bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘Because of the circumstances, we cannot develop our role’: Norwegian community pharmacists’ perceived responsibility in role development
Authors: Svensberg Karin , Kälvemark Sporrong Sofia , Håkonsen Helle , Toverud Else-Lydia
Published: October 2014

Objective

The development of more patient-centred care is not always visible in community pharmacies. The aim of this study was to explore Norwegian pharmacists' motivation and perceived responsibility regarding role development and involvement in patient-centred care.

Methods

A semi-structured interview guide was developed. Four focus group interviews were conducted with a heterogeneous sample of 21 community pharmacists and transcribed verbatim. An inductive analysis was performed, supplemented with an agent perspective.

Key findings

Two main categories and nine subcategories were identified, with the main categories being ‘reality vs. vision’ and the overall ‘agent’ category. A gap was found between what the pharmacists said they were doing in their day-to-day work and what they expressed as their ideal tasks in the pharmacy. The pharmacists seem to transfer the need for their role as active medicine experts in patient-centred care to other agents such as authorities and pharmacy chains.

Conclusions

There is a gap between what the Norwegian community pharmacists express as their vision and current practice. The identified agent relationships appear to hamper the pharmacists' perceived ability to be active and take full responsibility in their role development and further implementation of patient-centred care. Adopting a fairly inactive position when it comes to increasing patient-centred care might be a result of a traditional product-focused pharmacy culture.
Intraductal carcinoma of the prostate: A comprehensive and updated review
Authors: Tsuzuki Toyonori
Published: October 2014

Intraductal carcinoma of the prostate is characterized by prostatic carcinoma cells growing within ducts and/or acini. These tumors are usually associated with a high‐grade Gleason score, large tumor volume and advanced stage. Intraductal carcinoma of the prostate is also a well‐known adverse independent prognostic factor regardless of treatment. Recent studies have shown that intraductal carcinoma of the prostate is a distinctive disease entity that is different from invasive prostate carcinoma, which is generally invasive. Although the Gleason score does not consider intraductal carcinoma of the prostate, some cribriform prostate carcinomas graded as pattern 4 could be considered as intraductal carcinomas. The definition of intraductal carcinoma of the prostate is not unified, because it can occur with or without invasive prostate carcinoma. Furthermore, diagnosis of intraductal carcinoma of the prostate without invasive prostate carcinoma by needle biopsy is crucial, but is a rare event. Differential diagnosis of intraductal carcinoma of the prostate includes several pathologies. This is especially true for high‐grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, although its distinction is not always straightforward. The present review discusses the concept of intraductal carcinoma of the prostate, and also describes its morphological characteristics, molecular features and clinical outcome. Given the current state of knowledge, the presence of intraductal carcinoma of the prostate should be evaluated and documented correctly in both radical prostatectomy and needle biopsy, and the clinical implications should be taken into consideration during treatment and follow up.
Exploring faculty perceptions towards electronic health records for nursing education
Authors: Kowitlawakul Y. , Chan S.W.C. , Wang L. , Wang W.
Published: October 2014

Background

The use of electronic health records in nursing education is rapidly increasing worldwide. The successful implementation of electronic health records for nursing education software program relies on students as well as nursing faculty members.

Aims

This study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of nursing faculty members using electronic health records for nursing education software program, and to identify the influential factors for successful implementation of this technology.

Methods

This exploratory qualitative study was conducted using in‐depth individual interviews at a university in Singapore. Seven faculty members participated in the study. The data were gathered and analysed at the end of the semester in the 2012/2013 academic year.

Results

The participants' perceptions of the software program were organized into three main categories: innovation, transition and integration. The participants perceived this technology as innovative, with both values and challenges for the users. In addition, using the new software program was perceived as transitional process. The integration of this technology required time from faculty members and students, as well as support from administrators.

Limitations

The software program had only been implemented for 2–3 months at the time of the interviews. Consequently, the participants might have lacked the necessary skill and competence and confidence to implement it successfully. In addition, the unequal exposure to the software program might have had an impact on participants' perceptions.

Conclusion

The findings show that the integration of electronic health records into nursing education curricula is dependent on the faculty members' experiences with the new technology, as well as their perceptions of it. Hence, cultivating a positive attitude towards the use of new technologies is important.

Implications for nursing and health policy

Electronic health records are significant applications of health information technology. Health informatics competency should be included as a required competency component in faculty professional development policy and programmes.
Human blood‐derived endothelial progenitor cells augment vasculogenesis and osteogenesis
Authors: Zigdon‐Giladi Hadar , Michaeli‐Geller Gal , Bick Tova , Lewinson Dina , Machtei Eli E.
Published: October 2014

Introduction

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) participate in angiogenesis and osteogenesis, therefore, have the potential to enhance extra‐cortical bone formation.

Aim

To enhance extra‐cortical bone formation following local transplantation of human peripheral blood‐derived EPC (hEPC) in a guided bone regeneration (GBR) nude rat calvaria model.

