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Common Belief (common + belief)
Selected AbstractsCariogenicity of soluble starch in oral in vitro biofilm and experimental rat caries studies: a comparisonJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2008T. Thurnheer Abstract Aims:, Common belief suggests that starch is less cariogenic than sugar; however, the related literature is quite controversial. We aimed to compare cariogenic and microbiological effects of soluble starch in both a standard animal model and an oral biofilm system, and to assess the possible substitution of the animal model. Methods and Results:, Six-species biofilms were grown anaerobically on enamel discs in saliva and medium with glucose/sucrose, starch (average molecular weight of 5000, average polymerization grade of 31), or mixtures thereof. After 64·5 h of biofilm formation, the microbiota were quantitated by cultivation and demineralization was measured by quantitative light-induced fluorescence. To assess caries incidence in rats, the same microbiota as in the biofilm experiments were applied. The animals were fed diets containing either glucose, glucose/sucrose, glucose/sucrose/starch or starch alone. Results with both models show that demineralization was significantly smaller with starch than sucrose. Conclusions:, The data demonstrate that soluble starch is substantially less cariogenic than glucose/sucrose. Significance and Impact of the Study:, By leading to the same scientific evidence as its in vivo counterpart, the described in vitro biofilm system provides an interesting and valuable tool in the quest to reduce experimentation with animals. [source] Response to first-line antiretroviral treatment among human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with and without a history of injecting drug use in IndonesiaADDICTION, Issue 6 2010Rudi Wisaksana ABSTRACT Background There is a common belief that injecting drug use (IDU) is associated with lower uptake, retention and success of antiretroviral treatment (ART) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. We examined this in an Indonesian setting, where IDU is the main risk factor for HIV infection. Methods Patient characteristics and response to ART were recorded for all patients diagnosed with HIV infection in the referral hospital for West Java (40 million people). Kaplan,Meier estimates and Cox's regression were used to compare mortality, loss to follow-up and virological failure between patients with and without a history of IDU. Result A total of 773 adult HIV patients (81.9% IDUs) presented between January 1996 and April 2008. IDUs had a median CD4 cell count of 33 [interquartile ratio (IQR), 12,111] cells/mm3 compared to 84 (IQR, 28,224) cells/mm3 in non-IDUs. Among patients with a history of IDU, 87.7% were coinfected with hepatitis C (HCV). Mortality was associated strongly with CD4 count; after 6 months of ART, 18.3, 20.3, 7.1 and 0.7% of patients with CD4 cell counts <25, 25,99, 100,199, respectively, ,200/mm3 had died (P < 0.0001). Mortality [adjusted for CD4; hazard ratio (HR) = 0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.35,1.23], loss to follow-up (HR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.51,1.41) and virological failure (HR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.19,1.13) were not significantly different in IDUs and non-IDUs. Conclusion Intravenous drug users (IDUs) in Indonesia with HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome tend to have more advanced disease but respond similarly to non-IDUs to antiretroviral therapy. [source] Entrepreneurial Geographies: Support Networks in Three High-Technology IndustriesECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2005Martin Kenney Abstract: Using a unique database derived from prospectuses for U.S. initial public stock offerings, we examine the location of four actors (the firm's lawyers, the venture capitalists on the board of directors, the other members of the board of directors, and the lead investment banker) of the entrepreneurial support network for startup firms in three high-technology industries: semiconductors, telecommunications equipment, and biotechnology. We demonstrate that the economic geography of the biotechnology support network differs significantly from the networks in semiconductors and telecommunications equipment. Biotechnology has a far-more-dispersed entrepreneurial support network structure than do the two electronics-related industries. The case of biotechnology indicates that if the source of seeds for new firms is highly dispersed, then an industry may not experience the path-dependent clustering suggested by geographers. We argue that contrary to common belief, biotechnology and its support network do not exhibit as great a clustering as do semiconductors and telecommunications equipment and their support networks. This argument leads to an epistemological issue, namely, the lack of interindustry comparative work. This is an odd omission, since nearly all authors agree that industries are based on particular knowledge bases, yet few consider that the knowledge and the sources of it may have an impact on spatial distributions. [source] CLINICAL STUDY: A comparison of exposure to carcinogens among roll-your-own and factory-made cigarette smokersADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Lion Shahab ABSTRACT Consumption of roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco is rising, but little is known about its in vivo delivery of toxins relative to factory-made (FM) cigarettes. To start to address this issue, this study compared the concentrations of metabolites of recognized human carcinogens in smokers of RYO tobacco and FM cigarettes. We opportunistically recruited 127 FM and 28 RYO cigarette smokers in central London and collected saliva and urine samples. Saliva samples were assayed for cotinine while urinary samples were assayed for 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HOP) and total 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), metabolic