bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prescreening Hydraulic Lime-Binders for Disordered Calcite in Caesarea Maritima: Characterizing the Chemical Environment Using FTIR
Authors: Asscher Yotam , van Zuiden Aliza , Elimelech Chen , Gendelman Peter , ‘Ad Uzi , Sharvit Jacob , Secco Michele , Ricci Giulia , Artioli Gilberto
Published: April 2020

Hydraulic lime binders are considered a technological marvel which revolutionized construction techniques in antiquity. The core material is made of a binder that is a mixture of calcite and hydraulic phases, which are amorphous silicate compounds that nanostructurally polymerize into insoluble phases that harden even underwater, formed during the reaction between lime and reactive silicates such as volcanic ash. This is also what makes hydraulic lime so hard to radiocarbon (14C) date. These insoluble phases contain carbonates that may set centuries following their application, resulting in younger ages, which may contaminate the calcite fraction that is favorable for 14C dating. This calcite fraction forms upon the incorporation of atmospheric carbon dioxide during the setting of the hydrated lime. Therefore, different characterization methods are being constantly developed for identifying and characterizing the components of hydraulic lime-binders. In this work, we present a rapid characterization technique based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) that characterizes the atomic disorder and chemical environment of the carbonates and silicates fractions in the binder. The atomic disorder of the calcite crystallites was determined by the ν2 and ν4 vibrational modes, and the silicates were characterized by the main peak asymmetry and full width at half maximum (FWHM). Different hydraulic binders from Caesarea Maritima were examined, including Herodian mortars from the underwater breakwater and on-land plasters and mortars from the portʼs warehouse and vaults. Hydraulic binders, in which the calcite fraction in the binder shows atomic disorder that is comparable to modern plaster binders, was associated with silicates that have asymmetry and FWHM of clays and quartz. These materials are considered to be in good preservation state for 14C dating since their carbonates crystallites are disordered and did not interact with the environment chemically to form stable and ordered crystals. Interestingly, the atomic disorder of binders that underwent chemical alterations and recrystallization processes, are associated with reactive silicates aggregates such as volcanic ash (pozzolana). These results suggest a new way to prescreen materials for radiocarbon dating based on the composition of lime-binders and preservation state of the carbonate fraction and hydraulic products.
THE SECOND MINIMUM/MAXIMUM VALUE OF THE NUMBER OF CYCLIC SUBGROUPS OF FINITE -GROUPS
Authors: LAZOREC MIHAI-SILVIU , SHEN RULIN , TĂRNĂUCEANU MARIUS
Published: April 2020

Let $C(G)$ be the poset of cyclic subgroups of a finite group $G$ and let $\mathscr{P}$ be the class of $p$-groups of order $p^{n}$ ($n\geq 3$). Consider the function $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}:\mathscr{P}\longrightarrow (0,1]$ given by $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}(G)=|C(G)|/|G|$. In this paper, we determine the second minimum value of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$, as well as the corresponding minimum points. Since the problem of finding the second maximum value of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ has been solved for $p=2$, we focus on the case of odd primes in determining the second maximum.
A Critical Juncture in Fiscal Federalism? Canada's Response to COVID-19
Authors: Béland Daniel , Lecours André , Paquet Mireille , Tombe Trevor
Published: April 2020

The COVID-19 crisis could trigger a critical juncture for several institutional arrangements in Canada, potentially leading to notable changes in fiscal federalism. This research note combines insights from historical institutionalism with recent economic and fiscal projections to explore avenues for reform in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Given the magnitude of the crisis, provincial governments may be unable to absorb the fiscal costs on their own. But vast differences in fiscal and economic circumstances across provinces make federal arrangements difficult to design. We argue that intergovernmental power dynamics and the principle of provincial autonomy are particularly important considerations in thinking about fiscal federalism post–COVID-19.
The learning curve for endoscopic tympanoplasties: a single-institution experience, in Birmingham, UK
Authors: Baruah P , Lee J D E , Pickering C , de Wolf M J F , Coulson C
Published: April 2020

Objective

This study aimed to assess whether increasing operative experience results in better surgical outcomes in endoscopic middle-ear surgery.

Methods

A retrospective single-institution cohort study was performed. Patients underwent endoscopic tympanoplasty between May 2013 and April 2019 performed by the senior surgeon or a trainee surgeon under direct supervision from the senior surgeon. Following data collection, statistical analysis compared success rates between early (learning curve) surgical procedures and later (experienced) tympanoplasties.