Materials and Methods

hEPC were isolated from peripheral blood of healthy volunteers. Cells were cultured and characterized by flow cytometry for specific endothelial markers. Following exposure of nude rat calvaria, gold domes were filled with 106 hEPC mixed with βTCP (n = 6). Domes filled with βTCP served as control (n = 6). Rats were sacrificed after 3 months. New bone formation and blood vessel density were analysed by histology and histomorphometry. Transplanted hEPC were located in the regenerated tissue using immunohistology.

Results

Abundant vasculature was observed adjacent to the newly formed bone. According to histomorphometric analysis: blood vessel density was 7.5 folds higher in the hEPC compared with the control group. Similarly, gained extra‐cortical bone height (2.46 ± 1.1 mm versus 0.843 ± 0.61 mm, p = 0.01) and bone area fraction (19.42 ± 7.48% versus 4.81 ± 3.93%, p = 0.001) were elevated following hEPC transplantation. Moreover, hEPC expressing human‐specific CD31 were integrated into blood vessel walls adjacent to newly formed bone.

Conclusion

In nude rat GBR calvaria model, transplantation of hEPC significantly enhanced vasculogenesis and osteogenesis.
Age of onset and the subclassification of conduct/dissocial disorder
Authors: Silberg Judy , Moore Ashlee A. , Rutter Michael
Published: October 2014

Background

Conduct Disorder (CD) is a markedly heterogeneous psychiatric condition. Moffitt (1993) proposed that subclassification ofCDshould be according to age of onset. Our goals were to compare childhood‐onset and adolescent‐onsetCDin terms of differences in phenotypic risk factors, genetic analyses, and factors associated with the persistence of antisocial behavior into young adulthood.

Methods

The data are from the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development (VTSABD) and Young Adult Follow‐Up (YAFU). Childhood‐onsetCDwas defined asCDbeginning at or before age 11. Adolescent‐onsetCDwas defined as havingCDonset between ages 14 and 17. These subgroups were compared onADHD, young adult antisocial behavior (ASB), family dysfunction, and parental depression. Genetic analyses compare childhood‐onset and adolescent‐onsetCD, as well as their cooccurrence withADHDandASB. Finally, predictors of persistence were examined.

Results

Childhood‐onsetCDwas significantly associated withADHD,ASB, family dysfunction, and parental depression. Adolescent‐onsetCDwas marginally associated with parental depression (p = .05) but not with any of the other risk factors. Univariate genetic models showed that both childhood‐onset and adolescent‐onsetCDinvolve a large genetic liability accounting for 62% and 65% of the variance, respectively. A common genetic factor (as well as anADHD‐specific factor) accounted for the cooccurrence of childhood‐onsetCDandADHD. The cooccurrence of childhood‐onsetCDandASBare reflected by a common genetic factor with genetic specific effects onASB. There was no etiological link between adolescent‐onsetCDand eitherADHDorASB. BothADHDand family dysfunction were significantly associated with the persistence of antisocial behavior into young adulthood.

Conclusions

Phenotypic findings differentiated between childhood‐onset and adolescent‐onsetCD.ADHDand family dysfunction predicted persistence of antisocial behavior into young adulthood.
Using self‐reported callous‐unemotional traits to cross‐nationally assess the DSM‐5 ‘With Limited Prosocial Emotions’ specifier
Authors: Kimonis Eva R. , Fanti Kostas A. , Frick Paul J. , Moffitt Terrie E. , Essau Cecilia , Bijttebier Patricia , Marsee Monica A.
Published: October 2014

Background

The presence of callous‐unemotional (CU) traits designates an important subgroup of antisocial youth at risk for severe, persistent, and impairing conduct problems. As a result, the fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual includes a specifier for youth meeting diagnostic criteria for Conduct Disorder who show elevated CU traits. The current study evaluated the DSM‐5 criteria using Item Response Theory (IRT) analyses and evaluated two methods for using a self‐report measure of CU traits to make this diagnosis.

Methods

The sample included 2257 adolescent (M age = 15.64, SD = 1.69 years) boys (53%) and girls (47%) from community and incarcerated settings in the United States and the European countries of Belgium, Germany, and Cyprus.

Results

IRT analyses suggested that four‐ or eight‐item sets from the self‐report measure (comparable to the symptoms used by the DSM‐5 specifier) provided good model fit, suggesting that they assess a single underlying CU construct. Further, the most stringent method of scoring the self‐report scale (i.e. taking only the most extreme responses) to approximate symptom presence provided the best discrimination in IRT analyses, showed reasonable prevalence rates of the specifier, and designated community adolescents who were highly antisocial, whereas the less stringent method best discriminated detained youth.

