A Meta-analysis of Mood Stabilizers for Alzheimer's Disease

The objective of this study was to assess the clinical evidence for or against mood stabilizers as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).We searched 5 databases from their inception to January 2010.Five randomized clinical trials of mood stabilizers to treat human patients suffering from AD were included.These trials assessed the effectiveness of mood stabilizers as an adjunct treatment to conventional anti-dementia drugs on behavioral and psychological symptoms, especially on agitation.Methodological quality was assessed using the Jadad score.The results suggested a significant effect in favor of placebo on the Mini-Mental Status Examination [n=270, weight mean difference (WMD), -0.89; 95% confidence intervals (CIs) -1.69 to -0.09, P=0.03] and on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory total (NPI total) (n=51, WMD, 3.71; 95% CIs 0.15 to 7.26, P=0.04).There were no significant differences in change scores on total Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS total), NPI/BPRS agitation, Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory total and Physical Self Maintenance Scale between mood stabilizers and placebo.Only one of these studies was free of methodological limittions (Jadad score=5).In conclusion, based on the existing evidence, mood stabilizers are ineffective or even harmful as a treatment for AD.

China's New Tax System Benefits Foreign Investors

To meet the requirements of a socialist market economy and overcome the inherent sharp contradictions of the former taxation system, China began reforming the structure of its tax system this year. The structural reform has been carried out under theguidelines of unifying the tax law, creating equal treatment, simplifying the tax system, building up a rational tax revenue sharing system, redressing distribution relationships, standardizing the mode

Architectures in the Shadow of ＂Investors＇ Urban Planning＂--Case Study of Avala Hotel in Budva, Montenegro

Avala Hotel in Budva, Montenegro, has undergone three reconstructions. Each of them led to significant spatial changes. The first hotel established the foundation of urbanization process in Budva, the building was too high compared to the old town walls in the surrounding and thus not well integrated. The second reconstruction was the only successful achievement. At this time, in the first detailed urban plan including hotel and its surrounding area, the conclusion was that it represents ＂high-quality, seaside-favorable ambience＂ that should not be harmed by further building expansion. The last, illegal reconstruction in 2006 resulted in over enlarged new building disrespectful of the surrounding and the previous design. Similarly, the 2008 new detailed urban plan was the creation of ＂investors＇ urban planning＂. Entirely driven by profit, it arranges building reconstructions with multiple enlargements. This study tends to point out contextual impacts of the three hotels on the surrounding area, with special focus on the last reconstruction and ＂investors＇ urban planning＂ phenomena. The applied research method is comparative, chronological analysis of the three hotels. The aim of this research paper is to inspire initiatives that will help overcoming declining and harmful synergy of architecture and new socio-economic phenomena. It is the only way leading to the significant architectural goal： creating refined, harmonized and high quality ambience.

Why Do Foreign Investors Favor China's Market

China has led developing countries in direct foreign investment for eight consecutive years, with an inflow of more than US$40 billion of international capital annually. China has become a real hotspot of investment favored by worldwide investors. What is the role foreign investment has played in China’s economic development over the past years? According to an analysis report recently released by the National Information Center, during the two decades between 1980-99, of the 9.7-percent average annual growth rate of the GDP, 2.7 percentage points were contributed directly or indirectly by foreign capital utilization. 1. How Does Foreign Capital Stimulate China’s Economic Growth?

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: Effects on Motor and Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

Introduction: In the last thirty years, brain neuromodulation techniques have been used as an alternative to pharmacological treatment of neurological disorders. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder leading to bradykinesia, rest tremor, postural changes, and non-motor symptoms such as depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, pain, and cognitive decline that compromises executive functions (EFs), responsible for the orderly execution of behaviors and tasks of daily life and intentional and directed actions. To this date, a few studies with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have shown beneficial effects in PD patients concerning specific motor and non-motor symptoms, targeting the motor cortex and/or prefrontal regions. Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of left prefrontal tDCS across a broad spectrum of motor and non-motor symptoms of PD using established validated scales. Method: Single-blind randomized clinical trial with 18 volunteers with PD, aged between 45 and 80 years (66.1 ± 9.65), who met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Participants were submitted to assessments of motor and non-motor functions employing psychometric scales and tests to evaluate EFs and were randomly divided into two groups: control (sham stimulation) and experimental (active stimulation). All participants were involved in three separate tDCS sessions. The anode was positioned over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the cathode over the right supraorbital region, with a direct current intensity of 2 mA, lasting 20 minutes. At the end of the three sessions, all participants were reassessed. Results: Significant effects of tDCS on non-motor functions were observed for cognition (verbal fluency of actions, clock copy test, appointment by visual confrontation, and verbal memory with immediate free recall) and subjective assessment of sleep quality (overall restlessness and discomfort in the arms and legs at night, leg and arm cramps at night and distressing dreams). There was also an improvement in the rate of errors and successes for congruent and incongruent stimuli of the Stroop Test. The beneficial effects on motor function were decreased rigidity, improved gait, and greater agility in the finger-tapping test. Conclusion: Three tDCS sessions showed positive results for participants with PD, producing significant improvements in various motor and non-motor functions, including sleep quality, cognition, and EFs. Additionally, the present results indicate that tDCS neuromodulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex region is feasible, safe, and provides significant objective benefits for PD patients.

