bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Debating Opportunities, Outcomes and Democracy: Young and Phillips on Equality
Authors: Armstrong Chris
Published: May 2006

Within recent egalitarian theory, the ideal of equal opportunity holds considerable sway. Liberal egalitarians increasingly concentrate on refining this ideal, as do a number of Marxist theorists. At the same time many radical critics are unhappy with various aspects of this hegemony of equality of opportunity, and this article examines the reasons for their unhappiness, as well as two possible solutions. The first would be to reject equal opportunities in favour of another conception of equality, or to argue that the ideal can only play a limited role within an egalitarian project. Another would be to try to radicalise the idea of equal opportunities: to argue that equality of opportunity can be a transformative ideal if it is interpreted sufficiently broadly or deeply. We can identify Anne Phillips with the first approach, and Iris Young with the second. On the question of whether equality of opportunity can provide an overarching normative framework for egalitarian politics, Young's response is in the positive, whereas Phillips' is in the negative. The article critically addresses this dilemma, and concludes by siding with Phillips, by arguing that equality of opportunity is not capable of standing in as an overarching normative principle for egalitarian politics.
Externalised Justice and Democratisation: Lessons from the Pinochet Case
Authors: Davis Madeleine
Published: May 2006

The attempt to try Pinochet in Spain exemplified and publicised a trend to use ‘externalised justice’ to tackle impunity for human rights crimes. It also demonstrated the possibilities and limitations of externalised justice initiatives, in terms of securing democracy at the national level, and of advancing accountability for serious crimes under international law. In Chile, Argentina and Spain the Pinochet affair served to restart stalled impulses towards accountability, accelerate democratic reform and challenge the legitimacy of compromises conceded during earlier democratic transitions. With regard to the wider role of international law in limiting impunity, expectations for rapid or consistent replication of ‘the Pinochet precedent’ have not been met. Despite some notable achievements, the exercise of universal jurisdiction by national courts remains inconsistent and controversial. The International Criminal Court (ICC) provides a new mechanism for external justice. An aggressive US campaign to undermine it, and to reverse progress in international law, is a serious obstacle to fulfilment of the ICC's enforcement role. However, at the domestic level the ICC may have similar indirect effects to the Pinochet litigation, boosting domestic enforcement prospects and strengthening democratic commitment. In both cases the key role for externalised justice is as stimulus or back-up. This suggests that progress in tackling impunity depends on incremental and dynamic interaction between domestic and international law, and between national and transnational actors.
Democratic Legitimacy, Public Justification and Environmental Direct Action
Authors: Humphrey Mathew
Published: May 2006

This article addresses the question of whether environmental direct action against policies or institutions that are recognised as democratically legitimate can be justified. Arguments that seek to tie environmental outcomes to stipulated requirements of either the democratic process or distributive theories of justice are found wanting in this regard. However, one of the central justifications for the losers in a democratic settlement accepting defeat is policy reversibility. The non-reversible element in significant areas of environmental change entails that environmentalists are forced to play a ‘one-shot’ political strategy. This fact lends support to the justification of environmental direct action in such cases, although it may also apply beyond the sphere of environmental politics.
Class, State and Democracy: Laski, Miliband and the Search for a Synthesis
Authors: Newman Michael
Published: May 2006

Socialism comprises several distinct traditions but, for much of the twentieth century, it also struggled to define its position in relation both to the revolutionary Marxist claim that all forms of capitalist state were class dictatorships and to the liberal concept of democracy. This article accepts that there are contradictions between the Marxist and liberal positions, but suggests that these can be embraced positively by socialists. It explores the ideas of Harold Laski and Ralph Miliband to demonstrate this. There were some similarities between the two theorists, but their trajectories differed. Laski began with a radical pluralist perspective into which he later attempted to incorporate a Marxist critique of capitalism, while Miliband started as a Marxist but increasingly sought to integrate strands of thought associated with liberalism into his outlook. The article explains why the positions of both thinkers evolved over time and the comparative discussion highlights their insights into some key problems in socialist political theory. More generally, it concludes that both the liberal and Marxist traditions are a necessary part of socialist thought on class, democracy and the state.
Intra-Executive Competition between President and Prime Minister: Patterns of Institutional Conflict and Cooperation under Semi-Presidentialism
Authors: Protsyk Oleh
Published: May 2006

The article examines the dynamics of political competition over the control of the executive that shapes the coexistence of popularly elected presidents and prime ministers in semi-presidential regimes. It explores how variation in the political status of cabinet and the character of the party system, as well as differences in presidential and parliamentary powers over the cabinet, affects both the type and intensity of intra-executive conflict in democratic and semi-democratic environments. It demonstrates that presidents' and prime ministers' strategies in intra-executive relations in both types of political environment are systematically affected by the nature and extent of cabinet's political support in parliament, as well as by the degree of presidential control over cabinet.
Local Democracy and Political Leadership: Drawing a Map
Authors: Haus Michael , Sweeting David
Published: May 2006