Results

In total, 157 patients (86 male, 71 female), with a mean age of 41.6 years, were included. The patients were followed up for an average of 43.2 weeks. The overall primary closure rate was 90.0 per cent.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates an early learning curve for endoscopic ear surgery that improves with surgical experience. Adoption of the endoscopic technique did not impair the success rates of tympanoplasty.
Review Essay: Capitalism, Inequality, and Meritocracy
Authors: Bird Colin
Published: April 2020

Trying to judge capitalism and the social forms it has brought into being is a bit like asking adolescents to assess puberty as they are going through it. We instinctively recognize that we are living through a particular phase in our development; we notice an expansion of our powers as well as recurrent problems attending their exercise; we find our concerns, attention, and aspirations reoriented in various ways; and our attitudes to our situation swing wildly between optimism, nostalgia, rebellion, exhilaration, and dejection. Similarly, we are uncertain about which aspects of market-saturated social arrangements will turn out to be temporary aberrations rather than permanent fixtures, and wonder constantly whether we must simply learn to cope with their effects, or should instead actively strive to master them. Above all, like the anxieties of adolescence, our assessments are haunted by vanity: Should we be proud or ashamed of what we are becoming and making of ourselves? Since, in one way or another, they address the adequacy of capitalist social forms, the three books under discussion all give voice, and in some cases respond, to these anxieties. They nonetheless belong to very different genres.
Chronic major depressive episode and dysthymia: comparison of demographic and clinical characteristics
Authors: Cassano GB , Savino M
Published: April 2020

In an attempt to better delineate demographic and clinical characteristics of mild chronic depressions, 46 outpatients fulfilling DSM III-R criteria for dysthymia were compared with patients suffering from a chronic major depressive episode. The profile obtained from our dysthymic sample matches with those reported by other authors. The comparison between “minor” and major chronic depression was also carried out by subdividing these latter into unipolar - recurrent and single episode - and bipolar depression. Dysthymics showed a bipolar family history closer to that of bipolar chronic major depressives which was significantly higher than that recorded in the other sub-categories.
Lists of integrated criteria for the evaluation of taxonomy
Authors: Guerrero J
Published: April 2020

The systems or lists that make up diagnostic criteria proposed by both classical and modern authors, as well as the usual national or international classifications constitute diagnostic instruments which allow: 1), classification of patients into the most homogeneous groups possible, according to absent-present criteria; 2), research on the propensity for certain criteria to appear, and on their stability; 3), a polydiagnostic approach, not limited to any one reference diagnostic system; 4), a group of psychiatrists to establish the capacity to construct empirical criteria for diagnosis and diagnostic-differential criteria of one or several nosological entities. If this group of psychiatrists is notably representative of a certain country or set of countries, these criteria allow for means of validation of the very empirical criteria established, as well as of the systems and classifications that integrate the instrument used, with their points of agreement and disagreement; 5), the establishment of a correspondence between empirical criteria and conceptual criteria, with predictions as to the application and way of using a new classification or of proposed projects, from the overall perspective of an empirical-conceptual relationship.
Drug disposition and switch process: an attractive hypothesis
Authors: Toutoungi M , Richard J
Published: April 2020

Two cases of bipolar psychosis presented a rapid manic switch following administration of tricyclic antidepressants. In both cases the oxidation capacity was genetically deficient. The role of oxidation deficit is discussed in the pathogenesis of switch process and preventive measures are considered.
Cloze Procedure and Type Token Ratio: an aid to diagnosis
Authors: Damba BD , Burner S , Lôo H
Published: April 2020

Disturbances in the verbal communication patterns of manic and schizophrenic patients have been identified as two tools borrowed from quantitative linguistics: the Cloze Procedure and the Type Token Ratio (TTR). The Cloze Procedure, which measures the communicability of a message, consists of suppressing systematically every “nth” word of a text and in asking raters to try and guess the missing words. The Cloze Score of each text is then evaluated. The TTR measures the index of repetitiveness of a text or, in other words, its verbal richness. The degree of communicability, or overall comprehension, and the index of verbal richness are obtained through the analysis of a corpus of oral texts which have been recorded and transcribed. The patients are all paired with suitable controls. It was shown that low Cloze Scores (CS) and low TTR identify schizophrenic patients, whereas low CS and high TTR indicate a manic state. Control subjects show both high CS and high TTR. These results suggest that the Cloze Procedure linked with TTR can provide substantial aid to the differential diagnosis of mania and schizophrenia.
Autobiographical memory and major depressive states
Authors: Puffet A , Jehin-Marchot D , Timsit-Berthier M , Timsit M
Published: April 2020

The Autoradiographical Memory Test elaborated by Williams and Scott (1988) consists of presenting positive and negative cue words to subjects, and asking them to retrieve specific personal memories in response to each cue in under 60 s. This method was applied to 20 subjects who met the DSM III criteria for Major Depressive Episode, and 20 volunteers paired for age (± 3 years), sex and instructional level. In general, our data confirm the results obtained by Williams and Scott (1988): the number of specific memories is significantly lower in depressive patients than in control subjects, especially in response to positive cues.
Swedish experiences with the structured clinical interview for the positive and negative syndrome scale for schizophrenia (SCI-PANSS)
Authors: von Knoiring L , Lindstrüm E
Published: April 2020

