bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Individuation during adolescence and emerging adulthood – five German studies
Authors: Reis Olaf , Buhl Heike M.
Published: September 2008

Among theories describing human relationships and interactions, individuation theory has increasingly gained attention over the last three decades. After ideas of individuation were introduced to the USA by German emigrants, such as Erik Erikson and Peter Blos, a second generation of American researchers brought the issue to the fore during the 1980s. Since then, German research has taken up the topic. Current lines of German research resonate with contemporary American research (e.g., Allen, Smetana), but also explore possible extensions of the theory. Here we introduce five German studies that explore relations between individuation and attachment, interactions between transmissions and relationships, or try to extend individuation theory beyond adolescence and the family system.
Moderate adolescent drug use and the development of substance use self-regulation
Authors: Percy Andrew
Published: September 2008

This article presents a re-conceptualization of moderate adolescent drug use. It is argued that experimentation with alcohol and other drugs during the teenage years may play an important role in the development of regulatory competency in relation to drug consumption in adulthood. When such regulatory skills fail to emerge in young people, during the transition to adulthood, the likelihood of serious alcohol- or drug-related harm is increased. The article reviews the empirical evidence of poor self-regulation as a predictor of long-term alcohol- and drug-related problems, places self-regulation within a broader theoretical framework, and considers the policy and practice implications of this conceptualization.
A New Perspective on Later Migration(s)
Authors: Wilson Joseph A.P.
Published: September 2008

■ Productive as the recent collaboration between genetics and anthropology has been, additional insights are within reach. Molecular DNA evidence has been beneficial to the study of the peopling of the Americas, but the interpretation of this very complex dataset has been constrained by longstanding assumptions. The use of DNA evidence to test lesser-known historical hypotheses may reveal a more complicated picture of demography in American antiquity. Scholars debate the details of the initial colonization of America, but few have investigated claims of later historical migrations from Asia to America. This is an effort to address the paradoxical sustained similarity between Native American and East Central Asian cultures and gene pools, in the face of turbulent East—West admixture throughout Eurasian history. Though inconclusive, these data may nonetheless be consistent with the possibility of modest Asian—American ties within historical timeframes.
Research on the Na and Academic Integrity
Authors: Xiaoxing Liu
Published: September 2008

■ Through the critique of the theoretical claims and research approaches of Cai Hua, a French-trained Chinese anthropologist, this article discusses issues regarding studies of the Na and academic integrity in China. It questions the legitimacy of Cai's scholarly work, criticizes his plagiarism in a broader context of China's struggle against academic fraud and points out that in order to build a healthy and prosperous academic environment, scholars must subject themselves to the standards of academic integrity.
A study of the potential teratogenic effects of large doses of drugs rarely used for a suicide attempt during pregnancy
Authors: Timmermann G , Ács N , Bánhidy F , Czeizel AE
Published: September 2008

The available data set regarding pregnant women who attempted suicide during pregnancy was evaluated to estimate the teratogenic effect of very large doses of drugs based on the rate and distribution of congenital abnormalities of exposed children. These pregnant women were identified from patients of central toxicological inpatients clinic, Budapest, Hungary, 1960–1993. Of 1044 women with self-poisoning during pregnancy, 411 delivered live-born babies; 367 of these children were examined in this study. Data for 12 frequently used (10 or more times) drugs were published previously; this paper presents 77 medicines (58 drugs and 19 medicinal products including multiple components) that were rarely used for a suicide attempt by 197 pregnant women. Although 23 (11.7%) exposed children had congenital abnormalities (CAs), in general, a causal relationship of the CA and the drug taken by the pregnant woman cannot be assumed. This is because the suicide attempt often did not occur during a critical period for producing the CA. Of 67 pregnant women who attempted suicide between the 3rd and 12th postconceptional week, that is, the critical period of most major CAs, 7 (10.5%) children were affected with CAs. This high rate of CAs in exposed children can be explained by the intensive medical examinations, including diagnosis of mild CAs and minor anomalies, or the low socioeconomic status and hazardous lifestyle of mothers. None of the rarely used drugs was identified as a potential human teratogen. Experience of the authors shows the feasibility and benefits of using the self-poisoning model in estimating human teratogenic/fetotoxic risks of exposure to drugs.
A study of the effects of large doses of glutethimide that were used for self-poisoning during pregnancy on human fetuses
Authors: Petik D , Ács N , Bánhidy F , Czeizel AE
Published: September 2008

