bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dialogical compromise and symptoms
Authors: Lysaker Paul H. , Lysaker John T.
Published: February 2013

At the outset of this chapter, we asked whether a dialogical account of schizophrenia could help us understand the emergence of symptoms, or whether, while preserving schizophrenia’s first-person dimensions, it led to another dualistic dead end. In reply, we have suggested that several characteristic symptoms (complex verbal hallucinations, systematized delusions, blunted affect, lack of volition, and poor insight) might exacerbate and be exacerbated by dialogical compromises. Our claim then is that while symptoms and self-experience may be distinct in schizophrenia, they may also mutually affect one another via the thread of dialogical disturbance. Symptoms may disrupt dialogue, which disrupts self-experience, and/or a disruption in dialogue may both compromise sense of self and exacerbate symptoms, all leading to potentially grave psychosocial trajectories. If this is the case, then addressing schizophrenia with resources provided by dialogical theory enables us to see how one’s experiences of the illness are part and parcel of its course and development, even if one believes, as we do, that neurological processes are also integral to the onset and course of the disease.
Dialogical compromise and psychosocial dysfunction
Authors: Lysaker Paul H. , Lysaker John T.
Published: February 2013

At the outset of this chapter, we asked whether compromises in dialogical capacities might play a role in psychosocial dysfunction. In reply, we suggested that social forces, which lead to dysfunction such as stigma and oppressive power relationships, may exacerbate and be exacerbated by dialogical compromises. We further argued that knowing and being known by another may animate more self-facets and positions than can be comfortably accommodated by one for whom intra- and interpersonal dialogue is a difficult task. As a result, intersubjectivity may be experienced as a threat and intimacy avoided, two effects that in turn seem to intensify dialogical breakdowns, which leads to a debilitating downward spiral that entrenches social dysfunction and deepens experiences of diminishment. Finally, when considering committed action within the community, we suggested that the dialogical demands of ongoing worldly interaction also bring disorder to the interanimating play of self-positions among people with schizophrenia, thereby leading them to avoid commitment and/or show a lack of perseverance over time. And while we didn’t take the time to argue this, it seems evident that repeated failures of this sort not only contracts one’s intra-and interpersonal dialogues, but also intensifies, with the help of stigma, experiences of diminishment.

Looking at the last two chapters as a whole, we have also argued that a dialogical approach to schizophrenia not only attends to and preserves the first-person dimensions of the illness, but also give us reason to suppose that these dimensions interact with third-person events over the course of the illness. In the cases of positive and negative symptoms, as well as psychosocial dysfunction, we have witnessed some of the ways in which self-disclosures, in the form of interanimating plays among self-positions, might render one vulnerable to and intensify the effects of oppressive social relationships, cognitive deficits, abnormal cortical activity, and so forth. These two chapters thus provide some more evidence for the claim that how one undergoes schizophrenia is relevant to how it unfolds over the course of one’s life.
Values, psychiatric ethics and clinical judgement
Authors: Thornton Tim
Published: February 2013

A toolkit for ethical reasoning in medicine and psychiatry?

The further challenges of psychiatric ethics

The multiplicity of factors in psychiatric clinical judgement

Judgement and the broader framework of values-based practice

The irreducibility of values to facts

The subjectivity of values

The uncodifiability of values

Overview of the model of values that underpins values-based practice

The role of judgement in the Four Principles approach to medical ethics

A closer look at the Four Principles approach

Adding an account of the metaphysics of values

Is particularism consistent with the Four Principles approach?

Conclusions
Understanding psychopathology
Authors: Thornton Tim
Published: February 2013

Jaspers on the role of understanding in psychiatry

Biographical sketch of Jaspers

Jaspers on phenomenological understanding

Jaspers on genetic understanding

The limits of understanding

The attempt to understand psychopathology in recent philosophy of psychiatry

Delusions as rational responses to abnormal experiences

Delusions as expressions of philosophical confusion

Delusions as framework propositions

The two factor model of delusion

Delusions seen from an engaged rather than estranged perspective

Conclusions
Theorising about meaning for mental health care
Authors: Thornton Tim
Published: February 2013

