Assessments of citizenship criteria:are immigrants more liberal?

The literature on citizenship policies is flourishing, yet we know little of which naturalisation requirements majorities and minorities find reasonable, and how they view existing citizenship regimes. Drawing on original survey data with young adults in Norway (N = 3535), comprising immigrants and descendants with origins from Iraq, Pakistan, Poland, Somalia and Turkey, as well as a nonimmigrant majority group, this article examines whether perceptions of ideal citizenship criteria and assessments of Norway’s current rules differ between groups. In terms of ideal citizenship criteria, we find a striking similarity across groups when looking at six different dimensions of citizenship policy. When merged into an index and estimated in a multivariate regression model, we find that both immigrants and descendants are significantly more liberal than natives are, yet the differences are small. When assessing the semi-strict citizenship regime in Norway, we find that immigrants are significantly more positive towards the current rules than natives. The results lend little support to recent work on ‘strategic’ and ‘instrumental’ citizenship and point instead to a close to universal conception of the terms of membership acquisition in Norway. This suggests that states may operate with moderate integration requirements while maintaining the legitimacy of the citizenship institution

Circuit dissection of the role of somatostatin in itch and pain

Stimuli that elicit itch are detected by sensory neurons that innervate the skin. This information is processed by the spinal cord; however, the way in which this occurs is still poorly understood. Here we investigated the neuronal pathways for itch neurotransmission, particularly the contribution of the neuropeptide somatostatin. We find that in the periphery, somatostatin is exclusively expressed in Nppb+ neurons, and we demonstrate that Nppb+somatostatin+ cells function as pruriceptors. Employing chemogenetics, pharmacology and cell-specific ablation methods, we demonstrate that somatostatin potentiates itch by inhibiting inhibitory dynorphin neurons, which results in disinhibition of GRPR+ neurons. Furthermore, elimination of somatostatin from primary afferents and/or from spinal interneurons demonstrates differential involvement of the peptide released from these sources in itch and pain. Our results define the neural circuit underlying somatostatin-induced itch and characterize a contrasting antinociceptive role for the peptide

Dosimetry of ⁶⁴Cu-DOTA-AE105, a PET tracer for uPAR imaging

Abstract64Cu-DOTA-AE105 is a novel positron emission tomography (PET) tracer specific to the human urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR). In preparation of using this tracer in humans, as a new promising method to distinguish between indolent and aggressive cancers, we have performed PET studies in mice to evaluate the in vivo biodistribution and estimate human dosimetry of 64Cu-DOTA-AE105.MethodsFive mice received iv tail injection of 64Cu-DOTA-AE105 and were PET/CT scanned 1, 4.5 and 22h post injection. Volume-of-interest (VOI) were manually drawn on the following organs: heart, lung, liver, kidney, spleen, intestine, muscle, bone and bladder. The activity concentrations in the mentioned organs [%ID/g] were used for the dosimetry calculation. The %ID/g of each organ at 1, 4.5 and 22h was scaled to human value based on a difference between organ and body weights. The scaled values were then exported to OLINDA software for computation of the human absorbed doses. The residence times as well as effective dose equivalent for male and female could be obtained for each organ. To validate this approach, of human projection using mouse data, five mice received iv tail injection of another 64Cu-DOTA peptide-based tracer, 64Cu-DOTA-TATE, and underwent same procedure as just described. The human dosimetry estimates were then compared with observed human dosimetry estimate recently found in a first-in-man study using 64Cu-DOTA-TATE.ResultsHuman estimates of 64Cu-DOTA-AE105 revealed the heart wall to receive the highest dose (0.0918mSv/MBq) followed by the liver (0.0815mSv/MBq), All other organs/tissue were estimated to receive doses in the range of 0.02–0.04mSv/MBq. The mean effective whole-body dose of 64Cu-DOTA-AE105 was estimated to be 0.0317mSv/MBq. Relatively good correlation between human predicted and observed dosimetry estimates for 64Cu-DOTA-TATE was found. Importantly, the effective whole body dose was predicted with very high precision (predicted value: 0.0252mSv/Mbq, Observed value: 0.0315mSv/MBq) thus validating our approach for human dosimetry estimation.ConclusionFavorable dosimetry estimates together with previously reported uPAR PET data fully support human testing of 64Cu-DOTA-AE105

Influence of Different Envelope Maskers on Signal Recognition and Neuronal Representation in the Auditory System of a Grasshopper

