bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of time‐based figure–ground segregation
Authors: Kandil Farid I. , Fahle Manfred
Published: November 2003

Figure–ground segregation can rely on purely temporal information, that is, on short temporal delays between positional changes of elements in figure and ground (Kandil, F.I. & Fahle, M. (2001)Eur. J. Neurosci.,13, 2004–2008). Here, we investigate the underlying mechanisms by measuring temporal segregation thresholds for various kinds of motion cues. Segregation can rely on monocular first‐order motion (based on luminance modulation) and second‐order motion cues (contrast modulation) with a high temporal resolution of ≈ 20 ms. The mechanism can also use isoluminant motion with a reduced temporal resolution of 60 ms. Figure–ground segregation can be achieved even at presentation frequencies too high for human subjects to inspect successive frames individually. In contrast, when stimuli are presented dichoptically, i.e. separately to both eyes, subjects are unable to perceive any segregation, irrespective of temporal frequency. We propose that segregation in these displays is detected by a mechanism consisting of at least two stages. On the first level, standard motion or flicker detectors signal local positional changes (flips). On the second level, a segregation mechanism combines the local activities of the low‐level detectors with high temporal precision. Our findings suggest that the segregation mechanism can rely on monocular detectors but not on binocular mechanisms. Moreover, the results oppose the idea that segregation in these displays is achieved by motion detectors of a higher order (motion‐from‐motion), but favour mechanisms sensitive to short temporal delays even without activation of higher‐order motion detectors.
Economic Globalization and Institutions of Global Governance
Authors: Griffin Keith
Published: November 2003

Economic globalization is reducing the significance of state boundaries. We have a global economy but lack the institutions necessary for a global polity. Unilateral action by a would–be hegemon is untenable in the long term and hence there is a need to discuss our institutions of global governance. The benefits and costs of globalization have been distributed asymmetrically, placing poor people in poor countries at a disadvantage, especially as regards the free movement of low–skilled labour and the creation of intellectual property rights. The World Trade Organization, a target of the critics of globalization, should be seen as a welcome extension of the rule of law to the international arena and a counterweight to unilateralism. More generally, global economic liberalism should be balanced by institutions which provide global public goods and international mechanisms to finance them. All of this implies a further weakening of state sovereignty and a need to ensure that global institutions are democratic and can be held accountable to people worldwide for their performance.
It Takes Modern Means to be Traditional: On Recognizing Indigenous Cultural Communities in the Philippines
Authors: Hirtz Frank
Published: November 2003

The main thesis of this essay is that being recognized as traditional or indigenous requires the employment of modern means. A form of ‘Bureaucratic Orientalism’ has been devised, constructing and reaffirming ‘the Other’ through the minutiae of administrative procedures and contemporary representational processes. These procedures exist for the twin purposes of establishing the right to act as an indigenous group, and of circumscribing the obligations of the state, and possibly of other institutions of governance. The entire debate is the expression of a dilemma that has no solution but is actually an expression of modernity. The three pillars upon which indigeneity is affirmed are a national (internationally legitimized) legal system, the contemporary world of NGOs, and the institutions of local government. Thus, through the very process of being recognized as ‘indigenous’, these groups enter the realms of modernity. The Philippines provide a case study for these explorations.
The Australian Growth Experience, 1960–2000: Human Capital, R&D or Steady‐State Growth?
Authors: Chou Yuan K.
Published: November 2003

This article examines the sources of economic growth in Australia from 1960 to 2000 by adapting a framework developed in Jones (2002), whereby long‐run growth is driven by the global discovery of new ideas, which in turn is tied to world population growth. We find that, contrary to the conventional view as suggested by sustained growth rates and a stable capital–output ratio over the last several decades, Australia is clearly not on its steady–state balanced growth path. Australia has benefited from increases in educational attainment and research intensity: 42 per cent of Australian growth between 1960 and 2000 is attributable to the rise in educational attainment, about 20 to 40 per cent is attributable to increasing research intensity, while only 10 to 30 per cent is due to long‐run population growth in the idea‐producing countries.
The Melbourne Jewish Left, Communism and the Cold War. Responses to Stalinist Anti‐Semitism and the Rosenberg Spy Trial
Authors: Mendes Philip
Published: November 2003

This article explores the political marginalisation of the Melbourne Jewish Council to Combat Fascism and Anti‐Semitism during the Cold War. Attention is drawn to contending views about the nature of the Council's links with communism. By comparing the Council's response to two coinciding international events during 1952 and 1953 ‐ the anti‐Jewish show trials in Stalinist Eastern Europe, and the Rosenberg spy trial in the USA ‐ evidence is derived confirming the dominance of communist influence within the Jewish Council at that time. In order, I examine the Australian Jewish political context in which the Council operated and its relations with the wider Jewish community prior to the Cold War; explore rival arguments concerning the Council's links with communism and the Australian Communist Party; examine the major features of Stalinist anti‐Semitism and the Council's response to them; recount the Council's reaction to the Rosenberg Spy Trial and Doctors Plot; and conclude that the Council lost influence because it fell under the control of a pro‐Soviet group unwilling to recognise and attack anti‐Semitism on the political left.
Sustained Monopolistic Business Relationships: An Interdisciplinarity Case
Authors: Humphries Andrew , Wilding Richard
Published: November 2003