Conclusions

Refined self‐report scales developed on the basis of IRT findings provided good assessments of most of the symptoms used in the DSM‐5 criteria. These scales may be used as one component of a multimethod assessment of the ‘With Limited Prosocial Emotions’ specifier for Conduct Disorder.
The Paternalistic Bias of Expert Advice
Authors: P. Lightle John
Published: October 2014

Using a theoretical model of noisy expert advice, I show that language inflation can be a rational response to the vagueness of language. Experts will tend to overstate their positions to a like‐minded decision maker (DM) and this constitutes a Pareto improvement over sending a sincere message. When the message space is bounded, overstatement may interfere with the DM's ability to aggregate the experts' information, because communication is less precise when the same message is sent for many states of the world. Despite this, I show that experts are willing to send either the most extreme message to the DM, or a partially overstated message, because by doing so the expert can decrease the likelihood the DM makes a suboptimal decision due to his subjective interpretation of the advice. Because the expert inflates his message toward the policy he believes the DM would be better off choosing, rather than sincerely revealing his information, I refer to this behavior as a paternalistic bias.
Does Service Bundling Reduce Churn?
Authors: Prince Jeffrey , Greenstein Shane
Published: October 2014

We examine whether bundling in telecommunications services reduces churn using a series of large, independent cross sections of household decisions. To identify the effect of bundling, we construct a pseudo‐panel dataset and utilize a linear, dynamic panel‐data model, supplemented by nearest‐neighbor matching. We find bundling does reduce churn for all three “triple‐play” services. The effect is only “visible” during times of turbulent demand. We also find evidence that broadband was substituting for pay television in 2009. This analysis highlights that bundling helps with customer retention in service industries, and may play an important role in preserving contracting markets.
Development and psychometric testing of an instrument to measure safety climate perceptions in community pharmacy
Authors: Newham Rosemary , Bennie Marion , Maxwell David , Watson Anne , de Wet Carl , Bowie Paul
Published: October 2014

Rationale, aims and objectives

A positive and strong safety culture underpins effective learning from patient safety incidents in health care, including the community pharmacy (CP) setting. To build this culture, perceptions of safety climate must be measured with context‐specific and reliable instruments. No pre‐existing instruments were specifically designed or suitable for CP within Scotland. We therefore aimed to develop a psychometrically sound instrument to measure perceptions of safety climate within Scottish CPs.

Methods

The first stage, development of a preliminary instrument, comprised three steps: (i) a literature review; (ii) focus group feedback; and (iii) content validation. The second stage, psychometric testing, consisted of three further steps: (iv) a pilot survey; (v) a survey of all CP staff within a single health board in NHS Scotland; and (vi) application of statistical methods, including principal components analysis and calculation of Cronbach's reliability coefficients, to derive the final instrument.

Results

The preliminary questionnaire was developed through a process of literature review and feedback. This questionnaire was completed by staff in 50 CPs from the 131 (38%) sampled. 250 completed questionnaires were suitable for analysis. Psychometric evaluation resulted in a 30‐item instrument with five positively correlated safety climate factors: leadership, teamwork, safety systems, communication and working conditions. Reliability coefficients were satisfactory for the safety climate factors (α > 0.7) and overall (α = 0.93).

Conclusions

The robust nature of the technical design and testing process has resulted in the development of an instrument with sufficient psychometric properties, which can be implemented in the community pharmacy setting in NHS Scotland.
Identification and expression of the laboratory of genetics and physiology 2 gene in common carp Cyprinus carpio
Authors: Cao X. L. , Chen J. J. , Cao Y. , Nie G. X. , Wan Q. Y. , Wang L. F. , Su J. G.
Published: October 2014

In this study, a laboratory of genetics and physiology 2 gene (lgp2) from common carp Cyprinus carpio was isolated and characterized. The full‐length complementary (c)DNA of lgp2 was 3061 bp and encoded a polypeptide of 680 amino acids, with an estimated molecular mass of 77 341·2 Da and a predicted isoelectric point of 6·53. The predicted protein included four main overlapping structural domains: a conserved restriction domain of bacterial type III restriction enzyme, a DEAD–DEAH box helicase domain, a helicase super family C‐terminal domain and a regulatory domain. Real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed widespread expression of lgp2, mitochondrial antiviral signalling protein (mavs) and interferon transcription factor 3 (irf3) in tissues of nine organs. lgp2, mavs and irf3 expression levels were significantly induced in all examined organs by infection with koi herpesvirus (KHV). lgp2, mavs and irf3 messenger (m)RNA levels were significantly up‐regulated in vivo after KHV infection, and lgp2 transcripts were also significantly enhanced in vitro after stimulation with synthetic, double‐stranded RNA polyinosinic polycytidylic [poly(I:C)]. These findings suggest that lgp2 is an inducible protein involved in the innate immune defence against KHV in C. carpio. These results provide the basis for further research into the role and mechanisms of lgp2 in fishes.
Enhancement of innate immune system in monocot rice by transferring the dicotyledonous elongation factor Tu receptor EFR
Authors: Lu Fen , Wang Huiqin , Wang Shanzhi , Jiang Wendi , Shan Changlin , Li Bin , Yang Jun , Zhang Shiyong , Sun Wenxian
Published: October 2014