markers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and tobacco-specific N -nitrosamines, respectively. Data on socio-demographic, anthropometric and puffing characteristics were also obtained. Both unadjusted and adjusted analyses (controlling for age, sex, body mass index, puff flow, puff duration and cotinine) showed no difference in metabolic markers between RYO and FM cigarette smokers. However, significant main effects for cotinine levels and sex were observed in adjusted analyses. Greater levels of cotinine were associated with a greater concentration of both 1-HOP (B = 0.002, P = 0.037) and NNAL (B = 0.002, P < 0.001). In addition, women had significantly greater concentrations of urinary 1-HOP (B = 0.679, P = 0.004) and total NNAL metabolites (B = 0.117, P = 0.024) than men, irrespective of the type of cigarettes smoked. More research is now needed to confirm these findings and gender-specific effects in a larger, representative sample. However, results do not support the common belief that RYO cigarettes are less harmful than manufactured cigarettes. [source] Cellular uptake of antisense oligonucleotides after complexing or conjugation with cell-penetrating model peptidesFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 16 2002J. Oehlke The uptake by mammalian cells of phosphorothioate oligonucleotides was compared with that of their respective complexes or conjugates with cationic, cell-penetrating model peptides of varying helix-forming propensity and amphipathicity. An HPLC-based protocol for the synthesis and purification of disulfide bridged conjugates in the 10,100 nmol range was developed. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) in combination with gel-capillary electrophoresis and laser induced fluorescence detection (GCE-LIF) revealed cytoplasmic and nuclear accumulationin all cases. The uptake differences between naked oligonucleotides and their respective peptide complexes or conjugates were generally confined to one order of magnitude. No significant influence of the structural properties of the peptide components upon cellular uptake was found. Our results question the common belief that the increased biological activity of oligonucleotides after derivatization with membrane permeable peptides may be primarily due to improved membrane translocation. [source] Wild mouse open field behavior is embedded within the multidimensional data space spanned by laboratory inbred strainsGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 5 2006E. Fonio The vast majority of studies on mouse behavior are performed on laboratory mouse strains (Mus laboratorius), while studies of wild-mouse behavior are relatively rare. An interesting question is the relationship between the phenotypes of M. laboratorius and the phenotypes of their wild ancestors. It is commonly believed, often in the absence of hard evidence, that the behavior of wild mice exceeds by far, in terms of repertoire richness, magnitude of variables and variability of behavioral measures, the behavior of the classical inbred strains. Having phenotyped the open field behavior (OF) of eight of the commonly used laboratory inbred strains, two wild-derived strains and a group of first-generation-in-captivity local wild mice (Mus musculus domesticus), we show that contrary to common belief, wild-mouse OF behavior is moderate, both in terms of end-point values and in terms of their variability, being embedded within the multidimensional data space spanned by laboratory inbred strains. The implication could be that whereas natural selection favors moderate locomotor behavior in wild mice, the inbreeding process tends to generate in mice, in some of the features, extreme and more variable behavior. [source] Climate change-driven forest fires marginalize the impact of ice cap wasting on KilimanjaroGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2005Andreas Hemp Abstract The disappearing glaciers of Kilimanjaro are attracting broad interest. Less conspicuous but ecologically far more significant is the associated increase of frequency and intensity of fires on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, which leads to a downward shift of the upper forest line by several hundred meters as a result of a drier (warmer) climate since the last century. In contrast to common belief, global warming does not necessarily cause upward migration of plants and animals. Here, it is shown that on Kilimanjaro the opposite trend is under way, with consequences more harmful than those due to the loss of the showy ice cap of Africa's highest mountain. [source] Influences of Connecting Unit Architecture on the Performance of Tandem Organic Light-Emitting Devices,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 14 2007Y. Chan Abstract The present work investigates the influence of the n-type layer in the connecting unit on the performance of tandem organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). The n-type layer is typically an organic electron-transporting layer doped with reactive metals. By systematically varying the metal dopants and the electron-transporting hosts, we have identified the important factors affecting the performance of the tandem OLEDs. Contrary to common belief, device characteristics were found to be insensitive to metal work functions, as supported by the ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy results that the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals of all metal-doped n-type layers studied here have similar energy levels. It suggests that the electron injection barriers from the connecting units are not sensitive to the metal dopant used. On the other hand, it was found that performance of the n-type layers depends on their electrical conductivities which can be improved by using an electron-transporting host with higher electron mobility. This effect is further modulated by the optical transparency of constituent organic layers. The efficiency of tandem OLEDs would decrease as the optical transmittance decreases. [source] Globalization, Financial Crisis, and Industrial Relations: The