Already at the end of the 19th century, Hughlings-Jackson suggested that positive symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions should be kept apart from negative symptoms such as anhedonia and reduced energy in all psychoses. Both Kreapelin and Bleuler regarded the negative symptoms as fundamental in schizophrenia while the positive symptoms were regarded as being accessory, accompanying the disorder. This view was maintained for 60 years (table 1) until Schneider (1959) introduced the “first rank symptoms”, all of them positive. Schneider never advocated that these symptoms should be a sufficient basis for a diagnosis of schizophrenia. In any case, the “first rank Symptoms” have been included in most later diagnostic systems (table 1).
Panic and asthma: a dangerous mislabeling
Authors: Shavitt RG , Gentil V , Croce J
Published: April 2020

A case is presented in which asthma and panic disorder co-existed, and in which the mislabeling of the latter as the former proved dangerous.
Dysfunctional attitudes in depressed and non-depressed substance abusers: an exploratory study
Authors: Calache J , Martinez R , Verhulst SJ , Bourgeois M , Peyre F
Published: April 2020

The authors examined whether substance abusers have more maladaptive thinking patterns than controls. The Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS) was administered to 38 substance abusers and 30 healthy age-matched controls. Nineteen substance abusers (50%) were depressed and 19 were non-depressed. Both depressed and non-depressed substance abusers had significantly higher DAS scores than controls. Depressed substance abusers had higher scores than non-depressed substance abusers. There was no correlation between age, sex, age of onset or the nature of the substance used and DAS scores in either group of patients. There was a trend for an elevation of DAS scores with chronicity of dependence among depressed substance abusers. The results support the hypothesis of the presence of maladaptive thinking patterns among substance abusers, and suggest a need for further exploration of their cognitive styles and of the use of cognitive therapy in the treatment of addiction.
Lifetime prevalence of depression and family history of patients with panic disorder and social phobia
Authors: Bellodi L , Battaglia M , Diaferia G , Draisci A , Sciuto G
Published: April 2020

We assessed the lifetime prevalence of major depression in a sample of 145 patients with a current diagnosis of panic disorder and/or social phobia. The prevalenee tended to be higher in patients with both diagnoses. Patients with panic disorder and social phobia had an earlier onset of the former condition. Familial rates of panic were higher in patients with pure panic disorder, and the rate of depression was increased in relatives of probands who had a lifetime diagnosis of depression.
Quantitative measurement of depression through speech analysis
Authors: Talavera JA , Sáiz-Ruiz J , García-Toro M
Published: April 2020

Looking for a substantial increase in the reliability and validity of voice analysis measurements in depression, we have developed a new experimental paradigm. The paradigm is based on two vocal tasks with different levels of cognitive processing and a baseline verbal task. It has been applied to 40 subjects, 20 patients with affective disorders and 20 normal individuals. We have found that an important set of vocal parameters, at different intervals, discriminates patients from normal subjects. Here, we discuss four of them – those that have been especially consistent; the patients had longer reaction times, a higher proportion of relative spectral energy (at a very low frequency band), narrower fundamental frequency range and higher proportion of omissions. Under the proposed paradigm, the acoustic analysis could be a promising instrument for the development of quantitative indicators of depression.
Transcultural approach of depression. Comparative study of the diagnostic performance of the dexamethasone suppression test in São Paulo (Brazil) and Liège (Belgium)
Authors: Lucchesi LM , Fernandes MH , Silva Junior N , Yazigi L , Ansseau M , Timsit-Berthier M
Published: April 2020

We compared the rate of DST non-suppression in two samples of 26 Brazilian and 26 Belgian female depressive patients, matched for age, diagnostic subtype and severity of depression. This rate was significantly lower in São Paulo than in Liège (P = 0.04). The differences observed in DST can be explained by the complexity of familial, personal and clinical factors. A role of a latitude effect through melatonin secretion on adrenocortical function of depressed patients is also suggested.
Is “cannabis psychosis” a distinct category?
Authors: Thornicroft G , Meadows G , Politi P
Published: April 2020

Forty-five cases of psychotic patients with admission urinalysis positive for cannabis were compared with psychotic controls without evidence of cannabis use. Cases and controls were matched for age, sex and year of admission, and were compared for socio-demographic data, circumstances of admission, diagnosis, and symptoms at admission. Three differences were found: cases were more likely to be Afro-Caribbean than white (P = 0.01), to manifest incoherence of speech (P= 0.02) and agitation (P= 0.01). In other respects the case and control groups were indistinguishable, and no pattern of symptoms characterised the “cannabis psychosis“group. These findings do not support the view that “cannabis psychosis” has a distinct psycho-phenomenological pattern Epidemiological studies are required to further clarify the association for psychotic patients between Afro-Caribbean ethnic groups and the likelihood of having a positive urine test for cannabis.
Pharmacological treatment of extreme self-injurious behavior in autism
Authors: Knabe R , Bovier P
Published: April 2020

Two autistic patients suffering from extreme cases of self-injurious behavior received an association of a sedative neuroleptic, a β-adrenoceptor blocking agent and an opiate antagonist. Within a few weeks after introduction, self-injurious behavior ended. Both patients have been followed-up for more than two years and have not relapsed.
Norepinephrinergic antidepressants may increase self-injurious behavior in autistic syndromes
Authors: Krabe R , Bovier P
Published: April 2020