Different concepts of local democracy imply different tasks, functions and reform strategies for local political leadership. This article draws a map of local democracy that entails four non-exclusive components: representative democracy, user democracy, network democracy and participatory democracy. After reflecting on the nature of local democracy in governance and the functions of political leadership generally, the article considers in turn the bases of constructing the common good within each form of democracy. Special attention is given to the role of political leadership within these forms.
Global Justice and the Distribution of Natural Resources
Authors: Hayward Tim
Published: May 2006

What should a political theorist say about the justice of the global distribution of natural resources? One issue is whether principles of distributive justice should be applied globally, and this has been debated between nationalists and cosmopolitans. A second, though, is how the category of ‘natural resources' should be conceived in relation to other distributable goods. This has not adequately been addressed even by theorists of global justice who expressly focus on natural resources. In particular, neither Charles Beitz's argument for a natural resources redistribution principle nor David Miller's argument against works with a satisfactory account of how the physical distribution of resources relates to the distribution of their economic value. A more satisfactory account can be developed from the perspective of ecological economics as inspired by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen. From this perspective, global inequalities in the command of natural resources can be viewed with the clarity that a normative theory of their justice requires. If natural resources are re-conceptualised in terms of ‘ecological space’, Beitz's argument can be recast and vindicated. The re-conceptualisation is necessary to overcome the problems with the original version, as is shown by reference to the existing alternative formulations of Hillel Steiner and Thomas Pogge.
National Representation in International Organizations: The Seat Allocation Model Implicit in the European Union Council and Parliament
Authors: Taagepera Rein , Hosli Madeleine O.
Published: May 2006

What determines the allocation of voting weights to member states in international organizations? What drives the seat and voting weight allocation in the European Parliament (EP) and in the Council of the European Union (EU)? Our objective in this article is to develop a universal logical model and to demonstrate that the resulting equation indeed captures negotiated outcomes on seat and voting weight allocations in EU institutions from their beginning. We predict seat and voting weight allocations for both the EP and the Council of the EU within one general model. Hence, we do not employ actual data on seat allocations or voting weights in either the EP or the Council of the EU, but instead, use logical constraints exclusively, as posed by the following elements: the total number of seats/voting weights ( S), the number of member states ( N) and, finally, their respective population size ( Pi). Only our final model selection among several theoretical options is guided by empirical information. With no post hoc parameters used, our model fits both the Council of the EU and the EP rather well, over a time span of nearly 40 years. Inspired by the ‘seat—vote equation’ ( Taagepera, 1973 ) for seat allocation in national legislatures, the new ‘seat—population equation’ calculates the number ( Si) of EP seats or Council voting weights of member state i as follows: [Formula: see text], where n = (1/log N − 1/log S)/(1/log N − 1/log P), P being the total population (as summed over all member states). We posit that this equation is applicable to predict outcomes in practice whenever voting weight or seat allocations in international organizations are allocated on the basis of the population shares of their component entities.
Modern Politics in an Age of Global Terrorism: New Challenges for Domestic Public Policy
Authors: Haubrich Dirk
Published: May 2006

Much has been written about the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 and their ramifications for international politics. This article contends that, nearly five years on, the type of terrorism which emerged that day has not only altered the way liberal democracies define and execute their foreign and defence policies, but that it has also affected their ability to attend to policy objectives domestically. Global terrorism, and the governmental policy responses to it, are not subjected to the same reciprocal balance checks that tend to limit the ferocity and lethality of domestic terrorist conflicts. Consequently, as policy-makers attempt to find responses appropriate to contain the new global threat, four values that democratic societies have come to uphold over the past two centuries are increasingly challenged: security, liberty, equality and efficiency have become fundamental principles that guide the formation of domestic public policy and constitute the criteria by which policy success is judged. Yet, our account of the political developments in the United Kingdom and the United States reveals that aspiring to those values is meeting unprecedented constraints.
Exact and Computationally Efficient Likelihood-Based Estimation for Discretely Observed Diffusion Processes (with Discussion)
Authors: Beskos Alexandros , Papaspiliopoulos Omiros , Roberts Gareth O. , Fearnhead Paul
Published: May 2006

The objective of the paper is to present a novel methodology for likelihood-based inference for discretely observed diffusions. We propose Monte Carlo methods, which build on recent advances on the exact simulation of diffusions, for performing maximum likelihood and Bayesian estimation.
Sequential Monte Carlo Samplers
Authors: Del Moral Pierre , Doucet Arnaud , Jasra Ajay
Published: May 2006

