bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards a theory of policy timing*
Authors: Mittenzwei Klaus , Bullock David S. , Salhofer Klaus
Published: September 2012

The article presents a theory of policy timing that relies on uncertainty and transaction costs to explain the optimal timing and duration of policy reforms. Delaying reforms resolves some uncertainty by gaining valuable information and saves transaction costs. Implementing reforms without waiting increases welfare by adjusting domestic policies to changed market parameters. Optimal policy timing is found by balancing the trade‐off between delaying reforms and implementing reforms without waiting. Our theory offers an explanation of why countries differ with respect to the length of their policy reforms and why applied studies often judge agricultural policies to be inefficient when actually they may not be.
Understanding the Fundamentals of Capital, the Crisis and the Alternatives: Marx's Legacy beyond Revolutionary Marxism
Authors: Strange Gerard
Published: September 2012

Research Highlights and Abstract

Critically engages with analyses of fundamental principles associated with capitalist crisis as differently presented in the theories of Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes. Critiques the narrow labour-focused account of Marx's circuit theory of capital found in so-called ‘Open Marxism’. Highlights the importance of Keynes's treatment of money as an independent variable to the further development of circuit and crisis theories. More generally opens up Marxian circuit and crisis theory to broader heterodox perspectives in political economy, especially critical Keynesian and Schumpeterian perspectives. Seeks to apply a critical evaluation of crisis and circuit theories to the contemporary global financial crisis, not least by critiquing Peter Burnham's ‘depoliticisation’ account of the crisis of macro-economic management. Argues instead that the politicized nature of money remains deeply embedded both nationally and internationally.

This article critically engages with Peter Burnham's recent call for a ‘return to fundamentals’ and specifically to Marx as a basis for understanding the global financial crisis (GFC) and its still unfolding aftermath. The article criticises Burnham's ‘Open Marxist’ account of Marx's capital theory and his reading of the crisis in terms of ‘depoliticisation’ and the reassertion of the law of value over the state. The article focuses on Schumpeterian and Keynesian theories of crisis and crisis management as derived from fundamentals. It argues that Keynes, in particular, offered a theory of crisis that, while consistent with Marx's circuit theory of capital, was also distinct in its focus on money. In short, Keynes politicised money and its management. How the current global crisis is ultimately resolved depends crucially on understanding both the limits and possibilities for the repoliticisation of money in the post-neoliberal era.
STRATEGIC OUTSOURCING UNDER ECONOMIES OF SCALE
Authors: Chen Yutian , Sen Debapriya
Published: September 2012

We show that economies of scale in upstream production can lead both the disintegrated downstream firm as well as its vertically integrated rival to outsource offshore for intermediate goods, even if offshore production has a moderate cost disadvantage compared to in‐house production of the vertically integrated firm.
Psychological Factors Associated with Support for Suicide Bombing in the Muslim Diaspora
Authors: Victoroff Jeff , Adelman Janice R. , Matthews Miriam
Published: September 2012

A robust literature on ingroup versus outgroup conflict suggests that perceived discrimination may be an important factor in intergroup aggression. Yet, to date, no studies have tested the hypothesis that the perception of being the victim of anti‐Muslim discrimination might be associated with support for anti‐Western political violence. We undertook an analysis of two Pew Global Attitudes Surveys: (1) a 2006 data set surveying 1,627 adult Muslim residents of Great Britain, France, Germany, and Spain and (2) a 2007 data surveying 1,050 adult Muslim residents of the United States. Our analyses support the conclusions that younger age and perceived discrimination are both associated with support of suicide bombing in these Muslim diaspora populations. Study 1 found that a bad experience of discrimination increased the odds of justifying suicide bombing among European Muslims by a factor of 3.4. Study 2 found that experienced discrimination was associated with justification of suicide bombing among American Muslims. If further investigations confirm that perceived discrimination is a risk factor for support for political violence, initiatives to reduce discrimination would theoretically reduce the risk of terrorism. We discuss the challenge of breaking the vicious cycle of intergroup prejudice and radicalization.
Group Rights and Shared Interests
Authors: Preda Adina
Published: September 2012

One challenge in contemporary political philosophy is to reconcile groups' claims for rights and collective self-determination with a liberal commitment to the priority of individuals' rights and well-being. A solution to this puzzle may rest on a justification of group rights based on shared individual interests. This presupposes the collective conception of group rights, which does not entail that a group has to be conceived of as a distinct entity, with an independent moral standing. Such a strategy would thus not lead to conflicts between the rights of a group and those of its individual members. This article argues that this strategy does not succeed in justifying genuine group rights. Shared interests cannot ground rights held by a group qua group, especially the kind of rights that national or cultural groups demand. The conclusion of this argument is that the interest theorist has to embrace a view of groups as distinct entities in order to ascribe them rights qua group. So the upshot of this article is that communitarian or full-blown nationalist justifications of collective rights may be more coherent than some liberal attempts although probably less plausible and more problematic from a normative point of view.
PROBLEMS WITH LEWIS' ARGUMENT FOR THE IDENTITY THEORY
Authors: Michael Michaelis
Published: September 2012

