bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationship between heart rate variability and the severity of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia
Authors: Kim Jong-Hoon , Ann Jun-Hyung , Lee Jinyoung
Published: April 2011

Kim J-H, Ann J-H, Lee J. Relationship between heart rate variability and the severity of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia.

Objective: The relationship between autonomic neurocardiac function and schizophrenia remains elusive. This study investigated the relationship between the heart rate variability (HRV) parameters and the severity of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenic patients.

Methods: Twenty-one patients receiving risperidone monotherapy and 21 matched normal control subjects were evaluated for HRV analysis. The severity of schizophrenic symptoms was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and a five-factor model of the PANSS was used.

Results: The value of the ratio of low-to-high frequency spectral power was significantly higher in the patient group. The patient group also showed a significantly lower value of approximate entropy. After controlling the dosage of risperidone, the PANSS total score had significant negative correlations with the standard deviation of all RR intervals (SDNN) and the square root of the mean squared differences of successive normal sinus intervals (RMSSD). With respect to the PANSS factors, the score of the PANSS cognitive/disorganisation factor had significant negative correlations with SDNN and RMSSD.

Conclusion: These results provide some evidence that the severity of psychotic symptoms, especially cognitive/disorganisation symptom dimensions, may be associated with reduced HRV, suggesting a potential involvement of neuroautonomic dysfunction in the pathophysiology of specific symptoms of schizophrenia.
Escitalopram oxalate, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, exhibits cytotoxic and apoptotic effects in glioma C6 cells
Authors: Dikmen Miriş , Cantürk Zerrin , Öztürk Yusuf
Published: April 2011

Dikmen M, Cantürk Z, Öztürk Y. Escitalopram oxalate, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, exhibits cytotoxic and apoptotic effects in glioma C6 cells.

Objective: Various antidepressants, mainly tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have been reported to exhibit potent anticancer properties in different cancer cells. In this study, we evaluated the antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of escitalopram oxalate (25, 50, 100 and 200 µM) on rat C6 glioma cells.

Methods: Cell proliferations were measured by [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2-5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] (MTT) assay, apoptosis was observed by flow cytometric analysis on C6 cells.

Results: Significant decreases in the proliferation of C6 glioma cells were detected depending on increases in the escitalopram concentrations and incubation periods. When compared to controls, C6 cell proliferations after 24 h incubation were determined with 97.7, 85.9, 74.5 and 67.9% for 25, 50, 100 and 200 µM escitalopram, respectively, while the cell proliferations after 48 h were established as 96.5, 68.0, 50.7 and 39.9% for 25, 50, 100 and 200 µM concentrations, respectively. IC50 value of escitalopram was able to be calculated as 106.97 µM after 48 h. Based on Annexin V-propidium iodide (PI) binding capacity for 25, 50, 100 and 200 µM escitalopram, apoptotic effects were determined as 17.0, 22.3, 12.5 and 7.8%, respectively.

Conclusion: Based on our findings, escitalopram oxalate was observed to induce cytotoxic and apoptotic activities in C6 cells.
Foreign accent syndrome caused by a left temporal–parietal ischaemic stroke
Authors: Karanasios Panagiotis , Loukopoulou Paraskevi , Zampakis Petros , Tiligadas Thomas , Makridou Alexandra , Doukas Vassilios , Argyriou Andreas A.
Published: April 2011

Karanasios P, Loukopoulou P, Zampakis P, Tiligadas T, Makridou A, Doukas V, Argyriou AA. Foreign accent syndrome caused by a left temporal–parietal ischaemic stroke.

Aim: We present the first reported case of a Greek patient with foreign accent syndrome (FAS) secondary to a left temporal-parietal ischemic stroke.

Case report: A 76 year-old right-handed, Greek in origin, male was referred because he had suddenly manifested changes in speech expression. The neurological examination revealed that his prior typical English-Australian accent resembled a mixture of Greek and English-Britain accent consistent with FAS, though he had visited only once Greece the last 15 years and never had been to United Kingdom.

Results: A brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan depicted an ischemic temporal lesion in the language-dominant left hemisphere, affecting the left posterior superior and middle temporal gyri, as well as the ipsilateral inferior supramarginal angular gyrus and posterior insula.

Conclusion: We might suggest that FAS in our patient was induced because of interrupted cortical-subcortical feedback pathways. The phenomenon of subcortical-cortical diaschisis might also have contributed to its clinical manifestation.
Low-dose clozapine monotherapy for recurring episodes of depression, hypersomnia and behavioural disturbances: a case report
Authors: Havaki-Kontaxaki Beata J. , Ferentinos Panagiotis P. , Kontaxakis Vassilis P. , Kontaxaki Maria-Irini V. , Geronikola Xenia , Armeniakos Ioannis , Papadimitriou George N.
Published: April 2011

Havaki-Kontaxaki BJ, Ferentinos PP, Kontaxakis VP, Kontaxaki M-I V, Geronikola X, Armeniakos I, Papadimitriou GN. Low-dose clozapine monotherapy for recurring episodes of depression, hypersomnia and behavioural disturbances: a case report.

