The effect of defendant gender on juror decision-making

Research investigating the role of stereotypes in jury decision-making has typically considered stereotypes as acting as peripheral cues in determin ing the credibility of experts or likelihood of guilt of defendants — with counter-stereotypic courtroom participants faring less well. The present study investigated the possibility that the extent to which courtroom participants are stereotypic can alter the mode of information processing. Students (N = 78) read a transcript of a case in which either a male or female allegedly committed an armed robbery. As predicted, the female counter-stereotypic defendant was distracting and effortful processing only occurred when the defendant was male. The male was seen as more guilty and the prosecution's case was more convincing when the prosecution had a strong, but not weak, case. There were no effects of case strength for the female defendant. Results are discussed in terms of the role of stereotypes in the jury decision-making.

Overshadowing in conditioned taste aversion or in conditioned emotional response after neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions in rats

The neonatal hippocampus lesion thought to model schizophrenia should show the same modifications in behavioural tests as other models, especially pharmacological models. namely decreased latent inhibition, blocking and overshadowing. The present study is set out to evaluate overshadowing in order to complement our previous studies, which had tested latent inhibition. ""Overshadowing"" refers to the decreased conditioning that occurs when the to-be-conditioned stimulus is combined with another stimulus at the conditioning stage. We used the same two Pavlovian conditioning paradigms as in our previous works, namely conditioned taste aversion (CTA) and conditioned emotional response (CER). A sweet taste overshadowed a salty conditioned stimulus, and a tone overshadowed a flashing light. Totally different stimuli were used to counter possible sensory biases. The protocols were validated with two groups of Sprague Dawley rats. The same two protocols were then applied to a cohort of rats whose ventral hippocampus had been destroyed when they were 7 days old. Only rats with extended ventral hippocampus lesions were included. The overall effect of Pavlovian conditioning was attenuated, significantly so in the conditioned emotional response paradigm, but overshadowing appeared not to be modified in either the conditioned emotional response or the conditioned taste aversion paradigm. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reductionism and the human duplication thought-experiment

The human duplication thought-experiment is examined, and basic positions concerning the possible outcomes of the experiment are spelled out. A first position sustains supervenience, either from a reductionist or an emergentist perspective, and such views are contrasted. Certain moral aspects of the thought-experiment are then considered, especially in relation to the idea of death. Taking reductionism as a working hypothesis, two possibilities are suggested for investigating the hard problem of qualia: the postulation of some novel sort of physical interaction, and the postulation of a counter-intuitive law of scaling. One possibility for the latter would lead to a violation of supervenience.

Relativizing Minimality for A-movement: phi- and theta-relations

This paper discusses two arguments raised against Hornstein`s (1999, 2001) Movement Theory of Control (MTC): Landau`s (2003) contrast between raising and passivized subject control predicates and Culicover and Jackendoff`s (2001) contrast between control and raising within nominals. I show that rather than counter-arguments, the data they present can actually be analyzed as arguments in favor of the MTC. More specifically, I argue that the puzzling contrasts discussed by these authors can be adequately accounted for within the MTC if minimality computations regarding A-movement are relativized in terms of phi- or theta-relations.

Human immunodeficiency virus test-seeking blood donors in a large blood bank in Sao Paulo, Brazil

BACKGROUND: Persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors are excluded from donation to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted infection. Persons donating to be tested for HIV may therefore deny risk behaviors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A random sample of donors completed a survey on motivations, knowledge, and attitudes on the screening process. Donors were considered test seekers if they agreed with two statements ""I think that blood donation is a good, fast, and anonymous way to get my blood tested"" and ""I donate to get my test results."" This study was conducted from June to November 2006 at the largest blood bank in Sao Paulo, Brazil. RESULTS: Of 3061 participants, 208 (7%) were test seekers. They tended to be male and had a lower educational level. They were more likely to have incorrect knowledge about blood safety (e.g., not knowing that a unit can test antibody negative and still transmit infection, 60% vs. 42%, p = 0.02), express dissatisfaction with screening questions (e.g., feeling that important questions were not asked, 14% vs. 5%, p < 0.01), and concur that donors do not answer questions truthfully (e.g., donors have more sexual partners than they admit, 29% vs. 18%, p < 0.01). Test seekers were more likely to believe that it is acceptable to donate blood to get tested for HIV (41% vs. 10%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Test-seeking motivation, coupled with low knowledge of window period risk, is counter to improving blood safety and to donor prevention needs. Donor education needs to be improved along with availability of appropriate HIV counseling and testing.

