bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Maternal anxiety and ultrasound markers for aneuploidy in a multiethnic population
Authors: Lee M. J. , Roman A. S. , Lusskin S. , Chen D. , Dulay A. , Funai E. F. , Monteagudo A.
Published: December 2006

Objective

Discussion of isolated ultrasound (US) markers for fetal aneuploidy can provoke significant patient anxiety. The objective of this study is to quantify maternal anxiety associated with the detection of these markers.

Methods

All patients undergoing routine second‐trimester US examination for fetal anatomical survey over a one‐year period were administered the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) for Adults before and after the procedure. Women with isolated fetal markers for aneuploidy were notified of the findings but discouraged from pursuing amniocentesis. Rates of normal US examination, aneuploidy markers, anomalies, amniocentesis, and pregnancy outcomes were assessed across the ethnic groups. Pre‐ and post‐ultrasound STAI surveys were scored and standardized with previously established norms. Student t‐tests, Chi‐square, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used where appropriate.

Results

Among the 798 patients tested, 57% were Hispanic, 30% were Asian, 6% were Black, and 7% were White. Maternal anxiety level was decreased in women after a normal US. The anxiety level increased with aneuploidy markers and was the highest with anomalies. Aneuploidy markers were more common among Hispanic and Asian fetuses, without any associated aneuploidy. Women with isolated aneuploidy markers underwent amniocentesis as often as women with advanced maternal age.

Conclusion

The detection and communication of isolated aneuploidy markers is associated with increased maternal anxiety and unnecessary amniocentesis. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Management of small‐for‐gestational‐age twins with absent/reversed end diastolic flow in the umbilical artery: outcome of a policy of daily biophysical profile (BPP)
Authors: Kennelly Máiréad M. , Sturgiss Stephen N.
Published: December 2006

Objectives

To evaluate a strategy of daily biophysical profile (BPP) for pregnancies with small‐for‐gestational‐age twins and with absent or reversed end diastolic flow (AREDF) in the umbilical artery of one twin and to assess the latency interval between detection and delivery in monochorionic (MC) and dichorionic (DC) twin pregnancy.

Methods

A search of the Fetal Medicine Database was carried out between 2000 and 2005 at a single tertiary centre to identify all cases with AREDF in the umbilical artery with one small‐for‐gestational‐age twin. Active monitoring with daily BPP was undertaken, once the estimated fetal weights (EFW) was ≥ 500 g and at a gestational age of ≥ 24 weeks in both twins. Delivery was timed on the basis of an abnormal BPP, two equivocal BPP within 12 h or gestational age of ≥ 32+0 weeks.

Results

Twenty‐two MC and 17 DC twin pregnancies were identified. There were no fetal losses in the viable actively monitored MC (19) and DC (13) twins. There was a longer latency interval in the MC group at 21.7 days versus 14.4 days in the DC group (p = 0.13). Delivery was indicated for an abnormal BPP (57.8% MC vs 30.8% DC).

Conclusions

A strategy of daily BPP can be used to monitor preterm twin fetuses with AREDF, prolonging pregnancy with an acceptable perinatal outcome. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Major brain lesions by intrauterine herpes simplex virus infection: MRI contribution
Authors: Duin L. K. , Willekes C. , Baldewijns M. M. L. , Robben S. G. F. , Offermans J. , Vles J.
Published: December 2006

The majority of neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) infections are acquired at birth as a consequence of direct fetal contact with the infected birth canal or through an ascending infection after premature rupture of the amniotic membranes. Intrauterine transmission of HSV infection from mother to the fetus is rare; in only 5% of the cases it occurs from haematogenous transplacental dissemination.

We present a case of transplacental intrauterine HSV infection after a primary maternal HSV infection in the first trimester of pregnancy. The diagnosis was assessed by viral culture and serologic tests. Ultrasound imaging revealed fetal brain damage in the third trimester. Finally, the MRI showed the devastating extensiveness of the HSV infection, which was beyond the expectation based on the ultrasound images. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Spectroscopic and theoretical investigation of capillary‐induced keto–enol tautomerism of phenacyl benzoylpyridinium‐type photoinitiators
Authors: Yonet Nihan , Bicak Niyazi , Yurtsever Mine , Yagci Yusuf
Published: December 2006

Phenacyl benzoylpyridinium (PBP) salts are effective photoinitiatiors for cationic polymerization. In this study, it is shown that PBP salts are stable in their keto forms, and undergo a reversible keto–enol tautomerization reaction when a capillary action is applied. Spectroscopic and theoretical methods are used to explain the existence of the enol forms in the capillary tube. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry Society of Chemical Industry
Dispersion of soybean stock‐based nanofiber in a plastic matrix
Authors: Wang Bei , Sain Mohini
Published: December 2006

