrete bridge deck with defects. A healthy deck reflection is obtained from a separate model and is combined with an inverse solution to quantifiably estimate unknown subsurface properties such as layer thickness and dielectric constants of subsurface materials evident in the realistic radar trace as well as. The forward modeling tool and associated model based assessment provides an objective computational alternative to the interpretation of scanned images. [source] Craniorachischisis and Heterotaxia with Heart Disease in Twins: Link or Change Nature?CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE, Issue 5 2010Sebastiano Bianca MD ABSTRACT Craniorachischisis is a rare neural tube defect in which both acrania and a complete schisis of the vertebral column are present. Heterotaxy results from failure to establish normal left,right asymmetry during embryonic development and is characterized by a variable group of congenital anomalies that include complex cardiac malformations and situs inversus or situs ambiguous. We report a diamniotic twin pregnancy with two malformed fetuses affected one by craniorachischisis and the other by heterotaxya with paired right-sided viscera, asplenia, and complex congenital heart disease. The occurrence of severe congenital anomalies in both members of the twin pair implies a strong influence of genetic factors. At present, the genetic basis determining the different phenotypes observed in our twins is unknown. Our case with the simultaneous presence of both midline and laterality defects in twins supports the hypothesis that the midline plays a critical role in establishing left,right asymmetry in the body and that a mutation in a gene responsible for both heterotaxy and midline defects may be strongly supposed. [source] Temporal Extrapolation of PVA Results in Relation to the IUCN Red List Criterion ECONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2003Oskar Kindvall For a population viability analysis ( PVA) to be useful for assessing a species' threat category, the results must have been expressed as the full extinction probability function over time or at least for the three specified time frames. Often this is not the case, and extrapolations from different kinds of PVA results ( e.g., mean time to extinction ) are often necessary. By means of analytic models, we investigated the possibilities of extrapolation. Based on our results, we suggest that extrapolation is not advisable due to the huge errors that can occur. The extinction probability function is the best kind of summary statistic to use when applying criterion E, but even then the threat categorization may be ambiguous. If the extinction risk is low in the near future but increases rapidly later on, a species may be classified as vulnerable even though it is expected to become extinct within 100 years. To avoid this, we suggest that the guidelines to the IUCN Red List criteria include three reference lines that allow for interpretation of the PVA results in the context of the three threat categories within the entire period of 100 years. If the estimated extinction probability function overshoots one of these functions, the species should be classified accordingly. Resumen: Las categorías de amenaza de la lista roja de la IUCN ( críticamente en peligro, en peligro y vulnerable ) están definidos por un juego de criterios ( A-E ). El criterio E se define cuantitativamente por tres límites especificados de riesgo de extinción ( 50%, 20% y 10% ), cada uno de los cuales se asocia a un marco temporal determinado. Para poder usar el análisis de viabilidad poblacional ( PVA ) durante la evaluación de la categoría de amenaza de una especie, los resultados deben ser expresados en función de probabilidad de extinción total sobre un tiempo o al menos para los tres marcos temporales especificados. Frecuentemente este no es el caso y las extrapolaciones de diferente tipo de resultados de PVA ( tiempo promedio de extinción ) son usualmente necesarias. Por medio de modelos analíticos investigamos las posibilidades de extrapolación. En base a nuestros resultados sugerimos que la extrapolación no es recomendable debido a una enorme cantidad de errores que pueden ocurrir. La función de probabilidad de extinción es el mejor tipo de resumen estadístico a usar cuando se aplica el criterio E, pero, aún así, la categorización de amenaza puede ser ambigua. Si el riesgo de extinción es bajo en un futuro inmediato pero incrementa muy rápidamente después, una especie puede ser clasificada como vulnerable aunque se espere que se extinga dentro de los próximos 100 años. Para evitar esto, sugerimos que los lineamientos de los criterios de la Lista Roja de la UICN incluyan tres lineas de referencia que permitan la interpretación de los resultados del PVA en el contexto de las tres categorías dentro de un periodo completo de 100 años. Si la función de probabilidad de extinción estimada se extiende más allá de una de estas funciones, las especies deberán ser clasificadas según sea el caso. [source] Sustainable supply chain management and inter-organizational resources: a literature reviewCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2010Stefan