We propose a methodology to sample sequentially from a sequence of probability distributions that are defined on a common space, each distribution being known up to a normalizing constant. These probability distributions are approximated by a cloud of weighted random samples which are propagated over time by using sequential Monte Carlo methods. This methodology allows us to derive simple algorithms to make parallel Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms interact to perform global optimization and sequential Bayesian estimation and to compute ratios of normalizing constants. We illustrate these algorithms for various integration tasks arising in the context of Bayesian inference.
A New Randomized Response Model
Authors: Gjestvang Christopher R. , Singh Sarjinder
Published: May 2006

We suggest an efficient randomized response model that can easily be adjusted to be more efficient than the Warner, Mangat and Singh, and Mangat methods by selecting certain parameters of the proposed randomization device.
Adjusted Jackknife for Imputation under Unequal Probability Sampling Without Replacement
Authors: Berger Yves G. , Rao J. N. K.
Published: May 2006

Imputation is commonly used to compensate for item non-response in sample surveys. If we treat the imputed values as if they are true values, and then compute the variance estimates by using standard methods, such as the jackknife, we can seriously underestimate the true variances. We propose a modified jackknife variance estimator which is defined for any without-replacement unequal probability sampling design in the presence of imputation and non-negligible sampling fraction. Mean, ratio and random-imputation methods will be considered. The practical advantage of the method proposed is its breadth of applicability.
Empirical Likelihood Confidence Regions in a Partially Linear Single-Index Model
Authors: Zhu Lixing , Xue Liugen
Published: May 2006

Empirical-likelihood-based inference for the parameters in a partially linear single-index model is investigated. Unlike existing empirical likelihood procedures for other simpler models, if there is no bias correction the limit distribution of the empirical likelihood ratio cannot be asymptotically tractable. To attack this difficulty we propose a bias correction to achieve the standard χ2-limit. The bias-corrected empirical likelihood ratio shares some of the desired features of the existing least squares method: the estimation of the parameters is not needed; when estimating nonparametric functions in the model, undersmoothing for ensuring √n-consistency of the estimator of the parameters is avoided; the bias-corrected empirical likelihood is self-scale invariant and no plug-in estimator for the limiting variance is needed. Furthermore, since the index is of norm 1, we use this constraint as information to increase the accuracy of the confidence regions (smaller regions at the same nominal level). As a by-product, our approach of using bias correction may also shed light on nonparametric estimation in model checking for other semiparametric regression models. A simulation study is carried out to assess the performance of the bias-corrected empirical likelihood. An application to a real data set is illustrated.
Making Every Child Matter: A Model for Good Practice in Counselling Children and Young People with Learning Disabilities
Authors: PATTISON SUE
Published: May 2006

This paper is set against the backdrop of new policies and legislation regarding the health, welfare and education of children and young people in England. In response to these policies, the Department for Education and Skills has developed an increasing number of strategies to support the psychological health and well‐being of children and young people and thereby signalled greater recognition of the value of improving mental health in relation to children's learning, achievement, attendance and behaviour. Counselling is increasingly seen as an effective strategy for addressing the psychological needs of children and young people with social, emotional, behavioural and academic problems. The aim of this paper is to explore the inclusion of children and young people with learning disabilities (13–19 years) in mainstream counselling services. The nature of learning disabilities is examined in relation to accessing counselling services and a model for inclusive counselling practice is developed from the research findings. Findings are based on data collected from a quantitative survey (n=396) of 3000 counsellors and analysed using SPSS, along with qualitative data from the survey, which was analysed using a thematic approach.
Brain atrophy in pure and complicated hereditary spastic paraparesis: a quantitative 3D MRI study
Authors: Kassubek J. , Sperfeld A.‐D. , Baumgartner A. , Huppertz H.‐J. , Riecker A. , Juengling F. D.
Published: May 2006

Hereditary spastic paraparesis (HSP) is a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders with progressive lower limb spasticity, categorized into pure (p‐HSP) and complicated forms (c‐HSP). The purpose of this study was to evaluate if brain volumes in HSP were altered compared with a control population. Brain volumes were determined in patients suffering from HSP, including both p‐HSP (n = 21) and c‐HSP type (n = 12), and 30 age‐matched healthy controls, using brain parenchymal fractions (BPF) calculated from 3D MRI data in an observer‐independent procedure. In addition, the tissue segments of grey and white matter were analysed separately. In HSP patients, BPF were significantly reduced compared with controls both for the whole patient group (P < 0.001) and for both subgroups, indicating considerable brain atrophy. In contrast to controls who showed a decline of brain volumes with age, this physiological phenomenon was less pronounced in HSP. Therefore, global brain parenchyma reduction, involving both grey and white matter, seems to be a feature in both subtypes of HSP. Atrophy was more pronounced in c‐HSP, consistent with the more severe phenotype including extramotor involvement. Thus, global brain atrophy, detected by MRI‐based brain volume quantification, is a biological marker in HSP subtypes.
Assessment of a dose–response relationship of levetiracetam
Authors: Meencke H.‐J. , Buyle S.
Published: May 2006

