bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La puissance de la collaboration: Inclure les points de vue du système de santé canadien dans des réseaux d'achats intégrés réceptifs
Authors: Valaitis Cynthia
Published: October 2012

En qualité d'organisme de groupement d'achats pour le système de santé canadien, Health PRO Procurement Services Inc. explore constamment les possibilités de créer des réseaux d'achats plus intégrés, concertés et réceptifs au sein du système de santé. À cet effet, le texte suivant présente 1) un examen des principaux défis et possibilités de collaboration dans le secteur de la santé, d'après des entrevues avec des cadres supérieurs du secteur et 2) une étude de cas des comités consultatifs de Health PRO, axée sur les résultats et les possibilités de futur approvisionnement concerté. La création de réseaux d'achats plus intégrés pourrait contribuer à soutenir une stratégie d'approvisionnement canadienne plus novatrice, créatrice de valeur et réceptive aux patients et au marché. Pour ce faire, il faut une culture de partage du savoir et de collaboration au Canada, que Health PRO s'engage à favoriser.
Déterminer les tendances et les transitions dans la prise en charge de patients atteints de schizophrénie aux consultations externes des hôpitaux
Authors: Koczerginski David , Thompson Lorna
Published: October 2012

La schizophrénie s'associe à de nombreuses rechutes et à des frais d'hospitalisation importants en soins de courte et de longue durée. Les auteurs étudient les schèmes de prise en charge de la schizophrénie de six programmes de santé mentale en consultations externes afin de déterminer les pratiques exemplaires des services de consultations externes auprès de cette population. Le présent rapport traite des thèmes et tendances préliminaires qui contribuent à la compliance au traitement ainsi que des issues cliniques positives. Les thèmes abordés sont la continuité des soins et la gestion des transitions, la prise en charge des comorbidités, le traitement vers le mieux-être, l'importance de la communication au sein des équipes multidisciplinaires et la prise en charge des médicaments. Des idées qui appuient la promotion de ces thèmes sont également présentées.
Les ruptures d'approvisionnement en médicaments: Les stratégies canadiennes pour un problème mondial complexe
Authors: Boyle Kathleen
Published: October 2012

Les ruptures d'approvisionnement en médicaments sont un problème mondial complexe. Des chaînes d'approvisionnement mondiales de plus en plus complexes, une réglementation plus rigoureuse au sujet des médicaments et la situation économique exposent les Canadiens à un plus grand risque de pénurie. Puisque le Canada ne représente qu'une part limitée du marché mondial des médicaments, tous les intervenants, qu'il s'agisse des hôpitaux, des organisations de services partagés, des organismes de groupement d'achats (OGA), des réseaux de fournisseurs ou des gouvernements, doivent coordonner leurs efforts afin de trouver une solution de marché efficace aux ruptures récurrentes d'approvisionnement. D'après une collaboration continue entre Health PRO Procurement Services Inc. et des intervenants nationaux des divers paliers de la santé, le présent article porte sur les causes premières des ruptures d'approvisionnement en médicaments au Canada et contient des recommandations pour garantir des sources d'approvisionnement fiables. Les OGA sont capitaux à cet égard. En créant des processus d'attribution de contrats qui appuient la concurrence du marché, les OGA peuvent améliorer la fiabilité des approvisionnements de produits médicaux nécessaires, tout en créant une stratégie d'approvisionnement plus flexible qui appuie la concurrence, tire profit de l'innovation, crée de la valeur et s'adapte plus rapidement aux marchés mondiaux volatils et à l'évolution des besoins des patients.
Predictive validity and diagnostic stability of mild cognitive impairment subtypes
Authors: Han Ji Won , Kim Tae Hui , Lee Seok Bum , Park Joon Hyuk , Lee Jung Jae , Huh Yoonseok , Park Jee Eun , Jhoo Jin Hyeong , Lee Dong Young , Kim Ki Woong
Published: October 2012

Background

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is subclassified into four subtypes by the presence of impairment in the memory domain (amnestic vs nonamnestic) and the number of impaired cognitive domains (single vs multiple). However, predictive validity for outcomes of these criteria and the diagnostic stability of the subtypes are questionable.

Methods

We investigated the outcomes of 140 patients with MCI who participated in the baseline study of the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging and completed the 18‐month follow‐up evaluation (mean duration of follow‐up = 1.57 ± 0.24 years). We evaluated the predictive validity of the criteria using multinomial logistic regression analyses, and the diagnostic stability of MCI subtypes using annual conversion rates between subtypes.

Results

Compared with the single‐domain type (MCIs), the multiple‐domain type (MCIm) had a lower chance of reversion to normal cognition (MCIm = 10.94%, MCIs = 43.42%) and higher risk of conversion to dementia (MCIm = 23.44%, MCIs = 5.26%). The difference in the reversion rate between the multiple‐ and single‐domain type was statistically significant (odds ratio = 0.233, 95% confidence interval = 0.070–0.771, P = .017). However, neither the chance of reversion nor the risk of conversion was different between amnestic and nonamnestic subtypes. Among the 81 participants who neither converted to dementia nor reverted to normal cognition, 39 converted to different subtype (annual conversion rate = 17.74%).

