An examination of a proposed DSM-IV pathological gambling hierarchy in a treatment seeking population: similarities with substance dependence and evidence for three classification systems

Toce-Gerstein et al. (Addiction 98:1661–1672, 2003) investigated the distribution of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) pathological gambling criteria endorsement in a U.S. community sample for those people endorsing a least one of the DSM-IV criteria (n = 399). They proposed a hierarchy of gambling disorders where endorsement of 1–2 criteria were deemed ‘At-Risk’, 3–4 ‘Problem gamblers’, 5–7 ‘Low Pathological’, and 8–10 ‘High Pathological’ gamblers. This article examines these claims in a larger Australian treatment seeking population. Data from 4,349 clients attending specialist problem gambling services were assessed for meeting the ten DSM-IV pathological gambling criteria. Results found higher overall criteria endorsement frequencies, three components, a direct relationship between criteria endorsement and gambling severity, clustering of criteria similar to the Toce-Gerstein et al. taxonomy, high accuracy scores for numerical and criteria specific taxonomies, and also high accuracy scores for dichotomous pathological gambling diagnoses. These results suggest significant complexities in the frequencies of criteria reports and relationships between criteria.

Modifying the risk associated with an impulsive temperament: a prospective study of drug dependence treatment

The evidence linking the personality trait of impulsivity and substance misuse is well established. Importantly, impulsivity not only predicts substance misuse problems but has an association with duration in treatment, likelihood of completing treatment and time to relapse. Treatment that focuses on increasing awareness and acceptance of thoughts and emotions may potentially address impulsive behaviour and in this respect improve treatment outcomes for substance misuse. The current paper investigated the relationship between the facet of impulsivity that taps into poor inhibitory control and treatment outcome. In addition, there was a specific focus on ascertaining the impact of an increase in awareness and attentional control measured in 144 adult substance users receiving treatment in a residential therapeutic community. Impulsivity predicted poorer treatment outcome (measured as drug use severity). Increases in awareness and acceptance of emotions and thoughts during treatment were related to better outcome although this was not associated with baseline levels of impulsivity. Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Genetic polymorphisms in glutathione-S-transferases are associated with anxiety and mood disorders in nicotine dependence

Nicotine dependence is associated with an increased risk of mood and anxiety disorders and suicide. The primary hypothesis of this study was to identify whether the polymorphisms of two glutathione-S-transferase enzymes (GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes) predict an increased risk of mood and anxiety disorders in smokers with nicotine dependence.

Temperature and grain orientation dependence of mechanical twinning in a high manganese TWIP steel

 This thesis contains fundamental studies of the deformation mechanisms of the third generation steel at different deformation temperatures. To analyse the microstructure of the steel a unique characterisation technique was implemented for the first time. These analyses provided with vital parameters for modelling the stress-strain behaviour of the steel at different deformation temperatures.

Brain substrates of social decision-making in dual diagnosis: cocaine dependence and personality disorders

Cocaine dependence frequently co-occurs with personality disorders, leading to increased interpersonal problems and greater burden of disease. Personality disorders are characterised by patterns of thinking and feeling that divert from social expectations. However, the comorbidity between cocaine dependence and personality disorders has not been substantiated by measures of brain activation during social decision-making. We applied functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare brain activations evoked by a social decision-making task-the Ultimatum Game-in 24 cocaine dependents with personality disorders (CDPD), 19 cocaine dependents without comorbidities and 19 healthy controls. In the Ultimatum Game participants had to accept or reject bids made by another player to split monetary stakes. Offers varied in fairness (in fair offers the proposer shares ~50 percent of the money; in unfair offers the proposer shares <30 percent of the money), and participants were told that if they accept both players get the money, and if they reject both players lose it. We contrasted brain activations during unfair versus fair offers and accept versus reject choices. During evaluation of unfair offers CDPD displayed lower activation in the insula and the anterior cingulate cortex and higher activation in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex and superior frontal and temporal gyri. Frontal activations negatively correlated with emotion recognition. During rejection of offers CDPD displayed lower activation in the anterior cingulate cortex, striatum and midbrain. Dual diagnosis is linked to hypo-activation of the insula and anterior cingulate cortex and hyper-activation of frontal-temporal regions during social decision-making, which associates with poorer emotion recognition.

