bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association between cortisol awakening response and memory function in major depression
Authors: Hinkelmann K. , Muhtz C. , Dettenborn L. , Agorastos A. , Moritz S. , Wingenfeld K. , Spitzer C. , Gold S. M. , Wiedemann K. , Otte C. 
Published: February 2013

BackgroundWhile impaired memory and altered cortisol secretion are characteristic features of major depression, much less is known regarding the impact of antidepressant medication. We examined whether the cortisol awakening response (CAR) is increased in depressed patients with and without medication compared with healthy controls (HC) and whether CAR is associated with memory function in each group.MethodWe examined 21 patients with major depression without medication, 20 depressed patients on antidepressant treatment, and 41 age-, sex- and education-matched healthy subjects. We tested verbal (Auditory Verbal Learning Task) and visuospatial (Rey figure) memory and measured CAR on two consecutive days.ResultsPatient groups did not differ in severity of depression. We found a significant effect of group (p = 0.03) for CAR. Unmedicated patients exhibited a greater CAR compared with medicated patients (p = 0.04) with no differences between patient groups and HC. We found a significant effect of group for verbal (p = 0.03) and non-verbal memory (p = 0.04). Unmedicated patients performed worse compared with medicated patients and HC in both memory domains. Medicated patients and HC did not differ. Regression analyses revealed a negative association between CAR and memory function in depressed patients, but not in HC.ConclusionsWhile in unmedicated depressed patients the magnitude of CAR is associated with impaired memory, medicated patients showed a smaller CAR and unimpaired cognitive function compared with HC. Our findings are compatible with the idea that antidepressants reduce CAR and partially restore memory function even if depressive psychopathology is still present.
‘Every day a new shop pops up’ – South Africa's ‘New’ Chinese Diaspora and the Multilingual Transformation of Rural Towns
Authors: Deumert Ana , Mabandla Nkululeko 
Published: February 2013

In this paper we will provide a preliminary overview of the Chinese diaspora in South Africa, with particular focus on non-metropolitan, rural contexts.The migrations of the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries have produced a complex array of Chinese communities around the world. While we know a fair amount about the Chinese diasporas in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and also diasporic communities within Asia, Africa's Chinese community remains a vastly understudied aspect of this larger Chinese diaspora (Ma & Cartier, 2003). Yet there have been long-standing ties between Africa and China, going back to the fifteenth century, and presently China is one of Africa's biggest trade partners and investors (Rotberg, 2008).
Cerebral basis of posttraumatic stress disorder following the Chernobyl disaster
Authors: Loganovsky Konstantin N. , Zdanevich Nataliya A. 
Published: February 2013

BackgroundWhether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following radiation emergency has psychopathological, neurocognitive, and neurophysiological peculiarities is at issue.ObjectiveThe goal was to explore the features and cerebral basis of “radiation” PTSD in the survivors of the Chernobyl accident.Subjects and MethodsThe cross-sectional study included 241 people, 219 of whom have been diagnosed with PTSD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV) criteria, among them 115 clean-up workers of the Chernobyl accident (34 with acute radiation sickness), 76 evacuees from the Chernobyl exclusion zone, 28 veterans of the war in Afghanistan, and 22 healthy unexposed individuals. Psychometric examinations, neurocognitive assessments, computerized electroencephalography, and cerebral vascular Doppler were used.Results“Radiation” PTSD includes “flashforward” phenomena and anticipating stress (projection of fear and danger to the future); somatoform disorders (depression, trait and state anxiety); and neurocognitive deficit (impaired memory and attention, auditory-verbal memory and learning, proactive and retroactive interference, cerebellar and stem symptoms, intellectual changes). The intima-media component, thickness of common carotid arteries, and common and left internal carotid arteries stenosis rates are increased in the liquidators. Changes of bioelectrical brain activity as a decrease of beta- and theta-power, together with an increase of alpha-power, were found in the Chernobyl accident survivors with PTSD.ConclusionsPTSD following radiation emergency is characterized by comorbidity of psychopathology, neurocognitive deficit, and cerebrovascular pathology with increased risk of cerebral atherosclerosis and stroke. The cerebral basis of this PTSD is proposed to be an abnormal communication between the pyramidal cells of the neocortex and the hippocampus, and deep brain structures. It is recommended that a system of emergency and long-term psychological and psychiatric care be organized for the survivors in Fukushima Daichi, Japan
Adequacy of vitamin D intakes in children and teenagers from the base diet, fortified foods and supplements
Authors: Black Lucinda J , Walton Janette , Flynn Albert , Kiely Mairead 
Published: February 2013