Case Report: We present a 27-year-old woman who manifested recurrent episodes of hypersomnia, compulsive hyperphagia, hypersexuality, impulsive behaviours, irritability and depressive mood since the age of 13 after a viral febrile infection. She had 3–4 episodes/year lasting from a few days to 2–3 weeks which were managed with various psychotropics. During her last episode, she was admitted because of persistent behavioural disturbances. Brain 99m-Tc-ethyl cysteinate dimer single-photon emission computed tomography scans showed bilateral mesiotemporal and thalamic hypoperfusion, more significant in the right hemisphere. While hospitalised, she developed neuroleptic malignant syndrome following haloperidol administration. She was discharged on clozapine 100 mg/day. Over the following 30 months, she remained symptom free on clozapine 50–100 mg/day.

Discussion: Differential diagnosis included either an atypical recurrent mood disorder with hypersomnia and behavioural disturbances or Kleine–Levin syndrome.

Conclusion: Low-dose clozapine monotherapy may worth being further investigated for the management of recurring episodes of depression, hypersomnia and behavioural disturbances.
N‐terminal‐pro‐brain natriuretic peptide: a guide for early targeted indomethacin therapy for patent ductus arteriosus in preterm Infants
Authors: Nuntnarumit Pracha , Chongkongkiat Prapaiporn , Khositseth Anant
Published: April 2011

Aim:  To determine whether N‐terminal‐pro‐brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) level could be an effective guide for early targeted indomethacin therapy for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in preterm infants.

Methods:  An interventional study involved preterm infants, born at <33 weeks of gestation, who had plasma NT‐proBNP levels obtained at day 2 of life. Indomethacin therapy was given if plasma NT‐proBNP level was ≥10 180 pg/mL, the cut‐off for predicting hemodynamic significant PDA (hsPDA). Echocardiograms were performed within 6 h at the time of plasma NT‐proBNP collection and again at day 7, or whenever clinical hsPDA was suspected. Primary outcomes were the incidence of later hsPDA and unnecessary exposure rate to indomethacin.

Results:  Fifty infants were enrolled. On day 2, 19 (38%) infants had plasma NT‐proBNP above the cut‐off and received indomethacin therapy; none of them developed later hsPDA, while 1 of 31 infants with NT‐proBNP below the cut‐off level developed clinical hsPDA. Unnecessary exposure to indomethacin occurred in two infants (11%). Overall, no enrolled infants had either reopening of ductus or PDA ligation.

Conclusion:  Using NT‐proBNP level on day 2 as a guide for early targeted indomethacin therapy reduced later onset of hsPDA and the number of unnecessary exposures to indomethacin.
Treatment of peri‐implantitis with deproteinised bovine bone and tetracycline: a case report
Authors: Park Jun‐Beom
Published: April 2011

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00470.x
 
Treatment of peri‐implantitis with deproteinised bovine bone and tetracycline: a case report

Objective:  The objective of this study is to evaluate the use of tetracycline in a patient with peri‐implantitis.

Background:  Tetracycline is widely used in regeneration procedures owing to its positive effect with bone graft material, regeneration of extraction socket bone and its traditional antibacterial effect. However, there have been limited reports on bone graft procedures combined with tetracycline application in peri‐implantitis.

Materials and methods:  The detoxification procedure was performed with chlorhexidine and tetracycline, and the defect area was grafted with a 4:1 volume ratio combination of deproteinised bovine bone mixed with tetracycline.

Results:  Soft tissue healing was uneventful, and the treatment yielded improved clinical results with a reduced probing depth.

Conclusions:  Tetracycline was used in the treatment of peri‐implantitis by burnishing the implant surface and applying tetracycline in conjunction with an osseous graft to the defect area. The treatment of peri‐implantitis with tetracycline seemed to show improved clinical results up to the follow‐up period.
The effect of denture adhesives on Candida albicans growth in vitro
Authors: Sampaio‐Maia Benedita , Figueiral Maria Helena , Sousa‐Rodrigues Patricia , Fernandes Maria Helena , Scully Crispian
Published: April 2011

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00478.x
 
The effect of denture adhesives on Candida albicans growth in vitro

Objective:  Denture‐wearing favours the growth of Candida. In view of the fact that many denture wearers regularly use adhesives to enhance denture retention, stability and function, the aim of this work was to study the effect of denture adhesives on Candida albicans growth in vitro.

Materials and methods:  The denture adhesives tested were Corega® cream, Kukident® cream, Novafix® cream, Polident® cream, Protefix® cream, Steradent® cream, Aderyn® powder, Corega® ultra powder, Protefix® powder and Corega® strip. C. albicans growth curves were obtained in the presence or absence of a 1% solution of the denture adhesive diluted in Sabouraud broth. Macro‐ and microscopic morphological changes in C. albicans were analysed, as was microbial contamination of the denture adhesive.

Results:  Most of the denture adhesives studied induced morphological changes in C. albicans cells and colonies, but only two had any significant inhibitory effect on yeast growth. Kukident® cream markedly inhibited C. albicans growth in a concentration‐dependent way, reducing the growth rate by 95%, whereas Corega® cream also inhibited C. albicans growth but in a non‐concentration‐dependent way, reducing the growth rate by 37%. In addition, denture adhesives available as powders had detectable microbial contamination.