Background: Animals that communicate by sound face the problem that the signals arriving at the receiver often are degraded and masked by noise. Frequency filters in the receiver’s auditory system may improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by excluding parts of the spectrum which are not occupied by the species-specific signals. This solution, however, is hardly amenable to species that produce broad band signals or have ears with broad frequency tuning. In mammals auditory filters exist that work in the temporal domain of amplitude modulations (AM). Do insects also use this type of filtering? Principal Findings: Combining behavioural and neurophysiological experiments we investigated whether AM filters may improve the recognition of masked communication signals in grasshoppers. The AM pattern of the sound, its envelope, is crucial for signal recognition in these animals. We degraded the species-specific song by adding random fluctuations to its envelope. Six noise bands were used that differed in their overlap with the spectral content of the song envelope. If AM filters contribute to reduced masking, signal recognition should depend on the degree of overlap between the song envelope spectrum and the noise spectra. Contrary to this prediction, the resistance against signal degradation was the same for five of six masker bands. Most remarkably, the band with the strongest frequency overlap to the natural song envelope (0–100 Hz) impaired acceptance of degraded signals the least. To assess the noise filter capacities of singl

Encoding of amplitude modulations by auditory neurons of the locust: influence of modulation frequency, rise time, and modulation depth

Using modulation transfer functions (MTF), we investigated how sound patterns are processed within the auditory pathway of grasshoppers. Spike rates of auditory receptors and primary-like local neurons did not depend on modulation frequencies while other local and ascending neurons had lowpass, bandpass or bandstop properties. Local neurons exhibited broader dynamic ranges of their rate MTF that extended to higher modulation frequencies than those of most ascending neurons. We found no indication that a filter bank for modulation frequencies may exist in grasshoppers as has been proposed for the auditory system of mammals. The filter properties of half of the neurons changed to an allpass type with a 50% reduction of modulation depths. Contrasting to reports for mammals, the sensitivity to small modulation depths was not enhanced at higher processing stages. In ascending neurons, a focus on the range of low modulation frequencies was visible in the temporal MTFs, which describe the temporal locking of spikes to the signal envelope. To investigate the influence of stimulus rise time, we used rectangularly modulated stimuli instead of sinusoidally modulated ones. Unexpectedly, steep stimulus onsets had only small influence on the shape of MTF curves of 70% of neurons in our sample

Prevalence and factors associated with difficulty and intention to quit smoking in Switzerland

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Recent data indicate a slight decrease in the prevalence of smoking in Switzerland, but little is known regarding the intention and difficulty to quit smoking among current smokers. Hence, we aimed to quantify the difficulty and intention to quit smoking among current smokers in Switzerland. METHODS: Cross-sectional study including 607 female and 658 male smokers. Difficulty, intention and motivation to quit smoking were assessed by questionnaire. RESULTS: 90% of women and 85% of men reported being "very difficult" or "difficult" to quit smoking. Almost three quarters of smokers (73% of women and 71% of men) intended to quit; however, less than 20% of them were in the preparation stage and 40% were in the precontemplation stage. On multivariate analysis, difficulty to quit was lower among men (Odds ratio and 95% [confidence interval]: 0.51 [0.35-0.74]) and increased with nicotine dependence and number of previous quitting attempts (OR=3.14 [1.75-5.63] for 6+ attempts compared to none). Intention to quit decreased with increasing age (OR=0.48 [0.30-0.75] for [greater than or equal to]65 years compared to <45 years) and increased with nicotine dependence, the number of previous quitting attempts (OR=4.35 [2.76-6.83] for 6+ attempts compared to none) and among non-cigarette smokers (OR=0.51 [0.28-0.92]). Motivation to quit was inversely associated with nicotine dependence and positively associated with the number of previous quitting attempts and personal history of lung disease. CONCLUSION: Over two thirds of Swiss smokers want to quit. However, only a small fraction wishes to do so in the short term. Nicotine dependence, previous attempts to quit or previous history of lung disease are independently associated with difficulty and intention to quit