Cognitivism, the mind and inner states

A cognitivist account of thought insertion

The discursive turn, social constructionism and dementia

The discursive turn and its contrast with cognitivism

Wittgenstein and constructionism about meaning

A Wittgensteinian account of meaning

Bolton and Hill’s alternative use of Wittgenstein

Objections to Bolton and Hill

The implications of the Wittgensteinian account for cognitivism and discursive psychology

Conclusions
The validity of psychiatric classification
Authors: Thornton Tim
Published: February 2013

Facts, values and psychiatric validity

Hempel’s contribution to the debate about psychiatric classification

Values and two underlying senses of validity

Two complications for psychiatric classification

Kendell and Jablensky and the ‘disease entity’ assumption

The World Psychiatric Association and the idea of comprehensive diagnosis

Lessons from the philosophy of science

Constructive Empiricism

Inference to the best explanation

Cartwright’s inference to the most probable cause

The natural ontological attitude: from what perspective can we assess scientific validity?

The application of lessons from philosophy of science to psychiatric classification

Conclusions
Responsibility and punishment
Authors: Callender John S.
Published: February 2013

Hart (1968, 1) opened his account of legal punishment with the statement, ‘Any morally tolerable account of this institution must exhibit it as a compromise between distinct and partly conflicting principles.’ There is no single rationale or theory of punishment that is without problems or would not result in unacceptable outcomes if applied to every offender and every offense. The impulse to punish has probably been around as long as humans have lived with each other in social groups. It is primarily motivated by feelings of anger and hurt, and emotions such as these underpin the retributive approach to punishment. However, the justification of punishment as intrinsically appropriate rests on too many insupportable assumptions about the nature of free will and must be considered untenable.

The system of legal punishment should have the principal aim of reducing the burdens and suffering caused by crime. This should involve something more than achieving social aims such as reduction in crime. Punishment should also aim to repair the damage caused to victims and communities by criminal acts and to promote positive changes in offenders. This may be best achieved by the kinds of restorative measures described above. The results of research on outcomes are promising and hold out the hope of bringing about some improvement in a social problem that has proved to be so intractable.

The fact that punishment of offenders in general rests on a multiplicity of justifications is of relevance when we come to consider how we should respond to offenders who suffer from psychiatric conditions such as personality disorders, brain damage, and posttraumatic stress disorders. Such conditions do not usually lead to legal excuse or exoneration but highlight the need for a more sophisticated approach to the punishment of crime.
Weakness of the will: Akrasia in clinical practice
Authors: Callender John S.
Published: February 2013

To have conflicting desires or motivations is part of everyday experience. I may have a desire for a cream cake although I also desire to stay healthy or avoid becoming overweight. I may wish to watch a film to its end late in the evening while knowing that I have a busy day at work the next day and it would be better for me to get an early night in bed.

The existence of behavior, which is at the same time harmful and self-willed, occupies a considerable proportion of the resources and energies of psychiatric services. There are whole subspecialities, such as the psychiatry of addictions and services for patients with eating disorders that are occupied with little else. Psychotherapists and clinical psychologists spend their days helping people to behave in ways that are less self-destructive and more adaptive. Consultation-liaison services have a daily quota of assessment of patients who have engaged in nonsuicidal deliberate self-harm. The general hospitals are full of patients who suffer from illnesses as a result of bad diet, cigarette smoking, too much alcohol, or too little exercise.

This happens not because people are ignorant of the risks that they are running. Instead, it happens when people know of the risks but choose anyway to act as they do.

In this chapter, I will begin by presenting some classical philosophical theories about akratic or weak-willed behavior. I will examine the concept of akrasia in light of standard definitions of autonomy. I will go on to look at more recent thinking on this theme and consider to what extent this aids our thinking about clinical problems.
Trauma, dissociative disorders, and PTSD
Authors: Callender John S.
Published: February 2013

In this chapter, I will begin by describing the clinical features of the dissociative disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I will go on to discuss the ways in which these conditions are related to violence and other criminal behavior. I will conclude with discussion of the issue of legal responsibility in offenders who suffer from these conditions.