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between levetiracetam dose and both efficacy and safety in adult patients with refractory partial epilepsy. Dose–response relationships for levetiracetam efficacy were evaluated using pooled data from three trials including adults with refractory partial epilepsy. Two were randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group trials in which doses of 1000–3000 mg/day of levetiracetam were administered as adjunctive therapy. The third consisted of the two parts of a crossover randomized, double‐blind study in which levetiracetam (1000 or 2000 mg/day) or placebo was added to ongoing therapy. Data from each part of the crossover trial were included as if it was an independent parallel‐group study. A fourth randomized double‐blind trial was added for the safety evaluation. It included data from adults receiving placebo or 2000 mg/day of levetiracetam as adjunctive therapy for refractory partial seizures. The combined analysis showed an increasing effect with increasing dose. The responder rates (≥50% reduction in seizures) for placebo and levetiracetam 1000, 2000, and 3000 mg/day were 13.1%, 28.5%, 34.3%, and 41.3%, respectively. The respective values for seizure freedom were 0.8%, 4.7%, 6.3%, and 8.6%. There was no evidence of a dose–response relationship with regard to adverse events, including those (asthenia, dizziness, somnolence) most commonly associated with this antiepileptic drug. Patients who do not become seizure‐free at the lowest recommended levetiracetam dose (1000 mg/day) should be titrated to 2000 or 3000 mg/day to provide the greatest opportunity for efficacy with little or no increased risk for adverse events.
A case–control study of Guillain–Barré syndrome in Harbin, China
Authors: Cheng Q. , Wang D.‐S. , Jiang G.‐X. , Han H. , Zhang Y. , Wang W.‐Z. , Fredrikson S.
Published: May 2006

We evaluated the putative factors for the onset of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) in Harbin, China by a case–control study based on the information from GBS patients identified from a population‐based incidence survey, which is the first study of this kind in China. Sixty‐nine GBS patients were identified during a 1‐year period from 1 October 1997 to 30 September 1998, and they were matched with 69 controls for gender and age (±5 years). GBS diagnosis was validated by senior neurologists and GBS patients were followed up for 6 months after onset. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for each putative factor for the onset of GBS were calculated and compared between GBS cases and controls. Precedent respiratory infections within 2 months before onset were found to be significantly more frequent in GBS patients than in controls (OR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.21–2.33). Although the number of cases with gastroenteritis among GBS patients was more than double of that in the controls, the difference was not statistically significant (OR = 2.25, 95% CI: 0.73–6.96). Other putative factors as well as characteristics regarding family situation, education level, occupation, etc., were not found to be statistically different between GBS patients and controls.
Risk factors for Alzheimer's disease in Russia: a case–control study
Authors: Suhanov A. V. , Pilipenko P. I. , Korczyn A. D. , Hofman A. , Voevoda M. I. , Shishkin S. V. , Simonova G. I. , Nikitin Y. P. , Feigin V. L.
Published: May 2006

No reliable data on risk factors of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are available in Russia. We aimed to evaluate the relative importance of various putative environmental and medical risk factors of AD in a Russian population. We conducted a hospital‐based case–control study. Two hundred and sixty consecutive AD patients and an equal number of cognitive impairment‐free control subjects matched for sex, age, level of education and place of birth selected from nursing homes and other long‐term healthcare facilities in the Novosibirsk region for the period from 1998 to 2002 were examined. A conditional logistic regression analysis was employed to calculate odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for various putative risk factors. Of the 260 patients with AD, 187 (72%) were females. Patients’ age varied from 40 to 89 years (mean ± SD: 69.2 ± 7.7 years). The majority of the patients (77%) had secondary education and 12% had university education. Risk factors independently associated with AD were family history of parkinsonism among first‐degree relatives (OR = 4.2; 95% CI 1.2–15.1), hypothyroidism (OR = 2.7; 95% CI 1.1–6.7), and history of head trauma with loss of consciousness (OR = 1.7; 95% CI 1.0–2.8). The most important risk factors for AD in the Russian community are family history of parkinsonism, hypothyroidism and a history of head trauma with loss of consciousness. These findings have implications for developing preventive strategies of AD.
Task force guidelines handbook: EFNS guidelines on diagnosis and management of fatty acid mitochondrial disorders
Authors: Angelini C. , Federico A. , Reichmann H. , Lombes A. , Chinnery P. , Turnbull D.
Published: May 2006

