bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EEG Analysis of the Brain Activity during the Observation of Commercial, Political, or Public Service Announcements
Authors: Vecchiato Giovanni , Astolfi Laura , Tabarrini Alessandro , Salinari Serenella , Mattia Donatella , Cincotti Febo , Bianchi Luigi , Sorrentino Domenica , Aloise Fabio , Soranzo Ramon , Babiloni Fabio
Published: December 2009

The use of modern brain imaging techniques could be useful to understand what brain areas are involved in the observation of video clips related to commercial advertising, as well as for the support of political campaigns, and also the areas of Public Service Announcements (PSAs). In this paper we describe the capability of tracking brain activity during the observation of commercials, political spots, and PSAs with advanced high-resolution EEG statistical techniques in time and frequency domains in a group of normal subjects. We analyzed the statistically significant cortical spectral power activity in different frequency bands during the observation of a commercial video clip related to the use of a beer in a group of 13 normal subjects. In addition, a TV speech of the Prime Minister of Italy was analyzed in two groups of swing and “supporter” voters. Results suggested that the cortical activity during the observation of commercial spots could vary consistently across the spot. This fact suggest the possibility to remove the parts of the spot that are not particularly attractive by using those cerebral indexes. The cortical activity during the observation of the political speech indicated a major cortical activity in the supporters group when compared to the swing voters. In this case, it is possible to conclude that the communication proposed has failed to raise attention or interest on swing voters. In conclusions, high-resolution EEG statistical techniques have been proved to able to generate useful insights about the particular fruition of TV messages, related to both commercial as well as political fields.
In Search of Hybridity: Inculturation, Interculturation and Transculturation in Contemporary Religious Art in Britain
Authors: Vinzent Jutta
Published: December 2009

This essay explores contemporary religious art in Britain through the lens of Homi K. Bhabha’s concept of hybridity. While he leaves it rather ‘ambivalent’, this essay suggests that in visual representations, various forms of hybridity can be distinguished: inculturation, interculturation and transculturation. These three types, hijacked from religious dialogue discourses, show a variety of power relations in representation and context; while incultural elements are based on a dominant versus subordinate role, intercultural ones form a dialogue; both expand iconographic vocabularies. Transcultural symbols refer to those which are existing parts of a variety of iconographies; these thus ‘merge’ visually different cultural heritages; their interpretation is, in the true sense of Bhabha, hybrid. The essay concludes by referring to the limits of transcultural symbols, which accept losses, blurs and shifts. The entire analysis is based on Hindu and Christian iconographies exploited by Caroline Mackenzie in her four wooden panels located for the Catholic Church in St. Helen in Caerphilly (Wales), commissioned in 1999.
Exploring the Aesthetic ‘Space’ for Inter-religious Encounter
Authors: Cheetham David
Published: December 2009

This exploratory paper sets out to engage in some preliminary considerations concerning aesthetics and the meeting of religions. Underlying some of the thinking in this paper is the debatable assumption that there can be a recognizable difference between religious and aesthetic kinds of experience. Thus, the arts might be able to create ‘worlds’ which are easier for those with religious commitments to enter than explicitly religious territories. Moreover, we can perhaps use aesthetics as a loose category (without theoretical elaboration) in order to find areas of enjoyable inter-religious aesthetic conversation. That is, there is just a ‘given-ness’ or ‘abundance’ about art and beauty that allows us to simply enjoy our experience of it and share it with others.
The Intellectual Property Rights Regime and the Changing Structure of Scientific Research in India: Lessons from the Developing World
Authors: Mallick Sambit
Published: December 2009

This paper examines the actual and potential impacts on developing countries such as India and the global trend towards a stronger protection of intellectual property rights, and captures the changing scientific practices, cognitive and political, in the wake of this new institutional regime. It briefly discusses the organization of scientific research in post-colonial India and then reflects on the shifts in the nature and scope of scientific research in India and the associated practices that are contingent upon the WTO provisions on the IPRs, as illustrative of the new scenario that is emerging in regard to the participation of developing countries in international collaborative research in the areas of science and technology. The scientific community in India is confronted with the dialectic of resistance and accommodation under the stringent norms of IPRs regime.
Introduction: Overcoming historical conflicts and coping with collective violence
Authors: González-Castro José-Luis
Published: December 2009

Psychological science has the potential to contribute to reconciliation processes in conflict areas throughout the world. In such way it has the possibility to help reconstruct the social fabric of a community and help heal individual and collective mistreatments. In this introduction a general overview of the importance of reconciliation and apologies in situations of collective and political violence will be presented. The importance of understanding how our recall of historical acts allows us to interpret not only the past but also present day situations will also be mentioned. Finally, overviews of the articles included in the Special Issue of the Revista de Psicología Social are also given.
Psychosocial effects of participation in rituals of transitional justice: A collective-level analysis and review of the literature of the effects of TRCs and trials on human rights violations in Latin America
Authors: Martín-Beristain Carlos , Páez Darío , Rimé Bernard , Kanyangara Patrick
Published: December 2009