Isolated limb perfusion with melphalan for human melanoma xenografts in the hindlimb of nude rats: A surviving animal model

We have established a surviving model of isolated limb perfusion using xenografts of the human melanoma cell line MM 96L injected subcutaneously into the hindlimb of a nude rat, The femoral artery and vein were cannulated via the left renal artery and vein and the hind limb was isolated using tourniquets. The limb was perfused with Krebs Heinseleit buffer at 37 degrees C containing 4.7% bovine serum albumin at a constant flow rate of 4 mi per min for 30-60 min with 100% survival of the animals, Tumour vascularization and blood flow were demonstrated using vascular casts and [Cr-51]-microspheres. Following the addition of melphalan (15 or 100 mu g/ml), drug concentrations in the perfusate, tissues and systemic circulation were determined using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), Systemic leakage, assessed using [I-125]albumin and melphalan and detected by a gamma-counter and HPLC respectively, was <0.5%. The melphalan concentration and tissue flow rate in the tumour deposits were 40 and 30% respectively, when compared with the surrounding subcutaneous tissue, At a dose of 15 mu g/ml, melphalan caused a reduction in tumour growth after 60 min perfusion, and a significant reduction in tumour size was seen when the melphalan dose was 100 mu g/ml. The surviving nude rat model of isolated limb perfusion for recurrent melanoma will allow examination of optimal perfusion conditions, along with the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and efficacy of melphalan and other drugs.

Effect of the Bloch-Siegert shift in a strongly driven transition: Asymmetric Autler-Townes profile

Under the conditions of the rotating wave approximation (RWA), a transition strongly driven by a resonant oscillating field displays the well known symmetric Autler-Townes doublet. However, if the counter-rotating component, neglected in the RWA, is taken into account, the Bloch-Siegert shift gives rise to an Autler-Townes doublet of unequal intensity even in the case of a resonant driving field. This effect is investigated theoretically in a V-shaped three-level double-resonance configuration and the results are presented in this paper. An interesting observation is that the level of asymmetry not only depends on the driving-field intensity but also on the characteristics of the driven system including relaxation rates and equilibrium population distributions.

An integrated genomic analysis of human glioblastoma Multiforme

Glioblastoma multiforme ( GBM) is the most common and lethal type of brain cancer. To identify the genetic alterations in GBMs, we sequenced 20,661 protein coding genes, determined the presence of amplifications and deletions using high- density oligonucleotide arrays, and performed gene expression analyses using next- generation sequencing technologies in 22 human tumor samples. This comprehensive analysis led to the discovery of a variety of genes that were not known to be altered in GBMs. Most notably, we found recurrent mutations in the active site of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 ( IDH1) in 12% of GBM patients. Mutations in IDH1 occurred in a large fraction of young patients and in most patients with secondary GBMs and were associated with an increase in overall survival. These studies demonstrate the value of unbiased genomic analyses in the characterization of human brain cancer and identify a potentially useful genetic alteration for the classification and targeted therapy of GBMs.

Metabolic consequences of intermittent hypoxia: Relevance to obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is recurrent obstruction of the upper airway leading to sleep fragmentation and intermittent hypoxia (IH) during sleep. There is growing evidence from animal models of OSA that IH is independently associated with metabolic dysfunction, including dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. The precise mechanisms by which IH induces metabolic disturbances are not fully understood. Over the last decade, several groups of investigators developed a rodent model of IH, which emulates the oxyhemoglobin profile in human USA. In the mouse model, IH induces dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and pancreatic endocrine dysfunction, similar to those observed in human USA. Recent reports provided new insights in possible mechanisms by which IH affects lipid and glucose metabolism. IH may induce dyslipidemia by up-regulating lipid biosynthesis in the liver, increasing adipose tissue lipolysis with subsequent free fatty acid flux to the liver, and inhibiting lipoprotein clearance. IH may affect glucose metabolism by inducing sympathetic activation, increasing systemic inflammation, increasing counter-regulatory hormones and fatty acids, and causing direct pancreatic beta-cell injury. IH models of USA have improved our understanding of the metabolic impact of USA, but further studies are needed before we can translate recent basic research findings to clinical practice. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nasal allergies in the Latin American population: Results from the Allergies in Latin America survey