The focus of this work is the study of the dispersion mechanism of soybean stock‐based nanofibers in a plastic matrix. The cellulose nanofibers were extracted from soybean stock by chemo‐mechanical treatments. These are bundles of cellulose nanofibers with a diameter ranging between 50 and 100 nm and lengths of thousands of nanometers. These nanofibers were characterized by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. X‐ray diffraction studies showed that the soybean stock nanofibers had a relative percentage crystallinity of about 48%. Selective chemical treatments increased the cellulose content of soybean stock nanofibers from 41 to 61%. The matrix polymers used in this project were poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and polyethylene (PE). The mechanical properties of nanofiber‐reinforced PVA film demonstrated a 4‐ to 5‐fold increase in tensile strength, as compared to the untreated fiber‐blend‐PVA film. One of the problems encountered in the use of nanoreinforcements lies in the difficulty in ensuring good dispersion of the filler in the composite material. Improved dispersion level of nanofibers within a thermoplastic was achieved by adding ethylene‐acrylic oligomer emulsion as a dispersant. In the solid phase of nanofiber‐blend‐PE composites, the compression‐molded samples showed that improved mechanical properties were achieved with coated nanofibers. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Low‐temperature photopolymerization and post‐cure characteristics of acrylates
Authors: Gao Xia , Nie Jun
Published: December 2006

Near‐infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the post‐cure characteristics of acrylates polymerized from − 75 °C up to room temperature. The results obtained showed that the double bond conversion increased with increasing initiator concentration. Post‐cure was much more striking for samples cured at lower temperatures. The chemical structure of monomer and photoinitiator had a great effect on the post‐cure process. The greater the functionality, the lower the final double bond conversion and the more distinct the post‐cure effect. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry Society of Chemical Industry
Copolymerization of propylene with p‐allyltoluene using metallocene catalysts
Authors: Wu Chunhong , Li Huayi , Feng Yuqi , Hu Youliang
Published: December 2006

Copolymerization of propylene with p‐allyltoluene (p‐AT) was performed using two metallocene catalysts, rac‐ethylenebis(indenyl)zirconium dichloride and rac‐dimethylsilylenebis[1‐(2‐methyl‐4‐phenylindenyl)]zirconium dichloride. The effects of the polymerization conditions, such as the amount of p‐AT in the feed and polymerization temperature, on the properties of the copolymers and the activity of the catalysts were investigated. With increasing p‐AT feed, the incorporation of p‐AT increased, but the activity of the metallocene catalyst, the melting temperature (Tm) and the number‐average molecular weight of the copolymers decreased. Higher polymerization temperature tended to enhance the activity of the metallocene catalyst and the incorporation of p‐AT. The copolymers produced using the two metallocene catalysts were characterized with 1H NMR, 13C NMR and differential scanning calorimetry; the results showed that the copolymers had a random structure. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry Society of Chemical Industry
Structural protein analysis of the polyvalent staphylococcal bacteriophage 812
Authors: Eyer Luděk , Pantůček Roman , Zdráhal Zbyněk , Konečná Hana , Kašpárek Petr , Růžičková Vladislava , Hernychová Lenka , Preisler Jan , Doškař Jiří
Published: December 2006

Phage 812 is a polyvalent phage with a very broad host range in the genus Staphylococcus, which makes it a suitable candidate for phage therapy of staphylococcal infections. This proteomic study, combining the results of both 1‐DE and 2‐DE followed by PMF, led to the identification of 24 virion proteins. Twenty new proteins, not yet identified by proteome analysis of closely related staphylococcal phages K and G1 were identified using this approach. Fifteen proteins were assigned unambiguously to the head–tail genome module; the remaining nine proteins are encoded by genes of the left or right arms of the phage genome. As expected, the most abundant proteins in the electrophoretic patterns are the major capsid protein, the major tail sheath protein and proteins identical to ORF 50 and ORF 95 of phage K, although their function is only putative. Identification of these 20 new proteins contributes substantially to a detailed characterization of phage virions, knowledge of which is necessary for rational phage therapy.
Overexpression of CLIC1 in human gastric carcinoma and its clinicopathological significance
Authors: Chen Chi‐De , Wang Chia‐Siu , Huang Ya‐Hui , Chien Kun‐Yi , Liang Ying , Chen Wei‐Jan , Lin Kwang‐Huei
Published: December 2006

Gastric cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide and the fifth leading cause of cancer‐related death in Taiwan. Identification of biomarkers is essential to improve patient survival. Fifty aberrantly expressed proteins were identified using 2‐DE combined with MALDI TOF MS and were grouped based on their function. The overexpression of proteins was confirmed using real‐time quantitative RT‐PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemical analysis. The clinicopathological correlations and prognostic significance of these aberrantly expressed proteins were evaluated to determine the novel gastric cancer biomarkers. In this study, expression of chloride intracellular channel 1 (CLIC1) is significantly up‐regulated in 67.9% of gastric patients and was selected for further study. The CLIC1 expression in tumor tissues was increased by 1.95‐fold (range, 0.01–6.19‐fold) compared with that expressed by adjacent noncancerous mucosa. Elevated CLIC1 expression was strongly correlated with lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, perineural invasion, and pathological staging. Additionally, the 5‐year survival rate for the low CLIC1 expression group (n = 28; <1.72‐fold) was higher than that for the high CLIC1 expression group (n = 28; ≥1.72‐fold) (log rank, p = 0.0300). Experimental results indicate that overexpression of CLIC1 is a potential prognostic marker for gastric cancer.
Kinetic analysis of the cross reaction between dithioester and alkoxyamine by a Monte Carlo simulation
Authors: Ao Yong , He Junpo , Han Xueqin , Liu Yang , Wang Xiaojun , Fan Deqin , Xu Jiangtao , Yang Yuliang
Published: December 2006