Animal investigations showed some embryolethal and teratogenic effects of glutethimide, a piperidindion derivative non-barbital hypnotic drug. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of very large doses of glutethimide that were used for a suicide attempt during pregnancy on the embryo-fetal development of exposed children. Self-poisoned pregnant women were identified from the population of female patients of the Department of Toxicology Internal Medicine, Korányi Hospital, Budapest who had been admitted from the 3 million people of Budapest and its surrounding region. The rates of congenital abnormalities, intrauterine fetal development (based on birth weight and pregnancy age at delivery) and cognitive-behavioral status of exposed children born to mothers who attempted suicide with glutethimide alone or in combination with other drugs during pregnancy were compared with their sib controls. Of 1044 pregnant women with self-poisoning during pregnancy between 1960 and 1993, 33 used glutethimide for a suicide attempt sixteen of these women delivered live-born infants. The dose of glutethimide ranged between 1000 and 15,000 mg with a mean of 4234 mg. Of the 16 exposed children, five were male and 11 were female. Three exposed children were affected with congenital abnormalities (atrial septal defect type II, pectus carinatum, fetal alcohol syndrome). Of their 16 matched unexposed sib pairs, two had congenital abnormalities. The mean birth weight of the exposed children was somewhat larger due to somewhat longer pregnancy age at delivery. Cognitive status and behavioral scale of the exposed children did not indicate a fetotoxic (including neurotoxic) effect of large doses of glutethimide. Very large doses of glutethimide used for a suicide attempt by 16 pregnant women did not produce teratogenic or fetotoxic (including neurotoxic) effects in their children.
A study of teratogenic and fetotoxic effects of large doses of meprobamate used for a suicide attempt by 42 pregnant women
Authors: Timmermann G , Ács N , Bánhidy F , Czeizel AE
Published: September 2008

The human teratogenic effect of meprobamate is debated. Thus, the available data set regarding very large doses of meprobamate used for a suicide attempt during pregnancy was evaluated for effects on fetal development. Pregnant women were identified from self-poisoned subjects of a total population of approximately three million people (Budapest and surrounding region) who were admitted to the Department of Toxicology Internal Medicine, Koranyi Hospital, Budapest. Comparisons were made of congenital abnormalities, intrauterine fetal growth, and cognitive-behavioral status in exposed children born to mothers who attempted suicide with meprobamate alone or in combination with other drugs during pregnancy with their control sibs. Of 1044 women with self-poisoning during pregnancy between 1960 and 1993, 107 (10.3%) used meprobamate, with or without other drugs for a suicide attempt; 42 of these 107 women delivered live-born infants. The dose of meprobamate used for the suicide attempt ranged between 1000 and 26,000 mg, with a mean of 3690 mg. Of 42 exposed children, seven (16.7%) were affected with congenital abnormalities, however, of their 27 sib controls, four had a CA (14.8%) (OR with 95% CI: 1.7, 0.5–4.9) of 14 had a congenital abnormality. Of 14 mothers who attempted suicide during the 4–12th postconceptional week, two delivered live-born babies affected with mild isolated congenital abnormality: undescended testis and congenital dysplasia of the hip. However, the critical period for production of these two defects did not overlap with the time of the mother’s suicide attempt. Mean birth weight and pregnancy age, cognitive status, and behavioral scale of the exposed children did not indicate fetotoxic, including neurotoxic, effects of large doses of meprobamate. Very large doses of meprobamate that were used for self-poisoning during pregnancy did not result in teratogenic or fetotoxic, including neurotoxic, effects on fetal development.
An evaluation of data for 10 children born to mothers who attempted suicide by taking large doses of alprazolam during pregnancy
Authors: Gidai J , Ács N , Bánhidy F , Czeizel AE
Published: September 2008

FDA has identified alprazolam, a new type of benzodiazepine, as pregnancy category D. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects on fetal development of very large doses of alprazolam that were used for suicide attempts during pregnancy. Pregnant women were identified among the patients of the Department of Toxicology Internal Medicine, Korányi Hospital, Budapest, who were admitted as self-poisoned subjects from a total population of the three million people of Budapest and its surrounding region. Rates of congenital abnormalities, intrauterine fetal development, and cognitive-behavioral status were compared between children born to mothers who attempted suicide during pregnancy using alprazolam alone or in combination with other drugs and in their sib controls. Between 1984 and 1993, 559 pregnant women attempted suicide during pregnancy with drugs: 30 of these women self-poisoned with alprazolam, 10 delivered live-born infants who were examined. Doses of alprazolam used were between 7.5 and 100 mg, with a mean of 30 mg. Six of the 10 exposed children were born to mothers who attempted suicide between the 6th and 12th postconceptional weeks. Of the 10 exposed children, two had congenital abnormalities. One had a multiple congenital abnormality that included atypical gastroschisis and minor anomalies; an association of this defect and the 30 mg alprazolam used for self-poisoning in the 14th postconceptional week cannot be excluded. Another exposed child had mild pectus excavatum, but the times of the suicide attempt and the critical period for producing this defect did not overlap. Of 12 sibs, one had a multiple congenital abnormality. Thus, the rate of congenital abnormalities did not significantly differ between exposed children and their sibs. Mean birth weight was higher for babies born to mothers who attempted suicide by alprazolam during pregnancy than in their sib controls. Cognitive status and behavioral scale of the exposed children did not indicate fetotoxic effects, including neurotoxic effects, of large doses of alprazolam. The large doses of alprazolam used for self-poisoning during pregnancy did not result in a significantly higher rate of congenital abnormalities; however, there were only 10 self-poisoned pregnant women, and an association of one multiple congenital abnormality with a large dose of alprazolam cannot be excluded. The findings in this study did not identify fetotoxicity, including neurotoxicity, of very large doses of alprazolam. Our study shows that the self-poisoning model is feasible and provides beneficial information for use in estimating human teratogenic and fetotoxic risks of drugs.
Self-poisoning during pregnancy as a model for teratogenic risk estimation of drugs
Authors: Czeizel AE , Gidai J , Petik D , Timmermann G , Puhó EH
Published: September 2008

