bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of higher oil prices on the Chinese economy
Authors: Zaouali Sana
Published: September 2007

The demand for oil in China has dramatically increased in the last years. Today, China is the second largest consumer of oil in the world behind the United States. This growing demand in oil comes in a context of steep international price hikes for oil. With its increasing oil consumption, China today plays a major role on the international oil markets, and a change in its consumption could seriously destabilise these markets. Moreover, today China occupies a preponderant place on the international scene, and a large drop in its economic activity could significantly affect world growth. It, therefore, is important for us to ask what the impact of the current increase in oil prices on the Chinese economy might be. The aim of this article is to conduct a quantitative analysis on the potential impact of the rise in oil prices on the Chinese economy. The macroeconomic and sectoral effects are evaluated with the help of a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. Two scenarios were formulated: the first assuming a US $10 increase in international oil prices; the second, a $25 increase.
Quartz solubility in salt‐bearing solutions at pressures to 1 GPa and temperatures to 900°C
Authors: EVANS KATY
Published: September 2007

An expression that describes the solubility of quartz in alkali‐chloride‐bearing solutions is derived and applied to literature data on quartz solubility. The model is based on a physically realistic conceptual model that involves salt dissociation as a function of pressure, temperature and salt concentration, and the presence of hydrated monomer, dimers and hydrated alkali‐silica species. A simplified version of the model that neglects dimerization and water in the alkali‐silica species provides excellent fits to the experimental data with two calibration parameters at each pressure and temperature. The calibration parameters represent the relative stabilities of the alkali‐silica and hydrated‐silica solute complexes, and the degree of salt dissociation. The success of the model provides support for the existence of an alkali‐silica species in salt solutions at low fluid densities. The model can be interpolated successfully for NaCl‐bearing solutions between 0.1 and 1 GPa and from 400 to 900°C, with standard deviations of the predicted from the experimental data of less than 10% relative for most conditions. Quartz solubility within this range is described by
image

where Xi,app refers to the apparent mole fraction of i, which is the mole fraction calculated if NaCl is assumed to be totally associated, and X(SiO2,ref) is the mole fraction of SiO2 in the salt‐free solution.
image

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where d is a calibration parameter that depends on pressure and density as shown below.
image

T is temperature in Kelvin, P is pressure in GPa and ρ is the density in g cm−3. Extrapolation of the expression beyond the calibration range is not recommended. Quartz solubility is additive for mixtures, so silica concentrations in solutions more complex than those covered by the literature data can also be predicted. Fits to the data also enabled regression of thermodynamic data for the proposed SiO2.(NaCl)0.5 species. H298 is −1040.2 ± 7.6 kJ mol−1, S298 is 0.169 ± 0.01 kJ mol−1 K−1 and V298 is 31 ± 4 kJ GPa−1 mol−1. The model is semi‐empirical because the fit parameters are correlated with one of the set parameters, and the use of a simplified mathematical description of salt dissociation. Nevertheless, the model provides an improved method for the calculation of quartz solubility in geological solutions.
Measuring portfolio salience in Eastern European parliamentary democracies
Authors: DRUCKMAN JAMES N. , ROBERTS ANDREW
Published: September 2007

Abstract. This article presents the results of an expert survey of 14 Eastern European countries on the subject of portfolio salience. Respondents provided ratings of the relative value of all ministerial portfolios in these countries over the years 1990–2002. The ratings are unique in the study of Eastern Europe and appear to possess the characteristics of comprehensiveness and reliability. Comparing the results with a similar survey of Western Europe indicates that individual portfolios are rated nearly identically in both regions. Some significant differences, however, emerge when we look separately at more advanced and less advanced Eastern European countries. Various suggestions are made for how scholars can use these new data in future work.
Euroscepticism as a political label: The use of European Union issues in political competition in the new Member States
Authors: NEUMAYER LAURE
Published: September 2007

Abstract. During the 1990s, political consensus on European Union (EU) membership in Central Europe gave way to widespread ambiguous positions – many parties approved the principle of European integration while criticizing EU policies. In the late 1990s, two analytical frameworks – cleavage theories and typologies of Euroscepticism – were developed to account for this change in political debate. Cleavage theories tend to downplay the evolution of party positions during the 1990s, whereas typologies of Euroscepticism create analytical categories that are difficult to operationalize. Both perspectives have a limited understanding of the relationship between ideology and strategy with regard to party positions on European integration. This article follows a broader research design focusing on the use of European issues in political competition in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic after the fall of communism. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu, ideology and strategy are closely related because ideologies are created by politicians in order to differentiate themselves from their competitors and to gain political capital. Politics is essentially a competition to impose certain lines of division in the political field and to classify actors along those lines. In Central Europe after 1989, references to Europe allowed politicians to shape and reshape three lines of division, distinguishing mainstream from protest parties, mainstream political actors from their competitors and intra‐party currents from each other. Yet EU issues could be used only according to some general rules of political competition that evolved over time. As early as 1990, a pro‐European stance was a political norm acting as anormative theme– that is, a general rule that determined political actors' behaviours. As the pre‐accession process unfolded, a tension emerged between a necessarycollusionbetween parties that moderated their criticisms in order to appear to be legitimate political actors, andinstrumentalizationof EU issues to gain political capital at the expense of competitors. In the late 1990s, saying ‘yes, but’ to accession to the EU became apragmatic ruleof the political game – that is, a set of rules of a lesser importance that actors could freely define without any risk of stigmatization. This shift resulted in ambiguous party positions on EU integration. Considering the word ‘Euroscepticism’ as a tool for political classification rather than as an analytical notion sheds a new light on the dynamics of party positions on European issues. These findings have wider relevance for the study of the Europeanization of national political systems in the enlarged EU because pre‐accession politics in Central Europe amplified logics that also exist in Western Europe. There is a difference in degree, but not in kind, between the uses of the European themes in political competitions in new and in old EU Member States.
A Case Study of Mediators of Treatment Effectiveness
Authors: Karno Mitchell P.
Published: September 2007