Orientation dependence of the deformation microstructure in a Fe-30Ni-Nb model austenitic steel subjected to hot uniaxial compression

The present work was aimed at a detailed investigation of the orientation dependence of the microstructure characteristics in a Fe-30Ni-Nb austenitic model steel subjected to hot uniaxial compression at 1198 K (925 °C) at a strain rate of 1 s−1 to several strain levels up to 1.0. The quantification of the substructure evolution as a function of strain was performed for the stable 〈011〉 oriented grains. Other grain orientations were also investigated in detail at a strain of 0.2. The 〈110〉 oriented grains contained self-screening arrays of “microbands” (MBs) aligned with high Schmid factor {111} slip planes. The MB crystallographic alignment was largely maintained up to a strain of 1.0, which suggests that the corresponding boundaries kept continuously rearranging themselves during straining and did not follow the sample shape change. The mean MB spacing decreased and misorientation angle increased with strain towards saturation, indicating the operation of the “repolygonization” dynamic recovery mechanism. The non-〈011〉 oriented grains displayed a strong tendency to split during deformation into deformation bands having alternating orientations and being mutually rotated by large angles. The bands were separated by transition regions comprising arrays of closely spaced, extended sub-boundaries collectively accommodating large misorientations across very small distances.

Economia evolucionária e path dependence do investimento externo japonês: um estudo do Leste Asiático no período pré Segunda Guerra Mundial

A abertura da economia e o reinício das relações econômicas japonesas com o exterior e o processo de industrialização da economia japonesa na Era Meiji levaram o Japão a investir no exterior. Os investimentos japoneses no exterior cresceram preponderantemente no Leste Asiático, concentrando-se nessa área até o término da Segunda Guerra Mundial. A tese mostra que existem restrições de caráter institucional e histórico, que impõem limitações às empresas quanto ao leque de opções para investirem no exterior. Uma vez que as empresas japonesas fizeram a opção, impostas por aquelas restrições, de investir no Leste Asiático, feedbacks positivos, propiciados pelos eventos históricos e institucionais, geraram auto-reforços, levando a um resultado de inflexibilidade - lock-in - para sair dessa região. A tese comprova que explicar os investimentos externos japoneses pelo modelo de economia evolucionária, através do processo de path dependence, que incorpora o caráter institucional e histórico, é mais plausível do que as interpretações convencionais.

The effects of commodity dependence on the brazilian economy: a test of the dutch disease hypothesis

A doença holandesa tornou-se amplamente conhecida na década de 1960, quando a descoberta repentina de reservatórios de gás natural em território holandês, na região do mar do norte, transformou o país em uma economia rica em recursos. A desagradável consequência que proveio da recém-adquirida abundância de commodities foi o declínio da próspera indústria holandesa, que perdeu sua competitividade devido à valorização do florim holandês, como consequência do aumento do influxo de capital estrangeiro no país. Desde então este fenômeno tem sido observado em diversos países que possuem abundância de commodities. O objetivo desta tese é aplicar o modelo da doença holandesa ao Brasil, já que a maior economia da América latina poderá também ter de encarar a ameaça de se tornar prisioneira da “armadilha das commodities”, devido à sua abundância de recursos naturais. O autor revisa a bibliografia básica abordando o tema geral da doença holandesa e dá enfoque a estudos realizados anteriormente no Brasil. Além disso, os quatro maiores sintomas que caracterizam a doença holandesa são testados: (1) valorização das taxas de câmbio do real, (2) declínio do setor industrial, (3) crescimento do setor de serviços, e (4) aumento dos salários. Todos estes sintomas foram observados e podem ser comprovados através das abordagens de cointegração ou de correlação, com exceção do sintoma número dois. Ainda que estes resultados sejam significativos, há muito outros fatores determinantes que influenciam o desenvolvimento dos sintomas examinados, motivo pelo qual futuros estudos serão necessários para se obtiver conclusões definitivas sobre como o Brasil é afetado pela doença holandesa.