This article examines the effects of participation in transitional justice rituals, including, for example, trials and Truth and Reconciliation Commissions. These mechanisms have been designed to confront massive violations of human rights in the context of post-conflict situations and dictatorships. Truth Commissions and trials have instrumental goals of distributive justice, and serve as rituals given their marked symbolic character, helping to achieve reconciliation and the reconstruction of social norms. Evidence from South Africa and Rwanda suggests that participation in trials increases negative emotions and symptoms, and, thus, may not help to heal individual suffering. Moreover, the data from Rwanda and South Africa demonstrates that rituals also increase negative emotional climate, being costly for the society. In contrast, participants in such rituals have evidenced increased empowerment in Guatemala and South Africa, despite conditions of limited justice and reparation. Moreover, the evidence from Rwanda confirms there are some positive consequences: participation in community-based or traditional trials, known locally as Gacaca, improves intergroup relationships, decreases shame in victims, and decreases negative stereotypes and individualization of out-groups. Finally, a collective analysis of 16 Latin America nations found that trials and a successful Truth Commission provoked macrosocial benefits, reinforcing respect for human rights.
Social Representations and Memory: The Psychosocial impact of the Spanish “Law of Memory”, related to the Spanish Civil War
Authors: Valencia José-Francisco , Momoitio Joana , Idoyaga Nahia
Published: December 2009

Based on the interrelationship between Social Representations Theory (SRT) and Collective Memory Studies, this work analyzes the effects of the salience of the Spanish Law of Historical Memory on beliefs about the Spanish Civil War (SCW), functions and expectancies of remembering, and reparatory behaviours, guilt and shame—collective and personal—as well as their anchoring in ideological positioning. Results confirm the positive psychosocial role of making salient the Law of Memory: it reinforces the agreement with the preventive functions of collective memory, truth commissions, and positive emotional climate, collective guilt, shame and reparatory behaviours—mainly among those on the left. Also, collective guilt and shame play a mediating role between the salience of the Law and reparatory actions. Finally, knowledge about the SCW is not influenced by salience of the law, suggesting that some central aspects of social representations of a negative past are widely shared and consensual.
Single-Port Access: A Feasible Alternative to Conventional Laparoscopic Splenectomy
Authors: Targarona Eduardo M. , Balague Carmen , Martinez Carmen , Pallares Lluis , Estalella Laia , Trias Manuel
Published: December 2009

Hypothesis: The laparoscopic approach has become the gold standard for splenectomy despite the fact that the spleen is a solid organ located deep in the splenic fossa. There is currently a trend to reduce the invasiveness of minimally invasive procedures. Transabdominal or transumbilical single-incision laparoscopic (SILS) approaches are an alternative to natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery techniques, but no reports of their use have yet been published in relation to the spleen. Aim: To describe the SILS technique for splenectomy in 2 patients. Material and methods: Two patients were approached by SILS, a 26-year-old male diagnosed of autoimmune thrombocytopenia and a 45-year-old male with recurrent Hodgkin disease. In both cases 3 trocars (1 of 12 mm and 2 of 5 mm) were inserted through the umbilicus in one and in a left subcostal in the other, and a curved transanal endoscopic microsurgery instrument, a flexible-tip 10-mm scope, and the UltraCision were introduced. Visualization of the spleen and standard dissection of attachments were feasible, and splenectomy was completed using transumbilicus stapling of the splenic hilum. The spleen was extracted through the umbilical incision, intact in one case and after morcellation in the other. Results: The postoperative course was uneventful. Both patients had minimal postoperative pain and scarring and were discharged on the second postoperative day. Conclusions: SILS access can be safely used for operative visualization, hilum transection, and spleen removal with conventional instrumentation, reducing parietal wall trauma to a minimum. The clinical, esthetic, and functional advantages require further analysis.
Single Port Access Transumbilical Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Using the SILS Port: First Reported Case
Authors: Saber Alan A. , El-Ghazaly Tarek H. , Minnick David B.
Published: December 2009

The emergence of natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) has brought significantly more attention to the single-incision transumbilical laparoscopic approach (SILS) for minimally invasive surgery. SILS combines the cosmetic advantage of NOTES with the technical familiarity of the conventional multiport laparoscopic approach. Additionally, SILS does not involve penetration of an organ, nor does it involve the steep learning curve and costly instruments associated with NOTES. Given these advantages, the authors believe that the single-incision transumbilical approach highlights the future direction of minimally invasive surgery. However, because of the associated technical challenges, the single-incision approach has not quite yet achieved the crossover to advanced surgical procedures that conventional multiport laparoscopy achieved in its early years. In this report, the authors present what is, to the best of their knowledge, the first reported case of a single-port access laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass using the SILS Port placed through a single intraumbilical skin incision.
Survival in pulmonary arterial hypertension: a reappraisal of the NIH risk stratification equation
Authors: Thenappan T. , Shah S. J. , Rich S. , Tian L. , Archer S. L. , Gomberg-Maitland M.
Published: December 2009

The aim of the present study was to determine contemporary survival in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and to investigate whether or not the National Institutes of Health (NIH) equation remains an accurate predictor of survival.

