bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Complex obstacle negotiation exercise can prevent falls in community‐dwelling elderly Japanese aged 75 years and older
Authors: Yamada Minoru , Aoyama Tomoki , Arai Hidenori , Nagai Koutatsu , Tanaka Buichi , Uemura Kazuki , Mori Shuhei , Ichihashi Noriaki
Published: December 2011

Objectives:  The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether a complex course obstacle negotiation exercise (CC), a 24‐week exercise program, can reduce falls and fractures in older adults, as compared with a simple course obstacle negotiation exercise (SC).

Methods:  This trial was carried out on older adults, aged 75 years and above in Japan. In total, 157 participants were randomized into the CC group (n = 78) and the SC group (n = 79). Participants were enrolled in the exercise class using the CC program or the SC program for 24 weeks. The outcome measure was the number of falls and fracture rates in CC and SC groups for 12 months after the completion of the 24‐week exercise class.

Results:  Two participants (2.8%) in the CC group and 19 (26.0%) in the SC group experienced falls during 12 months. During the 12‐month follow‐up period after the intervention, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of falls in the SC group against the CC group was 9.37 (95% CI = 2.26–38.77). One participant (1.4%) in the CC group and eight (10.9%) in the SC group had experienced fractures during 12 months after the exercise class. The IRR of fractures in the SC group compared with the CC group was 7.89 (95% CI = 1.01–61.49).

Conclusions:  The results of the present trial show that the participants who received individualized obstacle avoidance training under complex tasks combined with a traditional intervention had a lower incidence rate of falls and fractures during the 12 months after the intervention. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; 12: 461–467.
Population genetics of Tuberolachnus salignus, an obligate parthenogenetic aphid
Authors: Aradottir Gudbjorg I. , Hanley Steven J. , Collins C. Matilda , Dawson Kevin J. , Karp Angela , Leather Simon R. , Shield Ian , Harrington Richard
Published: December 2011

This study reports the results obtained in an investigation of the putatively parthenogenetic aphid species Tuberolachnus salignus Gmelin. Tuberolachnus salignus is one of the largest aphid species in the world but where and how it overwinters is not known. It has recently become noteworthy because it is increasingly found on commercially grown willows used in bioenergy production.

Seven newly‐developed polymorphic microsatellite markers were used to investigate the genetic diversity of the species, and also to confirm its reproduction strategy.

Tuberolachnus salignus shows very low clonal diversity; only 16 genotypes were found in 660 specimens from 27 populations in five countries.

There was limited geographical structuring in the samples, although the two most common genotypes, which comprised more than half of the specimens collected, had a very wide distribution.

Furthermore, we determined that these aphids, which live in very dense colonies, can consist of more than one genotype, suggesting aggregation of colonizing T. salignus. These results confirm the parthenogenetic nature of T. salignus and demonstrate the presence of common genotypes that are widespread in time and space.
Phylogenetic position of gastrostomobdellid leeches (Hirudinida, Arhynchobdellida, Erpobdelliformes) and a new family for the genus Orobdella
Authors: Nakano Takafumi , Ramlah Zainudin , Hikida Tsutomu
Published: December 2011

Nakano, T., Ramlah, Z. & Hikida, T. (2012). Phylogenetic position of gastrostomobdellid leeches (Hirudinida, Arhynchobdellida, Erpobdelliformes) and a new family for the genus Orobdella. —Zoologica Scripta, 41, 177–185.

The leech family Gastrostomobdellidae is characterized by its possession of an agnathous and euthylaematous pharynx, a ventral gastropore and a gastroporal duct. In this study, the phylogenetic position of two gastrostomobdellid genera, Gastrostomobdella and Orobdella, was investigated using partial nucleic 18S, 28S rDNA and mitochondrial 12S rDNA sequences. Our phylogenetic analyses showed that both Gastrostomobdella and Orobdella are nested within Erpobdelliformes, but Gastrostomobdellidae is not a monophyletic taxon. Orobdella is a sister taxon of the other Erpobdelliformes taxa. The phylogenetic position of Gastrostomobdella within the clade of Gastrostomobdella, Erpobdellidae and Salifidae still remains uncertain. According to the reconstruction of the ancestral state of the pharynx in Erpobdelliformes, a euthylaematous pharynx is considered to be plesiomorphic in this taxon. Examination of Gastrostomobdella and Orobdella specimens indicates that the morphology of the gastroporal duct of Orobdella is quite different from that of Gastrostomobdella. A new family, Orobdellidae fam. nov., was therefore erected for the genus Orobdella. Orobdellidae is characterized by its possession of a generally tubular gastroporal duct, lying on the female organ.
INCOME REDISTRIBUTION IN URBAN CHINA BY SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM—AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS BASED ON ANNUAL AND LIFETIME INCOME
Authors: HE LIXIN , SATO HIROSHI
Published: December 2011

