Avoiding the subject media, culture and the object

"This is a collection of inter-related essays on the postmillennial mediascape. Focusing on the neglected significance of the object within today's discourse networks, Avoiding the Subject extends the formal possibilities of cultural criticism by highlighting feedback loops between philosophy, technology, and politics. Students and teachers of visual culture, critical theory, cultural studies, film theory, and new media will find a wealth of ideas and insights in this fresh approach to the electronic environment."--BOOK JACKET.

Adult rape scripting within a victimological perspective

This review of the adult rape experience draws from theoretical conceptualizations in both psychology and victimology. It is an integrative discussion of Lerner's [Lerner, M.J. (1980). The Belief In A Just World. New York: Plenum] victimological theory of the “just world” and Gagnon and Simon's [Gagnon, J.H., & Simon, W. (1973). Sexual Conduct: The Sources of Human Sexuality. Chicago: Aldine] conceptualization of cognitive sex scripting. The “just world” is one in which an individual gets what he/she deserves. People will construe events and interpret the character of people to maintain this ideology. As theorized by Perloff [Perloff, L.S. (1983). Perceptions of vulnerability to victimisation. J Soc Issues 39, 41–61], this promotes a feeling of “unique invulnerability” in the absence of victimization. However, should victimization, such as rape, occur, this ideology can implicate detrimental effects of adjustment. This includes the “secondary victimization” from others, as theorized by Williams [Williams, J.E. (1984). Secondary victimisation: confronting public attitudes about rape. Victimol Int J 9, 66–81]. These victimological perspectives are cognitive scripts. They develop over time from exposure to family dynamics, sociocultural tenets describing gender roles and sexual conduct, and from an individual's parameters and dimensions of sexual individuality and disposition. How these victimological scripts may impact on the adjustment of adult raped men and women is discussed.

Fighting a tobacco rollback : a political analysis of the 1994 contraband crisis in Canada

We identify factors that led a regional government (Quebec, Canada) to opt for a reduction of its tobacco tax to combat tobacco smuggling. Then we explore the fallout of Quebec's tobacco-tax rollback on its tobacco control policy. We conducted qualitative research using a case-study design and multiple sources of data. We applied the Advocacy Coalition Framework in respect of data collection and analysis. Advocates of the tobacco-tax rollback framed the contraband problem in a way that won the support of an array of actors. However, anti-tobacco activists succeeded in convincing the government to invest more in tobacco control. The new resources were instrumental in enhancing the activists' ability to promote legislative measures. Our approach sheds light on the tobacco industry's strategy to have governments reducing their tobacco tax. Quebec offers an example of how tobacco control activists can transform defeat into the cornerstone of a comprehensive tobacco control policy.

Training general practitioners in flexible sigmoidoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer

Background: A screening programme to detect polyps or early carcinoma would significantly reduce the mortality and morbidity of colorectal cancer (CRC). The aims of the present study were to evaluate: (i) the feasibility of training general practitioners in flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) for CRC screening; (ii) the acceptability of screening by faecal occult blood testing (FOBT) and FS in asymptomatic standard risk Australians aged over 50 years; and (iii) the yield of such screening. Methods: Subjects were recruited by general practitioner (GP) referral, newspaper advertisement or by a direct approach to retirement villages. Participants were mailed a FOBT kit and a prescreening questionnaire. Flexible sigmoidoscopy was performed by a GP supervised by an experienced endoscopist. Subjects then completed a second questionnaire. General practitioners were assessed after 50 unassisted procedures. Results: A total of 264 individuals contacted the study coordinator; 169 were screened. Screening was accepted well by the participants. Fifteen per cent of subjects had polyps and 4% had a positive FOBT. Training in FS was adversely affected by the availability of resources. Three GPs completed 50 unassisted procedures over a 15-month period, but none were able to reliably assess the distal bowel. Conclusions: Although the three trainees and their supervisors did not consider that the GPs were adequately trained after 50 unassisted procedures, training was adversely affected by limited resources within the Victorian public hospital system. Screening by FOBT and FS was considered to be acceptable by the patients undergoing these procedures. Existing facilities are not adequate if GPs are to be trained in FS as part of a national CRC screening program.

Retail internationalisation : drivers, impediments and business strategy

In light of recent changes in the international environment it is important to consider whether the drivers and impediments of retail internationalisation and the business strategy adopted have also changed. The findings from 12 qualitative interviews with UK and US retailers indicate that a variety of factors, ranging from historical precedence and investor pressures to saturation of the domestic market and foreign market attractiveness, drive retail internationalisation. In terms of impediments to foreign expansion, issues such as political and economic instability, previous experience and perceived cultural differences presented obstacles to internationalisation. Interviewees also expressed a desire for increased standardisation, while acknowledging a substantial degree of adaptation in response to cultural differences.