The elongation factor Tu (EF‐Tu) receptor (EFR) in cruciferous plants specifically recognizes the N‐terminal acetylated elf18 region of bacterial EF‐Tu and thereby activates plant immunity. It has been demonstrated that Arabidopsis EFR confers broad‐spectrum bacterial resistance in the EFR transgenic solanaceous plants. Here, the transgenic rice plants (Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica cv. Zhonghua 17) and cell cultures with constitutive expression of AtEFR were developed to investigate whether AtEFR senses EF‐Tu and thus enhances bacterial resistance in the monocot plants. We demonstrated that the Xanthomonas oryzae‐derived elf18 peptide induced oxidative burst and mitogen‐activated protein kinase activation in the AtEFR transgenic rice cells and plants, respectively. Pathogenesis‐related genes, such as OsPBZ1, were upregulated dramatically in transgenic rice plant and cell lines in response to elf18 stimulation. Importantly, pretreatment with elf18 triggered strong resistance to X. oryzae pv. oryzae in the transgenic plants, which was largely dependent on the AtEFR expression level. These plants also exhibited enhanced resistance to rice bacterial brown stripe, but not to rice fungal blast. Collectively, the results indicate that the rice plants with heterologous expression of AtEFR recognize bacterial EF‐Tu and exhibit enhanced broad‐spectrum bacterial disease resistance and that pattern recognition receptor‐mediated immunity may be manipulated across the two plant classes, dicots and monocots.
Review of free software tools for image analysis of fluorescence cell micrographs
Authors: WIESMANN V. , FRANZ D. , HELD C. , MÜNZENMAYER C. , PALMISANO R. , WITTENBERG T.
Published: October 2014

An increasing number of free software tools have been made available for the evaluation of fluorescence cell micrographs. The main users are biologists and related life scientists with no or little knowledge of image processing. In this review, we give an overview of available tools and guidelines about which tools the users should use to segment fluorescence micrographs. We selected 15 free tools and divided them into stand‐alone, Matlab‐based, ImageJ‐based, free demo versions of commercial tools and data sharing tools. The review consists of two parts: First, we developed a criteria catalogue and rated the tools regarding structural requirements, functionality (flexibility, segmentation and image processing filters) and usability (documentation, data management, usability and visualization). Second, we performed an image processing case study with four representative fluorescence micrograph segmentation tasks with figure‐ground and cell separation. The tools display a wide range of functionality and usability. In the image processing case study, we were able to perform figure‐ground separation in all micrographs using mainly thresholding. Cell separation was not possible with most of the tools, because cell separation methods are provided only by a subset of the tools and are difficult to parametrize and to use. Most important is that the usability matches the functionality of a tool. To be usable, specialized tools with less functionality need to fulfill less usability criteria, whereas multipurpose tools need a well‐structured menu and intuitive graphical user interface.
Loss of mitofusin 2 links beta‐amyloid‐mediated mitochondrial fragmentation and Cdk5‐induced oxidative stress in neuron cells
Authors: Park Junghyung , Choi Hoonsung , Min Ju‐Sik , Kim Bokyung , Lee Sang‐Rae , Yun Jong Won , Choi Myung‐Sook , Chang Kyu‐Tae , Lee Dong‐Seok
Published: October 2014

Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in age‐related degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Maintenance of mitochondrial dynamics is essential for regulating mitochondrial function. Aβ oligomers (AβOs), the typical cause of AD, lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal loss. AβOs have been shown to induce mitochondrial fragmentation, and their inhibition suppresses mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal cell death. Oxidative stress is one of the earliest hallmarks of AD. Cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) may cause oxidative stress by disrupting the antioxidant system, including Prx2. Cdk5 is also regarded as a modulator of mitochondrial fission; however, a precise mechanistic link between Cdk5 and mitochondrial dynamics is lacking. We estimated mitochondrial morphology and alterations in mitochondrial morphology‐related proteins in Neuro‐2a (N2a) cells stably expressing the Swedish mutation of amyloid precursor protein (APP), which is known to increase AβO production. We demonstrated that mitochondrial fragmentation by AβOs accompanies reduced mitofusin 1 and 2 (Mfn1/2) levels. Interestingly, the Cdk5 pathway, including phosphorylation of the Prx2‐related oxidative stress, has been shown to regulate Mfn1 and Mfn2 levels. Furthermore, Mfn2, but not Mfn1, over‐expression significantly inhibits the AβO‐mediated cell death pathway. Therefore, these results indicate that AβO‐mediated oxidative stress triggers mitochondrial fragmentation via decreased Mfn2 expression by activating Cdk5‐induced Prx2 phosphorylation.

image

Mitochondrial fragmentation induced by amyloid‐beta oligomer (AβOs) which is generated from the Swedish mutation of amyloid precursor protein (APP) accompanies reduced Mfn1/2 levels. Interestingly, the Cdk5 pathway, including phosphorylation of the Prx2‐related oxidative stress, has been shown to regulate Mfn1/2. Furthermore, Mfn2 over‐expression significantly inhibits the AβO‐mediated neuronal cells death pathway, but not Mfn1 over‐expression. Therefore, these results indicate that AβO‐mediated oxidative stress triggers mitochondrial fragmentation via decreased Mfn2 expression by activating Cdk5‐induced Prx2 phosphorylation. ATP, adenosine triphosphate; Bax, Bcl‐2‐associated X protein; Bcl‐2, B‐cell lymphoma 2; Cdk5, Cyclin‐dependent kinase; Cyt C, cytochrome C; Mfn2, mitofusin 2; Prx2, peroxiredoxin 2; ROS, reactive oxygen species.
The Role of Psychopathological and Personality Covariates in Orgasmic Difficulties: A Prospective Longitudinal Evaluation in a Cohort of Women from Age 30 to 50
Authors: Leeners Brigitte , Hengartner Michael P. , Rössler Wulf , Ajdacic-Gross Vladeta , Angst Jules
Published: October 2014

Introduction

There are little published data on the prevalence of orgasmic difficulties in representative samples and no longitudinal data on the subject. In addition, our knowledge of the factors, which increase or protect against the risk of orgasmic difficulties, is still rudimentary.

