bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mild Cognitive Impairment: Ethical Considerations for Nosological Flexibility in Human Kinds
Authors: Graham Janice E , Ritchie Karen
Published: January 2007

The evolution of a relevant nosological concept reflects changes in the distinction between what is recognized and defined as normal and pathologic. Attention is directed to the rationale and value of detecting subclinical aging-related modifications in cognitive performance. The position that different kinds of dementias may have precedents in etiological-specific kinds of early or mild cognitive impairments (MCI) supports targeting people earlier for study of these subclinical symptoms. Because heterogeneous disorders can be expected to have multiple patterns of cognitive and behavioral changes, useful conceptual nosologies should be flexible. Yet clinical research primarily restricts its focus to a single pathway where MCI leads to Alzheimer's disease (AD), and uses selective recruitment, washout screenings, repeated trialing of similar compounds, and other methods that bank the published evidence in favor of the existing therapies and their modest efficacy. This focus on AD recursively colors MCI, not as a flexible "human kind" in need of more careful research, but like AD, as an essential "natural kind." Early determination of MCI targets a potential pharmaceutical market of a quarter to a half of the population over sixty-five and the individual experiencing cognitive decline in its early stages is aware and sensitive to their surroundings, to a linked sociodegeneration with neurodegeneration. This paper examines how classifying people changes both the classifier and the subject of classification. The potential for conflict of interest is raised regarding what new causal knowledge and techniques for ascertainment are selected. Reading evidence from epidemiology, neurology, and clinical studies through science studies and bioethics lenses, we explore the possibility of a pluralistic model of cognitive impairment nosology where biological/pathologic processes respond and interrelate with a normal healthy state.
Population, Ethnicity and Violent Conflict
Authors: Tirtosudarmo Riwanto
Published: January 2007

Violent conflict is the most visible threat to the achievement of sustainable development in any society. The source of conflict is conventionally the warfare among countries. In the last fifty years, however, the cause for conflict has changed and been mostly related to the process of nation building in the post-colonial states in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In the new nations, conflicts on the choice of state's ideology are perhaps the most common, and if unresolved, often lead to the separation or partition of the respected nations. In this case, China vs. Taiwan and India vs. Pakistan are perhaps good examples in history. While ideology plays a critical role, it cannot be isolated from the influence of seemingly non political factors of demography and ethnicity. Majority-minority group conflicts are always related to the demographic composition of the population in which ethnicity, religion and economic classes are politically played out. In the aftermath of the Cold War, ethnic conflicts were unleashed. And they often led to the disintegration of nation-states. The breakdown of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and perhaps Indonesia are illustrative cases. Myron Weiner, Thomas Homer-Dixon and Milica Zarkovic Bookman are among the pioneers in studying the interconnectedness of demography, politics and conflict. Ethno-demographic composition and its influence in the politics of nation building generally has been overlooked in many theories on violent conflicts. This paper is an attempt to contribute to the discourse on the nexus of population and conflict by assessing the existing theoretical knowledge and its empirical evidence from the Southeast Asian region.
Applying the Regression-Discontinuity Design to Infer Causality with Non-Random Assignment
Authors: Lesik Sally Andrea
Published: January 2007

The impact of developmental mathematics programs on student success in college-level mathematics has been a controversial topic in higher education. One limitation of the current research is that scholars have been unable to isolate the causal impact of such participation on the student's success in college-level mathematics because it is unreasonable to randomly assign students to a developmental program. This study uses the regression-discontinuity design to infer causality with non-random assignment. The findings suggest that the odds of succeeding in college-level mathematics are greater for students who take developmental programs compared to equivalent students who did not.
Introduction: Friendship and Same-Sex Love
Authors: Gonda Caroline
Published: January 2007

Drawing on poems, letters, essays and fiction, art and music, this collection reveals a rich mixture of early modern subjects' sexual self-fashioning, their negotiations with the dominant culture and with the demands of sexual and gender norms, and the ways in which that culture in turn sought to frame and contain queer subjects. The complexities of friendship and same-sex love explored here encompass public and private, sexual and non-sexual intimacy. Given the inadequacy of modern taxonomies in dealing with these complex forms, the history of sexuality here requires a queer sensibility based on emotional and intellectual flexibility and inclusiveness.
Framing Sensibility: The Female Couple in Art and Narrative
Authors: Roulston Christine
Published: January 2007

This essay will examine how portraits of sisters and other female pairings have been culturally coded to produce certain types of readings; through a comparative analysis of a variety of sisters portraits from the Renaissance to the early nineteenth century, as well as the work of Denis Diderot, we will show how the construction of female intimacy shifted between presenting a safe form of domestication on the one hand, and a questioning and subverting of familial and heterosexual relations on the other. We will argue that it is perhaps because feminine bonding was perceived to require less surveillance and to be inherently safe that the boundaries of intimacy in paintings and narratives were allowed more varied permutations.
Prophecy, the Law of Insanity, and The [First] Book of Urizen
Authors: Barr Mark Lyle
Published: January 2007