One of the defining characteristics of PTSD is that it is precipitated by the experience of psychological trauma. The other dissociative disorders usually also have their origins in traumatic experiences.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that aggression is one of the sequelae of trauma and that people who have been traumatized are likely to turn this aggression against other people or themselves. According to one authority, trauma followed by the victimization of other people is ‘a major cause of violence in society’ (van der Kolk & McFarlane, 1996, 11). When one considers the biographies of those who have been responsible for murder and mayhem on the grand scale, it is striking how often one finds a history of early traumatization and abuse. Adolf Hitler's father was an authoritarian, overbearing, irritable drunkard. He was repeatedly violent to his wife and children. According to his sister, the young Adolf ‘got his sound thrashing every day’ (Kershaw, 1998). On one occasion, he was beaten so badly that his father left him for dead. In adult life, he was observed to have violent swings of mood and flew into rages at the slightest hint of disagreement or opposition. He would bang his fists on tables and walls. He shouted and stammered and would literally foam at the mouth. At worst, he is described as falling to the floor and chewing the carpet. This happened so often that some of his associates referred to him as teppischfresser (carpet eater) (Pincus, 2001). Josef Stalin's father was a violent, drunken cobbler, who ‘savagely beat’ his son and wife. Stalin's mother in turn, as the child later recalled, ‘thrashed him mercilessly’ (Sebag Montefiore, 2003). Saddam Hussein was raised by a brutal and abusive stepfather until he was 10 years old and went to live with an uncle.

Despite these observations, the role of trauma-related disorders in the genesis of criminality has received less attention than other conditions such as psychopathic personality and the psychoses. Violent and criminal behaviors are complex phenomena and are the end result of a range of causal influences. How can the experience of trauma lead to later violence on the part of the victim? Is a history of traumatic victimization a necessary element of the set of causes that lead to some types of crime? We know that most people who are traumatized do not commit crimes or cause harm to others. What other causal factors have to come into play to bring about violence and criminality? A final question is whether traumatic experience can affect a person in such a way as to override his or her capacity for self-control and hence give grounds for legal mitigation or excuse.
Assessing health needs
Authors: Wright John , Cave Ben
Published: February 2013

This chapter will describe why health needs assessment (HNA) is important and what it means in practice. Professional training and clinical experience teaches that a health professional must systematically assess a patient before administering any treatment that is believed to be effective. This systematic approach is often omitted when assessing the health needs of populations.
Assessing health impacts
Authors: Scott-Samuel Alex , Ardern Kate , Birley Martin
Published: February 2013

By reading this chapter you will become familiar with the background and policy context of health impact assessment (HIA), current and emerging concepts and methods of HIA, the impact of HIA, and an approach to conducting rapid and comprehensive prospective HIAs on major public policies, programmes, and projects.
Economic assessment
Authors: Brambleby Peter
Published: February 2013

This chapter will help the reader to understand the tools, techniques and approaches of health economics, apply a health economics way of framing a discussion when the need arises in management situations, and pose better questions when important choices are apparent and when the help of a professional health economist is involved.
Information technology and informatics
Authors: Detmer Don Eugene
Published: February 2013

After reading this chapter you should be able to identify the emerging sub-disciplines within biomedical and health informatics that are critical to the skilful use of health information and communications technology in the health sciences, and appreciate how informatics is applied to public health, clinical medicine, and research and that its roles are in rapid evolution.
Qualitative methods
Authors: Mallinson Sara , Popay Jennie , Williams Gareth
Published: February 2013

After reading this chapter you should be able to introduce key features of qualitative research, outline how different qualitative methods can be used to answer different types of research question, describe some of the most widely used qualitative methods, explain key issues in the analysis of qualitative data and common features of the analysis process, and outline the importance of qualitative research in a public health context.
Epidemiological approach and design
Authors: Ricciardi Walter , Boccia Stefania
Published: February 2013

The aim of this chapter is to help the reader understand epidemiological thinking and approaches in a public health context, use the most appropriate measures of disease occurrence, measure the association between an exposure and a health event by using a two-by-two table, measure the impact of a certain disease at the population level, and identify the main epidemiological studies.
Surveillance
Authors: Sosin Daniel M. , Hopkins Richard S.
Published: February 2013