Conclusions

The number of impaired cognitive domains, but not the presence of memory impairment, predicted poor outcomes in people with MCI. However, MCI subtype was diagnostically unstable.
Differential prediction of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease in nondemented older adults within 5 years of initial testing
Authors: Brewster Paul W.H. , McDowell Ian , Moineddin Rahim , Tierney Mary C.
Published: October 2012

Objective

To determine whether neuropsychological tests and the Hachinski Ischemic Score (HIS) can differentiate incident vascular dementia (VaD) from Alzheimer's disease (AD) in nondemented older adults within 5 years of initial testing.

Methods

The Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA) included three waves: CSHA‐1 (1991–1992), CSHA‐2 (1996–1997), and CSHA‐3 (2001–2002). This analysis included participants of the CSHA who (a) underwent neuropsychological testing and clinical assessment at CSHA‐2 and were determined to be nondemented, and (b) underwent diagnostic assessment at CSHA‐3. The outcome measure was CSHA‐3 diagnosis, classified as VaD (n = 22), probable or possible AD (n = 65), and all other diagnostic outcomes (n = 417). CSHA‐3 diagnosticians were blinded to CSHA‐2 test scores and diagnoses. Multinomial logistic regression with forward selection was used to determine the ability of the HIS and 15 CSHA‐2 neuropsychological tests to predict CSHA‐3 diagnostic outcome. The analysis was repeated after removing 15 AD cases with coexisting vascular disease.

Results

The HIS and four neuropsychological tests were significant predictors of CSHA‐3 diagnostic outcome (χ2 (14) = 149.59, P < .001, R2 = 0.38). Relative to developing VaD, higher HIS (odds ratio [OR]: 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.57–0.86) and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test immediate verbal recall scores (OR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.62–0.97) were associated with lowered odds of developing AD, whereas higher phonemic fluency scores (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.02–1.17) were associated with increased odds of developing AD. Removing AD cases with vascular disease did not affect results.

Conclusions

In an epidemiological sample of nondemented participants, the HIS and two neuropsychological tests contributed to the differential prediction of VaD and AD within 5 years of initial measurement.
Longitudinal modeling of cognitive aging and the TOMM40 effect
Authors: Caselli Richard J. , Dueck Amylou C. , Huentelman Matthew J. , Lutz Michael W. , Saunders Ann M. , Reiman Eric M. , Roses Allen D.
Published: October 2012

Background

TOMM40 (translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane pore subunit) is in linkage disequilibrium with apolipoprotein E (APOE). APOE e4 is linked to long (L; 21–29 T residues) poly‐T variants within intron 6 of TOMM40, whereas APOE e3 can be associated with either a short (S; <21 T residues) or very long (VL; >29 T residues) variant. To assess the possible contribution of TOMM40 to Alzheimer's disease onset, we compared the effects of TOMM40 and APOE genotype on preclinical longitudinal memory decline.

Methods

An APOE e4–enriched cohort of 639 cognitively normal individuals aged 21 to 97 years with known TOMM40 genotype underwent longitudinal neuropsychological testing every 2 years. We estimated the longitudinal effect of age on memory using statistical models that simultaneously modeled cross‐sectional and longitudinal effects of age on the Auditory Verbal Learning Test Long‐Term Memory score by APOE, TOMM40, and the interaction between the two.

Results

There were significant effects overall for both TOMM40 (linear effect, P = .04; quadratic effect, P = .03) and APOE (linear effect, P = .06; quadratic effect, P = .008), with no significant interaction (P = .63). In a piecewise model, there was a significant TOMM40 effect before age 60 years (P = .009), characterized by flattened test–retest improvement (VL/VL subgroup only) but no significant APOE effect, and a significant APOE effect after age 60 years (P = .006), characterized by accelerated memory decline (e4 carriers) but no significant TOMM40 effect.

Conclusion

Both TOMM40 and APOE significantly influence age‐related memory performance, but they appear to do so independently of each other.
Computer‐related self‐efficacy and anxiety in older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Wild Katherine V. , Mattek Nora C. , Maxwell Shoshana A. , Dodge Hiroko H. , Jimison Holly B. , Kaye Jeffrey A.
Published: October 2012

This study examines differences in computer‐related self‐efficacy and anxiety in subgroups of older adults, and changes in those measures after exposure to a systematic training program and subsequent computer use.

Methods

Participants were volunteers in the Intelligent Systems for Assessment of Aging Changes study (ISAAC) carried out by the Oregon Center for Aging and Technology. Participants were administered two questionnaires before training and again 1 year later, which were related to computer self‐efficacy and anxiety. Continuous recording of computer use was also assessed for a subset of participants.

Results

Baseline comparisons by sex, age, education, living arrangement, and computer proficiency, but not cognitive status, yielded significant differences in confidence and anxiety related to specific aspects of computer use. At 1‐year follow‐up, participants reported less anxiety and greater confidence. However, the benefits of training and exposure varied by group and task. Comparisons based on cognitive status showed that the cognitively intact participants benefited more from training and/or experience with computers than did participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who after 1 year continued to report less confidence and more anxiety regarding certain aspects of computer use.