This article claims that William Blake draws on cultural and legal notions of insanity to create a space within which radical expression could exist safe from government prosecution. Concerned with an expansive definition of treason in 1794, Blake utilized the cultural conflation of prophet with madman and encoded his prophetic books with a form of internal contradiction analogous to legal conceptions of insanity—an internally divided subject was deemed incompetent to stand trial or instigate legal proceedings.
Recent Studies in the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Helsinger Elizabeth K.
Published: January 2007

An assessment of recent scholarly work treating the literature of the nineteenth century and some general observations on the state of the profession. A full bibliography and price list of the works received by SEL for consideration follow.
Robert Louis Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde and the Double Brain
Authors: Stiles Anne
Published: January 2007

This article traces the inspiration for Stevenson's novella back to two famous French case studies of dual personality, Félida X. and Sergeant F., whose "double lives" were widely discussed in French and British periodicals. In the late-nineteenth century, such cases of dual personality were often attributed to bilateral brain hemisphere asymmetry, a condition Stevenson faithfully depicts in his fictional Strange Case. The author's awareness of contemporary neurological theories and his acute satire of the conventions of the case study contribute to his innovative take on the late-Victorian Gothic romance.
Developing a Climatology of the South's 'Other' Storm Season: ENSO Impacts on Winter Extratropical Cyclogenesis
Authors: Curtis Scott
Published: January 2007

An investigation of extratropical storms in the southeastern U.S. and adjacent waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean over the winter half-year (November to April) from 1961 to 1998 reveals a March peak in observations. During El Niño events the peak in population shifts to February, and a large number of intense storms are observed. Also, during El Niño events there are three hot spots of equally favored extratropical cyclogenesis east of the Rockies—near the Oklahoma panhandle, the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and off the coast of North Carolina. During La Niña and Neutral winters, cyclogenesis primarily occurs in just the first geographical region. No significant trend in storm observations was found in the 38-yr record.
The Manufacturing Sector in the South: Status and Recent Trends
Authors: Kalafsky Ronald
Published: January 2007

Manufacturing has been in decline throughout most of the U.S., following a pattern seen in most industrialized economies. The southeastern states were once an exception to this trajectory due to factors such as lower costs and business-friendly policies; many domestic and international firms continue to establish operations across the region. At the same time, most states in the South are experiencing an overall decrease in manufacturing employment as production is increasingly relocated offshore. This paper provides a brief examination of the manufacturing sector across the South, including employment and production trends. Many southern states still retain aboveaverage concentrations of manufacturing. Overall employment in this sector is decreasing, yet value-added from manufacturing shows signs of increase and perhaps suggests an industrial transition, especially in many key subsectors. These potential shifts raise questions about sustainable regional economic development.
Elye Levita: A Man and His Book on the Cusp of Modernity
Authors: Newman Zelda Kahan
Published: January 2007

Elye Levita spent ten years living in the palace of Cardinal Egidio da Viterbo. In that time, he taught the Cardinal Hebrew and Aramaic, while the Cardinal taught him Latin and Greek. This paper looks at this unorthodox arrangement and the unorthodox nature of the book it produced, Masoret-Ha-Masoret. Masoret Ha-Masoret opens with a rhymed poem that is Levita's self-justification for his behavior. We examine this poem carefully to better understand Levita and his historical setting. We then explain why Masoret ha-Masoret caused such a furor in its day. We find in it some of the ingredients essential for the coming scientific revolution in Jewish studies.
Yiddish, Kanak Sprak, Klezmer, and HipHop: Ethnolect, Minority Culture, Multiculturalism, and Stereotype in Germany
Authors: Loentz Elizabeth
Published: January 2007

Minority and immigrant Germans' embrace of the derogatory term Kanake as a self-ascription and of the low-status ethnolect Kanak Sprak has been compared to US rappers' combative use of "niggah" and Black English. This essay, however, compares the revaluation of the term Kanake, a non-assimilatory Kanak identity, and the ethnolect Kanak Sprak to some early 20th century German Jews' revaluation and embrace of Eastern European Jewish culture and Yiddish. It demonstrates also how non-minority and non-Jewish Germans have used Yiddish and Kanak Sprak in literature, theater, film, and popular culture to re-inscribe ethnic difference, especially at times when minorities and Jews were becoming indistinguishable from non-minority Germans (emancipation edicts or nationality law reform). Because Kanak Sprak is inseparable from HipHop culture, the second half of the essay examines the many parallels between the importation and naturalization of German HipHop and German Klezmer. Both were imported from the United States in the early 1980s; and following the fall of the Berlin Wall and German re-unification, both have played a role in German Vergangenheitsbewältigung [mastering the past]. While HipHop and Klezmer have become the soundtrack of German anti-racism, anti-Nazism, and multiculturalism; some observers are critical of non-minority and non-Jewish Germans' appropriation or instrumentalization of ethnic music, and have cited instances of antisemitism and racism in German Klezmer and HipHop.
"The Undesirability of Admitting Deaf Mutes": U.S. Immigration Policy and Deaf Immigrants, 1882-1924
Authors: Baynton Douglas C
Published: January 2007