In 576 patients with PAH referred during 1991–2007, observed survival was described using the Kaplan–Meier method. In patients with idiopathic, familial and anorexigen-associated PAH (n = 247), observedversusNIH equation predicted survival was compared. A new survival prediction equation was developed using exponential regression analysis.

The observed 1-, 3- and 5-yr survival in the total cohort were 86, 69 and 61%, respectively. In patients with idiopathic, familial and anorexigen-associated PAH, the observed 1-, 3- and 5-yr survival (92, 75 and 66%, respectively) were significantly higher than the predicted survival (65, 43 and 32%, respectively). The new equation (P(t) = e-A(x,y,z)t, where P(t) is probability of survival,tthe time interval in years, A(x,y,z) = e(−1.270–0.0148x+0.0402y–0.361z),xthe mean pulmonary artery pressure,ythe mean right atrial pressure andzthe cardiac index) performed well when applied to published contemporary studies of survival in PAH.

Contemporary survival in the PAH cohort was better than that predicted by the NIH registry equation. The NIH equation underestimated survival in idiopathic, familial and anorexigen-associated PAH. Once prospectively validated, the new equation may be used to determine prognosis.
Gas cooking is associated with small reductions in lung function in children
Authors: Moshammer H. , Fletcher T. , Heinrich J. , Hoek G. , Hruba F. , Pattenden S. , Rudnai P. , Slachtova H. , Speizer F.E. , Zlotkowska R. , Neuberger M.
Published: December 2009

Inconsistent effects of gas cooking on lung function have been reported. In a previous study from Austria, we demonstrated a significant, though small, reduction of lung function parameters in children living in homes with gas stoves. We used a larger international database to check if this finding can be generalised.

To study the relative impact of cooking with gas on lung function parameters of primary school children in a wide range of geographical settings, we analysed flow and volume data of ∼24,000 children (aged 6–12 yrs) from nine countries in Europe and North America.

Exposure information was obtained by comparable questionnaires and spirometry according to an American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society protocol. Linear regressions were used, controlling for individual risk factors and study area. Heterogeneity between study-specific results and mean effects were estimated using meta-analytical tools.

On average, gas cooking reduced lung function parameters. Overall effects were small (-0.1–0.7%) and only significant for forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s. There was some indication that allergic children were more affected by gas cooking.

Under current housing conditions, gas cooking is associated with only small reductions in lung function.
c-ANCA-induced neutrophil-mediated lung injury: a model of acute Wegener's granulomatosis
Authors: Hattar K. , Oppermann S. , Ankele C. , Weissmann N. , Schermuly R.T. , Bohle R.M. , Moritz R. , Krögel B. , Seeger W. , Grimminger F. , Sibelius U. , Grandel U.
Published: December 2009

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (c-ANCA) targeting proteinase 3 (PR3) are implicated in the pathogenesis of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). Fulminant disease can present as acute lung injury (ALI).

In this study, a model of ALI in WG was developed using isolated rat lungs. Isolated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) were primed with tumour necrosis factor (TNF) to induce surface expression of PR3.

Co-perfusion of TNF-primed neutrophils and monoclonal anti-PR3 antibodies induced a massive weight gain in isolated lungs. This effect was not observed when control immunoglobulin G was co-perfused with TNF-primed PMNs. The c-ANCA-induced oedema formation was paralleled by an increase in the capillary filtration coefficient as a marker of increased pulmonary endothelial permeability. In contrast, pulmonary artery pressure was not affected. In the presence of the oxygen radical scavenger superoxide dismutase and a NADPH oxidase inhibitor, c-ANCA-induced lung oedema could be prevented. Inhibition of neutrophil elastase was equally effective in preventing c-ANCA-induced lung injury.

In conclusion, anti-PR3 antibodies induced neutrophil mediated, elastase- and oxygen radical-dependent ALI in the isolated lung. This experimental model supports the hypothesis of a pathogenic role for c-ANCA in WG and offers the possibility of the development of therapeutic strategies for the treatment of lung injury in fulminant WG.
17q21 variants modify the association between early respiratory infections and asthma
Authors: Smit L.A.M. , Bouzigon E. , Pin I. , Siroux V. , Monier F. , Aschard H. , Bousquet J. , Gormand F. , Just J. , Le Moual N. , Nadif R. , Scheinmann P. , Vervloet D. , Lathrop M. , Demenais F. , Kauffmann F.
Published: December 2009

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at chromosome 17q21 confer an increased risk of early-onset asthma. The objective was to study whether 17q21 SNPs modify associations between early respiratory infections and asthma.

Association analysis was conducted in 499 children (268 with asthma, median age 11 yrs) from the Epidemiological Study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma (EGEA). The 12-yr follow-up data were used to assess persistent or remittent asthma in young adulthood. Respiratory infection before 2 yrs of age was assessed retrospectively.