Conclusion

After 1 year of consistent computer use, cognitively intact participants in this study reported reduced levels of anxiety and increased self‐confidence in their ability to perform specific computer tasks. Participants with MCI at baseline were less likely to demonstrate increased efficacy or confidence than their cognitively intact counterparts.
Effectiveness of antidementia drugs in delaying Alzheimer's disease progression
Authors: Rountree Susan D. , Atri Alireza , Lopez Oscar L. , Doody Rachelle S.
Published: October 2012

Background

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provide safety and efficacy data for regulatory approval of antidementia drugs, but offer limited data regarding real‐world effectiveness. Long‐term observational controlled studies (LTOCs) extend our understanding by providing longitudinal data across multiple stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods

Comparisons of strengths, limitations, evidence level, and results for monotherapy (cholinesterase inhibitors) and combination therapy (cholinesterase inhibitors + memantine) in RCTs versus LTOCs were made.

Results

Similar to RCTs, LTOCs have shown that both monotherapy and combination therapy are associated with slower cognitive and functional decline. Combination therapy is associated with better cognitive outcomes and greater delays in time to nursing home admission versus monotherapy or no treatment. Persistent antidementia drug treatment is associated with slower decline in cognition, daily function, and global severity, even in patients with advanced disease.

Conclusions

LTOCs provide complementary evidence regarding effectiveness of antidementia therapy over many years, a time course relevant to AD management. These findings also provide compelling arguments in favor of using LTOCs to estimate effectiveness, risk–benefit, and costs of AD treatments.
Whole‐Body Vibration During Passive Standing in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury: Effects of Plate Choice, Frequency, Amplitude, and Subject's Posture on Vibration Propagation
Authors: Alizadeh‐Meghrazi Milad , Masani Kei , Popovic Milos R. , Craven Beverley Catharine
Published: October 2012

Background

To date, few pharmacologic or rehabilitation interventions for sublesional osteoporosis (SLOP) or low bone mass of the hip and knee regions after spinal cord injury (SCI) have produced significant or sustained increases in lower extremity bone mineral density. Whole body vibration (WBV) is a potential intervention for the prevention and/or treatment of SLOP.

Objective

To identify the optimal WBV conditions (ie, plate, frequency, amplitude, and subject posture) among men with chronic SCI during passive standing and facilitate the implementation and future evaluation of the efficacy of WBV and passive standing for prevention and treatment of SLOP in men with SCI.

Design

This phase 0 device development study assessed the lower extremity propagation characteristics of WBV in men with and without SCI by using a variety of a priori specified plates, frequencies, amplitudes, and postures that facilitate lower extremity vibration absorption while minimizing vibration propagation to the head.

Setting

A tertiary SCI rehabilitation center in Toronto, Canada.

Participants

Healthy men with chronic paraplegia (n = 5) and those without SCI (n = 7), ages 20‐50 years, weight 68‐113 kg, and height 168‐188 cm.

Interventions

An EasyStand standing frame (Altimate Medical Inc, Morton, MN) was fitted onto 2 commercially available vibration platforms: WAVE (WAVE Manufacturing Inc, Windsor, Ontario, Canada) and Juvent (Juvent Medical Inc, Somerset, NJ). Accelerometers were attached to the participants' forehead, hip, knee, and ankle to measure vibration propagation. Vibration parameters evaluated were posture (knee angles of 140°, 160°, and 180° [180° for Juvent only]), vibration frequency (25 Hz, 35 Hz, and 45 Hz), and vibration amplitude (0.6 mm and 1.2 mm [WAVE only]). The subjects were exposed to all combinations of posture, frequencies, and amplitudes during the experiments (total parameter combinations: 12 WAVE and 9 Juvent).

Main Outcome Measurements

Peak‐to‐peak vibration and transmissibility of vibration were recorded and computed for each accelerometer at the tested locations.

Results

Variations in frequency generated the most noticeable changes in propagation characteristics, followed by variations in knee angle and amplitude.

Conclusions

WBV therapy delivered with use of the WAVE platform with a knee angle of 140°, plate frequency of 45 Hz, and amplitude of 1.2 mm met our a priori criteria for the “optimal WBV condition.” Future studies should evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the WAVE platform by using these parameters to maintain or augment bone mass among persons with SCI and SLOP.
Vesalius Revised. His Annotations to the 1555Fabrica1
Authors: Nutton Vivian
Published: October 2012

TheDe humani corporis fabrica[The Fabric of the Human Body], Basle, 1543, of Andreas Vesalius is deservedly famous as the first modern book of anatomy. A second edition was published in Basle in 1555, but little is known of Vesalius’ activities after that date. This article discusses a recent find: Vesalius’ own copy of the 1555 edition, heavily annotated in preparation for a never published third edition. Vesalius made hundreds of changes to the second edition, the great majority being stylistic, altering the Latin words but not the overall meaning. There are also changes to the plates to give greater clarity or to correct mistakes by the original block-cutter. There is little new anatomical material, although Vesalius continued to meditate about what he had earlier discovered. He shows no sign of being acquainted with the findings of others, like Colombo or Falloppia, that were published after he had moved his residence from Brussels to Spain in summer 1559, perhaps leaving this volume behind. The number of annotations shows Vesalius’ passionate concern not only for accuracy but also for the most effective way of proclaiming his new anatomical message.
The Chemistry of Famine: Nutritional Controversies and the Irish Famine, c.1845–7
Authors: Miller Ian
Published: October 2012