书信中语篇人际意义的实现——从对“A Soldier’s Last Letter”语言的分析谈起

结合功能语言学理论,以"A Soldier’s Last Letter"中的部分段落为例进行分析,可以展示如何通过语气系统和情态系统来进行选择形成语篇,从而突显语言选择对语篇人际意义实现的重要性以及功能语言学在分析文学作品时的可行性。

An Analysis of Interpersonal Function of the Dialogues in the Film The King's Speech

Based on the framework of Halliday's theory of interpersonal function, this study intends to analyze the dialogues in the film The King's Speech from the three aspects of mood type, modal operator and vocative address by adopting both quantitative and qualitative methods. The significances of successful realizations of interpersonal function to the role characterization, plot development and thematic construction in the film are also demonstrated, thus deepening the understanding and appreciation of the film.

Depression and anxiety levels in therapy-nave patients with inflammatory bowel disease and cancer of the colon

AIM: To assess whether depression and anxiety are more expressed in patients with the first episode of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than in individuals with newly discovered cancer of the colon (CCa). METHODS: A total of 32 patients with IBD including 13 males and 19 females, aged 27 to 74, and 30 patients with CCa including 20 males and 10 females, aged 39-78, underwent a structured interview, which comprised Hamilton’s Depression Rating Inventory, Hamilton’s Anxiety Rating Inventory and Paykel’s Stressful Events Rating Scale. RESULTS: Patients of the IBD group expressed both depression and anxiety. Depressive mood, sense of guilt, psychomotor retardation and somatic anxiety were also more pronounced in IBD patients. The discriminant function analysis revealed the total depressive score was of high importance for the classification of a newly diagnosed patient into one of the groups. CONCLUSION: Newly diagnosed patients with IBD have higher levels of depression and anxiety. Moreover, a psychiatrist in the treatment team is advisable from the beginning.

Partial improvement in performance of patients with severe Alzheimer's disease at an early stage of fornix deep brain stimulation

Deep brain stimulation is a therapy for Alzheimer＇s disease（AD） that has previously been used for mainly mild to moderate cases. This study provides the first evidence of early alterations in performance induced by stimulation targeted at the fornix in severe AD patients. The performance of the five cases enrolled in this study was scored with specialized assessments including the Mini-Mental State Examination and Clinical Dementia Rating, both before and at an early stage after deep brain stimulation. The burden of caregivers was also evaluated using the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview. As a whole, the cognitive performance of patients remained stable or improved to varying degrees, and caregiver burden was decreased. Individually, an improved mental state or social performance was observed in three patients, and one of these three patients showed remarkable improvement in long-term memory. The conditions of another patient deteriorated because of inappropriate antipsychotic medications that were administered by his caregivers. Taken together, deep brain stimulation was capable of improving some cognitive aspects in patients with severe AD, and of ameliorating their emotional and social performance, at least at an early stage. However, long-term effects induced by deep brain stimulation in patients with severe AD need to be further validated. More research should focus on clarifying the mechanism of deep brain stimulation. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov（NCT03115814） on April 14, 2017.

Comedy Movies and Stock Returns of Locally Headquartered Companies:Evidence from China

We utilize data on comedy moviegoers from 18 cities in China to investigate the impact of the positive mood triggered by these movies on the stock returns of locally headquartered listed companies.We find that although these movies have no relation to investment itself,the sentiment triggered by these movies could affect the risk decision making of investors.Moreover,the stock returns of locally headquartered companies become significantly negative after comedy movies are screened in their respective cities.These results support the mood maintenance hypothesis.This research also provides new evidence for the presence of home bias in capital markets.

Is the 2008 financial turmoil increasing the risk of a bank run？ An empirical research in Geneva

In this paper, the authors present the results of an empirical study that attempts to analyse the risk of bank run in Geneva, Switzerland. Two similar surveys have been conducted upon two independent samples of Geneva population （June 2008 and February 2009） to detect the existence of predictive signals leading to a bank run within the selected area. The authors discover that Geneva inhabitants are generally confident in Swiss banks; the risk of a bank run in the area is low. However, reliance to the national banking system is worsening： The number of people fearing about their savings and those thinking the default of a major Swiss bank as ＂possible＂ has significantly risen. Also, more and more people keep updated about the current financial crisis; overall trust in Swiss banks has slightly decreased.