The results of animal investigations cannot be directly extrapolated to pregnant women. Clinical and analytical epidemiological studies for human teratogenic risks have many inherent methodological problems and their predictions must be regarded with caution. Evaluation of the potential teratogenicity of extremely large doses of drugs in self-poisoned pregnant women who attempted suicide offers a unique model for finding associations between congenital abnormalities and different drugs. All self-poisoned patients were cared for at a toxicological inpatient clinic in Budapest, between 1960 and 1993. Out of 1044 pregnant women identified from three different periods of the project, 19 died. Women who survived were visited at home to reveal birth outcomes, and their children were evaluated medically to identify congenital abnormalities and to estimate cognitive–behavioral status. The previous or subsequent children of these pregnant women were used as controls. In general, self-poisoned pregnant women were young (peak age was 18 to 20 years) and primiparous; 55% were unmarried and of lower socioeconomic status. Suicide attempts with drugs were most frequent in the fourth postconceptional week and second pregnancy month. Of 1044 self-poisoned pregnant women, 411 delivered live-born babies, of which 367 children (89.3%) were evaluated. The self-poisoning model appears to have several benefits (e.g., dose-response estimation) in comparison with other methods. It is suggested that an international monitoring system of self-poisoned pregnant women should be established to provide a larger database.
Cerebral Oximetry Monitoring with Near Infrared Spectroscopy Detects Alterations in Oxygenation Before Pulse Oximetry
Authors: Tobias Joseph D.
Published: September 2008

Background: The monitoring of oxygenation may be imperative to ensure patient safety and optimal outcome. We anecdotally noted that monitoring cerebral oxygenation (rSO2) using near infrared spectroscopy may provide an earlier warning of changes in oxygenation than pulse oximetry. Methods: Patients scheduled for airway laser surgery requiring intermittent periods of apnea were monitored with both a cerebral oximeter and a pulse oximeter. Following inhalational induction and endotracheal intubation, anesthesia was maintained with propofol. After 3 minutes of ventilation with 100% oxygen, the endotracheal tube was removed and laser surgery performed on the airway during apnea. The time for a 5% and a 10% decrease in the cerebral oximeter and the pulse oximeter was noted. Results: The study cohort included 10 infants and children ranging in age from 1 month to 7 years. The time for a 5% decrease of the rSO2 was 94 + 8 seconds versus 146 + 49 seconds for a 5% decrease of the SaO 2 (P < .0001). During all 42 episodes of apnea, the rSO2 decreased by 5% before the SaO2 had decreased by 5%. When the SaO2 had decreased by 5% (down to 95% from the starting value of 100%), the rSO2 had decreased by 16 + 4%. The time for a 10% decrease of the rSO2 was 138 + 29 seconds versus 189 + 64 seconds for a 10% decrease of the SaO2 (P = .0009). In all 42 cases, the rSO2 decreased by 10% before the SaO2. Conclusions: Cerebral oxygenation monitoring using near infrared spectroscopy detects changes in oxygenation earlier than standard pulse oximetry.
Play Context, Commitment, and Dating Violence
Authors: Gonzalez-Mendez Rosaura , Hernandez-Cabrera Juan Andres
Published: September 2008

