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Demonstrated
Terms modified by Demonstrated Selected AbstractsReview of the long-term effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy compared to medications in panic disorderDEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 2 2003Deepa N. Nadiga M.D. Abstract Panic disorder is a recurrent and disabling illness. It is believed that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has a long-term protective effect for this disorder. This would offer CBT considerable advantage over medication management of panic disorder, as patients often relapse when they are tapered off their medications. This is a review of the literature about the long-term effectiveness of CBT. We searched for follow-up studies of panic disorder using CBT. Of the 78 citations produced in the initial search, most had major methodological flaws, including ignoring losses to follow-up, not accounting for interval treatment, and unclear reporting. Three papers met strict methodological criteria, and two of these demonstrated a modest protective effect of CBT in panic disorder patients. We make recommendations for well-designed studies involving comparisons of medications and cognitive behavior therapy. Depression and Anxiety 17:58,64, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Use of Intraoperative Botulinum Toxin in Facial ReconstructionDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 2 2009TIMOTHY CORCORAN FLYNN MD BACKGROUND Botulinum toxin is a potent neuromodulator that temporarily relaxes muscles and can improve wound healing. OBJECTIVE This retrospective analysis assessed the use of intraoperative botulinum toxin type A or B in patients undergoing surgical reconstruction after Mohs micrographic surgery for treatment of skin cancer. The primary effect of intradermal botulinum toxin on wound healing was also studied. METHODS & MATERIALS Charts of patients who received intraoperative botulinum toxin type A (n=9) or B (n=9) in conjunction with reconstructive surgery after Mohs micrographic surgery were reviewed. Three volunteers also underwent dermal injections of botulinum toxin type A followed by erbium laser resurfacing. RESULTS Outcomes did not differ in patients treated with botulinum toxin type A and type B. Patients had excellent apposition of wound edges and smooth skin overlying soft tissue; no significant complications were noted. Healing of erbium laser ablation did not differ between botulinum toxin type A,treated skin and control skin. CONCLUSIONS Administration of botulinum toxin type A or B after reconstruction after Mohs micrographic surgery aided wound healing; botulinum toxin type A and botulinum toxin type B were equally effective. Intradermal botulinum toxin type A demonstrated no primary effect on healing of erbium laser,resurfaced skin. [source] How fantasy benefits young children's understanding of pretenseDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2006David M. Sobel Sobel and Lillard (2001) demonstrated that 4-year-olds' understanding of the role that the mind plays in pretending improved when children were asked questions in a fantasy context. The present study investigated whether this fantasy effect was motivated by children recognizing that fantasy contains violations of real-world causal structure. In Experiment 1, 4-year-olds were shown a fantasy character engaged in ordinary actions or actions that violated causal knowledge. Children were more likely to say that a troll doll who was acting like but ignorant of the character was not pretending to be that character when read the violation story. Experiment 2 suggested that this difference was not caused by a greater interest in the violation story. Experiment 3 demonstrated a similar difference for characters engaged in social and functional violations that were possible in the real world. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that preschoolers use actions and appearance more than mental states to make judgments about pretense, but that those judgments can be influenced by the context in which the questions are presented. [source] Effects of aminoguanidine and tolrestat on the development of ocular and renal structural changes in experimental diabetic ratsDIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 1 2002Ö. Azal Studies that researched the role of aminoguanidine and tolestat in the prevention of diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy resulted in conflicting data. We investigated the effects of these agents in the prevention of ocular and renal changes in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by intravenous injection of STZ in 30 rats. Ten rats that were not given STZ served as non-diabetic control (Group 1). Ten STZ-diabetic rats that were not given any treatment served as diabetic control (Group 2). Groups 3 and 4 were composed of STZ-induced diabetic rats (10 each) that were given tolrestat and aminoguanidine respectively. Eyes and kidneys were examined at the 24th week under electronmicroscopy. Cataract was observed in all six of the surviving rats in Groups 2 and 4, and in one of 6 surviving rats in group 3. Cataract development was lower in Group 3 than Groups 2 and 4. All retinal samples obtained from group 2 demonstrated a number of structural abnormalities, whereas there were no significant ultrastructural changes in groups 3 and 4. Groups 2 and 3 demonstrated mesangial proliferation and expansion, diffuse glomerular basement membrane (GBM) thickening, and focal GBM thickening in the bulb form. Group 4 demonstrated a normally appearing mesangial space, minimal diffuse but no focal GBM thickening. The urinary albumin excretion (UAE) was lower in Group 4 than the other groups. In conclusion, our results