David Lewis presented a celebrated argument for the identity theory of mind. His argument has provided the model for the program of analytic functionalism. He argues from two premises, that mental states are analytically tied to their causal roles and that, contingently, there is never a need to explain any physical change by going outside the realm of the physical, to the conclusion that mental states are physical. I show that his argument is mistaken and that it trades on a crucial ambiguity in the second premise. He argues for a weaker version of that premise and then uses a stronger version in the argument. The weaker version of that premise will not allow the inference and the stronger version is contested in the dialectical context. In general then this strategy for providing analytic reductions will not be guaranteed to succeed.
PRUSSIAN ANGLOPHILIA: GUSTAV FREYTAG, VICKY AND THE KAISER
Authors: Keppler‐Tasaki Stefan
Published: September 2012

Belief in the social impact of literature played a significant role for the British Princess Royal Victoria and her German husband, Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich, because they had no political powers in their own right. The couple had to resort to a politics of symbols, using intellectual means. Freytag, the most popular German novelist of his time, was the crown jewel in the symbolic capital that was meant to facilitate their liberal agenda. Victoria continued a personal mission, as set out by her parents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, namely to foster a long‐term alliance between Britain and Prussia and thus liberalise Germany. This objective is reflected in the rigorous reading programme which she prescribed for her son Wilhelm and which included Freytag's Die Ahnen. This novel cycle was dedicated to the Crown Princess and refers frequently to German‐British relations. At that period Freytag regarded literature as a tool for nation‐building and, at the same time, as a medium of intercultural understanding. Later on, in his reminiscences Der Kronprinz und die Kaiserkrone, Freytag broke with Victoria and subjected the project of interventionist literature to sceptical review. Freytag had once helped to stage‐manage politics, but in the end, with Kaiser Wilhelm II in mind, criticised political stage‐management.

Der Gebrauchswert von Literatur spielte für die britische Princess Royal Victoria und ihren deutschen Ehemann, Kronprinz Friedrich von Preußen, eine erhebliche Rolle, weil sie keine politischen Befugnisse aus eigenem Recht besaßen. Das Paar war auf eine Symbolpolitik angewiesen, die mit intellektuellen Mitteln arbeitete. Freytag, der populärste deutsche Romanautor seiner Zeit, war das Kronjuwel im symbolischen Kapital, das den Kronprinzenliberalismus finanzieren sollte. Victoria setzte eine persönliche Mission fort, die von ihren Eltern, Königin Victoria und Prinz Albert begonnen wurde: ein langfristiges Bündnis zwischen England und Preußen, das Deutschland liberalisieren sollte. Diese Absicht schlug sich im konkreten Inhalt des strengen Leseprogramms nieder, das Victoria ihrem Sohn Wilhelm vorschrieb und das Freytags Die Ahnen umfasste. Dieser Romanzyklus war der Kronprinzessin gewidmet und bietet zahlreiche Referenzen auf die britisch‐deutschen Beziehungen. Freytag betrachtete die Literatur als ein Werkzeug des Nation Building und gleichzeitig als ein interkulturelles Verständigungsmedium. Später, in seinen Erinnerungen Der Kronprinz und die Kaiserkrone, fiel Freytag von Victoria ab und unterzog das Projekt einer tätigen Literatur einer skeptischen Revision. Freytag hatte einmal geholfen, Politik zu inszenieren und kritisierte schließlich, mit Kaiser Wilhelm II. vor Augen, diese Art der Inszenierung.
RILKE'S EARLY ANGELS’ CONNECTIONS TO CORPOREALITY AND LANGUAGE
Authors: Koch Michael L.
Published: September 2012

Faith in and fascination with angels have been on the rise in popular culture in Germany. Rainer Maria Rilke's poetry is frequently mentioned in connection with these supposedly divine beings, which perpetuates a conflation of Rilke's works with spirituality and transcendence among the broad population. Various media outlets in Germany reinforce this connection in time for Christmas each year. Rilke's angel figure is, however, not exclusively or even primarily a foil for metaphysical or spiritual considerations. Rather, Rilke's angel often rubs prevalent and solely spiritual understandings of these divine messengers against the grain, employing the angel in connection with human language and other physiological processes. Rilke's Duineser Elegien make this connection explicit, but his earlier works also point clearly to the angel as a motif in his considerations of language and communication. At a much earlier point in his career, Rilke's Engellieder cycle of 1897 turns the conventional human‐angel relationship on its head, while three angel poems he wrote in the summer of 1899 reveal an attempt to approach the issue of verbal communication via the angel in a systematic manner.