A model reaction of dithioester and alkoxyamine is proposed to probe the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) process. The kinetics of the model reaction is analyzed and compared with that of pure alkoxyamine homolysis with a Monte Carlo simulation. Although the pure alkoxyamine obeys the law of persistent radical effect, the model reaction results in higher concentration of the persistent radical during the main period of the reaction. However, for a very fast RAFT process or a very low addition rate constant, the time dependence of the persistent radical concentration is quite close to that of pure alkoxyamine. Furthermore, the cross termination between the intermediate and alkyl radicals causes a retardation effect for the model reaction when the intermediate is relatively long‐lived. The Monte Carlo simulation indicates that it is feasible to measure the individual rate constants of the RAFT process, such as the rate constant of addition, with a large excess of alkoxyamine. In addition, the special feature of the system with different leaving groups in the alkoxyamine and dithioester is also discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 374–387, 2007
Antitumor effects of Osthol fromCnidium monnieri: an in vitroandin vivo study
Authors: Chou Szu‐Yuan , Hsu Chun‐Sen , Wang Kun‐Teng , Wang Min‐Chieh , Wang Ching‐Chiung
Published: December 2006

Cnidium monnieri(L.) Cusson is a Chinese medicine which is used widely by traditional medicine doctors. Osthol is a major bio‐activity compound of the herb. In this study, osthol was isolated fromC. monnieriand itsin vitroandin vivoantitumor effects studied. The results of thein vitrostudy showed: that osthol inhibited the growth of HeLa, in a time‐ and concentration‐dependent manner, with IC50values of 77.96 and 64.94 µmfor 24 and 48 h, respectively; that osthol had lower cytotoxic effects in primary cultured normal cervical fibroblasts; and that increased DNA fragmentation and activated PARP in HeLa after treatment with osthol which could induce apoptosis. The results of thein vivomodel showed that the survival days of the P‐388 D1 tumor‐bearing CDF1mice were prolonged (ILS% = 37) after osthol (30 mg/kg) was given once a day for 9 days. Based on these results, it is suggested that osthol could inhibit P‐388 D1 cellsin vivoand induce apoptosis in HeLa cellsin vitro, and that osthol is good lead compound for developing antitumor drugs. However,C. formosanumYabe of Taiwan's endemic plants contained little osthol, with no imperatorin, and its major components were different from that ofC. monnieri. Therefore, it is suggested thatC. formosanumalso may possess economic worth. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils from two species of Eucalyptus
Authors: Sartorelli Patrícia , Marquioreto Alexandre Donizete , Amaral‐Baroli Adriana , Lima Marcos Enoque L. , Moreno Paulo Roberto H.
Published: December 2006

The leaf‐essential oil from Eucalyptus robusta and E. saligna, the latter in two phenologic stages, were analysed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). The major constituent in E. robusta oil was the monoterpene α‐pinene (73.0% of the total amount). The oil composition of the E. saligna was dependent of the phenologic stage. In the vegetative phase, the major constituents were p‐cymene (54.2%) and γ‐terpinene (43.8%), while during the blossoming α‐pinene became the major constituent followed by p‐cymene (22.5%). Additionally, the antimicrobial activity for all three oils was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. The E. robusta oil presented the highest growth inhibition for all the microorganisms tested. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Power analyses for longitudinal study designs with missing data
Authors: Tu X. M. , Zhang J. , Kowalski J. , Shults J. , Feng C. , Sun W. , Tang W.
Published: December 2006

Existing methods for power analysis for longitudinal study designs are limited in that they do not adequately address random missing data patterns. Although the pattern of missing data can be assessed during data analysis, it is unknown during the design phase of a study. The random nature of the missing data pattern adds another layer of complexity in addressing missing data for power analysis. In this paper, we model the occurrence of missing data with a two‐state, first‐order Markov process and integrate the modelling information into the power function to account for random missing data patterns. The Markov model is easily specified to accommodate different anticipated missing data processes. We develop this approach for the two most popular longitudinal models: the generalized estimating equations (GEE) and the linear mixed‐effects model under the missing completely at random (MCAR) assumption. For GEE, we also limit our consideration to the working independence correlation model. The proposed methodology is illustrated with numerous examples that are motivated by real study designs. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A mixed methods analysis of the effects of an integrative geobiological study of petrified wood in introductory college geology classrooms
Authors: Clary Renee M. , Wandersee James H.
Published: December 2006