This study develops a structural equation model to describe the effect of two groups of factors (type of commitment and play context) on the violence experienced during intimate partner conflict. After contrasting the model in adolescents and university students, we have confirmed that aggressive play and the simulation of jealousy and anger increase the risk of dating victimization during conflicts through the negative reactions that they cause. Where commitment is concerned, the results are different according to whether commitment is personal or constraining. The former provides protection against dating victimization, reducing risk in the play context, whereas the latter has no effect on the violence experienced but facilitates a more dangerous play dynamic. The model can be applied in the design of programs to prevent dating violence.
Evidence of Piezoelectricity in SWNT-Polyimide and SWNT-PZT-Polyimide Composites
Authors: Ounaies Zoubeida , Park Cheol , Harrison Joycelyn , Lillehei Peter
Published: September 2008

Nanotechnology offers opportunities to reenergize the area of smart materials by addressing their current shortfalls and expanding their application range. For example, sensors based on polymer nanocomposites would provide a new paradigm for lightweight structural health monitoring for broad aeronautics and space applications. Deployable structures such as inflatable antennae and space mirrors will benefit from the incorporation of multifunctional lenses employing smart, articulating materials. In this paper, an approach to enhance the piezoelectricity of polyimides through the addition of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) particles and single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) is presented. The dielectric and electrical properties of the composites are investigated as a function of SWNT volume content. The dynamic and static mechanical properties are presented to assess the effect of the inclusions on the macro-scale properties of the nanocomposites. It is found that the SWNTs increase the dielectric, piezoelectric, and mechanical properties of the polyimide matrix. Addition of the SWNT in the PZT/polyimide composites facilitates poling and results in an increase of the piezoelectric properties of the three-phase composite.
Palestinian Women's Organizations
Authors: Kuttab Eileen
Published: September 2008

This article is a critical reflection on gender politics in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza over the last 30 years. It traces the increasing professionalization of the women's movement from the 1970s through the Oslo year to the contemporary period. The article explores the problematic impact of both professionalization and internationalization on the possibilities of Palestinian women's and social movements for change.
`Violence All Around Us'
Authors: Johnson Penny
Published: September 2008

How do international human rights frameworks function in addressing violence against women in situations of prolonged political violence and colonial conflict? How do other voices, generated locally, take on, contest or interact with, these frameworks? These questions are addressed in the Palestinian context through examining two recent reports, the first, a problematic November 2006 report by Human Rights Watch, A Question of Security: Violence Against Palestinian Women and Girls, and the second, a report issued in March 2007 by the Palestinian Violence Against Women Forum, a network of local Palestinian NGOs. Data from the first Palestinian national survey on domestic violence (2005) are also scrutinized. Beginning with a specific incident of a recent honor crime in a Palestinian refugee camp, this initial intervention also probes the history of public debate research and activism on domestic violence in Palestine and argues for careful attention to the diversity of community responses.
Bleak outlook on the news front
Authors: Petley Julian
Published: September 2008

The House of Lords Communications Committee recommends more muscle for the broadcasting watchdog, yet Ofcom's report reads like a souped-up store catalogue, writes academic Petley. And he attacks Ofcom's latest reports: "New News [the Lords report] and Ofcom's first and second PSB review demonstrate in the clearest possible manner that what the vast majority of UK citizens want is, at the very least, the maintenance of the current level of provision of regional news programmes on ITV. But what does the Annual Report highlight as Ofcom's proudest achievement in 2007/8 in terms of "improving compliance and empowering citizens and consumers"? Clamping down on the mis-selling of mobile phones, making it easier to switch mobile phone operators, introducing protection against "slamming" (having your phone account moved to another provider without your knowledge), imposing fines on broadcasters for operating premium phone line scams, and requiring Channel 4 to broadcast Ofcom's censure of Celebrity Big Brother 2007 on three separate occasions." This signals that the prospects for public service broadcasting as a whole, let alone regional news provision on ITV, are indeed bleak in the extreme.
Scots on the rocks
Authors: MacMillan Arthur
Published: September 2008

On the brink of enormous political change and with full independence looming, Scotland sadly lacks a powerful indigenous newspaper voice, claims Scots journalists MacMillan. The owners of The Scotsman and The Herald have not and are not investing adequately in the papers, he writes: "They...have few answers for journalism in the 21st century. It is not too late to change course, but time is running out. If these companies are to right their wrongs and reverse this betrayal of Scotland, they must first admit that they are currently embarked on a liquidation strategy."
Desmond's legacy: Expresses derailed
Authors: McEntee John
Published: September 2008

The proprietor slips down the media hot 100 and his papers have become irrelevant. These are sad times for journalists at the once-great Expresses, says a former Daily Express diary editor. "The trade has been diminished by the [Richard] Desmond revolution," writes McEntee, referring to cost-cutting and the downsizing of staff across the group's titles. "And the sorry decline of a once-great group has done nothing for Desmond's standing within the industry, despite abandoning his early support for New Labour and reverting to the Expresses' traditional pro-Tory stance. In the recent publication of the Media Guardian's 2008 top 100 movers and shakers, he tumbled 20 places to number 55." Lord Beaverbrook, great journalist and proprietor of the Expresses, would weep with frustration.
Thinking through Positive Psychology
Authors: Christopher John Chambers , Richardson Frank C. , Slife Brent D.
Published: September 2008

