The Radicalization of Brexit Activists.

Brexit activists demonstrating outside the British Houses of Parliament were studied in situ to examine their potential for pro-group extreme behavior. This involved activists of two polarized, opposing views; those of Leave and Remain. The research engaged concepts linking the different theoretical perspectives of identity fusion and personal construct psychology. The study measured participants' degree of fusion to their group using a verbal measure. Willingness to undertake extreme acts was assessed in several ways: a measure of willingness to fight for the group, adaptations of the trolley dilemma and questions regarding political violence. Individual construing was examined using repertory grid technique and a semi-structured interview. Results were similar for both Leave and Remain participants. The majority of activists identified as "fused" to their group and, if so, were more likely to undertake hypothetical extreme behavior compared to those who did not identify as "fused." Repertory grid technique indicated that becoming an activist provided individuals with a clearer and more positive view of themselves. Opposition activists were construed more negatively and extremely than fellow activists, and this construal was associated with an increased willingness to undertake extreme pro-group behavior. This was consistent with the personal construct model of radicalization and was heightened in those who were "fused." Interview data provided support for the constructivist model and revealed characteristics and concerns of the two groups. Overall, the findings indicate that campaigning organizations contain fused individuals, who are more likely to undertake hypothetical pro-group violence including self-sacrifice. This has broader implications which may be particularly pertinent, given the violent impact of extremist activists around the globe.

Toward a Constructivist Model of Radicalization and Deradicalization: A Conceptual and Methodological Proposal.

This article identifies common features of existing models of radicalization and deradicalization, such as the transition from uncertainty to certainty, before integrating these in a model based upon personal construct theory. It is proposed that the personal construct concepts of validation and invalidation are particularly relevant to processes of identity change such as radicalization and deradicalization. Thus, it is argued that radicalization occurs when major invalidation of an individual's construing is followed by the development of a new radicalized view of the world that provides a turning point in his or her sense of identity and a more structured and certain view of the world. There is likely to be seeking out of validation for this view in interactions with others who share similar views or by extorting evidence for the individual's radical constructions. These constructions are likely to involve extreme negative views of another group, by contrast to members of which, and possibly by taking extreme action against this group, the individual's new self-construction may become further defined. These same processes can be seen to operate in deradicalization, and it will therefore be argued that the model has implications for the development of deradicalization programs. A further advantage of the model is that it has an associated personal construct methodology, particularly repertory grid technique, that may be used to investigate processes of radicalization and deradicalization. As illustrations of such investigations, results will be summarized from a repertory grid study of Salafist Muslims in Tunisia, some of whom had returned from fighting in Syria, and an analysis of the writings of the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik. The findings of these investigations are argued to be consistent with the personal construct model of radicalization and deradicalization.

One-year follow-up of a randomized trial with a dilemma-focused intervention for depression: Exploring an alternative to problem-oriented strategies.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is aimed to counteract cognitions and behaviours that are considered as dysfunctional. The aim of the study is to test whether the inclusion of a non-counteractive approach (dilemma-focused intervention, DFI) in combination with CBT group therapy will yield better short- and long-term outcomes than an intervention conducted entirely using CBT. METHOD: A total of 128 patients with depression and at least one cognitive conflict, of six health community centres in Barcelona, participated from November of 2011 to December of 2014 in seven weekly group CBT sessions and were then randomly allocated to either DFI or CBT (eight individual sessions each) by an independent researcher. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-II at baseline, at the end of therapy and three- and twelve-month follow-ups. Therapists did not participate in any of the assessments nor in the randomisation of patients and evaluators were masked to group assignment. Both intention to treat and complete case analyses were performed using linear mixed models with random effects. FINDINGS: According to intention-to-treat analysis (F2, 179 = 0.69) and complete case analysis (F2, 146 = 0.88), both conditions similarly reduced the severity of symptoms across posttreatment assessments. For the 77 participants (CBTgroup +CBTindividual = 40; CBTgroup+DFIindividual = 37) that completed allocated treatment and one-year follow-up assessment, response and remission rates were relative higher for the DFI condition, however no significant differences were found between treatment conditions. The relapse rates were similar between treatment conditions (CBTgroup +CBTindividual = 7/20; CBTgroup+DFIindividual = 8/22). INTERPRETATION: Although using a counteractive approach across all the treatment sessions is quite effective, it does not seem to be necessary to produce significant improvement. DFI may be considered as an alternative, which could be included in a wider treatment for depression. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov; ID: NCT01542957.

Still radical after all these years: George Kelly's The psychology of personal constructs.