Mixed methods research conducted across three semesters in introductory college geology classes (n = 187, 190, 138) attempted to ascertain whether integrated study of petrified wood could serve as a portal to improved student geobiological understanding of fossilization, geologic time, and evolution. The Petrified Wood Survey™ was administered as a preinstructional and postinstructional assessment in control and experimental classes; the experimental class received integrated petrified wood instruction. Paired t tests of differences in students' pre‐ and postinstructional scores for control and experimental groups revealed significance (α = 0.05, effect size = 0.79, confidence interval 0.56–1.01). The students with integrative study showed greater knowledge gains about petrified wood's abundance, properties, nature, location, and geologic time. However, understanding of fossilization geochemistry remained problematic for both groups. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 1011–1035, 2007
Maternal cardiac function in early pregnancies with high uterine artery resistance
Authors: Prefumo F. , Sharma R. , Brecker S. J. D. , Gaze D. C. , Collinson P. O. , Thilaganathan B.
Published: December 2006

Objective

To compare the maternal cardiac function and serum concentration of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) in first‐trimester patients, according to uterine artery Doppler velocimetry (UADV).

Methods

This cross‐sectional study included singleton pregnancies with normal UADV (n = 17) and abnormal UADV (n = 19). Maternal echocardiography was performed and blood samples were taken at 11–14 weeks. Echocardiographic parameters included: (a) left ventricular (LV) long axis velocities; (b) atrial size; (c) LV filling pressure; (d) the ratio of peak mitral flow velocity in early diastole and early mitral annular diastolic velocity (E/Ea ratio); and (e) the E/flow propagation velocity ratio. The maternal serum concentrations of cTnT and NT‐proBNP were determined by sensitive and specific immunoassays.

Results

Patients with abnormal UADV had higher estimated left ventricular filling pressure (P = 0.004), higher E/Ea ratio (P = 0.03), higher E/flow propagation ratio (P = 0.02), and lower LV long axis velocity (P = 0.02) than those with normal UADV. There were no significant differences in the maternal serum concentration of cTnT or NT‐proBNP.

Conclusions

Patients with abnormal UADV in the first trimester have higher left ventricular filling pressure and may have left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Copyright © 2006 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Posterior Vertebral Column Resection for VATER/VACTERL Associated Spinal Deformity: A Case Report
Authors: Cunningham Matthew E. , Charles Gina , Boachie-Adje Oheneba
Published: December 2006

The VATER/VACTERL association is a syndrome notable for congenital vertebral malformations, anal atresia, cardiovascular anomalies, tracheoesophageal fistula, esophageal atresia, and renal or limb malformations. Vertebral malformations may include the entire spectrum of congenital spinal deformities, including kyphosis, as was seen in this case. A 14-year-old girl presented to our institution with severe rigid sagittal deformity in the thoracolumbar spine that had recurred following three prior spinal fusion surgeries: the first posterior only, the second anterior and posterior, and the third a posterior only proximal extension. These surgeries were performed to control progressive kyphosis from a complex failure of segmentation that resulted in a 66° kyphosis from T11 to L3 by the time she was 9 years old. Our evaluation revealed solid arthrodesis from the most recent procedures with resultant sagittal imbalance, and surgical options to restore balance included anterior and posterior revision spinal fusion with osteotomies, multiple posterior extension osteotomies with circumferential spine fusion, and posterior vertebral column resection with circumferential spine fusion. She was advised that multiple posterior extension osteotomies would likely be insufficient to restore sagittal balance in the setting of solid arthrodesis from anterior and posterior surgery, and that the posterior-only vertebral column resection would provide results equivalent to revision anterior and posterior surgery, without the morbidity of the anterior approach. She successfully underwent posterior vertebrectomy and circumferential spinal fusion with instrumentation and is doing well 2 years postoperatively. Severe rigid sagittal deformity can be effectively managed with a posterior-only surgical approach, vertebrectomy, and circumferential spinal fusion with instrumentation.
Phoniatric provision and training: current European perspectives
Authors: Rubin J S , Wendler J , Woisard V , Dejonckere P H , Wellens W , Kotby N
Published: December 2006

Communication disorders represent a major and growing problem worldwide. In Europe, the specialty of phoniatrics has developed partly in response to this important issue. This article reviews training and workforce issues in phoniatrics and raises key questions and issues that need resolution in the future.
Effect of RNA interference targeting human telomerase reverse transcriptase on telomerase and its related protein expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells
Authors: Wang Yan , Duan Hong-Gang , Chen Shi-Ming , Xiao Bo-Kui , Cheng Jie , Tao Ze-Zhang
Published: December 2006

Objective: Analysis of the correlation between telomerase and the expression of its related proteins may provide insight into the molecular mechanism of nasopharyngeal carcinogenesis. We investigated the effect of short hair pin ribonucleic acid (RNA) specific for human telomerase reverse transcriptase messenger RNA on the expression of the proteins c-myc (the transcription factor c-myc is a shortlived nuclear phospho-protein involved in cell proliferation and differentiation, belongs to the myc family), proliferating cell nuclear antigen and Caspase-3 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

Methods: Short hairpin RNA expression vectors targeting the messenger RNA of human telomerase reverse transcriptase were constructed. Cells were treated with the short hairpin RNA expression vectors targeting human telomerase reverse transcriptase or vectors that included mismatched short hairpin RNA, and telomerase activity was measured by telomeric repeat amplification enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cell viability was examined using the 3-(4,5-dimethyl thizol-2-yl) 2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. The expression of the three proteins (c-myc, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and Caspase-3) was determined by Western blotting.