Positive psychology offers a needed corrective to deficiencies in mainstream psychology. However, there have been relatively few attempts to systematically analyze and assess this movement. This special issue examines the conceptual underpinnings and guiding ideals of positive psychology. Generally, these articles conclude that positive psychologists have not dealt adequately with the challenge of rendering credible and illuminating accounts of human flourishing in a post-positivist era and in a pluralistic society. The authors suggest ways we might better meet this challenge, allowing us to discuss questions of human agency, character, and the good life despite quite different views of them across historical eras and cultures. We hope this will help fulfill some of the aims of positive psychology.
Positive Psychology, Ethnocentrism, and the Disguised Ideology of Individualism
Authors: Christopher John Chambers , Hickinbottom Sarah
Published: September 2008

This article aims to examine critically the attempts by positive psychologists to develop a science of happiness and positive human functioning that transcends temporal and cultural boundaries. Current efforts in positive psychology are deconstructed to reveal an adherence to the dominant Western conception of self and its accompanying vision of the good life as personal fulfillment. It is argued that in failing to recognize the tacit cultural and moral assumptions underlying their investigations, positive psychologists not only distort the outlooks of cultures that do not subscribe to an individualistic framework, they also insulate themselves from reflecting critically on their work. Alternative forms of inquiry are offered to assist positive psychology in overcoming these limitations.
Opinion Leadership in Indian Villages and Diffusion of E-Choupal
Authors: Kim Do Kyun , Chitnis Ketan , Vasanti P.N. , Singhal Arvind
Published: September 2008

e-Choupal was initially set up by the Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) in 2000, providing farmers with information about latest market prices of crops, a provision to sell crops directly to buyers and up-todate information on weather and farming practices through its Internet networks. This article analyzes the role of opinion leadership in farmers’ communication networks of farmers in Madhya Pradesh, India, and its strategic use to diffuse a source of innovative-framing information source, e-Choupal. The specific purposes of this study are to identify opinion leaders by using social network analysis and to analyze the attributes of the opinion leaders in the diffusion of e-Choupal in Indian villages.

Our research site was the State of Madhya Pradesh in India where e-Choupal centres were first set up. Our data was collected in 14 villages covered by three e-Choupal centers. Using a sociometric method of social network analysis, 225 Indian farmers’ communication networks were analyzed. As a result, we revealed four network groups and identified opinion leaders in the groups.

The identified opinion leaders were Sanchalaks, who were selected and trained by ITC, and who lived in and owned the house where the e-Choupal system was installed. In terms of diffusion, the Sanchalaks were both, that is, information sources about e-Choupal and key influentials on farmers’ decisions to adopt the innovation. This study also discusses some important social network attributes among Indian farmers, grounded in the diffusion of innovation theory.
Mechanization of a High Aspect Ratio Wing for Aerodynamic Control
Authors: Frank Geoffrey J. , Joo James J. , Sanders Brian , Garner David M. , Murray Andrew P.
Published: September 2008

Investigations are conducted to mechanize a controlled spanwise-varying airfoil camber change for a high aspect ratio wing, resulting in optimized aerodynamic performance for a aircraft that changes weight by 50% over its mission. Mechanisms to achieve these shape changes are designed based on two separate design methodologies: a rigid body kinematics approach and a compliant mechanism approach. A framework for optimizing mechanisms based on each approach is presented. Differences between the approaches are illustrated through the design of a mechanism for a specific set of airfoil shapes. Mechanisms are evaluated based on the error in the shapes and on the energy efficiency of the systems.
Txt u ltr
Authors: Bigelow Kathryn M. , Carta Judith J. , Burke Lefever Jennifer
Published: September 2008

One of the biggest challenges facing home visiting programs aimed at high-risk families is keeping families involved in the intervention. Cellular phones afford the opportunity for home visitors to maintain regular communication with parents between intervention visits and thus retain high-risk families in parenting interventions. The use of cellular phones may also increase the dosage of intervention provided to families and the fidelity with which parents implement the intervention, thus resulting in improved outcomes for parents and children. This brief report describes the development and initial testing of a parenting program, Planned Activities Training (PAT), which was enhanced through the use of cellular phones to promote the active engagement of parents. PAT is a five-session intervention aimed at improving parent-child interactions, increasing child engagement in daily activities, and reducing challenging child behaviors. To date, 19 parents have completed PAT and cell phone—enhanced PAT, and all have met the 90% correct mastery criterion and demonstrated improvements in their parenting behaviors. Parents have rated PAT and the text messaging and cellular phone call enhancements very positively.
Mobilization on the Waterfront
Authors: McGovern Stephen J.
Published: September 2008