Background:  Recent research has observed that the use of confrontation in psychosocial treatment for alcohol abuse or dependence has a negative effect on posttreatment alcohol use among patients at average or above average levels of trait anger. It is not known what mediates that negative effect. The current study examines the role of session attendance as a mediator of the effect of confrontation on patients’ subsequent alcohol use. In doing so, the study demonstrates the process of testing for mediation as well as planning analyses to meet additional conditions that can lend support to a causal mechanism of change.

Methods:  Multiple regression analyses were used to test for session attendance as a mediator among 107 individuals with alcohol abuse or dependence who received either cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (n = 39), motivational enhancement therapy (MET) (n = 34), or twelve‐step facilitation therapy (TSF) (n = 34). Emphasis was placed on achieving the desired temporal sequence of the therapy intervention, the mediator, and the outcome variable.

Results:  The data supported the role of session attendance as a partial mediator of the effect of confrontation on future alcohol use among patients who received CBT, but not among patients who received MET or TSF. In CBT, other potential mediators (e.g., therapeutic alliance and in‐session resistance) were not supported and did not change the support for session attendance in the model. Beyond mediation, some but not all criteria for a causal mechanism of change were also met.

Conclusions:  This study suggests that in CBT the negative impact of confrontation early in treatment is partially explained by a reduction in the number of sessions patients attended. Different processes appear to be occurring in MET and TSF. By carefully constructing analytic models, results can speak both to issues of mediation and to causal mechanisms of change.
Lessons Learned From Psychotherapy Research
Authors: McKay James R.
Published: September 2007

Background:  In addictions treatment research, there has been a relative paucity of work on mechanisms of action that account for observed treatment effects. In studies that have been done, there is little evidence that the purported active ingredients of behavioral interventions such as cognitive‐behavioral treatment or motivational interviewing actually mediate treatment effects. This suggests that new approaches are needed to study the process of change in behavioral treatments for addiction.

Method:  This article reviews several approaches that have been taken by psychotherapy researchers to identify mechanisms of change, including studies of critical sessions, change across sessions, and the relative importance of general vs. specific therapeutic factors.

Results:  These approaches all involve careful assessment of both therapist and patient behaviors during treatment sessions and study the relation of these factors to improvements or deteriorations in symptoms over the following weeks.

Conclusions:  Suggestions are offered for how these methods could be used in addiction treatment research to generate hypotheses regarding mechanisms of change that could subsequently be tested in controlled studies.
Statistical Considerations in Identifying Mechanisms of Change
Authors: Tonigan J. Scott
Published: September 2007

The statistical search for mechanisms of change involves multiple inferential tests, ones that generally follow a fixed sequence designed to demonstrate mediation. While there are several popular approaches to conducting such tests, e.g., SEM and MRA, the inflated Type I error rate problem associated with conducting these tests has received little, if any, attention. This paper offers 2 solutions to avoid committing Type I errors associated with mediational tests. Most straightforward, investigators may choose to use a Bonferroni adjustment. In contrast, a design‐based approach can be used that tests rival explanations for the observed effects. Examples drawn from addiction research are provided.
12‐Step Approaches for the Dually Diagnosed: Mechanisms of Change
Authors: Bogenschutz Michael P.
Published: September 2007

Background:  Existing data indicate that 12‐step program involvement is associated with improved outcomes in the dually diagnosed, but there are questions concerning the magnitude and mechanisms of this effect in various dually diagnosed populations.

Methods:  Publications identified in a comprehensive review of the literature pertaining to 12‐step programs and patients with addictions and co‐occurring psychiatric disorders were reviewed for any content relevant to understanding the process of change involving dually diagnosed patients involved with 12‐step programs.

Results:  Dually diagnosed individuals attend 12‐step programs at rates comparable to the nondually diagnosed, although specific diagnoses may have some effect on attendance. The benefits of 12‐step attendance do not appear to be markedly different for those with psychiatric disorders. Specialized 12‐step programs could have benefits for the dually diagnosed over and above those of traditional 12‐step programs. Existing data suggest that nonspecific change mechanisms (self‐efficacy, social support) are similar to those found in the general AA literature.

