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.

Anti-Semitism in France: Past and present

This article discusses the so-called newness of today's antisemitism through the historical and social specificities of antisemitism in French society. It casts light on the continuities of antisemitic discourse in France, but also its transformation in relation to the French colonial heritage and the recent ‘communitarianisation’ of France's social life. This analysis of antisemitism is furthered by the presentation of two case-studies: the controversial discourses of comedian Dieudonné and Kémi Séba, leader of a black supremacist movement called Tribu KA which stirred controversies in the 2000s. These two examples emphasise the fact that antisemitic discourse is better understood as a narrative about downward social mobility and status, which hardly makes antisemitism new.

Optical sensors for carbon dioxide: an overview of sensing strategies past and present

The evolution of the optical sensor for CO2 over the past two decades is outlined and illustrated through examples of luminescent-based sensors. The basic principles and design of the early 'wet covered' type sensor, in which a pH sensitive dye in an aqueous buffer is covered by a gas permeable, ion impermeable, membrane, are outlined. The gradual move from the 'wet covered' types of CO2 optical sensor to 'solid-water droplet' type sensors and then onto 'solid' sensors is charted. The basic design and principles of operation of the modern 'solid' optical sensor for P-CO2 is covered in some detail. Other sensing strategies outside the simple use of pH-sensitive dyes are also considered, most notably those based on luminescence lifetime measurements.

Struell Wells: pagan past and Christian present

The complex of buildings at Struell Wells, near Downpatrick, Co. Down, is the most extensive at a holy well in Ireland. It comprises two wells, two bath-houses and the ruins of a church. Nearby is a natural rock feature known as St Patrick’s Chair. The earliest reference to the wells is likely to be in the 8th century Fíacc’s Hymn which records the site being visited by St Patrick. The earliest reference to their healing powers can be dated to the 11th/12th century and the site continued to be a focus of pilgrimage at midsummer until its suppression in the nineteenth century. The site seems to be unique in that bathing in the wells constituted an integral part of the rituals performed by pilgrims. A recent study of the holy well phenomenon in Ireland has suggested that the rituals associated with them have their origins in the Counter-Reformation (Carroll 1999). The evidence from Struell, however, strongly suggests that it was an important sacred site in pre-Christian times.

Folklore’s Timeless Past, Ireland’s Present Past, and the Perception of Rural Houses in Early Historic Ireland

This study examines how the archaeology of historic Ireland has been interpreted. Two approaches to the history and archaeology of Ireland are identified. The first, the timeless past, has its roots in a neo-Lamarckian view of the past. This perspective was particularly developed in the work of geographer and ethnographer, Estyn Evans. The second view, associated in particular with a nationalist approach to Ireland’s past, looked to the west of the country where it was believed the culture had been preserved largely unchanged and in its purest form. The continuing impact of these frameworks upon the interpretation of rural settlement in the period 1200– 1700 is examined. It is argued that historians and archaeologists alike have underestimated the quality of buildings.

An exploration of the attitudes and strategic responses of soleproprietor micro-enterprises in adopting information and communication technology

This article analyses longitudinal case-based research exploring the attitudes and strategic responses of micro-enterprise owners in adopting information and communication technology (ICT). In so doing, it contributes to the limited literature on micro-enterprise ICT adoption, with a particular focus on sole proprietors. It provides a basis for widening the theoretical base of the literature pertaining to ICT adoption on two levels. First, a framework is developed which integrates the findings to illustrate the relationships between attitudes towards ICT adoption, endogenous and exogenous influencers of these attitudes and subsequent strategic response in ICT adoption. Second, building upon this framework the article reveals the unique challenges, opportunities and implications of ICT adoption for sole-proprietor micro-enterprises. © The Author(s) 2012

Thinking about the past, present and future in adolescents growing up in Children's Homes

The present study tested the hypothesis that adolescents growing up in Children's Homes differ from adolescents growing up in a family environment in how they think about their past, present and future, in the way they make decisions about future events and rewards, and in their levels of empathy and perspective taking. The participants were 40 adolescents from Children's Homes in Budapest, Hungary, and 40 age- and gender-matched controls. Group differences were found in participants' past and present time perspectives, and girls from Children's Homes showed reduced consistency in their plans for the future. Additionally, gender differences emerged in empathy, perspective taking, and in participants' present and future time perspectives. We discuss the implications of our findings for interventions to improve the future prospects of adolescents in Children's Homes.