George Kelly's "The psychology of personal constructs" put forward a new psychology that viewed people as actively constructing and anticipating their worlds. This paper considers personal construct theory and its philosophy; personal construct assessment techniques; the personal construct view of psychological disorder and its treatment; and the wide range of other applications of personal construct theory. It is concluded that personal construct psychology remains a radical approach over half a century after Kelly published his magnum opus.

Application of autocorrelation and cross-correlation analyses in human movement and rehabilitation research.

STUDY DESIGN: Technical note. OBJECTIVES: To provide background theory and information and to describe relevant applications of autocorrelation and cross-correlation methodology as they apply to the field of motor control in human movement and rehabilitation research. BACKGROUND: Commonly used methodologies for pattern and event recognition, determination of muscle activation timing for investigation of movement coordination, and motor control are generally difficult to implement, particularly with large datasets. A brief description of the underlying mathematical theory of correlation analyses is given, followed by 4 different examples of how this methodology is useful for research in the movement sciences. METHODS: Examples demonstrating the utility of correlation analyses are presented from several different studies conducted at the University of Waterloo. RESULTS: Autocorrelation was used to demonstrate the presence of 60-Hz noise in an electromyography signal that was not visible in the raw data. A "top-down" paraspinal muscle activation pattern was demonstrated for healthy adults during gait, with the use of cross-correlation. Cross-correlation was also used to quantify coactivation of bilateral gluteus medius muscles during standing in individuals who developed low-back pain. Gender differences in gluteus medius control of mediolateral center of pressure were seen with the use of cross-correlation. CONCLUSION: Autocorrelation and crosscorrelation have been shown to be an effective tool for several different applications in the movement sciences. Examples of the method's utility include noise detection within a signal, determination of relative muscle activation onsets for postural control, objective quantification of muscle coactivation, and relating muscle activations with mechanical events.

Oxygen isotope analysis of carbonates in the calcite-dolomite-magnesite solid-solution by high-temperature pyrolysis: initial results.

Accurate and efficient measurement of the oxygen isotope composition of carbonates (delta(C) (18)O) based on the mass spectrometric analysis of CO(2) produced by reacting carbonate samples with H(3)PO(4) is compromised by: (1) uncertainties associated with fractionation factors (alpha(CO)(2)C) used to correct measured oxygen isotope values of CO(2)(delta(CO(2)(18)O) to delta(C) (18)O; and (2) the slow reaction rates of many carbonates of geological and environmental interest with H(3)PO(4). In contrast, determination of delta(C) (18)O from analysis of CO produced by high-temperature (>1400 degrees C) pyrolytic reduction, using an elemental analyser coupled to continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (TC/EA CF-IRMS), offers a potentially efficient alternative that measures the isotopic composition of total carbonate oxygen and should, therefore, theoretically be free of fractionation effects. The utility of the TC/EA CF-IRMS technique was tested by analysis of carbonates in the calcite-dolomite-magnesite solid-solution and comparing the results with delta(C) (18)O measured by conventional thermal decomposition/fluorination (TDF) on the same materials. Initial results show that CO yields are dependent on both the chemical composition of the carbonate and the specific pyrolysis conditions. Low gas yields (<100% of predicted yield) are associated with positive (>+0.2 per thousand) deviations in delta(C(TC/EA) (18)O compared with delta(C(TDF) (18)O. At a pyrolysis temperature of 1420 degrees C the difference between delta(C) (18)O measured by TC/EA CF-IRMS and TDF (Delta(C(TC/EA,TDF) (18)O) was found to be negatively correlated with gas yield (r = -0.785) and this suggests that delta(C) (18)O values (with an estimated combined standard uncertainty of +/-0.38 per thousand) could be derived by applying a yield-dependent correction. Increasing the pyrolysis temperature to 1500 degrees C also resulted in a statistically significant correlation with gas yield (r = -0.601), indicating that delta(C) (18)O values (with an estimated uncertainty of +/-0.43 per thousand) could again be corrected using a yield-dependent procedure. Despite significant uncertainty associated with TC/EA CF-IRMS analysis, the magnitude of the uncertainty is similar to that associated with the application of poorly defined values of alpha(CO)(2), (C) used to derive delta(C) (18)O from delta(CO(2) (18)O measured by the H(3)PO(4) method for most common carbonate phases. Consequently, TC/EA CF-IRMS could provide a rapid alternative for the analysis of these phases without any effective deterioration in relative accuracy, while analytical precision could be improved by increasing the number of replicate analyses for both calibration standards and samples. Although automated gas preparation techniques based on the H(3)PO(4) method (ISOCARB, Kiel device, Gas-Bench systems) have the potential to measure delta(CO)(2) (18)O efficiently for specific, slowly reacting phases (e.g. dolomite), problems associated with poorly defined alpha(CO)(2), (C) remain. The application of the Principle of Identical Treatment is not a solution to the analysis of these phases because it assumes that a single fractionation factor may be defined for each phase within a solid-solution regardless of its precise chemical composition. This assumption has yet to be tested adequately.