The mediating role of competitive advantage in the relationship between organisational capabilities and retail performance

This paper investigates the relationships between market, learning and brand orientation with competitive advantage and organisational performance in the context of the UK retail industry. The results indicate that competitive advantage contributes to strategic effectiveness and mediates the relationship between learning and brand orientation and strategic effectiveness. No significant relationship was found in relation to financial performance. Moreover, market orientation was not found to have a significant direct effect on competitive advantage or indirect affect on performance.

A resource-based view of retail competitive advantage

This paper investigates the relationships between brand, market and learning orientation with competitive advantage in the context of the UK retail industry. The results indicate that both brand and learning orientations have a significant positive relationship with competitive advantage. However, market orientation was not found to have a significant influence on retail competitive advantage. These findings suggest that market orientation may result in competitive parity only, while superiority in the retail sector is dependent on the speed of earning and the application of knowledge in the form of a strong brand orientation.

Revisiting retail internationalisation drivers, impediments and business strategy

Purpose: – In the light of recent changes in the international environment, the purpose of this paper is to consider whether the drivers of, and impediments to, retail internationalisation and the business strategy adopted have also changed.

Design/methodology/approach: – Interviews were conducted with 12 UK and US retailers. These exploratory data were combined with a review of the literature to explore changes in the drivers and impediments of retail internationalisation.

Findings: – Findings of this study suggest that, while a variety of factors drive retail internationalisation, profit growth is the most dominant motivator. In terms of impediments to foreign expansion, domestic market conditions were a barrier to the initiation of foreign expansion, whilst the regulatory environment and previous experiences presented obstacles in the process of internationalisation. Interviewees also expressed a desire for increased standardisation, while acknowledging the need for a substantial degree of adaptation in response to cultural differences.

Research limitations/implications: – The research findings are limited in terms of their generalisability.

Originality/value: – Much of the existing research into retail internationalisation was conducted in the 1990s. Given the substantial changes that have occurred over the past 15 years, the value of this paper lies in the updating of knowledge.

Amount of mental practice and performance of a simple motor task

The effects of different amounts of mental practice on the performance of a motor skill were studied. Research supports the effectiveness of mental practice on performance; however, little is known about how much practice is needed and whether there is an optimal amount for these practice effects. Participants, 209 students ages 18 to 44 years (M = 20.5, SD = 2.9), completed a pre- and posttest of dart throwing with the nonpreferred hand. In the practice phase, participants completed either 25 (Mental Practice 25), 50 (Mental Practice 50), or 100 (Mental Practice 100) trials of the darts task or 50 trials of a catching task (Catching Task). Performance for all groups improved from pre- to posttest. Improvements for the three mental practice groups were greater than for the Catching Task group; however, there were no differences for the three Mental Practice groups. The findings support the positive effect of mental practice over a control condition and suggest that small amounts of mental practice may be sufficient for performance improvements, at least for a simple motor skill.

Alterations in renal and myocardial adrenoceptors associated with ethynyloestradiol- and levonorgestrel-induced hypertension in the rat