Case of South KoreaINDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 3 2003Dong-one Kim The South Korean case shows that the globalization trend in the 1990s and the 1997,1998 financial crisis had two contrasting effects on labor rights. First, these developments resulted in negative labor market outcomes: increased unemployment, greater use of contingent workers, and widened income inequalities. On the other hand, they led international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) to play important roles in improving labor standards in Korea. Also, continued restructuring drives prompted unions to merge into industrial unions and wage strikes with increased frequency and intensity. Contrary to the common belief, the Korean case shows that globalization and intensified competition resulted in stronger and strategic responses from labor by stimulating employees' interest in and reliance on trade unionism. [source] Consumption of psychotropic medication in the elderly: a re-evaluation of its effect on cognitive performanceINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 10 2003Jacques Allard Abstract Background There have been few general population studies of the effects of psychotropic treatment on cognitive functioning in the elderly. Current evidence based on studies with numerous procedural shortenings supports the notion of the detrimental effect. Objectives To examine changes in a wide range of specific cognitive abilities across time in a general population sample in order to establish a relationship between psychotropic drug use and cognitive performance, and to estimate to what extent such cognitive changes may be attributable to psychotropic use or other factors, notably age and co-morbidity. Method We analysed the data from the Eugeria longitudinal study of cerebral ageing. Three hundred and seventy two subjects (263 female and 109 male) were visited at their place of residence and given a computerized cognitive examination. Depressive symptomatology and depressive episodes were defined according to ICD-9 criterias and medication use were established. Four categories of psychotropic consumers was differentiated. Using a logistic regression model, comparisons were made between consumers and non-consumers. Results A significant positive effect in chronic consumers was found on tests of secondary memory (delayed verbal recall: Odds Ratio (OR),=,1.22; 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) [1.04,1.43]; p,=,0.013) and this effect is principally attributable to antidepressants with significant effects being shown for both verbal (OR,=,1.59; 95%CI [1.18,2.14]; p,=,0.002) and visual recall (OR,=,1.51; 95%CI [1.05,2.16]; p,=,0.025). No effect is found for benzodiazepines. Conclusions Contrary to the common belief that psychotropic drug use has a detrimental effect on cognitive function of elderly people, even long term use is seen to be benign. We attest to the positive effects of antidepressant therapy on secondary memory. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The use of size,frequency diagrams to characterize prehistoric fish catches and to assess human impact on inshore fisheriesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1-2 2001Foss Leach Abstract Archaeological collections of fish bones from previously excavated sites in New Zealand are being re-examined and selected bones measured in order to estimate original fish size, reconstruct prehistoric fish catches and assess human impact on the fishery over the course of about 800 years of New Zealand prehistory. Several problems hamper this research, such as small sample sizes, lack of significant stratigraphy at many sites, inconsistent field collection strategies and failure to retain all of the material after initial analysis. Although some common fish species show a significant decline in mean size between pre-European and early historic samples on the one hand, and modern populations on the other, we have found little support for the common belief that there was a decline in mean fish size during the pre-European period. We have observed increases over time in the mean size of snapper (Pagrus auratus), blue cod (Parapercis colias) and undifferentiated species of Labridae from several sites scattered throughout New Zealand. Distinguishing between changes in fish population structures owing to natural processes, such as surface sea water changes, and those which are the result of human over-fishing is not simple, because both processes can operate simultaneously. We draw on modern fish quota management models to separate these processes. Important factors for each species are inshore biomass and the recruitment rate at different temperature regimes. In the case of blue cod, we find that there are signs in the catch diagrams of changes in fishing technology, and that 30,80% of catches are undersized fish in terms of modern management criteria. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Molecular structure, conformational analysis and charge distribution of pralidoxime: Ab initio and DFT studiesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2002Alexandre T. Castro Abstract A detailed structural study of pralidoxime (2-PAM), the main antidote against organophosphate intoxication, was performed using Hartree-Fock, Möller,Plesset (MP2), and density functional theory (Becke, Lee, Yang, and Paar [B3LYP]) methods. Rotational barriers, equilibrium geometries, and charge distributions were calculated, showing important differences between the two forms available in physiological conditions, namely with the oxime group protonated or unprotonated. For the protonated form, conjugation between the side chain and the pyridinium ring, although present, has little importance, resulting in a flexible structure. On the other hand, the unprotonated form has a more rigid structure and a smaller charge density on the oxime oxygen. Contrary to the common belief, those results strongly suggest that it may be the protonated form of 2-PAM, instead of the unprotonated form, that is responsible for the antidote activity of this compound. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2002 [source] Modelling the burden of stroke in Finland until 2030INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE, Issue 5 2009J. Sivenius Background It is well known that increasing age is the strongest risk factor of stroke. Therefore, it has been a common belief in many countries including Finland that the numbers of stroke patients will increase considerably during the next two decades because the population is rapidly ageing. Methods The FINMONICA and FINSTROKE registers operated in Finland in the Kuopio area and city of Turku from 1983 to 1997. The results showed that the incidence, mortality and case fatality of stroke declined significantly during that period. Importantly, it was established that the trends in incidence and mortality were also declining among the elderly (>74 years). We used these results to create a model for the entire country. The model was based on the trends present in these registers from Turku and Kuopio area and age-specific population projections up to the year 2030 that were obtained from Statistics Finland. Results In the year 2000, the number of new first stroke cases was estimated to be 11 500. If the declining trend were to level off totally after the year 2000, the number of new strokes would be 20 100 in the year 2030 due to the ageing of the population. It would be 12 100 if the trend continued as favourable as during the years 1983,1997. Conclusions Ageing of the population will not inevitably increase the burden of stroke in Finland if the present declining trends are maintained, but the annual number of cases will almost double if the incidence remains at the level of the year 2000. [source] Integrating new information and communication technologies in a group decision support systemINTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS IN OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 6 2000N. Karacapilidis Abstract We view group decision making as a collaborative process, where decision makers can establish a common belief on the dimensions of the problem by following a series of well-defined communicative actions. Having first defined these actions, this paper reports on the exploitation of recent advances in information and communication technology, which can be used to: (i) remove the communication impediments among spatially dispersed decision makers; (ii) efficiently elicit and represent the domain of knowledge; (iii) develop efficient mechanisms to structure and consistently maintain the decision analysis; and (iv) automate the decision making process itself. Automation concerns coherence and consistency checking, detection of contradictions, truth maintenance, and information retrieval techniques. [source] Eclogites from the Chinese continental scientific drilling borehole, their petrology and different P-T evolutionsISLAND ARC, Issue 4 2007Yong-Feng Zhu Abstract Four phengite-bearing eclogites, taken from different depths of the Chinese continental scientific drilling (CCSD) borehole in the Sulu ultrahigh pressure terrane, eastern China, were studied with the electron microprobe. The compositional zonations of garnet and omphacite are moderate, whereas phengite compositions generally vary significantly in a single sample from core to rim by decrease of the Si content. Various geothermobarometric methods were applied to constrain the P-T conditions of these eclogites on the basis of the compositional variability of the above minerals. The constrained P-T path for sample B218 is characterized by pressure decrease from ca 3.0 GPa (ca 600°C) to 1.3 GPa (ca 550°C). Eclogite B310 yielded P-T conditions of 3.0 GPa and 750°C. The path for eclogite B1008 starts at about 650°C and 3.6,3.9 GPa (stage I) followed by a pressure decrease to 2.8,3.0 GPa and a significant temperature rise (stages II and IIIa, 750,810°C). Afterwards, this rock cooled down to 620,660°C at still high pressures (2.5,2.7 GPa, stage IIIb). Retrograde conditions were about 670°C and 1.3 GPa (stage IV). Eclogite B1039 yielded a P-T path starting at ca 600°C and 3.3,3.9 GPa (stage I). A pressure decrease to about 3.0 GPa (stage II, 590,610°C) and then a moderate isobaric temperature increase to ca 630°C (stage III) followed. Stage IV is characterized by temperatures of 650°C at pressures close to 1.3 GPa. During and after this stage (hydrous) fluids partially rich in potassium penetrated the rocks causing minor changes. Relatively high oxygen fugacities led to andradite and magnetite among the newly formed minerals. We think that the above findings can be best explained by mass flow in a subduction channel. Thus, we conclude that the assembly of UHP rocks of the CCSD site, eclogites, quartzofeldspathic rocks, and peridotites, cannot represent a crustal section that was already coherent at UHP conditions as it is the common belief currently. The coherency was attained after significant exhumation of these UHP rocks. [source] Islam and Human Rights: A Case of Deceptive First AppearancesJOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 2 2002Daniel Price It is a common belief that Islamic-based government, when serving as an ideological foundation for government, facilitates the poor protection of human rights. However, most studies of the relationship between Islam and individual rights have been at the theoretical and anecdotal levels. In this article, I test the relationship between Islam and human rights across a sample of 23 predominately Muslim countries and a control group of non-Muslim developing nations, while controlling for other factors that have been shown to affect human rights practices. I found that the influence of Islamic political culture on government has a statistically insignificant relationship with the protection of human rights. [source] The revenge of the Patterson methods.JOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2007The Patterson techniques, recently developed by the same authors for the ab initio crystal structure solution of proteins, have been applied to single and multiple