suggest that aminoguanidine may be an important agent for the prevention of renal changes, whereas tolrestat may be effective for the prevention of ocular changes in diabetes mellitus. [source] Plasma triglycerides and LDL cholesterol are related in a parabolic fashion in the general population and patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus: long-term follow-up results from the Hoorn studyDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 9 2008M. C. G. J. Brouwers Abstract Aims Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels are often fairly normal in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). We anticipated that a parabolic relation between plasma triglycerides and LDL-C, as previously demonstrated in familial combined hyperlipidaemia (FCHL), might account for this phenomenon. Methods Our hypothesis was tested in 1343 subjects derived from the general population who were studied on two occasions 6 years apart (the Hoorn study). Three groups were constructed depending on plasma triglycerides: group A (individuals with both measurements below 1.5 mmol/l), group B (one measurement below and one above 1.5 mmol/l) and group C (both measurements above 1.5 mmol/l). Diabetes status was ascertained by an oral glucose tolerance test. Results In a mixed linear model, a significant, positive relation between triglycerides and LDL-C was observed for males in group A (,a = 0.5, P < 0.001) and group B (,b = 0.2, P < 0.001), whereas a significant negative relation was found for males in group C (,c = ,0.2, P = 0.003). The regression slopes did not differ between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Similar results were obtained for women, with the exception that the relation was not significantly negative in group C (,c = ,0.1, P = 0.4). Conclusion Plasma triglcyerides and LDL-C are related in a parabolic fashion, not only in FCHL, but also in the general population and Type 2 DM. These findings aid our interpretation of typical dyslipidaemia and the effects of treatment that are frequently observed in hypertriglyceridaemic states. [source] Backshore coarsening processes triggered by wave-induced sand transport: the critical role of storm events,EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 11 2010Keiko Udo Abstract Spatial backshore processes were investigated through field observations of topography and median sand grain size at a sandy beach facing the Pacific Ocean in Japan. A comparison of the backshore profile and cross-shore distribution of the median sand grain size in 1999 and 2004 revealed an unusual sedimentary process in which sand was coarsened in a depositional area in the 5-year period, although sediment is generally coarsened in erosional areas. In support of these observations, monthly spatial field analyses carried out in 2004 demonstrated a remarkable backshore coarsening process triggered by sedimentation in the seaward part of the backshore during a storm event. In order to elucidate mechanisms involved in the backshore coarsening process, thresholds of movable sand grain size under wave and wind actions (a uniform parameter for both these cases) in the onshore and offshore directions were estimated using wave, tide, and wind data. The cross-shore distributions of the estimated thresholds provided reasonable values and demonstrated a coarsening mechanism involving the intermediate zone around the shoreline under alternating wave and wind actions as a result of which coarse sand was transported toward the seaward part of the backshore by large waves during storms and then toward the landward part by strong onshore winds. The 5-year backshore coarsening is most certainly explained by repetition of short-term coarsening mechanisms caused by wave-induced sand transport occurring from the nearshore to the intermediate zone. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [source] Abundance , occupancy relationships in macrofauna on exposed sandy beaches: patterns and mechanismsECOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2004Matthew T. Frost We studied the relationship between abundance and extent of occupancy of 158 species of macrofauna inhabiting 66 sandy beaches around the coast of Great Britain. We also used these data to test the predictions of two hypotheses proposed to explain positive abundance-occupancy relationships. We found a strong positive relationship between abundance and extent of occupancy; this pattern was apparent in taxonomic subsets of organisms which have contrasting reproductive and dispersal traits such as planktotrophic/lecithotrophic development in the plankton vs brood development under parental care. Moreover, the abundance-occupancy relationships in these taxonomic subsets had statistically indistinguishable slopes, and elevation. We propose that this lends support to the notion that differences in population structure such as the tendency to form metapopulations may not be primary determinants of the abundance-occupancy pattern in these taxa as proposed by the rescue/metapopulation hypothesis. To test the predictions of the niche-breadth hypothesis we derived values describing the range of sediment grain-sizes exploited by members of two taxonomic subgroups: amphipods and bivalves. We found a weak, statistically non-significant relationship between this niche-breadth measure and occupancy in bivalves which have been shown to respond to grain-size in previous studies, however this was negated after correction for possible artefacts of sampling effort. All other relationships between abundance or occupancy and grain-size range were non-significant. The consistency of the demonstrated abundance-occupancy relationship with those demonstrated in other studies of primarily terrestrial fauna indicates some