Conclusion:  Some commercially available denture adhesives showed microbial contamination and some had significant inhibitory effect on C. albicans growth.
Bluestocking Studies: the State of the Field – and into the Future
Authors: Heller Deborah
Published: April 2011

Although Sylvia Myers’s groundbreaking book, The Bluestocking Circle, was published in 1990, the field of Bluestocking Studies did not gain critical momentum until some 12 years ago, when two developments (the demolition of the ‘domestic thesis’ and the English translation of Habermas’s Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere) had opened the way for a new approach. It was now realized that the Bluestockings were not mere salon ‘hostesses’ and harmless dabblers in men’s intellectual culture; rather they were innovative agents in 18th‐century culture and society and were full participants in, indeed fashioners of, the Enlightenment. The present essay reviews the scholarly literature, praising advances where appropriate and censuring retrograde tendencies when necessary. It criticizes the ahistorical imposition of 20th‐century feminism onto the Blues, and it challenges certain orthodoxies, empty clichés, and facile generalizations. It argues that the Bluestockings were not a ‘circle’ and Elizabeth Montagu was not ‘Queen of the Blues’. The Bluestockings were rather a loosely bounded system of separate but interrelated groups of persons or influences. Looking toward the future, the way to move ahead in Bluestocking Studies is to go back ad fontes– to the sources.
Reading the Chester Cycle
Authors: Baldwin Elizabeth M. S.
Published: April 2011

This article reviews recent (1998–2008) work on the Chester cycle of medieval drama. Recent thought on the cycle has been fundamentally affected by the letters of the Puritan divine Christopher Goodman, which show the Chester cycle being revised and altered right up to its final performance in 1575. The works discussed primarily cover post‐Reformation issues, with a focus on authority and control, both inside and outside the play. These concerns also inform articles on such other topics as sponsorship, audience response, and gender. Staging is discussed in several articles, as are the thematic and pragmatic functions of the Expositor. Many of the articles are also comparative, linking the Chester cycle with the York, Towneley, or N. Town plays, as well as other art and literature, both medieval and modern.
The Imitation of Christ in English Reformation Writing
Authors: Perry Nandra
Published: April 2011

This essay surveys scholarly treatments of the imitatio Christi theme in the printed literature of the English Reformation up to about 1640 and makes a case for the relevance of contemporary religious and devotional writing on this topic to the study of early modern English literature. While imitation has long been recognized by literary critics as a central feature of early modern English pedagogy and poetics, the devotional practice of imitating Christ’s life and Passion has been historically regarded as a minor element in English Protestant piety. However, recent trends in the study of early modern English literature and the historiography of the English Reformation suggest that it is time to reconsider the role of the imitatio Christi not only within English Protestant devotional culture, but within the broader culture of literary imitation as well.
Intellectual property disclosure as threat
Authors: Baker Scott , Lee Pak Yee , Mezzetti Claudio
Published: April 2011

This paper models leading firms in innovation markets deciding first whether to share knowledge, and then playing a market entry game. When firms are sufficiently patient, we show that the feasibility of intellectual property disclosure through licensing to outsiders provides a useful additional threat to entry by the punishing firm in the entry game. The opposite is true when firms are impatient; the availability of intellectual property disclosure makes coordination harder. We also show that if the probability that the leading firms will be able to innovate even without knowledge sharing is sufficiently high and firms are sufficiently patient, then it is also possible for the firms to enforce a knowledge‐sharing agreement before innovation has taken place.
Complex networks and local externalities: A strategic approach
Authors: Galeotti Andrea , Vega‐Redondo Fernando
Published: April 2011

In this paper, we illustrate a new approach to the study of how local externalities shape agents’ strategic behavior when the underlying network is volatile and complex. We consider a large population that interacts as specified by a random network with a given degree distribution. Motivated by the complexity of the induced network, we assume that the only precise information agents have is local; that is, it is restricted to their immediate neighborhood. Each agent chooses an investment level, which, in turn, imposes a payoff externality on his or her neighbors that is captured by a (local) Cobb‐Douglas production/payoff function. We find that, in the unique interior equilibrium, the induced externality is positive or negative, depending on whether investment costs are, respectively, above or below a certain threshold. This also has implications for the nature of the equilibrium strategy, which is increasing in the degree, in the first case, and decreasing in the second. Finally, we also characterize how the equilibrium changes when the network topology varies and becomes more connected, or when its degree distribution becomes more polarized.
Equilibria in an infinite horizon game with an incumbent, entry and switching costs
Authors: Biglaiser Gary , Crémer Jacques
Published: April 2011

We consider an infinite horizon game in which a consumer incurs a switching cost when changing supplier. There is an incumbent firm at the beginning of the game, and a new entrant in each period, all with a production cost of 0. We identify the set of possible profits of the incumbent when the common discount rate of all the agents is greater than 1/2: it is the interval [0, σ/(1 − δ)]. There exist equilibria in which the incumbent sells the good to the consumer in every period at any price in [0, σ]. The result also holds with several entrants and several consumers.
Inventory in vertical relationships with private information and interdependent values
Authors: Anton James , Biglaiser Gary , Lewis Tracy
Published: April 2011