AbstractObjectiveTo describe vitamin D intakes in children and teenagers and the contribution from supplements and fortified foods in addition to the base diet.DesignAnalysis of 7 d weighed food records collected during the Children's and Teens’ National Nutrition Surveys in Ireland. Food composition data for vitamin D were updated from international analytical sources.SettingNationally representative cross-sectional dietary surveys.SubjectsChildren (n594; 5–12 years) and teenagers (n441; 13–17 years).ResultsMedian vitamin D intakes were 1·9, 2·1 and 2·4 μg/d in 5–8-, 9–12- and 13–17-year-olds, respectively. The prevalence of vitamin D-containing supplement use was 21, 16 and 15 % in 5–8-, 9–12- and 13–17-year-olds and median intakes in users ranged from 6·0 to 6·7 μg/d. The prevalence of inadequate intakes, defined as the percentage with mean daily intakes below the Estimated Average Requirement of 10 μg/d, ranged from 88 to 96 % in supplement users. Foods fortified with vitamin D, mainly breakfast cereals, fat spreads and milk, were consumed by 71, 70 and 63 % of 5–8-, 9–12- and 13–17-year-olds. Non-supplement users who consumed vitamin D-fortified foods had median intakes of 1·9–2·5 μg/d, compared with 1·2–1·4 μg/d in those who did not consume fortified foods.ConclusionsIt is currently not possible for children consuming the habitual diet to meet the US Institute of Medicine dietary reference intake for vitamin D. In the absence of nationally representative 25-hydroxyvitamin D data in children, the implications of this observation for prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and health consequences are speculative.
Coffee intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: the Multiethnic Cohort
Authors: Doo Taisha , Morimoto Yukiko , Steinbrecher Astrid , Kolonel Laurence N , Maskarinec Gertraud 
Published: February 2013