Conclusions:  Based on existing data, the change mechanisms are broadly similar to those found in the general 12‐step literature, but additional factors related to mental illness may also play a significant role. Further work is necessary to test the components of this model and to achieve a firm empirical foundation for understanding the processes of 12‐step recovery in the dually diagnosed.
Reducing Past Harm Appraisals During Treatment Predicts Worse Substance Use Outcome
Authors: Muench Frederick , Morgenstern Jon
Published: September 2007

Background:  Appraisals of the past harm from substance use have been associated with increased motivation and treatment seeking behaviors. Harm appraisals are subjective evaluations of the harm caused by substance use and differ from traditional consequences measures which assess the occurrence of adverse events related to substance use. Although influencing these appraisals is a central component to most treatments, no studies have examined how changes in these appraisals during treatment influence outcome. The present study examined how changes in appraisals of the past harm from substance use over the course of treatment influence short‐ and long‐term substance use outcomes.

Methods:  Participants were 252 individuals seeking outpatient treatment for a substance use problem. Participants were assessed at treatment entry, end of treatment (13 weeks), and 9 months postbaseline. All participants were given a battery of measures that assessed substance use, consequences, self‐efficacy, motivation, treatment intensity, 12‐step affiliation, and appraisals of harm. Past harm change scores from baseline to end of treatment recoded into 3 groups: increased, remained the same, and decreased (reduced their perception of the harm from substance use).

Results:  Reductions in appraisals of past harm from baseline to end of treatment predicted lower PDA and higher objective consequences at end of treatment and 9‐month follow‐up. There were no significant differences in outcome between those who increased versus maintained harm appraisals from baseline to end of treatment. Higher treatment intensity and 12‐step affiliation were associated with fewer reductions in past harm appraisals.

Conclusions:  Results of the present study suggest subjective appraisals of the past harm from substance use wane for some people during treatment and that helping clients maintain or increase their perceptions of the past harm from substance use over the course of treatment is associated with better short‐ and long‐term outcomes.
Treatment Completion in a Brief Motivational Intervention in the Emergency Department: The Effect of Multiple Interventions and Therapists' Behavior
Authors: Baird Janette , Longabaugh Richard , Lee Christina S. , Nirenberg Ted D. , Woolard Robert , Mello Michael J. , Becker Bruce , Carty Kathleen , Allison Minugh P. , Stein Lynda , Clifford Patrick R. , Gogineni Aruna
Published: September 2007

Background:  The aim of this study was to identify therapist behaviors during a brief motivational intervention (BMI) given to injured emergency department patients that predicted participant return for a second BMI session and 12‐month alcohol‐related outcomes.

Method:  This was a secondary data analysis of a randomized controlled trial (n = 539) previously demonstrating that random assignment to a BMI and booster session resulted in a significant reduction of 12‐month postintervention alcohol‐related injuries and negative consequences relative to standard care.

Results:  Participants who actually received 2 BMI sessions had significantly less alcohol‐related negative consequences than those who received only 1 BMI session. Therapists who reported a higher focus on emotional support and low focus on participant drinking behaviors during the initial BMI session were more likely to have assigned participants return for the second BMI session.

Conclusion:  The results of these secondary analyses show that compliance with a 2‐session therapeutic intervention (BIB) predicted fewer negative alcohol‐related consequences, and that therapists’ supportive emotional emphasis during the first BMI session was important in predicting participants returning for the second MI session.
Perspectives and Future Directions
Authors: Morgenstern Jon
Published: September 2007

Background:  Mechanisms of behavior change (MOBC) in treating drinking problems is a topic of growing importance.

Methods:  This article identifies salient themes presented in talks during the first Annual RSA Satellite on Mechanisms of Behavior Change in Alcoholism Treatment.

Results:  Themes focused on the need to move beyond a passive approach to identifying MOBC in alcoholism treatment and a number of conceptual and methodological advances were proposed.

Conclusions:  While a consensus has emerged that more attention should be paid to MOBC in alcoholism treatment research, a subgroup of experts are calling for MOBC to be the primary focus in future efforts.
Modeling the Interaction Between Fly Ash and Lime Under Water Curing by an Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Maitra Saikat , Bandyopadhyay Narayan , Das Ananta K.
Published: September 2007

An artificial neural network was used to model the chemical interaction between fly ash and lime with different ratios in water‐cured compacts. As inputs for the model, different process parameters like pozzolanicity, surface area, unburnt carbon content of the ash samples, water‐curing periods, and the proportion of initial lime content in the fly ash–lime mixes were used. Free lime remaining in the compacts after different curing periods was used as the output parameter. A generalized feedforward back‐propagation three‐layered neural network model was used with a tanhyperbolic transfer function at both the input and the output layer with 400 exemplars. For the training data, after 3500 iterations, the error value was found to be the minimum for the prediction mode. When the model was tested for the test data, the difference between the actual value of the strength and the predicted value of the strength was found to be within ±15%.
Preparation of Al2O3Sheets from Nanosized Particles by Aqueous Tape Casting
Authors: Isobe Toshihiro , Hotta Yuji , Watari Koji
Published: September 2007