We study the use of inventory when a distributor is better informed about demand than a manufacturer. We find that when distributor and manufacturer values are interdependent it is optimal to endow the distributor with some inventory before it obtains its private information. We characterize the final allocation of the good and show that the distributor may have too few (many) units relative to the efficient allocation when demand is high (low).
Piroxicam Reverses Endotoxin‐Induced Hypotension in Rats: Contribution of Vasoactive Eicosanoids and Nitric Oxide
Authors: Buharalioglu C. Kemal , Korkmaz Belma , Cuez Tuba , Sahan‐Firat Seyhan , Sari Ayse Nihal , Malik Kafait U. , Tunctan Bahar
Published: April 2011

Abstract:  Nitric oxide (NO) produced by inducible NO synthase (iNOS) is responsible for endotoxin‐induced vascular hyporeactivity and hypotension resulting in multiple organ failure. Endotoxic shock is also characterized by decreased expression of constitutive cyclooxygenase (COX‐1), cytochrome P450 (CYP) 4A and endothelial NOS (eNOS). Our previous studies demonstrated that dual inhibition of iNOS and COX with a selective COX‐2 inhibitor, NS‐398, or a non‐selective COX inhibitor, indomethacin, restores blood pressure presumably because of increased production of 20‐hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20‐HETE) derived from arachidonic acid (AA) by CYP4A in endotoxaemic rats. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of piroxicam, a preferential COX‐1 inhibitor, on the endotoxin‐induced changes in blood pressure, expression of COX‐1, inducible COX (COX‐2), CYP4A1, eNOS, iNOS and heat shock protein 90 (hsp90), and production of PGI2, PGE2, 20‐HETE and NO. Injection of endotoxin (10 mg/kg, i.p.) to male Wistar rats caused a fall in blood pressure and an increase in heart rate associated with elevated renal 6‐keto‐PGF1α and PGE2 levels as well as an increase in COX‐2 protein expression. Endotoxin also caused an elevation in systemic and renal nitrite levels associated with increased renal iNOS protein expression. In contrast, systemic and renal 20‐HETE levels and renal expression of eNOS, COX‐1 and CYP4A1 were decreased in endotoxaemic rats. The effects of endotoxin, except for renal COX‐1 and eNOS protein expression, were prevented by piroxicam (10 mg/kg, i.p.), given 1 hr after injection of endotoxin. Endotoxin did not change renal hsp90 protein expression. These data suggest that a decrease in the expression and activity of COX‐2 and iNOS associated with an increase in CYP4A1 expression and 20‐HETE synthesis contributes to the effect of piroxicam to prevent the hypotension during rat endotoxaemia.
Renminbi Going Global
Authors: Chen Xiaoli , Cheung Yin‐Wong
Published: April 2011

The present paper evaluates the international status of the Chinese currency, the renminbi (RMB), by examining its use in the global market. Specifically, the discussion focuses on the recent developments of RMB trading in the global foreign exchange market, cross‐border trade settlement in RMB, the Hong Kong offshore market and China's policies relating to the RMB. The evidence suggests that the use of the RMB overseas, especially in trade financing and in the off‐shore market, has increased rapidly in recent years. However, compared with the size of the Chinese economy, the current scale of the use of the RMB is quite small. Although the RMB has great potential to become an international currency, its acceptance in the global economy is affected by both economic and political factors. Attaining a fully fledged international RMB is still a distant goal.
Food Security and Agricultural Changes in the Course of China's Urbanization
Authors: Zhu Ling
Published: April 2011

China's small farmers face increasing challenges because of land and water resource constraints and the effects of climate change. With the strengthened agricultural stimulus policies, poverty reduction and social protection programs, as well as the expanding international food trade, up to now China has achieved food security through small farm agriculture. During intensive economic restructuring, smallholders still coexist with large‐sized farms and industrialized agricultural businesses, but are in a vulnerable position in market transactions. Oriented to 2050, China's agricultural development and food security policies should work to improve domestic market structure, to further release international trade control and to empower smallholders.
Nonlinear Effects of Fiscal Policy on Private Consumption: Evidence from China
Authors: Wang Liyong , Gao Wei
Published: April 2011

In the present paper, we use the Markov‐switching model to test the nonlinear effects of government expenditure and taxes on private consumption in China. The results show that fiscal policy in China has a significantly nonlinear effect. In years 1978–1980 and 1984–1997, the effect of government consumption on private consumption is non‐Keynesian. During the same periods, the effect of taxes is also non‐Keynesian, but the effect is not significant. The effect of government investment is linear but asymmetric. After retesting the reasons for the existence of nonlinear effects, we find that in China initial fiscal conditions and the magnitude of fiscal consolidations are not related to the nonlinear effects of fiscal policy. The government should pay close attention to the characteristics of commodity and labor markets to identify the conditions and regimes associated with nonlinear effects.
Temporal Causal Relationship between Resource Use and Economic Growth in East China
Authors: Wang Yuan , Chen Jie , Lu Genfa
Published: April 2011