When the federal government began in the 1880s to regulate immigration, the exclusion of what were termed "defectives" was one of the primary aims. Deaf people were among the thousands of disabled immigrants turned back each year at U.S. ports as "undesirables." Stereotyped as economically dependent and as carriers of potentially defective genes, deaf immigrants were seen as a threat to the nation. The advent of immigration restriction was one aspect of a pervasive and intensified stigmatization of disability during this period, which also saw the widespread incarceration of mentally disabled people in institutions, the sterilization of the "unfit" under state eugenic laws, the suppression of sign language, and a growing tendency to exclude disabled people from social and cultural life.
"Join Together, Work Together, for the Common Good--Solidarity": Village Formation Processes in the Rural South of Laos
Authors: High Holly
Published: January 2007

This article explores the concept of the solidary village in contemporary Laos. It argues that the "village" today is not a fixed, primordial entity, but a continually emergent formation resulting from numerous processes, including but not limited to modern state processes. The notion of "village" circulates in the ambiguous "common sense" pertaining to rural Laos, in the attitudes, expectations, representations, and regulated requirements of the rural, in what I term village formation projects. Case studies of "village formation projects" in one village in southern Laos illustrate not only the importance of the village concept, but also its indeterminacy and fluidity, and the ensuing difficulty of achieving the "solidarity" and cooperative donation required by poverty reduction policies.
Technik Comes to America: Changing Meanings of Technology before 1930
Authors: Schatzberg Eric
Published: January 2007

Recent scholarship has shown that the present-day meanings of the term technology are relatively recent. In nineteenth-century English, technology referred principally to a field of study concerned with the practical arts; it did not refer to industrial processes or artifacts, except in anomalous usage. In German-speaking regions, a new discourse emerged around die Technik in the second half of the nineteenth century. This German term referred to the practical arts as a whole, especially those associated with engineers and modern industry. When Thorstein Veblen encountered this term after 1900 in German social theory, he incorporated its meanings into technology, thereby transforming the English word into a sophisticated concept for analyzing industrial societies. Most scholars who drew on Veblen's concept missed its subtleties, however, among them the historian Charles A. Beard. In the late 1920s, Beard embraced a deterministic understanding of technology that linked it firmly to the idea of progress.
Looking, Listening, and Remembering: Ways to Walk New York after 9/11
Authors: Carlson Marla
Published: January 2007

De Certeau's essay "Walking in the City," with its view from atop the World Trade Center, frames this discussion of the ways in which three walks in New York City trigger acts of remembrance and imagination. Paying particular attention to the difference between visual and auditory fictions, the article first compares Deborah Warner's silent and wholly scopic The Angel Project to sound artist Janet Cardiff's Her Long Black Hair, and then uses insights borne of this comparison to analyze the Ground Zero Sonic Memorial Soundwalk. Taken in the aftermath of 9/11, these walks exploit a push and pull between art and environment, between the past remembered and the present becoming memory. They also counter the tidy messages provided by mainstream media, both of uncomplicated patriotic unity and also of the unbridgeable gaps between positions.
Oncologic Complications of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: Changing Epidemiology, Treatments, and Special Considerations in the Era of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Klibanov Olga M. , Clark‐Vetri Rachel
Published: December 2006

Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has revolutionized the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–positive patients, malignancies in the setting of HIV infection remain an appreciable problem. We evaluated the changing epidemiology of HIV‐related malignancies, optimal neoplastics and their effect on viral dynamics, and evidence regarding drug interactions between chemotherapy and antiretrovirals. A MEDLINE search (January 1966–June 2006) was performed to identify clinical trials, review articles, and meta‐analyses; abstracts from HIV conferences were also searched. Survival of patients with HIV‐related malignancies has substantially improved since the advent of HAART. Chemotherapy for malignancies in the HIV‐positive population generally resembles that for the HIV‐negative population, with trials revealing an elevated frequency of toxicities in HIV‐positive patients. Studies of antineoplastics have shown no long‐term adverse effects on viral dynamics in terms of immunologic or virologic HIV markers. Limited pharmacokinetic data with antineoplastics and antiretrovirals suggest possible changes in some pharmacokinetic parameters, but these results should be interpreted cautiously because of the small numbers of patients enrolled in the trials. Researchers also report an increased frequency of chemotherapy‐related toxicities when HAART was coadministered with antineoplastics. This increase was likely due to impairment of cytochrome P450 metabolism of antineoplastics by protease inhibitors. Because of the survival benefits of HAART, the integration of antiretrovirals with chemotherapy is now preferred for patients with HIV‐related malignancies. However, because the metabolic pathways of many of these agents are similar, the effectiveness of antineoplastic therapy and its related toxicities should be vigilantly monitored in this patient population.
Reflections on 12 Years of Facilitating Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Groups
Authors: Earle Shirley S.
Published: December 2006