The ability of the wet jet milling method to pulverize nanosized alumina suspensions for sheet casting has been discussed from the point of view of particle–particle separation distance in the slurry. The amounts of polymer additives were optimized to give a stable, ready‐to‐cast slurry based on rheological measurements. Assuming that the polymers take on a sandwich configuration between particles poly (acrylic acid)/polyvinyl alcohol (surface/PAA/PVA/PAA/surface layers), then 9.1 nm, the calculated surface‐to‐surface separation distance (SSD) between particles could be taken as the criterion to prepare crack‐free sheets. Indeed, the sheets prepared from the slurries, satisfying the above condition, were crack free. However, for the slurries with less space between particles, due to the inability of PVA to bind them all, cracks were formed in the cast sheets. The agglomerated particles in the slurries also influenced the macroscopic behavior of the sheets. Therefore, a well‐dispersed slurry with a large enough SSD is necessary for the preparation of crack‐free ceramic sheets from nanosized particles.
C‐Axis Orientation of KSr2Nb5O15 Using a Rotating Magnetic Field
Authors: Tanaka Satoshi , Makiya Atsushi , Okada Takeshi , Kawase Tomoko , Kato Zenji , Uematsu Keizo
Published: September 2007

We fabricated c‐axis‐oriented KSr2Nb5O15 (KSN) ceramics using a rotating strong magnetic field with subsequent sintering. The degree of orientation of the green compact was about 0.1 for (00l), as evaluated from the Lotgering factor in X‐ray diffraction. The orientation of the structure was enhanced by sintering at 1673 K; the Lotgering factor of the sintered body increased to 0.8. Microstructural examination indicated a well‐oriented structure in which the longitudinal axes of the rectangular‐shaped grains were oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the magnetic field. KSN oriented on the a, b axes could be similarly fabricated using a strong static magnetic field.
Surface Modification of Al2O3/TiC Cutting Ceramics
Authors: Zimmermann Katrin , Schneider Gerold A. , Bhattacharya Anup K. , Hintze Wolfgang
Published: September 2007

Cutting ceramics with a graded TiC‐rich surface have been obtained by an in situ reaction. Al2O3/TiC ceramics, prepared by reaction sintering, have been subjected to various thermal posttreatments at atmospheric pressure. The temperature, dwelling time, and reaction atmosphere have been varied. It has been observed that a TiC‐rich surface develops in CO‐containing atmospheres. The microstructure of the bulk remains unaffected. Thermal treatment under a CO atmosphere at 1600°C for 1 h resulted in a dense TiC layer on the ceramic. A schematic model is proposed for this layer formation process.
Conversion of Bioactive Borosilicate Glass to Multilayered Hydroxyapatite in Dilute Phosphate Solution
Authors: Li Yadong , Rahaman Mohamed N. , Fu Qiang , Bal B. Sonny , Yao Aihua , Day Delbert E.
Published: September 2007

The conversion of a bioactive borosilicate glass in aqueous phosphate solution was observed to produce vastly different reaction kinetics and hydroxyapatite (HA) microstructures, depending on whether the glass was reacted continuously or intermittently in the solution. Particles (150–300 μm) of a borosilicate glass (designated H12) were reacted continuously or intermittently in 0.25M K2HPO4 solution with a starting pH value of 7.0 at 37°C. The conversion kinetics of the glass particles to HA were determined from weight loss measurements. Structural and compositional changes resulting from the conversion reaction were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. For conversion experiments carried out intermittently (12–24 h intervals, followed by drying), faster reaction kinetics and a unique multilayered microstructure, consisting of alternating layers of HA and an amorphous SiO2‐rich material with nearly uniform thickness (2–3 μm), were observed. On the other hand, particles reacted continuously in the phosphate solution for the same total time converted more slowly and produced a single HA layer. The kinetics and mechanism of forming HA under the intermittent and continuous reaction conditions are described and compared with those for bioactive silicate and borate glasses studied in previous work.
Clinical characteristics and microbiota of progressing slight chronic periodontitis in adults
Authors: Tanner Anne C. R. , Kent Ralph , Kanasi Eleni , Lu Shulin C. , Paster Bruce J. , Sonis Steven T. , Murray Lora A. , Van Dyke Thomas E.
Published: September 2007

Aim: This study sought clinical and microbial risk indicators for progressing slight periodontitis.

Material and Methods: One hundred and seventeen periodontally healthy or slight periodontitis adults (20–40 years) were monitored clinically at 6‐month intervals followed by supragingival cleaning. Inter‐proximal sites with >1.5 mm increase in clinical attachment over 18 months were considered disease active. Subgingival plaque was analysed by 78 16S rDNA and 38 whole‐genomic DNA probes and by PCR to Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia. Characteristics were compared between active and inactive subjects.