This study investigates the redistributive effect of social security reform in urban China using the nationally representative urban household surveys of 1995 and 2002. The main findings are as follows. First, public pension is the main income for the elderly in urban China. The majority of people aged 60 and over (72% in 1995 and 82% in 2002) receive a pension. Second, the social security system in urban China has increased the income of low‐income and older age groups and reduced the relative poverty rate. However, the redistributive effect did not offset the expanding income inequality, which resulted in the Gini coefficient of redistributed income in 2002 being higher than that in 1995. Third, during 1995 and 2002, both low‐income and high‐income groups received a positive net benefit from the social security system, but the net benefit increased with income. The Chinese social security system lacks progressivity in contribution, and does not favor the poor in terms of benefits. Fourth, assuming that the reformed policy was applied to public sector employees, the long‐term redistributive effect of the pension system for the working population, calculated using their lifetime income, is larger. (JEL D31, H55, I38)
ESTIMATING THE INCIDENCES OF THE RECENT PENSION REFORM IN CHINA: EVIDENCE FROM 100,000 MANUFACTURERS
Authors: LI ZHIGANG , WU MINGQIN
Published: December 2011

An ongoing reform in China mandates employers to contribute significant amounts to employee pension funds. The current study estimates the impact of this reform on the wage, employment, and performance of firms using data from over 140,000 medium and large manufacturers in China during 2004 and 2006. We find that the nominal wages of employees were rigid, but their real wages may have declined due to the pension reform. In addition, we find an interesting dichotomy in the incidences of pension reform. In localities with high agglomeration levels, firms' profits declined because the pension burden could not be fully transferred to employees. In less agglomerated jurisdictions, firms responded positively to pension reform, possibly because local governments over‐subsidized the pension costs as a way to attract investment. (JEL H32, H55, J26)
Reporting on Infrastructure in Australia: Practices and Management Preferences
Authors: Walker R. G. , Jones Stewart
Published: December 2011

A major responsibility of governments worldwide is to maintain and upgrade state‐owned physical infrastructure. Yet contemporary accounting reports fail to recognize commitments arising from deferred maintenance, and the usefulness of descriptions of book values and depreciation charges on those assets is questionable. A range of options for reporting more fully on infrastructure assets has been proposed but little evidence has been presented as to how stakeholders view alternative forms of information obtained in terms of those options. This study presents evidence obtained from telephone and mail surveys about the attitudes of engineers, accounting and finance professionals and other senior managers of Australian public sector agencies towards current infrastructure reporting practices. Most of the surveyed agencies actively managed their infrastructure assets and routinely compiled information about asset condition. The majority of respondents indicated that maintaining the functionality of physical infrastructure was critical to the success of their organization. Against this background, respondents were asked to indicate which among five nominated reporting options was likely to better aid judgments about a series of issues concerning the status and management of infrastructure, and finally what reporting option had the most overall usefulness to decision making. The judgments identified were likely to be common to both managers and external stakeholders. The findings were that respondents, irrespective of their organizational affiliation or professional background, overwhelmingly preferred information about the physical condition of assets, combined with estimates of the current cost of bringing those assets to a satisfactory condition (with some respondents indicating a preference for the data to be accompanied by information about written‐down replacement costs). Historical cost accounting received little support from respondents.
Australian evidence on the implementation of the size and value premia
Authors: Docherty Paul , Chan Howard , Easton Steve
Published: December 2011

This study investigates whether passive investment managers can exploit the size and value premia without incurring prohibitive transaction costs or being exposed to substantial tracking error risk. Returns on the value premium are shown to be pervasive across size groups, while the size premium is nonlinear and driven by microcaps. The value premium cannot be explained by the capital asset pricing model; however, returns on value portfolios do covary across monetary regimes. The substantial turnover required to achieve annual rebalancing and the relative illiquidity of Australian small‐cap firms means that investing in a portfolio of large‐cap value firms appears to be the best way for passive fund managers to exploit the Fama and French (1993) premia.
Herbert A. Simon on What Ails Business Schools: More than ‘A Problem in Organizational Design’
Authors: Khurana Rakesh , Spender J. C.
Published: December 2011

abstract

We critically examine Herbert Simon's 1967 essay, ‘The business school: a problem in organizational design’. We consider this essay within the context of Simon's key ideas about organizations, particularly those closely associated with the ‘Carnegie perspective’ on organizations and how they influenced the reinvention of American business schools in the post‐Second World War era, and were deeply influenced by the post‐War context and also were appropriated by the Ford and Carnegie Foundations to reform business school teaching and research. We argue that management educators misappropriated Simon's concept of an intellectually robust and relevant research and educational agenda for business schools that has in part contributed to the intellectual stasis that now characterizes business education research and its capacity to inform management practice.
Economic impact of childhood obesity on health systems: a systematic review
Authors: Pelone F. , Specchia M. L. , Veneziano M. A. , Capizzi S. , Bucci S. , Mancuso A. , Ricciardi W. , de Belvis A. G.
Published: December 2011