This article discusses the background, characteristics, caregiver benefits, and facilitator rewards of Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Groups conducted over a 12-year period. The objective being to motivate more professionals to start similar groups to increase supports for family members in the face of this devastating progressive disease and/or to encourage clients to consult their local Alzheimer’s Association to find caregiver groups already formed in or around their community. Providing or locating this service is strongly advocated by both the caregivers interviewed and the facilitator.
Myths and Realities of Aging
Authors: Salzman Brooke
Published: December 2006

As the aging population expands, it will become increasingly important for health care providers to become aware of and sensitive to the needs and concerns of older adults.Ageismis a term that describes negative stereotyping of older adults and discrimination because of older age. Health concerns and symptoms in the elderly may be overlooked or dismissed as part of the normal aging process. Consequently, several conditions in olders adults are significantly underdiagnosed and undertreated. Misconceptions about aging frequently encountered in medicine and in society at large include issues involving sexuality, sleep disturbance, depression, cognitive impairment, and substance abuse. We can learn to recognize ageist notions that influence medical practice. Perhaps by becoming more aware of myths and realities of aging, we can improve the health and quality of life of our elderly patients.
Comparative Education: Method
Authors: Phillips David
Published: January 2007

This article is a slightly edited excerpt from a forthcoming book by David Phillips & Michele Schweisfurth: Comparative and International Education: an introduction to theory, method, and practice (Continuum, 2007). This part of the study rehearses some of the considerations of method in comparative studies in education.
Fabrication of Semiconductor Nanowires for Electronic Transport Measurements
Authors: Pfund Andreas , Shorubalko Ivan , Leturcq Renaud , Borgström Magnus T. , Gramm Fabian , Müller Elisabeth , Ensslin Klaus
Published: December 2006

We report on epitaxial growth of InAs nanowires and the steps necessary to create devices for electrnic transport experiments. Growth conditions were found by the use of metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) resulting in nanowires with designable length and diameter. Electrical
properties indicate diffusive electron transport with an elastic mean free path of around hundred nanometers. Coherent quantum mechanical effects and single electron tunneling can be observed at low temperatures in quantum dots created along the nanowire. We demonstrate the realization of
highly tunable quantum dots with metallic top-gates. Beyond that, alternative techniques to introduce potential barriers based on local constrictions are investigated.
Preparative Methods for Nanoanalysis of Materials with Focused Ion Beam Instruments
Authors: Nellen Philipp M. , Callegari Victor , Sennhauser Urs
Published: December 2006

Over the past 15 years, with materials research moving into sub-micrometer-dimensions, focused ion beam instruments (FIB) have proven to be a versatile tool to prepare samples for nanoanalysis. Especially advanced dual-beam FIBs, i.e. FIBs with a combination of an ion and electron
column, take advantage of their particular features for imaging and preparation. This article discusses the principle of ion beam sample interaction to demonstrate how samples are prepared and what kind of possible sample damage and artifacts may occur. Typical FIB instrumentation is also
addressed. Finally progress in FIB preparative methods for nanoanalysis of materials and also the common pitfalls to be avoided are discussed.
Structure and Composition of Nanoscopic Domains in Functional Perovskite-Type Materials
Authors: Weidenkaff Anke , Aguirre Myriam H. , Lippert Thomas , Falke Uwe , Bangert Ursel
Published: December 2006

A- and B-site substituted cobaltate perovskites (ABO3) were prepared by soft chemistry and Pulsed laser Deposition (PLD) processes. The formation of nano-and microdomains was examined by means of transmission electron microscopy to determine the influence on the materials
properties. The growth of thin epitaxial film son oxide substrates by pulsed reactive cross beam laser ablation proceeds through island formation in stranski-Krastanov fashion; after the islands reach a certain height they develop laterally to form a dense epitaxial film. Orientation relationships,
interfacial strain and surface roughness depend on the misfit with the respective substrate. Oxygen deficient La/Ca cobaltates exhibit Brownmillerite and Ruddleston-Popper defects, and increasing O-deficiency results in increasing resistivity of the films. Local defects are found as well in
the microstructure of Mn-doped cobaltates obtained by soft chemistry and sintered for long times at high temperatures. This perovskite phase exists in the orthorhombic phase at higher Mn-concentration and presents an array of inter-grown twin domains. Thin films of cobaltates with nominal
composition of La0.6Ca0.4CoO3 exhibit catalytic activity for oxygen reduction and evolution in alkaline electrolytes. Control over the crystallinity of the thin film, achieved by pulsed reactive crossed beam laser ablation, was used to show that the catalytic
activity varies with crystallinity. Single crystalline films exhibit the highest activity, followed by polycrystalline film and amorphous films. Even the orientation of single crystalline films has an influence on the catalytic activity.
Biological Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy: Imaging and Single Molecule Mass Determination
Authors: Müller Shirley A. , Engel Andreas
Published: December 2006