The activities of Irish medical practitioners in relieving the impact of the Irish Famine (c.1845–52) have been well documented. However, analysis of the function of contemporary medico-scientificideasrelating to food has remained mostly absent from Famine historiography. This is surprising, given the burgeoning influence of Liebigian chemistry and the rising social prominence of nutritional science in the 1840s. Within this article, I argue that the Famine opened up avenues for advocates of the social value of nutritional science to engage with politico-economic discussion regarding Irish dietary, social and economic transformation. Nutritional science was prominent within the activities of the Scientific Commission, the Central Board of Health and in debates regarding soup kitchen schemes. However, the practical inefficacy of many scientific suggestions resulted in public associations being forged between nutritional science and the inefficiencies of state relief policy, whilst emergent tensions between the state, science and the public encouraged scientists in Ireland to gradually distance themselves from state-sponsored relief practices.
Between Prevention and Therapy: Gio Batta Gori and the National Cancer Institute’s Diet, Nutrition and Cancer Programme, 1974–1978
Authors: Cantor David
Published: October 2012

This paper explores the origins of the Diet, Nutrition and Cancer Programme (DNCP) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and its fate under its first director, Gio Batta Gori. The DNCP is used to explore the emergence of federal support for research on diet, nutrition and cancer following the 1971 Cancer Act, the complex relations between cancer prevention and therapeutics in the NCI during the 1970s, the broader politics around diet, nutrition and cancer during that decade, and their relations to Senator George McGovern’s select committee on Nutrition and Human Needs. It also provides a window onto the debates and struggles over whether NCI research should be funded by contracts or grants, the nature of the patronage system within the federal cancer research agency, how a director, Gio Gori, lost patronage within that system and how a tightening of the budget for cancer research in the mid-to-late 1970s affected the DNCP.
Keeping Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer? Information Networks in Legislative Politics
Authors: Ringe Nils , Victor Jennifer Nicoll , Gross Justin H.
Published: October 2012

The authors contribute to the existing literature on the determinants of legislative voting by offering a social network-based theory about the ways that legislators’ social relationships affect floor voting behaviour. It is argued that legislators establish contacts with both political friends and enemies, and that they use the information they receive from these contacts to increase their confidence in their own policy positions. Social contacts between political allies have greater value the more the two alliesagreeon policy issues, while social contacts between political adversaries have greater value the more the two adversariesdisagreeon policy issues. To test these propositions, we use social network analysis tools and demonstrate how to account for network dependence using a multilevel modelling approach.
Tax Reform as Social Policy: Adjusting to change in interwar Japan
Authors: REVELANT ANDREA
Published: October 2012

In the wide domain of finance, taxation is one of the issues to which public opinion is most sensitive. This paper explores why tax reform was hotly debated in Japan throughout the 1920s, focusing on the policies of the two main political parties. Though a topic rarely treated by historians, this controversy reveals a wealth of information on the concerns that lay behind policy choices in years that were marked by economic instability and social unrest; it shows, in particular, how the ruling elites tried to attenuate class conflict by enhancing the redistributive function of taxes, which had thus far been subordinated to the encouragement of rapid economic growth and the financing of state investment. While these attempts deserve attention as tentative steps towards the development of a welfare state, their limits indicate that the parties, in spite of extending the suffrage during this period, retained strong links with a restricted network of established constituents. This paper dwells especially on the earliest and least studied phase of the dispute on tax reform, in order to prove that the emergence of distinct party platforms did not stem simply from tactical considerations, but was rooted in broader policy visions.
Behavior genetics and postgenomics
Authors: Charney Evan
Published: October 2012

The science of genetics is undergoing a paradigm shift. Recent discoveries, including the activity of retrotransposons, the extent of copy number variations, somatic and chromosomal mosaicism, and the nature of the epigenome as a regulator of DNA expressivity, are challenging a series of dogmas concerning the nature of the genome and the relationship between genotype and phenotype. According to three widely held dogmas, DNA is the unchanging template of heredity, is identical in all the cells and tissues of the body, and is the sole agent of inheritance. Rather than being an unchanging template, DNA appears subject to a good deal of environmentally induced change. Instead of identical DNA in all the cells of the body, somatic mosaicism appears to be the normal human condition. And DNA can no longer be considered the sole agent of inheritance. We now know that the epigenome, which regulates gene expressivity, can be inherited via the germline. These developments are particularly significant for behavior genetics for at least three reasons: First, epigenetic regulation, DNA variability, and somatic mosaicism appear to be particularly prevalent in the human brain and probably are involved in much of human behavior; second, they have important implications for the validity of heritability and gene association studies, the methodologies that largely define the discipline of behavior genetics; and third, they appear to play a critical role in development during the perinatal period and, in particular, in enabling phenotypic plasticity in offspring. I examine one of the central claims to emerge from the use of heritability studies in the behavioral sciences, the principle of minimal shared maternal effects, in light of the growing awareness that the maternal perinatal environment is a critical venue for the exercise of adaptive phenotypic plasticity. This consideration has important implications for both developmental and evolutionary biology.
Twin and family studies are actually more important than ever
Authors: Burt S. Alexandra
Published: October 2012