Results: Twenty‐two subjects showed disease activity principally at molars. Mean baseline gingival and plaque indices, bleeding on probing, probing depth and clinical attachment level (CAL) were higher in active subjects. DNA probes detected species and not‐yet‐cultivated phylotypes from chronic periodontitis, although few species were associated with active subjects. By PCR P. gingivalis (p=0.007) and T. forsythia (p=0.075) were detected more frequently during monitoring in active subjects. Stepwise logistic analysis associated baseline levels of gingival index, clinical attachment and bleeding with subsequent clinical attachment loss.

Conclusions: Gingivitis and CAL were significantly associated with progressing slight periodontitis in 20–40‐year‐old adults. Species associated with moderate and advanced chronic periodontitis were detected in slight periodontitis.
Severe periodontitis is associated with systemic inflammation and a dysmetabolic status: a case–control study
Authors: Nibali Luigi , D'Aiuto Francesco , Griffiths Gareth , Patel Kalpesh , Suvan Jean , Tonetti Maurizio S.
Published: September 2007

Background and Aim: A cluster of metabolic factors defines a syndrome that predisposes to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Chronic infections such as periodontitis might alter these individual metabolic factors and the systemic inflammatory burden. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between severe periodontitis and increase in inflammatory and metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Materials and Methods: We examined 302 patients with severe periodontitis and 183 healthy controls, and we collected a blood sample from each subject in order to investigate differences in inflammatory (leukocyte numbers and differential counts) and metabolic markers (lipids and glucose).

Results: After correcting for differences in age, gender, smoking and ethnicity, periodontitis subjects exhibited a low‐grade systemic inflammation (increased white cell counts, 1.10±1.02 × 109/l, 95%CI 1.05–1.15, p=0.0001), dyslipidemia [lower high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, 1.14±1.03 mmol/l, 95%CI 1.08–1.20, p<0.0001 and higher low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, 1.12±1.03, 95%CI 1.05–1.19, p<0.0001) and increased non‐fasting serum glucose levels (1.04±1.01 mmol/l, 95%CI 1.02–1.06, p=0.01) when compared with controls. The associations were confirmed in a subpopulation of Caucasian non‐smokers. A trend for a dose dependent effect of the number of periodontal pockets on the tested inflammatory and metabolic markers was observed.

Conclusions: These data suggest a possible link between severe generalized periodontitis, systemic inflammation and a dysmetabolic state in otherwise healthy individuals.
Hyper‐reactive PMNs in FcγRIIa 131 H/H genotype periodontitis patients
Authors: Nicu E. A. , Van der Velden U. , Everts V. , Van Winkelhoff A. J. , Roos D. , Loos B. G.
Published: September 2007

Background: Receptors for the Fc part of IgG (FcγRIIa) on polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) mediate phagocytosis and cell activation. Previous results show that one of the genetic variants of the FcγRIIa, the 131 H/H, is associated with more periodontal breakdown than the R/R. This may be due to hyper‐reactivity of the H/H‐PMNs upon interaction with bacteria.

Aim: To study whether the FcγRIIa genotype modifies the PMN reactivity in periodontitis patients.

Material and Methods: A cohort of 98 periodontitis patients was genotyped. From these, 10 H/H and 10 R/R consented to participate. PMNs were incubated with immune serum‐opsonized Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.). Phagocytosis, degranulation (CD63 and CD66b expression), respiratory burst and elastase release were assessed.

Results: Patients of the H/H genotype showed more bone loss than those with the H/R or R/R genotype (p=0.038). H/H‐PMNs phagocytosed more opsonized A.a. than did R/R‐PMNs (p=0.019). The H/H‐PMNs also expressed more CD63 and CD66b than did the R/R‐PMNs (p=0.004 and 0.002, respectively) and released more elastase (p=0.001).

Conclusions: The genotyping results confirm previous reports that more periodontal destruction occurs in the H/H genotype than in the H/R or R/R genotype. The functional studies indicate a hyper‐reactivity of the H/H‐PMN in response to bacteria, which may be one of several pathways leading to more periodontal breakdown.
Epidemiology and preventive direction of periodontology in China
Authors: Wang Qin‐Tao , Wu Zhi‐Fen , Wu Ya‐Fei , Shu Rong , Pan Ya‐Ping , Xia Jie‐Lai
Published: September 2007

Objective: The aim of this work was to estimate the present periodontal problems of people in China, based on an epidemiological investigation of adults.

Material and Methods: The data were collected from the northwest, southwest, northeast and east regions (400 subjects from each region) of China. All subjects were over 25 years of age. About half of the subjects were farmers and about half were urban professionals. Everyone was asked to fill out a questionnaire and to undergo a professional oral examination. Periodontal health status was evaluated by a simplified oral hygiene index (OHI‐S), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and tooth mobility.