For the 12 17q21 SNPs studied, the odds ratios (OR) for association between infection and early-onset asthma (age at onset ≤4 yrs) were higher in carriers of risk genotypes (OR 3.42–6.36) than in noncarriers (OR 1.84–2.44; p-value for interaction 0.02–0.04 for five SNPs). Risk genotypes also increased the association between infection and childhood asthma that remits in adulthood (OR 4.84–7.16 in carriers and 1.74–2.25 in noncarriers; p-value for interaction 0.008–0.05 for 10 SNPs). In children with 17q21 risk genotypes and early-life environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure, associations between infection and asthma were further enhanced.

17q21 genetic variants and early ETS exposure enhance the association between early respiratory infections and early-onset asthma and childhood asthma that remits in adulthood.
Effect of initiation-inhibition and handedness on the patterns of the P50 event-related potential component: a low resolution electromagnetic tomography study
Authors: Beratis Ion N , Rabavilas Andreas , Nanou Eleni D , Hountala Chrissanthi , Maganioti Argiro E , Capsalis Christos N , Papadimitriou George N , Papageorgiou Charalabos
Published: December 2009

Background

Recent research recognizes the association between handedness, linguistic processes and cerebral networks subserving executive functioning, but the nature of this association remains unclear. Since the P50 event related potential (ERP) is considered to reflect thalamocortical processes in association with working memory (WM) operation the present study focuses on P50 patterns elicited during the performance of a linguistic related executive functioning test in right- and left-handers.

Methods

In 64 young adults with a high educational level (33 left-handed) the P50 event-related potential was recorded while performing the initiation and inhibition condition of a modified version of the Hayling Sentence Completion test adjusted to induce WM. The manual preference of the participants was evaluated with the use of the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI).

Results

P50 showed greater amplitudes in left- than in right-handers, mainly in frontal leads, in the initiation condition. Reduced amplitudes in inhibition compared to initiation condition were observed in left-handers. Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA) analysis showed lower frontal lobe activation in the inhibition than in the initiation condition in both right- and left-handers. Also, LORETA yielded that right-handers exhibited greater activation in the inhibition condition than left-handers. Additionally, LORETA showed assymetrical hemispheric activation patterns in right-handers, in contrast to symmetrical patterns observed in left-handers. Higher P50 amplitudes were recorded in right-hemisphere of right-handers in the initiation condition.

Conclusion

Brain activation, especially the one closely related to thalamocortical function, elicited during WM operation involving initiation and inhibition processes appears to be related to handedness.
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor-1 in Cerebral Microvessels Changes during Development and Influences Urocortin Transport across the Blood-Brain Barrier
Authors: Hsuchou Hung , Kastin Abba J. , Wu Xiaojun , Tu Hong , Pan Weihong
Published: December 2009

In this study we tested the hypothesis that receptor-mediated transport of urocortin across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) undergoes developmental changes. Urocortin is a peptide produced by both selective brain regions and peripheral organs, and it is involved in feeding, memory, mood, cardiovascular functions, and immune regulation. In BBB studies with multiple-time regression analysis, we found that neonatal mice had a significant influx of 125I-urocortin. By contrast, adult mice did not transport urocortin across the BBB. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor (CRHR)-1 was developmentally regulated in enriched cerebral microvessels as well as hypothalamus, being significantly higher in neonatal than adult mice. This change was less dramatic in agouti viable yellow mice, a strain that develops adult-onset obesity. The level of expression of CRHR1 mRNA was 33-fold higher in the microvessels than in hypothalamic homogenates. The mRNA for CRHR2 was less abundant in both regions and less prone to changes with development or the agouti viable yellow mutation. Supported by previous findings of receptor-mediated endocytosis of urocortin, these results suggest that permeation of urocortin across the BBB is dependent on the level of CRHR1 expression in cerebral microvessels. These novel findings of differential regulation of CRH receptor subtypes help elucidate developmental processes in the brain, particularly for the urocortin system.
The lying oracle game with a biased coin
Authors: Koether Robb , Pendergrass Marcus , Osoinach John
Published: December 2009

The lying oracle problem is a problem of finding the optimal strategies in a two-person game where an oracle predicts the outcomes of coin flips and a player bets on the outcomes. The oracle announces whether the coin will land heads or tails, but may at times lie. We analyze the variant of the game which uses a biased coin, where the probability p that the coin lands heads is common knowledge. We determine optimal strategies for both the oracle and player, and we give an explicit expression for the expected payoff to the player when the coin is flipped n times and the oracle may lie at most k times.
Insurance with borrowing: first- and second-order approximations
Authors: Borovkov A. A.
Published: December 2009