Charney argues that the presence of inherited epigenetic effects makes twin, family, and adoption studies obsolete. This argument relies on both a faulty characterization of these studies and indirect comparisons of DNA and “neogenetic” factors. I argue that twin and family studies will in fact serve a necessary and vital role in the study of epigenetic and neogenetic processes.
The fate of heritability in the postgenomic era
Authors: MacDonald Kevin , LaFreniere Peter J.
Published: October 2012

This commentary argues that age changes in heritability are incompatible with Charney's theory. The new genetics must be tempered by the findings that many epigenetic phenomena are random and are linked to pathology, thus making them peripheral to the design of complex adaptations. Behavior-genetic findings are compatible with strong maternal effects; G × E correlations likely underestimate environmental effects; and G × E interactions are unlikely to be an important aspect of normal development.
A developmental science commentary on Charney's “Behavior genetics and postgenomics”
Authors: Michel George F.
Published: October 2012

Charney's target article convincingly demonstrates the need for the discipline of quantitative human behavior genetics to discard its false assumptions and to employ the techniques, assumptions, and research program characteristic of modern developmental psychobiology.
Relational developmental systems: A paradigm for developmental science in the postgenomic era
Authors: Overton Willis F. , Lerner Richard M.
Published: October 2012

This commentary argues that the anomalies suffered by the population behavior genetics paradigm are more widespread than suggested by Charney, including many made in the field of developmental science. Further, it is argued that, according to the criteria established by Kuhn, there is and has been available an alternative scientific paradigm that provides the formative context for Charney's postgenomic view. This is the relational developmental systems paradigm.
The history of the nature/nurture issue
Authors: Pléh Csaba
Published: October 2012

It is worthy to supplement Charney with two historical issues: (1) There were two rival trends in the rebirth of genetic thought in the 1960s: the universal and the variation related. This traditional duality suggested that heredity cannot be equated with genetic determinism. (2) The classical debates and reinterpretation of adoption/twin studies in the 1980s regarding intelligence suggested that the environment had a more active role in unfolding the genetic program.
Epigenetic regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor: Implications in neurodevelopment and behavior
Authors: Schanker Benjamin D.
Published: October 2012

Several recent research findings have implicated brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a mediator of neuronal plasticity. The BDNF gene is under extensive epigenetic regulation, which modulates how much or how little environmental experiences become encoded within neurons and neural circuits. Future scientific progress within the postgenomic paradigm requires elucidation of the functional trajectory in neogenetic and environment interactions.
A straw man's neogenome
Authors: Vilarroya Oscar
Published: October 2012

The neogenome has indeed changed how to understand the relationship between genotype and phenotype. However, this does not imply a paradigm shift, but simply a normal development of a young science. Charney creates a straw man out of the myth of an immutable genetics, and conveys the wrong idea that heritability studies and gene association studies are no longer valid.
Neogenomic events challenge current models of heritability, neuronal plasticity dynamics, and machine learning
Authors: Teixeira Cláudio Eduardo Corrêa , de Carvalho-Filho Nelson Monte , Silveira Luiz Carlos de Lima
Published: October 2012

We address current needs for neogenomics-based theoretical and computational approaches for several neuroscience research fields, from investigations of heritability properties, passing by investigations of spatiotemporal dynamics in the neuromodulatory microcircuits involved in perceptual learning and attentional shifts, to the application of genetic algorithms to create robots exhibiting ongoing emergence.
Protection mechanisms in the old-age pension systems of the CEE countries
Authors: KAWIŃSKI MARCIN , STAŃKO DARIUSZ , RUTECKA JOANNA
Published: October 2012

Since 1990s, substantial changes in the role of the state in the social security schemes can be observed in the countries of the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). While the general framework of social benefits in the CEE countries is still defined by the state, more and more often the task of provision of social security is transferred to the private entities. Such privatization of social policy makes the need for protection mechanism and some state guarantees even stronger. It is still the state that is responsible for the final outcome of social security systems so that is why governments are directly providing or indirectly creating safety mechanisms built-in the private market mechanism used for social purposes. The paper surveys various types of the protection mechanisms in selected CEE countries that exist in the important and already most privatized element of the social security system – the pension system. While describing the safety measures and possible guarantees, special attention is paid to the new forms that have been built up recently. The paper covers both mandatory and voluntary pension markets and identifies present and possible threats in the existing frameworks that can harm the social security. The paper concludes with general assessment and policy recommendations.
Conceptualizing, measuring and financing the legacy costs in an NDC reform
Authors: HOLZMANN ROBERT , JOUSTEN ALAIN
Published: October 2012

The paper provides a framework for the conceptualization, definition and measurement of the legacy costs that needs to be addressed in a reform that transforms an unfunded (or non-financial) defined benefit (NDB) scheme into an equally unfunded notional (or non-financial) defined contribution (NDC) scheme. During a transition from NDB to NDC a financing gap typically arises due to accrued to date liabilities from the old system in excess of the NDC scheme's sustainable flow of benefits. This gap – or legacy cost – needs to be estimated and best explicitly financed. We illustrate different techniques to gauge the scope of the cost. The paper applies the proposed approach to a hypothetical NDC reform in China.
Random genomic scans at microsatellite loci for genetic diversity estimation in cold-adaptedLepidium latifolium
Authors: Grover Atul , Mohan Gupta Sanjay , Pandey Pankaj , Singh Sadhana , Ahmed Zakwan
Published: October 2012