The primary purpose of this study is to analyse the costs related to childhood obesity (CO) with reference to different models of healthcare systems. A systematic review of the economic impact of CO on healthcare systems was conducted by searching the main electronic scientific databases. Cost‐of‐illness (COI) analyses of children aged under 18 years who had been diagnosed as overweight or obese published up to July 2010 were considered. Short‐ and long‐term consequences of CO were taken into account. In order to appraise the quality of the included studies, the British Medical Journal referees' checklist was used. About 3,844 COI analyses were initially found and 10 were finally considered in the current review: two studies referred to Beveridge and eight referred to Voluntary health insurance models. No studies have been conducted within a Bismarck model. Six studies considered in‐patient costs, four studies estimated outpatient and primary care costs and seven studies considered pharmaceutical costs. The average quality of the included analyses was medium. The analysis confirmed the significance of CO related costs and the heterogeneity among available studies, which made it impossible to compare the different healthcare models.
The impact of extended care on the long‐term maintenance of weight loss: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Ross Middleton K. M. , Patidar S. M. , Perri M. G.
Published: December 2011

Behavioural weight management interventions consistently produce 8–10% reductions in body weight, yet most participants regain weight after treatment ends. One strategy for extending the effects of behavioural interventions has been the provision of extended care. The current study is a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the literature on the effect of extended care on maintenance of weight loss. Through database searches (using PubMED, PsychInfo and Cochrane Reviews) and manual searches through reference lists of related publications, 463 studies were identified. Of these, 11 were included in the meta‐analysis and an additional two were retained for qualitative analysis. The average effect of extended care on weight loss maintenance was g = 0.385 (95% confidence interval: 0.281, 0.489; P < 0.0001). This effect would lead to the maintenance of an additional 3.2 kg weight loss over 17.6 months post‐intervention in participants provided extended care compared with control. There was no significant heterogeneity between studies, Q = 5.63, P = 0.845, and there was minimal evidence for publication bias. These findings suggest that extended care is a viable and efficacious solution to addressing long‐term maintenance of lost weight. Given the chronic disease nature of obesity, extended care may be necessary for long‐term health benefits.
Regulatory Self‐efficacy as a Moderator of Peer Socialization Relating to Italian Adolescents' Alcohol Intoxication
Authors: Rabaglietti Emanuela , Burk William J. , Giletta Matteo
Published: December 2011

The present study investigated regulatory self‐efficacy (RSE) as a predictor of friendship and adolescent alcohol intoxication and as a moderator of peer socialization processes related to alcohol intoxication. The longitudinal sample included 457 Italian adolescents (262 females and 195 males) ranging in age of 14 to 20 years (M = 16.1 years of age). Sociometric and behavioral data were collected at the beginning and end of the academic school year. Actor‐based models were applied to simultaneously estimate selection and socialization processes accounting for interdependencies among friends' drinking behaviors. The results indicated that adolescents did not select friends with similar levels of alcohol intoxication or RSE, but adolescents did adopt their friends' drinking behaviors. RSE was negatively associated with adolescent drinking behaviors and moderated socialization processes related to alcohol use, with adolescents reporting higher levels of RSE being less likely to adopt their friends' drinking behaviors than adolescents with lower levels of RSE.
Controlling Access to Sick Leave Programmes: Practices of Physicians in the Netherlands
Authors: Meershoek Agnes
Published: December 2011

Policymakers in industrialized countries attempt to contain the costs of sick leave and disability schemes by limiting access to include medically proven cases only. However, a person's incapacity to work cannot be fully deduced by referring to his or her medical condition. It is the question whether using more restrictive eligibility criteria that focus on medical evidence actually reduces the number of benefit recipients and makes access to employee benefit arrangements fairer. This ethnographic study shows that physicians working in Dutch illness certification practices use alternative methods to restrict access to sick leave programmes. Doctors do not control their clients in a restrictive sense of the word. Rather, they exercise control over their clients by inciting them to internalize norms about being active and responsible. While we do not claim that this is good per se, we do contend that this control style may have some advantages over and above more restrictive control mechanisms. Elaborating on policy that supports this alternative notion of control, therefore, seems worthwhile.
Incomes after Job‐loss in the United States: From Programme Rules to Panel Data
Authors: Denier Nicole , Smith Michael R.
Published: December 2011

Welfare state studies are usually motivated by one or both of two concerns: programme effects on the incidence of poverty, and the possibility of perverse incentive effects. Most research has been comparative, using cross‐national indicators from the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development and other international organizations. That research often contrasts the generosity of programmes in a number of European countries and the lack of it in the USA. Focusing on income transfers after job‐loss, in this article we critically examine the comparative evidence on US welfare state generosity and then use the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to estimate what happens to job‐losers' incomes. The comparative analysis suggests conclusions more nuanced than found in much of the literature. The PSID analysis shows how the income effects of job‐loss vary across job‐losers and suggests that the role of unemployment compensation programmes in supporting incomes may be overstated.
Syntactic Metamorphosis: Clefts, Sluicing, and In‐Situ Focus in Japanese
Authors: Hiraiwa Ken , Ishihara Shinichiro
Published: December 2011