We consider the operation of an insurer with a large initial surplus x>0. The insurer's surplus process S(t) (with S(0)=x) evolves in the range S(t)≥ 0 as a generalized renewal process with positive mean drift and with jumps at time epochs T1,T2,…. At the time Tη(x) when the process S(t) first becomes negative, the insurer's ruin (in the ‘classical’ sense) occurs, but the insurer can borrow money via a line of credit. After this moment the process S(t) behaves as a solution to a certain stochastic differential equation which, in general, depends on the indebtedness, -S(t). This behavior of S(t) lasts until the time θ(x,y) at which the indebtedness reaches some ‘critical’ level y>0. At this moment the line of credit will be closed and the insurer's absolute ruin occurs with deficit -S(θ(x,y)). We find the asymptotics of the absolute ruin probability and the limiting distributions of η(x), θ(x,y), and -S(θ(x,y)) as x → ∞, assuming that the claim distribution is regularly varying. The second-order approximation to the absolute ruin probability is also obtained. The abovementioned results are obtained by using limiting theorems for the joint distribution of η(x) and -S(Tη(x)).
Nonparametric estimation of time-changed Lévy models under high-frequency data
Authors: Figueroa-López José E.
Published: December 2009

Let {Zt}t≥0be a Lévy process with Lévy measure ν, and let τ(t)=∫0tr(u)du, where {r(t)}t≥0is a positive ergodic diffusion independent fromZ. Based upon discrete observations of the time-changed Lévy processXt≔Zτtduring a time interval [0,T], we study the asymptotic properties of certain estimators of the parameters β(φ)≔∫φ(x)ν(dx), which in turn are well known to be the building blocks of several nonparametric methods such as sieve-based estimation and kernel estimation. Under uniform boundedness of the second moments ofrand conditions on φ necessary for the standard short-term ergodic property limt→ 0E φ(Zt)/t= β(φ) to hold, consistency and asymptotic normality of the proposed estimators are ensured when the time horizonTincreases in such a way that the sampling frequency is high enough relative toT.
Scaling Limit for a Drainage Network Model
Authors: Coletti C. F. , Fontes L. R. G. , Dias E. S.
Published: December 2009

We consider the two-dimensional version of a drainage network model introduced in Gangopadhyay, Roy and Sarkar (2004), and show that the appropriately rescaled family of its paths converges in distribution to the Brownian web. We do so by verifying the convergence criteria proposed in Fontes, Isopi, Newman and Ravishankar (2002).
A comparison of statistical selection strategies for univariate and bivariate log‐linear models
Authors: Moses Tim , Holland Paul W.
Published: December 2009

In this study, eight statistical selection strategies were evaluated for selecting the parameterizations of log‐linear models used to model the distributions of psychometric tests. The selection strategies included significance tests based on four chi‐squared statistics (likelihood ratio, Pearson, Freeman–Tukey, and Cressie–Read) and four additional strategies (Akaike information criterion (AIC), Bayesian information criterion (BIC), consistent Akaike information criterion (CAIC), and a measure attributed to Goodman). The strategies were evaluated in simulations for different log‐linear models of univariate and bivariate test‐score distributions and two sample sizes. Results showed that all eight selection strategies were most accurate for the largest sample size considered. For univariate distributions, the AIC selection strategy was especially accurate for selecting the correct parameterization of a complex log‐linear model and the likelihood ratio chi‐squared selection strategy was the most accurate strategy for selecting the correct parameterization of a relatively simple log‐linear model. For bivariate distributions, the likelihood ratio chi‐squared, Freeman–Tukey chi‐squared, BIC, and CAIC selection strategies had similarly high selection accuracies.
Psychopathy, expert testimony, and indeterminate sentences: Exploring the relationship between Psychopathy Checklist‐Revised testimony and trial outcome in Canada
Authors: Lloyd Caleb D. , Clark Heather J. , Forth Adelle E.
Published: December 2009

Purpose. Psychopathy, as measured by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist‐Revised (PCL‐R), has the potential to inform judges attempting to preventatively detain Canada's highest risk offenders. However, studies examining the stigma of the psychopathy label give reason to exercise caution when expert witnesses introduce PCL‐R scores into their testimony.

Methods. Judges' written or oral judgments were gathered from a publically available database in Canada. Dangerous offender hearings (N = 136) were examined to determine how factors within expert witness testimony were related to sentences of indeterminate or determinate length.

Results. Results show a trend for PCL‐R scores to be related to trial outcome. Specifically, psychopathy diagnoses were correlated to experts' ratings of treatment amenability which were in turn related to trial outcome. In addition, experts tended to show partisan allegiance in the way they scored offenders on the PCL‐R.