anomalous diffraction (SAD and MAD) data to find the substructure of the anomalous scatterers. An automatic procedure has been applied to a large set of test structures, some of which were originally solved with remarkable difficulty. In all cases, the procedure automatically leads to interpretable electron density maps. Patterson techniques have been compared with direct methods; the former seem to be more efficient than the latter, so confirming the results obtained for ab initio phasing, and disproving the common belief that they could only be applied to determine large equal-atom substructures with difficulty. [source] Effects of repeated cycles of acid challenge and growth on the phenotype and virulence of Salmonella entericaJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2008K.A.G. Karatzas Abstract Aims:, The aim of the study was to investigate how stresses like low pH, which may be encountered in farms or food preparation premises, shape populations of Salmonella enterica by the selection of stress-resistant variants. Methods and Results:, Stationary-phase cultures of S. enterica serovar Enteritidis and serovar Typhimurium (one strain of each) were exposed to pH 2·5 for up to 4 h, followed by growth at pH 7 for 48 h. This process was repeated 15 times in two separate experiments, which increased the acid resistance of the three out of four populations we obtained, by three- to fourfold. Sustainable variants derived from the populations showed changes in colony morphology, expression of SEF17 fimbriae, growth, increased heat resistance and reduced virulence. Conclusions:, The study demonstrates that low pH environments can select for populations of S. enterica with persistent phenotypic changes such as increased acid resistance and occasionally increased SEF17 expression and lower virulence. Significance and Impact of the Study:, There is a common belief that increased acid resistance coincides with increased virulence. This study demonstrates for the first time that increased acid resistance often impairs virulence and affects the general phenotype of S. enterica. [source] Climate change and its impact on the forests of KilimanjaroAFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 2009Andreas Hemp Abstract Cloud forests are of great importance in the hydrological functioning of watersheds in subhumid East Africa. However, the montane forests of Mt. Kilimanjaro are heavily threatened by global change impacts. Based on an evaluation of over 1500 vegetation plots and interpretation of satellite imagery from 1976 and 2000, land-cover changes on Kilimanjaro were evaluated and their impact on the water balance estimated. While the vanishing glaciers of Kilimanjaro attract broad interest, the associated increase of frequency and intensity of fires on the slopes of Kilimanjaro is less conspicuous but ecologically far more significant. These climate change-induced fires have lead to changes in species composition and structure of the forests and to a downward shift of the upper forest line by several hundred metres. During the last 70 years, Kilimanjaro has lost nearly one-third of its forest cover, in the upper areas caused by fire, on the lower forest border mainly caused by clearing. The loss of 150 km2 of cloud forest , the most effective source in the upper montane and subalpine fog interception zone , caused by fire during the last three decades means a considerable reduction in water yield. In contrast to common belief, global warming does not necessarily cause upward migration of plants and animals. On Kilimanjaro the opposite trend is under way, with consequences more harmful than those due to the loss of the showy ice cap of Africa's highest mountain. [source] Effects of academic stress on oral hygiene , a potential link between stress and plaque-associated disease?JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PERIODONTOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Renate Deinzer Abstract Background: While there seems to be a common belief that psychosocial stress affects oral hygiene behavior, this assumption has rarely been proved. The present study thus aims to analyse stress effects on oral hygiene. Material and Methods: 16 matched pairs of medical students each consisting of 1 student participating in a major academic exam and 1 control without current academic stress, were formed on the basis of baseline plaque levels. At baseline, a professional tooth cleaning was performed. On the last day of exams, students answered questionnaires about oral hygiene during the exams and were afterwards asked to attend for a 2nd dental examination, of which they had no prior knowledge. Results: On the last day of exams, approximately 6 weeks after professional tooth cleaning, 20.9±18.3% of control students' sites but only 10.5±9.3% of exam students' sites were found to be free of any plaque (p=0.022). Differences were most obvious at oral, as compared to vestibular, sites. Exam students reported a reduction in thoroughness (p=0.019) but not of frequency of oral hygiene behavior. Conclusion: The study strongly supports the assumption that psychosocial stress may induce neglect of oral hygiene and increase of plaque accumulation. Zusammenfassung Hintergrund: Obwohl es eine allgemeine Annahme zu sein scheint, daß psycho-sozialer Stress die Mundhygiene beeinflußt, ist diese Annahme bisher selten geprüft worden. Mit der gegenwärtigen Studie sollen deshalb Stresseffekte auf die Mundhygiene analysiert werden. Material und Methoden. 