Prejudiced attitudes, group norms, and discriminatory behaviour

Most current attitude research focuses on range of non-social attitudinal targets, including health-related and consumer outcomes. In this paper, a program of research that considers the relations among intergroup attitudes, group norms, and behavior will be described. The first study examined the effect of ingroup norms relating to multiculturalism on the extent to wich participants hehaviourally enacted their attitudes. Consistent with social identity theory, attitudebehaviour consistency in relation was influenced by ingroup norms, particularly when national identity was salient. The results of a large scale field study that essential replicated this pattern of results will also be discussed.

Self-awareness and psychosocial functioning following acquired brain injury: An evaluation of a group support programme

This study investigated a group support programme designed to improve self-awareness deficits and psychosocial functioning in a group of chronic patients (N = 21) with acquired brain injury (ABI). The participants were on average 8.6 years (range: 1-36 years) post-injury and were seen at the Brain Injury Association of Queensland, Australia. The assessment of participants involved two standardised measures of intellectual self-awareness with collateral reports from relatives. The present study introduced a new measure called the Self-Regulation Skills Interview (SRSI) which assessed higher levels of self awareness and self-regulation skills. Psychosocial functioning was assessed using a standardised self-report measure. At baseline the group had a relatively high level of intellectual self-awareness regarding their deficits, a low to moderate level of self-regulation skills, and significant psychosocial impairment. The participants were involved in a 16-week group programme which involved components of cognitive rehabilitation, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and social skills training. A post-intervention assessment indicated that participants had significantly improved levels of self-regulation skills and psychosocial functioning. A 6-month follow-up assessment indicated that overall, participants had maintained the gains made during the programme. The important role of self-regulation skills is emphasised as the principle factor contributing to the maintenance of the gains observed.

An extragalactic HI cloud with no optical counterpart?

We report the discovery, from the H I Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS), of an isolated cloud of neutral hydrogen, which we believe to be extragalactic. The H I mass of the cloud (HIPASS J1712-64) is very low, 1.7 x 10(7) M-circle dot, using an estimated distance of similar to 3.2 Mpc. Most significantly, we have found no optical companion to this object to very faint limits [mu(B) similar to 27 mag arcsec(-2)]. HIPASS J1712-64 appears to be a binary system similar to, but much less massive than, H I 1225 + 01 (the Virgo H. I cloud) and has a size of at least 15 kpc. The mean velocity dispersion measured with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) is only 4 km s(-1) for the main component and, because of the weak or nonexistent star formation, possibly reflects the thermal line width (T < 2000 K) rather than bulk motion or turbulence. The peak column density for HIPASS J1712-64, from the combined Parkes and ATCA data, is only 3.5 x 1019 cm(-2), which is estimated to be a factor of 2 below the critical threshold for star formation. Apart from its significantly higher velocity, the properties of HIPASS J1712-64 are similar to the recently recognized class of compact high-velocity clouds. We therefore consider the evidence for a Local Group or Galactic origin, although a more plausible alternative is that HIPASS J1712-64 was ejected from the interacting Magellanic Cloud-Galaxy system at perigalacticon similar to 2 x 10(8) yr ago.

Neuronal sodium-channel alpha 1-subunit mutations in generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus

Generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+) is a familial epilepsy syndrome characterized by the presence of febrile and afebrile seizures. The first gene, GEFS1, was mapped to chromosome 19q and was identified as the sodium-channel beta1-subunit, SCN1B. A second locus on chromosome 2q, GEFS2, was recently identified as the sodium-channel alpha1-subunit, SCN1A. Single-stranded conformation analysis (SSCA) of SCN1A was performed in 53 unrelated index cases to estimate the frequency of mutations in patients with GEFS+. No mutations were found in 17 isolated cases of GEFS+. Three novel SCN1A mutations-D188V, V1353L, and I1656M-were found in 36 familial cases; of the remaining 33 families, 3 had mutations in SCN1B. On the basis of SSCA, the combined frequency of SCN1A and SCN1B mutations in familial cases of GEFS+ was found to be 17%.

Initial results of ultrasound screening for aneurysm of the abdominal aorta in Western Australia: relevance for endoluminal treatment of aneurysm disease

Background. Increased life expectancy in men during the last thirty years is largely due to the decrease in mortality from cardiovascular disease in the age group 29-69 yr. This change has resulted in a change in the disease profile of the population with conditions such as aneurysm of the abdominal aorta (AAA) becoming more prevalent. The advent of endoluminal treatment for AAA has encouraged prophylactic intervention and fuelled the argument to screen for the disease. The feasibility of inserting an endoluminal graft is dependent on the morphology and growth characteristics of the aneurysm. This study used data from a randomized controlled trial of ultrasound screening for AAA in men aged 65-83 yr in Western Australia for the purpose of determining the norms of the living anatomy in the pressurized infrarenal aorta. Aims. To examine (1) the diameters of the infra-renal aorta in aneurysmal and non-aneurysmal cases, (2) the implications for treatment modalities, with particular reference to endoluminal grafting, which is most dependent on normal and aneurysmal morphology, and (3) any evidence to support the notion that northern Europeans are predisposed to aneurysmal disease. Methods. Using ultrasound, a randomized control trial was established in Western Australia to assess the value of a screening program in males aged 65-83 yr, The infra-renal aorta was defined as aneurysmal if the maximum diameter was 30 mm or more. Aortic diameter was modelled both as a continuous tin mm) and as a binary outcome variable, for those men who had an infra-renal diameter of 30 mm or more. ANOVA and linear regression were used for modelling aortic diameter as a continuum, while chi-square analysis and logistic regression were used in comparing men with and without the diagnosis of AAA. Findings. By December 1998, of 19.583 men had been invited to undergo ultrasound screening for AAA, 12.203 accepted the invitation (corrected response fraction 70.8%). The prevalence of AAA increased with age from 4.8% at 65 yr to 10.8% at 80 yr (chi (2) = 77.9, df = 3, P<0.001). The median (IQR) diameter for the non-aneurysmal group was 21.4 mm (3.3 mm) and there was an increase (<chi>(2) = 76.0, df = 1, P<0.001) in the diameter of the infra-renal aorta with age. Since 27 mm is the 95th centile for the non-aneurysmal infra-renal aorta, a diameter of 30 mm or more is justified as defining an aneurysm. The risk of AAA was higher in men of Australian (OR = 1.0) and northern European origin (OR = 1.0, 95%CL: 0.9. 1.2) compared with those of Mediterranean origin (OR = 0.5, 99%CL: 0.4, 0.7). Conclusion. Although screening has not yet been shown to reduce mortality from AAA. these population-based data assist the understanding of aneurysmal disease and the further development and use of endoluminal grafts for this condition. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of The International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery.