The present paper attempts to combine cointegration theory and the material flow analysis approach to examine the causal relationship between resource use and real GDP in Jiangsu Province in East China. The study considers the period from 1990 to 2007. We use direct material input as the proxy variable for resource use. Our estimation indicates that real GDP and resource use are cointegrated and there is only unidirectional long‐run Granger causality running from resource use to real GDP, but not vice versa. The estimation results mean that resources are a limiting factor in terms of economic growth, and, therefore, strategies should be adopted for more vigorous economic development and consistent resource use in East China. Furthermore, the novel idea and methodology involved in the present study can be readily extended to cover other regions for the analysis of the relationship between resource use and economic growth.
Zoroastrianism and the Bible: Monotheism by Coincidence?
Authors: Gerstenberger Erhard S.
Published: April 2011

No book since the beginning of human writing systems has been of greater influence on religion and culture in the ‘Western’ Hemisphere than the Bible. Many believers have taken it to be the ultimate revelation and unchangeable truth for all times and peoples. Especially its creedal centre, monotheism, i.e. faith in one inclusive and exclusive deity was hailed as the pivotal, unsurpassable human cognition. Unfortunately, there are no absolutes within reach of human understanding. Finitum non capax infiniti. Biblical scholarship long has recognized that everything we perceive in this world is conditioned by time and space. Expressions of faith are no exception from this rule. Therefore, acknowledgment of historical and cultural ‘contextuality’ is necessary, including the fact, that Israel’s monotheistic religion was not borne in the epoch of Moses, but only much later inside the political, economic and spiritual framework of the Persian Empire (539–331 bc). If there is some truth to this assumption, scholarly zeal should be directed towards a clarification of the intimacies of religious interaction in this period. A prominent question would be: What really were the common patterns of contemporary thinking and believing, in which both Zoroastrian and Yahwistic faith participated?
Purging efficacy of ZnPcH1‐based photodynamic therapy on chronic myeloid leukemia bone marrow
Authors: HUANG H. , CHEN Y. , CHEN W. , WU Y.
Published: April 2011

Introduction:  Ex vivo purging is an emerging technique for successful transplantation of autologous hematopoietic stem cells in the treatment of leukemia. Among them, photodynamic therapy (PDT) might be a promising modality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the purging efficacy of ex vivo PDT on chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Methods:  A new amphiphilic mono‐α‐substituted zinc (II) phthalocyanine (ZnPcH1) was used as a PDT photosensitizer. Nest reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and real‐time quantitative PCR of BCR/ABL1 fusion gene remained positive were performed to determine the purging effects of ZnPcH1‐PDT on the mixture of CML cell line K562 cells and normal bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNC) and on the CML cells from the bone marrow of patients with CML who had achieved complete hematology remission but whose BCR/ABL1 fusion genes remained positive.

Results:  CML cells exhibited higher susceptibility to ZnPcH1‐PDT than normal granulocyte/macrophage progenitors. PDT could eliminate K562 cells from K562–normal MNC mixture and the residual BCR/ABL1 positive CML cells from the bone marrow of patients with CML.

Conclusion:  Our data suggest that ZnPcH1‐PDT may be a useful modality for purging CML cells for autologous grafts.
Fear Appeals and Persuasion: A Review and Update of the Extended Parallel Process Model
Authors: Maloney Erin K. , Lapinski Maria K. , Witte Kim
Published: April 2011

The Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM; Communication Monographs, 59, 1992, 329) is a predominant message design theory in the social science fear appeal literature that provides a framework for effective communication of health‐related information. This paper provides a review and update of the theory and the use of fear appeals in persuasion. First, a brief overview of the EPPM is provided. Then, Littlejohn and Foss (Theories of Human Communication, 2005, Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth) criteria for evaluation of theory are used as a guide for reviewing research guided by the EPPM in terms of the consistency of data with theoretical predictions, how it has been adjusted and extended through research findings, and a discussion of future research to expand social scientific knowledge about fear appeals and persuasion. It is concluded that the EPPM has advanced our understanding of how fear appeals operate and continues to generate questions for research in risk messaging.
Hindsight Bias, Visual Aids, and Legal Decision Making: Timing is Everything
Authors: Fessel Florian , Roese Neal J.
Published: April 2011

Once individuals learn the outcomes of events, they tend to overestimate the ability with which they could have predicted the event (hindsight bias). We discuss the relation between processing fluency and hindsight bias in the context of visual animations designed to clarify complex events. Visual reconstructions, by increasing clarity while masking gaps or uncertainty in the underlying data, have been shown to increase hindsight bias in legal settings. More generally, any computer‐generated visual may not only clarify data sets, but breed overconfidence. Further, by taking a broader view of judgments shift over time, a clearer portrait of hindsight bias may be achieved.
Language Use and Persuasion: Multiple Roles for Linguistic Styles
Authors: Blankenship Kevin L. , Craig Traci Y.
Published: April 2011

Language is the most common medium for persuasion. Stylistic variations in how individuals communicate can influence a number of processes and outcomes in a persuasion setting. This article reviews previous research on a number of commonly studied language styles and their influence on persuasion and provides suggestions for future research. First, we provide a review of some of the commonly studied stylistic features and their relation to persuasion. We then use a common multi‐process model of persuasion (i.e., the elaboration likelihood model; Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 1986, New York: Academic Press) to provide an overview of how linguistic styles can influence persuasion. In the final section, we discuss directions for future research on linguistic styles and persuasion.
Delete, Restart, or Rewind? Post‐1989 Public Memory Work in East‐Central Europe
Authors: Pearce Susan C.
Published: April 2011