Gold Abstract On the basis of a content analysis, this paper explores the role of sustainable supply chain management as a catalyst of generating valuable inter-organizational resources and thus possible sustained inter-firm competitive advantage through collaboration on environmental and social issues. Drawing on the resource-based view and its extension, the relational view, this paper highlights that partner-focused supply management capabilities evolve to corporate core competences as competition shifts from an inter-firm to an inter-supply-chain level. The ,collaborative paradigm' in supply chain management regards strategic collaboration as a crucial source of competitive advantage. Collaboration is even more essential when supply chains aim at ensuring simultaneously economic, environmental and social performance on a product's total life-cycle basis. Inter-firm resources and capabilities emerging from supply-chain-wide collaboration are prone to become sources of sustained inter-firm competitive advantage, since they are socially complex, causally ambiguous and historically grown and hence particularly difficult to imitate by competitors. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Charity Basket or Revolution: Beliefs, Experiences, and Context in Preservice Teachers' Service LearningCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 4 2000David M. Donahue Given what one observer calls the "vast disparity of definitions that faculty can bring to service learning,from what is basically the charity basket approach to the revolutionary," service learning can varytremendously, from reading to elderly residents of a nursing home to organizing a boycott of a sneaker company. With such diversity before teachers, what influences them in the way they design service learning? How do preservice teachers, for whom so many ideas about teaching are emerging, make such choices? Two case studies suggest that preservice teachers' beliefs, experiences, and the context where they teach play an important role related to if and how they use service learning. Beliefs and experiences are especially important because, although service learning is often presented as supporting apolitical values,empowerment and responsibility, for example,for which broad consensus exists, such values are also ambiguous and open to interpretation. Teacher educators and advocates of service learning need to acknowledge the ambiguous political nature of service and service learning. By doing so, they have an opportunity to make the political context of teaching explicit for preservice teachers. Such education in service learning for new teachers goes beyond "training" in the logistical and technical details of implementing a new pedagogy to thoughtful reflection on the value-laden act of teaching. [source] Nitric oxide counteracts angiotensin II induced contraction in efferent arterioles in miceACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 4 2004A. Patzak Abstract Aim:, Efferent arterioles (Ef) are one of the final control elements in glomerular haemodynamics. The influence of nitric oxide (NO) on Ef remains ambiguous. Methods:, To test the hypothesis that endothelial NO plays an important role in this context, afferent arterioles (Af) and Ef of wild-type mice (WT), and Ef of mice lacking the endothelial NO synthetase [eNOS(,/,)] were perfused. Perfusion was performed in Ef via Af (orthograde) as well as from the distal end of Ef (retrograde), which provides an estimate for the importance of substances derived from the glomerulus. Angiotensin II (Ang II) was added in doses ranging from 10,12 to 10,6 mol L,1 to the bath solution. Results:, Ang II reduced the luminal diameter of Af to 68 ± 7 and in Ef to 55 ± 8% during orthograde, and to 35 ± 6% during retrograde perfusion (10,6 mol L,1 Ang II) in WT. Pre-treatment with NG -Nitro- l -arginine-methylester (l -NAME) (10,4 mol L,1) increased the Ang II sensitivity in retrograde (17 ± 9%) and orthograde perfused Ef (19 ± 9%). The Ang II sensitivity was enhanced in eNOS(,/,) mice compared with WT, too. Already at a dose of Ang II 10,9 mol L,1, luminal diameters diminished to 8 ± 7 and 7 ± 4%. Conclusion:, The increased Ang II sensitivity during l -NAME pre-treatment and in eNOS(,/,) mice indicates a strong counteraction of endothelial derived NO on Ang II induced contraction in Ef. Moreover, Ef are similarly sensitive to Ang II during either retrograde or orthograde perfusion in the absence of NO effects, suggesting that NO mediates, at least in part, the action of potential vasodilatory substances from the glomerulus. [source] Organization Structure from a Loose Coupling Perspective: A Multidimensional Approach,DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 2 2001Rafik I. Beekun Abstract Organizational theories frequently rely on notions of sharing and dependence among organizational participants, but researchers usually focus on characteristics of the actors themselves instead of the relational patterns among the actors. Loose coupling is one conceptual tool that emphasizes relational patterns. Loose coupling, however, is an abstract