AbstractObjectiveWe evaluated the influence of coffee consumption on diabetes incidence among the Hawaii component of the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC).DesignProspective cohort.SettingPopulation-based sample residing in Hawaii.SubjectsAfter exclusions, 75 140 men and women of Caucasian, Japanese American and Native Hawaiian ancestry aged 45–75 years were part of the current analysis. All participants provided information on diet and lifestyle through an FFQ. After 14 years of follow-up 8582 incident diabetes cases were identified using self-reports, medication questionnaires and health plan linkages. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals were calculated using Cox regression while adjusting for known covariates.ResultsThe risk for diabetes associated with total coffee consumption differed by sex (Pinteraction < 0·0001). Women consuming ≥3 cups of any type of coffee daily had a significantly lower risk (HR = 0·66; 95 % CI 0·58, 0·77; Ptrend < 0·0001) than those reporting <1 cup/d, whereas the relationship in men was borderline (HR = 0·89; 95 % CI 0·80, 0·99; Ptrend = 0·09). The same difference by sex was seen for regular coffee consumption, with HR of 0·65 (95 % CI 0·54, 0·78; Ptrend < 0·0001) and 0·86 (95 % CI 0·75, 0·98; Ptrend = 0·09) in men and women, respectively. No significant association with diabetes was apparent for decaffeinated coffee in women (HR = 0·85; 95 % CI 0·72, 1·01; Ptrend = 0·73) or men (HR = 1·07; 95 % CI 0·93, 1·23; Ptrend = 0·71). Despite small differences by ethnicity, the interaction terms between coffee intake and ethnicity were not significant.ConclusionsIn this multiethnic population, regular, but not decaffeinated, coffee intake was much more protective against diabetes in women of all ethnic groups than in men.
Gene expression profiling in treatment-naive schizophrenia patients identifies abnormalities in biological pathways involving AKT1 that are corrected by antipsychotic medication
Authors: Kumarasinghe Nishantha , Beveridge Natalie J. , Gardiner Erin , Scott Rodney J. , Yasawardene Surangi , Perera Antoinette , Mendis Jayan , Suriyakumara Kanishka , Schall Ulrich , Tooney Paul A. 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Distinct gene expression profiles can be detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with schizophrenia; however, little is known about the effects of antipsychotic medication. This study compared gene expression profiles in PMBCs from treatment-naive patients with schizophrenia before and after antipsychotic drug treatment. PBMCs were obtained from 10 treatment-naive schizophrenia patients before and 6 wk after initiating antipsychotic drug treatment and compared to PMBCs collected from 11 healthy community volunteers. Genome-wide expression profiling was conducted using Illumina HumanHT-12 expression bead arrays and analysed using significance analysis of microarrays. This analysis identified 624 genes with altered expression (208 up-regulated, 416 down-regulated) prior to antipsychotic treatment (p < 0.05) including schizophrenia-associated genes AKT1, DISC1 and DGCR6. After 6–8 wk treatment of patients with risperidone or risperidone in combination with haloperidol, only 106 genes were altered, suggesting that the treatment corrected the expression of a large proportion of genes back to control levels. However, 67 genes continued to show the same directional change in expression after treatment. Ingenuity® pathway analysis and gene set enrichment analysis implicated dysregulation of biological functions and pathways related to inflammation and immunity in patients with schizophrenia. A number of the top canonical pathways dysregulated in treatment-naive patients signal through AKT1 that was up-regulated. After treatment, AKT1 returned to control levels and less dysregulation of these canonical pathways was observed. This study supports immune dysfunction and pathways involving AKT1 in the aetiopathophysiology of schizophrenia and their response to antipsychotic medication.
The democratizing effects of multilateral organizations: a cautionary note on the WTO
Authors: ELSIG MANFRED 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe field of international relations has been obsessed with democracy and democratization and its effects on international cooperation for a long time. More recently, research has turned its focus on how international organizations enhance democracy. This article contributes to this debate and applies a prominent liberal framework to study the ‘outside-in’ effects of the World Trade Organization. The article offers a critical reading of democratization through IO membership. It provides for an assessment of the dominant framework put forward by Keohaneet al.(2009). In doing so, it develops a set of empirical strategies to test conjectured causal mechanisms with respect to the WTO, and illustrates the potential application by drawing on selected empirical evidence from trade politics. Finally, it proposes a number of analytical revisions to the liberal framework and outlines avenues for future research.
The Domestic Politics of International Religious Defamation
Authors: Henne Peter S. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractFrom 2005 to 2010, the Organization for Islamic Cooperation attempted to ban the defamation of religion internationally through a series of United Nations resolutions. Although many opposed the resolutions for their potential effects on political rights, numerous non-Muslim states supported them. What explains the dynamic of this support, especially the resolutions' religious nature and significant non-Muslim backing? I argue that non-democratic states that restrict religion have an incentive to take action on contentious international issues — such as the religious defamation resolutions — to gain support from religious groups and justify their restrictive policies, even though Muslim religious defamation concerns and developing country solidarity also contributed to support. I demonstrate this through a mixed-method study, with a quantitative analysis of states' votes on the resolutions and case studies of Belarus and Pakistan. The article contributes to the study of religion and politics, as well as studies on the dynamics of United Nations voting.
State Religion and Freedom: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Kettell Steven 
Published: February 2013