Guidelines in the diagnosis and current dietary treatment of long‐chain fatty acid (LCFA) defects have been collected according to evidence‐based medicine. Since the identification of carnitine and carnitine palmitoyltransferase deficiency more than 25 years ago, nearly every enzymatic step required for β‐oxidation has been associated with an inherited metabolic disorder. These disorders effectively preclude the use of body fat as an energy source. Clinical consequences can range from no symptoms to severe manifestations including cardiomyopathy, hypoglycaemia, peripheral neuropathy and sudden death. A diet high in carbohydrates, diet with medium‐chain triglycerides and reduced amount of LCFA has a beneficial effect (class IV evidence) and in appropriate deficiency states carnitine and riboflavin are used (good practice points).
MUC7 Haplotype Analysis: Results from a Longitudinal Birth Cohort Support Protective Effect of the MUC7*5 Allele on Respiratory Function
Authors: Rousseau K. , Vinall L. E. , Butterworth S. L. , Hardy R. J. , Holloway J. , Wadsworth M. E. J. , Swallow D. M.
Published: May 2006

The mucin MUC7 is a glycoprotein that plays a role in bacterial clearance and has candidacidal activity. There are two common allelic forms with 5 or 6 tandem repeats (TR) of a 23 amino acid motif within the highly glycosylated (mucin) domain. The MUC7*5 allele has previously been shown to be less prevalent in patients with asthma, suggesting a protective role in respiratory function. Here we report the characterisation of other frequent genetic variation within and in the vicinity of the gene MUC7. A total of 26 polymorphisms were identified of which 5 are located in transcribed regions. A subset of 8 polymorphisms was selected to represent the major haplotypes, and allelic association was studied in individuals of Northern European ancestry, including known asthmatics. There was low haplotype diversity and strong association between each of the loci, and the MUC7*5 allele‐carrying haplotype remained the one most strongly associated with asthma. Five of these polymorphisms have also been tested in the 1946 longitudinal birth cohort, for whom developmental, environmental and respiratory health data are available. We show that the haplotype carrying MUC7*5 is associated with higher FEV1 at 53 years, reduced age‐related decline of FEV1, and also reduced incidence of wheeze.
A Combinatorial Searching Method for Detecting a Set of Interacting Loci Associated with Complex Traits
Authors: Sha Qiuying , Zhu Xiaofeng , Zuo Yijun , Cooper Richard , Zhang Shuanglin
Published: May 2006

Complex diseases are presumed to be the results of the interaction of several genes and environmental factors, with each gene only having a small effect on the disease. Mapping complex disease genes therefore becomes one of the greatest challenges facing geneticists. Most current approaches of association studies essentially evaluate one marker or one gene (haplotype approach) at a time. These approaches ignore the possibility that effects of multilocus functional genetic units may play a larger role than a single‐locus effect in determining trait variability. In this article, we propose a Combinatorial Searching Method (CSM) to detect a set of interacting loci (may be unlinked) that predicts the complex trait. In the application of the CSM, a simple filter is used to filter all the possible locus‐sets and retain the candidate locus‐sets, then a new objective function based on the cross‐validation and partitions of the multi‐locus genotypes is proposed to evaluate the retained locus‐sets. The locus‐set with the largest value of the objective function is the final locus‐set and a permutation procedure is performed to evaluate the overall p‐value of the test for association between the final locus‐set and the trait. The performance of the method is evaluated by simulation studies as well as by being applied to a real data set. The simulation studies show that the CSM has reasonable power to detect high‐order interactions. When the CSM is applied to a real data set to detect the locus‐set (among the 13 loci in the ACE gene) that predicts systolic blood pressure (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP), we found that a four‐locus gene‐gene interaction model best predicts SBP with an overall p‐value = 0.033, and similarly a two‐locus gene‐gene interaction model best predicts DBP with an overall p‐value = 0.045.
Ignoring Distant Genealogic Loops Leads to False‐positives in Homozygosity Mapping
Authors: Liu F. , Elefante S. , Van Duijn C. M. , Aulchenko Y. S.
Published: May 2006

Distant consanguineous loops are often unknown or ignored during homozygosity mapping analysis. This may potentially lead to an increased rate of false‐positive linkage results. We show that failure to take into account the distant loops may seriously underestimate the degree of consanguinity, especially for people from genetically isolated populations; in 6 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients the distant loops accounted for 57.7 % of inbreeding on average. Theoretical evaluation showed that ignoring distant loops, which account for 18‐75% of inbreeding, inflates the frequency of false positive conclusions substantially in 2‐point linkage analysis, up to several hundred times. In multipoint linkage analysis of the 6 AD patients a chromosome‐wide “empirical” significance of 5% corresponded to a true false positive rate of 11.1%. We show that converting multiple loops to a hypothetical loop capturing all inbreeding may be a convenient solution to avoid false positive results. When extended genealogic data are not available a hypothetical loop may still be constructed based on genomic data.
Thermal Oxidation of Aluminum Nitride Powder
Authors: Gu Zheng , Edgar James H. , Wang Chongmin , Coffey Dorothy W.
Published: May 2006