Truncation of the GABA(A)-receptor gamma 2 subunit in a family with generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus

Recent findings from studies of two families have shown that mutations in the GABA(A)-receptor gamma2 subunit are associated with generalized epilepsies and febrile seizures. Here we describe a family that has generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS(+)), including an individual with severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy, in whom a third GABA(A)-receptor gamma2-subunit mutation was found. This mutation lies in the intracellular loop between the third and fourth transmembrane domains of the GABA(A)-receptor gamma2 subunit and introduces a premature stop codon at Q351 in the mature protein. GABA sensitivity in Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing the mutant gamma2(Q351X) subunit is completely abolished, and fluorescent-microscopy studies have shown that receptors containing GFP-labeled gamma2(Q351X) protein are retained in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. This finding reinforces the involvement of GABA(A) receptors in epilepsy.

Generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus: Mutation of the sodium channel subunit SCN1B

Generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS(+)) is an important childhood genetic epilepsy syndrome with heterogeneous phenotypes, including febrile seizures (FS) and generalized epilepsies of variable severity. Forty unrelated GEFS(+) and FS patients were screened for mutations in the sodium channel beta-subunits SCN1B and SCN2B, and the second GEFS(+) family with an SCN1B mutation is described here. The family had 19 affected individuals: 16 with typical GEFS(+) phenotypes and three with other epilepsy phenotypes. Site-specific mutation within SCN1B remains a rare cause of GEFS(+), and the authors found no evidence to implicate SCN2B in this syndrome.

Production under uncertainty and choice under uncertainty in the emergence of generalized expected utility theory

This paper presents a personal view of the interaction between the analysis of choice under uncertainty and the analysis of production under uncertainty. Interest in the foundations of the theory of choice under uncertainty was stimulated by applications of expected utility theory such as the Sandmo model of production under uncertainty. This interest led to the development of generalized models including rank-dependent expected utility theory. In turn, the development of generalized expected utility models raised the question of whether such models could be used in the analysis of applied problems such as those involving production under uncertainty. Finally, the revival of the state-contingent approach led to the recognition of a fundamental duality between choice problems and production problems.

Group theory and quasiprobability integrals of Wigner functions

The integral of the Wigner function of a quantum-mechanical system over a region or its boundary in the classical phase plane, is called a quasiprobability integral. Unlike a true probability integral, its value may lie outside the interval [0, 1]. It is characterized by a corresponding selfadjoint operator, to be called a region or contour operator as appropriate, which is determined by the characteristic function of that region or contour. The spectral problem is studied for commuting families of region and contour operators associated with concentric discs and circles of given radius a. Their respective eigenvalues are determined as functions of a, in terms of the Gauss-Laguerre polynomials. These polynomials provide a basis of vectors in a Hilbert space carrying the positive discrete series representation of the algebra su(1, 1) approximate to so(2, 1). The explicit relation between the spectra of operators associated with discs and circles with proportional radii, is given in terms of the discrete variable Meixner polynomials.

Background risk in generalized expected utility theory

In this paper, it is shown that, for a wide range of risk-averse generalized expected utility preferences, independent risks are complementary, contrary to the results for expected utility preferences satisfying conditions such as proper and standard risk aversion.

Molecular evidence for definition of genera in the Oxylobium group (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae)

The circumscription of Oxylobium and related genera has been problematic for nearly 200 years. Traditional definitions of genera in the group have relied on morphological features of the leaves, flower, and fruit that overlap extensively between genera. Therefore sequences of cpDNA (trnL-F intron and spacer) and nrDNA (ITS) were used to estimate the phylogeny of the group in an attempt to redefine the genera as monophyletic groups. Oxylobium sens. str. was found to be a well supported clade in both data sets, with the inclusion of Mirbelia oxylobioides. No other genus in the group was supported by these data, except Gastrolobium sens. lat. Some species groups within Chorizema, Mirbelia, and Podolobium were supported but relationships among these, Oxylobium and Gastrolobium differed significantly between the chloroplast and nuclear data sets. No group supported by the molecular data had a morphological synapomorphy, not even Oxylobium or Gastrolobium. Therefore it may be necessary to adopt a much broader generic concept in this group than has been done previously. Incongruence between the two molecular data sets, and very short internal basal branches in both, suggest a rapid early radiation in this group, possibly combined with hybridization and lineage sorting.