Lepidium latifoliumL. (Brassicaceae) grows successfully in a high-altitude cold arid environment. Little molecular data are available for this plant despite its immense ecological importance as a cold- and drought-adapted species. We used a novel approach to identify microsatellite regions using genome walker libraries, called as Random Scans at Microsatellite Regions (RaSMiR), and implemented them on genotypes collected from relatively different topographical conditions within a small geographical area. The success rate of finding a microsatellite sequence using this methodology was 100%, and on developing the RaSMiR technique itself as a molecular marker, 230 electrophoretic bands were obtained using 13 different RaSMiR primers in combination with a microsatellite sequence primer. On an average, 17 bands were obtained for each primer. The electrophoretic profiles generated by RaSMiR markers were distinct from those produced by inter-simple sequence repeat markers. This information has been documented as a dominant marker data, and has been used to construct a neighbour-joining tree that successfully distinguished all genotypes. RaSMiR is an attractive approach for the development of unique and informative microsatellites, or for genome scanning directly as a molecular marker that can potentially be employed for the estimation of genetic diversity or to identify polymorphic loci involved in adaptations particularly in the non-model species, for which sufficient genomic data are not available.
Representation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the CMIP5 climate models and future changes under warming scenarios
Authors: Meijers A. J. S. , Shuckburgh E. , Bruneau N. , Sallee J.‐B. , Bracegirdle T. J. , Wang Z.
Published: October 2012

The representation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) in the fifth Coupled Models Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) is generally improved over CMIP3. The range of modeled transports in the historical (1976–2006) scenario is reduced (90–264 Sv) compared with CMIP3 (33–337 Sv) with a mean of 155 ± 51 Sv. The large intermodel range is associated with significant differences in the ACC density structure. The ACC position is accurately represented at most longitudes, with a small (1.27°) standard deviation in mean latitude. The westerly wind jet driving the ACC is biased too strong and too far north on average. Unlike CMIP3 there is no correlation between modeled ACC latitude and the position of the westerly wind jet. Under future climate forcing scenarios (2070–2099 mean) the modeled ACC transport changes by between −26 to +17 Sv and the ACC shifts polewards (equatorwards) in models where the transport increases (decreases). There is no significant correlation between the ACC position change and that of the westerly wind jet, which shifts polewards and strengthens. The subtropical gyres strengthen and expand southwards, while the change in subpolar gyre area varies between models. An increase in subpolar gyre area corresponds with a decreases in ACC transport and an equatorward shift in the ACC position, and vice versa for a contraction of the gyre area. There is a general decrease in density in the upper 1000 m, particularly equatorwards of the ACC core.
Effects of interactive vegetation phenology on the 2003 summer heat waves
Authors: Stéfanon Marc , Drobinski Philippe , D'Andrea Fabio , de Noblet‐Ducoudré Nathalie
Published: October 2012

This paper investigates the impact of accounting for interactive plant phenology on the simulation of the June and August 2003 European heat waves. A sensitivity analysis is conducted here by using the WRF atmospheric model and the ORCHIDEE land‐surface model over France with (1) a prescribed vegetation corresponding to year 2002 and (2) a dynamical vegetation model that leaves the vegetation freely evolving. It has been found that, accounting for the phenology dynamics has opposite effects on both events, it damps the temperature anomaly in June, while it amplifies the temperature anomaly in August. The evolution of leaf area index in the two simulations reveals the early and fast development of agricultural vegetation in the simulation with freely evolving vegetation. The vegetation also decays earlier in 2003 than during normal years. This behavior has two consequences. In June, the larger foliage development, caused by higher springtime insolation, contributes to enhanced evapotranspiration and therefore land surface cooling which limit the temperature anomaly during the heat wave. This effect is not as visible in mountainous regions where the presence of forest and the absence of agriculture do not lead to the same modulation of the local water cycle. In August, the early leave fall and the critical soil moisture stress contribute to largely suppress evapotranspiration and to enhance sensible heat flux thus amplifying the temperature anomaly. The modulation of the temperature anomaly caused by the effect of interactive vegetation phenology can reach ±1.5°C for an average total anomaly of about 8°C (i.e. ±20%).
Quantifying uncertainties in land surface temperature and emissivity retrievals from ASTER and MODIS thermal infrared data
Authors: Hulley Glynn C. , Hughes Christopher G. , Hook Simon J.
Published: October 2012