shared mechanistic explanation, but our data fail to provide support for the two mechanistic hypotheses investigated. [source] Chitosan-Glutamate Oxidase Gels: Synthesis, Characterization, and Glutamate DeterminationELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 23 2005Maogen Zhang Abstract The biopolymer chitosan (CHIT) was chemically modified with glutaric dialdehyde (GDI) and used for the covalent immobilization of enzyme glutamate oxidase (GmOx). The relationships between the loaded, retained, and active units of GmOx in the CHIT-GDI-GmOx gels were determined by electrochemical assays. The latter indicated that on average ca. 95% of the GmOx was retained in the CHIT-GDI matrix that was loaded with 0.10,3.0 units of the enzyme. The maximum activity of the GmOx immobilized in the gels corresponded to ca. 5% of the activity of the free enzyme. Platinum electrodes coated with CHIT-GDI-GmOx gels (films) were used as amperometric biosensors for glutamate. Such biosensors displayed good operational and long-term stability (at least 11,h and 100 days, respectively) in conjunction with low detection limit of 0.10,,M glutamate (S/N=3), linear range up to 0.5,mM (R2=0.991), sensitivity of 100 mA M,1 cm,2, and short response time (t90%=2,s). This demonstrated an efficient signal transduction in the Pt/CHIT-GDI-GmOx+glutamate system. The CHIT-GDI-GmOx gels constitute a new biosensing element for the development of glutamate biosensors. [source] Biomarker discovery in breast cancer serum using 2-D differential gel electrophoresis/ MALDI-TOF/TOF and data validation by routine clinical assaysELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 8 2006Hong-Lei Huang Abstract In the present study, we used 2-D differential gel electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) and MS to screen biomarker candidates in serum samples obtained from 39,patients with breast cancer and 35,controls. First, we pooled the serum samples matched with age and menopausal status. Then, we depleted the two most abundant proteins albumin and IgG by immunoaffinity chromatography under partly denaturing conditions in order to enrich low-abundance proteins and proteins with low molecular weight. Concentrated and desalted samples were labeled with three different CyDyes including one internal standard, pooled from all the samples, and separated with 2-D DIGE in triplicate experiments. Biological variations of the protein expression level were analyzed with DeCyder software and evaluated for reproducibility and statistical significance. The profile of differentially expressed protein spots between patients and controls revealed proapolipoprotein A-I, transferrin, and hemoglobin as up-regulated and three spots, apolipoprotein,A-I, apolipoprotein,C-III, and haptoglobin,,2 as down-regulated in patients. Finally, routine clinical immunochemical reactions were used to validate selected candidate biomarkers by quantitative determination of specific proteins in all individual serum samples. The serum level of transferrin correlated well with the 2-D-DIGE results. However, the serum levels of apolipoprotein A-I and haptoglobin could not be detected with the clinical routine diagnostic tests. This demonstrated an advantage 2-D DIGE still has over other techniques. 2-D DIGE can distinguish between isoforms of proteins, where the overall immunochemical quantification does fail due to a lack of isoform-special antibodies. [source] Culture-independent evidence for the persistent presence and genetic diversity of microcystin-producing Anabaena (Cyanobacteria) in the Gulf of FinlandENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2009David P. Fewer Summary The late summer mass occurrences of cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea are among the largest in the world. These blooms are rarely monotypic and are often composed of a diverse assemblage of cyanobacteria. The toxicity of the blooms is attributed to Nodularia spumigena through the production of the hepatotoxic nodularin. However, the microcystin hepatotoxins have also been reported from the Baltic Sea on a number of occasions. Recent evidence links microcystin production in the Gulf of Finland directly to the genus Anabaena. Here we developed a denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) method based on the mcyE microcystin synthetase gene and ndaF nodularin synthetase gene that allows the culture-independent discrimination of microcystin- and nodularin-producing cyanobacteria directly from environmental samples. We PCR-amplified microcystin and nodularin synthetase genes from environmental samples taken from the Gulf of Finland and separated them on a denaturing gradient gel using optimized conditions. Sequence analyses demonstrate that uncultured microcystin-producing Anabaena strains are genetically more diverse than previously demonstrated from cultured strains. Furthermore, our data show that microcystin-producing Anabaena are widespread in the open Gulf of Finland. Non-parametric statistical analysis suggested that salinity plays an important role in defining the distribution of microcystin-producing Anabaena. Our results indicate that microcystin-producing blooms are a persistent phenomenon in the Gulf of Finland. [source] Tuning of Copper(I),Dioxygen Reactivity by Bis(guanidine) Ligands,EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 19 2005Sonja Herres-Pawlis Abstract A series of bis(guanidine) ligands designed for use in biomimetic coordination chemistry, namely bis(tetramethylguanidino)-, bis(dipiperidinoguanidino)-, and bis(dimethylpropyleno)propane (btmgp, DPipG2p and DMPG2p, respectively), has been extended to include bis(dimethylethyleneguanidino)propane (DMEG2p), which has both Namine atoms of each guanidine functionality