The oxidation kinetics, morphology, and crystallinity of aluminum nitride (AlN) powder thermally oxidized in flowing oxygen were determined from 800° to 1150°C. At 800°C the oxidation became detectable with weight change. AlN powder was almost completely oxidized at 1050°C after only 0.5 h. Amorphous aluminum oxide formed at relatively low temperatures (800°–1000°C), with a linear oxidation rate governed by the oxygen–nitride interfacial reaction. Transmission electron microscopy displayed individual aluminum oxide grains which formed a discontinuous oxide layer at this temperature range. The aluminum oxide was crystalline at higher temperatures (>1000°C), as detected by X‐ray diffraction, and the density of oxide grains increased with temperature.
Kinetic Effects on Hydroxyapatite Whiskers Synthesized by the Chelate Decomposition Method
Authors: Roeder Ryan K. , Converse Gabriel L. , Leng Huijie , Yue Weimin
Published: May 2006

Hydroxyapatite (HA) whiskers have been synthesized using a number of chemical solution methods, including the chelate decomposition method. Numerous previous studies have investigated the effects of the reagents, reagent concentrations, solution pH, and reaction temperature on HA whisker morphology and composition. However, purely kinetic effects, such as the reaction heating and stirring rates, have not been rigorously investigated and are rarely reported in the literature. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate kinetic effects on the morphology of HA whiskers synthesized using the chelate decomposition method. In order to study the kinetic effects on the morphology of HA whiskers, three experimental parameters were varied independently: the reaction heating rate (0.36°–3.0°C/min), stirring rate (0–250 rpm), and temperature (80°–200°C). At all heating and stirring rates, precipitated whiskers were confirmed by XRD and FT‐IR to comprise phase‐pure, calcium‐deficient HA (Ca/P=1.57–1.62). The length and aspect ratio of HA whiskers increased with decreased heating rate, decreased stirring rate, and increased reaction temperature. The mean length and aspect ratio of HA whiskers increased approximately twofold with decreased heating rate over the range studied, following a power‐law relationship. Therefore, the reaction heating rate is a key variable that can be used to tailor the morphology of HA whiskers and ought to be reported in the literature. The reaction heating rate and temperature had relatively little effect on the width of HA whiskers. However, the precipitate morphology was altered significantly from micro‐scale whiskers to nano‐scale plates with increased stirring rate. These results offered new insights and provided clarification regarding the reaction mechanism, which is discussed in detail.
Ferroelectric and Dielectric Properties of Bilayered PMN–PT/BNdT Thin Films
Authors: Gao X. S. , Wang John
Published: May 2006

Bilayered thin films consisting of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 and (Bi3.15Nb0.85)Ti3O12 (PMN–PT/BNdT) layers have been successfully deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate by RF sputtering. Their ferroelectric and dielectric behaviors can be tailored by varying the thicknesses of the two constituent ferroelectric layers. An enhancement in both remanent polarization and fatigue resistance is observed by increasing the layer thickness of BNdT, which also leads to an increase in coercive field. The bilayered ferroelectric thin films demonstrate electrical behaviors in association with space charge at low frequencies, which can account for the observed ferroelectric and fatigue properties, as confirmed by frequency and impedance studies.
Properties of Dy3+‐Doped Ge–As–Ga–Se Chalcogenide Glasses
Authors: Jing Ren , Guang Yang , Huidan Zeng , Xianghua Zhang , Yunxia Yang , Guorong Chen
Published: May 2006

In the present work, properties of Dy3+‐doped chalcogenide glasses as a stoichiometric formula of (0.9−x)GeSe2–xAsSe3/2–0.1GaSe3/2 (x=0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6) were investigated as a comparison with the previously studied Ge–Ga–Se system. Property measurements include differential thermal analysis, density, Vis‐NIR and IR transmission spectra, and fluorescent emission spectra. Judd–Ofelt analysis was performed using the calculated oscillator strengths of glasses. All properties of glasses show obvious dependence on compositions. Especially, the improved devitrification resistance and the longer fluorescence life at 1.34 μm emission were observed with the increasing As content. Noticeably, abnormal changes in some properties occurred to the glass whose average coordination number corresponds to the threshold of two‐dimensional–three‐dimensional topological phase transition.
Microwave Absorption in Photonic Crystals Composed of SiC/Resin with a Diamond Structure
Authors: Liu Zhaoting , Kirihara Soshu , Miyamoto Yoshinari , Zhang Di
Published: May 2006

Three‐dimensional photonic crystals were fabricated by infiltrating an epoxy mold with a SiC/polyester mixture. The epoxy molds with normal or inverse diamond structures were formed by stereolithography. The size of the mold was 45 mm × 18 mm × 18mm, and the lattice constant of the photonic crystals was 18 mm. The effects of the epoxy mold type, aspect ratio (the ratio of height and diameter of a diamond lattice rod), and number of sample units on the formation of photonic band gap (PBG) and microwave absorption ability along the 〈100〉 direction were studied. The attenuations of microwave transmission and reflection were measured through the photonic crystal samples at a frequency range of 3–12 GHz with a network analyzer. The results obtained suggest that the combination of the absorbing material SiC and diamond structure has a dual effect to form a PBG with a high absorption ability.
Sensitivity of Scratch Resistance to Grinding‐Induced Damage Anisotropy in Silicon Nitride
Authors: Subhash G. , Marszalek M. A. , Maiti S.
Published: May 2006