Abstract. In this article, we propose that three types of focus constructions in Japanese—clefts, in‐situ focus, and sluicing/stripping—share the same underlying structure and are derived by syntactic “metamorphosis” from one structure to another. After revealing similarities between cleft constructions and in‐situ focus constructions, we specifically propose that the latter underlies the former, which is derived by a focus movement followed by a heavy remnant movement. It is shown that various properties of cleft constructions follow from the syntax of in‐situ focus constructions and movement operations. Then, it is further argued that cleft constructions underlie sluicing/stripping under certain conditions. The article also touches on the so‐called clausemate condition found in multiple cleft sentences. A new set of data will be presented that poses a problem for syntactic explanations of this effect.
Parameterizing Case: Evidence from Bantu
Authors: Diercks Michael
Published: December 2011

Abstract. Bantu languages display a number of constructions that raise serious questions about the universality of the theory of abstract Case as currently realized in the Minimalist Program.Chomsky (2000)claims that positing uninterpretable features (like Case features) is not purely stipulation but that uninterpretable features are justified by their visible effects in the syntax. This paper presents evidence that the syntactic effects predicted by Case theory are not borne out in Bantu languages, which in fact display effects that are only predicted to be possible in theabsenceof uninterpretable Case features. Evidence includes constructions where Case‐checking should require a DP to cease being active, but it does not do so (e.g., compound tenses and raising constructions), as well as instances where Case‐checking could not have occurred, but the constructions are nonetheless acceptable (e.g.,possible‐constructions and locative inversion). It is claimed that uninterpretable Case features are not present in Bantu languages and that it is instead gender features that make a goal active for Agree (followingCarstens 2011).
A Reason‐Based Theory of Rational Choice*
Authors: Dietrich Franz , List Christian
Published: December 2011

There is a surprising disconnect between formal rational choice theory and philosophical work on reasons. The one is silent on the role of reasons in rational choices, the other rarely engages with the formal models of decision problems used by social scientists. To bridge this gap, we propose a new, reason‐based theory of rational choice. At its core is an account of preference formation, according to which an agent’s preferences are determined by his or her motivating reasons, together with a ‘weighing relation’ between different combinations of reasons. By explaining how someone’s preferences may vary with changes in his or her motivating reasons, our theory illuminates the relationship between deliberation about reasons and rational choices. Although primarily positive, the theory can also help us think about how those preferences and choices ought to respond to normative reasons.
Traction without Tracing: A (Partial) Solution for Control‐Based Accounts of Moral Responsibility
Authors: King Matt
Published: December 2011

Control‐based accounts of moral responsibility face a familiar problem. There are some actions which look like obvious cases of responsibility but which appear equally obviously to lack the requisite control. Drunk‐driving cases are canonical instances. The familiar solution to this problem is to appeal to tracing. Though the drunk driver isn't in control at the time of the crash, this is because he previously drank to excess, an action over which he did plausibly exercise the requisite control. Tracing seeks to show that an agent's responsibility for some outcome (over which he lacked control) can be traced back to a prior exercise of control which caused (in the right way) the later lack of control. These and related cases have led many theorists to treat tracing as an indispensable component of any adequate theory of responsibility. This paper argues that tracing is in fact dispensable. I offer two strategies for explaining responsibility in drunk‐driving cases (and those with a similar structure): responsibility can either be exhaustively modeled on recklessness, or exhaustively modeled on negligence. Neither explanation, however, relies on tracing. If I'm right, the case for tracing is seriously weakened.
Kant on Intentionality, Magnitude, and the Unity of Perception
Authors: Golob Sacha
Published: December 2011

This paper addresses a number of closely related questions concerningKant's model of intentionality, and his conceptions of unity and of magnitude [Gröβe]. These questions are important because they shed light on three issues which are central to theCritical system, and which connect directly to the recent analytic literature on perception: the issues are conceptualism, the status of the imagination, and perceptual atomism. InSection 1, I provide a sketch of the exegetical and philosophical problems raised byKant's views on these issues. I then develop, inSection 2, a detailed analysis ofKant's theory of perception as elaborated in both theCritique ofPureReasonand theCritique ofJudgment; I show how this analysis provides a preliminary framework for resolving the difficulties raised inSection 1. InSection 3, I extend my analysis ofKant's position by considering a specific test case: theAxioms ofIntuition. I contend that one way to make sense ofKant's argument is by juxtaposing it withRussell's response toBradley's regress; I focus in particular on the concept of ‘unity’. Finally, I offer, inSection 4, a philosophical assessment of the position attributed toKant inSections 2 and 3. I argue that, whileKant's account has significant strengths, a number of key areas remain underdeveloped; I suggest that the phenomenological tradition may be read as attempting to fill precisely those gaps.
Paradox and Mystery in Theology
Authors: Baugus Bruce P.
Published: December 2011