Der Glaube an Engel und die geistige Beschäftigung mit ihnen nehmen in der breiten Bevölkerung in Deutschland zu. Die Gedichte von Rainer Maria Rilke werden häufig im Zusammenhang mit diesen überirdischen Wesen erwähnt, und das fördert die verbreitete Verbindung seiner Werke mit Spiritualität und geistiger Transzendenz. Zu Weihnachten wird diese Verbindung von mehreren Medien in Deutschland verstärkt. Dennoch ist Rilkes Engel‐Figur nicht ausschließlich – ja, nicht einmal in erster Linie – ein Gegenstand metaphysischer oder spiritueller Überlegungen. Stattdessen geht Rilke vorherrschenden Vorstellungen von Engeln gegen den Strich und verwendet den Engel im Zusammenhang mit menschlicher Sprache und anderen physiologischen Vorgängen. Das wird deutlich in Rilkes Duineser Elegien, aber auch seine viel früheren Werke weisen eindeutig auf den Engel als Vehikel für Überlegungen zu Sprache und Kommunikationen. Schon Rilkes Engellieder Zyklus (1897) dreht das herkömmliche Verhältnis zwischen Mensch und Engel auf den Kopf; und drei Engel‐Gedichte aus dem Sommer 1897 deuten auf den Versuch Rilkes hin, das Thema von verbaler Mitteilung und dem Engel systematisch anzugehen.
Young Children's Attitudes Toward Peers with Intellectual Disabilities: Effect of the Type of School
Authors: Georgiadi Maria , Kalyva Efrosini , Kourkoutas Elias , Tsakiris Vlastaris
Published: September 2012

Background

This study explored typically developing children's attitudes towards peers with intellectual disabilities, with special reference to the type of school they attended.

Materials and Methods

Two hundred and fifty‐six Greek children aged 9–10 (135 in inclusive settings) completed a questionnaire and an adjective list by Gash (European Journal of Special Needs Education 1993; 8, 106) and drew a child with intellectual disabilities, commenting also on their drawings.

Results

Typically developing children expressed overall neutral attitudes towards peers with intellectual disabilities. Type of school differentiated their attitudes, with children from inclusive settings being more positive towards peers with intellectual disabilities and choosing less negative adjectives to describe them than children from non‐inclusive settings. Girls and students who expressed more positive social, emotional and overall attitudes towards students with intellectual disabilities chose more positive adjectives to describe a child with intellectual disabilities. It was also found that children from inclusive settings drew children with intellectual disabilities as more similar to a child with Down syndrome in comparison with children from non‐inclusive settings.

Conclusions

Effective inclusive practices should be promoted to foster social acceptance of students with intellectual disabilities.
The Recognition of Web Pages' Hyperlinks by People with Intellectual Disabilities: An Evaluation Study
Authors: Rocha Tânia , Bessa Maximino , Gonçalves Martinho , Cabral Luciana , Godinho Francisco , Peres Emanuel , Reis Manuel C. , Magalhães Luís , Chalmers Alan
Published: September 2012

Background

One of the most mentioned problems of web accessibility, as recognized in several different studies, is related to the difficulty regarding the perception of what is or is not clickable in a web page. In particular, a key problem is the recognition of hyperlinks by a specific group of people, namely those with intellectual disabilities.

Materials and Methods

This experiment investigated a methodology based on the direct observation, video recording, interview and data obtained by an eye tracker device. Ten participants took part in this study. They were divided into two groups and asked to perform two tasks: ‘Sing a song’ and ‘Listen to a story’ in two websites. These websites were developed to include specific details. The first website presented an image navigation menu (INM), whereas the other one showed a text navigation menu (TNM).

Results

There was a general improvement regarding the participants' performance when using INMs.

Conclusion

The referred analysis indeed shows that not only did these specific participants gain a better understanding of the demanding task, but also they showed an improved perception concerning the content of the navigation menu that included hyperlinks with images.
A new ontology (structured hierarchy) of human developmental anatomy for the first 7 weeks (Carnegie stages 1–20)
Authors: Bard Jonathan
Published: September 2012

This paper describes a new ontology of human developmental anatomy covering the first 49 days [Carnegie stages (CS)1–20], primarily structured around the parts of organ systems and their development. The ontology includes more than 2000 anatomical entities (AEs) that range from the whole embryo, through organ systems and organ parts down to simple or leaf tissues (groups of cells with the same morphological phenotype), as well as features such as cavities. Each AE has assigned to it a set of facts of the form , with the relationships including starts_at and ends_at (CSs), part_of (there can be several parents) and is_a (this gives the type of tissue, from an organ system down to one of ~ 80 simple tissues predominantly composed of a single cell kind, which is also specified). Leaf tissues also have a develops_from link to its parent tissue. The ontology includes ~14 000 such facts, which are mainly from the literature and an earlier ontology of human developmental anatomy (EHDAA, now withdrawn). The relationships enable these facts to be integrated into a single, complex hierarchy (or mathematical graph) that was made and can be viewed in the OBO‐Edit browser (oboedit.org). Each AE has an EHDAA2 ID that may be useful in an informatics context, while the ontology as a whole can be used for organizing databases of human development. It is also a knowledge resource: a user can trace the lineage of any tissue back to the egg, study the changes in cell phenotype that occur as a tissue develops, and use the structure to add further (e.g. molecular) information. The ontology may be downloaded from www.obofoundry.org. Queries and corrections should be sent to j.bard@ed.ac.uk.
On the time course of bottom‐up and top‐down processes in selective visual attention: An EEG study
Authors: Schneider Daniel , Beste Christian , Wascher Edmund
Published: September 2012