Land surface temperature and emissivity (LST&E) data are essential for a wide variety of surface‐atmosphere studies, from calculating the evapotranspiration of the Earth's land surface to retrieving atmospheric water vapor. LST&E products are generated from thermal infrared data acquired from sensors such as ASTER and MODIS on NASA's EOS platforms. NASA has identified a major need to develop long‐term, consistent products valid across multiple missions, with well‐defined uncertainty statistics addressing specific Earth science questions. These products are termed Earth System Data Records (ESDRs) and LST&E have been identified as an important ESDR. Currently a lack of understanding in LST&E uncertainties limits their usefulness in land surface and climate models. To address this issue, a LST&E uncertainty simulator has been developed to quantify and model uncertainties for a variety of TIR sensors and LST algorithms. Using the simulator, uncertainties were estimated for the MODIS and ASTER TES algorithm, including water vapor scaling (WVS). These uncertainties were parameterized according to view angle and estimated total column water vapor for application to real data. The standard ASTER TES algorithm had a RMSE of 3.1 K (1.2 K with WVS), while the MODIS TES algorithm had a RMSE of 4.5 K (1.5 K with WVS). Accuracies in retrieved spectral emissivity for both sensors degraded with higher atmospheric water content, however, with WVS the emissivity uncertainties were reduced to <0.015. Accurately quantifying uncertainties in LST&E products not only improves their utility and understanding but will also enable the data to be fused into long‐term, well characterized ESDRs.
Neurological Basis of AMP-Dependent Thermoregulation and its Relevance to Central and Peripheral Hyperthermia
Authors: Muzzi Mirko , Blasi Francesco , Masi Alessio , Coppi Elisabetta , Traini Chiara , Felici Roberta , Pittelli Maria , Cavone Leonardo , Pugliese Anna Maria , Moroni Flavio , Chiarugi Alberto
Published: October 2012

Therapeutic hypothermia is of relevance to treatment of increased body temperature and brain injury, but drugs inducing selective, rapid, and safe cooling in humans are not available. Here, we show that injections of adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP), an endogenous nucleotide, promptly triggers hypothermia in mice by directly activating adenosine A1 receptors (A1R) within the preoptic area (POA) of the hypothalamus. Inhibition of constitutive degradation of brain extracellular AMP by targeting ecto 5′-nucleotidase, also suffices to prompt hypothermia in rodents. Accordingly, sensitivity of mice and rats to the hypothermic effect of AMP is inversely related to their hypothalamic 5′-nucleotidase activity. Single-cell electrophysiological recording indicates that AMP reduces spontaneous firing activity of temperature-insensitive neurons of the mouse POA, thereby retuning the hypothalamic thermoregulatory set point towards lower temperatures. Adenosine 5′-monophosphate also suppresses prostaglandin E2-induced fever in mice, having no effects on peripheral hyperthermia triggered by dioxymetamphetamine (ecstasy) overdose. Together, data disclose the role of AMP, 5′-nucleotidase, and A1R in hypothalamic thermoregulation, as well and their therapeutic relevance to treatment of febrile illness.
The Dynamics of the Mitochondrial Organelle as a Potential Therapeutic Target
Authors: Stetler R Anne , Leak Rehana K , Gao Yanqin , Chen Jun
Published: October 2012

Mitochondria play a central role in cell fate after stressors such as ischemic brain injury. The convergence of intracellular signaling pathways on mitochondria and their release of critical factors are now recognized as a default conduit to cell death or survival. Besides the individual processes that converge on or emanate from mitochondria, a mitochondrial organellar response to changes in the cellular environment has recently been described. Whereas mitochondria have previously been perceived as a major center for cellular signaling, one can postulate that the organelle's dynamics themselves affect cell survival. This brief perspective review puts forward the concept that disruptions in mitochondrial dynamics—biogenesis, clearance, and fission/fusion events—may underlie neural diseases and thus could be targeted as neuroprotective strategies in the context of ischemic injury. To do so, we present a general overview of the current understanding of mitochondrial dynamics and regulation. We then review emerging studies that correlate mitochondrial biogenesis, mitophagy, and fission/fusion events with neurologic disease and recovery. An overview of the system as it is currently understood is presented, and current assessment strategies and their limitations are discussed.
Molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction of protein phosphatase-1c with ASPP proteins
Authors: Skene-Arnold Tamara D. , Luu Hue Anh , Uhrig R. Glen , De Wever Veerle , Nimick Mhairi , Maynes Jason , Fong Andrea , James Michael N. G. , Trinkle-Mulcahy Laura , Moorhead Greg B. , Holmes Charles F. B.
Published: October 2012

The serine/threonine PP-1c (protein phosphatase-1 catalytic subunit) is regulated by association with multiple regulatory subunits. Human ASPPs (apoptosis-stimulating proteins of p53) comprise three family members: ASPP1, ASPP2 and iASPP (inhibitory ASPP), which is uniquely overexpressed in many cancers. While ASPP2 and iASPP are known to bind PP-1c, we now identify novel and distinct molecular interactions that allow all three ASPPs to bind differentially to PP-1c isoforms and p53. iASPP lacks a PP-1c-binding RVXF motif; however, we show it interacts with PP-1c via a RARL sequence with a Kd value of 26 nM. Molecular modelling and mutagenesis of PP-1c–ASPP protein complexes identified two additional modes of interaction. First, two positively charged residues, Lys260 and Arg261 on PP-1c, interact with all ASPP family members. Secondly, the C-terminus of the PP-1c α, β and γ isoforms contain a type-2 SH3 (Src homology 3) poly-proline motif (PxxPxR), which binds directly to the SH3 domains of ASPP1, ASPP2 and iASPP. In PP-1cγ this comprises residues 309–314 (PVTPPR). When the Px(T)PxR motif is deleted or mutated via insertion of a phosphorylation site mimic (T311D), PP-1c fails to bind to all three ASPP proteins. Overall, we provide the first direct evidence for PP-1c binding via its C-terminus to an SH3 protein domain.
Role of the repressor Oaf3p in the recruitment of transcription factors and chromatin dynamics during the oleate response
Authors: Wan Yakun , Arens Christina E. , Wang Steven , Zuo Xiao , Zhuo Ya , Xing Jie , Liu Hongde
Published: October 2012