AbstractState religions form one of the main features of the international political landscape, but scholarly research into their dynamics and effects remains limited. This article aims to address this deficiency through a comparative examination of state religions and levels of political and religious freedom. The findings show that countries with a state religion have substantially lower levels of freedom across a range of measurements than countries with no state religion. The absence of any clear correlation to levels of human development, religious diversity and religiosity indicates a key causal role for the institutional mechanics of state religion itself.
Are Religious People More Compassionate and Does This Matter Politically?
Authors: Blouin David D. , Robinson Robert V. , Starks Brian 
Published: February 2013

AbstractAnalyzing a unique module of the General Social Survey, we test hypotheses that three religion dimensions — affiliation with specific religious traditions (belonging), service attendance (behaving), and religious orthodoxy (believing) are associated with compassionate feelings, and that these feelings carry over into support for government efforts to help the poor, blacks, and the sick. The religiously orthodox report more compassionate feelings toward others than do modernists and, partly because of this, are more supportive of government intervention to help the poor. Yet attending religious services frequently does not increase compassionate feelings and makes people less supportive of government efforts to help the poor. There are no differences among religious traditions in compassionate feelings, and the only difference on economic policy preferences is for Black Protestants to support government assistance to blacks. Compassionate feelings have comparable effects to political ideology and party identification on support for government assistance to the disadvantaged and misfortunate. We conclude that people of faith, variously defined, do not constitute a monolithic “Religious Right” and are potentially open to policy appeals from both political parties.
The Know Nothing Party: Three Theories about its Rise and Demise
Authors: Ramet Sabrina P. , Hassenstab Christine M. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe 19th century was a time of rapid population growth in the United States, and much of it was due to immigration from Europe. In the 1840s and 1850s, the largest proportion of immigrants came from Ireland and Germany, and most were Catholic. The Germans spread across small communities as far west as Wisconsin and Texas, but the Irish concentrated in the larger cities on the eastern seaboard, especially Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Local third- and fourth-generation Protestant immigrants from England resented the new arrivals and organized “Nativist” associations. Among these was the anti-Catholic American Party, better known as the Know Nothing Party, which enjoyed spectacular success in Massachusetts and other states during 1854–1855. But, by 1862, the party was dead. This article examines how moral panic theory, the theory of persistent cultural patterns and cycles, and revitalization theory may offer insights into the Know Nothing Party. Each of these theories explains both the emergence of the party and its rapid demise, and suggest that each can make a contribution to understanding anti-Catholicism in nineteenth-century America, and the Know Nothing Party in particular.
Accommodation of Islamic Religious Practices and Democracy in the Post-Communist Muslim Republics
Authors: Shaykhutdinov Renat 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe literature on state accommodation of Muslim religious practices has focused on the regional context of Western Europe and North America. In this project, I identify and compare state policies toward Islamic religious practices using a sample of 22 former communist Muslim republics of Eurasia. For this purpose, I construct an original dataset collected from a variety of sources. Employing the number of mosques functioning in each post-communist Muslim republic as the measure of state accommodation of religious practices I find that among all factors the level of democracy is the single most important variable in explaining variation in accommodation of Islamic religious practices. To further demonstrate significance of these results I trace the process of democratic influence on state accommodation of religious policies examining in-depth the case of Tatars both in the pre-communist Imperial and revolutionary Russia and the contemporary republic of Tatarstan.
Evidence for galaxies being pre-processed before accreted into clusters
Authors: Mahajan Smriti 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
I use the spectroscopic data for galaxies in and around 28 nearby (0.02 ≤ z ≤ 0.06) X-ray bright galaxy clusters, to show that the incidence of k+A (or post-starburst) galaxies (EW(Hα) &lt; 2 Å in emission and EW(Hδ) &gt; 3 Å in absorption) may be correlated with the accretion of small galaxy groups in clusters. At r &lt; 2r200, the k+A galaxies are found in regions of higher galaxy density relative to other cluster galaxies. The k+A galaxies have a positively skewed distribution of absolute velocity, |vlos|/σv, where vlos is the difference between the line-of-sight velocity of the galaxy and the cluster's mean, and σv is the cluster's velocity dispersion. This distribution is statistically different from that of other cluster galaxies within 2r200, and in the same absolute velocity range. Moreover, 87 per cent of clusters in the sample studied here show statistically significant substructure in their velocity distribution, and 91.4 per cent of all the k+A galaxies are found to be a part of one of these substructures with 4–10 members. These results suggest that star formation in these k+A galaxies is likely to have been quenched due to ‘pre-processing’ in a poor group-like environment before they are accreted into clusters. I also find a mild, but statistically significant trend in the fraction of k+A galaxies increasing with the temperature of the X-ray emitting gas in clusters.
Pedometer-driven Walking for Chronic Low Back Pain
Authors: McDonough Suzanne M. , Tully Mark A. , Boyd Adele , O’Connor Seán R. , Kerr Daniel P. , O’Neill Siobhán M. , Delitto Antony , Bradbury Ian , Tudor-Locke Catrine , Baxter George David , Hurley Deirdre A. 
Published: February 2013

