An evaluation of the prescriptive utility of psychological bias theory in international relations

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Political Science, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-87).I evaluate the practical utility of psychological bias theory by examining two historical cases - the US decision to cross the 38th parallel in 1950 and the British policy of appeasement towards Germany in the 1930s - asking in each of these whether the theory could have helped policymakers to make better decisions. Drawing from the lessons of these two cases, I argue that psychological bias theory can help foreign-policymakers to improve their decisionmaking capabilities and hence increase their chances of achieving favorable outcomes in international politics. However, even if the prescriptions of the theory are adopted, there is no guarantee that positive outcomes will obtain in every case because outcomes are affected by at least two other factors that one largely cannot control: the availability of information and the misperceptions suffered by one's opponent. I also discuss other research methods that could be used to investigate the utility of the theory: examining how useful its prescriptions have been; looking at whether people can actually correct their psychological biases; and considering whether policymakers should attempt to rectify their biases.by Wilson Leung.S.M

Treatment of Head and Neck Cancers Using Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is one of the major treatments for head and neck cancers. This chapter discusses the importance of radiotherapy in treating the common types of head and neck cancers, which can be used as a primary treatment or as a postoperative adjuvant treatment to increase the survival of head and neck cancer patients. Because head and neck cancers are likely to be closely surrounded by radiation-sensitive vital organs, the dosimetric superiority of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to achieve highly conformal dose to the planning target volume (PTV) and avoidance of organs at risk (OARs) helps maintain the cornerstone role of radiotherapy in treating the disease. The rationale of IMRT and the treatment planning technique are introduced. Treatment planning of radiotherapy is one of the key procedures in IMRT. The inverse planning process involves many decision-making steps, including PTV and OAR delineation, beam arrangement settings, objective function setting, etc. These important steps are all illustrated in the chapter, with a specific discussion of planning challenges relevant to head and neck cancers. Finally, the promises for further development of IMRT in terms of OARs dose sparing and PTV dose escalation are briefly discussed and reviewed

The impact of positron emission tomography on primary tumour delineation and dosimetric outcome in intensity modulated radiotherapy of early T-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background: In intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), accurate delineation of the gross tumour volume (GTV) is important. Image registration of CT and MRI has been routinely used in treatment planning. With recent development of positron emission tomography (PET), the aims of this study were to evaluate the impact of PET on GTV delineation and dosimetric outcome in IMRT of early stage NPC patients.Methods: Twenty NPC patients with T1 or T2 disease treated by IMRT were recruited. For each patient, 2 sets of NP GTVs were delineated separately, in which one set was performed using CT and MRI registration only (GTVCM), while the other set was carried out using PET, CT and MRI information (GTVCMP). A 9-field IMRT plan was computed based on the target volumes generated from CT and MRI (PTVCM). To assess the geometric difference between the GTVCM and GTVCMP, GTV volumes and DICE similarity coefficient (DSC), which measured the geometrical similarity between the two GTVs, were recorded. To evaluate the dosimetric impact, the Dmax, Dmin, Dmean and D95 of PTVs were obtained from their dose volume histograms generated by the treatment planning system.Results: The overall mean volume of GTVCMP was greater than GTVCM by 4.4 %, in which GTVCMP was slightly greater in the T1 group but lower in the T2 group. The mean DSC of the whole group was 0.79 ± 0.05. Similar mean DSC values were also obtained from the T1 and T2 groups separately. The dosimetric parameters of PTVCM fulfilled the planning requirements. When applying this plan to the PTVCMP, the average Dmin (56.9 Gy) and D95 (68.6 Gy) of PTVCMP failed to meet the dose requirements and demonstrated significant differences from the PTVCM (p = 0.001 and 0.016 respectively), whereas the doses to GTVCMP did not show significant difference with the GTVCM.Conclusion: In IMRT of early stage NPC, PET was an important imaging modality in radiotherapy planning so as to avoid underdosing the PTV, although its effect on GTV delineation was not significant. It was recommended that PET images should be included in the treatment planning of NPC patients.Department of Health Technology and Informatic

A review of the pharmacological effects of Arctium lappa (burdock)