There have been many contradictory reports on the effectiveness of antidepressant drug treatments in autistic syndromes with sell-injurious behavior (SIB). We report a retrospective case study in which norepinephrinergic antidepressants (inhibitors of the re-uptake of norepinephrine) increased SIB each time they were administered.
Comorbidity of bipolar disorder and bulimia nervosa
Authors: Verdoux H , Mury M , Bourgeois M
Published: April 2020

The association of eating disorders and bipolar disorders is less documented than the well-established association of eating disorders and unipolar depression. However, epidemiological studies have demonstrated an increased risk for bipolar disorders, especially bipolar II, in bulimic patients. We report the case of a patient displaying such a morbid association.
Platelet serotonin decrease in panic disorder with obsessive compulsive symptoms
Authors: Servant D , Bailly D , Perret C , Vignau J , Parquet PJ
Published: April 2020

Platelet 5-HT levels were determined by fluorescent orthophthaldehyde assay in 33 panic disorder patients with and without obsessive compulsive symptoms (PD + OCS: n = 16; PD-OCS: n = 17) according to DSM III-R criteria, and compared With those of 38 healthy controls. Mean platelet levels were significantly lower in PD + OCS than in PD-OCS patients. The results are discussed in relation to serotonergic dysfunction linked to PD and OCS comorbidity.
The thyrotropin-releasing hormone test: some statistical considerations
Authors: de Mendonca Lima CA , Vandel S , Bizouard P
Published: April 2020

Final conclusions and data comparisons from the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) test results are made difficult by differences in test implementation methods,ie, TRH different administration routes, dosages and blood sampling times. A number of statistical analyses are feasible, which may also influence test interpretation. The authors review some types of statistical analyses and suggest using the area under curve (AUC) method as a means of evaluation. The TRH test was performed before treatment and after a 5-day wash-out period, in 40 depressed patients hospitalized in the Psychiatric Unit of Besancon Teaching Hospital (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besançon). Variation analyses performed by peak and threshold comparison (7.0 IµU/ml) and by the AUC method (386 IµU/ml) in positive and negative patients revealed some statistical differences.
A follow-up study on anorexia nervosa: clinical features and diagnostic outcome
Authors: Santonastaso P , Pantano M , Panarotto L , Silvestri A
Published: April 2020

Thirty-one patients, 30 girls and 1 boy, who had suffered from anorexia nervosa, were re-evaluated at a minimum of 4 years (mean 7.6 years) after onset. Follow-up information was based on a semi-structured interview and 2 self-evaluation questionnaires, EAT-26 (1979) and HSCL-90 (1976). As well as using the Garfinkel and Garner criteria (1977) for assessing outcome, 2 psychiatrists independently evaluated the psychiatric state using DSM III criteria. The results demonstrated that 54.8% of the sample had a positive and 45% (including 3 deaths) a poor outcome. Of the 25 subjects interviewed, 20% presented chronic anorexia. Seventy-two percent, on the other hand, showed an evolution in clinical diagnosis, meeting the criteria for a mental disorder other than anorexia nervosa: Affective Disorders (40%), Somatoform Disorder (16%), Anxiety Disorder (12%), and Bulimia (8%). Two variables were significant, in terms of poor long-term prognosis: a larger number of hospitalizations for anorexia and an unsatisfactory educational and/or vocational adjustment at presentation.
Subjective effects of modafinil, a new central adrenergic stimulant in healthy volunteers: a comparison with amphetamine, caffeine and placebo
Authors: Warot D , Corruble E , Payan C , Weil JS , Puech AJ
Published: April 2020

The subjective, behavioral and physiological effects of modafinil (300 mg PO) a new central adrenergic stimulant, were compared with those of dextroamphetamine (15 mg PO), caffeine (300 mg PO) and placebo in a randomized double-blind cross-over study. Sixteen healthy volunteers participated in the study y: 8 males and 8 females with no history of drug abuse and moderate use of caffeine. Subjective and behavioral effects were studied using the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI), Profile of Mood States (POMS) and Visual Analog Scales before and 1, 2, 4 and 8 h post single oral dosing. Results showed that subjective effects of modafinil (300 mg) differed markedly from those of dextroamphetamine (15 mg). They were close to those produced by caffeine (300 mg). These results indicate that modafinil (300 mg) does not possess amphetamine-like subjective effects in a healthy population. If subjective feelings are related to drug abuse liability, it could be assumed that modafinil, at the dose used in therapeutics, does not possess any abuse liability comparable to amphetamine.
Clonidine test and MMPI scales in major depression: state or trait markers ?
Authors: Hansenne M , Pitchot W , Gonzalez Moreno A , von Frenckell R , Ansseau M
Published: April 2020