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cumulative incidence rate and longitudinal course of orgasmic difficulties from age 30 to age 50, and the role of psychopathological and personality covariates in a representative population cohort of women.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews with single-item questions on sexual problems in general as well as on orgasmic difficulties were conducted. Psychopathological covariates were from the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised and personality characteristics from the Freiburg Personality Inventory. Coping resources were measured by the scales of mastery and self-esteem.

Main Outcome Measures

One-year prevalences of orgasmic difficulties, associations with psychopathological and personality covariates as well as coping resources were the main outcome measures.

Results

Orgasmic difficulties were reported annually by 7.4% to 13.5% of the women with a mean of 10.0% and a cumulative risk of 27.3% from age 30 to 50. No relation between age and the prevalence of orgasmic difficulties could be demonstrated. Psychopathological covariates such as depression, psychoticism, interpersonal sensitivity, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and somatization were moderately associated with orgasmic difficulties. Also, personality traits, i.e., nervousness, aggressiveness, depressiveness, irritability, sociability, and openness, were related to orgasmic difficulties.

Conclusions

With a cumulative risk of 27.3%, orgasmic difficulties represent a frequent sexual problem. Annual prevalence rates are particularly high in women with psychopathological characteristics and modestly related to various personality traits. Our findings support the relevance of psychosocial factors in the regulation of female orgasm. More basic research is needed to better understand underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and to improve diagnostic as well as therapeutic tools for women suffering from orgasmic difficulties.
Acute Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy and Exposure to Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors
Authors: Campbell Ulka B. , Walker Alexander M. , Gaffney Michael , Petronis Kenneth R. , Creanga Dana , Quinn Sheila , Klein Barbara E.K. , Laties Alan M. , Lewis Michael , Sharlip Ira D. , Kolitsopoulos Francesca , Klee Brian J. , Mo Jingping , Reynolds Robert F.
Published: October 2014

Introduction

Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a rare visual disorder, has been reported in men using phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5i) for erectile dysfunction.

Aim

We examined whether intermittent use of PDE5i is associated with acute NAION onset within approximately five half-lives following drug ingestion.

Methods

One hundred two ophthalmology centers in the United States and Europe identified potential cases of NAION. An expert adjudication committee conducted a blind review of the records of those with recent PDE5i use to classify cases as Definite, Possible, or not NAION. Subjects provided information on PDEi use via telephone interview. Each NAION case’s PDE5i exposure immediately prior to onset was compared against his recent patterns of use in an observational case–crossover design. A sample size of 40 cases with intermittent PDE5i exposure in the 30 days prior to NAION onset was needed to detect an odds ratio (OR) of 3.0 with 80% power.

Main Outcome Measures

The daily relative risk for acute NAION on days within five half-lives of PDE5i use vs. other days was estimated via an OR obtained from conditional logistic regression.

Results

Among 43 Definite NAION cases with PDE5i exposure in the prior 30 days, the OR was 2.15 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06, 4.34). When 21 Possible NAION cases were included (n = 64), the OR was 2.36 (95% CI: 1.33, 4.19).

Conclusions

We found an approximately twofold increased risk of acute NAION within five half-lives of PDE5i use compared with use in a more prior time period. Bias from inaccurate recall of exposure was unlikely to have substantially affected the results. Based on our results, we estimate that weekly use of PDE5i adds three NAION cases per 100,000 men 50 years and older annually.
Moderate Role of Oxytocin in the Pro-Ejaculatory Effect of the 5-HT1A Receptor Agonist 8-OH-DPAT
Authors: de Jong Trynke R. , Neumann Inga D.
Published: October 2014

Introduction

The neurobiological control of ejaculation is not completely understood. Both serotonin (5-HT) and oxytocin (OXT) play a role in the control of male sexual parameters, putatively via overlapping neuronal networks.

Aim

The aim of this study was to determine whether activation of 5-HT1A receptors (5-HT1ARs) reduces the ejaculatory threshold via the direct activation of (OXT) neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN).

Methods

In experiment 1, male rats received acute bilateral infusions of the selective 5-HT1AR antagonist WAY-100635 (1 and 10 μg) or vehicle into the PVN, followed by acute subcutaneous (SC) injection of the potent 5-HT1AR agonist 8-OH-DPAT (0.4 mg/kg) or saline. In experiment 2, male rats received acute bilateral infusions of 8-OH-DPAT (1 and 10 μg) or vehicle into the PVN. In experiment 3, male rats received acute intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of a selective OXT receptor antagonist (OXTR-A, 75 and 750 ng) followed by acute SC injection of 8-OH-DPAT (0.4 mg/kg) or saline. The effects of these drug treatments on sexual behavior were measured.