Business‐to‐business relationships within sustained monopolies, such as those within UK defence procurement, have received scant attention by management researchers. This is unusual because under these market circumstances there appear to be few incentives to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes despite their strategic policy importance. This paper argues that an understanding of the monopolistic environment using a transaction cost economics theoretical framework and supply‐chain management, relationship marketing and transaction cost economics concepts provides an innovative, interdisciplinarity approach to solving this problem as well as testing aspects of these disciplines empirically in a novel area. This paper describes the results from a substantial research project to test this hypothesis in the UK defence procurement situation. It reveals a number of key dynamics within the sustained monopolistic relationships surveyed and suggests considerable potential for further research.
Animal Magic: Nigel Nicholson and Evolutionary Psychology
Authors: Thompson Paul
Published: November 2003

Nicholson, N., Managing the Human Animal: Why People Behave the Way They Do in Corporate Settings
In Defence of Human Nature. A review of Managing the Human Animal
Authors: Markóczy Lívia
Published: November 2003

Nicholson, N. Managing the Human Animal: Why People Behave the Way They Do in Corporate Services
Changing Public Service Organizations: Current Perspectives and Future Prospects
Authors: Ferlie Ewan , Hartley Jean , Martin Steve
Published: November 2003

As governments and public service organizations across the globe engage in strategies of institutional and organizational change, it is timely to examine current developments and a future research agenda for public governance and management. The paper commences with reflections on the state of the field, based on an analysis of papers published in theBritish Journal of Managementover the last decade. While there was some variation apparent across the set, the ‘typical’ article was found to be influenced by the discipline of organizational behaviour, set within the health‐care sector, using case‐study methods within field‐based studies, and investigating shifts in roles and relationships and the management of change. It has also in the past been UK‐centric, though the journal editorial policy and our own article call for a stronger international and comparative focus in the future. The second section of the article summarizes the articles and themes contained in this collection of papers on public service organizations. The third section explores a possible research agenda for the future, arguing for the significance of public sector research for the understanding of management more generally, and for examining the interface between private and public organizations (an increasingly common phenomenon). We suggest the need to set public services research in policy and political contexts, and suggest this may reveal organizational processes of wide interest. We call for a wider set of disciplines to engage in public management research, and to engage in moving the agenda from the study of efficiency to effectiveness as defined by a variety of stakeholders. We address the issue of how far public management researchers should become directly engaged with the world of policy and suggest that whether researchers engage in Mode 1 or Mode 2 research, their work would benefit from a stronger theoretical base.
Redesigning Public Services: Challenges of Practice for Policy
Authors: McNulty Terry
Published: November 2003

The paper observes a challenge within contemporary public policy to change professional practices and relations to improve public services. Policy‐makers' advocacy of process redesign as a best‐practice mechanism for effecting change in public‐sector organizations is the particular focus of attention. In both theory and method the paper engages an interest in public policy and practice with mainstream developments in the field of organization and management studies. The theoretical framework links debate about process organization, organizational change, professional collaboration and business process re‐engineering. The public sector is not immune from the hype of transformation that characterizes much current debate about organization form and change. Empirical data about several redesign interventions that occurred in the context of a hospital re‐engineering programme are used to analyse the rhetoric and reality of change in public services. Contested processes and limited effects of re‐engineering are discussed for what they reveal about the prospects and possibilities for redesign to effect change in public services.
Managing from the Inside Out: Drawing on ‘Receptivity’ to Explain Variation in Strategy Implementation
Authors: Butler Michael J. R.
Published: November 2003

With the rise of ‘New Public Management’ (NPM), government policy has encouraged public‐sector organizations to downsize and outsource their services. There is, however, local variation in the use of outsourcing – this is ‘managing from the inside out’. This paper draws on the notion of receptivity for organizational change to explain variation in strategy implementation. Four receptivity factors are identified which seem to explain the success of two contrasting English local government outsourcing strategies: ideological vision, leading change, institutional politics and implementation capacity. The organization level of change is interconnected with two other levels of change (the public service and environment levels) to illustrate the dynamic nature of change.
Strategies of Influence: How Interest Organizations React to Changes in Parliamentary Influence and Activity1
Authors: Binderkrantz Anne
Published: November 2003