Conclusion. Discussion advocates a measure of caution when using PCL‐R testimony in an adversarial court context. Further research clarifying the role psychopathy plays in court decisions is also encouraged.
A model of the acrosome reaction progression via the acrosomal membrane-anchored protein equatorin
Authors: Yoshida Keiichi , Ito Chizuru , Yamatoya Kenji , Maekawa Mamiko , Toyama Yoshiro , Suzuki-Toyota Fumie , Toshimori Kiyotaka
Published: December 2009

It is important to establish a reliable and progressive model of the acrosome reaction. Here, we present a progression model of the acrosome reaction centering around the acrosomal membrane-anchored protein equatorin (MN9), comparing the staining pattern traced by MN9 antibody immunofluorescence with that traced byArachis hypogaeaagglutinin (PNA)–FITC. Prior to the acrosome reaction, equatorin was present in both the anterior acrosome and the equatorial segment. Since sperm on zona pellucida showed various staining patterns, MN9-immunostaining patterns were classified into four stages: initial, early, advanced, and final. As the acrosome reaction progressed from the initial to the early stage, equatorin spread from the peripheral region of the anterior acrosome toward the center of the equatorial segment, gradually over the entire region of the equatorial segment during the advanced stage, and finally uniformly at the equatorial segment at the final stage. In contrast, the PNA–FITC signals spread more quickly from the peripheral region of the acrosome toward the entire equatorial segment, while decreasing in staining intensity, and finally became weak at the final stage. MN9-immunogold electron microscopy showed equatorin on the hybrid vesicles surrounded by amorphous substances at advanced stage of acrosome reaction. Equatorin decreased in molecular mass from 40–60 to 35 kDa, and the signal intensity of 35 kDa equatorin increased as the acrosome reaction progressed. Thus, the established equatorin-based progression model will be useful for analyzing not only the behavior of equatorin but also of other molecules of interest involved in the acrosome reaction.
The Application of Expected-Utility Theory to the Choice of Investment Channels in a Defined-Contribution Retirement Fund
Authors: Levitan Shaun , Thomson Robert
Published: December 2009

This study examines the practical application of a system for the derivation of member utility functions for the purpose of recommending investment-channel choice to members of a defined-contribution retirement fund. The utility functions of post-retirement benefits from members of a defined-contribution fund are elicited. The risk aversion of each member is measured and the results are compared with a standard risk-tolerance assessment method.
Antidepressant Pharmacotherapy in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Anderson Ryan J. , Gott Britt M. , Sayuk Gregory S. , Freedland Kenneth E. , Lustman Patrick J.
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVE

Initial treatment with antidepressant medication is insufficiently effective in some patients with type 2 diabetes, and factors predicting treatment outcome are poorly understood.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Aggregate data from two published trials were analyzed to determine the rates and predictors of response to antidepressant pharmacotherapy in adults with type 2 diabetes using conventional markers of initial treatment outcome (improvement, response, partial remission, and remission). Three hundred eighty-seven patients who received up to 16 weeks of open-label, acute-phase treatment using bupropion (n = 93) or sertraline (n = 294) were studied. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of poor treatment outcome. Candidate predictors included age, race, sex, initial Beck Depression Inventory (iBDI) score, treatment received (sertraline or bupropion), family history of depression, extant diabetes complications (eDC), and A1C level.

RESULTS

Of 387 patients initiated on treatment, 330 (85.3%) met criteria for improvement, 232 (59.9%) for response, 207 (53.5%) for partial remission, and 179 (46.3%) for full remission. Significant independent predictors of poor outcome included eDC (for no improvement); sertraline treatment, eDC, and younger age (for nonresponse); sertraline treatment, eDC, and higher iBDI (for failure to partially remit); and younger age and higher iBDI (for failure to fully remit). Higher pain scores predicted three of the four markers of poor outcome in the subset with pain data.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with type 2 diabetes, poor initial response to antidepressant medication is predicted by multiple factors. Auxiliary treatment of pain and impairment may be required to achieve better outcomes.
Trends of Earlier and Later Responses of C-peptide to Oral Glucose Challenges With Progression to Type 1 Diabetes in Diabetes Prevention Trial–Type 1 Participants
Authors: Sosenko Jay M. , Palmer Jerry P. , Rafkin Lisa E. , Krischer Jeffrey P. , Cuthbertson David , Greenbaum Carla J. , Eisenbarth George , Skyler Jay S. ,   Diabetes Prevention Trial–Type 1 Study Group
Published: December 2009

OBJECTIVE

We studied the C-peptide response to oral glucose with progression to type 1 diabetes in Diabetes Prevention Trial–Type 1 (DPT-1) participants.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Among 504 DPT-1 participants <15 years of age, longitudinal analyses were performed in 36 progressors and 80 nonprogressors. Progressors had oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) at baseline and every 6 months from 2.0 to 0.5 years before diagnosis; nonprogressors had OGTTs over similar intervals before their last visit. Sixty-six progressors and 192 nonprogressors were also studied proximal to and at diagnosis.