Main Outcome Measures

Copulation latency, ejaculation latency, mount and intromission frequency, and ejaculation frequency of sexually experienced adult male Wistar rats during 30-minute sexual behavior tests with a receptive female were the main outcome measures.

Results

Male sexual behavior was not affected by intra-PVN infusion of WAY-100635 or 8-OH-DPAT, or by ICV infusion of OXTR-A alone. However, the facilitation of ejaculation (reduced mount and intromission frequency and ejaculation latency) induced by systemic 8-OH-DPAT could be attenuated by either intra-PVN infusion of WAY-100635 or by ICV infusion of OXTR-A.

Conclusions

Activation of OXT neurons plays a moderate role in the pro-ejaculatory effects of systemic 8-OH-DPAT, but extracellular 5-HT levels may influence the strength of the effects.
Mental health problems in adolescents with delayed sleep phase: results from a large population‐based study in Norway
Authors: Sivertsen Børge , Harvey Allison G. , Pallesen Ståle , Hysing Mari
Published: October 2014

The aim of the current study was to compare mental health problems, resilience and family characteristics in adolescents with and without delayed sleep phase (DSP) in a population‐based sample. Data were taken from the youth@hordaland‐survey, a large population‐based study in Hordaland County in Norway conducted in 2012. In all, 9338 adolescents aged 16–19 years (53.5% girls) provided self‐reported data on a wide range of instruments assessing mental health symptoms, including depression, anxiety, obsessive–compulsive behaviours, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) symptoms, perfectionism, resilience and sleep. Measures of socioeconomic status were also included. Three hundred and six adolescents (prevalence 3.3%) were classified as having DSP [according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders‐2 (ICSD‐2)] criteria. Adolescents with DSP reported higher levels of depression, anxiety and ADHD symptoms. Adolescents with DSP also exhibited significantly lower levels of resilience. The Cohen's d effect sizes ranged from small [obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD): d = 0.15] to moderate (inattention: d = 0.71). In the fully adjusted model, the significant predictors of DSP included inattention [odds ratio (OR): 2.11], lack of personal structure (OR: 2.07), low (OR: 1.85) and high (OR: 1.91) paternal education, parents not living together (OR: 1.81), hyperactivity/inattention (OR: 1.71) and poorer family economy (OR: 1.59). In conclusion, the high symptom load across a range of mental health measures suggests that a broad and thorough clinical approach is warranted when adolescents present with DSP.
Public Perceptions of the Legitimacy of the Law and Legal Authorities: Evidence from the Caribbean
Authors: Johnson Devon , Maguire Edward R. , Kuhns Joseph B.
Published: October 2014

Research on procedural justice and legitimacy has expanded greatly across the social sciences in recent years. The process-based model of regulation, which links people's assessments of procedural justice and legitimacy to their compliance with the law and legal authorities, has become particularly influential in criminology and sociolegal studies. A review of the previous research on perceived legitimacy highlights two important features. First, legitimacy has been conceptualized and measured in many different ways. Second, most of the research on legitimacy has focused on only a handful of developed nations. Using survey data from Trinidad and Tobago, this article examines the conceptualization and measurement of the perceived legitimacy of the law and legal authorities. The findings indicate that some of the prominent conceptual and measurement models used in previous research are not empirically valid in the Trinidadian context. The implications of the results for conceptualization, theory, and future research are discussed.
The Loss of Property Rights and the Construction of Legal Consciousness in Early Socialist Romania (1950–1965)
Authors: Şerban Mihaela
Published: October 2014

What happens to legal and rights consciousness when rights previously protected are taken away? In this article, I investigate the process of contesting urban housing nationalization in Romania in the early 1950s in order to understand how the loss of property rights led to new hybrid types of legal consciousness. I find that the construction of socialist legal consciousness was grounded in the interaction between the legally constituted selves of former owners and state bureaucrats who drew from distinct legal and property rights ideologies. This process underscores continuities in legal consciousness even under drastic regime changes, which in turn has implications for the construction of new hegemonic legalities and power regimes. The article is based on extensive document and archival research.
Enforcing Desegregation: A Case Study of Federal District Court Power and Social Change in Macon County Alabama
Authors: Landsberg Brian K.
Published: October 2014

This case study of Lee v. Macon County Board of Education demonstrates that a federal district court in Alabama, enforcing Brown v. Board of Education, brought about significant social change despite constraints on the courts. The court's application of Brown played a decisive role in ending the racial caste system in this Alabama Black Belt county. The court, by adding the U.S. Department of Justice as a party, overcame constraints that had precluded the executive branch from pursuing school desegregation. Change came through the courts before Congress legislated against school segregation. Seekers of social change must evaluate the constraints on the courts relative to the constraints on the other branches and levels of government.
Scientizing Food Safety: Resistance, Acquiescence, and Localization in India
Authors: Epstein Jessica
Published: October 2014