Pattern of statin use changes following media coverage of its side effects

Margit Kriegbaum,1 Kasper Bering Liisberg,2 Helle Wallach-Kildemoes3 1Department of Public Health, 2Department of Media, Cognition, and Communication, 3Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Background: The media plays a role in shaping opinions about medical decisions, for example, whether to initiate or stop treatment. An association between negative media attention and statin discontinuation has been demonstrated, but it may differ depending on the reason for prescription and whether the user is new (incident) or long term (prevalent).Aim: The aim of this study is to explore whether a Danish newspaper article featuring the side effects of statins affects statin discontinuation in incident versus prevalent users, with the reason for prescription also taken into account.Methods: The study relies on a quasi-experimental design and uses registry data on statin purchases to explore discontinuation and treatment duration. As a proxy for reason for prescription, data on filled prescriptions and hospital diagnoses from a Danish registry were used. We compared statin discontinuation in all statin users in Denmark in 2007 before the media event (n=343,438) and after it in 2008 (n=404,052).Results: Compared to 2007, statin discontinuation among prevalent users in 2008 increased by 2.97 percentage points (pp). The change in discontinuation varied with the indication for statin use. Those with myocardial infarction had the smallest increase (1.98 pp) and those with hypercholesterolemia or primary hypertension had the largest increase (3.54 pp). Incident statin users had a higher level of discontinuation and a larger difference in discontinuation between 2007 and 2008. Compared to 2007, more people (5.52 pp) discontinued statin treatment in 2008. Again, those with myocardial infarction had the smallest decrease in statin discontinuation (1.49 pp), while those with a potential atherosclerotic condition (7.05 pp) and hypercholesterolemia or primary hypertension (6.10 pp) had the largest increase.Conclusion: Statin discontinuation increased in 2008 following a media event, but especially among individuals prescribed statins for primary prevention and among new statin users. Keywords: statin discontinuation, media attention, quasi-experimental study, primary prevention, secondary preventio

Innovation and industrial strength A study in the United Kingdom, West Germany, the United States and Japan

Produced in association with the Anglo-German Foundation for the Study of Industrial SocietySIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:7762.841(PSI-RR--691) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Three monthly intravenous injections of ibandronate in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

PURPOSE: Oral treatment of osteoporosis with bisphosphonates relies on compliance, the absorption being low and suppressed by simultaneous food intake. Intravenous (IV) treatment with an aminobisphosphonate, pamidronate (once every 3 months) was effective, but required infusions. Ibandronate, a new very potent aminobisphosphonate, can be administered safely as an IV bolus injection, and therefore offers an interesting alternative suitable for outpatient treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: To test the efficacy of this bolus IV treatment in postmenopausal osteoporosis in randomized partly double-blind, placebo controlled study, 125 postmenopausal women (mean age, 64 years) with osteoporosis (bone mineral density [BMD] < -2.5 SD T score) received a placebo or ibandronate (0.25, 0.5, 1, or 2 mg) every 3 months. All patients received 1 g calcium/day. BMD, in g/cm2, was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at all standard sites. RESULTS: Lumbar spine BMD (L2 to L4) did not change (0.85%) in the placebo group, but increased by 2.4%, 3.5%, 3.7%, and 5.2% at 12 months for dose-ranging groups (no significant differences among ibandronate groups). The increase was statistically significantly different from placebo for the 0.5 mg (P < 0.006), 1 mg (P < 0.004), and 2 mg (P < 0.001) group, whereas with 0.25 mg no significant differences occured. After 1 year there were no significant changes in BMD compared with placebo at the femoral neck, Ward's triangle, and distal forearm. Total hip and trochanter BMD increased significantly, by 1.8% and 2.9% for total hip and by 2.7% and 4.2% for trochanter in the 1 and 2 mg group, respectively. Urinary excretion of C-telopeptide and N-telopeptide decreased after 1 month in all ibandronate groups, with a clear dose dependency. Three months after the first injection of 2 mg ibandronate there was still a significant reduction in these markers of bone resorption. Osteocalcin decreased progressively and dose dependently over time. There was a correlation between the decrease in C-telopeptide measured after 1 month and the increase in lumbar spine BMD after 1 year (n = 115, r = -0.26, P < 0.012). Ibandronate therapy proved to be safe. There was no significant difference in the overall number of adverse events in the ibandronate groups compared with the placebo group. Considering specific adverse events, no dose dependency and difference to placebo could be observed apart from acute reactions that occurred in 7% of the patients. CONCLUSION: Treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis by interval IV bolus injections of the bisphosphonate ibandronate was safe and effective in increasing BMD through a dose-dependent inhibition of bone resorption. The high potency of ibandronate allows 3-month interval bolus IV injections as a new therapeutic approach with optimal compliance