The question of paradox in Christian theology continues to attract attention in contemporary philosophical theology. Much of this attention understandably centers on the epistemological problems paradoxical claims pose for Christian faith. But even among those who conclude that certain points of Christian theology are paradoxical and that belief in paradoxical points of doctrine is epistemically supportable, concepts of the nature and function of paradox in Christian theology differ significantly. In this essay, after briefly noting the diversity of phenomena that count as paradoxes in contemporary discourse, I critique two of the most helpful accounts of paradox in Christian theology available – James Anderson's and C. Stephen Evans's – on the way to proposing an alternative definition. That definition combines the most helpful features of those two accounts while correcting certain weaknesses in each. The result is a definition of paradox as a particular kind of mystery that fits the Reformed strand of Christian theology particularly well and involves a compelling analysis of the spirituality of the phenomenon of paradox in theology.
Governance and the Financial Crisis
Authors: Adams Renée Birgit
Published: December 2011

Should boards of financial firms be blamed for the financial crisis? Using a large sample of data on nonfinancial and financial firms for the period 1996–2007, I document that the governance of financial firms is, on average, not obviously worse than in nonfinancial firms. In fact, using simple governance scores and governance indices as measures, banks and nonbank financial firms generally appear to be better governed than nonfinancial firms. I also document that bank directors earned significantly less compensation than their counterparts in nonfinancial firms and banks receiving bailout money had boards that were more independent than in other banks. My results suggest that measures of governance that have been the focus of recent governance policies are insufficient to describe governance failures attributed to financial firms. Moreover, recent governance reforms may have to shoulder some of the blame placed on boards of financial firms.
Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in preschoolers
Authors: Wichstrøm Lars , Berg‐Nielsen Turid Suzanne , Angold Adrian , Egger Helen Link , Solheim Elisabet , Sveen Trude Hamre
Published: December 2011

Background:  Many disorders in childhood and adolescence were already present in the preschool years. However, there is little empirical research on the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in young children. A true community study using structured diagnostic tools has yet to be published.

Methods:  All children born in 2003 or 2004 in the city of Trondheim, Norway, who attended the regular community health check‐up for 4‐year‐olds (97.2% of eligible children) whose parents consented to take part in the study (N = 2,475, 82.0%) were screened for behavioral and emotional problems with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). A screen‐stratified subsample of 1,250 children took part in a furthermore comprehensive study including a structured diagnostic interview (the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment, PAPA), which 995 parents (79.6%) completed.

Results:  The estimated population rate for any psychiatric disorder (excluding encopresis – 6.4%) was 7.1%. The most common disorders were attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (1.9%), oppositional defiant disorder (1.8%), conduct disorder (0.7%), anxiety disorders (1.5%), and depressive disorders (2.0%). Comorbidity among disorders was common. More emotional and behavioral disorders were seen in children whose parents did not live together and in those of low socioeconomic status. Boys more often had attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depressive disorders than girls.

Conclusions:  The prevalence of disorders among preschoolers was lower than in previous studies from the USA. Comorbidity was frequent and there was a male preponderance in ADHD and depression at this early age. These results underscore the fact that the most common disorders of childhood can already be diagnosed in preschoolers. However, rates of disorder in Norway may be lower than in the USA.
Attention across modalities as a longitudinal predictor of early outcomes: the case of fragile X syndrome
Authors: Scerif Gaia , Longhi Elena , Cole Victoria , Karmiloff‐Smith Annette , Cornish Kim
Published: December 2011

Background:  Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is an early diagnosed monogenic disorder, associated with a striking pattern of cognitive/attentional difficulties and a high risk of poor behavioural outcomes. FXS therefore represents an ideal model disorder to study prospectively the impact of early attention deficits on behaviour.

Methods:  Thirty‐seven boys with FXS aged 4–10 years and 74 typically developing (TD) boys took part. Study 1 was designed to assess visual and auditory attention at two time‐points, 1 year apart. Study 2 investigated attention to multimodal information. Both tested attention markers as longitudinal predictors of risk for poor behaviour in FXS.

Results:  Children with FXS attended less well than mental‐age matched TD boys and experienced greater difficulties with auditory compared to visual stimuli. In addition, unlike TD children, they did not benefit from multimodal information. Attention markers were significant predictors of later behavioural difficulties in boys with FXS.

Conclusions:  Findings demonstrate, for the first time, greater difficulties with auditory attention and atypical processing of multimodal information, in addition to pervasive global attentional difficulties in boys with FXS. Attention predicted outcomes longitudinally, underscoring the need to dissect what drives differing developmental trajectories for individual children within a seemingly homogeneous group.
Pathways explaining the reduction of adult criminal behaviour by a randomized preventive intervention for disruptive kindergarten children
Authors: Vitaro Frank , Barker Edward D. , Brendgen Mara , Tremblay Richard E.
Published: December 2011

Objective:  This study aimed to identify the pathways through which a preventive intervention targeting young low‐SES disruptive boys could result in lower crime involvement during adulthood.