Effective use of health data is a foundation of public health practice. Surveillance produces an ongoing stream of data that, when appropriately analysed, supports and directs public health action. This chapter provides an introduction to the purposes, design, methods, and uses of public health surveillance systems. Public health programme managers and staff, decision makers, epidemiologists, and students of public health can use this information to assure effective implementation of public health surveillance systems.
Investigating clusters
Authors: Saunders P.J. , Kibble A.J. , Burls A.
Published: February 2013

This chapter aims to describe the problems in investigating allegations of environmentally related disease clusters appropriately and effectively. We present recommendations to inform the local decision to investigate such allegations, and a structured approach to carrying out these studies.
Health trends: registers
Authors: Rashbass Jem , Newton John
Published: February 2013

The objectives of this chapter are to enable you to understand disease registers in general, understand cancer registries in particular, use them efficiently, be aware of the traps for the unwary, and appreciate the future of disease registers.
Communicable disease epidemics
Authors: O’Brien Sarah
Published: February 2013

After reading this chapter you should be able to define the terms ‘communicable disease’, ‘epidemic’, and ‘outbreak’, explain the principles of preventing communicable disease, explain the key features of different types of outbreaks or epidemics, and understand the key steps in investigating an outbreak or epidemic.
Emergency response
Authors: Bolton Paul , Burkle Frederick M.
Published: February 2013

After reading this chapter you will be familiar with a basic public health approach to disasters and other crises.
Genetics
Authors: Stewart Alison , Burton Hilary
Published: February 2013

After studying this chapter you should be able to appreciate that genes are important determinants of health and that almost all disease results from the combined effects of genetic and environmental factors, be aware that new knowledge about the relationships between genetic variants and disease is changing aspects of disease management and prevention, understand the use of genetics in screening programmes and other disease prevention strategies, be able to use a knowledge of genetics within routine public health practice, for example in health needs assessment, health technology assessment, service review and evaluation, be aware of the debate on the ethical, legal and social issues surrounding the use of genetic information in public health and healthcare, and be aware of the potential impact of new technologies that enable rapid and inexpensive sequencing of whole genomes and of the need for critical, evidence-based assessment of new genomic tests and interventions.
Developing healthy public policy
Authors: Nutbeam Don
Published: February 2013

Reading this chapter should help you better understand the process of policy making and the role of public health information and evidence in shaping policy, and the role of public health practitioners in influencing the policy process through the provision of evidence and advocacy.
Translating policy into indicators and targets
Authors: Battersby John
Published: February 2013

Reading this chapter should improve your understanding of what targets and indicators are, what they can be used for, how to go about constructing a good indicator, how to go about setting a target, and when to avoid using indicators and targets.
Translating goals, indicators, and targets into public health action
Authors: Jenkin Rebekah A. , Jorm Christine M. , Frommer Michael S.
Published: February 2013

The objective of this chapter is to help you improve your use of goals, targets and indicators in guiding and informing the choice, implementation, and evaluation of public health action.
Media advocacy for policy influence
Authors: Chapman Simon
Published: February 2013

Many public health interventions are controversial or potentially controversial. The way the media handle such issues can strongly influence public and policy maker attitudes towards them and effective media advocacy can be a powerful way of taking forward public health initiatives. After reading this chapter you should have a better understanding of how the media deal with public health issues, how the way in which an issue is framed influences whether and how it leads to changes in policy, and what you can do when a public health issue is framed in an adverse or harmful way.
Public health in poorer countries
Authors: Banatvala Nicholas , Heymann Eric
Published: February 2013

This chapter looks at the broader determinants of health and current approaches to tackling public health in poor countries. Reading this chapter will help you understand the major public health issues among the poor populations of the world, and the approaches used to tackle them.
Regulation
Authors: Gostin Lawrence
Published: February 2013

The objectives of this chapter are to help you understand the impact of legislation, regulations, and litigation on the public’s health, the powers, duties, and restraints imposed by the law on public health officials, the potential of legal change to improve the public’s health, andthe role of international law in securing public health in the face of increasing globalization.
Planning health services
Authors: Lawrence David
Published: February 2013

This chapter will show you how to contribute to successful planning of health services at strategic and operational levels.
Funding and delivering health care
Authors: Dixon Anna
Published: February 2013

This chapter will help you become familiar with different models of funding and delivering health care, and give you some analytical tools to enable you to critically review health system policies in other countries and apply learning to your own context.
Commissioning health care
Authors: Richards Richard
Published: February 2013