connected by a short ethylene bridge, as a member. From this series, a family of novel bis(guanidine)copper(I) compounds , [Cu2(btmgp)2][PF6]2 (1), [Cu2(DPipG2p)2][PF6]2 (2), [Cu2(DMPG2p)2][PF6]2 (3), and [Cu2(DMEG2p)2][PF6]2·2MeCN (4) , has been synthesised. Single-crystal X-ray analysis of 1,4 demonstrated that these compounds contain dinuclear complex cations that contain twelve-membered heterocyclic Cu2N4C6 rings with the Cu atoms being more than 4 Å apart. Each copper atom is surrounded by a set of two N-donor functions from different ligands, resulting in linear N,Cu,N coordination sites. Depending on their individual substitution patterns, the guanidine moieties deviate from planarity by characteristic propeller-like twists of the amino groups around their N,Cimine bonds. The influence of these groups on the reactivity of the corresponding complexes 1,4 with dioxygen was investigated at low temperatures by means of UV/Vis spectroscopy. The reaction products can be classified into ,-,2:,2 -peroxodicopper(II) or bis(,-oxo)dicopper(III) complex cations that contain the {Cu2O2}2+ core portion as different isomers. The electronic properties of the specific bis(guanidine) ligands are discussed from the viewpoint of their ,-donor and ,-acceptor capabilities, and it is shown that ,-,2:,2 -peroxodicopper(II) complexes are stabilised relative to the bis(,-oxo)dicopper(III) ones if , conjugation within the guanidine moieties is optimised. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2005) [source] Different selves, different values: Effects of self-construals on value activation and useEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2009Bas Verplanken Three experiments demonstrated structural properties and dynamic effects of self-construal on the processing and use of values. In Study 1, it was found that self-focus during encoding caused spontaneous cognitive clustering of individualistic versus relational values. Study 2 demonstrated that self-construal affected the implicit weight of a value-related attribute in a multi-attribute choice task. In Study 3, behavioral intentions were better predicted by personal values than social norms when the personal self was primed, whereas social norms predicted better when the collective self was primed. The effects of manipulated self-construal were mimicked when comparing participants with an individualistic versus collectivistic cultural background. No interaction was found between priming and cultural background. Taken together, the studies demonstrated that different domains of the self are associated with different values, which may instigate different cognitive and behavioral processes when activated. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Falsification cueing in collective reasoning: example of the Wason selection taskEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2008Maria Augustinova This paper focuses on the effectiveness of groups, as opposed to individuals, in benefiting from falsification cueing in solving the Wason selection task. Consistent with the idea that groups use information that often individuals fail to use, Experiment 1 showed that groups (but not individuals) that received falsification cueing focused more on cue-consistent evidence in their reasoning. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that the increment in focus on cue-consistent evidence is moderated by the distribution of the falsification cue within a group. Finally, Experiment 3 demonstrated that the cue distribution affects collective focus on cue-consistent evidence through the content of the group discussion, namely through mentioning the cue during the discussion. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Manipulating subcategory salience: exploring the link between skin tone and social perception of BlacksEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2004Keith B. Maddox Guided by the model of social category salience proposed by M. Blanz (1999), the present paper explores factors affecting the salience of skin tone-based subcategories among Blacks in the United States. Adapting the group discussion paradigm developed by S.E. Taylor and colleagues (1978), Experiment 1 demonstrated that a manipulation of issue relevance enhanced the category salience of skin tone. Participants made more within- than between-category errors when the topic of conversation was related to perceiver's skin tone-based beliefs. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the influence of the issue relevance manipulation was independent of the presence of structural and/or normative fit. Merely discussing the topic of race relations was sufficient to increase encoding and use of skin tone. These studies provide evidence linking skin tone and social beliefs in memory. In addition, they demonstrate support for a category-based perspective in the study of skin tone bias. Additional factors affecting the salience of skin tone are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Specific inhibition of transforming growth factor-,2 expression in human osteoblast cells by antisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotidesFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 8 2001Zhong-Jian Shen To elucidate the role of endogenous transforming growth factor (TGF)-,2 on human osteoblast cell, antisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotides (S-ODNs) complementary to regions in mRNA of TGF-,2 were synthesized and examined their effects on TGF-,2 production and cell proliferation in a human osteoblast cell line ROS 17/2. Antisense S-ODNs were designated for three different target regions in the mRNA of TGF-,2. Among several antisense S-ODN analyzed, an oligonucleotide (AS-11) complementary to the translation initiation