Results: Short hairpin RNA specific for human telomerase reverse transcriptase messenger RNA significantly inhibited telomerase activity. In addition, the expression of and proliferating cell nuclear antigen were both inhibited, while the expression of Caspase-3 was up-regulated.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that short hairpin RNA directed against human telomerase reverse transcriptase inhibits cell viability by regulating telomerase activity and its related proteins expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Therefore, RNA interference technology may be a promising strategy for the treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer.
Rhinitis due to food allergies: fact or fiction?
Authors: Malik V , Ghosh S , Woolford T J
Published: December 2006

Food allergy is often thought to be a cause of rhinitis by patients, whose views are frequently influenced by information obtained from the Internet. The incidence of food allergy in children is 2–8 per cent, although a vast majority will grow out of it, and food allergy is actually very rare in adults. Food allergy usually presents with multi-system involvement, most commonly cutaneous and gastrointestinal symptoms. Food allergy induced rhinitis is less common, and isolated rhinitis due to food allergy is extremely rare. Treatment for rhinitis due to food allergy is therefore rarely indicated.

This review summarises the literature related to the incidence, diagnosis and management of food allergy and food allergy induced rhinitis.
Whitehead's varnish nasal pack
Authors: Lim M , Lew-Gor S , Sandhu G , Howard D , Lund V J
Published: December 2006

Whitehead's varnish is a little known but excellent nasal packing agent. We review available literature on the historical aspects and clinical use of Whitehead's varnish. Our personal experience with Whitehead's varnish is described, and we strongly recommend its use.
Encouraging the nascent cognitive neuroscience of repression
Authors: Anderson Michael C. , Levy Benjamin J.
Published: December 2006

Repression has remained controversial for nearly a century on account of the lack of well-controlled evidence validating it. Here we argue that the conceptual and methodological tools now exist for a rigorous scientific examination of repression, and that a nascent cognitive neuroscience of repression is emerging. We review progress in this area and highlight important questions for this field to address.
Parenting, not religion, makes us into moral agents
Authors: Beit-Hallahmi Benjamin
Published: December 2006

The universal early experience of all humans, which means being totally dependent on caretakers who attempt to inculcate impulse control, should be considered as the psychological framework for the creation of significant supernatural agents. The same early experiences put us at the center of a moral universe, but there is no necessary connection between the two processes. We do not need disgruntled ancestors to make us behave; disgruntled parents will do.
The illusion of repressed memory
Authors: Bonanno George A.
Published: December 2006

Erdelyi's unified theory includes the idea that traumatic memories can be unconsciously repressed so that they are enduringly inaccessible to deliberate recall. I argue here that clinical evidence for repressed memory is illusory, and illustrate this claim by examining previous studies of putative repressed memories and also recent research on nonverbal behaviors among survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Ecological variability and religious beliefs
Authors: Cohen Adam B. , Kenrick Douglas T. , Li Yexin Jessica
Published: December 2006

Religious beliefs, including those about an afterlife and omniscient spiritual beings, vary across cultures. We theorize that such variations may be predictably linked to ecological variations, just as differences in mating strategies covary with resource distribution. Perhaps beliefs in a soul or afterlife are more common when resources are unpredictable, and life is brutal and short.
The social psychology of cognitive repression
Authors: Freyd Jennifer J.
Published: December 2006

Erdelyi identifies cognitive and emotional motives for repression, but largely neglects social motivations. Yet social pressure to not know, and implicit needs to isolate awareness in order to protect relationships, are common motives. Social motives may even trump emotional motives; the most painful events are sometimes the most difficult to repress. Cognitive repression may be impacted by social information sharing.
Production of supernatural beliefs during Cotard's syndrome, a rare psychotic depression
Authors: Cohen David , Consoli Angèle
Published: December 2006

Cotard's syndrome is a psychotic condition that includes delusion of a supernatural nature. Based on insights from recovered patients who were convinced of being immortal, we can (1) distinguish biographical experiences from cultural and evolutionary backgrounds; (2) show that cultural significance dominates biographical experiences; and (3) support Bering's view of a cognitive system dedicated to forming illusory representations of immortality.
Forging a link between cognitive and emotional repression
Authors: Fujiwara Esther , Kinsbourne Marcel
Published: December 2006

Erdelyi distinguishes between cognitive and emotional forms of repression, but argues that they use the same general mechanism. His discussion of experimental memory findings, on the one hand, and clinical examples, on the other, does indeed indicate considerable overlap. As an in-between level of evidence, research findings on emotion in neuroscience, as well as experimental and social/personality psychology, further support his argument.
Evidence for early dualism and a more direct path to afterlife beliefs
Authors: Estes David
Published: December 2006