Single‐grit scratch experiments were conducted on polished as well as on longitudinally and transversely ground silicon nitride specimens to investigate the influence of grinding direction on scratch resistance. It was found that the volume of material removed and the extent of cracking were the largest when the scratches were parallel to the grinding direction and were the least on the polished specimens. These results were rationalized based on the grinding‐induced sub‐surface damage anisotropy and were quantified using a scratch resistance measure. A linear elastic fracture mechanics analysis revealed that only cracks of certain length and orientation grow to cause the observed trends in the scratch resistance.
Development of an Open‐Ended Coaxial Line Probe for Measurement of Dielectric Properties of Inorganic Materials at High Temperature
Authors: Uematsu Kazuyoshi , Tsuchida Jyunji , Sato Mineo , Toda Kenji
Published: May 2006

An open‐ended coaxial line probe for dielectric measurements at high temperatures was developed. The probe, which was fabricated using stainless steel as the center and outer conductors and quartz wool as an insulator, can function well up to 800°C. The dielectric properties of the raw materials and resultant materials were measured using a network analyzer that was equipped with the open‐ended coaxial line probe at high temperatures to clarify the formation reaction process of YVO4:Eu3+ and Mg2SnO4:Mn2+ phosphors using a microwave heating method. The developed probe was confirmed to be effective for reaction‐process analyses at high temperatures.
Effects of Ba6Ti17O40on the Dielectric Properties of Nb‐Doped BaTiO3Ceramics
Authors: Xu X. , Hilmas G. E.
Published: May 2006

The dielectric properties, including the DC breakdown strength, of 1 mol% Nb5+‐doped BaTiO3ceramics with different quantities of excess TiO2have been investigated. The breakdown strength was found to decrease with increasing TiO2content, but could not be readily explained by relative density and grain size effects. The decrease in the breakdown strength from a stoichiometric BaTiO3composition to samples with excess TiO2is believed to be due to the field enhancement effect (up to a factor of 1.40) at the BaTiO3matrix because of the presence of a Ba6Ti17O40second phase. The thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between the BaTiO3matrix phase and the Ba6Ti17O40phase may also result in a low breakdown strength. The dielectric properties of the pure Ba6Ti17O40phase were also investigated and are reported herein.
Ceramic Bodies with Complex Geometries and Ceramic Shells by Freeze Casting Using Ice as Mold Material
Authors: Moritz Tassilo , Richter Hans‐Jürgen
Published: May 2006

Ceramic bodies with a complex shape and closed ceramic shells encapsulating other components like steel parts were fabricated by the freeze‐casting technique using ice as a mold and as core material. The ice molds and cores were simultaneously removed with the frozen suspension liquid of the ceramic slip by subsequent freeze drying. In this way, cores can be eliminated from a closed shell by sublimation through the porosity of the shell. Moreover, the ice cores allowed to transfect other components into porous ceramic bodies. Complex dental parts such as steel rods encapsulated in porous zirconia shells achieved by this ice mold freeze casting are represented in this article.
Tailoring of the Lead Metaniobate Ceramic Processing
Authors: Venet M. , Vendramini A. , Garcia D. , Eiras J. A. , Guerrero F.
Published: May 2006

The processing of a PbNb2O6 (PN) ceramic was investigated and optimized. Through thermal gravimetric and X‐ray diffraction analysis the optimal calcination condition and the starting firing temperature were estimated. The powders were submitted to thermal treatments to obtain PN ceramic powders with an orthorhombic ferroelectric phase. The effect of PbO excess addition to compensate the PbO losses, during the calcination and the firing, was also studied. The highest density value was found to be 96% of the theoretical density. The temperature dependence of the dielectric properties, for samples sintered at different temperatures, allowed the study of the sintering kinetic.
Salivary interleukin‐6 and tumor necrosis factor‐α in patients with burning mouth syndrome
Authors: Vučićević Boras V , Brailo V , Lukač J , Kordić D , Blažić‐Potočki Z
Published: May 2006

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by burning symptoms on the clinically healthy oral mucosa. To date, etiology of BMS is still unknown. We hypothesized that maybe inflammation which is not clinically apparent might lead to burning symptoms which would then result in altered cytokine profile. In the 28 female patients with BMS (age range 48–80 years, mean 64.05 years) and 28 female controls (age range 40–75 years, mean 63.82 years) by use of enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) levels were determined. Statistical analysis included use of independent sample t‐test and P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Our results show no significant differences between patients and controls regarding salivary IL‐6 and TNF‐α.
Oral and perioral herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1) infection: review of its management*
Authors: Arduino PG , Porter SR
Published: May 2006