This chapter is concerned with the use of contracts and payments as a means of ensuring that care maximizes health at minimum cost. The chapter aims to cover the full range of health care commissioning from the simplest form, an individual patient making a private payment to an individual practitioner, through to the most complex, tax-funded, social medicine ‘free at the point of delivery’.
Improving equity
Authors: Friel Sharon
Published: February 2013

After reading this chapter you will be familiar with the concept and extent of health inequity in high and middle income countries, understand how the health care system can be both a cause of health inequities and a mechanism by which to improve health equity, recognized how to address the social determinants of health inequity, and begin to systematically apply an equity lens to your daily professional practice.
Improving quality
Authors: Steel Nick , Melzer David , Lang Iain
Published: February 2013

This chapter will help you understand the common approaches taken to improving quality and the competencies required of organizations, teams and individuals to improve the quality of health care delivered.
Developing leadership skills
Authors: Sim Fiona
Published: February 2013

This chapter should help you to acquire the leadership competencies that are necessary to turn excellent public health technical practice into effective public health practice.
Improving your professional practice
Authors: Grainger Caron
Published: February 2013

This chapter focuses on performance reviews, including appraisal and assessment, and continuing professional development (CPD). It aims to help you understand the role of performance review in improving performance, understand the principles of setting, and recording, a personal development plan (PDP), and understand the principles of mentorship.
Activism
Authors: Gray J. A. Muir
Published: February 2013

After reading this chapter, you may better appreciate how lobbying and direct action can raise the profile of a public health issue.
Innovation
Authors: Gray J.A. Muir
Published: February 2013

This chapter discusses different approaches to problem solving in public health, including linguistic techniques, resolving multiple realities, and narrative-based public health.
Governance and accountability
Authors: Pearson Virginia
Published: February 2013

Reading this chapter will improve your understanding of the principles of governance and accountability, help you recognize potential shortcomings in systems that may result in risk to individuals, and improve your knowledge of how to reduce risk through creating assurance that those systems are working effectively.
Health, sustainability, and climate change
Authors: Pencheon David , Roschnik Sonia , Cosford Paul
Published: February 2013

This chapter will help you understand the relationships between health, health care, sustainability, climate change, and carbon reduction, locally and globally. The specific objectives of the chapter are to help you make the case for action by showing how health, health care, sustainable development, and climate change are linked positively such that what is good for mitigating climate change is also good for health and health care today, translate science into policy and practice and help move research and action about climate science into policy and practice, and engage a wide range of stakeholders and appreciate that, as in much public health practice, appropriate action comes from involving a diverse group of people through genuine engagement.
Workforce
Authors: Greaves Felix , Guest Charles
Published: February 2013

Reading this chapter will help you to understand the internal and external influences on the public health workforce, and identify practical steps you can take to improve the public health workforce in your area.
Effective public health action
Authors: Jones Chris Spencer
Published: February 2013

The aim of this chapter is to help you to measure your progress towards creative and sustainable public health practice. It is intended to address the absence of criteria and standards against which to audit much of the wide spectrum of public health work and to help you improve your delivery of public health when faced with this absence.
Biostatistics 1: Basic Concepts
Authors: Murad M. Hassan , Shi Qian
Published: February 2013

Chapter 1 reviews basic concepts of biostatistics. Topics include descriptive data, probability and odds, estimation and sampling error, hypothesis testing, and power and sample size calculations. The discussion of descriptive data includes types of data (discrete vs continuous and nominal vs ordinal), central tendency (mean, median, and mode), skewed distributions, and measures of dispersion (range, variance, standard deviation). Probability and odds are broken down into laws of probability, odds, odds ratio, relative risk, and probability distribution. The examination of estimation and sampling error covers concepts such as random error, bias, standard error, point estimation, and interval estimation.
Biostatistics 2: Advanced Concepts
Authors: Murad M. Hassan , Shi Qian
Published: February 2013