The relationship between growth hormone (GH) response to clonidine and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was assessed in 20 major depressive inpatients. GH response to clonidine was negatively correlated with the depression, the psychasthenia as well as the social introversion MMPI scale scores, and positively correlated with the hypomania scale scores. In contrast, the Carroll depression scale did not exhibit any relationship with either GH response to clonidine or MMPI depression scale. These findings support the role of the clonidine test and several MMPI scales as trait markers for depressive illness.
Effects of light treatment on circadian rhythmicity in seasonal affective disorder
Authors: Partonen T , Appelberg B , Kajaste S , Partinen M , Härmä M , Laitinen J
Published: April 2020

Twelve outpatients with seasonal affective disorder were treated by 1-h morning bright light exposure for 5 days. The light treatment intervention produced a significant phase advance of self-rated sleepiness rhythm, a significant decrease of the mean level of subjective sleepiness, and a significant reduction of depression scores. No significant objective circadian rhythm phase shift nor amplitude changes would account for the antidepressant effect.
The opiate system inGilles de la Tourettesyndrome: diverse effects of naltrexone treatment
Authors: Müller N , Putz A , Straube A
Published: April 2020

The main symptoms ofGilles de la Tourettesyndrome (GTS) are motor and vocal tics, but there are also several psychiatric disturbances such as obsessive compulsive symptoms (OCD) and mutilations. The etiology and pathophysiology of this basal ganglia disorder are unknown. Though many patients benefit from therapy with dopamine antagonists, the effect is often insufficient. Therapeutic efficacy of the opiate antagonist naltrexone has been described in recent years. Ten patients (three f, seven m) with GTS were invesitgated in a seven-week, open dose-response trial, using naltrexone in doses ranging from 12.5 mg to 200 mg/day. The severity of the GTS symptoms were rated with the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and theTourette SyndromeGlobal Scale (TSGS); OCD was estimated by the Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (MOCI). The course of tics and psychopathology was assessed by three self-report scales, and two scales rated by clinicians (Clinical Global Impression, CGI; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, BPRS). Only two patients showed improvement of the GTS. In four patients, no effect was observed, whereas the other four patients exhibited deterioration. One patient finished the complete trial, three patients dropped out because of lack of improvement, and four because of deterioration of the symptoms. Considering the mean values, no improvement of GTS could therefore be observed, and because of the unpredictable effect, the study was stopped after ten patients. Nevertheless, the effects were quite controversial. The opiate system seems to be affected only in some of the GTS patients in a clinically relevant manner, and opiate antogonists can either improve or provoke GTS symptoms. Pathophysiologically different subgroups of GTS may contribute to the controversal results.
Schizophrenia and family rituals: measuring family rituals among schizophrenics and “normals”
Authors: Madianos MG , Economou M
Published: April 2020

Family rituals consisting of ceremonial acts, traditions and patterned interactions serve as a basis of communication, collective identity, and stabilizing relationships. Therefore, the measurement of rituals in a schizophrenic family is an objectification of the family's symbolic communication and integration. Based upon this, the relationship between family rituals practice in 138 families both with a schizophrenic member (71) and without (67) was examined by the use of an originally developed instrument, the “Family Rituals Scale” (FRS). The psychometric properties of this instrument were tested and proved to be reliable. Families with a schizophrenic member were less ritualizing than the “normal” families. The correlation between FRS scores and Global Assessment Scale scores in schizophrenic patients was negative (the higher the psychosocial functioning level, the lower FRS scores), which means a higher performance of family rituals. The effect of other factors on FRS scores and the therapeutic implications are discussed.
The epidemiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder in an Italian population
Authors: Ronchi P , Abbruzzese M , Erzegovesi S , Diaferia G , Sciuto G , Bellodi L
Published: April 2020

This study presents the clinical and demographic characteristics of a sample of 131 patients, who met DSM III-R criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Our aim was to compare our epidemiological data with non-European research, and to investigate the relationship between OCD symptoms and other clinical features, ie other Axis I concomitant disturbances, personality disorders (Axis II) and family history. Furthermore, we evaluated the age at onset distribution according to sex, family history and presence/absence of a comorbid diagnosis of mood disorder, by means of survival analysis.
Mnestic disorders in long-term high-dose diazepam abuse: a pilot study
Authors: Weeß HG , Steinberg R , Pritzel M
Published: April 2020

Cognitive impairment in long-term high-dose diazepam abusers (dose > 30 mg diazepam/day; duration of abuse > 12 months) was examined by administering four memory-related tests and comparing the outcomes with those of matched controls. Deficits were found in spatial and visual learning, spatial and visual short-term memory (STM) as well as for spatial and visual long-term memory (LTM). As for verbal aspects of memory, solely the acquisition of novel verbal material (verbal learning) was impaired, Furthermore, deficits in a concentration task were observed. In chronic abuse the established memory deficits are similar to cognitive impairment after single doses. Relaxing or anxiety-reducing effects of diazepam were no longer present. The results of this experimental study demonstrate the risks of diazepam use beyond therapeutic range.
Increase of panic during the second part of pregnancy
Authors: Verburg C , Griez E , Meijer J
Published: April 2020