This article examines the roots of regime dissolution and reconstruction through a case study of waterfront development in Philadelphia. The impetus for political change has been the progressive ideas, values, beliefs, and practices of a grassroots movement composed of middle-class residents and two prominent institutions that had previously supported the city's progrowth regime. That movement has coincided with and contributed to other political initiatives, including the election of a progressive mayor in 2007, all of which may foreshadow the rise of a new governing coalition. The study has implications for regime theory, which emphasizes the role of material resources and institutions in explaining regime change while neglecting ideological and cultural factors.
Metropolitan Governance and Institutional Collective Action
Authors: Feiock Richard C.
Published: September 2008

This article describes the institutional collective action (ICA) framework and its application to the study of governance arrangements in metropolitan areas by focusing on the tools of regional governance for solving ICA problems. Regional governance mechanisms are classified by their focus on either collective or network relationships. The role of these within these mechanisms is analyzed and the transaction costs barriers to the emergence of regional governance institutions are identified. The concluding discussion identifies the limitations of self-organizing mechanisms and develops a research agenda to investigate the emergence, evolution, and performance of regional governance institutions.
The Isolation of Rice Starch with Food Grade Proteases Combined with Other Treatments
Authors: Yue Li  , Shoemaker C.F. , Xueran Shen  , Jianguo Ma  , Ibáñez-Carranza A.M. , Fang Zhong
Published: September 2008

The efficiency of starch isolations from milled rice with six food-grade protease preparations and combinations with ellulase, high-intensity ultrasound or defatting treatments were investigated. Alcalase and protease N `Amano' (Protease N) were found to provide for a better separation of the rice starch from protein. Protease hydrolysis of the rice flour proteins combined with cellulase and defatting treatments lower residual protein content further to values which were similar to the conventional alkaline steeping method. Protein removal by hydrolysis with the two proteases was found to be most enhanced with a Cellulase pretreatment followed by initial pH adjustments of 10.5 for the alkaline protease Alcalase, and 8.5 for the neutral protease N. There were differences between the trough to final viscosities of the starches prepared with alcalase and protease N. There were no notable differences among different treatments of the isolated starches from the differential scanning calorimetry measurements. Most rice starch granules treated with protease showed no apparent surface damage as observed from scanning electron micrographs. Particle size distribution analysis revealed that the flour displayed bi-model size distribution. The higher sized fraction (10 to 100 μm) decreased rapidly when protease treatments were applied. The isolation of rice starch with proteases combined with other treatments could produce rice starch with native structure, limit the waste products from the separation process and provide a prospective for the design of a commercial process.
Effect of Nut Paste Enrichment on Physical Characteristics and Consumer Acceptability of Bread
Authors: Oliete B. , Gómez M. , Pando V. , Fernández-Fernández E. , Caballero P.A. , Ronda F.
Published: September 2008

Four kinds of nut paste (almond, hazelnut, peanut, walnut) in three different percentages (5, 10, and 15%) were added to bread formula to study the morphogeometric and textural characteristics, and the consumer acceptability of enriched breads. The change of texture along time was also studied. Control bread presented the lowest volume, water loss and height, and the highest firmness and chewiness. The enrichment with 15% of nut paste caused a decrease in loaf volume, weight loss, cohesiveness, and resilience but an increase in height, firmness, and chewiness. Almond and walnut breads presented the lowest values in firmness and chewiness. The lowest cohesiveness and resilience corresponded to hazelnut bread. The increased firmness during storage was slower in enriched than in nonenriched breads. The adhesiveness, cohesiveness, and resilience decreases were more important in the first 2 days of storage. Breads added with 10 and 15% nut paste showed the highest intent for consumption, persistence, and texture values. Peanut-enriched bread was the least accepted bread. Only a third of the consumers were able to correctly identify the nuts added.
From epitaph to obituary
Authors: Barry Elizabeth
Published: September 2008