According to recent models on visual attention, both the salience of signals (bottom‐up) and the intention to search for particular stimuli (top‐down) are determinants for attentional selection. We investigated these mechanisms by varying the top‐down set of participants that had to detect either luminance or orientation changes of two symmetrically located bars. Irrelevant changes impaired target detection when they were presented spatially separated to the relevant change. Initial attentional selection was represented in posterior N1 asymmetries and was determined by both the relative salience of orientation changes and a subsequent intentional bias towards relevant stimuli. Only when salient orientation changes interfered with luminance target selection in the N1 time window did an N2pc occur. Thus, the selection of relevant information proceeds in a network whose activation is induced by a dynamic interplay of bottom‐up and top‐down processes.
Promoting healthy eating to children: a text message (SMS) feedback approach
Authors: Bech‐Larsen Tino , Grønhøj Alice
Published: September 2012

The paper presents the design and results of a goal‐setting and feedback intervention aimed at increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables. The intervention involved 256 Danish adolescents (aged 12), and consisted of a nutrition education programme and an SMS‐based diary and feedback procedure that involved setting and modifying consumption goals. Effects were measured by comparing consumption goals and consumption data from the SMS diaries as well as from pre‐ and post‐intervention surveys. In addition to assessing the effects of the intervention on the consumption of fruits and vegetables, an objective of the study was to evaluate the intervention process in terms of attrition and goal accommodation behaviours. Based on the pre‐intervention survey, the sample was split into two groups consisting of pupils with low vs. high intake of fruits and vegetables. The diary and feedback design resulted in low attrition for both groups of pupils. Contrary to expectations, however, pupils with a high vs. low pre‐intervention intake were not less likely to reduce their intake goals during the intervention. For the pupils with low pre‐intervention intake, the intervention resulted in small but significant increases in consumption frequencies, whereas the partial effect of the SMS routines was only marginally positive. Unexpectedly, the pupils with a high pre‐intervention intake reduced their consumption of fruits and vegetables during the intervention.
Agroecological Reconfiguration: Local Alternatives to Environmental Degradation in Mexico
Authors: GONZÁLEZ HUMBERTO
Published: September 2012

Agroecological reconfiguration alternatives are programmes of action developed by local and regional organizations seeking to reverse environmental degradation produced by intensive industrialized farming. Growers who take part in them recognize their interdependence with the ecosystem and are aware of the need to act collectively in order to regain the productivity and competitiveness that have been lost through the degeneration of natural resources. The varied patterns of production developed by those promoting these alternatives are mixed, and have to demonstrate technical and economic viability; they must also justify themselves through commitment to a sustainable environmental and social development of the region. The diverse public and private actors involved share a sense that the ecosystem is a common heritage that must be safeguarded. Today, agroecological reconfiguration alternatives are the most effective initiatives for the environmental governance of agriculture in Mexico.
Microfinance Interest Rates and Client Returns
Authors: HARPER MALCOLM
Published: September 2012

The interest rates of microfinance institutions (MFIs) are widely criticized, although they are lower than those of many short‐term lenders in ‘developed’ countries. The criticisms are not usually related to the returns on micro‐investments. Little data is available, but earnings from farming seem generally to be below or little above the interest charged for microcredit. Returns from petty trade, a more frequent use of such credit, are well over the price that micro‐borrowers pay for their loans. Microfinance is not a replacement for subsidized farm credit; farming is subsidized, everywhere, and efforts should be made to improve and revive the provision of low‐cost agricultural finance.
Migrants as strategic actors in the European Union's Global Approach to Migration and Mobility
Authors: COLLYER MICHAEL
Published: September 2012

The European Union's discourse of ‘partnership’ in the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility and the widely expressed critique of this discourse as a process of ‘externalization’ of EU policy both depend on unitary accounts of the main policy actors involved. Two separate literatures contest such unitary accounts. Within political science and international relations, institutional approaches identify a range of strategic actors involved in policy development; in anthropology, there is a well‐established interest in the strategic behaviour of disempowered actors. In this article, I set out to link these two approaches with an examination of undocumented migrants as strategic actors. I use a case study of events at the borders between Morocco and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in late 2005, which have proved extremely influential in the continued development of the EU's global approach, to identify the ways in which even highly marginalized migrants were able to develop transnational social organizations.
Millennium Consumption Goals (MCGs) for Rio+20 and beyond: A practical step towards global sustainability
Authors: Munasinghe Mohan
Published: September 2012

In January 2011, the idea of Millennium Consumption Goals (MCGs) was first proposed at the United Nations, because unsustainable patterns of consumption and production have led to multiple problems threatening the future of humanity. The global economy driven by consumption already uses natural resources equivalent to almost 1.5 planets earth, with the world's richest 1.4 billion consuming almost 85% of global output, which is over 60 fold the consumption of the poorest 1.4 billion. The consumption of the rich is not only ecologically unsustainable, but also “crowding out” the prospects of the poor and exacerbating inequalities that increase the risk of conflict and global unrest.

The MCGs provide an innovative future vision and complement the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that aim to help the world's poor. First, the MCGs seek to address the issues of global poverty and inequality by ensuring that the basic consumption needs of over 2 billion poor people are met. Next, the MCGs will provide benchmarks for the consumption of the rich, which will reduce the burden on the world's natural resource base. Instead of viewing the affluent as a problem, the novel approach of the MCGs would persuade them to contribute to the solution without having to reduce their quality of life.