In this review, I survey the empirical research literature on collective memory work in post‐1989 Central‐East Europe. Among the central cultural changes that the transformative moment of 1989 represented for the seven former members of the Eastern Bloc was the restructuring of public memory, through new anniversaries, monuments, museums, and apologies. By synthesizing the existing literature, we can discern a number of common threads in public memory across these locations, as well as differences, signaling that each country is charting its own path. Trends point toward preferences for damning the communist history, reviving national traditions, lustrating particular individuals, and hesitating over how to commemorate the 1989 events. There are gaps in the arenas that the literature address, which could be filled by a more representative balance across the seven countries, and toward increased attention to the publicly performed meanings of 1989.
Sociological Perspectives on Addiction
Authors: Weinberg Darin
Published: April 2011

This article provides a critical survey of sociological research on addiction. It begins with the seminal research of Alfred Lindesmith on heroin addiction then proceeds through discussions of functionalist contributions, research that exemplifies what David Matza called the ‘appreciative’ turn in the sociology of deviance, rational choice theories, and social constructionist approaches. It is confined to research on addiction in its original meaning as putative enslavement to a substance or activity rather than merely deviant or disapproved activity more broadly. As will be seen, though, there is a ubiquitous and theoretically interesting tendency even among those who contend to be writing about addiction as such to slip into modes of analysis that effectively substitute questions regarding the social approval of an activity for questions concerning whether it is voluntary or involuntary. Hence, one purpose of this article is to explore whether, and how, this slippage might be avoided.
Isn’t Every Crime a Hate Crime?: The Case for Hate Crime Laws
Authors: Blazak Randy
Published: April 2011

The process to create hate crime laws in the United States has wrestled with the core issues of freedom of speech and greater harm. This article looks at the evolution of bias crime laws, culminating with President Obama’s signing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009. The constitutionality of the laws is ‘discussed and suggestions for sociological research are made. Four elements of hate crime laws are discussed; criminality, intent, perception, and protected statuses. The logic of hate crime laws is based on the argument that hate crimes are a form of terrorism, designed to intimidate large groups of people. Readers should be familiar with the basic case for the existence of such laws.
The Sociology of Neuroethics: Expectational Discourses and the Rise of a New Discipline
Authors: Brosnan Caragh
Published: April 2011

The sudden emergence of the discipline ‘neuroethics’ is an intriguing event from the perspective of the sociologies of medicine, science and bioethics. Despite calls for greater social science engagement with neuroethics, it has so far received little attention. So that sociologists might consider how to engage with the field, and in order to simultaneously contribute towards a sociology of neuroethics, this paper explores neuroethics’ disciplinary identity via a critical analysis of literature defining neuroethics’ scope and role. Drawing on the sociologies of bioethics and expectations, I argue that in setting the neuroethical agenda, neuroethicists construct expectations about the future of neuroscience. In doing so, they align themselves with neuroscience, rather than maintaining a critical distance. Similar critiques have been made of bioethics, but in its efforts to distinguish itself from bioethics, neuroethics appears to exacerbate many of the attributes which sociologists have found problematic. This reinforces the need for critical social science perspectives to inform neuroethics, and also shows how neuroethics is potentially an interesting area of empirical study for sociology. However, the paper concludes by calling for critical reflexivity in sociology’s engagement with neuroethics, in light of recent debates surrounding the relationship between social science, bioethics, bioscience and expectations.
Seasonal Changes in Plasma Adrenocorticotropic Hormone and α‐Melanocyte‐Stimulating Hormone in Response to Thyrotropin‐Releasing Hormone in Normal, Aged Horses
Authors: Funk R.A. , Stewart A.J. , Wooldridge A.A. , Kwessi E. , Kemppainen R.J. , Behrend E.N. , Zhong Q. , Johnson A.K.
Published: April 2011

Background:Results of diagnostic tests for equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), including endogenous ACTH concentration and the overnight dexamethasone suppression test (DST), are affected by season. New and potentially more sensitive diagnostic tests for equine PPID, such as thyrotropin‐releasing hormone (TRH)‐stimulated ACTH response, have been developed, but have had limited evaluation of seasonality.

Objective:Our purpose was to evaluate seasonal changes in plasma ACTH and alpha‐melanocyte‐stimulating hormone (α‐MSH) responses to TRH administration.

Animals:Nine, healthy, aged horses with normal DST results.

Methods:Synthetic TRH (1 mg) was administered IV. Plasma ACTH and α‐MSH concentrations were measured at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45, 60, and 180 minutes. Testing was performed in February, July, August, September, October, and November. Mean TRH‐stimulated ACTH and α‐MSH concentrations were compared across months and time by repeated measures analysis of variance. Significance was set at theP< .05 level.