Allergies in Latin America is the first cross-national survey that describes the symptoms, impact, and treatment of nasal allergies (NAs) in individuals >= 4 years old in Latin America (LA). In total, 22,012 households across the Latin American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela were screened for children, adolescents, and adults with a diagnosis of NA and either symptoms or treatment in the past 12 months. A total of 1088 adults and 457 children and adolescents were included and the sample was probability based to ensure valid statistical inference to the population. Approximately 7% of the LA population was diagnosed with NAs with two of three respondents stating that their allergies were seasonal or intermittent in nature. A general practice physician or otolaryngologist diagnosed the majority of individuals surveyed. Nasal congestion was the most common and bothersome symptom of NAs. Sufferers indicated that their symptoms affected productivity and sleep and had a negative impact on quality of life. Two-thirds of patients reported taking some type of medication for their NAs, with a roughly equal percentage of patients reporting taking over-the-counter versus prescription medications. Changing medications was most commonly done in those reporting inadequate efficacy. The most common reasons cited for dissatisfaction with current medications were related to inadequate effectiveness, effectiveness wearing off with chronic use, failure to provide 24-hour relief, and bothersome side effects (e.g., unpleasant taste and retrograde drainage into the esophagus). Findings from this cross-national survey on NAs have confirmed a high prevalence of physician-diagnosed NAs and a considerable negative impact on daily quality of life and work productivity as well as substantial disease management challenges in LA. Through identification of disease impact on the LA population and further defining treatment gaps, clinicians in LA may better understand and treat NAs, thus leading to improvements in overall patient satisfaction and quality of life. (Allergy Asthma Proc 31:S9-S27, 2010; doi: 10.2500/aap.2010.31.3347)

Apoptosis and necrosis of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in goat milk with high and low somatic cell counts

The purpose of the present trial was to compare the percentages of necrotic and apoptotic polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) in goat milk with low and high somatic cell count (SCC). Twenty eight milk samples were collected from 20 lactating goats, determined to be negative in bacteriological examination, and divided in three groups, according to their SCC: samples with SCC lower than 500 x 10(3) cells/mL; between 500 and 1500 x 10(3) cells/mL; and higher than 1500 x 10(3) cells/m L. SCC was performed in an automatic somatic cell counter. Apoptosis and necrosis were quantified using dual-color flow cytometry with fluorescein labeled annexin-V and propidium iodide (PI). Results of the present study showed a significant positive correlation between the percentage of the viable PMNL and milk SCC(r = 0.495, P=0.008), as well as a significant negative correlation between apoptotic PMNL and milk SCC(r = -0.486, P = 0.009). Results also pointed out lower PMNL viability rates due to higher apoptosis rates in milk samples with SCC lower than 5 x 10(5) cells/mL. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On the direct product of two weak uniquely completable partial latin squares

In this note we show by counter-example that the direct product of two weak uniquely completable partial latin squares is not necessarily a uniquely completable partial latin square. This counter-example rejects a conjecture by Gower (see [3]) on the direct product of two uniquely completable partial latin squares.

General strain theory, situational anger, and social networks: An assessment of conditioning influences

Using a random sample of university students to test general strain theory (GST), this study expanded on previous tests of strain theory in two ways. First, situational anger was measured, a construct that had not been used thus far in assessments of general strain. In addition, this research examined the role of social support networks as a conditioning influence on the effects of strain and anger on intentions to commit three types of criminal behavior (serious assault, shoplifting, and driving under the influence of alcohol [DUI]). The results provided mixed support for GST. While the link between anger and crime was confirmed, the nature of that relationship in some cases ran counter to the theory. Moreover, the evidence indicated that the role of social support networks was complex, and varied as a conditioning influence on intentions to engage in criminal activities. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peacebuilding in East Timor

This essay analyses some of the political, economic and social challenges of East Timer's transition to independence. It scrutinizes the ethical dimensions of building peace in a territory devastated by the combined effect of Indonesia's colonial occupation and the violent militia attacks of September 1999. The most difficult task ahead does not lie in the physical rebuilding of the territory-gargantuan as it may be-but in the more intricate and long-term rehabilitation of a traumatized society. The latter involves competing Timorese factions as well as a range of international actors, including the United Nations Transitional Authority, foreign governments, business institutions and various multilateral and bilateral donors. each having their own organizational leitmotifs and policy priorities. If not managed carefully, the reconstruction process could further exacerbate existing societal tensions and complicate the starch for peace and reconciliation. The essay identifies a number of crucial components necessary to counter such risks, including the need to promote popular participation in the rebuilding process. Without the legitimacy created by strong community involvement and grassroots participation in decision making, the task of national reconstruction may well become overwhelmed by conflict.