Research has shown that interest organizations seeking influence on public decision making pay increasing attention to parliamentary actors. No distinction has, however, been made between attempts to affect law‐making directly and attempts to gain influence on other parliamentary activities such as agenda setting and control of bureaucracy. Drawing on data about organizational approaches to the Danish parliament, this article demonstrates that interest organizations’ influence strategies in relation to different parliamentary activities show dissimilar patterns. Strategies in regard to law‐making fluctuate with the strength of parliament vis‐à‐vis the government, while strategies concerned with more general parliamentary activities depend more on the level of these activities and secondarily on increases in parliamentary resources. The analysis thus confirms that organizations react to changes in the political role of parliament, but takes the understanding of this a step further by emphasizing that changes in direct parliamentary influence on law‐making and in more general parliamentary activities affect different aspects of organizations’ influence strategies.
Rank Based Dickey–Fuller Test Statistics
Authors: Fotopoulos Stergios B. , Ahn Sung K.
Published: November 2003

This article provides various comprehensive comparisons between Breitung–Gouriéroux and Granger–Hallman rank statistics for the unit root test. New analytical asymptotic properties for the Granger–Hallman rank statistic are demonstrated. The statistic is of a Dickey–Fuller type, where the observations are replaced with their rank counterparts. Weak convergence results are given for the nonstationary random walk process when the errors are assumed to have higher than two moments. Empirical percentiles of both Breitung–Gouriéroux and Granger–Hallman rank statistics are presented for different sample sizes. In addition, empirical powers and sizes for these rank statistics and for the Dickey–Fuller test statistic are shown for different distributions of the error terms.
THE REVIVAL OF CULTURAL EXPLANATION IN ECONOMICS
Authors: Jones E. L.
Published: November 2003

Cultural explanations of economic change were largely dropped for a generation, as economists rejected their inconclusiveness and other social scientists labelled them as politically incorrect. Peter Bauer, however, expressed disquiet at the way deep influences like culture were being ignored in economic analysis. This paper discusses why high‐profile attention has now turned back to culture. It does not find the expositions offered to be very persuasive but nevertheless agrees that Bauer's unease was understandable and describes other recent academic studies that are more promising.
MIGRATION, GLOBALISATION AND THE SPIRIT OF PETER BAUER
Authors: Griswold Daniel T.
Published: November 2003

Lord Bauer understood that the human freedom of movement plays a vital role in development. Today, internal and cross‐border migration generates hard‐currency remittances that raise living standards and capital investment in the country of origin, promotes greater trade and investment ties between destination and origin countries, and raises a country's stock of human and physical capital when migrants return with new skills and investment funds. Immigration can also stimulate political and social reform when migrants return or foreign‐born immigrants arrive with new ideas and experiences. Relaxing the pervasive controls on the international movement of people remains a huge piece of unfinished business on the market‐driven development agenda.
POVERTY AND RECOVERY: THE HISTORY OF AID AND DEVELOPMENT IN EAST AFRICA
Authors: Erixon Fredrik
Published: November 2003

Poor countries are believed to be trapped in a vicious circle of poverty where low incomes lead to low savings and insufficient resources for investments. Foreign aid is supposed to boost investment and link poor countries to a virtuous circle of growth. But real per capita growth has not been present in the modern history of Kenya and Tanzania ‐ even though foreign aid has increased many times over. Does the recent history in Uganda pave the way for new principles of efficient aid, or is it just a rare occasion of aid‐induced behavioural change?
REGULATORY CAPTURE, PROPERTY RIGHTS AND TAXI DEREGULATION: A CASE STUDY
Authors: Barrett Sean D.
Published: November 2003

The deregulation of the taxi sector in Ireland by the High Court in 2000 brought a three‐fold increase in taxi numbers and much reduced passenger waiting times for taxis. The deregulation decision by the High Court was based on the rights of persons to enter a sector for which they had the training and skills and the right of the public to purchase the services of such persons. The decision was upheld in judicial review. The case study indicates the superiority of deregulation over proposals for more gradual liberalization.
THE ETHICS OF ECONOMIC SANCTIONS
Authors: McGee Robert W.
Published: November 2003

This article examines economic sanctions from an ethical perspective. Utilitarian ethics and rights theory are applied to economic sanctions in general. Special attention is paid to the economic sanctions imposed against Iraq and Cuba. The conclusion is that economic sanctions are very difficult to justify on any grounds and have negative consequences. Sanctions should not be used as a tool of international relations.
THE PROS AND CONS OF GOVERNMENT REGULATION
Authors: Porket Joseph L.
Published: November 2003

Regulation of human behaviour and human social interaction is a universal feature of both traditional and modern societies. In the latter, on account of their complex structure, regulation inevitably takes place at different levels, albeit within a framework set by government. Consequently, these societies are characterised by a web of formal as well as informal regulation and self‐regulation, in other words by a plurality of regulatory systems. And this plurality of regulatory systems is an important source of tensions and conflicts in society.
Westerns, Weddings and Web‐Weavers: Reading Gender as Genre in Organizational Theory
Authors: Leonard Pauline
Published: November 2003