Results:Concentrations of ACTH and α‐MSH significantly increased after TRH administration. Endogenous and TRH‐stimulated ACTH and α‐MSH concentrations were significantly different across months with higher concentrations in the summer and fall compared with February.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance:Plasma ACTH and α‐MSH responses to TRH administration experience seasonal variation, with TRH‐stimulated ACTH and α‐MSH concentrations increasing from summer through fall. These results support previous evidence of a seasonal influence on the equine pituitary‐adrenal axis. More research is warranted with a larger number of horses to determine if seasonal reference ranges for TRH stimulation testing need to be defined.
Political Prospects for a Nuclear‐Weapons‐Free Zone in Northeast Asia
Authors: Sigal Leon V.
Published: April 2011

A Northeast Asian nuclear‐weapons‐free zone (NWFZ) or a Japan–South Korea NWFZ could help entice the DPRK to carry out its commitment in the September 2005 Six‐Party Joint Statement to “abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs”. There are two possible scenarios for the nuclear future of North Korea, and in turn, the security of South Korea and Northeast Asia: containment, in which North Korea remains nuclear‐armed with a growing stockpile of nuclear weapons and gradually improving delivery capabilities; and gradual rapprochement with the USA, South Korea, and Japan. In either of these cases a Northeast Asian NWFZ or a Japan–South Korea NWFZ would improve prospects for regional stability and a denuclearized Korean peninsula and could make a significant impact in light of North Korea's nuclear arming and other recent changes in the security environment in the region. An NWFZ has implications for the future role of nuclear weapons in the regional balance of power.
Implementing a Korea–Japan Nuclear‐Weapon‐Free Zone: Precedents, Legal Forms, Governance, Scope, Domain, Verification, Compliance and Regional Benefits
Authors: Hamel‐Green Michael
Published: April 2011

To assess the possibility of a future denuclearized Korean peninsula it is important to consider not only US and allied security interests, but also North Korean underlying security concerns. However, beyond the North–South conflict on the Korean peninsula, there is also a longer‐term problem of Korean–Japanese relations. Both Japan and South Korea have the capacity to rapidly develop and acquire nuclear weapons. North Korean nuclear acquisition could well provide the rationale for either or both to acquire nuclear weapons. In the Northeast Asian region there is already a lengthy history of denuclearization proposals and even agreements. While the focus of previous proposals had concentrated on the Korean peninsula itself, an alternative way forward would be the initial establishment of a nuclear‐weapon‐free zone (NWFZ) between Japan and South Korea, with North Korea encouraged to join at a later date. The negotiation of a Korea–Japan NWFZ would serve to confirm and guarantee the current non‐nuclear‐weapon status of South Korea and Japan, while acting as an important confidence‐building step to address North Korea's underlying security concerns and enable it to subsequently join the NWFZ. Internationally, the commitment of the US Obama administration to a reduced reliance on nuclear weapons, the recent unanimous final document of the 2010 Nuclear Non‐Proliferation Treaty Review Conference calling for expansion of NWFZs, and the greater openness of the USA and other nuclear powers to NWFZ establishment in areas of regional conflict, suggest that we now have a new window of opportunity for denuclearization of Northeast Asia.
“Just in Case”: Extended Nuclear Deterrence in the Defense of Australia
Authors: Tanter Richard
Published: April 2011

This paper examines the foundations and rationale for Australian reliance on US assurances of extended nuclear deterrence. The Australian model of extended nuclear deterrence is marked by its lack of public presence, a lack of certainty about its standing and character in US eyes, its lack of a direct nuclear threat, and its resurgence at a time when nuclear abolition possibilities are being embraced by the leader of the deterrence provider. Australian policy amounts to a claim that the nuclear guarantee is necessary “just in case”– though without any plausible specifics. The fundamental questions remain – for Australia as for other recipients of extended nuclear deterrence assurances – what threats, what probabilities, what alternatives?
Pharmaceutical applications of cyclodextrins: effects on drug permeation through biological membranes
Authors: Loftsson Thorsteinn , Brewster Marcus E
Published: April 2011

Objectives

Cyclodextrins are useful solubilizing excipients that have gained currency in the formulator's armamentarium based on their ability to temporarily camouflage undesirable physicochemical properties. In this context cyclodextrins can increase oral bioavailability, stabilize compounds to chemical and enzymatic degradation and can affect permeability through biological membranes under certain circumstances. This latter property is examined herein as a function of the published literature as well as work completed in our laboratories.

Key findings

Cyclodextrins can increase the uptake of drugs through biological barriers if the limiting barrier component is the unstirred water layer (UWL) that exists between the membrane and bulk water. This means that cyclodextrins are most useful when they interact with lipophiles in systems where such an UWL is present and contributes significantly to the barrier properties of the membrane. Furthermore, these principles are used to direct the optimal formulation of drugs in cyclodextrins. A second related critical success factor in the formulation of cyclodextrin-based drug product is an understanding of the kinetics and thermodynamics of complexation and the need to optimize the cyclodextrin amount and drug-to-cyclodextrin ratios. Drug formulations, especially those targeting compartments associated with limited dissolution (i.e. the eye, subcutaneous space, etc.), should be carefully designed such that the thermodynamic activity of the drug in the formulation is optimal meaning that there is sufficient cyclodextrin to solubilize the drug but not more than that. Increasing the cyclodextrin concentration decreases the formulation ‘push’ and may reduce the bioavailability of the system.