Hypertension is one of many side effects of oral contraceptive use in a small percentage of women. Although the underlying pathology has yet to be fully resolved, alterations in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis, sympathetic nervous system/ renal and cardiac function have been implicated. In the thesis to be presented, the possible involvement of alterations in renal and myocardial adrenoceptor characteristics in the pathogenesis of steroid contraceptive-induced hypertension in rats was examined by radioligand binding techniques. In Chapter 2, a rat model of OC hypertension is described. Chronic low-dose administration of ethynyloestradiol (EE2), levonorgestrel (NG) or a combination of both steroids (EE2/NG) to female Sprague-Dawley rats was shown to significantly increase systolic blood pressure (SBP). Renal and cardiac hypertrophy developed in association with EE2-, EE2/NG- but not NG-induced hypertension. Moreover, whereas administration of NG alone attenuated body weight gain, combined EE2/NG administration increased body weight gain from the second week of treatment onwards. Based on the above observations, it is proposed that EE2 and NG induce hypertension in rats via different mechanisms. Although SBP was elevated to a similar maximum in all steroid-treated groups (+ 20 mmHg compared to controls), only with EE2 administration did SBP remain elevated for the duration of the 17 week treatment regimen. NG may therefore have a protective effect on blood pressure with long-term combined steroid contraceptive treatment. In Chapter 4, renal adrenoceptors were characterized using radioactively labelled adrenocephor antagonists. Under appropriate conditions, binding of [3H]-prazosin and [3H]-rauwolscine to membrane preparations of whole rat kidney displayed the kinetics, saturability and specificity of α1- and α2 -adrenoceptors respectively, which were present in a ratio 3:1. In contrast, [3H]-dihydroergocryptine ([3H]-DHE) apparently bound to both α1 and α2-adrenoceptors. Binding sites identified by [125I] –iodocyanopindolol (ICYP) had the recognition characteristics of β-adrenoceptors. In drug competition studies using the subtype-selective antagonists practolol (β1) and ICI 118,551 (β2)/ the ratio of β1- to β2 -adrenoceptors was found to be approximately 2:1. Subsequently, renal adrenoceptors were investigated at various stages during the development of hypertension with the different steroid contraceptive treatments (Chapters 5 and 6). Preliminary binding studies with [3H]-DHE and [3H]-prazosin suggested that the number of renal α2 - but not α1-adrenoceptors was reduced in rats with established EE2-induced hypertension (17 weeks treatment). This was subsequently confirmed using [3H]-rauwolscine, which in addition showed that the reduction in renal α2 -adrenoceptor number occurred during the developmental stage of EE2/NG~induced hypertension (6 weeks treatment) and established EE2-induced hypertension (12 weeks treatment). NG induced hypertension was unassociated with changes in renal α1- and α2-adrenoceptor characteristics. Renal β-adrenoceptor affinity was reduced in established EE2-, but not NG- or EE2/NG- induced hypertension. Moreover, the β-adrenoceptor agonist (-)-isoprenaline bound to renal β-adrenoceptors with reduced affinity following EE2 administration. Several endogenous and synthetic steroids were found to be ineffective inhibitors of [3H] –prazosin, [3H] –rauwolscine and ICYP binding excluding a direct interaction of these steroids with renal α1-, α2- and β -adrenoceptors. In Chapter 7, myocardial adrenoceptors were characterized and investigated in steroid-treated rats. In membrane preparations of whole myocardium, [3H]-prazosin binding was characteristically to α1- adrenoceptors, whereas there was a notable absence of [3H]-rauwolscine binding. Using ICYP, β-adrenoceptors were also detected, the ratio of β1- to β2~adrenoceptors being 3:1. Steroid contraceptive-induced hypertension was not associated with myocardial α1-adrenoceptor changes. Similarly, myocardial β-adrenoceptors were unchanged in established EE2-, NG- and EE2/NG-induced hypertension (12 weeks treatment). The affinity of (-)-isoprenaline for myocardial β-adrenoceptors was unaffected by EE2 aditiinistration. These studies suggest that established EE2- but not NG-induced hypertension in rats is associated with selective alterations in renal α2- and (β-adrenoceptors. These adrenoceptor changes may help to maintain elevated blood pressure by affecting the control of renal function by the sympathetic nervous system, catecholamines and several hormones which affect renin release and the transport of fluid and electrolytes in the nephron.

In-situ observations of Widmanstätten ferrite formation in a low carbon steel

An in situ laser-scanning confocal microscopy study has been undertaken into Widmanstätten ferrite formation in an Fe–C alloy, in combination with electron backscattered diffraction. It has been found for the first time that the sympathetic nucleation of Widmanstätten ferrite on grain boundary allotriomorphs can exhibit a step wise change in orientation and growth direction until the most favourable growth conditions are achieved.

Computer-assisted image analysis of liver collagen: relationship to Ishak scoring and hepatic venous pressure gradient

Histopathological scoring of disease stage uses descriptive categories without measuring the amount of fibrosis. Collagen, the major component of fibrous tissue, can be quantified by computer-assisted digital image analysis (DIA) using histological sections. We determined relationships between DIA, Ishak stage, and hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) reflecting severity of fibrosis. One hundred fifteen patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who had undergone transplantation had 250 consecutive transjugular liver biopsies combined with HVPG (median length, 22 mm; median total portal tracts, 12), evaluated using the Ishak system and stained with Sirus red for DIA. Liver collagen was expressed as collagen proportionate area (CPA). Median CPA was 6% (0.2-45), correlating with Ishak stage (stage 6 range, 13%-45%), and with HVPG (r = 0.62; P < 0.001). Median CPA was 4.1% when HVPG was less than 6 mm Hg and 13.8% when HVPG was 6 mm Hg or more (P < 0.0001) and 6% when HVPG was less than 10 mm Hg and 17.3% when HVPG was 10 mm Hg or higher (P < 0.0001). Only CPA, not Ishak stage/grade, was independently associated by logistic regression, with HVPG of 6 mm Hg or more [odds ratio, 1.206; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.094-1.331; P < 0.001], or HVPG of 10 mm Hg or more (odds ratio, 1.105; 95% CI, 1.026-1.191; P = 0.009). CPA increased by 50% (3.6%) compared with 20% in HVPG (1 mm Hg) in 38 patients with repeated biopsies. Conclusion: CPA assessed by DIA correlated with Ishak stage scores and HVPG measured contemporaneously. CPA was a better histological correlate with HVPG than Ishak stage, had a greater numerical change when HVPG was low, and resulted in further quantitation of fibrosis in cirrhosis.