metaphor that is simultaneously fertile and ambiguous. This paper develops a rigorous and comprehensive framework that sharpens the theoretical contributions of loose coupling to our understanding of structural relationships. Characteristics of loose coupling capture some important and underexplored features of multidimensional fit and interdependence in organizations. The proposed framework clarifies these theoretical contributions of loose coupling with concepts and equations modified from network analysis. Testable hypotheses are proposed with respect to three key independent variables that may affect patterns of coupling: organization strategy, technology, and environmental turbulence. Additional hypotheses are advanced with respect to the use of the multidimensional approach to loose coupling in studying new organizational forms. Initial psychometric and empirical evidence are presented. [source] Mesotherapy and Phosphatidylcholine Injections: Historical Clarification and ReviewDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 4 2006ADAM M. ROTUNDA MD BACKGROUND Mesotherapy was originally conceived in Europe as a method of utilizing cutaneous injections containing a mixture of compounds for the treatment of local medical and cosmetic conditions. Although mesotherapy was traditionally employed for pain relief, its cosmetic applications, particularly fat and cellulite removal, have recently received attention in the United States. Another treatment for localized fat reduction, which was popularized in Brazil and uses injections of phosphatidylcholine, has been erroneously considered synonymous with mesotherapy. Despite their attraction as purported "fat-dissolving" injections, the safety and efficacy of these novel cosmetic treatments remain ambiguous to most patients and physicians. OBJECTIVE To distinguish mesotherapy from phosphatidylcholine injections by reviewing their history and the relevant experimental or clinical findings. METHODS A comprehensive search of Medline indexed literature and conference proceedings. RESULTS All the published studies evaluating the clinical efficacy of traditional mesotherapy currently originate from Europe. These reports focus primarily on musculoskeletal pain and vascular disease, rather than cosmetic applications. Although experimental data suggest that a number of traditional mesotherapy ingredients may theoretically reduce fat, these effects have not been supported in peer-reviewed studies. An increasing number of reports demonstrate that subcutaneous injections of a formula containing phosphatidylcholine combined with its emulsifier, deoxycholate, are effective in removing small collections of adipose tissue. Cell lysis, resulting from the detergent action of deoxycholate, may account for this clinical effect. CONCLUSIONS Mesotherapy is distinct from a method of treating adipose tissue with subcutaneous injections of deoxycholate alone or in combination with phosphatidylcholine. Additional clinical and experimental studies are necessary to more definitively establish the safety and efficacy of these treatments. [source] Learning to perceive object unity: a connectionist accountDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2002Denis Mareschal To explore questions of how human infants begin to perceive partly occluded objects, we devised two connectionist models of perceptual development. The models were endowed with an existing ability to detect several kinds of visual information that have been found important in infants' and adults' perception of object unity (motion, co-motion, common motion, relatability, parallelism, texture and T-junctions). They were then presented with stimuli consisting of either one or two objects and an occluding screen. The models' task was to determine whether the object or objects were joined when such a percept was ambiguous, after specified amounts of training with events in which a subset of possible visual information was provided. The model that was trained in an enriched environment achieved superior levels of performance and was able to generalize veridical percepts to a wide range of novel stimuli. Implications for perceptual development in humans, current theories of development and origins of knowledge are discussed. [source] Not all roads lead to Rome,a review of quality of life measurement in adults with diabetesDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 4 2009J. Speight Abstract Aims Quality of life (QoL) is recognized widely as an important health outcome in diabetes, where the burden of self-management places great demands on the individual. However, the concept of QoL remains ambiguous and poorly defined. The aim of our review is to clarify the measurement of QoL in terms of conceptualization, terminology and psychometric properties, to review the instruments that have been used most frequently to assess QoL in diabetes research and make recommendations for how to select measures appropriately. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted to identify the ten measures most frequently used to assess QoL in diabetes research (including clinical trials) from 1995 to March 2008. Results Six thousand and eight-five abstracts were identified and screened for instrument names. Of the ten instruments most frequently used to assess ,QoL', only three actually do so [i.e. the generic World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) and the diabetes-specific Diabetes Quality of Life (DQOL) and Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQoL)]. Seven instruments more accurately measure health status [Short-Form 36 (SF-36), EuroQoL 5-Dimension (EQ-5D)], treatment satisfaction [Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ)] and psychological well-being [Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Well-Being Questionnaire (W-BQ), Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID)]. Conclusions No single measure can suit every purpose or application but, when measures are selected inappropriately and data misinterpreted, any conclusions drawn are fundamentally flawed. If we value QoL as a therapeutic goal, we must ensure that the instruments we use are both valid and reliable. QoL assessment has the proven potential to identify ways in which treatments can be tailored to reduce the burden of diabetes. With careful consideration, appropriate measures can be selected and truly robust assessments undertaken successfully. [source] Diagnostic value of GLUT-1 immunoreactivity to distinguish benign from malignant cystic squamous lesions of the head and neck in fine-needle aspiration biopsy materialDIAGNOSTIC CYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 5 2004Michael F. Weiner M.D. Abstract The distinction of cystic squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) from benign cystic squamous lesions (BCSLs) of the head and neck can be problematic on fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) material, particularly when BCSLs display epithelial reactive atypia or when SCC is well differentiated. Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT-1), a facilitative cell surface glucose transport protein, is aberrantly expressed in many cancers including oral and hypopharyngeal SCC. We evaluated the expression of GLUT-1 by immunochemistry on FNAB material to determine its value in distinguishing cystic SCC from BCSL of the head and neck. A 5-yr retrospective review of all head and neck cystic squamous lesions having FNAB specimens with cell block material, radiological studies, and histological confirmation was performed at our institution. Cell block material from 24 cystic squamous lesions, including 8 (33%) BCSL (7 branchial cleft cysts and 1 thyroglossal duct cyst[TDC]) and 16 (67%) metastatic SCCs with cystic/liquefactive degeneration, was retrieved and immunostained with anti-GLUT-1. GLUT-1 expression was considered positive when at least 10% of squamous cells exhibited distinct cell membrane reactivity. Positive GLUT-1 immunostaining was detected in all 16 SCCs and in none of the 8 BCSLs. In the carcinoma cases, the majority of malignant cells exhibited GLUT-1 reactivity; only a minor population of well-differentiated SCC cells displaying keratinization and arranged as squamous pearls did not express GLUT-1. GLUT-1 expression in cell block material can help to distinguish cystic SCCs from BCSLs of the head and neck. In conjunction with clinical and radiological correlation, GLUT-1 immunoreactivity can be an important diagnostic aid when the cytological findings are ambiguous. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2004;31:294,299. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Early detection and intervention in first-episode schizophrenia: a critical reviewACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 5 2001T. K. Larsen Objective: To review the literature on early intervention in psychosis and to evaluate relevant studies. Method: Early intervention was defined as intervention in the prodromal phase (primary prevention) and intervention after the onset of psychosis, i.e. shortening of duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) (secondary prevention). Results: We found few studies aimed at early intervention, but many papers discussing the idea at a more general level. We identified no studies that prove that intervention in the prodromal phase is possible without a high risk for treating false positives. We identified some studies aimed at reducing DUP, but the results are ambiguous and, until now, no follow-up data showing a positive effect on prognosis have been presented. Conclusion: Early intervention in psychosis is a difficult and important challenge for the psychiatric health services. At the time being reduction of DUP seems to be the most promising strategy. Intervention in the prodromal phase is more ethically and conceptually problematic. [source] The Meaning of ,Actually'DIALECTICA, Issue 2 2010Yannis Stephanou The paper is an investigation into the concept of actuality from the standpoint of the philosophy of language. It is argued that expressions such as ,actually' and ,in fact' are not indexicals like ,here' and ,now'; when e.g. ,Snow is actually white' is uttered in a world, what proposition is conveyed does not depend on the world. Nor are such expressions