site of mRNA of TGF-,2 demonstrated a selective and strong inhibitory effect on TGF-,2 production in osteoblast cells. Other antisense S-ODNs which were designated for other regions in mRNA of TGF-,2 and one- or three-base mismatched analogs of AS-11 showed little or much less antisense activities than AS-11. Therefore, the most effective target site in mRNA of TGF-,2 is at the initiation codon region. The antisense effects of AS-11 were observed without reduction of levels of mRNA of TGF-,2. Furthermore, the inhibition of TGF-,2 expression by antisense S-ODN appeared to enhance cell proliferation, demonstrating the growth inhibitory effect of autocrine TGF-,2 in osteoblast cells. [source] Endotoxic and immunobiological activities of a chemically synthesized lipid A of Helicobacter pylori strain 206,1FEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1-2 2003Tomohiko Ogawa Abstract A synthetic lipid A of Helicobacter pylori strain 206-1 (compound HP206,1), which is similar to its natural lipid A, exhibited no or very low endotoxic activities as compared to Escherichia coli -type synthetic lipid A (compound 506). Furthermore, compound HP206-1 as well as its natural lipid A demonstrated no or very low mitogenic responses in murine spleen cell. On the other hand, compound HP206-1 showed a weaker but significant production of interleukin-8 in a gastric cancer cell line, MKN-1, in comparison with compound 506. Furthermore, compound HP206-1 exhibited induction of tumor necrosis factor-, production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the cytokine production was clearly inhibited by mouse anti-human Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 monoclonal antibody HTA125. Our findings indicate that the chemically synthesized lipid A, mimicking the natural lipid A portion of lipopolysaccharide from H. pylori strain 206-1, has a low endotoxic potency and immunobiological activities, and is recognized by TLR4. [source] Intrafamilial Transmission of Helicobacter pylori among the Population of Endemic Areas in JapanHELICOBACTER, Issue 2 2007Yayoi Fujimoto Abstract Background:,Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a worldwide phenomenon related to several gastrointestinal diseases. However, because many aspects concerning the route of transmission remain unclear, we performed this epidemiologic study to clarify the route of intrafamilial transmission of H. pylori. Materials and Methods:, A retrospective study was performed in three widely separate areas in Japan to investigate the prevalence of H. pylori infection. In 1993, 613 residents were tested as were 4136 in 2002, including 1447 family members of 625 families. Antibody to H. pylori (anti- H. pylori) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results:, In 2002, the age-adjusted anti- H. pylori prevalence in Hoshino Village (67.5%) was significantly higher than in Kasuya Town (55.0%) and in Ishigaki City (54.7%) (p < .0001, p = .0039, respectively). The age-adjusted anti- H. pylori prevalence of Ishigaki City significantly decreased from 1993 (68.4%) to 2002 (52.5%), showing an age cohort effect. However, the prevalence did not significantly differ in children aged 0,6 years of Ishigaki City between 1993 (9.6%) and 2002 (10.3%). A familial analysis in 2002 demonstrated that the prevalence of anti- H. pylori was significantly higher in children with anti- H. pylori -positive (21.6%, 22 of 102) than with -negative mothers (3.2%, 3 of 95) (p < .0001, by Mantel,Haenszel test), whereas there was no significant difference between children with anti- H. pylori -positive and -negative fathers. Moreover, the prevalence was significantly higher in wives with anti- H. pylori -positive (64.0%, 208 of 325) than with -negative husbands (46.5%, 80 of 172) (p = .0071, by Mantel,Haenszel test) and in husbands with anti- H. pylori -positive (72.2%, 208 of 288) than with -negative wives (56.0%, 117 of 209) (p = .0106, by Mantel,Haenszel test). Conclusions:, In the last decade, H. pylori infection decreased in the general population of Japan by improvement of general hygiene conditions, but did not differ in young children, most likely because of mother-to-child transmission. [source] Newborns' Mooney-Face PerceptionINFANCY, Issue 6 2009Irene Leo The aim of this study is to investigate whether newborns detect a face on the basis of a Gestalt representation based on first-order relational information (i.e., the basic arrangement of face features) by using Mooney stimuli. The incomplete 2-tone Mooney stimuli were used because they preclude focusing both on the local features (i.e., the fine details of the individual features) and on the second-order relational information (i.e., the distance between the internal elements); therefore, face detection can rely only on a Gestalt representation of a face. Two experiments were carried out by using a preferential looking procedure. Experiment 1 demonstrated that newborns prefer upright Mooney faces to inverted Mooney faces (180° rotated). Experiment 2 showed that newborns prefer a Mooney face as compared to a Mooney-like object equated for the number of elements in the upper part. Overall, the results indicate that newborns bind and organize the fragmentary parts of the Mooneized face stimulus into a whole and detect the first-order relations of a face on the basis of holistic processing. [source] Young Infants' Performance in the Object-Variation Version of the Above-Below Categorization Task: A Result of Perceptual Distraction or Conceptual Limitation?INFANCY, Issue 3 2002Paul C. Quinn Five experiments were conducted to examine the performance of young infants on above versus below categorization tasks. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that infants did not form abstract categorical representations for above and below when familiarized with different objects depicted in a constant spatial relation relative to a horizontal bar and tested on a novel object depicted in the familiar and novel spatial relation. Experiments 3 through 5 examined perceptual-attentional distraction versus conceptually based generalization explanations for young infant performance in the object-variation version of the above-below categorization task. Experiments 3 and 4 demonstrated that infants still did not form abstract categorical representations for above and below when object variation was removed from the familiarization trials or when object novelty was reduced during the preference test trials. However, Experiment 5 showed that 3- and 4-month-olds succeeded on the above versus below categorization task when familiarized with object variation and preference tested with a familiar versus novel object-bar relation. These results indicate that young infants can form categorical representations for above and below in the object-variation version of the above-below categorization task, but that such representations are specific to the particular objects presented. Young infant performance in the object-variation version of the above-below categorization task thus reflects a conceptually based generalization limit rather than a problem of perceptual-attentional distraction. [source] Executive functioning by 18-24-month-old children: effects of inhibition, working memory demands and narrative in a novel detour-reaching taskINFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2006Nicola McGuigan Abstract Infants can inhibit a prepotent but wrong action towards a goal in order to perform a causal means-action. It is not clear, however, whether infants can perform an arbitrary means-action while inhibiting a prepotent response. In four experiments, we explore this executive functioning in 18,24-month-old children. The working memory and inhibition demands in a novel means-end problem were systematically varied in terms of the type and combination of means-action(s) (causal or arbitrary) contained within the task, the number of means-actions (1 or 2), the goal visual availability and whether the task was accompanied by a narrative. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that children performed tasks that contained causal as opposed to arbitrary information more accurately; accuracy was also higher in tasks containing only one step. Experiment 2 also demonstrated that performance in the arbitrary task improved significantly when all sources of prepotency were removed. In Experiment 3, task performance improved when the two means-actions were intelligibly linked to the task goal. Experiment 4 demonstrated that the use of a narrative that provided a meaningful (non-causal) link between the two means-actions also improved children's performance by assisting their working memory in the generation of a rationale. Findings provide an initial account of executive functioning in the months that bring the end of infancy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The arithmetic of defence policyINTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, Issue 3 2001Michael Alexander The Kosovo campaign of 1999 demonstrated unambiguously the weakness of European military forces. Recognition of the consequences of this lack of capability has put new vigour into the European defence debate. Yet decline in military capability is systemic in every European country. The Helsinki goals will do nothing to address this decline. National defence budgets over the past 15 years have been decreasing in real terms. Even if current aspirations to hold military spending levels were to be achieved, the decline in capabilities would continue. Military equipment and personnel costs rise faster than domestic inflation, and therefore fewer people and weapons systems can be afforded each year. There is no prospect of significant uplifts in defence budgets in Europe, despite the acknowledged need for a range of expensive enabling capabilities for post-Cold War operations. Palliative measures now on trial are unlikely to have a major impact. The only option for European nations is a progressive integration of their forces to realize the economies of scale that would allow effectiveness to be maintained. There are opportunities for initiatives that would produce short-term pay-offs. Despite the severe political difficulties of a long-term plan for integration, the alternative is worse. Trying to maintain sovereignty in defence provision will mean that the nations of Europe will eventually be unable either to meet the requirements of even their most modest security needs or to exercise any influence over US defence and security policies. [source] Treatment of New World cutaneous leishmaniasis , a systematic review with a meta-analysisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Felipe Francisco Tuon MD Background, New World leishmaniasis is an important endemic disease and public health problem in developing countries. The increase in ecologic tourism has extended this problem to developed countries. Few drugs have emerged over the past 50 years, and drug resistance has increased, such that the cure rate is no better than 80% in large studies. Despite these data, there has been no systematic review with a meta-analysis of the therapy used in this important tropical disease. The aim of this study was to determine the best drug management in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Latin America based on the best studies published in the medical literature. Methods, MEDLINE, LILACS, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify articles related to CL and therapy. Articles with adequate data on