This chapter builds on statistical principles introduced in chapter 1. The determination of appropriate statistical methods depends on 4 questions: 1) What is the type of data? 2) Are observations dependent or independent? 3) What data distribution assumptions can be made? 4) How many variables are being investigated? Observations can be continuous, categorical, or measurements with censoring. If each observation in the first group has a corresponding observation in the second, samples are paired and observations are dependent. When underlying populations of 2 compared groups are completely different, the samples are independent. Data can be normally distributed or nonparametric. Bivariable analysis explores the association between 2 variables; multivariable analysis explores the association between a response and multiple variables.
Epidemiology 2: Study Design
Authors: Aliyu Muktar H.
Published: February 2013

The usefulness of evidence arising from scientific research is influenced by several factors, and foremost among these factors is the design of the epidemiologic study from which the findings are drawn. In evidence-based medicine, the quality of scientific evidence is often graded on the base of the type of study design and includes appraisal of methods by which studies of exposure and outcomes are planned and implemented. Several factors must be considered when designing a scientific study, including the hypothesis being tested, study cost, time frame, subject characteristics, choice of variables or measurements, and ethical concerns. In this chapter, the different types of study designs commonly encountered in clinical research, common measures of morbidity and mortality in epidemiology, and errors (random and systematic) that may threaten conclusions derived from inferences arising from epidemiologic studies are discussed.
Infectious Diseases
Authors: Iftikhar Salma , Kasten Mary Jo , Temesgen Zelalem
Published: February 2013

Infectious diseases account for 19% of all physician encounters and close to 130 million ambulatory care visits in the United States annually. Common infections include upper respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infection, sexually transmitted illness, and enteric infections; these infections are the most frequent reasons for adult office visits. Common infectious diseases with public health significance are described in this chapter. Non-travel-related immunization is an important component of infectious disease prevention.
Obesity, Nutrition, and Physical Activity
Authors: Hensrud Donald D.
Published: February 2013

The prevalence of obesity has increased markedly over the past few decades in the United States. This increase has occurred across all ethnic groups and all ages, including childhood and adolescence. After obesity has developed, long-term results from the treatment of obesity are generally poor. The importance of diet and nutrition in the prevention of the disease has been widely reported. An estimated 365,000 deaths occur each year because of suboptimal diet and activity habits. Dietary factors play a prominent role in 5 of the 10 leading causes of death for Americans: heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and cerebrovascular disease. The health benefits of physical activity and exercise are broad, strong, and well-documented. Health benefits appear to increase linearly with the total amount of physical activity.
Secondary Prevention 2: Common Clinical and Chronic Diseases
Authors: Thompson Warren G. , Chutka Darryl S.
Published: February 2013

Chronic diseases are responsible for 6 of the 7 leading causes of death in the United States. Heart disease and cancer account for about half of all deaths. Cerebrovascular disease, chronic low respiratory tract diseases, diabetes mellitus, and Alzheimer disease account for an additional 16% of deaths. Chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, hypertension, and hypertensive renal disease account for 2% of all deaths in the United States. A substantial portion of these deaths is preventable; here, we provide a concise review of these common clinical diseases with an emphasis on prevention.
Injury Prevention and Control
Authors: Bossou Kodjo M. , Hagen Philip T.
Published: February 2013

In its most basic definition, human injury is the result of a transfer of energy of sufficient magnitude to damage tissues of the human recipient. Adoption of the infectious disease model of an agent (energy), a carrier (living or inanimate; a vector), and the affected person (host) has proved helpful in analyzing the chain of causation that leads to injury. For the inclusion of important injuries, the definition of causation is often modified to include exposures that prevent needed energy from reaching a host-for example, a lack of thermal energy (heat) that results in frostbite. For persons younger than 45, injury is the most frequent cause of death. Years of potential life lost is an important measure of the cost and health burden of injuries on society. With systematic identification of the causal factors of injury and the events leading up to and following injury, a comprehensive intervention can be carried out to reduce the occurrence of injury in various settings.
Health Care Management and Financing
Authors: Litchy William J. , Matthias Mark A. , Hoppe Kurtis M. , Kircher Kyle J.
Published: February 2013