Abstract Arctium lappa, commonly known as burdock, is being promoted/recommended as a healthy and nutritive food in Chinese societies. Burdock has been used therapeutically in Europe, North America and Asia for hundreds of years. The roots, seeds and leaves of burdock have been investigated in view of its popular uses in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In this review, the reported therapeutic effects of the active compounds present in the different botanical parts of burdock are summarized. In the root, the active ingredients have been found to "detoxify" blood in terms of TCM and promote blood circulation to the skin surface, improving the skin quality/texture and curing skin diseases like eczema. Antioxidants and antidiabetic compounds have also been found in the root. In the seeds, some active compounds possess anti-inflammatory effects and potent inhibitory effects on the growth of tumors such as pancreatic carcinoma. In the leaf extract, the active compounds isolated can inhibit the growth of micro-organisms in the oral cavity. The medicinal uses of burdock in treating chronic diseases such as cancers, diabetes and AIDS have been reported. However, it is also essential to be aware of the side effects of burdock including contact dermatitis and other allergic/inflammatory responses that might be evoked by burdock

Efficacy of a Computerized Sensor System for Evaluation and Training of Dizzy Patients

Patients with vestibular hypofunction often experience dizziness and unsteadiness while moving their heads. Appropriate sensors can effectively detect a patient’s dynamic visual acuity and associated body balance control. Forty-one vestibular-deficit patients and 10 normal individuals were invited to participate in this study. Questionnaires, clinical assessment scales and objective measures were evaluated on participants’ first visits. After 12 sessions of training, all scales were evaluated again on vestibular-deficit patients. The computerized system was composed of sensors, including a gyro and strain gauges, data acquisition accessories and LabVIEW software. Results revealed that the system could effectively distinguish normal subjects from subjects with vestibular deficits. In addition, after a rehabilitation program, subjects’ subjective and objective performances were significantly improved. Based on our results, we concluded that the present system, which uses a gyro and strain gauges, may provide an effective method for assessing and treating vestibular-deficit patients

Towards a global partnership model in interprofessional education for cross-sector problem-solving

Objectives A partnership model in interprofessional education (IPE) is important in promoting a sense of global citizenship while preparing students for cross-sector problem-solving. However, the literature remains scant in providing useful guidance for the development of an IPE programme co-implemented by external partners. In this pioneering study, we describe the processes of forging global partnerships in co-implementing IPE and evaluate the programme in light of the preliminary data available. Methods This study is generally quantitative. We collected data from a total of 747 health and social care students from four higher education institutions. We utilized a descriptive narrative format and a quantitative design to present our experiences of running IPE with external partners and performed independent t-tests and analysis of variance to examine pretest and posttest mean differences in students’ data. Results We identified factors in establishing a cross-institutional IPE programme. These factors include complementarity of expertise, mutual benefits, internet connectivity, interactivity of design, and time difference. We found significant pretest–posttest differences in students’ readiness for interprofessional learning (teamwork and collaboration, positive professional identity, roles, and responsibilities). We also found a significant decrease in students’ social interaction anxiety after the IPE simulation. Conclusions The narrative of our experiences described in this manuscript could be considered by higher education institutions seeking to forge meaningful external partnerships in their effort to establish interprofessional global health education

An analysis of the implementation of the public sector reform in Hong Kong: a case study of the executive officers'response to the reform at a typical government department

published_or_final_versionBusiness AdministrationMasterMaster of Business Administratio

Involvement of organic cation transporter-3 and plasma membrane monoamine transporter in serotonin uptake in human brain vascular smooth muscle cells

The serotonin (5-HT) uptake system is supposed to play a crucial part in vascular functions by “fine-tuning” the local concentration of 5-HT in the vicinity of 5-HT2 receptors in vascular smooth muscle cells. In this study, the mechanism of 5-HT uptake in human brain vascular smooth muscle cells (HBVSMCs) was investigated. [3H]5-HT uptake in HBVSMCs was Na+-independent. Kinetic analyses of [3H]5-HT uptake in HBVSMCs revealed a Km of 50.36 ± 10.2 mM and a Vmax of 1033.61 ± 98.86 pmol/mg protein/min. The specific serotonin re-uptake transporter (SERT) inhibitor citalopram, the specific norepinephrine transporter (NET) inhibitor desipramine, and the dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibitor GBR12935 inhibited 5-HT uptake in HBVSMCs with IC50 values of 97.03 ± 40.10, 10.49 ± 5.98, and 2.80 ± 1.04 μM, respectively. These IC50 values were 100-fold higher than data reported by other authors, suggesting that those inhibitors were not blocking their corresponding transporters. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results demonstrated the presence of mRNA for organic cation transporter (OCT)-3 and plasma membrane monoamine transporter (PMAT), but the absence of OCT-1, OCT-2, SERT, NET, and DAT. siRNA knockdown of OCT-3 and PMAT specifically attenuated 5-HT uptake in HBVSMCs. It is concluded that 5-HT uptake in HBVSMCs was mediated predominantly by a low-affinity and Na+-independent mechanism. The most probable candidates are OCT-3 and PMAT, but not the SERT