This article focuses on the process of reading and its role in the construction of knowledge. Reading is an activity which is personal yet never singular: we bring to our reading of one text a range of knowledges, experiences and strategies derived from other texts. This ‘intertextuality’ means that ‘meaning‐making’ is a complex negotiation process between reader and text, whereby linkages are made between divergent genres. This is explored through the author's own personal experiences of reading gender/organizational theory. These readings demonstrate the way in which ‘narratives’ of other genres, such as film and fiction, spill over, infect and manipulate the construction of narratives within organizational texts. Further, the ready intertextual connections which are made help to expose some of the embedded assumptions about gender. Whilst these are, in the main, quite traditional, the consideration of the processes involved in reading helps to challenge these as ‘truths’ as well as signpost possibilities for new forms of writing gender/organizational theory.
Strategies for change: making Valuing People a reality1
Authors: Fyson Rachel , Simons Ken
Published: November 2003

This article reports the interim findings of the ‘Strategies for Change’ research project, which has focused on the need for effective strategic planning in order to make a reality of the 2001 White Paper Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century. It draws attention in particular to the roles that both commissioners of learning disability services and the new Learning Disability Partnership Boards must play in developing and implementing local plans. It is argued that effective strategic planning at national and local levels is required in order to create innovative, individualized services for people with learning disabilities, which can promote the Valuing People agenda of rights, independence, choice and inclusion.
‘Choice Biography’ and the importance of the social1
Authors: Small Neil , Pawson Nicole , Raghavan Raghu
Published: November 2003

Recent European Union and Economic and Social Research Council funded research has scrutinized the concept of choice and future orientation in those undergoing transitions into adulthood. The focus of interest has been on the interplay of social structure and individual agency. We draw on initial findings from a Department of Health funded study to critique these new ways of thinking. In what ways do people with learning disabilities manifest the same attitudes to choice and risk evident in recent studies of young people? Do they demonstrate similar models of adaptation to the future? We will explore, via three case study examples, the tension between individual agency and family attitudes to future possibilities. We will argue that advances in the sociology of youth are in danger of assuming that the individualized ‘choice biography’ is the predominant model of transition. This does not reflect the importance of social networks and family relationships in young people with learning disability. For them, risk‐management and the pursuit of well‐being are pursued in the social domain.
Users' views on supported employment and social inclusion: a qualitative study of 30 people in work1
Authors: Wistow Richard , Schneider Justine
Published: November 2003

This paper outlines the findings from interviews exploring the perceptions of people with learning difficulties in relation to work and employment support. We look at what people told us about their experiences in seeking employment, getting a job, being in work and about the support they received. We also make inferences from the data about the nature and extent of social inclusion associated with being in work. The varying experiences of our sample illustrate the scope of the task in hand to achieve the vision of social inclusion expressed in Valuing People.
Gaining ethical approval for research into sensitive topics: ‘two strikes and you’re out?'1
Authors: Hays Sarah‐Jane , Murphy Glynis , Sinclair Neil
Published: November 2003

Researching sensitive topics, such as the treatment of men with intellectual disabilities and sexually abusive behaviour, present a number of ethical issues for researchers. This paper describes our experiences in working with Multi‐Centre Research Ethics Committees on a research proposal designed to assess the efficacy of cognitive behaviour therapy for men with intellectual disabilities who are at risk of sexual offending. After submitting to three Multi‐Centre Research Ethics Committees and spending a year trying to get ethical approval, we questioned whether:

the issue of study design should be part of the Multi‐Centre Research Ethics Committees remit;

Multi‐Centre Research Ethics Committees were sufficiently responsive to concerns raised by researchers;

Multi‐Centre Research Ethics Committees always understood the research; and

the Central Office for Research Ethics Committees should disallow re‐submission after rejection by two Multi‐Centre Research Ethics Committees (‘two strikes and you’re out').
Evaluating digital libraries in the health sector. Part 1: measuring inputs and outputs
Authors: Cullen Rowena
Published: November 2003

This is the first part of a two‐part paper which explores methods that can be used to evaluate digital libraries in the health sector. In this first part, some approaches to evaluation that have been proposed for mainstream digital information services are examined for their suitability to provide models for the health sector. The paper summarizes some major national and collaborative initiatives to develop measures for digital libraries, and analyses these approaches in terms of their relationship to traditional measures of library performance, which are focused on inputs and outputs, and their relevance to current debates among health information specialists. The second part* looks more specifically at evaluative models based on outcomes, and models being developed in the health sector.
Access for all? A survey of health librarians in the north‐west of England on provision of information to patients
Authors: King Colette , Hornby Susan
Published: November 2003

This study examined the role that health librarians could play in helping patients to find information. A questionnaire survey was sent out to 50 health librarians in the north‐west of England. It examined the following: the type of library and users, access to information for patients, librarians’ attitudes to provision of information to patients and their knowledge of other sources available to their users.