Gluteus medius muscle activation patterns as a predictor of low back pain during standing.

BACKGROUND: Low back pain is a primary source of disability and economic costs. Altered trunk muscle activation in people with low back pain, specifically agonist/antagonist co-activation, has been previously demonstrated. Prevailing theory considers this muscle activation pattern to be adaptive to low back pain. Muscle activation patterns prior to, and during, the development of low back pain in asymptomatic individuals, have not been well studied. METHODS: Participants, without a history of low back pain, stood in a constrained area for 2 h. Continuous surface electromyography was collected from trunk and hip muscles. Participants rated their discomfort level on visual analog scale every 15 min. Cross-correlation analyses were used to determine co-activation patterns. Blind predictions were made to categorize participants into low back pain and non-low back pain groups, and comparisons made to visual analog scale scores. FINDINGS: 65% of previously asymptomatic participants developed low back pain during the protocol. Co-activation of the bilateral gluteus medius muscles was found to be prevalent in the low back pain group (P= .002). 76% of the participants were correctly classified into low back pain and non-low back pain groups based on presence or absence of gluteus medius co-activation, with sensitivity= .87 and specificity= .50. INTERPRETATION: Agonist-antagonist co-activation may not be entirely adaptive, and may in fact predispose some individuals to develop low back pain. Muscle activation patterns at the hip may be a useful addition for screening individuals to identify those at risk of developing low back pain during standing.

The control of upright stance in young, elderly and persons with Parkinson's disease.

The aims of the present study are twofold: (1) to compare the postural control mechanisms of young and elderly people as well as in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients during quiet standing and (2) to assess the impact of a stooped posture on these mechanisms. All subjects were required to maintain both a side-by-side and a 45 degrees foot position. Elderly subjects performed a third condition where they were requested to mimic the stooped posture as adopted by PD subjects. The net centre of pressure (COP(net)) and centre of mass (COM) profiles in the anterior/posterior (A/P) and medial/lateral (M/L) planes were analyzed. The COP(net) signal was recorded from two force plates and was categorized in two mechanisms: an ankle mechanism (COP(c)) and a load/unload hip mechanism (COP(v)). The results showed similar postural control mechanisms in young, elderly and PD subjects. When the feet were side-by-side, the COP(net) was controlled by the ankle plantar/dorsiflexors (COP(c)) in the A/P direction, while by the hip abductor/adductors (COP(v)) controlled in the M/L direction. When the feet were in the 45 degrees position, both the ankle and hip mechanisms contributed to the COP(net). However, the PD subjects showed significant smaller RMS amplitudes compared to the elderly people in the 45 degrees foot position and in the stooped posture. These findings suggest that PD subjects resort to a stiffening strategy to control their balance in postural tasks that imply a mixed control (ankle and hip mechanisms) but have adapted to their stooped posture.

The elaboration of personal construct psychology.

More than half a century has passed since the publication of George Kelly's (1955/1991) The Psychology of Personal Constructs. This review considers the elaboration of personal construct psychology (PCP) during this time, both by Kelly and by others who developed his ideas. Advances to the theory have principally concerned implicative relationships between constructs, construing of the self, social relationships, emotions, links with other approaches, and supporting research. With regard to methods of assessment of construing, major developments have occurred in both repertory grid and nongrid techniques, such as laddering. The principal advances in the applications of PCP have been in the clinical, educational, and organizational fields, but have by no means been limited to these areas. It can be concluded that PCP has met Kelly's own design specifications for a useful theory and that PCP can perhaps anticipate at least another half-century of elaboration.

Stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of bottled waters of the world.