Ample evidence for dualism in early childhood already exists. Young children have explicit knowledge of the distinction between mental and physical phenomena, which provides the foundation for a rapidly developing theory of mind. Belief in psychological immortality might then follow naturally from this mentalistic conception of human existence and thus require no organized cognitive system dedicated to producing it.
A case of stunted development? Existential reasoning is contingent on a developing theory of mind
Authors: Evans E. Margaret , Wellman Henry M.
Published: December 2006

Missing from Bering's account of the evolutionary origins of existential reasoning is an explicit developmental framework, one that takes into account community input. If Bering's selectionist explanation was on target then one might predict a unique and relatively robust developmental trajectory, regardless of input. Evidence suggests instead that children's existential reasoning is contingent on their developing theory of mind.
On the continuing lack of scientific evidence for repression
Authors: Hayne Harlene , Garry Maryanne , Loftus Elizabeth F.
Published: December 2006

The forgetting and remembering phenomena that Erdelyi outlines here have little to do with the concept of repression. None of the research that he describes shows that it is possible for people to repress (and then recover) memories for entire, significant, and potentially emotion-laden events. In the absence of scientific evidence, we continue to challenge the validity of the concept of repression.
Autism, language, and the folk psychology of souls
Authors: Flusberg Stephen , Tager-Flusberg Helen
Published: December 2006

Anecdotal evidence suggests that people with autism, with known impairments in mechanisms supporting a folk psychology of mind or souls, can hold a belief in an afterlife. We focus on the role language plays, not just in acquiring the specific content of beliefs, but more significantly, in the acquisition of the concept of life after death for all people.
Repression: A unified theory of a will-o'-the-wisp
Authors: Kihlstrom John F.
Published: December 2006

By conflating Freudian repression with thought suppression and memory reconstruction, Erdelyi defines repression so broadly that the concept loses its meaning. Worse, perhaps, he fails to provide any evidence that repression actually happens, and ignores evidence that it does not.
The supernatural guilt trip does not take us far enough
Authors: Gjersoe Nathalia L. , Hood Bruce M.
Published: December 2006

Belief in souls is only one component of supernatural thinking in which individuals infer the presence of invisible mechanisms that explain events as paranormal rather than natural. We believe it is important to place greater emphasis on the prevalence of supernatural beliefs across other domains, if only to counter simplistic divisions between rationality and irrationality recently aligned with the contentious science/religion debate.
Universal repression from consciousness versus abnormal dissociation from self-consciousness
Authors: Kunzendorf Robert G.
Published: December 2006

Freud attributed uncovered incest, initially, to real abuse dissociated from self-consciousness, and later, to wishes repressed from consciousness. Dissociation is preferred on theoretical and empirical grounds. Whereas dissociation emerges from double-aspect materialism, repression implicates Cartesian dualism. Several studies suggest that abnormal individuals dissociate trauma from self-conscious source-monitoring, thereby convincing themselves that the trauma is imaginary rather than real, and re-experience the trauma as an unbidden image.
Souls do not live by cognitive inclinations alone, but by the desire to exist beyond death as well
Authors: Greenberg Jeff , Sullivan Daniel , Kosloff Spee , Solomon Sheldon
Published: December 2006

Bering's analysis is inadequate because it fails to consider past and present adult soul beliefs and the psychological functions they serve. We suggest that a valid folk psychology of souls must consider features of adult soul beliefs, the unique problem engendered by awareness of death, and terror management findings, in addition to cognitive inclinations toward dualistic and teleological thinking.
Is Erdelyi's swan a goose?
Authors: Macmillan Malcolm
Published: December 2006

Erdelyi's argument for integrating clinical data on repression, mainly Freudian, with laboratory findings suffers from logical and factual errors concerning Freudian repression and about experiments on forgetting.
Let Freud rest in peace
Authors: McNally Richard J.
Published: December 2006

Erdelyi's version of repression – trying successfully not to think about something – is no longer recognizably Freudian. Erdelyi fails to cite directed forgetting experiments involving psychiatric patients that indicate that the motivation to forget threatening material seldom translates into an ability to do so. The early Freud of the seduction theory of hysteria did inspire the recovered memory fiasco.
Transcendental self-organization
Authors: Johnson Carl N. , Nyhof Melanie
Published: December 2006

Bering makes a good case for turning attention to an organized system that provides the self with transcendental meaning. In focusing on the evolutionary basis of this system, however, he overlooks the self-organizing properties of cognitive systems themselves. We propose that the illusory system Bering describes can be more generally and parsimoniously viewed as an emergent by-product of self-organization, with no need for specialized “illusion by design.”
Six feet over: Out-of-body experiences and their relevance to the folk psychology of souls
Authors: Kemmerer David , Gupta Rupa
Published: December 2006

During an out-of-body experience (OBE), one sees the world and one's own body from an extracorporeal visuospatial perspective. OBEs reflect disturbances in brain systems dedicated to multisensory integration and self-processing. However, they have traditionally been interpreted as providing evidence for a soul that can depart the body after death. This mystical view is consistent with Bering's proposal that psychological immortality is the cognitive default.
Social incoherence and the narrative construction of memory
Authors: Pintar Judith , Lynn Steven Jay
Published: December 2006