Results: Of the 1590 subjects enrolled in this investigation, 45.7% were male, 45.5% were farmers, and the remaining were urban professionals, and 27.7% of the subjects were smokers. There was a significant difference in the educational background but not smoking between the rural and urban groups. While 34.9% of the subjects in the urban group brushed only once per day, 56.1% of the subjects in the rural group did so. The prevalence of bleeding during brushing was 71.1%, while about 61.4% of the subjects know nothing about scaling. All periodontal indices were significantly higher in males than in females and higher in the rural group than in the urban group. PD, CAL and tooth mobility increased with age. The percentage of sites with CAL>3 mm in the rural group (49.5%) was significantly higher than that in the urban group (37.5%). Both current and former smokers showed increased CAL than non‐smokers.

Conclusion: Gingivitis and periodontitis are common findings in China. Most Chinese have no knowledge of common periodontal prevention and treatment and very few have regular dental care. The data of this study suggest that age, smoking, and limited education are significantly associated with Chinese adult periodontal attachment loss. Preventive periodontal care and education should be reinforced in the future by establishing relevant oral health projects.
Evaluation of bone surface registration applying a micro‐needle array
Authors: Schicho Kurt , Seemann Rudolf , Cohen Vered , Traxler Hannes , Weinstein Uriel , Shohat Michal , Slovin Zvika , Figl Michael , Czerny Christian , Ewers Rolf , Tal Haim
Published: September 2007

Aim: In this study we present and evaluated a new registration technology for the jaw‐bone surface. It is based on a micromechatronic device for the generation of a “mechanical image” of the bone surface by means of an array of micro‐needles that are penetrating the soft tissue until they touch the surface of the bone. This “mechanical impression image” is aligned with the CT data set.

Material and Methods: Based on laboratory measurements on 10 specially prepared jawbone models we evaluate the accuracy of this new registration method.

Results: Our measurements of the 10 specimens revealed a maximum overall location error of 0.97 mm (range: 0.35–0.97 mm).

Conclusions: From the technical point of view the presented registration technology has the potential to improve the performance (i.e. accuracy and avoidance of errors) of the registration process for bony structures in selected applications of image‐guided surgery.
Gradients in periodontal status in Japanese employed males
Authors: Morita Ichizo , Nakagaki Haruo , Yoshii Saori , Tsuboi Shinji , Hayashizaki Junko , Igo Junko , Mizuno Kinichiro , Sheiham Aubrey
Published: September 2007

Aim: The objective was to assess whether there was a social gradient in periodontal status by job classification in Japanese male workers.

Material and Methods: Study participants were 15,803 Japanese male workers aged 20–69 years. There were seven groups classified by jobs. Oral examinations were conducted using community periodontal index (CPI).

Results: The percentages of sextants with a CPI score of 3 or 4 of professionals were significantly lower than for other job classes. The gradient also existed for the percentage of sextants with CPI score 4. After adjusting for age, a history of diabetes mellitus and smoking status, those lower on the gradient, namely, drivers, service occupations, salespersons and managers were 2.0, 1.5, 1.4 and 1.4, times, respectively more likely to have one or more sextants with CPI score 3 or 4 compared with professionals. Odds ratios of having more than one or more sextants with CPI score 4 after adjusting for age, clinical history of diabetes mellitus and smoking status for drivers, service occupations, salespersons and managers were 2.1, 1.5, 1.5 and 1.2, respectively, compared with professionals.

Conclusions: There was a gradient in periodontal status by job classification. Professional and office workers had better periodontal status than salespersons, service occupations and drivers.
Psychopharmacological treatment of dermatological patients – when simply talking does not help
Authors: Harth Wolfgang , Seikowski Kurt , Gieler Uwe , Niemeier Volker , Hillert Andreas
Published: September 2007

In dermatology, primary emotional disorders with cutaneous manifestations, secondary emotional disorders caused by dermatoses and multifactorial diseases are possible indications for the use of psychopharmaceuticals. Neuroleptics (anti‐psychotics) are usually used in psychiatric illnesses, while antidepressants are foremost in treating depression as well as obsessive‐compulsive, anxiety and panic disorders. Minor tranquilizers may be used sympto‐matically.

To define the indications for mid‐ and long‐term treatment with psychopharmaceuticals, the unequivocal diagnosis of the main and secondary psychiatric symptoms as well as the primary target symptoms must be designated. At the start of therapy planning, any possible desired and undesired side effects must be taken into account, such as stimulation, sedation, anticholinergic side effects or weight gain. The main antidepressants are the well‐tolerated selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) such as sertraline, fluoxetine or citalopram. A clear long‐term plan and how to monitor it must be discussed with patient carefully because of the need for individual dose titration and the late onset of action of many of these medications. Good results can be achieved in dermatologic patients requiring psychopharmaceuticals if the indications are carefully assessed and the therapy logically structured.
On the relativistic iron line and soft excess in the Seyfert 1 galaxy Markarian 335
Authors: O'Neill Paul M. , Nandra Kirpal , Cappi Massimo , Longinotti Anna Lia , Sim Stuart A.
Published: September 2007