Scanning transmission electron microscopes can both measure the mass of single protein complexes and take amazingly clear images thereof, offering a wide range of applications in structural biology. The principle of mass measurement is presented and discussed and the scope of scanning
transmission electron microscopy is illustrated by selected examples.
Micro- and Nanostructured Devices for the Investigation of Biomolecular Interactions
Authors: Danelon Christophe , Jenke Martin G. , Schreiter Christoph , Kim Gyu Man , Perez Jean-Baptiste , Santschi Christian , Brugger Jürgen , Vogel Horst
Published: December 2006

Cell membrane receptors and ion channels are essential in many different cellular processes. To analyze the activity of membrane proteins in vesicles and biological cells, we fabricated micro-nano structured chips, enabling the application of electro physiology and fluorescence-based
techniques. A SU-8 biochip was developed to simultaneously micromanipulate and investigate optically and electrically individual vesicles in a microfluidic channel. Lipid vesicles were transported, positioned by electrophoretic movement on a micrometer sized aperture, and fused to form a planar
suspended membrane, which is suited to study ion channel activity. Aiming to investigate G protein coupled receptor signaling pathways in native-like environment, we developed a method for producing well-Oriented planar cell membrane sheets on silicon films containing nanoaperture arrays.
The accessibility of extracellular and cytosolic surfaces was demonstrated by targeting membrane constituents side-specifically with fluorescent markers. Our approach can be applied for studying membrane proteins from a large variety of cells and cellular or ganelles using chip-based screening
assays.
Optical Detection of Very Small Nonfluorescent Nanoparticles
Authors: Sandoghdar Vahid , Klotzsch Enrico , Jacobsen Volker , Renn Alois , Håkanson Ulf , Agio Mario , Gerhardt Ilja , Seelig Johannes , Wrigge Gert
Published: December 2006

We discuss an interferometric method for the optical detection of very small nonfluorescent nanoparticles. In particular, we show that single gold nanoparticles with a diameter as small as 5 nm can be detected. We discuss the potential of such tiny particles as optical labels for biological
studies. Furthermore, we show that our interferometric method can be also used for the detection and tracking of unlabelled biological nano-entities such as viruses or microtubuli.
Prospects of Resonant Optical Antennas for Nano-Analysis
Authors: Hecht Bert , Mühlschlegel Peter , Farahani Javad N. , Eisler Hans-Jürgen , Pohl Dieter W. , Martin Olivier J.F. , Biagioni Paolo
Published: December 2006

Suitably shaped metal nano structures act as resonant optical antennas that efficiently collect light and confine it to a subwavelength volume. Vice versa, light emission from nano volumes can be enhanced by coupling to antenna structures. We give a short introduction to antenna
theory and discuss recent experiments that show the feasibility of achieving strong field enhancement using resonant dipole antennas for near infrared wavelengths. By scanning an optical antenna fabricated at the apex of an AFM tip over individual quantum dots, we observe enhanced emission
of the latter while it is in close proximity of the antenna feed gap. Resonant optical antennas hold promise to be applied for spectroscopic characterization of nano structures with high spatial resolutions and single-molecule sensitivity.
Optical Nano-Imaging of Materials: Peeping Through Tip-Enhanced Raman Scattering
Authors: Kawata Satoshi , Verma Prabhat
Published: December 2006

High-resolution optical nano-imaging, with a spatial resolution far beyond the diffraction limits of the probing light, has been shown by means of tip-enhanced near-field Raman spectroscopy. The capabilities of imaging the physical and chemical properties of materials have been demonstrated
by imaging the diameter distribution of the nanotubes within an isolated bundle of single wall carbon nanotube. Further, by combining the nonlinear effects in the scattering process, it has been shown that the tip-enhanced coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering imaging of DNA networks is capable
of even higher spatial resolution and contrast.
Probing Chiral Nanoparticles and Surfaces by Infrared Spectroscopy
Authors: Gautier Cyrille , Bieri Marco , Dolamic Igor , Angeloni Silvia , Boudon Julien , Bürgi Thomas
Published: December 2006

Chiral metal surfaces and nanoparticles have the potential to be used for the selective production, the resolution and the detection of enantiomers of a chiral compound, which renders them highly attractive in view of the tremendous consequences of homochirality on earth. Their capability
to distinguish between enantiomers of a chemical compound relies on their structure and the ability to form intermolecular interactions. However, molecular-level understanding of the interactions that are at the origin of enantiodiscrimination is lagging behind due to the lack of powerful
experimental techniques that are able to spot these interactions selectively with high sensitivity. In this article two techniques based on infrared spectroscopy are presented that are able to selectively target the chiral properties of nanoparticles and interfaces. These are the combination
of attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) with modulation excitation spectroscopy (MES) to probe enantiodiscriminating interactions at chiral solid–liquid interfaces and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), which is used to probe the structure of chirally modified metal nanoparticles.
Methods for Molecular Nanoanalysis
Authors: Schmid Thomas , Schmitz Thomas A. , Setz Patrick D. , Yeo Boon-Siang , Zhang Weihua , Zenobi Renato
Published: December 2006