Four pregnancies in three panic disorder patients are described. In three pregnancies panic symptoms improved initially, but worsened in the second half. One patient developed panic disorder in the second half of her pregnancy. Changes in balance between progesterone and estrogen could explain this clinical course.
The new German specialist for psychiatry and psychotherapy and its consequences for advanced training programs
Authors: Hohagen F , Berger M
Published: April 2020

In May 1992 the German Council of Physicians decided that in the future there will no longer be a specialist in psychiatry, but, only a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. This decision has enormous consequences for the psychiatric training of residents specializing in the field in Germany. Psychotherapy is now an integral part of psychiatry and must be completely included in training programs. The period of advanced training in the future will encompass five years instead of four years. The future curriculum for psychiatrists is far more structured and includes many more regulations than was formerly the case. The specialist in the field must acquire equal competence on the somatic, social-psychiatric, psychopathological and psychotherapeutic levels, followed by their subsequent integration into diagnosis and therapy. Practical experience in psychotherapy must be acquired in both a primary and secondary method. The only methods capable of recognition as the primary method are psychodynamic psychotherapy and behaviour-cognitive therapy. The secondary method will be restricted to psychodynamic psychotherapy, behaviour-cognitive therapy and client-centered therapy. The principle aim of the new specialist physician regulations in Germany is to achieve a multi-dimensional approach to the diagnoses and treatment of psychiatric disorders corresponding to the complex nature of psychiatric illness.
Sleep, dexamethasone suppression test, and response to somatic therapies in an atypical affective state presenting as erotomania: a case report
Authors: Staner L
Published: April 2020

The case of a woman presenting erotomania in the course of a loss-related depressive state is described. Clinical, biological and therapeutical characteristics highlight the role of mood in certain cases of erotomania and add support to previous accounts of the heterogeneity of this syndrome.
The pharmacologic selectivity of serotonin reuptake inhibitors
Authors: Tulloch IF
Published: April 2020

Paroxetine is a highly potent and selective inhibitor of serotonin reuptake, with in vitro potency greater than that of fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, and sertraline. It has little affinity for a wide variety of neurotransmitter receptors, including catecholaminergic or histaminergic systems, in marked contrast to the tricyclic antidepressants. Paroxetine undergoes first-pass metabolism that is partially saturable to give metabolites that are pharmacologically inactive in vivo, unlike those of fluoxetine or sertraline.
Managing the patient with depression and anxiety
Authors: Dunner DL , Dunbar GC
Published: April 2020

The effect of paroxetine on symptoms of anxiety associated with depression were assessed by meta-analysis of data on the use of paroxetine (n = 2963), active control (n = 1151), and placebo (n = 554) in six-week clinical trials. Paroxetine significantly reduced psychic anxiety by comparison with placebo from week 1 and was more effective than active control from week 2. Paroxetine improved somatic anxiety from week 4 of treatment. There was no association between antidepressant therapy and the emergence of anxiety symptoms in patients with little or no baseline anxiety. Paroxetine resolved baseline symptoms of agitation from week 1 of treatment, and both paroxetine and active control prevented the emergence of agitation. There was no difference between placebo and antidepressant therapy in the frequency of adverse events indicative of increased arousal. The results indicate the utility of paroxetine in depressed patients presenting with associated anxiety symptoms.
Long-term treatment of depression
Authors: Lecrubier Y
Published: April 2020

Long-term treatment with antidepressants is now an accepted strategy in the management of depression. The demonstration of efficacy in this setting requires specific placebo-controlled trials of patients with recurrent depression studied after an adequate period of euthymia and for a long period of follow-up. This review examines the evidence for the prophylactic efficacy of antidepressant therapy with particular emphasis on the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, paroxetine.
Effect of tianeptine on the hypothalamic control of the corticotropic response to stress
Authors: Guillaume V , Magnan E , Cataldi M , Héry F , Dutour A , Dadoun F , Mazzocchi L , Grino M , Conte-Devolx B , Oliver C , Rettori MC , Mocaër E , Kamoun A
Published: April 2020

Stress-induced stimulation of corticotropic function involves the activation of hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and arginine vasopressin (AVP), which can be measured by improved methods of neuroendocrine investigation. The antiserotoninergic tricyclic antidepressant, tianeptine, reduces the corticotropic response to stress, as shown by a reduction in hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal CRH and AVP levels.
Long-term memory loss and the effects of tianeptine in young and aged mice
Authors: Lebrun C , Jaffard R
Published: April 2020

Previous experiments have shown that tianeptine, a new psychotropic agent with antidepressant properties, improves performance in several learning and memory tasks in mice. In more recent investigations, tianeptine was found to completely alleviate working memory deficits produced by long-term alcohol intoxication and to prevent abnormal memory loss in aged animals (Jaffardet al, 1991b, 1991c). The aim of this paper was to examine how this last finding may be integrated in our understanding of brain mechanisms involved in memory loss. For this purpose, we present a brief review of experimental data and theories which, at different levels of analysis, seems to be relevant to this issue. Together with the subsequent examination of the conditions in which tianeptine was found to improve long-term retention, we suggest that: i) long-term memory loss would be largely determined by the initial encoding of information, so that ii) tianeptine would help aged animals to use spatial mapping or configural associations more efficiently at the time of initial acquisition. This, in turn, suggests that one of the main brain target sites for tianeptine in enhancing memory is the hippocampal formation.
Tianeptine: clinical properties
Authors: Lôo H , Delalleau B , Kamoun A
Published: April 2020