16 gematchte Paare von Medizinstudenten, von denen jedes aus einem Student, der an einem wichtigen akademischen Examen teilnahm, und einer Kontrolle ohne gegenwärtigen akademischen Stress bestand, wurden auf der Basis von Baseline Plaquewerten gebildet. Zur Baseline wurde eine professionelle Zahnreinigung durchgeführt. Zum letzten Tag der Examen beantworteten die Studenten Fragebögen über die Mundhygiene während des Examens und wurde danach zu einer zweiten zahnärztlichen Überprüfung aufgefordert, von der sie zuvor keine Kenntnis hatten. Ergebnisse: Am letzten Tag des Examens ungefähr 6 Wochen nach der professionellen Zahnreinigung waren 20.9%±18.3% der Flächen der Kontrollstudenten, aber nur 10.5%±9.3% der Flächen der Examensstudenten plaquefrei (p=0.022). Die Differenzen waren an den oralen Flächen am deutlichsten, verglichen mit den vestibulären Flächen. Die Examensstudenten berichteten über eine Reduktion in der Gründlichkeit (p=0.019), aber nicht in der Häufigkeit der oralen Hygiene. Schlußfolgerung: Die Studie unterstützt nachhaltig die Annahme, daß psycho-sozialer Stress eine Vernachlässigung der oralen Hygiene und eine Zunahme der Plaqueakkumulation induziert. Résumé Bien que l'idée qu'un psycho-asocial puisse affecter les habitudes d'hygiène buccale, celle-ci n'a que rarement été prouvée. L'étude présente a donc analysé les effets du stress sur l'hygiène buccale. 16 paires d'étudiants en médicine dont l'un des deux participait à un examen académique majeur ont été formés sur base du niveau de plaque dentaire lors de l'examen initial. Lors de cet examen, un nettoyage professionnel a été effectué. Le dernier jour des examens les étudaints répondaient à des questionnaires à propos de leur hygiène buccale durant les examens et ont ensuite été réexaminés, ce dont ils n'avaint pas été informés précédement. Le dernier jour des examens, environ 6 semaines après le nettoyage professionnel, 21±18% des sites contrôles mais aussi 11±9% des sites des étudiants en examen n'avaient pas de trace de plaque dentaire (p=0.022). Les différenes les plus visibles se situaient au niveau lingual comparé aux sites vestibulaires. Chaque étudiant avait une réduction dans la qualité (p=0.019) mais non dans la fréquence de l'habitude d'hygiène buccale. Cette étude soutient grandement l'idée que le stress psychosocial engendre une négligence de l'hygiène buccale et augmente ainsi l'accumulation de plaque dentaire. [source] VARIATIONS IN COMPOSITION, PETROLEUM POTENTIAL AND KINETICS OF ORDOVICIAN , MIOCENE TYPE I AND TYPE I-II SOURCE ROCKS (OIL SHALES): IMPLICATIONS FOR HYDROCARBON GENERATION CHARACTERISTICSJOURNAL OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGY, Issue 1 2010H. I. Petersen Lacustrine and marine oil shales with Type I and Type I-II kerogen constitute significant petroleum source rocks around the world. Contrary to common belief, such rocks show considerable compositional variability which influences their hydrocarbon generation characteristics. A global set of 23 Ordovician , Miocene freshwater and brackish water lacustrine and marine oil shales has been studied with regard to their organic composition, petroleum potential and generation kinetics. In addition their petroleum generation characteristics have been modelled. The oil shales can be classified as lacosite, torbanite, tasmanite and kukersite. They are thermally immature. Most of the shales contain >10 wt% TOC and the highest sulphur contents are recorded in the brackish water and marine oil shales. The kerogen is sapropelic and is principally composed of a complex of algal-derived organic matter in the form of: (i) telalginite (Botryococcus-, Prasinophyte- (Tasmanites?) or Gloeocapsomorpha-type); (ii) lamalginite (laminated, filamentous or network structure derived from Pediastrum- or Tetraedron-type algae, from dinoflagellate/acritarch cysts or from thin-walled Prasinophyte-type algae); (iii) fluorescing amorphous organic matter (AOM) and (iv) liptodetrinite. High atomic H/C ratios reflect the hydrogen-rich Type I and Type I-II kerogen, and Hydrogen Index values generally >300 mg HC/g TOC and reaching nearly 800 mg HC/g TOC emphasise the oil-prone nature of the oil shales. The kerogen type and source rock quality appear not to be related to age, depositional environment or oil shale type. Therefore, a unique, global activation energy (Ea) distribution and frequency factor (A) for these source rocks cannot be expected. The differences in kerogen composition result in considerable variations in Ea -distributions and A-factors. Generation modelling using custom kinetics and the known subsidence history of the Malay-Cho Thu Basin (Gulf of Thailand/South China Sea), combined with established and hypothetical temperature histories, show that the oil shales decompose at different rates during maturation. At a maximum temperature of ,120°C reached during burial, only limited kerogen conversion has taken place. However, oil shales characterised by broader Ea -distributions with low Ea -values (and a single approximated A-factor) show increased decomposition rates. Where more deeply buried (maximum temperature ,150°C), some of the brackish water and marine oil shales have realised the major part of their generation potential, whereas the freshwater oil shales and other brackish water oil shales are only ,30,40% converted. At still higher temperatures between ,165°C and 180°C all oil shales reach 90% conversion. Most hydrocarbons from these source rocks will be generated within narrow oil windows (,20,80% kerogen conversion). Although the brackish water and marine oil shales appear to decompose faster than the freshwater oil shales, this suggests that with increasing heatflow the influence of kerogen heterogeneity on modelling of hydrocarbon generation declines. It may thus be critical to understand the organic facies of Type I and Type I-II source rocks, particularly in basins with moderate heatflows and restricted burial depths. Measurement of custom kinetics is recommended, if possible, to increase the accuracy of any computed hydrocarbon generation models. [source] Lack of correlation between canine heart rate and body size in veterinary clinical practiceJOURNAL OF SMALL ANIMAL PRACTICE, Issue 8 2010L. Ferasin Objectives: An association between heart rate (HR) and bodyweight has been reported in dogs and it is common belief that small breeds of dog exhibit higher HR than large breeds. The first aim of this study was to test the null hypothesis that, in veterinary clinical practice, bodyweight does not affect HR measured in healthy dogs. A second objective of this investigation was to assess whether other variables, such as gender, breed