By shifting the focus of analysis from forgetting and remembering to interpreting and making-meaning, Erdelyi allows theoretical consideration of repression to move beyond the heuristic assumption that personal memory is necessarily private memory. In this commentary, repression is considered to be a collective process in which memories are shaped by the need for coherence between individual and social narratives.
From repression and attention to culture and automaticity
Authors: Raz Amir , Fabrega Horacio
Published: December 2006

Erdelyi grants “repression” emotional and cognitive qualities that can modulate consciousness and probably overlap with what is typically attributed to “attention.” Such a broad appellation of repression explains virtually all behavior and lacks specificity. Repression and attention elucidate behavior in different clinical, cognitive, and cultural contexts. Refining these influences, we identify a few lacunae in Erdelyi's account.
Towards a post-Freudian theory of repression: Reflections on the role of inhibitory functions
Authors: Schmidt Ralph E. , Linden Martial Van der
Published: December 2006

Although Freud's merits may be readily acknowledged in the year of his 150th birthday, recent findings on repression-related phenomena cannot be accommodated by his classic conception, on which Erdelyi's theory is built. This point is illustrated by discussing the role of inhibitory processes. The unified theory of repression should be elaborated to generate falsifiable predictions on the reported phenomena.
Do children think of the self as the soul?
Authors: Nichols Shaun
Published: December 2006

Bering's work provides new insight into the child's concept of the self. For his results indicate that children don't regard bodily identity as required for identity of self across time. Bering's methodology for investigating afterlife beliefs might also be exploited to explore the extent to which children think that psychological similarity is required for sameness of self.
No evidence of a specific adaptation
Authors: Pyysiäinen Ilkka
Published: December 2006

Bering's findings about the mental representation of dead agents are important, although his opposition between “endemic” and “cultural” concepts is misleading. Endemic and cultural are overlapping, not exclusive categories. It is also diffcult to see why reasoning about the dead would require a specific cognitive mechanism. Bering presents no clear evidence for the claim that the postulated mechanism is an adaptation.
Repression, suppression, and oppression (in depression)
Authors: Shahar Golan
Published: December 2006

Erdelyi's two key tenets – that repression may be conscious (“suppression”) and that it is context-sensitive – resonate well with findings on unipolar depression. Drawing from this field, I argue that (1) “oppression,” namely, pressure from significant others to refrain from attending to certain mental contents, influences individuals' repression/suppression; and that, (2) individuals actively create the very contexts that facilitate their repression/suppression.
An unconstrained mind: Explaining belief in the afterlife
Authors: Robbins Philip , Jack Anthony I.
Published: December 2006

Bering contends that belief in the afterlife is explained by the simulation constraint hypothesis: the claim that we cannot imagine what it is like to be dead. This explanation suffers from some difficulties. First, it implies the existence of a corresponding belief in the “beforelife.” Second, a simpler explanation will suffice. Rather than appeal to constraints on our thoughts about death, we suggest that belief in the afterlife can be better explained by the lack of such constraints.
Resolving repression
Authors: Smith Steven M.
Published: December 2006

The feuding factions of the memory wars, that is, those concerned with the validity of recovered memories versus those concerned with false memories, are unified by Erdelyi's theory of repression. Evidence shows suppression, inhibition, and retrieval blocking can have profound yet reversible effects on a memory's accessibility, and deserve as prominent a role in the recovered memory debate as evidence of false memories. Erdelyi's theory shows that both inhibitory and elaborative processes cooperate to keep unwanted memories out of consciousness.
Reasoning about dead agents: A cross-cultural perspective
Authors: Whitehouse Harvey
Published: December 2006

Jesse Bering's theory of the “folk psychology of souls” is brilliantly elucidated and warrants further empirical investigation. While additional experimental research is certainly required, we also need to interrogate the evidence on reasoning about dead agents in a wide range of real-world settings.
The cognitive science of souls: Clarifications and extensions of the evolutionary model
Authors: Bering Jesse M.
Published: December 2006

The commentaries are a promising sign that a research programme on the cognitive science of souls will continue to move toward empirical and theoretical rigor. Most of the commentators agree that beliefs in personal immortality, in the intelligent design of souls, and in the symbolic meaning of natural events can provide new insight into human social evolution. In this response I clarify and extend the evolutionary model, further emphasizing the adaptiveness of the cognitive system that underlies these beliefs.
Micropatterned Biopolymer 3D Scaffold for Static and Dynamic Culture of Human Fibroblasts
Authors: Figallo Elisa , Flaibani Marina , Zavan Barbara , Abatangelo Giovanni , Elvassore Nicola
Published: December 2006