A B S T R A C T • This article explores the emergence of the obituary in British eighteenth-century print journalism, at a moment when the verse epitaph was in irrevocable decline. The new form of death memorial that the obituary represents reflected a changing attitude to death, and a new phase in its relationship with fame. Many of the features of the present-day phenomenon of celebrity can be identified as emerging in the eighteenth century, and we recognize all too well today the explosion of commerce and the new forms of deregulated media that produced this phenomenon. Death became 'news' in the context of the new transience and mobility of printed text, and the dead gained renown not only for historically momentous acts, or lasting works of art or intellect, but also for ephemeral skills and talents such as acting, singing, sports and eccentric feats of memory or agility. Celebrity — short-lived fame — became a feature of British society, and the untimely or dramatic death began to create as well as test this new kind of fame. The obituary plays a key role in this process, this article argues, and represents an important mechanism for introducing modern notions of fame and celebrity into British society.•
Improving the link between policy research and practice: using a scenario workshop as a qualitative research tool in the case of genetically modified crops
Authors: Oreszczyn Sue , Carr Susan
Published: September 2008

This article reflects on the use of a scenario workshop as a way of improving the link between policy-related research and policy practice, in the light of current interest in evidence-based policy. It describes a scenario workshop that was used to engage senior policy actors in our research project on the precautionary principle in relation to genetically modified crops. The workshop highlighted some of the difficulties faced by qualitative researchers in attempts to provide evidence for senior policy makers. Nevertheless, we conclude that engaging policy makers within the research process in this way allows researchers scope to explain more about the nature of the evidence being produced and how it may be useful. The dialogue encouraged by more active engagement of potential end-users increases the likelihood of producing grounded `evidence' that they will find relevant.
Drawn to Yellowstone
Authors: Denzin Norman K.
Published: September 2008

I offer a critical reading of the most famous painting of Yellowstone Park, Thomas Moran's (1872) The Grand Canyon of the YelloWstone (GCY). This painting functions as the paradigmatic image of the Park and the commodification of a specific site within the Park — namely, the canyon and falls of the Yellowstone River. I present a four-act performance text that follows the production of Moran's painting from its earliest sketches and wood cuts in 1870 to its public display and sale to the US Congress for $10,000 in 1872. In making sense of Moran and his moment, I create a discourse consisting of quotations and statements extracted from existing historical documents.
Future Talk
Authors: Noordegraaf Martine , van Nijnatten Carolus , Elbers Ed
Published: September 2008

The objective of this study is to contribute towards understanding how welfare and justice discourses become apparent in institutional conversations where social workers involved in child protection have dual professional identities: that of helper and of gatekeeper. In this article we analyse a specific conversational practice in a particular child protection context: social workers asking questions about hypothetical situations in interviews with prospective adoptive parents. We show the nature of these questions in face-to-face interactions between social workers and prospective adoptive parents. In addition, we also analyse how the social workers manage to integrate aspects of testing the capabilities of the prospective adoptive parents while, at the same time, also helping them to become even better prepared parents. Using the method of conversation analysis makes it possible to analyse how the social workers are doing being a gatekeeper and/or helper without spelling that out.
The non-specific effects of group-based cognitive—behavioural treatment of chronic pain
Authors: Newton-John Toby R. , Geddes Jenny
Published: September 2008

Group-based cognitive—behavioural therapy (CBT) for chronic, non-malignant pain is recognized as the treatment of choice for patients with intractable pain problems. The core components of CBT pain treatment have been standardized, and meta-analyses have shown that that this form of intervention is effective. However, the psychotherapy literature points to a range of influences on treatment outcome that arise out of the process of treatment, rather than directly from the active treatment components. These so-called non-specific treatment effects include the composition of the group, the leadership style of the group leader, and the ways in which group dynamics are dealt with. Although CBT pain management programmes are conducted in a group format, and are therefore subject to similar kinds of influences to other forms of group treatment, these issues have not been discussed in detail in any previous literature. The present paper proposes a number of non-specific treatment factors that are likely to be associated with positive outcomes from CBT pain management programmes, and discusses ways in which these factors may be deliberately manipulated in order to maximize treatment effectiveness.
Politicians in the Media: Determinants of Legislators' Presence and Prominence in Swiss Newspapers
Authors: Tresch Anke
Published: September 2008

In times of increasing “mediatization” of politics, when voters and their elected representatives primarily communicate through the media, the question of who gets into the news and why becomes of the utmost importance. This article examines the determinants of Swiss legislators' presence and prominence in the print media by focusing on three competing approaches drawn from communication studies. The first approach regards the media as a “mirror” of political reality and argues that the media focus on the most active deputies in parliament. Second, news values theory predicts that “authoritative” politicians in leadership positions get the most media coverage. Third, theories of “news bias” hold that the media privilege legislators who are in line with their own editorial interests. Overall, the statistical analyses show an important leadership effect and provide strong support for the second explanation. While deputies in official functions get the most extensive news coverage, media access can also be won by parliamentary activity. The least support is shown for the news bias theory, although some newspapers try to localize parliamentary news coverage by focusing on deputies from their own media market.
New approaches to COPD
Authors: Barnes P. J.
Published: September 2008

No currently available treatments reduce the progression or suppress the inflammation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, with a better understanding of the inflammatory and destructive process, several targets have been identified, and new treatments are now in clinical development.