morphology, age and demeanour, may have a significant effect on dog's HR measured in a clinical setting. Methods: The investigation was performed via two different studies: a retrospective analysis performed on 243 electrocardiogram recordings and a prospective study based on 153 standardised clinical examinations. Results: The two separate studies did not show any significant correlation between HR and bodyweight (P=0·5705 and P=0·4682, respectively). Subject's breed morphology and gender did not appear to affect HR measured under these circumstances. However, dogs under the age of one year seem to have significantly higher HRs than older dogs (P < 0·05). Finally, subject's demeanour was also found to have a significant influence on HR; lower values were recorded in relaxed dogs, and higher rates were documented in excited, nervous dogs (P < 0·05). Clinical Significance: Normal HR could be erroneously interpreted as bradycardia or tachycardia if bodyweight was to be considered a determinant factor. Instead, HR in healthy dogs undergoing routine clinical examination is related to their demeanour or age, if younger than 12 months, but does not appear to be related to bodyweight. [source] No evidence found that childhood onset of psoriasis influences disease severity, future body mass index or type of treatments usedJOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 11 2010MEA De Jager Abstract Background, In more than one-third of the psoriatic population, the first manifestations occur in childhood. Whether the age of onset of psoriasis influences the march of psoriasis is not known. Objectives, To describe the epidemiology and clinical features as well as prescribed treatments and familial distribution in psoriasis depending on the age of onset of the disease. Methods, A structured questionnaire was sent to 5300 adult psoriatic patients. Respondents were divided into two groups: patients who experienced an onset of disease before the age of 18 [childhood onset psoriasis (COP)] and patients with an onset of disease from the age of 18 [adult onset psoriasis (AOP)]. Results, Questionnaires of 1926 (36.3%) patients were suitable for analysis. In 37.1% of patients, first signs of the disease occurred before the age of 18. COP occurs predominantly in females, has a longer delay in diagnosis and a higher frequency of familial distribution. The development of guttate and erythrodermic psoriasis in adulthood is more frequently seen in COP. In contrast to common belief, type of psoriasis in COP often remains the same from childhood to adulthood. There was no evidence found that getting psoriasis before the age of 18 years influences development of high body mass index in adulthood, disease severity in later life or type of treatments used. Conclusions, The age of onset of psoriasis essentially does not influence the subsequent course of the disease in adulthood. [source] Family history and inherited thrombophiliaJOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS, Issue 10 2006G. L. VAN SLUIS Summary.,Background: It is a common belief that patients with venous thrombosis and a positive family history for venous thromboembolism (VTE) have an increased likelihood of having an inherited thrombophilic defect. Methods: We analyzed the relation between family history, qualified with three different methods, and thrombophilic status in 314 patients with proven VTE. A positive family history (one or more first-degree relatives with VTE) and a strongly positive family history (two or more first-degree relatives with VTE). In 118 of the patients a third, more precise method was analyzed: the family history score, which compares the observed and the expected number of first-degree family members with VTE. Results: Patients with a positive or strongly positive family history had a slightly increased chance of having inherited thrombophilia compared to those without a positive family history. For positive family history this was 42% vs. negative 32%, likelihood ratio 1.3 (95% confidence interval; CI 0.9,2.1) and for strongly positive family history this was 46% vs. negative 34%, likelihood ratio 1.6 (95% CI 0.7,3.3). The family history score correlated with the chance of having inherited thrombophilia [OR 1.23 per score point (95% CI 1.01,1.48)]. However, even with this method the chance of having inherited thrombophilia is lower than 50% in 97% of the cases. Conclusions: Family history of VTE is not a precise tool in clinical practice to identify patients with inherited thrombophilia among patients with VTE. The family history score is more precise, but probably only useful for research purposes and not for daily practice. [source] Gall bladder cancer and Mirizzi syndrome: alternative explanation to the common beliefANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 1-2 2010Suraj Ruwan Wijesuriya MS No abstract is available for this article. [source] Believing in the purpose of events,why does it occur, and is it supernatural?APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Annika M. Svedholm What is the cognitive basis for the common belief that random events have a purpose, and are these beliefs a form of supernatural thinking, as Bering has suggested? Two questionnaire studies with Finnish volunteer participants (N,=,2650, 1830 females, mean age 26) used structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the hypotheses that beliefs in the purpose of events are part of the same phenomenon as paranormal beliefs and that confusions of core knowledge of the psychological, biological and physical domains predict both sets of beliefs. In Study 1, participants were not given a definition of purpose, and in Study 2, purpose was explicitly defined as entailing planning by a supernatural agent. The results from both studies supported the predictions. The results indicate that construing events in terms of purpose is not a universal tendency but an individual cognitive bias that can be accounted for by false analogies from intuitive psychology, biology and physics. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] PUBLIC EDUCATION, FERTILITY INCENTIVES, NEOCLASSICAL ECONOMIC GROWTH AND WELFAREBULLETIN OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010Luciano Fanti I28; J13; O41 ABSTRACT Using a simple overlapping generations model of neoclassical growth, we analyse the effects of both child allowances and the system of public education on the rate of fertility, the per capita income and the individual lifetime welfare. The essential message of the present paper is that developed countries plagued by below-replacement fertility and income stagnation may raise per capita income and the rate of fertility at the same time by increasing the public education expenditure rather than by resorting to child allowances. The latter, in fact, are found to be harmful for long-run neoclassical economic growth and, in contrast with the common belief, for the rate of population growth as well. Moreover, welfare analysis has shown the existence of a Pareto-efficient welfare-maximizing educational contribution rate. [source] Fingerprints of Damped Quantum Rotation Observed in Solid-State Proton NMR SpectraCHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 4 2006Peter Gutsche Dr. Abstract 1H NMR spectra of the methyl group in an oriented crystal sample of methylmalonic acid with all three non-methyl protons replaced by deuterons are interpreted in terms of the damped quantum rotation (DQR) theory of NMR line shapes. The DQR approach offers a perfect theoretical reproduction of the observed spectra while the conventional Alexander-Binsch line-shape model shows evident defects in the present case. The temperature trends of the quantities characterizing the coherent and incoherent dynamics of the methyl group in the DQR approach (the effective tunnelling frequency and two coherence-damping rates) derived from the spectra are fairly reproduced using a model reported previously. The present findings provide further evidence of limitations to the validity of the common belief that molecular rate processes in condensed phases are necessarily classical. [source] Constructivist Implications of Material Power: Military Engagement and the Socialization of States, 1972,2000INTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2006CAROL ATKINSON The research presented in this article examines one aspect of state socialization, the extent to which transnational military-to-military interactions have served as an effective mechanism of the democratic political socialization of states. Military organizations are very interesting when we consider avenues by which state socialization might occur because military organizations are an influential part of governments, and members share common beliefs and values as soldiers and officers that transcend borders. Thus, it would seem that a state's military structure is one likely channel whereby politically relevant individuals might learn new ideas and have the capability to reform existing institutional structures. The socialization process described in this study is three level: (1) individuals acquire new ideas; (2) coercion, incentives, and persuasion aid in institutionalizing these ideas in the underlying political structure of the state; and (3) once institutionalized, these new ideas/identity of the state influence the material and ideational structure of international society. Using Cox Proportional Hazard models and an original data set encompassing over 160 states during the years 1972,2000, the analyses find U.S. military-to-military contacts to be positively and systematically associated with liberalizing trends. This finding provides evidence that constructivist mechanisms do have observable effects, and that ideationally based processes play an important role in U.S. national security. [source] The Elusive Underpinnings of U.S. Venturesomeness (If Not Prosperity),JOURNAL OF APPLIED CORPORATE FINANCE, Issue 2 2009Amar Bhidé This article explores the question of how the U.S. economy has managed to maintain (or even increase) its lead over other nations in per capita income and the average productivity of its workforce. The answer provided in the author's recent book is that such productivity depends on the greater willingness and effectiveness of U.S. consumers and businesses in making use of innovations in products and business processes. But this begs the question: What accounts for the increase in the innovative capabilities or effectiveness of U.S. consumers and businesses, both over time and relative to that of their global counterparts? After starting with the conventional "supply-side" focus on low taxes, limited regulatory barriers, and strong property rights, the author goes on to shift the main emphasis to the following six "institutional" contributors to U.S. prosperity: ,Breadth of participation: the modern U.S. economy draws, to a greater extent than either its global competitors or the U.S. of a century ago, on the contributions of far more individuals both as developers and as users of new products. ,Organizational diversity and specialization: the evolution of new forms of organization in the U.S., from small venture capital-backed firms to huge public corporations with dispersed ownership, has enabled the system to use the contributions of many individuals more effectively. ,Changes in common beliefs and attitudes: greater receptiveness to technological change has accelerated the adoption of new products in all countries, but especially in the U.S. ,Increased pressure for growth: the "grow or die" imperative faced by U.S. businesses has encouraged them to look for help from new technologies. ,The professionalization of management and sales functions,a distinctively U.S. phenomenon whose beginnings can be traced to IBM in the 1920s,has improved the capacity of modern U.S. organizations to develop markets and use new products. ,The expansion of higher education, to a far greater extent in the U.S. than elsewhere, has increased the supply of individuals with habits and attitudes that improve their ability to develop and use innovations. 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