Method:  The preventive intervention was implemented when the children were between 7 and 9 years and included three components (i.e. social skills, parental practices, teacher support). Participants (N = 250) were randomly allocated to the intervention or to a control group. The tested pathways included antisocial behaviour, school engagement, parental supervision and friends’ deviancy, both during early and middle adolescence. Crime involvement was assessed in early adulthood.

Results:  The intervention reduced adult criminal involvement via reduced early and middle adolescent antisocial behaviours.

Conclusion:  This study adds to the small group of studies that have examined the mechanisms through which early preventive interventions might impact distal outcomes.
Cerebellar volume and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at term, and neurodevelopment at 2 years of age in preterm infants
Authors: Van KOOIJ BRITT J M , BENDERS MANON J N L , ANBEEK PETRONELLA , Van HAASTERT INGRID C , De VRIES LINDA S , GROENENDAAL FLORIS
Published: December 2011

Aim  To assess the relation between cerebellar volume and spectroscopy at term equivalent age, and neurodevelopment at 24 months corrected age in preterm infants.

Methods  Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was performed around term equivalent age in 112 preterm infants (mean gestational age 28wks 3d [SD 1wk 5d]; birthweight 1129g [SD 324g]). Cerebellar volume (60 males, 52 females), and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H‐MRS) of the cerebellum in a subgroup of 58 infants were assessed in relation to cognitive, fine motor, and gross motor scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development‐III. Different neonatal variables and maternal education were regarded possible confounders.

Results  Cerebellar volume was significantly associated with postmenstrual age at time of magnetic resonance imaging. Cerebellar volume corrected for postmenstrual age was significantly and positively associated with cognition. Cognitive scores related significantly with N‐acetylaspartate/choline (NAA/Cho) ratio obtained from cerebellar 1H‐MRS in 53 infants. Correction for neonatal and maternal variables did not change these results. Cerebellar variables were not related to motor performance.

Interpretation  In preterm infants, both cerebellar volume and cerebellar NAA/Cho ratio at term equivalent age were positively associated with cognition; however, no relation was found with motor outcome at 2 years of age. These findings support the importance of the cerebellum in cognitive development in preterm infants.
A biogeographical assessment of anthropogenic threats to areas where different frog breeding groups occur in South Africa: implications for anuran conservation
Authors: Mokhatla Mohlamatsane M. , Measey G. John , Chimimba Christian T. , van Rensburg Berndt J.
Published: December 2011

Aim  To determine the spatial relationship between areas where different frog breeding groups occur and elevated anthropogenic activities, and the conservation implications thereof.

Location  South Africa.

Methods  Data on frog distribution ranges for the southern African sub‐region were used to identify biogeographical areas within South Africa. A random draw technique was used to determine whether areas where different frog breeding groups occur were characterized by higher levels of anthropogenic threats than expected by chance. Four measures (human population density, percentage land transformation, percentage protected area and invasive alien plants richness) expected to reflect threats were analysed.

Results  Terrestrial‐breeders were more often spatially associated with areas of threat than expected by chance in three of the seven biogeographical regions examined with land transformation and invasive alien plant richness being most significant. The south central was the only region where terrestrial‐breeders were spatially congruent with protected areas. Areas where stream‐breeders occur were spatially congruent with anthropogenic threats (with alien plants being most consistent) in five of the seven regions examined while protected areas were well represented in four of the seven regions. Non‐significant results were found for permanent and temporary aquatic‐breeders at both the national and the biogeographical scale.

Main conclusions  By analysing data at the sub‐continental scale we were able to identify regional threats to amphibians traditionally classified at species‐specific scales. Our study recognized land transformation and alien invasive plants as significant threats to areas important for the long‐term breeding success of stream and terrestrial amphibians in South Africa. Areas where different breeding groups occur in the south‐western Cape showed the greatest spatial congruence with the threats examined. Areas where terrestrial breeding frogs occur are not well represented in the current conservation network. This has important implications in addressing the current status of threats on amphibians in a biogeographical context.
Cisplatin‐ and dietary ascorbic acid‐mediated changes in the mitochondria of Dalton’s lymphoma‐bearing mice
Authors: Martha Kham R.M. , Rosangkima Gabriel , Amenla Longchar , Rongpi Thengtom , Prasad Surya B.
Published: December 2011