ambiguous. The paper makes a suggestion about the role that ,actually' and its cognates do play. It is also argued that the sentence ,Actually S, expresses a necessary truth only if S itself expresses one. In order to capture the necessitation of the proposition expressed in ,Actually S,, it is not sufficient to prefix the word ,necessarily'. [source] Davidson's Derangement: Of the Conceptual Priority of LanguageDIALECTICA, Issue 3 2001Karen Green Davidson has argued that the phenomenon of malapropism shows that languages thought of as social entities cannot be prior in the account of communication. This may be taken to imply that Dummett's belief, that language is prior in the account of thought, cannot be retained. This paper criticises the argument that takes Davidson from malapropism to the denial of the priority of language in the account of communication. It argues, against Davidson, that the distinction between word meaning and what speakers mean by words, used by Davidson to account for metaphor, suffices to account for malapropism. The reasons for the failure of Davidson's argument are used to throw light on what is meant by the priority of language over thought, and to argue that the priority thesis is ambiguous. [source] An investigation of the cranial evolution of Asian pitvipers (Serpentes: Crotalinae), with comments on the phylogenetic position of Peltopelor macrolepisACTA ZOOLOGICA, Issue 4 2010Peng Guo Abstract Guo, P., Jadin, R.C., Malhotra, A. and Li, C. 2009. An investigation of the cranial evolution of Asian pitvipers (Serpentes: Crotalinae), with comments on the phylogenetic position of Peltopelor macrolepis,Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 91: 402,407. We investigated the evolution of 12 cranial characters of 31 species of Asian pitvipers by examining the character state changes on a consensus tree modified from broadly consistent molecular results. We found that these characters appear stable with only one intraspecific polymorphism. Nine of the 12 characters form useful synapomorphies, whereas three are ambiguous and evolutionarily plastic. Clades that are supported with numerous apomorphies are the Trimeresurus group [consisting of the recently defined genera Trimeresurus sensuMalhotra and Thorpe (2004), Parias, Popeia, Viridovipera, Himalayophis, and Cryptelytrops] and the genera Protobothrops, Parias, and Viridovipera. Two species previously considered as congeners but now known to be distantly related, Ovophis monticola and ,Ovophis'okinavensis, have nearly identical character states, demonstrating substantial convergence in cranial characters. Finally, we attempt to infer the phylogenetic position of Peltopelor macrolepis by comparing its cranial features with that of other pitvipers. [source] MDMA, methamphetamine and their combination: possible lessons for party drug users from recent preclinical researchDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 1 2007KELLY J. CLEMENS Abstract The substituted amphetamines 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ,Ecstasy') and methamphetamine (METH, ,ice', ,speed') are increasingly popular drugs amongst party-drug users. Studies with humans have investigated the acute and possible long-term adverse effects of these drugs, yet outcomes of such studies are often ambiguous due to a variety of confounding factors. Studies employing animal models have value in determining the acute and long-term effects of MDMA and METH on brain and behaviour. Self-administration studies show that intravenous METH is a particularly potent reinforcer in rats and other species. In contrast, MDMA appears to have powerful effects in enhancing social behaviour in laboratory animals. Brief exposure to MDMA or METH may produce long-term reductions in dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline in the brain and alterations in the density of various receptor and transporter proteins. However it is still unclear, particularly in the case of MDMA, whether this reflects a ,neurotoxic' effect of the drug. Lasting alterations in social behaviour, anxiety, depressive symptoms and memory have been demonstrated in laboratory rats given MDMA or METH and this matches long-term changes reported in some human studies. Recent laboratory studies suggest that MDMA/METH combinations may produce greater adverse neurochemical and behavioural effects than either drug alone. This is of some concern given recent evidence that party drug users may be frequently exposed to this combination of drugs. [source] Trade Balance and Exchange Rate: Unit Roots, Co-integration and Long Memory in the US and the UKECONOMIC NOTES, Issue 1 2008Luis A. Gil-Alana This paper deals with the relationship between the balance of trade and the exchange rate in the US/UK case. Many authors have studied this issue for many countries, but despite the intensive research, there is still no agreement about the effectiveness of currency devaluation to increase a country's balance of trade. We first analyse the relationship between the two variables using unit roots and co-integration methods, and the results are ambiguous. We try a new approach based on fractional integration. The unit root hypothesis is rejected in case of the trade balance in favour of smaller orders of integration, while this hypothesis is not rejected for the exchange rate. Thus, the two series do not possess the same order of integration. We sort this problem out by taking the exchange rate as an exogenous variable, and including it in a regression model where the residuals might follow a fractionally integrated model. [source] Aggregate Investment and Political Instability: An Econometric InvestigationECONOMICA, Issue 279 2003Nauro F. Campos Although in theory the long-run effect of uncertainty on investment is ambiguous, available econometric evidence widely supports a negative association between aggregate investment and political instability. A shortcoming of this body of evidence is that it has failed to investigate the existence and direction of causality between these two variables. This paper fills this gap by testing for such causal and negative long-run relationship between political instability and investment. We find there is a causal relation going from instability to investment, but it is positive and particularly strong in low-income countries. This finding is robust to various sensitivity checks. [source] THE CONFLICT BETWEEN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AND ABSTRACT SYSTEMS IN EDUCATIONEDUCATIONAL THEORY, Issue 2 2007Benjamin Endres Endres uses Anthony Giddens's account of "abstract systems" and "pure" relations to suggest that the tension that teachers face is not only the result of opposing ideologies or philosophies of teaching, but it is the product of conflicting undercurrents in modern social and economic life. Although there is no simple solution to the ambiguous and contested status of teaching, Endres points to two examples of how the interpersonal dimensions of teaching may gain recognition and support by the institutional system of schooling: research on the effects of class size and legal guarantees for individualized educational plans in the area of special education. He concludes by emphasizing the particular challenge of cultivating interpersonal relations for the most disadvantaged students. [source] Spenser's Magic, or Instrumental Aesthetics in the 1590 Faerie QueeneENGLISH LITERARY RENAISSANCE, Issue 2 2006Genevieve Guenther This essay historically contextualizes and analyzes the literary aesthetic Spenser develops in the 1590 Faerie Queene to the end of fashioning his reader in virtuous discipline. Spenser is influenced by Sidney's claim that the metaphysical ideas of virtue conveyed in beautiful poetic images inspire the reader to emulation, but I argue that his epistemology is also affected by the Protestant critique of Neoplatonism and by early modern moral psychology, both of which hold that demons can place deceiving images directly into the subject's imagination. In light of this perceived danger, Spenser develops an "instrumental aesthetics of wonder," whereby the reader is inspired at once to love the beauty of ideas of virtue and to doubt the provenance of their images in his mind's eye. The aesthetics of wonder are instrumental to the end of fashioning the reader, because the reader's wonder over his own imagination enacts the inward-looking self-monitoring that characterizes Spenser's disciplined subject. And the episodes representing demonic magic in the 1590 Faerie Queene most produce this instrumental aesthetic effect, for Spenser represents magic with verse so artfully ambiguous that it becomes impossible for the reader to decide whether the pictures in his mind's eye are poetic or demonic, or both. [source] Democracy, markets and sustainable development: the European Union as an exampleENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 6 2004Peter Söderbaum Development issues are discussed in specific ways in the European Union and in various local, regional and international arenas. For some actors, economic growth in GDP terms and international (or inter-regional) competitiveness still appears as the main vision; others refer to sustainable development (SD) as their ideological orientation. However, SD is ambiguous and the interpretation of SD differs from ,business as usual' through ,ecological modernization' to more radical ideas of progress. If we wish to take SD seriously as a multidimensional and ethical development concept, then research efforts and debate have to include what can be described as ,protected zones' in the development dialogue. These refer to more fundamental issues about theory of science, paradigms in economics, ideological orientations and institutional arrangements that too often have been taken for granted rather than being openly discussed in terms of alternatives. It is believed that our possibilities of approaching an SD path will improve considerably if we systematically introduce the mentioned areas into our dialogue about the future. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Predator Inspection Behaviour in a Characin Fish: an Interaction between Chemical and Visual Information?ETHOLOGY, Issue 9 2003Grant E. Brown Recent evidence suggests that predator inspection behaviour by Ostariophysan prey fishes is regulated by both the chemical and visual cues of potential predators. In laboratory trials, we assessed the relative importance of chemical and visual information during inspection visits by varying both ambient light (visual cues) and predator odour (chemical cues) in a 2 × 2 experimental design. Shoals of glowlight tetras (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) were exposed to a live convict cichlid (Archocentrus nigrofasciatus) predator under low (3 lux) or high (50 lux) light levels and in the presence of the odour of a cichild fed tetras (with an alarm cue) or swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri, with an alarm cue not recognized by tetras). Tetras exhibited threat-sensitive inspection behaviour (increased latency to inspect, reduced frequency of inspection, smaller inspecting group sizes and increased minimum approach distance) towards a predator paired with a tetra-fed diet cue, regardless of light levels. Similar threat-sensitive inspection patterns were observed towards cichlids paired with a swordtail-fed diet cue only under high light conditions. Our data suggest that chemical cues in the form of prey alarm cues in the diet of the predator, are the primary source of information regarding local predation risk during inspection behaviour, and that visual cues are used when chemical information is unavailable or ambiguous. [source] To switch or not to switch , the opposing roles of TACI in terminal B cell differentiationEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Ulrich Salzer MD Abstract The TNF superfamily ligands BAFF and APRIL and their three receptors BAFFR, BCMA, and TACI comprise a network that is critically involved in the development and function of humoral immunity. Failure of this complex system is associated with autoimmune disease, B lymphocyte tumours, and antibody deficiency. While BAFF:BAFFR interactions control peripheral B cell survival and homeostasis, BCMA function seems limited to the survival of long-lived bone marrow plasma cells. The functional activity of the third receptor TACI is, however, ambiguous: while TACI,/, mice predominantly develop autoimmunity and lymphoproliferation, TACI deficiency in humans primarily manifests itself as an antibody deficiency syndrome. An article in this issue of the European Journal of Immunology demonstrates a negative regulation via TACI in human B cells by using TACI specific antibodies. B cell proliferation, class switch recombination, and Ig production induced by various stimuli were inhibited via TACI. Within the BAFF/APRIL network, the expression of the receptors and ligands is spatially, as well as temporally, highly regulated at various stages of B cell development and function. Defining the exact contribution of TACI stimulation by specific triggers in vitro enables us to better understand the complex, context-dependent responses initiated by TACI in vivo. See accompanying article http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eji.200636623 [source] Decision-making in Parkinson's disease patients with and without pathological gamblingEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 1 2010M. Rossi Background and purpose:, Pathological gambling (PG) in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a frequent impulse control disorder associated mainly with dopamine replacement therapy. As impairments in decision-making were described independently in PG and PD, the objective of this study was to assess decision-making processes in PD patients with and without PG. Methods:, Seven PD patients with PG and 13 age, sex, education and disease severity matched PD patients without gambling behavior were enrolled in the study. All patients were assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychiatric and cognitive evaluation, including tasks used to assess decision-making abilities under ambiguous or risky situations, like the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), the Game of Dice Task and the Investment Task. Results:, Compared to PD patients without gambling behavior, those with PG obtained poorer scores in the IGT and in a rating scale of social behavior, but not in other decision-making and cognitive tasks. Conclusions:, Low performance in decision-making under ambiguity and abnormal social behavior distinguished PD patients with PG from those without this disorder. Dopamine replacement therapy may induce dysfunction of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and amygdala-ventral striatum system, thus increasing the risk for developing PG. [source] Neural representations of auditory input accommodate to the context in a dynamically changing acoustic environmentEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 1 2009Torsten Rahne Abstract The auditory scene is dynamic, changing from 1 min to the next as sound sources enter and leave our space. How does the brain resolve the problem of maintaining neural representations of the distinct yet changing sound sources? We used an auditory streaming paradigm to test the dynamics of multiple sound source representation, when switching between integrated and segregated sound streams. The mismatch negativity (MMN) component of event-related potentials was used as index of change detection to observe stimulus-driven modulation of the ongoing sound organization. Probe tones were presented randomly within ambiguously organized sound sequences to reveal whether the neurophysiological representation of the sounds was integrated (no MMN) or segregated (MMN). The pattern of results demonstrated context-dependent responses to a single tone that was modulated in dynamic fashion as the auditory environment rapidly changed from integrated to segregated sounds. This suggests a rapid form of auditory plasticity in which the longer-term sound context influences the current state of neural activity when it is ambiguous. These results demonstrate stimulus-driven modulation of neural activity that accommodates to the dynamically changing acoustic environment. [source] Perirhinal cortex resolves feature ambiguity in complex visual discriminationsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 2 2002Timothy J. Bussey Abstract The present experiment tested predictions of a ,perceptual,mnemonic/feature conjunction' (PMFC) model of perirhinal cortex function. The model predicts that lesions of perirhinal cortex should disrupt complex visual discriminations with a high degree of ,feature ambiguity', a property of visual discrimination problems that can emerge when features of an object are rewarded when they are part of one object, but not when part of another. As feature ambiguity is thought to be the critical factor, such effects should be independent of the number of objects to be discriminated. This was tested directly, by assessing performance of control monkeys and monkeys with aspiration lesions of perirhinal cortex on a series of concurrent discriminations in which the number of object pairs was held constant, but the degree of feature ambiguity was varied systematically. Monkeys were tested in three conditions: Maximum Feature Ambiguity, in which all features were explicitly ambiguous (AB+, CD+, BC,, AD,; the biconditional problem); Minimum Feature Ambiguity, in which no features were explicitly ambiguous (AB+, CD+, EF,, GH,); and Intermediate Feature Ambiguity, in which half the features were explicitly ambiguous (AB+, CD+, CE,, AF,). The pattern of results closely matched that predicted by simulations using a connectionist network: monkeys with perirhinal cortex lesions were unimpaired in the Minimum Feature Ambiguity condition, mildly impaired in the Intermediate Feature Ambiguity condition and severely impaired in the Maximum Feature Ambiguity condition. These results confirm the predictions of the PMFC model, and force a reconsideration of prevailing views regarding perirhinal cortex function. [source] When nothing compares to me: how defensive motivations and similarity shape social comparison effectsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2007Diederik A. Stapel While similarity typically breeds social comparison, all information gained from social comparisons is not equally influential. Three studies illustrate the situations in which individuals defensively interpret social comparison information such that they incorporate information that reflects positively on the self and disregard negative information. Study 1 extends previous research to show that self-threat broadens the conditions under which defensive interpretations occur to include those in which similarity is ambiguous. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrate that defensive interpretations are less likely to occur when individuals are affirmed or when the comparison information is unimportant. These findings suggest that the impact of social comparisons on self-views is determined by both similarity of comparison targets and the motives of the perceiver. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Is politician A or politician B more persuasive? recipients' source preference and the direction of biased message processingEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2003René Ziegler Participants' preference for one of two politicians running for the post of Chancellor in Germany was measured. Under conditions conducive to effortful processing, participants were then presented with a persuasive message ascribed to one of these two sources. The message was either unambiguous strong, unambiguous weak, or ambiguous. Different from previous research on the role of message ambiguity for attitude change, the ambiguous message consisted of arguments rated as moderately convincing in a pretest rather than of a mixture of strong and weak arguments. The results were in line with predictions derived from the heuristic-systematic model (HSM). Indicating unbiased systematic processing, an unambiguous strong message led to more agreement than an unambiguous weak message. In the case of an ambiguous message, in line with the HSM's bias hypothesis, more agreement was found among participants preferring the source politician as compared to participants preferring the other politician. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||