This contribution reviews methods based on scanning probe microscopy for molecular analysis and identification on a length scale of 20–200 nm. Aperture scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) was initially developed in our group for chemical analysis and imaging using fluorescence
and Raman spectroscopies, with a resolution beyond the optical diffraction limit. In recent years, tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy was developed into an analytical tool capable of a spatial resolution less than 50 nm and, using the 'gap' mode of operation, the promise for single molecule sensitivity
and even higher spatial resolution. Aperture SNOM with pulsed laser irradiation can be used for nanoscale laser ablation. With an interface to a very sensitive mass spectrometer, this provides a platform for nanoscale mass spectrometry using atmospheric pressure sampling. The preparation of
fiber tips for aperture SNOM as well as metallized a FM tips and etched metal wires for aperture less SNOM applications is reviewed. Finally, applications for the chemical analysis of thin molecular films and of biological samples are presented.
Nanoscale Probing of Electrode Surfaces by Scanning Force Microscopy
Authors: Fermín David J.
Published: December 2006

The development of increasingly sophisticated hierarchical structures in the design of functional electrode surfaces introduces a high degree of complexity in to the analysis of conventional electrochemical responses. This article briefly summarizes recent developments in techniques
based on the concepts of scanning force microscopy (SFM) for the in situ characterization of electrode surfaces. High-resolution morphological studies during phase formation and ion insertion processes have provided valuable insights into the correlations between electrochemical signals
and surface structural changes. Novel measuring modes such as the combined scanning electrochemical microscopy–SFM have opened the possibility of mapping electrochemical reactivity of heterogeneous surfaces at the sub-micron range. Finally, the use of SFM for accurate analysis of electrostatic
forces associated with the electrochemical double layer is also highlighted.
Photoelectron Diffraction for a Look inside Nanostructures
Authors: Osterwalder Jürg , Tamai Anna , Auwärter Willi , Allan Milan P. , Greber Thomas
Published: December 2006

The diffraction of core-level photoelectrons in local atomic clusters leads to pronounced intensity anisotropies in the corresponding photoemission signals from single crystalline surfaces. The resulting emission patterns contain detailed structural information of the environment of
the photoemitting atom. In the case of surface-supported nanostructures, core levels of different elements can be selected in order to probe the local structure around the different constituents. The combination with scanning tunneling microscopy data, showing the distribution, size and shape
of the nano-objects, proves to be very interesting. Three case studies illustrate the kind of information that is available from this combined nano-analysis: molecular orientation in well-ordered chains of C60 molecules on a vicinal Cu(111) surface, the atomic structure of line
defects in epitaxial monolayers of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) on Ni(111), and the structural characterization of two orthogonal one-dimensional h-BN and boron phases grown on Mo(110).
Chemical Surface Analysis with Nanometer Depth Resolution
Authors: Hauert Roland , Keller Beat A.
Published: December 2006

The characterization of surface chemical species with respect to their identity and quantification becomes a very demanding task in the case of submicron or nanoscale materials and systems. In such cases, the major part of atoms or molecules with in a typical analytical volume of about
10?12 cm3 must be considered as surface related. Although some times pushed to the current instrumental limit, the use of the three most important surface analysis techniques X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and time-of-flight
secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) can provide the scientific community with the necessary analytical tools to identify and quantify chemical entities on the surface of nanoscale objects.
Imaging in Biomedical Research: Mini-Symposium of the Division for Medicinal Chemistry (DMC) of the Swiss Chemical Society (SCS), at the Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, May 18, 2006
Authors: Folkers Gerd , Ishai Alumit , Rudin Markus , Schubiger Pius August , Bräutigam Matthias , Möhler Hanns , Märki Hans Peter
Published: December 2006

Imaging technologies have experienced rapid progress and are currently used widely both in medical diagnostics and in research. Imaging beyond X-ray and standard MRI became established in recent years. The extended set of imaging methodologies available allows methods to be selected
according to the actual needs or even the combination of different imaging principles to obtain further improved read-outs. The symposium consisted of four overview lectures. Three speakers from academia and one speaker from industry described different techniques, recent developments and
future needs from various perspectives in the lectures entitled: Non-Invasive Imaging in Biomedical Research: Annotating Structure with Molecular Information; Molecular Imaging with PET Tracers and Animal PET Scanners; Nuclear (PET- and SPECT-) Imaging Agents from Research to Approval (Perspectives
from a Pharma Company Working on in vivo Diagnostics); Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Imaging.
The University of Zurich (UZH) Hosts the Second Biannual Siegfried Symposium
Authors: Finney Nathaniel S.
Published: December 2006

On Thursday, September 21st, the University of Zurich hosted the second biannual Siegfried Symposium. The Symposium, which highlights new developments in process chemistry, was jointly organized by the Organic Chemistry Institute and Siegfried, Ltd. of Zofingen. A full day
of lectures from a group of leading international researchers culminated in the award of the Siegfried Medal to Prof. Stephen Buchwald (MIT) for his fundamental contributions to the development of efficient transition metal-catalyzed synthetic processes.
Masterstudium auch für Fachhochschulen ein Muss! Masterstudium auch für Fachhochschulen ein Muss!
Authors: Aebischer Jean-Nicolas
Published: December 2006