Cisplatin treatment caused a significant increase in the life span of ascites Dalton’s lymphoma (DL) Tumor‐bearing (TB) mice. However, as compared to cisplatin (CP) alone, combination treatment with ascorbic acid plus CP resulted in better therapeutic efficacy against murine DL. Cisplatin treatment of TB mice resulted in the appearance of thickened and irregular arrangement of mitochondrial cristae in the liver, kidney and DL tumor cells. Combination treatment of the hosts with ascorbic acid and CP lessened deformities in the mitochondria of liver and kidney, while in tumor cells, this increased the formation of vacuoles and disruption in mitochondrial cristae. Cisplatin treatment decreased the succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity in the mitochondria of kidney and DL cells and combination treatment caused further decrease in SDH activity in kidney and DL cells during 24–48 h of treatment. After CP treatment, the protein content in the mitochondria of these tissues decreased, and during combination treatment, it showed significant improvement. Mitochondrial lipid peroxidation (LPO) increased in these tissues after CP treatment. However, combination treatment significantly decreased mitochondrial LPO in liver and kidney but increased in DL cells. This increase in mitochondrial LPO in DL cells and decrease in liver and kidney could play an important role in the antitumor activity of combination treatment and at the same time reduce CP‐induced toxicity in the host. However, further study may be desirable to explore some aspects of the mechanism(s) involved in these changes in mitochondria.
Two SET domain containing genes link epigenetic changes and aging in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Ni Zhuoyu , Ebata Atsushi , Alipanahiramandi Elham , Lee Siu Sylvia
Published: December 2011

Changes in epigenetic status and chromatin structure have been shown to associate with aging in many organisms. Here, we report an RNAi screen of putative histone methyltransferases and demethylases in wild‐type Caenorhabditis elegans using reproduction inhibitor. We identified six genes that when inactivated by RNAi, consistently extend lifespan. Five of these genes do not require germline proliferation to affect lifespan. We further characterized two of these genes, the highly homologous SET domain containing genes, set‐9 and set‐26. They share redundant functions in maintaining normal lifespan, while exhibiting differential tissue expression patterns. Furthermore, we found that set‐9 and set‐26 partially act through the Forkhead box O (FOXO) transcription factor, DAF‐16, to modulate lifespan. Interestingly, inactivation of somatic SET‐26 alone results in a robust lifespan extension and alters the levels of histone H3 protein and the repressive histone marks, H3K9me3 and H3K27me3, in an age‐dependent manner. We hypothesize that inactivation of SET‐26 triggers compensation mechanisms to restore repressive chromatin structure and hence affects chromatin stability to promote longevity.
Essential role of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B in obesity‐induced inflammation and peripheral insulin resistance during aging
Authors: González‐Rodríguez Águeda , Más‐Gutierrez Jose A. , Mirasierra Mercedes , Fernandez‐Pérez Antonio , Lee Yong J. , Ko Hwi J. , Kim Jason K. , Romanos Eduardo , Carrascosa Jose M. , Ros Manuel , Vallejo Mario , Rondinone Cristina M. , Valverde Ángela M.
Published: December 2011

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a negative regulator of insulin signaling and a therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In this study, we have evaluated the role of PTP1B in the development of aging‐associated obesity, inflammation, and peripheral insulin resistance by assessing metabolic parameters at 3 and 16 months in PTP1B−/− mice maintained on mixed genetic background (C57Bl/6J × 129Sv/J). Whereas fat mass and adipocyte size were increased in wild‐type control mice at 16 months, these parameters did not change with aging in PTP1B−/− mice. Increased levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, crown‐like structures, and hypoxia‐inducible factor (HIF)‐1α were observed only in adipose tissue from 16‐month‐old wild‐type mice. Similarly, islet hyperplasia and hyperinsulinemia were observed in wild‐type mice with aging‐associated obesity, but not in PTP1B−/− animals. Leanness in 16‐month‐old PTP1B−/− mice was associated with increased energy expenditure. Whole‐body insulin sensitivity decreased in 16‐month‐old control mice; however, studies with the hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamp revealed that PTP1B deficiency prevented this obesity‐related decreased peripheral insulin sensitivity. At a molecular level, PTP1B expression and enzymatic activity were up‐regulated in liver and muscle of 16‐month‐old wild‐type mice as were the activation of stress kinases and the expression of p53. Conversely, insulin receptor‐mediated Akt/Foxo1 signaling was attenuated in these aged control mice. Collectively, these data implicate PTP1B in the development of inflammation and insulin resistance associated with obesity during aging and suggest that inhibition of this phosphatase by therapeutic strategies might protect against age‐dependent T2DM.
Free‐living energy expenditure reduced after deep brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Jorgensen Hans U. , Werdelin Lene , Lokkegaard Annemette , Westerterp Klaas R. , Simonsen Lene
Published: December 2011

Background:  The clinical picture in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by bradykinesia, rigidity, resting tremor and postural instability. In advanced stages of the disease, many patients will experience reduced efficacy of medication with fluctuations in symptoms and dyskinesias. Surgical treatment with deep brain stimulation in the subthalamic nucleus (STN‐DBS) is now considered the gold standard in fluctuating PD. Many patients experience a gain of weight following the surgery. The aim of this study was to identify possible mechanisms, which may contribute to body weight gain in patients with PD following bilateral STN‐DBS surgery.

Methods:  Ten patients with PD were studied before bilateral STN‐DBS surgery, and seven patients were studied again 3 and 12 months postoperatively. Clinical examination and resting metabolic rate with and without medical treatment was measured before and after STN‐DBS. Furthermore, free‐living energy expenditure, body composition, energy intake, peak oxygen consumption, maximal workload and leisure time physical activity were measured before and 3 and 12 months after surgery.