RESULTS

The 30–0 min C-peptide difference from OGTTs performed 2.0 years before diagnosis in progressors was lower than the 30–0 min C-peptide difference from OGTTs performed 2.0 years before the last visit in nonprogressors (P < 0.01) and remained lower over time. The 90–60 min C-peptide difference was positive at every OGTT before diagnosis in progressors, whereas it was negative at every OGTT before the last visit in nonprogressors (P < 0.01 at 2.0 years). The percentage whose peak C-peptide occurred at 120 min was higher in progressors at 2.0 years (P < 0.05); this persisted over time (P < 0.001 at 0.5 years). However, the peak C-peptide levels were only significantly lower at 0.5 years in progressors (P < 0.01). The timing of the peak C-peptide predicted type 1 diabetes (P < 0.001); peak C-peptide levels were less predictive (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

A decreased early C-peptide response to oral glucose and an increased later response occur at least 2 years before the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.
Another generalisation of Napoleon's theorem
Authors: Shephard G.C.
Published: December 2009

Since its discovery over 150 years ago, Napoleon's theorem has fascinated mathematicians, both professional and amateur alike. At least 150 papers have been published giving proofs, generalisations, variants and history of the theorem. Here we state and prove another generalisation.
A multi‐year study of sea breezes in a Mediterranean coastal site: Alicante (Spain)
Authors: Azorin‐Molina Cesar , Chen Deliang , Tijm Sander , Baldi Marina
Published: December 2009

Using 6‐year data collected in a high‐resolution network of 19 stations in the province of Alicante (Spain), the characteristics of sea breezes for the period 2000–2005 were studied. This study attempts to develop a multi‐year climatology of sea breeze flows focusing on a Western Mediterranean coastal site. We used half‐hourly meteorological records from a reference station in Alicante and sea surface temperature measurements at Albufereta beach to identify past sea breeze episodes, on the basis of an objective selection technique. A total of 475 sea breeze events during the 6‐year period were identified and the following parameters were determined: mean time of onset, mean wind speed and direction at the time of onset, mean time of cessation, mean temporal dimension (duration), mean maximum velocity, mean time of maximum velocity and mean wind path of the sea breeze. The mean onset and cessation times are 0940 UTC and 2009 UTC (local standard time = UTC + 0100 h, or + 0200 h with daylight‐saving time), respectively, with a mean duration of 1029 h. The mean wind speed at the time of the passage of sea breeze fronts is low (2.07 m s−1), but sea breeze gust intensities range from 3.6 to 11.6 m s−1 and they generally occur during 1200–1300 UTC. Southerly and southeasterly onset flows dominate in winter, whereas more easterly onsets occur in spring and summer. The mean inland directed wind path of the sea breezes is 97.7 km with noteworthy differences throughout the year; a case study showed onshore wind peaks of 11.1 m s−1, 50‐km inland of the Vinalopó river valley in the late afternoon. The spatial and temporal change in wind speed and direction were also analysed, using multi‐year wind hodographs for the 19 stations and eight well‐defined synoptic patterns favouring the development of sea breezes. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
On robust control algorithms for nonlinear network consensus protocols
Authors: Hui Qing , Haddad Wassim M. , Bhat Sanjay P.
Published: December 2009

Even though many consensus protocol algorithms have been developed over the last several years in the literature, robustness properties of these algorithms involving nonlinear dynamics have been largely ignored. Robustness here refers to sensitivity of the control algorithm achieving semistability and consensus in the face of model uncertainty. In this paper, we examine the robustness of several control algorithms for network consensus protocols with information model uncertainty of a specified structure. In particular, we develop sufficient conditions for robust stability of control protocol functions involving higher‐order perturbation terms that scale in a consistent fashion with respect to a scaling operation on an underlying space with the additional property that the protocol functions can be written as a sum of functions, each homogeneous with respect to a fixed scaling operation, that retain system semistability and consensus. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exchange Rate Parity for Trade and Development
Authors: Yotopoulos Pan A.
Published: December 2009

This book extends recent theories of incomplete markets to investigate empirically the appropriate balance between the market and the state in the trade relations between developed and developing countries. The conclusion is that in an ideal world government intervention in foreign exchange and trade is necessary in developing countries in the early stages and inevitably decreases as development occurs. Rationing of foreign exchange prevents a 'soft currency distortion' that commonly afflicts developing countries and can turn comparative advantage trade into competitive devaluation trade, with severe losses of income and welfare. Yotopoulos finds that the level of underdevelopment narrowly circumscribes and conditions the extent to which free-market, free-trade, laissez-faire can be beneficial, contrary to the mainstream policy paradigm as currently applied. The analysis and tests draw on empirical research from seventy countries and four extended country studies to confirm the usefulness and validity of the theoretical framework.
Cellular Automata Modeling of Physical Systems
Authors: Chopard Bastien , Droz Michel
Published: December 2009

This book provides a self-contained introduction to cellular automata and lattice Boltzmann techniques. Beginning with a chapter introducing the basic concepts of this developing field, a second chapter describes methods used in cellular automata modeling. Following chapters discuss the statistical mechanics of lattice gases, diffusion phenomena, reaction-diffusion processes and non-equilibrium phase transitions. A final chapter looks at other models and applications, such as wave propagation and multiparticle fluids. With a pedagogic approach, the volume focuses on the use of cellular automata in the framework of equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical physics. It also emphasises application-oriented problems such as fluid dynamics and pattern formation. The book contains many examples and problems. A glossary and a detailed bibliography are also included. This will be a valuable book for graduate students and researchers working in statistical physics, solid state physics, chemical physics and computer science.
Shelley and the Revolutionary Sublime
Authors: Duffy Cian
Published: December 2009