Bottled and packaged waters are an increasingly significant component of the human diet. These products are regulated at the regional, national, and international levels, and determining the authenticity of marketing and labeling claims represents a challenge to regulatory agencies. Here, we present a dataset of stable isotope ratios for bottled waters sampled worldwide, and consider potential applications of such data for regulatory, forensic and geochemical standardization applications. The hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of 234 samples of bottled water range from -147 per thousand to +15 per thousand and from -19.1 per thousand to +3.0 per thousand, respectively. These values fall within and span most of the normal range for meteoric waters, indicating that these commercially available products represent a source of waters for use as laboratory working standards in applications requiring standardization over a large range of isotope ratios. The measured values of bottled water samples cluster along the global meteoric water line, suggesting that bottled water isotope ratios preserve information about the water sources from which they were derived. Using the dataset, we demonstrate how bottled water isotope ratios provide evidence for substantial evaporative enrichment of water sources prior to bottling and for the marketing of waters derived from mountain and lowland sources under the same name. Comparison of bottled water isotope ratios with natural environmental water isotope ratios demonstrates that on average the isotopic composition of bottled water tends to be similar to the composition of naturally available local water sources, suggesting that in many cases bottled water need not be considered as an isotopically distinct component of the human diet. Our findings suggest that stable isotope ratios of bottled water have the power to distinguish ultimate (e.g., recharge) and proximal (e.g., reservoir) sources of bottled water and constitute a potential tool for use in the regulatory monitoring of water products.

Kinematic and kinetic validity of the inverted pendulum model in quiet standing.

Movements of the whole-body center of mass during quiet standing have been estimated from measurements of body segment movements. These whole-body center of mass movements have been compared with movements of the center of mass as predicted from a simple inverted-pendulum model of standing. However, the total body center of mass is a weighted average of the center of mass of all individual body segments. The question arises as to how well the total body center of mass represents the individual segments and lower limb joint angles. This study focuses on the validity of how well the individual segments and lower limb angles temporally and spatially synchronize with the total body center of mass. Eleven healthy university students volunteered to participate. Kinematic data were collected using a 3D optoelectronic camera system; kinetic data were collected using a 3D force plate. Participants stood quietly, with eyes open, for 120 s. Segment and whole body centers of mass were calculated from a 14 segment, 3D bilateral model. Segment and joint angles were calculated for the lower limbs, bilaterally, and the trunk. Segment center of mass root-mean-square displacements were strongly correlated with center of mass height relative to the ankle joint and were synchronized, or temporally locked, to the movement of the whole body center of mass. Sagittal plane ankle angular displacements were highly correlated to sagittal plane center of mass movement; stronger correlations between body center of mass and lower limb angular displacement were observed, the result of compensatory knee joint angular displacements. These data support and extend the use of an inverted pendulum model to represent quiet standing postural control.

Ankle kinematics to evaluate functional recovery in crushed rat sciatic nerve.

Peripheral nerve researchers frequently use the rat sciatic nerve crush model in order to test different therapeutic approaches. The purpose of this study was to determine the sequence of changes after an axonotmetic injury by means of a biomechanical model of the foot and ankle, and compare them with walking track analysis, over a fixed period of time. A kinematic analysis program was used to acquire ankle motion data for further analysis. Although repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant cumulative changes induced by the crush lesion for both ankle kinematic parameters and sciatic functional index, post-hoc multiple comparisons by the Student-Neuman-Keuls test revealed significant differences between week 0 and week 8 only for ankle kinematics. These results are of importance in showing the superiority of ankle kinematics in detecting small biomechanical deficits related to hyperexcitability of the plantarflexor muscles, in contrast with walking track analysis, which showed full motor functional recovery 8 weeks after the crush lesion.

Motor mechanisms of balance during quiet standing.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the motor mechanisms involved in balance as the human, as a biped, continuously defends against gravitational and internal forces to maintain a safe posture. The search for these mechanisms needs precise and valid 3D measurements including both limbs plus valid biomechanical models. The literature shows the need for two force platforms to separate the mechanisms at the ankle and hip (load/unload mechanism). Also, precise measures ( approximately 0.03 mm) of markers on a multi-segment 3D bilateral model are required to record the minute trajectories of all segments and joints. The controlled variable, center-of-mass, is seen to be virtually in phase with the controlling variable, the center-of-pressure, which suggests a 0th order system where a simple series elastic spring could maintain balance. The first model involves a mass/spring/damper of medial/lateral balance: the stiffness was varied with stance width and the predicted sway from a spring controlled inverted pendulum closely matched the experimentally measured stiffness and sway. The second was a non-linear model of the plantarflexor series elastic elements which resulted in three closely validated predictions of anterior/posterior balance: the locus of the gravitational load line, the predicted ankle moment and the ankle stiffness at the operating point.

Motion of the foot and ankle during the stance phase in rats.

Computerized analysis of rat gait is becoming an invaluable technique used by some peripheral nerve investigators for the evaluation of function. In this article we describe the use of a biomechanical model of the foot and ankle that allows a quantitative assessment and description of the ankle angle, reflecting plantarflexion and dorsiflexion during the stance phase of gait. Kinematic data of 144 trial walks from 36 normal rats were recorded with a high-speed digital image camera at 225 images per second. The ankle angular changes associated with the specific temporal events of foot placement on the ground through the stance phase were assessed. The information obtained was used to propose a new subdivision of the stance phase in the rat into three major components. This approach will provide a helpful research tool to analyze gait data that rely on the accurate determination of spatiotemporal foot events.