Ninety‐seven per cent of librarians said that they could recommend quality information sources to patients, but many suggested that there were practical problems in allowing patients to use health libraries due to lack of appropriate resources, facilities and funding. Advantages of health library involvement in patient information include having a local point of contact for patients and the ability of librarians to find, evaluate and organize good‐quality resources. However, health library staff may not have enough time to answer enquiries from the public and may lack training in dealing with patients. Innovation, especially in developing on‐line services, could offer a way to provide a service without overloading the physical requirements of a library. Librarians could also collaborate with other staff to improve patient information.
Tungiasis (tungosis) comes to the Czech Republic
Authors: Pospíšilová A , Pirochtová K
Published: November 2003

Summary  A case of a 39 year old patient in whom infection by the sand flea Tunga penetrans was diagnosed by histological examination is described. Clinical findings included small red lesions on the lower extremities, containing a pyodermic component and a central black dot resembling tattoo. A tropical parasitic disease was considered as the signs developed following the patient's return from Tanzania.
Screening for depression in adult acne vulgaris patients: tools for the dermatologist
Authors: Henkel Verena , Mœhrenschlager Matthias , Hegerl Ulrich , Mœller Hans‐Jürgen , Ring Johannes , Worret Wolf‐Ingo
Published: November 2003

Summary  Background  Adult dermatological out patients have a 40% prevalence of psychiatric co‐morbidity. If psychiatric co‐morbidity is unrecognized, undetected and untreated, the consequences may be fatal. Acne is the most common skin disorder of the second and third decades of life. Acne and its treatments may cause depression.

Aims  To identify a screening tool to identify depression in adult acne patients.

Methods  The literature was reviewed to identify validated screening instruments for depressive disorders. Questionnaires studied included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), the Brief Patient Health Questionnaire (B‐PHQ), the General Health Questionnaire‐12 item version (GHQ‐12), and the World Health Organization‐5 Well Being Index (WHO‐5).

Results  WHO‐5 performed best in terms of sensitivity (0.93 for a cut‐off score of 13) as well as taking least time to complete (2–5 min) and evaluate (0.5–2 min).

Conclusions  WHO‐5 can be recommended as part of a two‐step screening process for depression in acne patients. Step 1 is the WHO‐5. In the case of a positive score, step 2 is a detailed psychosocial assessment.
Inhibition of elastase activity by essential oils in vitro
Authors: Mori Masahiro , Ikeda Norikazu , Kato Yoshiko , Minamino Miki , Watabe Kazuhito
Published: November 2003

Summary  Background  Essential oils are widely used, for example in aromatherapy and aroma massage. In aroma massage, essential oil, diluted with vegetable oil, is rubbed onto the skin. Components of essential oil penetrate into the skin and have an influence on the dermis. Elastase is an enzyme which degenerates dermal elastin. Elastase activity is believed to contribute to cutaneous wrinkling and ageing.

Aim  To investigate the inhibitory effect of essential oils on elastase activity.

Methods  Inhibition of elastase activity by various essential oils was assessed using two elastase enzymes: porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) and human neutrophil elastase (HNE).

Results  Elastase activity was inhibited by various essential oils, especially by those oils derived from lemons, juniper and grapefruit. Although the specific inhibitory component was not determined, lemon oil had the greatest inhibitory effect on PPE. Some essential oils also inhibited HNE.

Conclusions  These studies demonstrate a possible rationale for the use of essential oil massage as a preventive treatment for cutaneous wrinkling and ageing.
Fiscal Incentive Effects of the Australian Equalisation System
Authors: Dahlby Bev , Warren Neil
Published: November 2003

Equalisation grants can affect a state's fiscal behaviour because its tax policies can affect the size of its grant. For a large state, an increase in its tax rate will increase the standard tax rate used to calculate the grant for that base and thereby reduce (increase) the state's grant if it has a high (low) relative fiscal capacity with respect to that base. In addition, a state's grant will increase if its relative fiscal capacity declines when it raises its tax rates. Our econometric results indicate that the equalisation system may have affected the Australian states’ choice of tax rates.
Anti‐insurance: Analysing the Health Insurance System in Australia
Authors: Gans Joshua S. , King Stephen P.
Published: November 2003

This paper develops a model to analyse the Australian health insurance system when individuals differ in their health risk and this risk is private information. In Australia private insurance both duplicates and supplements public insurance. We show that, absent any other interventions, this results in implicit transfers of wealth from those most at risk of adverse health to those least at risk. At the social level, these transfers represent a mean preserving spread of income, creating social risk and lowering welfare – what we call anti‐insurance. The recently introduced rebate on private health insurance can improve welfare by alleviating anti‐insurance.
Synergistic interaction between aflatoxin B1 and hepatitis B virus in hepatocarcinogenesis
Authors: Kew Michael C.
Published: November 2003