The MCGs apply even‐handedly to the rich in all countries. The concept enjoys broad support worldwide and is being promoted by a global coalition called the MCG Initiative (MCGI). A bottom‐up approach has already been started by many pioneering individuals, communities, organizations, firms, cities, regions and nations. They prefer not to wait for broad multilateral agreements and are acting now, to voluntarily pursue their own specific MCGs. A parallel top‐down path is being pursued through mandatory agreements at the United Nations/international level, starting with the Rio+20 Earth Summit and beyond. The MCGs fit in with other major UN initiatives like Agenda 21, the MDGs, green economy, SCP and the Sustainable Development Goals.
PARP inhibitors attenuate chemotherapy‐induced painful neuropathy
Authors: Brederson Jill‐Desiree , Joshi Shailen K. , Browman Kaitlin E. , Mikusa Joseph , Zhong Chengmin , Gauvin Donna , Liu Xuesong , Shi Yan , Penning Thomas D. , Shoemaker Alex R. , Giranda Vincent L.
Published: September 2012

Chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a major toxicity of chemotherapy treatment for which no therapy is approved. Poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP)1/2 are nuclear enzymes activated upon DNA damage, and PARP1/2 inhibition provides resistance against DNA damage. A role for PARP inhibition in sensory neurotransmission has also been established. PARP inhibitors attenuate pain‐like behaviors and neuropathy‐associated decreased peripheral nerve function in diabetic models. The hypothesis tested was that PARP inhibition protects against painful neuropathy. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the novel, selective PARP1/2 inhibitors (ABT‐888 and related analogues) would attenuate development of mechanical allodynia in vincristine‐treated rats. PARP inhibitors were dosed for 2 days, and then co‐administered with vincristine for 12 days. Mechanical allodynia was observed in rats treated with vincristine. PARP1/2 inhibition significantly attenuated development of mechanical allodynia and reduced poly ADP‐ribose (PAR) activation in rat skin. The data presented here show that PARP inhibition attenuates vincristine‐induced mechanical allodynia in rats, and supports that PARP inhibition may represent a novel therapeutic approach for CIPN.
A novel autosomal dominant GDAP1 mutation in an Italian CMT2 family
Authors: Manganelli Fiore , Pisciotta Chiara , Nolano Maria , Capponi Simona , Geroldi Alessandro , Topa Antonietta , Bellone Emilia , Suls Arvid , Mandich Paola , Santoro Lucio
Published: September 2012

We report the clinical, electrophysiological, and skin biopsy findings of an Italian Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth disease type 2 (CMT2) family with a novel heterozygous GDAP1 mutation. We observed a marked intra‐familial phenotypic variability, in age at onset and disease severity which ranged from a typical CMT phenotype to an asymptomatic status. Electrophysiological study, consistent with an axonal sensory‐motor neuropathy, confirmed a different degree of severity and disclosed minimal electrophysiological abnormalities also in the asymptomatic subjects. Skin biopsy findings showed a variable loss of large and small somatic nerve fibers. Molecular analysis identified a novel heterozygous missense mutation (Arg120Gly) in the GDAP1 gene which co‐segregated with the disease within the pedigree. In conclusion, our findings confirm that the GDAP1 autosomal dominant mutations underlie a pronounced phenotypic variability, mimicking the effects of reduced penetrance. Notably, electrophysiological study in this family allowed to reveal hidden positive family history and assess a dominant inheritance pattern, revealing subclinical neuropathy in asymptomatic mutation carriers.
Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome as the initial manifestation of Guillain‐Barré syndrome: case report and review of the literature
Authors: Rigamonti Andrea , Basso Francesco , Scaccabarozzi Chiara , Lauria Giuseppe
Published: September 2012

We report a 63‐year‐old female patient with Guillain‐Barré syndrome revealed after posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. The onset was characterized by hypertension, headache, and cortical blindness, followed a few days later by progressive limb and facial paresis, dysautonomia, and respiratory failure. Treatment with plasmapheresis led to a rapid improvement of the clinical picture and the disappearance of magnetic resonance abnormalities. This report reviews the literature on this unusual association and discusses possible pathophysiological mechanisms.
Convergence of Genome‐Wide Association and Candidate Gene Studies for Alcoholism
Authors: Olfson Emily , Bierut Laura Jean
Published: September 2012

Background

Genome‐wide association (GWA) studies have led to a paradigm shift in how researchers study the genetics underlying disease. Many GWA studies are now publicly available and can be used to examine whether or not previously proposed candidate genes are supported by GWA data. This approach is particularly important for the field of alcoholism because the contribution of many candidate genes remains controversial.

Methods

Using the Human Genome Epidemiology (HuGE) Navigator, we selected candidate genes for alcoholism that have been frequently examined in scientific articles in the past decade. Specific candidate loci as well as all the reported single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate genes were examined in the Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment (SAGE), a GWA study comparing alcohol‐dependent and nondependent subjects.