We report a 133-ks XMM–Newton observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Markarian 335. The 0.4–12 keV spectrum contains an underlying power-law continuum, a soft excess below 2 keV, and a double-peaked iron emission feature in the 6–7 keV range. We investigate the possibility that the double-peaked emission might represent the characteristic signature of the accretion disc. Detailed investigations show that a moderately broad accretion disc line is most likely present, but that the peaks may be due to narrower components from more distant material. The peaks at 6.4 and 7 keV can be identified, respectively, with the molecular torus in active galactic nucleus unification schemes, and very highly ionized, optically thin gas filling the torus. The X-ray variability spectra on both long (∼100 ks) and short (∼1 ks) time-scales do not support the recent suggestion that the soft excess is an artefact of variable, moderately ionized absorption.
SIZE OF HOUSEHOLD FIREARM COLLECTIONS: IMPLICATIONS FOR SUBCULTURES AND GENDER*
Authors: WYANT BRIAN R. , TAYLOR RALPH B.
Published: September 2007

Recent work (Cook and Ludwig, 2003) has linked local firearm density to increased burglary victimization risk. The current work investigates within‐household gun density or household firearm collection size. Previous work has suggested two subcultures of gun owners: protection‐minded and sport‐ or hunting‐minded. It also has identified gender gaps in reporting any household guns and in the number reported. None of the earlier work, however, has controlled for selection into gun‐owning household status. This limitation raises potential questions about earlier findings. The current research controls for selection. If the two subcultures thesis is correct, protection‐minded owners should report smaller household firearm collections. The expected impact is observed in one national survey and is partially replicated in a second. Gender gaps seemed more independent than previously suggested. This study is the first to provide evidence of two partially overlapping subcultures of gun owners even after controlling for selection into gun‐owning household status. Practical implications for burglary risk may exist.
INCOME INEQUALITY, RACE, AND PLACE: DOES THE DISTRIBUTION OF RACE AND CLASS WITHIN NEIGHBORHOODS AFFECT CRIME RATES?*
Authors: HIPP JOHN R.
Published: September 2007

This study tests the effects of neighborhood inequality and heterogeneity on crime rates. The results of this study, which were obtained by using a large sample of census tracts in 19 cities in 2000, provide strong evidence of the importance of racial/ethnic heterogeneity for the amount of all types of crime generally committed by strangers, even controlling for the effects of income inequality. Consistent with predictions of several theories, greater overall inequality in the tract was associated with higher crime rates, particularly for violent types of crime. Strong evidence revealed that within racial/ethnic group inequality increases crime rates: Only the relative deprivation model predicted this association. An illuminating finding is that the effect of tract poverty on robbery and murder becomes nonsignificant when the level of income inequality is taken into account; this finding suggests that past studies that failed to take income inequality into account may have inappropriately attributed causal importance to poverty. This large sample also provides evidence that it is the presence of homeowners, rather than residential stability (as measured by the average length of residence), that significantly reduces the level of crime in neighborhoods.
THE LABELING OF CONVICTED FELONS AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR RECIDIVISM*
Authors: CHIRICOS TED , BARRICK KELLE , BALES WILLIAM , BONTRAGER STEPHANIE
Published: September 2007

Florida law allows judges to withhold adjudication of guilt for individuals who have been found guilty of a felony and are being sentenced to probation. Such individuals lose no civil rights and may lawfully assert they had not been convicted of a felony. Labeling theory would predict that the receipt of a felony label could increase the likelihood of recidivism. Reconviction data for 95,919 men and women who were either adjudicated or had adjudication withheld show that those formally labeled are significantly more likely to recidivate in 2 years than those who are not. Labeling effects are stronger for women, whites, and those who reach the age of 30 years without a prior conviction. Second‐level indicators of county characteristics (e.g., crime rates or concentrated disadvantage) have no significant effect on the adjudication/recidivism relationship.
SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND INSTRUMENTAL CRIME: ASSESSING THE EMPIRICAL VALIDITY OF CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY ANOMIE THEORIES*
Authors: BAUMER ERIC P. , GUSTAFSON REGAN
Published: September 2007

This research assesses the empirical validity of the classic anomie theory articulated by Robert Merton and the important contemporary extension of his work encompassed in Messner and Rosenfeld's institutional anomie theory. Using a unique aggregate‐level data set, our empirical investigation reveals that, consistent with theoretical expectations, instrumental crime rates are significantly higher in areas where both a strong commitment to monetary success goals and a weak commitment to legitimate means exist. The tendency for this “goals/means” value complex to translate into higher rates of instrumental crime is reduced in the context of higher levels of welfare assistance and more frequent socializing among families. We also find that low levels of educational and economic attainment and high levels of inequality enhance the degree to which commitment to monetary success translates into instrumental crime. Overall, the findings are supportive of some claims by classic and contemporary anomie theories, but also they point to the need for further refinement of these perspectives and additional assessments of their empirical validity.
THE TIMING AND MECHANISMS OF THE OFFENDING‐DEPRESSION LINK*
Authors: SIENNICK SONJA E.
Published: September 2007