Results:  The STN‐DBS operated patients had a significant weight gain of 4·7 ± 1·6 kg (mean ± SE) 12 months postoperatively, and the weight gain was in the fat mass. The free‐living energy expenditure decreased postoperatively 13 ± 4% even though the reported dietary intake was reduced. A decreased energy expenditure took place in the non‐resting energy expenditure. The reported daily leisure time activity, peak oxygen consumption and maximal workload were unchanged.

Conclusion:  The STN‐DBS operated patients have a significant postoperative weight gain, as a result of a decrease in free‐living energy expenditure concomitant with an insufficient decrease in energy intake.
Home Bias in Primary Agricultural and Processed Food Trade: Assessing the Effects of National Degree of Uncertainty Aversion
Authors: Ghazalian Pascal L.
Published: December 2011

This study investigates the effects of national degrees of uncertainty aversion (unfamiliarity avoidance) on the magnitude of bias towards domestic products rather than imports. The empirical analysis is implemented for primary agricultural and processed food products, using a panel dataset covering trade between and within OECD countries. Primary agricultural products are often blended and associated with reference prices. Conversely, processed food products exhibit higher levels of product differentiation. The empirical results confirm expectations by emphasizing the magnifying effects of uncertainty aversion on home bias in the case of processed food products but not in the case of primary agricultural products. These magnifying effects are primarily associated with processed food products destined for final household consumption. Other results reveal significant variations between different countries (based on geo‐economic and national income categories). Our results also indicate that home bias and uncertainty aversion effects on home bias have not decreased over time. The empirical results remain robust under different estimation methods.
Direct acting antivirals for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C: one pill a day for tomorrow
Authors: Asselah Tarik , Marcellin Patrick
Published: December 2011

Chronic hepatitis C is one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease with approximately 170 million people infected worldwide. Sustained virological response (SVR) is equivalent to viral eradication and associated with a reduction in the risk of cirrhosis. Nowadays the treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 chronic infection is the addition of direct acting antivirals (DAA) with a protease inhibitor (telaprevir or boceprevir) to the pegylated interferon (PEG‐IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) regimen. The future management of patients with these new molecules will require good clinical practice, knowledge of indications, management of side effects and monitoring for antiviral resistance. Certain major medical needs are still unmet and require studies in special populations (HIV‐HCV coinfected patients, transplanted patients, etc.…) and also in HCV non‐1 genotype patients and in non‐responders. Second generation DAA are in development. Combinations of antivirals with additive potency that lack cross resistance and with a good safety profile may provide new regimens in the future to make HCV the first chronic viral infection eradicated worldwide with a finite duration of combination DAA therapy without IFN. The aim of this review is to summarize mechanisms of action and results obtained with DAAs.
The future for the treatment of genotype 4 chronic hepatitis C
Authors: Esmat G. , El Raziky M. , El Kassas M. , Hassany M. , Gamil M.E.
Published: December 2011

Hepatitis C virus genotype 4 (HCV‐4) is the most common type of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the Middle East and Africa, in particular Egypt. Since the development of new protease inhibitors, the response of HCV‐4 to the standard regimen of treatment (pegylated interferon/ribavirin) lags behind other genotypes and has become the most resistant type to treat. The development of therapeutic strategies for all patients with HCV‐4 whether they are naïve, have experienced a virological breakthrough, are relapsers or non‐responders is still a considerable challenge. New types of interferon (Consensus Interferon, Y‐shaped, Albinterferon…) and new direct action antiviral drugs (Nitazoxanide, Vit.D, other) may improve the treatment of patients with HCV‐4. The IL28B CC polymorphism may be associated with sustained virological response.
Telaprevir user's guide
Authors: Liapakis Ann Marie , Jacobson Ira
Published: December 2011

Telaprevir is a potent HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitor. A completed development program has demonstrated the superior efficacy of a regimen of telaprevir combined with pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin (PR) over PR alone in patients with HCV genotype 1. In the ADVANCE trial in treatment‐naïve patients, 12 weeks of telaprevir, peginterferon alfa‐2a and ribavirin followed by either 12 or 36 weeks of PR alone (depending upon extended rapid virologic response, or eRVR, i.e. HCV RNA undetectability at weeks 4 and 12), was associated with sustained virological response (SVR) in 75% of patients compared with 46% receiving PR for 48 weeks. The ILLUMINATE trial established the foundation for response‐guided therapy in patients with eRVR. The REALIZE trial in treatment‐experienced patients showed a gradient of SVR from prior relapsers (86%) to partial responders (57%) to null responders (31%), with rates of virologic failure and emergent resistance highest in the latter group. Incremental adverse effects of telaprevir include rash, anemia, pruritus, diarrhea, and nausea. Treatment naïve patients and relapsers are eligible for response‐guided therapy. Stopping rules of telaprevir‐based treatment include HCV RNA > 1000 IU/ml at weeks 4 and 12.