Tianeptine has been shown to be an effective antidepressant versus reference drugs and to be better tolerated than amitriptyline, without the latter's anticholinergic side-effects. Its good acceptability has been confirmed in long-term use (1 year) in large patient groups. In an open pilot trial in endogenous melancholia, tianeptine showed the same activity as would be expected of a conventional antidepressant. This is being verified in a double-blind trial versus maprotiline. In a separate open study, it has demonstrated a potential to prevent relapse and recurrence in depressed patients treated for 1 year. These results are currently being tested versus placebo.
Long-term efficacy of tianeptine on alcoholic relapses in non-depressed alcoholic patients. Preliminary results
Authors: Favre JD , Lôo H , Marey C , Delalleau B
Published: April 2020

Tianeptine, whose main neurochemical action is to increase 5-HT uptake, significantly decreased alcohol consumption in rats. During a tianeptine long-term treatment study, gamma-GT levels in depressed alcoholic patients decreased, suggesting that this medication could be useful in alcoholism. The role of tianeptine in the prevention of alcoholic relapses is being evaluated in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Two hundred non-depressed patients satisfying DSM III-R criteria for Psychoactive Substance Dependence (alcohol – daily intake greater than 80 g) will enter the study after alcohol withdrawal. A minimum score of three on the Short-Mast Questionnaire, mean cell volume above 98 f1 and/or gamma-GT more than twice the upper normal value are required. Patients are treated as out-patients and surveyed for 9 months. The maintenance of abstinence is estimated through clinical and laboratory assessments. The alcohol intake is evaluated in patients who relapse. Efficacy is determined secondarily using Clinical Global Impressions Scale, Hopkins Symptom Check List and visual analogue scales. Somatic complaints are collected using AMDP-5. Preliminary results are presented.
The Class Without Consciousness: Fascism's ‘New’ Workers and the 1942 World's Fair of Rome
Authors: Milano Gregory D.
Published: April 2020

In 1936 Mussolini's fascist regime embarked upon an ambitious plan to hold the 1942 World's Fair in a newly built city south of Rome. At the peak of construction in 1939–40 an army of 5,000 workers laboured to complete the city in ‘record time’. The labour utilised to build the new city became a critical public spectacle in the final years of fascist rule, highlighted in films, covered by the press and featured on the itineraries of Rome's most important visitors. This activity was guided not just by the construction of buildings but also the purported fabrication of a distinct Italian fascist worker subjectivity. With the aim of fashioning pliant workers lacking in proverbial ‘class consciousness’, fascist thinkers publicly exhibited Italian workers as fixed within a ‘natural’ hierarchy of ancient Roman origin. In these renderings of the ‘new’ worker, class antagonisms in the modern division of labour were replaced with illustrations of exemplary sacrifice to familial and interpersonal authority with the function of subsuming ‘class interests’ to both employers and the state. In spite of these narratives, fascist aims regularly encountered limits when confronted by real workers, as yielded by an examination of responses to the regime's mandates within the built environment. Although workers never fully embodied this new ‘interiority’, the regime was successful in grounding cultural norms in a constrained field of practice, generating a framework for the domination of labour.
The impact of collective use rights on share contracts: the case of the Extractive Artisanal Regime (RAE) in Chilean hake fisheries
Authors: Salazar César , Dresdner Jorge
Published: April 2020

Share contracts are the dominant remuneration system in artisanal fisheries. Introducing regulations based on collective use rights may affect the way profits are distributed. The literature on the effect of regulatory reform on factor income distribution, however, is scarce. In this paper, we look at differences in the implementation of the Extractive Artisanal Regime in Chilean hake artisanal fisheries to test its effect on share contracts. We estimated a switching regression model using census data to calculate the average treatment effect. Our results show that crewmembers in communities regulated by some form of collective use rights receive, on average, 6 per cent more of total net incomes compared to those regulated by a limited access with global quota regime. Differences in the relation between crew size and labor rewards, as well as in the negotiating power of crewmembers under different regimes, may explain the results.
Taking measures without taking measurements? An insider's reflections on monitoring the implementation of the African Children's Charter in a changing context of armed conflict
Authors: Mezmur Benyam Dawit
Published: April 2020

The efforts to create a world fit for children, including for those affected by armed conflict, remain a work in progress. Increasingly, regional organizations, prime among them the African Union and its organs, are being asked to play a more meaningful role in pushing for the realization of the rights and protections of children in armed conflict. This piece explores trends and developments in respect of children and armed conflict in Africa, and offers few ideas on how the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which holds significant promise, can continue to rise to this challenge.
A Matter of Scale
Authors: Chen Wang‐Ping
Published: April 2020