cure and treatment failure, internal and external validity information, and more than four patients in each treatment arm were included. Results, Fifty-four articles met our inclusion criteria and 12 were included in the meta-analysis. Pentavalent antimonials were the most studied drugs, with a total of 1150 patients, achieving a cure rate of 76.5%. The cure rate of pentamidine was similar to that of pentavalent antimonials. Other drugs showed variable results, and all demonstrated an inferior response. Conclusion, Although pentavalent antimonials are the drugs of choice in the treatment of CL, pentamidine showed similar results. Nevertheless, several aspects, such as cost, adverse effects, local experience, and availability of drugs to treat CL, must be considered when determining the best management of this disease, especially in developing countries where resources are scarce. [source] A preliminary in vitro study into the use of IL-1Ra gene therapy for the inhibition of intervertebral disc degenerationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Christine L. Le Maitre Summary Conventional therapies for low back pain (LBP) are purely symptomatic and do not target the cause of LBP, which in approximately 40% of cases is caused by degeneration of the intervertebral disc (DIVD). Targeting therapies to inhibit the process of degeneration would be a potentially valuable treatment for LBP. There is increasing evidence for a role for IL-1 in DIVD. A natural inhibitor of IL-1 exists, IL-1Ra, which would be an ideal molecular target for inhibiting IL-1-mediated effects involved in DIVD and LBP. In this study, the feasibility of ex vivo gene transfer of IL-1Ra to the IVD was investigated. Monolayer and alginate cultures of normal and degenerate human intervertebral disc (IVD) cells were infected with an adenoviral vector carrying the IL-1Ra gene (Ad-IL-1Ra) and protein production measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The ability of these infected cells to inhibit the effects of IL-1 was also investigated. In addition, normal and degenerate IVD cells infected with Ad-IL-1Ra were injected into degenerate disc tissue explants and IL-1Ra production in these discs was assessed. This demonstrated that both nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus cells infected with Ad-IL-1Ra produced elevated levels of IL-1Ra for prolonged time periods, and these infected cells were resistant to IL-1. When the infected cells were injected into disc explants, IL-1Ra protein expression was increased which was maintained for 2 weeks of investigation. This in vitro study has shown that the use of ex vivo gene transfer to degenerate disc tissue is a feasible therapy for the inhibition of IL-1-mediated events during disc degeneration. [source] Leaf Quality of Some Tropical and Temperate Tree Species as Food Resource for Stream ShreddersINTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF HYDROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Manuel A. S. Graça Abstract We tested the hypotheses that (1) plant defenses against consumers increase in the tropics, and that these differences in quality are perceived by detritivores; and (2) microbial conditioning of leaf litter is important for the feeding ecology of shredders from both geographical regions. We compared quality parameters of 8 tree species from Portugal and 8 from Venezuela. The tropical leaves were tougher, but did not differ from temperate leaves in terms of N, C: N, and polyphenols. In multiple-choice experiments, shredders from Portugal (Sericostoma vittatum and Chaetopteryx lusitanica) and from Venezuela (Nectopsyche argentata and Phylloicus priapulus) discriminated among conditioned leaves, preferentially consuming softer leaves. In another set of experiments, all shredders preferentially fed on conditioned rather than unconditioned leaves, grew faster when fed conditioned than unconditioned leaves and fed more on temperate than tropical leaves. We conclude that leaf litter from the tropics is a low-quality resource compared to leaves in temperate systems, because of differences in toughness, and that tropical shredders benefit from microbial colonization, as previously demonstrated for temperate systems. We suggest that leaf toughness could be one explanation for the reported paucity of shredders in some tropical streams. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] On the saliency of negative stimuli: Evidence from attentional blink1JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2004Tokihiro Ogawa Abstract:, When people are asked to detect two targets from a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) stream, impairment of recognition of the second target (T2) can be observed if the T2 is presented several hundred milliseconds later than the first target (T1). This phenomenon is known as attentional blink, and is considered to reflect some temporal characteristic of the attentional process. The aim of the present study was to use the attentional blink paradigm to examine whether the affective meaning of the stimuli could affect the magnitude of attentional blink. In Experiment 1, the valence of the T2 (neutral, positive, and negative) was manipulated. Significant T2 detection deficit was observed with neutral and positive T2 but not with negative T2. Experiment 2 demonstrated that non-significant attentional blink in negative T2 in Experiment 1 could be attributed to the negative affective meaning of T2. Results are discussed in terms of the high saliency of negative information. [source] Changing Views of Serpent Handling: A Quasi-Experimental StudyJOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 3 2000Ralph W. Hood Knowledge about serpent handling sects (SHS) even among social scientists and