Since the mid-1990s, formal scientific risk management has been codified at all levels of food safety governance in affluent states: firm-level standards, national regulation, and international law. Developing countries' access to affluent importers and power in international standard-setting fora now hinges on their scientific capacity. This article explores the consequences of these developments in India, which moved quickly from resistance to acquiescence, and then later to mobilization around narratives of scientific risk management's local benefits. The case suggests a two-stage model of scientization among developing countries: (1) coercive and competitive mechanisms drive adoption of science-based governance models, and (2) as local actors mobilize to meet foreign demands, they attach their own interests and agendas to science-based reforms. The outcome is a set of rational myths about the benefits of scientization. The article draws on content analysis of organizational, policy, and news documents and a small set of interviews with highly placed pubic officials and industry representatives.
The Humdrum of Legality and the Ordering of an Ethic of Care
Authors: Ranasinghe Prashan
Published: October 2014

This paper provides an ethnographic analysis of the ways that employees of an emergency shelter create and maintain order. The paper applies the framework of legal consciousness to explicate the practices of the employees that amount to “private ordering.” The employees administer the rules of the shelter in the context of an “ethic of care,” but one that is outside the purview of formal law. This ethic, however, is polysemic, and the employees, therefore, must adopt diverse styles based on their understandings of their professional roles regarding the needs of the clients. The practices of two employees are highlighted in detail, whose strategies in applying and maintaining adherence to shelter rules are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Both make decisions in a somewhat spontaneous and, more importantly, inconsistent, fashion. Despite the complications that arise from applying the rules as such, the employees tolerate, even laud and celebrate, these methods. While this system of private ordering has little resemblance to the ordered, consistent, and rigid application of formal law, it allows the employees to administer diverse strategies of ethics of care and shape practices to fit their professional roles and the complex exigencies of an emergency shelter. The paper locates the extant private ordering not in the law, nor in its shadow—assumed to be preconditions—but outside or beyond them. Given that this ordering is founded against the law—it is not law, nor law-like and has no desire to so be—the paper suggests that it can be thought of as private ordering proper and lays the framework for theorization that accounts for its instrumental and symbolic dimensions.
The Influence of Congressional Preferences on Legislative Overrides of Supreme Court Decisions
Authors: Uribe Alicia , Spriggs James F. , Hansford Thomas G.
Published: October 2014

Studies of Court–Congress relations assume that Congress overrides Court decisions based on legislative preferences, but no empirical evidence supports this claim. Our first goal is to show that Congress is more likely to pass override legislation the further ideologically removed a decision is from pivotal legislative actors. Second, we seek to determine whether Congress rationally anticipates Court rejection of override legislation, avoiding legislation when the current Court is likely to strike it down. Third, most studies argue that Congress only overrides statutory decisions. We contend that Congress has an incentive to override all Court decisions with which it disagrees, regardless of their legal basis. Using data on congressional overrides of Supreme Court decisions between 1946 and 1990, we show that Congress overrides Court decisions with which it ideologically disagrees, is not less likely to override when it anticipates that the Court will reject override legislation, and acts on preferences regardless of the legal basis of a decision. We therefore empirically substantiate a core part of separation-of-powers models of Court–Congress relations, as well as speak to the relative power of Congress and the Court on the ultimate content of policy.
Ectoparasitic Syndemics: Polymicrobial Tick‐borne Disease Interactions in a Changing Anthropogenic Landscape
Authors: Singer Merrill , Bulled Nicola
Published: October 2014

Based on an assessment of the available research, this article uses syndemic theory to suggest the role of adverse bio–social interactions in increasing the total disease burden of tick‐borne infections in local populations. Given the worldwide distribution of ticks, capacity for coinfection, the anthropogenic role in environmental changes that facilitate tick dissemination and contact, evidence of syndemic interaction in tick‐borne diseases, and growing impact of ticks on global health, tick‐borne syndemics reveal fundamental ways in which human beings are not simply agents of environmental change but objects of that change as well.
Endogenous Cycles and Chaos in a Capitalist Economy: A Circuit of Capital Model
Authors: Jiang Xiao
Published: October 2014

This paper introduces a firm‐level simulation model of the circuit of capital with financially extended Harrodian investment behavior. The model demonstrates that capitalist economies with heterogeneous firms can endogenously generate chaotic cycles. Stability and bifurcation analyses show that the (Harrodian) instability of the system is caused by the firm's ‘aggressiveness’ regarding the size of the ‘rent’ between investiments in the financial and the goods markets. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of firms results in a chaotic pattern of capital accumulation. Finally, a set of steady states around which the system fluctuates chaotically is found by solving the balanced growth problem.
Valsartan combined with clopidogrel and/or leflunomide for the treatment of progressive immunoglobulin A nephropathy
Authors: Cheng Genyang , Liu Dongwei , Margetts Peter , Liu Limin , Zhao Zhanzheng , Liu Zhangsuo , Tang Lin , Fang Yudong , Li Haijian , Guo Yuanyuan , Chen Fengmei , Liu Fengxun
Published: October 2014

Aim

The current standard treatment for IgA nephropathy relies on steroid and/or immunosuppressive therapy and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB). This study examines the benefits and safety of combining valsartan with clopidogrel and leflunomide as a treatment for progressive IgA nephropathy.