Arguments for the introduction of master programs at the Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) are presented. The concept of a consecutive Bologna master program for Chemistry and Life Sciences currently elaborated by members of the concerned Swiss UAS is briefly described. Within
this concept the Master Research Units (MRU) of the participating UAS will play a key role. They will host and coach the students for their master theses. The College of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg is positioning itself within the spectrum of MRUs by focusing on chemical process
development and production.
Gender differences in aggressive behavior at admission to a psychiatric hospital
Authors: Grube Michael
Published: December 2006

As aggressive behavior has a negative impact in general psychiatry, its influence specifically from a gender‐related point of view in an in‐patient population of a psychiatric clinic was assessed at the time of admission. A group of 521 successively admitted psychiatric in‐patients was investigated at admission with the help of the “Social Dysfunction and Aggression Scale”. A slightly higher frequency and intensity of “verbal aggressive behavior” was observed in males. Within the other categories of aggressive behavior (“tension”, “physical violence to things”, and “assaults”), however, the percentages and intensities of gender‐related aggressive behavior did not differ significantly. Furthermore, under the covarying impact of various psychiatric diagnoses, the gender‐related differences concerning the intensity of “verbal aggressive behavior” disappeared. When comparing male and female subgroups, it was notable that male schizophrenic patients were younger than female patients when displaying comparable risks of showing at least one kind of aggressive behavior. In addition, in the female subgroup, “self‐injurious behavior” was more strongly correlated to the category “tension” than in the male subgroup. Although there are some methodological shortcomings, the present results show that there are small qualitative differences in gender‐related aggressive behavior in addition to minimal quantitative differences in the frequency and intensity of “verbal aggressive behavior” at admission. Aggr. Behav. 33:1–7, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Predicting sexual aggression: the role of pornography in the context of general and specific risk factors
Authors: Vega Vanessa , Malamuth Neil M.
Published: December 2006

The main focus of the present study was to examine the unique contribution (if any) of pornography consumption to men's sexually aggressive behavior. Even after controlling for the contributions of risk factors associated with general antisocial behavior and those used in Confluence Model research as specific predictors of sexual aggression, we found that high pornography consumption added significantly to the prediction of sexual aggression. Further analyses revealed that the predictive utility of pornography was due to its discriminative ability only among men classified (based on their other risk characteristics) at relatively high risk for sexual aggression. Other analyses indicated that the specific risk factors accounted for more variance in sexual aggression than the general risk factors and mediated the association between the general risk factors and sexual aggression. We illustrate the potential application of the findings for risk assessment using a classification tree. Aggr. Behav. 33:1–14, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss; Inc.
Anxiety sensitivity and retaliatory aggressive behavior in research volunteers
Authors: Broman‐Fulks Joshua J. , McCloskey Michael S. , Berman Mitchell E.
Published: December 2006

An important focus of recent aggression research has been to identify personality variables that influence the expression of aggression. One such variable may be anxiety sensitivity (AS). Individuals high in AS fear unpleasant anxiety‐related physiological sensations and perhaps physiological arousal in general. Accordingly, people high in AS are motivated to avoid situations that produce these sensations. With respect to aggressive encounters, an intense attack by an opponent involves significant physiological arousal. High anxiety‐sensitive individuals may therefore attempt to decrease the intensity of the interaction by responding in a non‐aggressive or conciliatory manner. To test this possibility, 112 community volunteers completed a measure of AS and a well‐validated laboratory task designed to assess aggressive behavior. As predicted, an inverse relation between AS and extreme aggressive responding was found. Specifically, as AS increases, retaliatory aggression is less likely after intense attack by an opponent. Aggr. Behav. 33:1–8, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss; Inc.
Characteristics of acoustic standing waves in packed‐bed columns
Authors: Kumar T. Sai , Patle Munesh Kumar , Sujith R. I.
Published: December 2006

The acoustic characteristics of a column are described when filled with different random packings of various shapes, sizes and void fractions. An experimental setup was developed to study the acoustic field in a packed‐bed column. Eight different packings were used to fill the column, and for each packing the acoustic pressure amplitude and phase were measured along the length of the packed bed. The speed of sound and the attenuation coefficient were determined using a nonlinear regression technique. The speed of sound inside the column decreased when the column was filled with packings. The natural frequencies increased as the void fraction of a particular packing decreased. It is shown that the attenuation coefficient depends on a nondimensional frequency defined as ωd2/v, where v is the kinematic viscosity, ω is the angular frequency, and d is the effective diameter of the packing. © 2006 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007
HTR2C and HTR1A gene variants in German and Italian suicide attempters and completers
Authors: Serretti Alessandro , Mandelli Laura , Giegling Ina , Schneider Barbara , Hartmann Annette M. , Schnabel Axel , Maurer Konrad , Möller Hans‐Jürgen , Rujescu Dan
Published: December 2006