Cellular responses to environmental stimuli are mediated by the co-ordinated activity of multiple control mechanisms, which result in the dynamics of cell function. Communication between different levels of regulation is central for this adaptability. The present study focuses on the interplay between transcriptional regulators and chromatin modifiers to co-operatively regulate transcription in response to a fatty acid stimulus. The genes involved in the β-oxidation of fatty acids are highly induced in response to fatty acid exposure by four gene-specific transcriptional regulators, Oaf (oleate-activated transcription factor) 1p, Pip2p (peroxisome induction pathway 2), Oaf3p and Adr1p (alcohol dehydrogenase regulator 1). In the present study, we examine the interplay of these factors with Htz1p (histone variant H2A.Z) in regulating POT1 (peroxisomal oxoacyl thiolase 1) encoding peroxisomal thiolase and PIP2 encoding the autoregulatory oleate-specific transcriptional activator. Temporal resolution of ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation) data indicates that Htz1p is required for the timely removal of the transcriptional repressor Oaf3p during oleate induction. Adr1p plays an important role in the assembly of Htz1p-containing nucleosomes on the POT1 and PIP2 promoters. We also investigated the function of the uncharacterized transcriptional inhibitor Oaf3p. Deletion of OAF3 led to faster POT1 mRNA accumulation than in the wild-type. Most impressively, a highly protected nucleosome structure on the POT1 promoter during activation was observed in the OAF3 mutant cells in response to oleate induction.
Identification of the kinetic mechanism of succinyl-CoA synthetase
Authors: Li Xin , Wu Fan , Beard Daniel A.
Published: October 2012

The kinetic mechanism of SCS [succinyl-CoA (coenzyme A) synthetase], which participates in the TCA (tricarboxylic acid) cycle, ketone body metabolism and haem biosynthesis, has not been fully characterized. Namely, a representative catalytic mechanism and associated kinetic parameters that can explain data on the enzyme-catalysed reaction kinetics have not been established. To determine an accurate model, a set of putative mechanisms of SCS, proposed by previous researchers, were tested against experimental data (from previous publication) on SCS derived from porcine myocardium. Based on comparisons between model simulation and the experimental data, an ordered ter–ter mechanism with dead-end product inhibition of succinate against succinyl-CoA is determined to be the best candidate mechanism. A thermodynamically constrained set of parameter values is identified for this candidate mechanism.
Exploring the dominant role of Cav1 channels in signalling to the nucleus
Authors: Ma Huan , Cohen Samuel , Li Boxing , Tsien Richard W.
Published: October 2012

Calcium is important in controlling nuclear gene expression through the activation of multiple signal-transduction pathways in neurons. Compared with other voltage-gated calcium channels, CaV1 channels demonstrate a considerable advantage in signalling to the nucleus. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in elucidating the mechanisms involved. CaV1 channels, already advantaged in their responsiveness to depolarization, trigger communication with the nucleus by attracting colocalized clusters of activated CaMKII (Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II). CaV2 channels lack this ability, but must work at a distance of >1 μm from the CaV1-CaMKII co-clusters, which hampers their relative efficiency for a given rise in bulk [Ca2+]i (intracellular [Ca2+]). Moreover, Ca2+ influx from CaV2 channels is preferentially buffered by the ER (endoplasmic reticulum) and mitochondria, further attenuating their effectiveness in signalling to the nucleus.
Reading Vocabulary in Children With and Without Hearing Loss: The Roles of Task and Word Type
Authors: Coppens Karien M. , Tellings Agnes , Verhoeven Ludo , Schreuder Robert
Published: October 2012

Purpose

To address the problem of low reading comprehension scores among children with hearing impairment, it is necessary to have a better understanding of their reading vocabulary. In this study, the authors investigated whether task and word type differentiate the reading vocabulary knowledge of children with and without severe hearing loss.

Method

Seventy-two children with hearing loss and 72 children with normal hearing performed a lexical and a use decision task. Both tasks contained the same 180 words divided over 7 clusters, each cluster containing words with a similar pattern of scores on 8 word properties (word class, frequency, morphological family size, length, age of acquisition, mode of acquisition, imageability, and familiarity).

Results

Whereas the children with normal hearing scored better on the 2 tasks than the children with hearing loss, the size of the difference varied depending on the type of task and word.

Conclusions

Performance differences between the 2 groups increased as words and tasks became more complex. Despite delays, children with hearing loss showed a similar pattern of vocabulary acquisition as their peers with normal hearing. For the most precise assessment of reading vocabulary possible, a range of tasks and word types should be used.