压力还是监督:机构投资者调研与企业金融化

基于2013—2021年深交所A股上市公司面板数据,从监督效应和压力效应两种竞争视角,考察机构投资者调研对企业金融化的影响。结果表明,机构投资者调研对企业金融化具有正向影响。划分金融资产配置结构后发现,机构投资者调研能够促进企业配置“蓄水池”类金融资产,抑制企业配置“投资替代”类金融资产,这说明机构投资者调研对企业金融资产配置具有监督效应。进一步研究发现,融资约束较低、代理成本较高的企业,机构投资者调研对其金融资产配置的监督效应更强;机构投资者调研对金融资产配置的监督效应有助于提高企业全要素生产率。研究结果对有关部门完善投资者关系管理,借助市场手段改善“脱实向虚”问题提供了可行依据。

A Comparative Study on Obama's Speeches from the Perspective of Interpersonal Function

This paper attempts to conduct a comparative study on Obama’s two speeches—his second inaugural address and his commencement speech in The Ohio State University in 2013 based on Halliday’s theory of Interpersonal Function.The author finds that mood,modality and personal pronouns are the major language means used to realize the interpersonal function;in his two speeches,Obama makes different choices of those resources,and different choices indicate different attitudes and intentions.

湖南衡山方言起责备性强调作用的语气词“时(s■11)”

湖南衡山方言前山话中“时[s■11]”做虚词里的语气词,分布在陈述句和反问句的中间和末尾,在对比中体现责备性质的强调语气,可以引入话题、承接话题、引起对比。它从时间词“时”逐步虚化出来。

54小时睡眠剥夺对4名健康志愿者情绪的影响

采用情绪状态问卷（ＰＯＭＳ）和状态－焦虑问卷（Ｓ－ＡＩ），对４名健康男性志愿者，在完全睡眠剥夺５４小时期间反复测量８次。结果表明随着睡眠剥夺时间延长，ＰＯＭＳ中的紧张－焦虑（Ｔ），困惑－迷茫（Ｃ）和疲惫－惰性（Ｆ）三项消极情绪状态值及Ｓ－ＡＩ得分逐渐增加，而ＰＯＭＳ中的积极情绪状态值即有力－好动（Ｖ）得分依次下降，其中以剥夺睡眠４５小时以后变化显著（Ｐ＜０．０５～０．０１）。

情绪代理变量对投资者决策的影响

情绪代理变量是指影响投资者对市场判断的非经济变量,主要包括天气、人体生物钟、月运周期、信念、社会事件、资本形象等。与蝴蝶效应类似,其影响在现实中往往被忽略了,但研究表明它们却会使股票市场出现巨大的波动。文章总结了两类情绪代理变量("错误归因"情绪变量和"启发式"情绪变量)对投资者决策产生影响的研究,这些研究结果可以使投资者从认识自己的情绪中获益,也可为我国决策层和监管层制定出合理的政策提供依据。

标准审计报告改进与投资者感知的相关性、有用性及投资决策——一项实验证据

为了提升审计报告的相关性和有用性等,国际审计与鉴证准则理事会(IAASB)和美国公众公司会计监督委员会(PCAOB)都在积极改进现行标准审计报告,提议在现行标准审计报告中强制和扩展使用强调段。本文基于心理和行为的视角,采用实验研究方法,分析和检验了改进的标准审计报告对个体投资者感知的审计报告相关性、有用性及投资者的投资决策的影响。研究发现,与现行的标准审计报告相比,对改进的标准审计报告,个体投资者感知的审计报告的相关性、有用性更强;同时发现了改进的标准审计报告影响个体投资者感知的审计报告有用性的具体路径。研究还发现,在改进的标准审计报告披露的信息中体现的管理层动机,影响了投资者的投资判断和决策。

投资者情绪对A股市场的影响研究

根据开户比例以及股市收益率的日数据和周数据,通过格兰杰因果关系来研究投资者情绪与股市是否存在因果关系,并建立向量自回归模型来考察投资者情绪变动与沪市和深市之间的影响关系。结果表明:不管是短期内还是长期内,投资者情绪短期内对深市的影响要大于沪市,在长期内投资者情绪对股市的影响要大于短期对股市影响,并且开户比例波动是沪深300指数收益率波动、上证A指收益率波动、深证A指收益率波动的Granger原因,但是反过来要依据期限不同而定。