Anticipatory control of center of mass and joint stability during voluntary arm movement from a standing posture: interplay between active and passive control.

Anticipatory control of upright posture is the focus of this study that combines experimental and modeling work. Individuals were asked to raise or lower their arms from two initial postures such that the final posture of the arm was at 90 degrees with respect to the body. Holding different weights in the hand varied the magnitude of perturbation to postural stability generated by the arm movement. Whole body kinematics and ground reaction forces were measured. Inverse dynamic analysis was used to determine the internal joint moments at the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle, and reaction forces at the shoulder. Center of mass (COM) of the arm, posture (rest of the body without the arms) and whole body (net COM) were also determined. Changes in joint moment at the hip, knee and ankle revealed a significant effect of the direction of movement. The polarities of the joint moment response were appropriate for joint stabilization. Net COM change showed a systematic effect of the direction of movement even though the arm COM was displaced by the same amount and in the same direction for both arm raising and lowering conditions. In order to determine the effects of the passive forces and moments on the posture COM, the body was modeled as an inverted pendulum. The model was customized for each participant; the relevant model parameters were estimated from data obtained from each trial. The ankle joint stiffness and viscosity were adjusted to ensure postural equilibrium prior to arm movement. Joint reactive forces and moments generated by the arm movements were applied at the shoulder level of this inverted pendulum; these were the only inputs and no active control was included. The posture COM profile from the model simulation was calculated. Results show that simulated posture COM profile and measured posture COM profile are identical for about 200 ms following the onset of arm movement and then they deviate. Therefore, the initial control of COM is passive in nature and the observed joint moment response is for joint stabilization and not for the control of COM.

Psicoterapia de constructos personales y terapias cognitivas: Diferentes en teoría, pero ¿pueden ser diferenciadas en la práctica? / Personal construct psychotherapy and cognitive therapies: Different in theory, but can they be differentiated in practice?

Se debaten las diferencias entre la terapia de constructos personales y las terapias cognitivas racionalistas, y se describe un estudio que diferenció el proceso de estas terapias a través de los siguientes métodos: clasificación de grabaciones de audio de la quinta sesión de terapia según la Vanderbilt Psychotherapy Process Scale (Escala Vanderbilt del Proceso de Psicoterapia) y el Toukmanian system of Levels Client Perceptual Processing (Sistema Toukmanian de Niveles de Procesamiento Perceptual del Paciente); evaluación de las percepciones de los terapeutas acerca de la relación terapéutica por medio del Barret-Lennard Relationship Inventory (Inventario de Relación de Barret-Lennard). Se observaron las relaciones específicas para cada tipo de terapia entre las medidas de proceso y los puntajes de los pacientes en medidas de Repertorios de Rejilla y del Direction of Interest Questionnaire (Cuestionario de Dirección de Interés), previos al tratamiento. Un prominente psicoterapeuta de cosntructos personales logró clasificar, a ciegas, el abordaje terapéutico en las transcripciones de la quinta sesión con un nivel de precisión significativamente mejor que el azar.

Psicoterapia de constructos personales y terapias cognitivas: Diferentes en teoría, pero ¿pueden ser diferenciadas en la práctica? / Personal construct psychotherapy and cognitive therapies: Different in theory, but can they be differentiated in practice?

Se debaten las diferencias entre la terapia de constructos personales y las terapias cognitivas racionalistas, y se describe un estudio que diferenció el proceso de estas terapias a través de los siguientes métodos: clasificación de grabaciones de audio de la quinta sesión de terapia según la Vanderbilt Psychotherapy Process Scale (Escala Vanderbilt del Proceso de Psicoterapia) y el Toukmanian system of Levels Client Perceptual Processing (Sistema Toukmanian de Niveles de Procesamiento Perceptual del Paciente); evaluación de las percepciones de los terapeutas acerca de la relación terapéutica por medio del Barret-Lennard Relationship Inventory (Inventario de Relación de Barret-Lennard). Se observaron las relaciones específicas para cada tipo de terapia entre las medidas de proceso y los puntajes de los pacientes en medidas de Repertorios de Rejilla y del Direction of Interest Questionnaire (Cuestionario de Dirección de Interés), previos al tratamiento. Un prominente psicoterapeuta de cosntructos personales logró clasificar, a ciegas, el abordaje terapéutico en las transcripciones de la quinta sesión con un nivel de precisión significativamente mejor que el azar.(AU)