Abstract: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and dietary exposure to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), two of the major risk factors in the multifactorial aetiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), co‐exist in those countries with the highest incidences of and the youngest patients with this tumour, raising the possibility of a synergistic carcinogenic interaction between the two agents. Experimental studies in HBV‐transgenic mice and woodchucks infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus were the first to show a synergistic hepatocarcinogenic effect between hepadnaviral infection and AFB1 exposure. With the availability of urinary and serum biomarkers that more accurately reflect dietary exposure to AFB1 than did the initially used food sampling and dietary questionnaires, cohort studies of patients with HCC in China and Taiwan have provided compelling evidence for a multiplicative or sub‐multiplicative interaction between HBV and AFB1 in the genesis of human HCC. A number of possible mechanisms for the interaction have been suggested. Chronic HBV infection may induce the cytochrome P450s that metabolise inactive AFB1 to the mutagenic AFB1‐8,9‐epoxide. Hepatocyte necrosis and regeneration and the generation of oxygen and nitrogen reactive species resulting from chronic HBV infection increase the likelihood of the AFB1‐induced p53 249ser and other mutations and the subsequent clonal expansion of cells containing these mutations. Nuclear excision repair, which is normally responsible for removing AFB1–DNA adducts, is inhibited by HBV×protein, favouring the persistence of existing mutations. This protein also increases the overall frequency of DNA mutations, including the p53 249ser mutation, and may contribute to uncontrolled cell cycling when p53 is non‐functional.
Cytokine gene polymorphisms and the susceptibility to liver cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C
Authors: Bahr Matthias J. , El Menuawy Mohamed , Boeker Klaus H. W. , Musholt Petra B. , Manns Michael P. , Lichtinghagen Ralf
Published: November 2003

Background: The speed of fibrosis progression varies considerably between patients with chronic hepatitis C. This study analyzed whether cytokine gene polymorphisms are associated with a progressive course of the disease.

Methods: Leukocyte DNA from 101 patients with chronic hepatitis C, 52 patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐induced cirrhosis and 200 Caucasian blood donors was prepared. Using PCR, RFLP and PAGE, gene polymorphism analysis of the interleukin (IL)1α(−889), IL1β(−511 and +3954), IL1 receptor agonist (RA)(intron2 VNTR), IL4(intron3 VNTR) and TNFα(−308) loci was performed.

Results: Of the polymorphisms analyzed, IL1β(−511) and IL1RA(intron2 VNTR) were unevenly distributed between the study groups. The IL1β(−511)*A2A2 genotype occurred significantly more often in chronic hepatitis C and HCV‐induced liver cirrhosis than in the controls (P<0.01, P<0.05, respectively). Patients with HCV‐induced cirrhosis displayed a significantly higher frequency of the IL1RA(intron2 VNTR)*A2 polymorphism than patients with chronic hepatitis C and controls (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Although the IL1β(−511)*A2A2 genotype may increase the susceptibility to acquire chronic hepatitis C and IL1RA(intron2 VNTR)*A2 polymorphism is associated with disease progression to cirrhosis, our results indicate that the analyzed cytokine gene polymorphisms have an overall low impact on the natural course of chronic hepatitis C infection.
15‐deoxy‐Δ12,14‐prostaglandin J2, a ligand for peroxisome proliferators‐activated receptor‐γ, induces apoptosis in human hepatoma cells
Authors: Date Masataka , Fukuchi Kazuhide , Morita Shosuke , Takahashi Hiroshi , Ohura Kiyoshi
Published: November 2003

Background/Aims: 15‐deoxy‐Δ12,14‐prostaglandin J2 (15‐d‐PGJ2) induces apoptosis in several carcinoma cell lines and is a potent activator of peroxisome proliferators‐activated receptor‐γ (PPAR‐γ). In the present study, we examined the effect of 15‐d‐PGJ2 on human hepatoma cells.

Methods: HuH‐7 and HepG2 cell lines were used in all the experiments. The mRNA expression of PPAR‐γ was studied by reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction. The cell viability was determined by a modified MTT assay. Two methods were used for the determination of apoptosis in hepatoma cells: the TUNEL assay, and detection of fragmented mono‐ and oligo‐nucleosomes by ELISA.

Results: The expression of PPAR‐γ mRNA and protein was detected in HuH‐7 and HepG2. Treatment with 15‐d‐PGJ2 decreased cell viability in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner. 15‐d‐PGJ2 induced apoptosis and this effect was time‐dependent. Exposure of cells to 15‐d‐PGJ2 induced caspase‐3 and ‐9 activation. Furthermore, co‐treatment with the pan‐caspase inhibitor Z‐VAD‐FMK or the caspase‐3 inhibitor Z‐DEVD‐FMK blocked apoptosis of human hepatoma cells that had been treated with 15‐d‐PGJ2.

Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that PPAR‐γ is expressed in human hepatoma cell lines and that treatment with 15‐d‐PGJ2 inhibits the growth of these cells by inducing apoptosis through caspase activation.
Hepatic dysfunction in patients with extrahepatic portal venous obstruction
Authors: Rangari M. , Gupta R. , Jain M. , Malhotra V. , Sarin S.K.
Published: November 2003

Background: Extrahepatic portal venous obstruction (EHPVO) developing due to thrombotic occlusion of the portal vein in children is generally considered a benign disease. Whether hepatic dysfunction develops in these patients in the absence of a gastrointestinal bleed has not been well studied.