Methods

Patients with primary IgA nephropathy, confirmed by renal biopsy, were recruited for this study. Patients were separated into four groups (n = 42 each) after 2 months of run‐in period of valsartan treatment. All patients were treated with valsartan alone (Group 1) or valsartan and either clopidogrel (Group 2) or leflunomide (Group 3) or both clopidogrel and leflunomide (Group 4). Each group was followed up for their next 24 months for 24 h urinary protein excretion, serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) to assess the effect of the treatment. Adverse effects were recorded concurrently to evaluate the safety of the treatment.

Results

Of all 168 patients, 107 were males and 61 were females, with an average age of 33.8 ± 8.79 years. Baseline characteristics were comparable among the four groups (P > 0.05) prior to the experimental treatment. There was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in 24 h urinary protein excretion after 4 months of experimental treatment. At the end of the 24 months, groups 3 and 4 showed a respective 62.35% and 69.47% reduction in proteinuria. The serum creatinine was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in group 1 and 2 at the end of the follow‐up, and their respective eGFR was significantly lower. The incidence of cardiovascular complication was 11.9% and 9.5% for group 1 and 3, respectively.

Conclusions

The treatment with Valsartan combined with Clopidogrel and Leflunomide can reduce the urinary proteins loss and renal function deterioration for IgA nephropathy patients and cause minimal adverse reactions. Our study suggests a new clinical treatment option for IgA nephropathy.
Watermelon origin solved with molecular phylogenetics including Linnaean material: another example of museomics
Authors: Chomicki Guillaume , Renner Susanne S.
Published: October 2014

Type specimens are permanently preserved biological specimens that fix the usage of species names. This method became widespread from 1935 onwards and is now obligatory.

We used DNA sequencing of types and more recent collections of wild and cultivated melons to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the genus Citrullus and the correct names for its species.

We discovered that the type specimen of the name Citrullus lanatus, prepared by a Linnaean collector in South Africa in 1773, is not the species now thought of as watermelon. Instead, it is a representative of another species that is sister to C. ecirrhosus, a tendril‐less South African endemic. The closest relative of the watermelon instead is a West African species. Our nuclear and plastid data furthermore reveal that there are seven species of Citrullus, not four as assumed.

Our study implies that sweet watermelon originates from West, not southern Africa as previously believed, and that the South African citron melon has been independently domesticated. These findings affect and explain numerous studies on the origin of these two crops that led to contradictory results because of the erroneous merging of several distinct species.
MODELING OF A LANDLORD—TENANT AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT
Authors: HRITONENKO NATALI , YATSENKO YURI , GOETZ RENAN‐ULRICH , XABADIA ANGELS
Published: October 2014

A hierarchical economic–environmental model is formulated to analyze the sustainable management of farming production in a landlord–tenant system. The problem under study is interdisciplinary and combines various agricultural, economic, social, and environmental factors. To maximize profit, the landlord chooses a rental payment and the duration of a lease contract. Tenants invest into farmyard fertilizer in order to improve future crop growth and maximize their profit. It is shown that the qualitative behavior of optimal trajectories in the landlord–tenant problem is mostly affected by environmental conditions rather than by the end‐of‐horizon and delay effects. A range of model parameters is identified, where the optimal trajectory coincides with the first‐best environmentally and socially efficient solution.
Endoscopic Transcervical Catheterization in the Domestic Cat
Authors: Zambelli D , Bini C , Cunto M
Published: October 2014

Contents

Feline‐assisted reproduction is still not routinely performed in veterinary practice, although there is an increasing interest on the subject by cat breeders. In recent years, many techniques for artificial insemination in the domestic cat have been developed with regard to the intrauterine deposition of sperm through the catheterization of the cervix. Transcervical catheterization has been described also for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This article provides the first description of a new method for cervical catheterization, under the direct visualization of the cervix, using a rigid endoscope and a new specially designed transcervical catheter. The procedure was performed on 14 queens with a success rate of 85.71%.
Beyond “Inherit It or Marry It”: Exploring How Women Engaged in Sustainable Agriculture Access Farmland
Authors: Pilgeram Ryanne , Amos Bryan
Published: October 2014

Despite an overall decrease in new farm operations, the number of women farm operators grew 30 percent between 2002 and 2007, with 300 percent growth since 1978. This research suggests, however, that opportunities for women have unfolded unevenly. We argue that women's opportunities to farm are affected by their social location and life course, suggesting that as their lives unfold across specific cultural and economic moments, different cohorts of women experience divergent opportunities to farm. Using in‐depth interviews with women engaged in sustainable farming in the Inland Northwest, this article examines how women access farmland. Our findings suggest three methods for access: (1) access through the traditional means of marrying a male farmer and then carving out space for one's self as a farmer; (2) access later in life after a life‐altering event like divorce and using personal financial means, such as retirement income or selling appreciated property; (3) access at a young age through the pooling of marital resources with a husband who works off the farm. Our research suggests that women's land access should not be presumed a progressive narrative and suggests the need for a more complex understanding of the challenges that women in agriculture face today despite their increased presence in farming.