Several specific therapies are directed against the influx of inflammatory cells into the airways and lung parenchyma that occurs in COPD, including adhesion molecule and chemokine-directed therapy, as well as therapies to inhibit tumour necrosis factor-α. Broad spectrum anti-inflammatory drugs are also in development, and include inhibitors of phosphodiesterase-4, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, nuclear factor-κB and phosphoinositide-3 kinase-γ. More specific approaches include antioxidants, inhibitors of inducible nitric oxide synthase, and leukotriene B4receptor antagonists. Inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor kinase and calcium-activated chloride channel inhibitors have the potential to inhibit mucus hypersecretion. Other therapies are targeted at the structural changes of COPD. Therapy to inhibit fibrosis is being developed against transforming growth factor-β1and protease activated receptor-2. There is also a search for serine proteinase and matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors to prevent lung destruction and the development of emphysema, as well as drugs such as retinoids that may even reverse this process.

There is the need for validated biomarkers and monitoring techniques in early clinical studies with new therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Treatment of stable COPD: antioxidants
Authors: MacNee W.
Published: September 2008

There is considerable evidence that an increased oxidative burden occurs in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and this results in an imbalance between oxidants/antioxidants or oxidative stress, which may play a role in many of the processes involved in the pathogenesis of COPD. These include enhanced proteolytic activity, mucus hypersecretion and the enhanced inflammatory response in the lungs to inhaling tobacco smoke, which is characteristic of COPD. COPD is now recognised to have multiple systemic consequences, such as weight loss and skeletal muscle dysfunction. It is now thought that oxidative stress may extend beyond the lungs and is involved in these systemic effects.

Antioxidant therapy therefore would seem to be a logical therapeutic approach in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There is a need for more potent antioxidant therapies to test the hypothesis that antioxidant drugs may be a new therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Bronchodilator treatment of stable COPD: long-acting anticholinergics
Authors: Vincken W.
Published: September 2008

Since airflow obstruction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is to some extent reversible, bronchodilators play an important role in the maintenance treatment of COPD the more they reduce hyperinflation and, as a result, improve dyspnoea and exercise capacity. Since parasympathetic activity is the dominant reversible component of airflow obstruction in COPD, inhaled short-acting anticholinergic agents (SAAC), in particular ipratropium, became an efficient and safe first-line treatment, especially when combined with a short-acting β2-adrenergic receptor agonist. Even better results were obtained when combining the SAAC ipratropium to a long-acting β2-adrenergic receptor agonist (LABA), once they became available.

Recently, tiotropium bromide, the first of a new class of selective and long-acting anticholinergic agents was introduced for once-daily maintenance treatment of COPD patients. Several large long-term randomised clinical trials comparing tiotropium to placebo as well as to the SAAC ipratropium and the LABA salmeterol, have confirmed the long-acting and superior bronchodilator effect of tiotropium without any evidence of drug tolerance developing. These studies also have clearly demonstrated that tiotropium positively affects several other important health outcomes, such as dyspnoea sensation, exercise capacity, utilisation of rescue bronchodilators, health-related quality of life, COPD exacerbations and hospitalisations because of exacerbations. The improvement in these real-life outcomes appears related to the reduction in both static and dynamic hyperinflation. In all these studies, tiotropium was well tolerated and safe; the only relevant side-effect encountered being dry mouth, usually mild and often transitory. Finally, it has been shown that the combination of tiotropium with a LABA affords superior bronchodilatation than both agents alone, indicating that both classes of long-acting bronchodilators should be regarded as complements rather than opponents.

In conclusion, a sufficiently large and convincing database now exists to propose the once-daily long-acting anticholinergic tiotropium as first-line maintenance treatment for all chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD)-class II and above, with a step-up to its combination with a long-acting β2-adrenergic receptor agonist in case of suboptimal clinical effect.
Treatment of COPD exacerbations: antibiotics
Authors: Wilson R.
Published: September 2008

The debate about the importance of bacterial infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will continue. About half of exacerbations yield positive sputum bacteriology, and the isolation rate can be increased by selection of purulent samples.

However, bacteria are also isolated in the stable state. The presence of bacteria in sputum alone during an exacerbation does not prove causation. Bacteria have been associated with airway inflammation both in the stable state, when the level of inflammation is related to the size of the bacterial load, and during exacerbations, when resolution of the inflammation is related to bacterial eradication.

New evidence has been obtained from epidemiological, immunological and antibiotic studies that supports a role for bacterial infection in causing neutrophilic airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and if accepted should lead to new research in the use of antibiotics.