Materials and methods: Forty‐three patients with EHPVO who had not bled in the last 3 months were studied. Patients were divided into those with (group I) or without ascites (group II). Matched cirrhotic patients with ascites (group III) served as controls. Clinical, biochemical, ultrasonographic, and histopathological evaluation was carried out. Portal biliopathy was assessed in five patients in group I and in 12 patients in group II by cholangiography.

Results: Of 43 EHPVO patients, ascites was seen in nine (21%) patients (group I). Thirty‐four patients had no ascites (group II). Serum ALT (54±24 vs. 34±10 IU/l, P<0.01), albumin (3.2±0.3 vs. 3.7±0.4 g/dl, P<0.01), and prothrombin time difference (9.0±4.5 vs. 2.4±1.9 s, P<0.05) were deranged in patients in group I compared with group II. Patients in group I were 4 years older, and the duration of portal hypertension was longer than in group II (11.5 vs. 5.6 year, P<0.05). Portal biliopathy changes were significantly more severe in group I than in group II patients. Ascites was high gradient in all the patients in group I and the serum‐ascitic albumin gradient was comparable between groups I and III. None of the EHPVO patients, but four cirrhotic patients, developed spontaneous bacterial peritonitis during a follow‐up of 11±4 months.

Conclusions: Hepatic dysfunction in the form of ascites and deranged liver functions is not uncommon in patients with EHPVO, more so in patients with prolonged portal hypertension. Based on our data it would be worthwhile to study whether prolonged portal vein thrombosis in EHPVO patients could lead to progressive liver disease.
Vascular endothelial growth factor increases fenestral permeability in hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells
Authors: Yokomori Hiroaki , Oda Masaya , Yoshimura Kazunori , Nagai Toshihiro , Ogi Mariko , Nomura Masahiko , Ishii Hiromasa
Published: November 2003

Abstract:
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important regulator of vasculogenesis and vascular permeability. Hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs) possess sieve‐like pores that form an anastomosing labyrinth structure by the deeply invaginated plasma membrane. Caveolin is the principal structural protein in caveolae. In this study, we examined the role of VEGF on the fenestration and permeability of SECs and the relation with caveolin‐1. SECs isolated from rat livers by collagenase infusion method were cultured for 24 h with (10 or 100 ng/ml) or without VEGF. The cells were then examined by transmission and scanning electron microscopy (EM). The expression of caveolin was investigated by confocal immunofluorescence, immunogold EM, and Western blot. Endocytosis and intracellular traffic was studied using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) reaction as a marker of fluid phase transport in SECs.

Both transmission and scanning EM showed an increased number of sinusoidal endothelial fenestrae (SEF) in SECs cultured with VEGF. By confocal immunofluorescence, SECs cultured with VEGF displayed prominent caveolin‐1‐positive aggregates in the cytoplasm, especially surrounding the nucleus region. Immunogold EM depicted increased caveolin‐1 reactivity on vesicles and vacuoles of VEGF‐treated SECs compared with VEGF‐nontreated cells. However, there was no change in the level of caveolin‐1 protein expression on Western blot. After HRP injection, an increase of electron‐dense tracer filled the SEF in cells treated with VEGF. Our results suggested that VEGF induced fenestration in SECs, accompanied by an increased number of caveolae‐like vesicles. Increased caveolin‐1 might be associated with vesicle formation but not with fenestration. Increased fenestration may augment hepatic sinusoidal permeability and trans‐endothelial transport.
Reflections on September 11: Lessons From Four Psychological Perspectives
Authors: Lanning Kevin
Published: November 2003

Several of the major theoretical perspectives within psychology can contribute to our understanding of the September 11 attacks and their aftermath. An argument derived from the psychodynamic approach suggests that terrorism may be a product of ambivalence rather than anger. From an evolutionary standpoint, the resentment that breeds terrorism, and the altruism that has arisen in its wake, may be seen as two sides of the same coin. The decision theoretic approach suggests that in the attempt to prevent future terrorist attacks, we face a seeming tradeoff between civil rights and civil liberties. Finally, the personality development approach suggests that difficult times can help forge new moral leaders.
The Dark Side of Moral Conviction
Authors: Skitka Linda J. , Mullen Elizabeth
Published: November 2003

Moral conviction forms the foundation for strong, morally vested attitudes and beliefs (i.e., “moral mandates”) that have high action potential because they are “oughts” and “shoulds.” Although moral mandates may sometimes lead people to engage in prosocial behaviors, they can also lead people to disregard procedural safeguards. This article briefly reviews research that indicates that people become very unconcerned with how moral mandates are achieved, so long as they are achieved. In short, we find that commitments to procedural safeguards that generally protect civil society become psychologically eroded when people are pursuing a morally mandated end. Understanding the “dark side” of moral conviction may provide some insight into the motivational underpinnings of engaging in extreme acts like terrorism, as well as people's willingness to forego civil liberties in their pursuit of those who do.
Them and Us: Hidden Ideologies‐Differences in Degree or Kind?
Authors: Unger Rhoda K.
Published: November 2003