Results

Several commonly reported candidate loci, including rs1800497 in DRD2, rs698 in ADH1C, rs1799971 in OPRM1, and rs4680 in COMT, are not replicated in SAGE (p > 0.05). Among candidate loci available for analysis, only rs279858 in GABRA2 (p = 0.0052, OR = 1.16) demonstrated a modest association. Examination of all SNPs reported in SAGE in over 50 candidate genes revealed no SNPs with large frequency differences between cases and controls, and the lowest p‐value of any SNP was 0.0006.

Conclusions

We provide evidence that several extensively studied candidate loci do not have a strong contribution to risk of developing alcohol dependence in European and African ancestry populations. Owing to the lack of coverage, we were unable to rule out the contribution of other variants, and these genes and particular loci warrant further investigation. Our analysis demonstrates that publicly available GWA results can be used to better understand which if any of previously proposed candidate genes contribute to disease. Furthermore, we illustrate how examining the convergence of candidate gene and GWA studies can help elucidate the genetic architecture of alcoholism and more generally complex diseases.
The Effects of Alcohol Abstinence on BDNF, Ghrelin, and Leptin Secretions in Alcohol‐Dependent Patients with Glucose Intolerance
Authors: Kim JH , Kim SJ , Lee WY , Cheon YH , Lee SS , Ju A , K Min , Kim DJ
Published: September 2012

Background

Alcohol use affecting the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is poorly identified as well as the role of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), ghrelin, and leptin in alcohol dependence with T2DM. We tested the hypothesis that alcohol abstinence affects diabetes‐related factors and BDNF, ghrelin, and leptin secretions in alcohol‐dependent patients with glucose intolerance.

Methods

A total of 64 male alcohol‐dependent patients were classified into normal glucose tolerance (NGT), pre‐diabetes mellitus (pre‐DM), and diabetes mellitus (DM) groups according to a 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). All participants got alcohol dependence rehabilitation treatment for 30 days, and then we compared changes in BDNF, ghrelin, and leptin between pre‐ and post‐alcohol abstinence.

Results

After alcohol abstinence, both pre‐DM and DM groups had significantly decreased levels of fasting glucose. All 3 groups exhibited elevated ghrelin levels and reduced leptin levels, but BDNF levels were significantly increased only in the pre‐DM group. The pre‐DM group had large increases in BDNF and ghrelin levels compared with those of the NGT group. Moreover, decreases in homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR), fasting glucose, and leptin levels in the DM group were larger than those in the NGT group.

Conclusions

Alcohol abstinence might influence diabetes‐related factors of alcohol‐dependent patients with glucose intolerance. Further, BDNF, ghrelin, and leptin differently affect this improvement, depending on the stage of DM. In the pre‐DM group, elevated BDNF and ghrelin levels are likely to influence insulin sensitivity, insulin resistance, and fasting glucose levels. Further, reduced leptin levels after abstinence might be related to improved glucose kinetics in patients with diabetes.
Further Development of a Neurobehavioral Profile of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Mattson Sarah N. , Roesch Scott C. , Glass Leila , Deweese Benjamin N. , Coles Claire D. , Kable Julie A. , May Philip A. , Kalberg Wendy O. , Sowell Elizabeth R. , Adnams Colleen M. , Jones Kenneth Lyons , Riley Edward P.
Published: September 2012

Background

Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (AE) results in a broad array of neurobehavioral deficits. Recent research has focused on identification of a neurobehavioral profile or profiles that will improve the identification of children affected by AE. This study aimed to build on our preliminary neurobehavioral profile to improve classification accuracy and test the specificity of the resulting profile in an alternate clinical group.

Methods

A standardized neuropsychological test battery was administered to 3 groups of children: subjects with AE (n = 209), typically developing controls (CON, n = 185), and subjects with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, n = 74). We assessed a large sample from 6 sites in the United States and South Africa, using standardized methodology. Data were analyzed using 3 latent profile analyses including (i) subjects with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and controls, (ii) subjects with AE without FAS and controls, and (iii) subjects with AE (with or without FAS) and subjects with ADHD.

Results

Classification accuracy was moderate but significant across the 3 analyses. In analysis 1, overall classification accuracy was 76.1% (77.2% FAS, 75.7% CON). In the second analysis, overall classification accuracy was 71.5% (70.1% AE/non‐FAS, 72.4% CON). In the third analysis, overall classification accuracy was 73.9% (59.8% AE, 75.7% ADHD). Subjects that were misclassified were examined for systematic differences from those that were correctly classified.

Conclusions

The results of this study indicate that the neuropsychological effects of AE are clinically meaningful and can be used to accurately distinguish alcohol‐affected children from both typically developing children and children with ADHD. Further, in combination with other recent studies, these data suggest that approximately 70% of children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure are neurobehaviorally affected, while the remaining 30% are spared these often‐devastating consequences, at least those in the domains under study. Refining the neurobehavioral profile will allow improved identification and treatment development for children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure.
Anticoagulation Bridging Around Device Surgery: Compliance with Guidelines
Authors: PERRIN MARK J. , VEZI BRIAN Z. , HA ANDREW C. , KEREN ARIEH , NERY PABLO B. , BIRNIE DAVID H.
Published: September 2012

Background:

Current guidelines recommend bridging anticoagulation in patients undergoing cardiac rhythm device surgery with a “moderate to high risk” of thromboembolism. Patients at “low risk” are advised to stop oral anticoagulation without bridging to the procedure. This study examines real world adherence to accepted guidelines and the clinical sequelae of nonadherence.

