The Spatial Navigation and Diaschisis Hypothesis: A Premise for Three Feasibility Studies to Screen for Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease

Background: The core biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyloid plaques and phosphorylated tau, are not exclusive to AD. They appear secondary to causes such as head injuries, certain foods, and to seal leaky capillaries. While biomarkers are present in cognitively unimpaired (CU) persons who will develop AD dementia (pre-AD), biomarker indicators might contribute to misdiagnosis in persons without the disease (non-AD). Detection may be optimized with measuring potential changes in cognitive domains informing spatial navigation (SN). These studies aim to determine the feasibility of neuropsychiatric tests for executive function (EF), verbal and visual episodic memory as indicators of preclinical AD and proxy for SN changes.Methods: A retrospective secondary analysis was performed on neuropsychiatric test data from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set Version 3. Pre-AD participant scores were compared to non-AD participants. Three tests were selected for analysis of episodic memory and EF: Craft-21, Benson Complex Figure Test delayed recall (BCFT-DR), and Trail Making Test part-B (TMT-B), respectively. Longitudinal linear mixed modeling is applied and Cohen’s d for individual timepoints in terms of years remaining as CU (yrs-CU) for pre-AD groups.Results: The TMT-B results show pre-AD mixed group increased in time for completion by an average of 3.498 seconds per year p <.001, [CI 3.097, 4.294], with scores associated with at risk driving at 3 yrs-CU for males and 6 yrs-CU females. The Craft-21 test for episodic memory reveal the pre-AD group average score decreased every year by -.510, p < .001, [CI -.757, -.264] while the non-AD increased by .127, p < .001, [CI .101, .153], Cohen’s d = .482 at 4 yrs-CU. The BCFT-DR results expanded our understanding of visual memory and SN as preclinical indicators of AD. The pre-AD group average score decreased annually by -.219, p <.001, [CI (-.251, -.187)] and non-AD group decreased by -.039, p =.001, [CI (-062, -.015)], Cohen's d = .948 at 5 yrs-CU.Discussion: All tests demonstrated feasibility for preclinical AD detection and proxy for SN. The pre-AD longitudinal cognitive trajectories may allow annual biomarker mapping to establish standardization of biomarker levels for future clinical practice.

Spørgsmålets politik - Kari Palonen og den nyere begrebshistorie

Jeppe Nevers fokuserer i sin artikel ”Spørgsmålets politik. Om Kari Palonen og den nyere begrebshistorie” på en række udviklinger, der ikke mindst er foregået i regi af History of Political and Social Concepts Group, hvor den finske politolog Kari Palonen har spillet en større rolle som brobygger mellem den tyske begrebshistorie og ’Cambridgeskolen’ inden for intellektuel historie (bl.a. Quentin Skinner og John Pocock). Som en del heraf fremstiller Nevers Palonens greb om politik-begrebet, der består i en opløsning af dets enhedslige karakter i en række topoi – i en række forskellige idealtypiske bestemmelser, der ganske vist hele tiden finder forskellige historiske udfoldelser

LES VILLES ET LA CRISE, la situation financière des municipalités urbaines dans dix pays en période de récession (1978-1985)

Texte écrit en 1989 à partir d'une étude réalisée dans le cadre du programme de recherche international "Fiscal Austerity and Urban Innovation".Cities and crisis, the fiscal situation of urban governements in ten countries in a period of recession (1978-1985). The mid-1970s marked a turning point in the evolution of the local policies. The economic crisis caused a rarefaction of the resources and an increase in the welfare expenditures, it obliged the municipalities to adapt and innovate. A comparative study of 10 developed countries shows that the principal factor explaining the diversity of the financial standings of the urban local governments is the policy of the central state in particular as regards subsidies with the local communitiesLe milieu des années 1970 a marqué un tournant dans l'évolution des politiques locales. La crise économique a provoqué une raréfaction des ressources et un accroissement des dépenses sociales, elle a obligé les municipalités à s'adapter et à innover. Une étude comparative de 10 pays développés montre que le principal facteur expliquant la diversité des situations financières des gouvernements urbains est la politique du pouvoir central notamment en matière de subventions aux collectivités locales

Les municipalités urbaines à la Belle Epoque, le cas de Toulouse, 1890-1914

The French urban municipalities at the “Belle Epoque”, the case of Toulouse, 1890-1914. Starting from the results of a research on Toulouse and other work, this paper, written in 1992, analyzes the outstanding features of the situation of the urban municipalities during the time 1890-1914. This period appears as one transitional period where new designs of municipal management are worked out and are tested new practices concerning the local democracy, the municipal government structures, the organization of the communal services and financial management.Ce texte, écrit en 1992, analyse à partir des résultats d'une recherche sur Toulouse et d'autres travaux, les traits marquants de la situation des municipalités urbaines dans la période 1890-1914. Cette période apparaît comme une période de transition où s'élaborent de nouvelles conceptions de la gestion municipale et s'expérimentent de nouvelles pratiques concernant la démocratie locale, la structuration du gouvernement municipal, l'organisation des services communaux et la gestion financière

Coopération et construction d'une capacité de gouvernement, le concept d'urban regim chez Clarence Stone

Cooperation and construction of a capacity to govern, the concept of urban regime in Clarence Stone's works. This text presents the concept of urban regime developed by Clarence Stone in his works on the organization of the local government in Atlanta. This concept renews the traditional approaches of the local power to stress the processes of construction of a capacity of action (the “power to”) based on the co-operation between public and private actors and on the mobilization of varied resources.Ce texte présente le concept d'urban regime développé par Clarence Stone dans ses travaux sur l'organisation du gouvernement local à Atlanta. Ce concept renouvelle les approches traditionnelles du pouvoir local pour s'intéresser aux processus de construction d'une capacité d'action ( « power to ») fondée sur la coopération entre différents acteurs publics et privés et la mobilisation de ressources variées ajustées aux objectifs visés

Spørgsmålets politik - Kari Palonen og den nyere begrebshistorie

Jeppe Nevers fokuserer i sin artikel ”Spørgsmålets politik. Om Kari Palonen og den nyere begrebshistorie” på en række udviklinger, der ikke mindst er foregået i regi af History of Political and Social Concepts Group, hvor den finske politolog Kari Palonen har spillet en større rolle som brobygger mellem den tyske begrebshistorie og ’Cambridgeskolen’ inden for intellektuel historie (bl.a. Quentin Skinner og John Pocock). Som en del heraf fremstiller Nevers Palonens greb om politik-begrebet, der består i en opløsning af dets enhedslige karakter i en række topoi – i en række forskellige idealtypiske bestemmelser, der ganske vist hele tiden finder forskellige historiske udfoldelser

China & Soft Power: Building Relations and Cooperation

This paper provides a theoretical approach on how the shifting global order is shaping international relations, and how China wields soft power to alter its image from a “threat” or “the manufacturer of the world” towards a “peaceful rise”. Its recent economic growth enabled China to become a regional leader and a prominent actor in international affairs, contributing to a balance of powers. This paper seeks to bring a European perspective beyond the conventional Sino-US approach. It is relevant to assess why soft power, coined by Joseph S. Nye in the 1990s,is promoted in contemporary China. States are indeed competing for abetter image, have an influence on others, and are influenced by others,as a result of the circulation of goods, culture, and ideas