This article looks at three measuring instruments—the Right‐Wing Authoritarianism Scale, the Social Dominance Orientation Scale, and the Attitudes About Reality Scale—used to examine covert ideology and its relationship to social and political beliefs and behaviors. These scales share similar ideological components involving abdication of moral responsibility to an outside agent, belief that one's own ideology represents the only form of truth, and negative beliefs about individuals who are not members of one's own group. Evidence is provided to suggest that radical fundamentalists and some groups within U.S. society share ideological beliefs that differ in degree rather than kind. These beliefs make it easy for them to divide the world into “us” and “them” and exacerbate the present conflict.
Public Attitudes Toward Immigration in the United States and Canada in Response to the September 11, 2001 “Attack on America”
Authors: Esses Victoria M. , Dovidio John F. , Hodson Gordon
Published: November 2003

In this paper, we describe recent trends in attitudes toward immigration in North America, and we suggest how these attitudes are likely to be affected by the September 11, 2001 “Attack on America.” We begin by explaining why public attitudes toward immigration are important, and describe recent trends in these attitudes in the United States and Canada. Then, we apply psychological perspectives to predicting how these attitudes are likely to change in response to the events of September 11th. In particular, we describe expected short‐term changes in immigration attitudes and expected long‐term trends. We conclude by suggesting that an understanding of the psychological processes underlying unfavorable attitudes may assist in counteracting these effects; we also suggest that policy makers will be faced with the difficult task of balancing the need for a sense of security for members of the national group, and maintenance of the positive features of current immigration policies.
Understanding the September 11 Terrorist Attack on America: The Role of Intergroup Theories of Normative Influence
Authors: Louis Winnifred R. , Taylor Donald M.
Published: November 2003

The present article analyzes the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in terms of current theories of normative influence in intergroup conflict. The (conflicting) implications of various social psychological models of decision making for Western and American attempts to reduce the likelihood of further attacks are delineated. We examine the implications of social identity models and models of outgroup normative influence, as well as dynamic models of intergroup behavior that focus on the polarizing effects of outgroup hostility. The influence of Western responses is distinguished for various target audiences, including not only the terrorists, but also pro‐Western Muslims in North America and Europe, unaligned Muslims, and Muslims with anti‐American feelings who do not endorse terrorism.
Building Intergroup Relations After September 11
Authors: Lee Kien S.
Published: November 2003

The events of September 11 gave rise to new opportunities to think about intergroup relations and how they can be strengthened. This article summarizes how communities across the nation have initiated activities to help people grieve and to prevent further violence against Arabs, Muslims, and other Middle Easterners and applies a set of research‐based principles on intergroup relations to communities’ responses to September 11. The article also demonstrates the importance of moving beyond the current responses to more comprehensive community strategies that are informed by these principles and other lessons learned. These strategies include multipronged approaches that help individuals grieve and heal, engage institutional leaders, and support community action.
Environmentally Responsible Behavior: Teaching and Promoting It Effectively
Authors: Oskamp Stuart
Published: November 2003

The most serious long‐term threat facing the world is the danger that human actions are producing irreversible harmful changes to the environmental conditions that support life on Earth. If this problem is not overcome, there may be no viable world for our descendants to inhabit. Enormous changes to human lifestyles and cultural practices may be required to reach the goal of a sustainable level of impact on the environment—i.e., one that can be maintained indefinitely. Social science courses can aid in reaching this goal by teaching about environmentally responsible behavior. Such teaching should provide sound information and strengthen motivation and behavioral skills that are necessary to make the needed changes in behavior and lifestyles. This paper discusses major obstacles to the goal of sustainability, describes a variety of motivational approaches toward accomplishing it, and proposes that we should view the achievement of sustainable living patterns as a superordinate goal—a war against the common enemy of an uninhabitable world.
When Being Different Is Detrimental: Solo Status and the Performance of Women and Racial Minorities
Authors: Thompson Mischa , Sekaquaptewa Denise
Published: November 2003

Individuals experience solo status when they are the only members of their social category (e.g., gender or race) present in an otherwise homogenous group. Field studies and surveys indicate that members of socially disadvantaged groups, such as women and racial minorities, have more negative experiences as solos than do members of privileged groups, such as Whites and males (Kanter, 1977; Niemann & Dovidio, 1998). In this article, we review research showing that the public performance of women and African‐Americans is more debilitated by solo status than that of Whites and males. We also show that this effect is exacerbated when negative stereotypes about the performer's social group seem relevant to their performance, and we discuss the contributing roles of lowered performance expectancies and feelings of group representativeness. We discuss how findings from social psychological research can be applied towards the goal of reducing the decrements typically associated with being the only member, or one of few members, of one's race and/or gender in the environment.