legislators has been largely influenced by biased media reports. Our own field research suggests that factual knowledge about SHS is effective in changing stereotypes about serpent handling and in altering views as to the rights of believers to handle serpents in church. In a quasi-experimental study, participants were pretested with respect to both prejudicial and reasoned evaluative views about SHS. Participants saw either a video of contemporary SHS in which handlers demonstrated and explained their faith, or a control tape in which contemporary SHS were shown but serpent handling was neither demonstrated nor defended. As predicted, viewing the serpent handling video was effective in reducing stereotyping of SHS and in changing attitudes regarding the sincerity of the believers and the right of SHS to practice their faith without legal constraints. Appropriate controls indicated that changes were not simply a function of a pretest by treatment interaction. The relevance of these data for altering laws against the practice of serpent handling is discussed. [source] Hollow, pH-sensitive calcium,alginate/poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel beads as drug carriers for vancomycin releaseJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 4 2010Hong-Ru Lin Abstract In this study, hollow calcium,alginate/poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) hydrogel beads were prepared by UV polymerization for use as drug carriers. The hollow structure of the beads was fortified by the incorporation of PAA. The beads exhibited different swelling ratios when immersed in media at different pH values; this demonstrated that the prepared hydrogel beads were pH sensitive. A small amount (<9%) of vancomycin that had been incorporated into the beads was released in simulated gastric fluid, whereas a large amount (,67%) was released in a sustained manner in simulated intestinal fluid. The observed drug-release profiles demonstrated that the prepared hydrogel beads are ideal candidate carriers for vancomycin delivery into the gastrointestinal tract. Furthermore, the biological response of cells to these hydrogel beads indicated that they exhibited good biological safety and may have additional applications in tissue engineering. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010 [source] Empathic Experience and Attitudes Toward Stigmatized Groups: Evidence for Attitude GeneralizationJOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2010Mark Tarrant Two studies investigated the extent to which empathizing with a single member of a stigmatized group can yield positive attitudes toward other stigmatized groups. Participants read a scenario in which a member of a socially stigmatized group described the experiences of group membership. Participants then reported their attitudes toward the target group and a second group. Both studies revealed a generalization effect such that experiencing empathy for the target was associated with more positive attitudes, both toward the target group and the second group. Study 2 demonstrated that this generalization effect is confined to those groups located within the same superordinate category. Implications of these findings for attempts to structure people's orientation to stigmatized groups are discussed. [source] The role of self-esteem and anxiety in decision making for self versus others in relationshipsJOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING, Issue 2 2005Laura D. Wray Abstract Previous research has documented a tendency for people to make more risk-seeking decisions for others than for themselves in relationship scenarios. Two experiments investigated whether this self,other difference is moderated by participants' self-esteem and anxiety levels. In Experiment 1, lower self-esteem and higher anxiety levels were associated with more risk-averse choices for personal decisions but not for decisions for others. Therefore, participants with lower self-esteem/higher anxiety showed greater self,other differences in comparison to participants with higher self-esteem/lower anxiety levels. Experiment 2 demonstrated that this effect was largely mediated by participants' expectations of success and feelings about potential negative outcomes. These results are discussed in the context of "threats to the self," with a central role played by anxiety and self-esteem threats in personal decision making but not in decision making for others. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The influence of reasons on interpretations of probability forecastsJOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING, Issue 2 2003Annette R. Flugstad Abstract When providing a probability estimate for an event, experts often supply reasons that they expect will clarify and support that estimate. We investigated the possible unintended influence that these reasons might have on a listener's intuitive interpretation of the event's likelihood. Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that people who read positive reasons for a doctor's probability estimate regarding a hypothetical surgery were more optimistic than those who read negative reasons for the identical estimate. Experiment 3 tested whether a doctor's failure forecast for a surgery would result in differing levels of pessimism when the potential risk was attributed to one complication that had a probability of 0.30 versus three complications that had a disjunctive probability of 0.30. Overall, the findings are consistent with the argument that a probability estimate, albeit numerically precise, can be flexibly interpreted at an intuitive level depending on the reasons that the forecaster provides as the basis for the estimate. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||