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1) gives rise to a variety of clinical disorders and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. HSV‐1 infections are common in oral and perioral area. The aim of the present report was to critically examine the published literature to evaluate the advantages and limitations of therapy of HSV‐1 infection in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. Systemic antiviral therapy has been widely accepted as effective for primary herpetic gingivostomatitis. Aciclovir (ACV) 5% cream seems to be the accepted standard topical therapy for herpes labialis, being both effective and well tolerated, although penciclovir 1% cream has been proposed as a potentially useful treatment. Systemic ACV may be effective in reducing the duration of symptoms of recurrent HSV‐1 infection, but the optimal timing and dose of the treatment are uncertain. Aciclovir and famciclovir may be of benefit in the acute treatment of severe HSV‐1 disease in immunocompromised patients. There is also evidence that prophylactic oral ACV may reduce the frequency and severity of recurrent attack of herpetic infection in immunocompromised patients, but the optimal timing and duration of treatment is uncertain and can vary in different situations.
Pedunculated oncocytic carcinoma in buccal mucosa: immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies
Authors: Sugiyama T , Nakagawa T , Narita M , Nakamura S , Inui M , Tagawa T
Published: May 2006

Purpose:  In this study we evaluated pedunculated oncocytic carcinoma (OC) in the buccal mucosa via immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies.

Patient and methods:  An 84‐year‐old man was referred to our clinic with a pedunculated mass about 4 cm in diameter in the right buccal mucosa. An incision biopsy revealed the diagnosis of oncocytic tumor, and enucleation was performed. The tumor was stained for immunohistochemical analysis using the ABC method and antibodies against cytokeratin (CK), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), desmin, S‐100 protein and muscle‐specific actin, respectively. The tumor was stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate for visualization by electron microscopy.

Results:  Histopathology results revealed that the tumor consisted of oncocytic cells, characterized by eosinophilic and granular cytoplasm, and atypical nuclei. These cells had infiltrated local blood vessels, salivary glands and muscles. Immunohistochemical staining indicated that these cells were positive for CK and EMA, and negative for desmin, muscle‐specific actin and S‐100 protein. Electron microscopy revealed numerous dilated cytoplasmic mitochondria, and the cell contours and nucleic shapes of tumor cells were often irregular.

Conclusions:  Because the histopathologic features of OC are similar to those of benign oncocytoma, the diagnosis of OC must be confirmed by a combination of clinical and ultrastructural characteristics.
Oral mucositis
Authors: Scully C , Sonis S , Diz PD
Published: May 2006

Mucositis and xerostomia are the most common oral complications of the non‐surgical therapy of cancer. Mucositis, a common sequel of radio‐ (DXR), chemo‐(CXR) and radiochemo‐therapy in patients with cancer, or patients requiring haemopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT), has a direct and significant impact on the quality of life and cost of care, and also affects survival – because of the risk of infection. Apart from dose reduction, preventive and treatment options for mucositis are scarce, although multiple agents have been tested. Evidence suggests that cryotherapy, topical benzydamine and amifostine might provide some benefit in specific situations. The recombinant human keratinocyte growth factor Palifermin (Kepivance®) was recently approved as a mucositis intervention in patients receiving conditioning regimens before HSCT for the treatment of haematological malignancies. A number of mechanistically based interventions are in various stages of development. Unfortunately, many other approaches have not been rigorously tested. This paper reviews the clinical features, prevalence, diagnosis, complications, pathogenesis, prophylaxis and management of mucositis.
Effect of Melatonin and Atenolol on Carbon Monoxide Cardiotoxicity: An Experimental Study in Rats
Authors: Mızrak Bülent , Celbiş Osman , Parlakpınar Hakan , Ölmez Ercüment
Published: May 2006

Abstract: The aim of this study was to define the characteristics of heart rates and myocardial changes in rats exposed to carbon monoxide (CO), and the effects of reoxygenation, atenolol (a β‐blocker) and melatonin after sublethal CO intoxication. Widespread use of β‐blockers in cardiology practice and growing literature on the positive effect of melatonin in ischaemia reperfusion lead us to question their effects in case of CO intoxication. Rats were exposed to CO. After sublethal intoxication the rats were reoxygenated with ambient air. Subsequently blood values, electrocardiographic recordings and pathological changes were examined for each groups. Five rats died after CO intoxication in the control group: no myocardial changes were seen in light microscopy. However, myocardium of seven reoxygenated rats presented contraction bands. Seven reoxygenated rats pretreated with atenolol had a higher number of contraction bands of myocardial cells. Seven reoxygenated rats pretreated with melatonin had more contraction bands than reoxygenated rats, and heart rate recordings of these animals revealed a profund and sustained bradycardia. Thus, melatonin and atenolol appear to have some adverse effects in CO intoxication on the myocardial cells.