Plate tectonics, one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the twentieth century, works particularly well in oceanic regions but has considerable difficulty to account for widespread, diffuse deformation of the continents. There has been an enduring discourse on whether continuous deformation of the crust or slip along discrete faults is a better approximation of continental tectonics. A key difficulty in resolving this issue is that the distinction between flow and slip is scale dependent. Moreover, even at scales of tens of millimeters or less, both mechanisms of deformation can coexist. Over times much longer than about 100 years, the limit of reliable geophysical data, the scale in time further complicates the problem of spatial scales. However, solutions to some problems in continental tectonics do not rely on end‐member models, and advances in understanding the role of the lithospheric mantle beneath the continental crust point the need to extend our focus below the crust.
The Distributions of Characteristic Parameters During Long‐Period Modulation Heating in the Polar Region Ionosphere
Authors: Li Huimin , Guo Lixin , Cheng Qi
Published: April 2020

In this paper, we present an improved model associated with a three‐dimensional heating model with a stratified DC approach model considering inhomogeneity of ionosphere to study the distributions of characteristic parameters of lower ionosphere during long‐period modulation heating in the polar region. The distributions of Pederson conductivity, Hall conductivity, and excitation current are discussed in detail. The distributions of Pedersen conductivity reveal that the electron temperature plays more important role in spatial distribution of Pedersen conductivity, and the electron density has a small effect on the distribution of Pedersen conductivity. The distributions of Hall conductivity exhibit that the main contribution of the negative disturbance of Hall conductivity comes from the temperature‐dependent electron collision frequency and the positive disturbance comes from electron density. The distributions of excitation current indicate that the amplitude variation of excitation current is dominated by the Pedersen conductivity and Hall conductivity, and the shape variation (the rotation of long axis) of excitation current is dominated by Hall conductivity. Above all, these findings suggest that the difference between steady‐state time scale of electron temperature (milliseconds) and that of electron density (minutes) will greatly administrate the distributions of Pedersen conductivity and Hall conductivity. Excitation current, which leads to the generation of ultralow frequency/extremely‐low frequency/very low frequency, will be further affected. Finally, the estimated amplitude of the magnetic field in model is consistent with the previous experimental results in the long period modulation heating, which proves the accuracy of the model. The amplitude of magnetic field can reach several hundreds of pT at the modulation period of 50 s.
Sharp Lateral Moho Variations Across the SE Tibetan Margin and Their Implications for Plateau Growth
Authors: Xu Mijian , Huang Zhouchuan , Wang Liangshu , Xu Mingjie , Zhang Yueqiao , Mi Ning , Yu Dayong , Yuan Xiaohui
Published: April 2020

The tectonic uplift of the Tibetan Plateau is a focus in the geosciences. Middle‐lower crustal flow is a popular model to interpret the geodynamic mechanism on the margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The model predicts different surface and Moho topographies across the plateau boundary due to the different strengths of the surrounding blocks, that is, sharp boundaries on the eastern plateau boundary and gentle variations in the southeastern plateau boundary. Here, we employ receiver function and common conversion point stacking analysis with the seismic waveforms recorded by the dense ChinArray and other local seismic stations to accurately define the Moho topography in southeastern (SE) Tibet. We find that the Moho under the Tibetan Plateau is much deeper than that under the surrounding Yangtze Craton and Indochina block; abrupt Moho changes are found across the southeastern plateau margin, similar to that under the eastern plateau margin. We interpret these sharp Moho variations across the plateau margin to have developed when the Tibetan Plateau was extruded southeastward in the late Miocene. Subsequent gravity collapse resulted in crustal extension and gentle topographic variation, while the sharp Moho slope was preserved.
Using Ice Cores and Gaussian Process Emulation to Recover Changes in the Greenland Ice Sheet During the Last Interglacial
Authors: Domingo Dario , Malmierca‐Vallet Irene , Sime Louise , Voss Jochen , Capron Emilie
Published: April 2020

The shape and extent of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) during the Last Interglacial (LIG) is a matter of controversy, with different studies proposing a wide range of reconstructions. Here, for the first time, we combine stable water isotopic information from ice cores with isotope‐enabled climate model outputs to investigate the problem. Exploring the space of possible ice sheet geometries by simulation is prohibitively expensive. We address this problem by using a Gaussian process emulator as a statistical surrogate of the full climate model. The emulator is calibrated using the results of a small number of carefully chosen simulations and then permits fast, probabilistic predictions of the simulator outputs at untried inputs. The inputs are GIS morphologies, parameterized through a dimension‐reduction technique adapted to the spherical geometry of the setting. Based on the emulator predictions, the characteristics of morphologies compatible with the available ice core measurements are explored, leading to a reduction in uncertainty on the LIG GIS morphology. Moreover, a scenario‐based approach allows to assess the gains in uncertainty reduction which would result from the availability of better dated LIG measurements in Greenland ice cores.