Conclusions

A mechanism-based understanding of cyclodextrin complexation is essential for the appropriate formulation of contemporary drug candidates.
Shakedown Analysis of a Composite Cylinder With a Cross-Hole
Authors: Chen Haofeng , Chen Weihang , Li Tianbai , Ure James
Published: April 2011

In this study, both the lower and upper bound shakedown limits of a closed-end composite cylinder with or without a cross-hole subject to constant internal pressure and a cyclic thermal gradient are calculated by the linear matching method. Convergence for the upper and lower bound shakedown limits of the composite cylinders is sought and shakedown limit interaction diagrams of the numerical applications identifying the regions of reverse plasticity limit and ratchet limit are presented. The effects of temperature-dependent yield stress, material discontinuities, composite cylinder thickness, and the existence of the cross-hole on the shakedown limits are discussed for different geometry parameters. Finally, a safety shakedown envelope is created by formulating the shakedown limit results of different composite materials and cylinder thickness ratios with different cross-hole sizes.
Electro-Osmotic Heat Transfer of Non-Newtonian Fluid Flow in Microchannels
Authors: Chen Chien-Hsin
Published: April 2011

A theoretical analysis is presented to explore the transport characteristics of electro-osmotic flow and associated heat transfer of non-Newtonian power-law fluids in a parallel plate microchannel. The formulation shows that the key parameters governing the current problem include the flow behavior index, the length scale ratio (ratio of Debye length to half channel height), and the Joule heating parameter (ratio of Joule heating to surface heat flux). Analytical expressions are presented for velocity and temperature profiles, the friction coefficient, and the fully developed Nusselt number. In particular, closed-form solutions are obtained for several special values of the flow behavior index. The results reveal that reducing the length scale ratio tends to increase the friction coefficient, and the friction coefficient approaches infinite for slug flow. The increase in the friction coefficient due to increasing the flow behavior index is more noticeable for a smaller length scale ratio. For surface heating, increasing the flow behavior index amplifies the temperature difference between the wall and the fluid, and thus the temperature distribution broadens; while the opposite trend is observed for surface cooling with sufficiently large Joule heating parameter with negative sign. Depending on the value of Joule heating parameter, the fully developed Nusselt number can be either increased or decreased by increasing the flow behavior index and/or the length scale ratio. The effect of flow behavior index on the Nusselt number vanishes as the length scale ratio approaches zero (the limiting case for slug flow).
Heat Transfer Characteristics of Gaseous Slip Flow in Concentric Micro-Annular Tubes
Authors: Hong Chungpyo , Asako Yutaka , Suzuki Koichi
Published: April 2011

A concentric micro-annular passage is a basic and important microgeometry of microfluidic-systems from simple heat exchanger to the most complicated nuclear reactors. Therefore, heat transfer characteristics of gaseous flows in concentric micro-annular tubes with constant heat flux whose value was positive or negative were numerically investigated. The slip velocity, temperature jump, and shear stress work were considered on the slip boundary conditions. The numerical methodology was based on the arbitrary-Lagrangian–Eulerian method. The computations were performed for two thermal cases. That is, the heat flux that was constant at the inner wall and outer wall was adiabatic (case 1) and the heat flux that was constant at the outer wall and the inner wall was adiabatic (case 2). Each constant heat flux of 104 Wm−2 for the positive value and −104 Wm−2 for the negative value was chosen. The outer tube radius ranged from 20 μm to 150 μm with the radius ratios of 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 and the ratio of length to hydraulic diameter was 100. The stagnation pressure was chosen in such a way that the exit Mach number ranges from 0.1 to 0.8. The outlet pressure was fixed at the atmospheric pressure. The heat transfer characteristics in concentric micro-annular tubes were obtained. The wall and bulk temperatures with positive heat flux are compared with those of negative heat flux cases and also compared with those of the simultaneously developing incompressible flow. The results show that the Nusselt number of compressible slip flow is different from that of incompressible flow. However, the temperatures normalized by heat flux have different trends whether heat flux value is positive or negative. A correlation for the prediction of the heat transfer characteristics of gas slip flow in concentric micro annular tubes is proposed.
The Investigation of Semi-Three-Dimensional Heat Transfer Modeling in Microcombustors
Authors: Fanaee A. , Esfahani J. A.
Published: April 2011

This paper presents a three-dimensional combustion model in the microcombustors. In this research, the flame structure is composed of three zones: a preheat zone, a reaction zone, and, finally, a post-flame zone. The governing equations are solved in these zones using the required boundary and matching conditions, which are achieved from nonasymptotic or asymptotic approach. Moreover, the role of Peclet number as a determining factor in the microcombustor performance is analyzed, and is found that by the increase of the Peclet number, the dimensionless flame temperature rises. Consequently, this three-dimensional model has provided a great description for the Peclet number, the dimensions, the asymptotic or nonasymptotic assumption effects, and the structural heat conduction in the microcombustors. The results are validated with those obtained from two-dimensional heat transfers modeling, and are in accordance with data published by former researchers.