A major new study of Percy Shelley's intellectual life and poetic career, Shelley and the Revolutionary Sublime identifies Shelley's fascination with sublime natural phenomena as a key element in his understanding of the way ideas like 'nature' and 'imagination' informed the social and political structures of the Romantic period. Offering a genuinely fresh set of perspectives on Shelley's texts and contexts, Cian Duffy argues that Shelley's engagement with the British and French discourse on the sublime had a profound influence on his writing about political change in that age of revolutionary crisis. Examining Shelley's extensive use of sublime imagery and metaphor, Duffy offers not only a substantial reassessment of Shelley's work but also a significant re-appraisal of the role of the sublime in the cultural history of Britain during the Romantic period.
The Role of Customary Law in Sustainable Development
Authors: Orebech Peter , Bosselman Fred , Bjarup Jes , Callies David , Chanock Martin , Petersen Hanne
Published: December 2009

For many nations, a key challenge is how to achieve sustainable development without a return to centralized planning. Using case studies from Greenland, Hawaii and northern Norway, this 2006 book examines whether 'bottom-up' systems such as customary law can play a critical role in achieving viable systems for managing natural resources. Customary law consists of underlying social norms that may become the acknowledged law of the land. The key to determining whether a custom constitutes customary law is whether the public acts as if the observance of the custom is legally obligated. While the use of customary law does not always produce sustainability, the study of customary methods of resource management can produce valuable insights into methods of managing resources in a sustainable way.
Human Evolution and Christian Ethics
Authors: Pope Stephen J.
Published: December 2009

Can the origins of morality be explained entirely in evolutionary terms? If so, what are the implications for Christian moral theology and ethics? Is the latter redundant, as socio-biologists often assert? Stephen Pope argues that theologians need to engage with evolutionary theory rather than ignoring it. He shows that our growing knowledge of human evolution is compatible with Christian faith and morality, provided that the former is not interpreted reductionistically and the latter is not understood in fundamentalist ways. Christian ethics ought to incorporate evolutionary approaches to human nature to the extent that they provide helpful knowledge of the conditions of human flourishing, both collective and individual. From this perspective, a strong affirmation of human dignity and appreciation for the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity is consistent with a revised account of natural law and the cardinal virtues.
The Judicial Response to Police Killings in Latin America
Authors: Brinks Daniel M.
Published: December 2009

This book documents the corrosive effect of social exclusion on democracy and the rule of law. It shows how marginalization prevents citizens from effectively engaging even the best legal systems, how politics creeps into prosecutorial and judicial decision making, and how institutional change is often nullified by enduring contextual factors. It also shows how some institutional arrangements can overcome these impediments. The argument is based on extensive field work and original data on the investigation and prosecution of more than 500 police homicides in five legal systems in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. It includes both qualitative analyses of individual violations and prosecutions and quantitative analyses of broad patterns within and across jurisdictions. The book offers a structured comparison of police, prosecutorial, and judicial institutions in each location, and shows that analyses of any one of these organizations in isolation misses many of the essential dynamics that underlie an effective system of justice.
Ideology in a Socialist State
Authors: Taras Raymond
Published: December 2009

Ideology in a Socialist State describes the changes in the ideology of Poland's rulers from the October events of 1956 to the lifting of martial law in 1983. Ideology has been one of the most debated and equivocal concepts in social science, yet this is one of the first attempts to examine it in a systematic, longitudinal and empirical way. Dr Taras analyses how central principles of Marxism-Leninism (the leading role of the party, party influence on trade unions, the church, culture and science) were interpreted by Poland's political leaders. Ideological change, he suggests, represents the chief means adopted by, the regime to respond to a postwar cycle of crises. The rulers' ideology is also linked to political developments in other socialist states (the 1968 Czech reform movement, Soviet doctrinal shifts). Taras concludes that as a result of both external and internal factors, ideology in Poland underwent a combination of transformations, innovations and reification that has produced a new hybrid and highly unstable ideology - Leninist Marxism of People's Poland. This puts the tumultuous Polish events of 1981–3 into historical perspective and focuses on the response of the party leadership to the challenge of Solidarity, and of martial law.
Journalism and the Novel
Authors: Underwood Doug
Published: December 2009

Literary journalism is a rich field of study that has played an important role in the creation of the English and American literary canons. In this original and engaging study, Doug Underwood focuses on the many notable journalists-turned-novelists found at the margins of fact and fiction since the early eighteenth century, when the novel and the commercial periodical began to emerge as powerful cultural forces. Writers from both sides of the Atlantic are discussed, from Daniel Defoe to Charles Dickens, and from Mark Twain to Joan Didion. Underwood shows how many literary reputations are built on journalistic foundations of research and reporting, and how this impacts on questions of realism and authenticity throughout the work of many canonical authors. This book will be of great interest to researchers and students of British and American literature.