Why is juvenile delinquency associated with depression in young adulthood? One possibility is that delinquency interferes with socioeco‐nomic attainment and disrupts entry into adult roles, perhaps because of official labeling processes or adolescent socialization into deviance, and these repercussions of delinquency lead to depression. Another possibility is that grown delinquents may show high levels of depression because they tend to offend in adulthood, and adult offenders tend to be depressed. I use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine the timing and mechanisms of the offending‐depression relationship. The results suggest that delinquency is negatively associated with later status attainment and that the status attainment deficits of grown delinquents are not fully explained by justice system contacts or by adolescent delinquent peer influence. A portion of the longitudinal delinquency‐depression link is explained by the low levels of education of grown delinquents and by their involvement with the justice system. Still, young adult depression is more closely tied to recent offending than it is to juvenile delinquency, official labeling, or the status attainment consequences of delinquency.
Birth, Retreat and Renaissance: The Lifecycle of Balance under the Canadian Copyright Law
Authors: Al‐Sharieh Saleh
Published: September 2007

Currently, Canadian copyright law is not merely the law of authors. It acknowledges the rights of copyright holders and users as a means to a more valuable end, which is the public interest. The principle correlating such values is the principle of “balance”, which the Supreme Court of Canada has frequently endorsed as a purpose of the Copyright Act in many leading cases, namely Théberge, CCH, SOCAN and, very recently, Robertson. Because none of the mentioned cases discussed the origin or evolvement of balance, this article focuses on the lifecycle of this principle and the circumstances that have impacted its evolution. The article concludes that balance is not merely a contemporary judicial policy, but a doctrine rooted in Canadian copyright law that has gone through a lifecycle of birth, retreat and renaissance. Therefore, any prospective reform to the Canadian Copyright Act ought to consider articulating this principle explicitly as a legislative purpose. The article further concludes that legal reasons as well as a matrix of historical, economic, social, cultural and technological reasons are behind the recent emphasis on balance.
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture within the Current Legal Regime Complex on Plant Genetic Resources
Authors: Gerstetter Christiane , Görlach Benjamin , Neumann Kirsten , Schaffrin Dora
Published: September 2007

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) entered into force in 2004. It is the most recent piece in the current regime complex on plant genetic resources. However, wherever there are several legally binding international agreements dealing with at least partially overlapping issues, a conflict between them may arise. Such conflicts narrow the leeway that parties to more than one of the treaties have for implementation and may thus also reduce the treaties' potential for reaching their objectives. Against this backdrop, this article investigates the legal relationships between the ITPGRFA, on the one hand, and the Agreement on Trade‐Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, the Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on the other. It arrives at the conclusion that there are no conflicts between the ITPGRFA and any of those treaties at present, while negotiations conducted currently in the framework of the World Intellectual Property Organization and the CBD need carefully to avoid creating such legal conflicts.
Hepatocellular carcinoma in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Ding‐Shinn
Published: September 2007

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is common in Taiwan. The age‐adjusted incidence rates have been increasing, from approxiimately 15/100 000 in the 1980s to approximately 30/100 000 recently. The main causes are chronic hepatitis B and C infections, with >90% of patients positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti‐HCV). Before 1990, approximately 80% of patients with HCC were positive for HBsAg. The infection is mainly from perinatal mother‐to‐infant transmission. HCV is the second important cause, accounting for approximately 70% of HBsAg negative patients. Overall, 5–10% patients have infections of both viruses. In HBsAg negative–anti‐HCV negative patients, polymerase chain reaction assay still reveals the key role of HBV. Epidemiologic studies also reveal the important role of HBV. In a nested case‐control study, cumulative incidence of HCC was 10% after nine years of follow‐up in hepatitis B e‐antigen (HBeAg) positive carriers, with a relative risk of 60.2 compared to 9.6 in HBeAg negative carriers. The role of high viral load was confirmed when another community‐based prospective study of 3644 HBsAg carriers stratified by serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels correlated well with the occurrence of HCC, especially in carriers with levels >105 copies/mL. Genotype C infection contributed more to hepatocarcinogenesis than genotype B. Although HBV is dominant in causing HCC, in the last two decades the relative importance of HCV has changed. The proportion of anti‐HCV positive cases has increased. In some areas of southern Taiwan where HCV infection is rampant, HCV‐associated HCC have surpassed HBV‐associated cases. To control hepatitis B, a mass neonatal vaccination program against hepatitis B was launched in 1984. The HBsAg carrier rate decreased from the historical 15–20% to < 1% after vaccination. Most importantly, annual incidence of childhood HCC has decreased from 0.67 to 0.19/100 000 children. To control hepatitis C, besides interrupting the transmission routes and screening blood donors with anti‐HCV, treatment with interferon and ribavirin was implemented on a national basis in 2003. Through these efforts, virally‐induced HCC will be controlled in 20–30 years, and a decrease of approximately 85% is anticipated by 2040. Then, HCC will not be commonly seen in Taiwanese people, and the major cause of HCC will be non‐viral factors that lead to cirrhosis, such as non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis.