Key issues in the study of new and alternative social movements in Spain: The Left, Identity and Globalizing Processes

This article highlights the importance of dedicating a whole special issue on New and Alternative Social movements in Spain. It sets the basis for this endeavour by emphasizing the importance of the 2004, unexpected, electoral victory of the Spanish socialists, and the subsequent satisfaction of the important demands promoted by certain social movements actors and Spanish society in general (the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq, the cancellation of the National Hydrological Plan and the Legalization of same sex marriages. The view supported is that these developments signify the end of a protest cycle, which could have the same effect with the early 1980s socialist victory. After a discussion around the low associationalism that characterizes Spanish society and recent experience of authoritarianism, it is suggested that it is time for the study of new and alternative social movements in Spain and other south European societies to move beyond the emphasis on exceptionality but appreciate differences by focusing on the available political opportunities and the identity of social movement actors. The remainder of the article is dedicated to introducing the contributing articles.

International issues in education

Anxiety, negative attitudes, and attrition are all issues presented in the teaching of statistics to undergraduates in research-based degrees regardless of location. Previous works have looked at these obstacles, but none have consolidated a multilingual, multinational effort using a consistent method. Over 400 Spanish-, English-, and German-speaking undergraduate students enrolled in introductory psychology statistics courses were given the Composite Survey of Statistics Anxiety and Attitudes to determine the precursors and effects of existing problems. Results indicated that student background was heavily linked to attitudes and anxieties. The measure was supported as a viable method for more than one class or university in addressing issues in statistics education, developing interventions to improve students’ experiences, and then determining the success of those changes.

The control and learning of patterns of interlimb coordination: past and present issues in normal and disordered control

The present paper provides a historical note on the evolution of the behavioral study of interlimb coordination and the reasons for its success as a field of investigation in the past decades. Whereas the original foundations for this field of science were laid down back in the seventies, it has steadily grown in the past decades and has attracted the attention of various scientific disciplines. A diversity of topics is currently being addressed and this is also expressed in the present contributions to the special issue. The main theme is centered on the brain basis of interlimb coordination. On the one hand, this pertains to the study of the control and learning of patterns of interlimb coordination in clinical groups. On the other hand, basic neural approaches are being merged together with behavioral approaches to reveal the neural basis of interlimb coordination. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Key biological issues in contact lens development

A contact lens is a medical device widely used as an alternative to spectacles in order to correct refractive vision problems. The evolution of polymeric biomaterials has heralded a continuous development in the materials used to produce contact lenses and maximize patient comfort and limit adverse events. Microbial keratitis (MK) is a relatively rare but potentially devastating condition associated with contact lens use, particularly with the extended wear of hydrogel lenses. It is the principal complication related to contact lens wear and the large population at risk make it a public health concern. Bacterial binding to the contact lens material is a precursor to the development of MK and is influenced by properties of the material and the bacteria. In order for bacteria to infiltrate the cornea there must be some degree of corneal damage, usually caused by trauma or hypoxia. The most recent materials available aim to allow the continuous wear of lenses while limiting corneal hypoxia, thus helping to prevent the development of MK. Limitations to the treatment of MK require that novel approaches may be necessary in order to limit bacterial adhesion to contact lens materials.

Humanitarian Travels: Ethical Communication in Lonely Planet Guidebooks

Aside from the more mundane purpose of telling us where to eat, sleep and sightsee in foreign lands, guidebooks communicate an ethical vision that sees travel as the key to reducing cultural differences and inequalities. This article argues that Lonely Planet guidebooks in particular encourage a form of ‘responsible independent travel’ that both reflects and produces a powerful discourse of humanitarianism. By examining the controversy over Lonely Planet’s publication of guidebooks to Burma, this article uncovers the problematic colonial logic embedded in that ethical vision.