During in vivo tissue regeneration, cell behavior is highly influenced by the surrounding environment. Thus, the choice of scaffold material and its microstructure is one of the fundamental steps for a successful in vitro culture. An efficacious method for scaffold fabrication should prove its versatility and the possibility of controlling micro‐ and nanostructure. In this paper, hyaluronic acid 3D scaffolds were developed through lamination of micropatterned membranes, fabricated after optimization of a soft‐lithography method. The scaffold presented here is characterized by a homogeneous hexagonal lattice with porosity of 69%, specific surface area of 287 cm‐1, and permeability of 18.9 μm2. The control over the geometry was achieved with an accuracy of 20 μm. This technique allowed not only fabrication of planar 3D scaffolds but also production of thin wall tubular constructs. Mechanical tests, performed on dry tubular scaffolds, show high rupture tensile strength. This construct could be promising not only as engineered vascular grafts but also for regeneration of skin, urethra, and intestinal walls. The biocompatibility of a 3D planar scaffold was tested by seeding human fibroblasts. The cells were cultured in both static and dynamic conditions, in a perfusion bioreactor at different flow rates. Microscope analysis and MTT test showed cell proliferation and viability and a uniform cell distribution likely due to an appropriate lattice structure.
The Adriatic Sea ecosystem seasonal cycle: Validation of a three‐dimensional numerical model
Authors: Polimene L. , Pinardi N. , Zavatarelli M. , Colella S.
Published: December 2006

A three‐dimensional coupled biogeochemical‐circulation numerical model was implemented in the Adriatic Sea. The biogeochemical part of the model is a development of the European Seas Regional Ecosystem Model (ERSEM II), while the circulation model is the Adriatic Sea implementation of the Princeton Ocean Model (POM). The model was run under climatological monthly varying atmospheric and river runoff forcing in order to reproduce seasonal circulation and biochemical processes. Simulated chlorophyll, nutrient, and plankton biomass and distributions were analyzed and compared with the data coming from a historic in situ data set and a newly constructed chlorophyll climatological data set from SeaWiFS. Model reproduction of the chlorophyll seasonal cycle is, at least qualitatively, in good agreement both with the remote sensing and the in situ data. However, larger production than observed is simulated during the late winter and spring, probably due to inadequate knowledge of the nutrient inputs. Comparison between simulated nutrients and observations shows a general underestimation for orthophosphate and orthosilicate, while nitrate is mostly overestimated. The shape of the nutrient‐simulated profiles is in qualitatively good agreement with observations in the central and southern part of the basin. The analysis of the ratio between the large (>20 μm) and small (<20 μm) phytoplankton biomass and between the bacteria and phytoplankton biomass shows that the Western Adriatic Coastal Current is not only a physical frontal structure but also an ecosystem front, where larger phytoplankton grow on the coastal side while smaller ones are present offshore where the microbial loop is the dominant food web.
Transport of spring floodwater from rivers under ice to the Alaskan Beaufort Sea
Authors: Alkire Matthew B. , Trefry John H.
Published: December 2006

Spring floods carry Alaskan river water north to a frozen Beaufort Sea. A plume of water from the Sagavanirktok River (SR) was identified and traced by measuring salinity, δ18O, and dissolved silica in discrete water samples collected beneath landfast ice in the coastal Alaskan Beaufort Sea from late May to early June 2004 during high river flow. An Optimum Multiparameter analysis was used to calculate the fractions of SR water from the measured geochemical parameters. The SR plume followed the northwestward flowing local circulation and moved ∼17 km north and ∼15 km west under ice from the river mouth. The river plume was ∼1–1.5 m thick beneath the ice and flowed above a persistent halocline in the top 2.5 m of the water column. The calculated volume of SR water beneath the ice on 2 June was ∼0.5 km3, approximately 50% of the river discharge during the study period. The volume of water that was not accounted for was assumed to flow above the ice canopy or was not captured during the study. Interactions of SR water with another under‐ice plume from the Kuparuk River resulted in increased northward transport of both freshwater discharges.
A rising tide lifts all phytoplankton: Growth response of other phytoplankton taxa in diatom‐dominated blooms
Authors: Barber R. T. , Hiscock M. R.
Published: December 2006

Oceanic phytoplankton assemblages composed predominantly of picophytoplankton respond to the onset of favorable growth conditions with diatom‐dominated blooms, the formation of which involves characteristic growth and accumulation responses by both diatoms and the ambient nondiatom community. Contrary to conventional wisdom, both groups of phytoplankton increase in growth rates and absolute abundance, but the biomass increase of the ambient nondiatom assemblage is modest, especially compared to the order of magnitude or more increase of diatom biomass. This enormous proportional increase in diatom biomass has fostered the misconception that diatoms replace the nondiatom taxa by succession as the bloom matures. However, while the relative abundance of the nondiatom taxa decreases dramatically, their absolute biomass increases modestly and the specific growth rate of picophytoplankton in the bloom increases; at the same time, protistan grazing rate also increases, holding the picophytoplankton assemblage in the bloom to a new steady state biomass concentration. Recent evidence for the ubiquity of the additive response pattern in pelagic diatom blooms comes from observations in many oceanic regions where equatorial upwelling, eddy dynamics, tropical instability waves, and oceanic iron‐addition experiments have allowed documentation of the biological response to rapid onset of favorable nutrient, micronutrient or light conditions. The response of diatoms to these favorable conditions is well known; this report offers a more accurate description of the response of the ambient nondiatom taxa to rapid onset of favorable conditions. Realistic representation of the growth dynamics of both the diatoms and nondiatoms in blooms is required to improve forecasting of how future conditions will affect processes that control carbon recycling and export.