The serotonin 2C (HTR2C) and 1A (HTR1A) receptors have been involved in suicide‐related behaviors. We studied gene variants of both receptors in suicide attempters and completers. The sample was composed of 167 German suicide attempters (affective spectrum n = 107, schizophrenia spectrum n = 35, borderline personality disorder n = 25), 92 Caucasian individuals who committed suicide, 312 German healthy subjects, 152 Italian suicide attempters (major depression n = 68 and bipolar disorder n = 84), and 131 Italian healthy volunteers. HTR2C (SNP: rs547536, rs2192372, rs6318, rs2428707, rs4272555, rs1801412) and HTR1A (SNP: rs1423691, rs878567, and rs6295) variants were analyzed in the German sample. HTR2C rs6318 and HTR1A rs6295 were analyzed in the Italian sample. Haplotype analysis in relation to suicidal behaviors did not reveal any significant association. Single markers and haplotypes were not or only marginally associated with other related features, such as violence of suicide attempt, family history for suicide attempt or State‐Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) and Questionnaire for Measuring Factors of Aggression (FAF) scores. In conclusion, our study does not support the notion that HTR2C and HTR1A gene variants are major contributors to suicide‐, anger‐, or aggression‐related behaviors in our sample. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Tumor necrosis factor‐α promoter polymorphism is associated with the risk of Parkinson's disease
Authors: Wu Yih‐Ru , Feng I‐Hsin , Lyu Rong‐Kuo , Chang Kuo‐Hsuan , Lin Yu‐Yun , Chan Huiling , Hu Fen‐Ju , Lee‐Chen Guey‐Jen , Chen Chiung‐Mei
Published: December 2006

Inflammatory events may contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). We conducted a case‐control study in a cohort of 369 PD cases and another cohort of 326 ethnically matched controls to investigate the association of tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the risk of PD. The overall genotype distribution at T‐1031C and C‐857T sites showed significant difference between PD cases and controls (P = 0.0062 and 0.0035, respectively). However, only the more frequent −1031 CC genotype was evidently associated with PD (P = 0.0085, odds ratio: 2.96; 95% CI: 1.38–7.09). Pairwise SNP linkage disequilibrium showed −1031 and −863 sites are in strong linkage disequilibrium (D′ = 0.93, Δ2 = 0.80). Pairwise haplotype analysis among the four sites showed that −1031C‐863A may act as a risk haplotype among PD cases (P = 0.0028, odds ratio: 2.18; 95% CI: 1.33–3.69). © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Association study between the TNXB locus and schizophrenia in a Japanese population
Authors: Tochigi Mamoru , Zhang Xuan , Ohashi Jun , Hibino Hiroyuki , Otowa Takeshi , Rogers Mark , Kato Tadafumi , Okazaki Yuji , Kato Nobumasa , Tokunaga Katsushi , Sasaki Tsukasa
Published: December 2006

The chromosome 6p21–24 region, which contains the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region, has been suggested as an important locus for a susceptibility gene for schizophrenia. Recently, a significant association between schizophrenia and the TNXB locus, located immediately telomeric of the NOTCH4 locus in the HLA region, was observed. Few studies have further investigated the region in schizophrenia. In the present study, we investigated the region in a Japanese population. Subjects included 241 patients with schizophrenia and 290 controls. Twenty‐six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the corresponding haplotypes were analyzed. As a result, exactly the same SNPs in the TNXB locus (rs1009382 and rs204887) as in the previous study were associated with schizophrenia (P = 0.034 and 0.034, respectively, uncorrected). A SNP (rs2071287) in the NOTCH4 locus and haplotype around it were also suggested to associate with the disease, consistent with another previous study (P = 0.041 and permutation P = 0.024, respectively, uncorrected). Although these associations became insignificant after Bonferroni correction, the findings might provide support for the association of the TNXB locus or its adjacent region of the NOTCH4 locus with schizophrenia. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Association of dopamine transporter genotype with disruptive behavior disorders in an eight‐year longitudinal study of children and adolescents
Authors: Lee Steve S. , Lahey Benjamin B. , Waldman Irwin , Van Hulle Carol A. , Rathouz Paul , Pelham William E. , Loney Jan , Cook Edwin H.
Published: December 2006

Associations between dopamine transporter (DAT1) variable number tandem repeats (VNTR), genotypes, and disruptive behavior were examined in an 8‐year longitudinal study of children (n = 183). Half of the children met criteria for attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at 4–6 years and half were non‐referred comparison children. Consistent with several studies, the non‐additive association for the 10‐repeat allele was significant for hyperactivity‐impulsivity (HI) symptoms. However, consistent with other studies, exploratory analyses of the non‐additive association of the 9‐repeat allele of DAT1 with HI and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms also were significant. The inconsistent association between DAT1 and child behavior problems in this and other samples may reflect joint influence of the 10‐repeat and 9‐repeat alleles. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.