Objectives:
To evaluate the feasibility of an RCT of a pedometer-driven walking program and education/advice to remain active compared with education/advice only for treatment of chronic low back pain (CLBP).

Methods:
Fifty-seven participants with CLBP recruited from primary care were randomly allocated to either: (1) education/advice (E, n=17) or (2) education/advice plus an 8-week pedometer-driven walking program (EWP, n=40). Step targets, actual daily step counts, and adverse events were recorded in a walking diary over the 8 weeks of intervention for the EWP group only. All other outcomes (eg, functional disability using the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (ODQ), pain scores, physical activity (PA) measurement etc.) were recorded at baseline, week 9 (immediately post-intervention), and 6 months in both groups.

Results:
The recruitment rate was 22% and the dropout rate was lower than anticipated (13% to 18% at 6 mo). Adherence with the EWP was high, 93% (n=37/40) walked for ≥6 weeks, and increased their steps/day (mean absolute increase in steps/d, 2776, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1996-3557) by 59% (95% CI, 40.73%-76.25%) from baseline. Mean percentage adherence with weekly step targets was 70% (95% CI, 62%-77%). Eight (20%) minor-related adverse events were observed in 13% (5/40) of the participants. The EWP group participants demonstrated an 8.2% point improvement (95% CI, −13 to −3.4) on the ODQ at 6 months compared with 1.6% points (95% CI, –9.3 to 6.1) for the E group (between group d=0.44). There was also a larger mean improvement in pain (d=0.4) and a larger increase in PA (d=0.59) at 6 months in EWP.

Discussion:
This preliminary study demonstrated that a main RCT is feasible. EWP was safe and produced a real increase in walking; CLBP function and pain improved, and participants perceived a greater improvement in their PA levels. These improvements require confirmation in a fully powered RCT.
Long-term Results of Percutaneous Lumbar Decompression for LSS
Authors: Chopko Bohdan W. 
Published: February 2013

Objective:
The aim of this report was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of mild lumbar decompression for the treatment of neurogenic claudication associated with lumbar spinal stenosis. This technique uses a percutaneous dorsal approach to remove small portions of ligament and lamina, thereby restoring space and decompressing the spinal canal.

Materials and Methods:
Two-year data are reported for 45 patients treated with mild decompression at 11 US sites. Outcome measures included the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index, and Zurich Claudication Questionnaire. Safety was monitored throughout the procedural and follow-up period for all patients. Interim data are included for these patients at 1 week, 6 months, and 1-year follow-up.

Results:
Seventy-one percent of patients reported improvement in VAS at the end of the reporting period. At 2 years, patients demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of pain as measured by VAS, and improvement in physical function and mobility was significant as measured by Zurich Claudication Questionnaire and Oswestry Disability Index. Tukey honestly significant different test found significant improvement in all outcome measures from baseline to each follow-up interval. Further, major improvement occurred by 1-week follow-up and showed no difference between each subsequent follow-up, signifying considerable stability and durability of the initial result over time. No major device or intraprocedural adverse events were reported.

Discussion:
In this report of 2-year follow-up on 45 patients treated with mild percutaneous lumbar decompression, patients experienced statistically significant pain relief and improved functionality.