Methods:

We performed a review of all patients undergoing device surgery receiving chronic anticoagulation over a prespecified time period of 14 months. Patients were classified per American College of Chest Physician guidelines as “moderate/high risk” or “low risk” of thromboembolism. We then compared perioperative management of anticoagulation to guideline recommendations and assessed the rate of perioperative bleeding and thromboembolism.

Results:

One hundred and twenty‐nine patients were included in this study. Sixty‐two (48%) were classified as “moderate/high risk” and 67 (52%) “low risk.” In the “moderate/high risk” group 47/62 (76%) received perioperative anticoagulation but only 25/62 (40%) were bridged both pre‐ and postprocedure or maintained on uninterrupted warfarin. In the “low risk” group, 22/67 (33%) received bridging therapy. Device pocket hematoma or perioperative bleeding occurred in 10/129 (8%) with 4/10 receiving inappropriate bridging for a calculated low risk of thromboembolism. There were no perioperative thromboembolisms.

Conclusions:

Our study identified significant underutilization of bridging, particularly in the postoperative period, in patients at “moderate/high risk” of thromboembolism. Conversely, bridging was overused in “low risk” patients and associated with bleeding complications. Physicians should be urged to follow current expert guidelines in regard to bridging anticoagulation for cardiac rhythm device surgery. (PACE 2012;35:1480–1486)
A Transnational Community of Pakistani Muslim Women: Narratives of Rights, Honor, and Wisdom in a Women's Education Project
Authors: Khurshid Ayesha
Published: September 2012

Using ethnographic data, this article explores how Muslim women teachers from low‐income Pakistani communities employ the notion of “wisdom” to construct and perform their educated subjectivity in a transnational women's education project. Through Butler's performativity framework, I demonstrate how local and global discourses overlap to shape narratives that define individual rights as well as family honor as part of the educated subjectivity of Pakistani Muslim women. [Muslim women, women's education, human rights, performativity, globalization]
Investigation of Crystallization Processes from Hafnium Silicate Powders Prepared from an Oxychloride Sol‐Gel
Authors: McGilvery Catriona M. , De Gendt Stefan , Payzant E. Andrew , MacKenzie Maureen , Craven Alan J. , McComb David W.
Published: September 2012

Hafnium oxide and silicate materials are now incorporated into working CMOS devices; however, the crystallization mechanism is still poorly understood. In particular, addition of SiO2 to HfO2 has been shown to increase the crystallization temperature of HfO2, hence, allowing it to remain amorphous under current processing conditions. Building on earlier study, we herein, investigate bulk HfxSi1−xO2 samples to determine the effect of SiO2 on the crystallization pathway. Techniques, such as XRD, HTXRD, thermal analysis techniques and TEM are used. It is found that the addition of SiO2 has very little affect on the crystallization path at temperatures below 900°C, but at higher temperatures, a second t‐HfO2 phase nucleates and is stabilized due to the strain of the surrounding amorphous SiO2 material. With an increase in SiO2 content, the temperature at which this nucleation and stabilization occurs is increased. The effect of strain has implications for inhibiting the crystallization of the high‐k layer, reduction of grain boundaries and hence diffusion, reduction of formation of interface layers and the possibility of stabilizing t‐HfO2 rather than m‐HfO2, hence, increasing the dielectric of the layer.
Patient Understanding of Emergency Department Discharge Instructions: Where Are Knowledge Deficits Greatest?
Authors: Engel Kirsten G. , Buckley Barbara A. , Forth Victoria E. , McCarthy Danielle M. , Ellison Emily P. , Schmidt Michael J. , Adams James G.
Published: September 2012

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19:1035–1044 © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Objectives:  Many patients are discharged from the emergency department (ED) with an incomplete understanding of the information needed to safely care for themselves at home. Patients have demonstrated particular difficulty in understanding post‐ED care instructions (including medications, home care, and follow‐up). The objective of this study was to further characterize these deficits and identify gaps in knowledge that may place the patient at risk for complications or poor outcomes.

Methods:  This was a prospective cohort, phone interview–based study of 159 adult English‐speaking patients within 24 to 36 hours of ED discharge. Patient knowledge was assessed for five diagnoses (ankle sprain, back pain, head injury, kidney stone, and laceration) across the following five domains: diagnosis, medications, home care, follow‐up, and return instructions. Knowledge was determined based on the concordance between direct patient recall and diagnosis‐specific discharge instructions combined with chart review. Two authors scored each case independently and discussed discrepancies before providing a final score for each domain (no, minimal, partial, or complete comprehension). Descriptive statistics were used for the analyses.

Results:  The study population was 50% female with a median age of 41 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 29 to 53 years). Knowledge deficits were demonstrated by the majority of patients in the domain of home care instructions (80%) and return instructions (79%). Less frequent deficits were found for the domains of follow‐up (39%), medications (22%), and diagnosis (14%). Minimal or no understanding in at least one domain was demonstrated by greater than two‐thirds of patients and was found in 40% of cases for home care and 51% for return instructions. These deficits occurred less frequently for domains of follow‐up (18%), diagnosis (3%), and medications (3%).

Conclusions:  Patients demonstrate the most frequent knowledge deficits for home care and return instructions, raising significant concerns for adherence and outcomes.
The Current State of Ultrasound Training in Canadian Emergency Medicine Programs: Perspectives From Program Directors
Authors: Kim Daniel J. , Theoret Jonathan , Liao Michael M. , Hopkins Emily , Woolfrey Karen , Kendall John L.
Published: September 2012

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19:1073–1078 © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Objectives:  There is a paucity of data about emergency ultrasound (EUS) training in emergency medicine (EM) residency programs accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (Royal College) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). Historically the progress of EUS in Canada has been different from that in the United States. We describe the current state of EUS training in both Royal College and CFPC‐EM programs.

Methods:  All Royal College EM program directors and all CFPC‐EM program directors were invited to participate in a website‐based survey. Main outcome measures were characteristics of currently offered EUS training.

Results:  The response rate of the survey was 100% (30/30). EUS is part of the formal residency curriculum in 100% (13/13) of Royal College EM programs and in 88% (15/17) of CFPC‐EM programs. EM resident rotations in ultrasound (US) are provided by 77% (10/13) of Royal College programs but only 47% (8/17) of CFPC‐EM programs. There are specific requirements for numbers of EUS exams to be completed by graduation in 77% (10/13) of Royal College programs and 47% (8/17) of CFPC‐EM programs. EM faculty and residents make clinical decisions and patient dispositions based on their EUS interpretation without a consultative study by radiology in 100% (13/13) of Royal College programs and 88% (15/17) of CFPC‐EM programs. However, 69% (9/13) of Royal College programs and 53% (9/17) of CFPC‐EM programs have no formal quality assurance program in place.

Conclusions:  EUS training in Canadian EM programs is prevalent, but there are considerable discrepancies among residency programs in scope of training, curricula, determination of proficiency, and quality assurance. These findings suggest variability in both the level and the quality of EUS training in Canada.
Charisma, Liminality, and Freedom: Toward a Theory of the Everyday Extraordinary
Authors: Seale‐Collazo James
Published: September 2012

Following the metaphor of “boulders in the stream” of anthropology proposed by Stephan Schwartz (2000) and carried on by subsequent articles in Anthropology of Consciousness, this article proposes an alternate set of “boulders” that may serve the study of consciousness: Weberian charisma (as developed by Charles Lindholm), Turner's liminality, and Johannes Fabian's notion of “moments of freedom.” These constructs highlight how individuals, even entire communities, at times create new institutions, relationships, and identities despite inhibiting constraints of discourse and power. Ethnographic evidence from a Puerto Rican Protestant church‐sponsored school suggests that, though short‐lived, these instances are sufficiently common to merit the term “everyday extraordinary.” The article argues that this framing, like George P. Hansen's “Trickster,” may help anthropologists of consciousness account for phenomena that have hitherto been unexplainable by positivist science; additionally, it may help anthropologists “catch” important aspects of contemporary social and political processes characterized by charisma, liminality, and freedom.
Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness Distinguished Lecture: Consciousness, “Symbolic Healing,” and the Meaning Response
Authors: Moerman Daniel E.
Published: September 2012

Symbolic healing, that is, responding to meaningful experiences in positive ways, can facilitate human healing. This process partly engages consciousness and partly evades consciousness completely (sometimes it partakes of both simultaneously). This paper, presented as the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness Distinguished Lecture at the 2011 AAA meeting in Montreal, reviews recent research on what is ordinarily (and unfortunately) called the “placebo effect.” The author makes the argument that language use should change, and the relevant portions of what is often called the placebo effect should be referred to as the “meaning response.”
The Future of a Discipline: Considering the Ontological/Methodological Future of the Anthropology of Consciousness, Part IV: Ontological Relativism or Ontological Relevance: An Essay in Honor of Michael Harner
Authors: Glass‐Coffin Bonnie , Kiiskeentum
Published: September 2012

For more than 100 years, anthropologists have collected ethnographic research among communities who assert that the spirits, animal allies, and other entities of the unseen world are “really real,” yet we have historically contextualized this information under the umbrella of cultural relativism rather than taking the veracity of these claims seriously. In the last decade, some anthropologists claim that our discipline has finally undergone an ontological turn, which opens a door for anthropologists to finally take claims of nonhuman sentience seriously under the umbrella of ontological, rather than cultural, relativism. This paper takes issue with ontological relativism as just one more frame for explaining away the stories of other‐than‐human consciousness that ethnographers report and suggests that there is an urgent need to consider the relevance, rather than the relativism, of other‐than‐human consciousness. It looks to Michael Harner's work as a welcome alternative to ontological relativism and encourages opening our minds to a reconsideration of what is “really real.”