Health care financing and health care management in the United States have been intricately intertwined in their evolution and have been dependent on technology, on public and private policy and funding, and the needs of employers and employees. Virtually all major changes in health care management in the United States have occurred in the last century. Little has changed over the decades; the cost of health care today is still only one-third the estimated cost of absenteeism and presenteeism in the workplace. The difference is that the individual's burden in many cases is now carried by employers and by state and federal governments. Movement toward other reimbursement mechanisms for health care was advanced as medical technology improved and health care costs increased.
Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Authors: Zorumski Charles , Rubin Eugene
Published: February 2013

This resource examines recent developments in the field of network neuroscience and their potential impact on clinical psychiatry, including the way that psychiatrists are trained and interact with other medical specialties and mental health professionals. It discusses how research in neuroscience is revolutionizing how we think about psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, and how understanding how the neural networks that underlie these mental functions become dysfunctional holds great promise for devising innovative approaches to diagnosis and treatment. It covers recent advances in human functional neuroimaging, which is being used to characterize the activity of specific brain circuits at rest and during the performance of specific tasks, as well as advances in clinical neuroscience that are being coupled with expanding knowledge about genetics and cellular and synaptic neuroscience. Taken together, these advancements offer the hope of much more mechanism-based approaches to treatment in the future.
Evaluation of Resistance to Powdery Mildew in Triticale Seedlings and Adult Plants
Authors: Troch V. , Audenaert K. , Vanheule A. , Bekaert B. , Höfte M. , Haesaert G.
Published: February 2013

Triticale (×Triticosecale) is the intergeneric hybrid between the female parent wheat and the male parent rye. With the expansion of the triticale growing area, powdery mildew emerged on this new host and has become a significant disease on triticale. Recent research demonstrated that this “new” powdery mildew on triticale has emerged through a host range expansion of powdery mildew of wheat. Moreover, this expansion occurred recently and multiple times at different locations in Europe. An effective and environmentally sensitive approach to controlling powdery mildew involves breeding crop plants for resistance. The main goal of this study was to identify the presence of powdery mildew resistance in commercial triticale cultivars. First, the avirulence (AVR) genes and gene complexity carried by this new powdery mildew population on triticale were characterized. Virulence was identified for all the resistance genes evaluated in the present study, and virulence frequencies higher than 50% were recorded on the genes Pm3f, Pm5b, Pm6, Pm7, Pm8, and Pm17. Using molecular markers, the presence of resistance genes Pm3f and Pm17 was identified in certain triticale cultivars. The triticale cultivars were also evaluated for the presence of quantitative resistance at adult plant growth stages in a 2-year field experiment. Despite the high disease pressure, cultivars highly resistant at the adult-plant growth stages were identified. Because ‘Grenado’ also showed effective race-specific resistance, this cultivar could be of high value for breeding for durable resistance to powdery mildew. Altogether, this study reveals valuable information on the presence of powdery mildew resistance in commercial triticale cultivars, which can be used in breeding programs in triticale. Additionally, this study underscores the need to broaden the base of powdery mildew resistance in triticale through introgression and deployment of new sources of mildew resistance, including quantitative resistance.
First Report of Orange Rust Caused by Puccinia kuehnii in Sugarcane in Louisiana
Authors: Grisham M. P. , Hoy J. W. , Haudenshield J. S. , Hartman G. L.
Published: February 2013

In June 2012, lesions typical of rust were observed on sugarcane cultivar Ho 05-961 (a complex hybrid of Saccharum L. spp.) on a farm near Schriever, Louisiana. Incidence and severity of disease symptoms were low. Two types of pustules were observed on leaves of the infected plants. One pustule type was reddish-brown in color turning brown with age, characteristic of brown rust which has been observed in Louisiana since 1979 (2). The other pustule type was orange and did not turn brown with age. Urediniospore samples from the two pustule types were collected. The morphology of the urediniospores from the reddish-brown pustules was consistent with that described for Puccinia melanocephala Syd. & Syd., the fungus that causes brown rust of sugarcane, while the morphology of the urediniospores from the orange pustules was consistent with those described for P. kuehnii E.J. Butler, the causal organism of orange rust of sugarcane (3). Telia and teliospores were not observed. The identity of the two species of Puccinia causing the brown and orange rust lesions was verified using the species-specific quantitative PCR assays (1). Two DNA samples extracted from the pustules identified as P. kuehnii were independently subjected to PCR amplification using primers Pk1F and Pk1R (1) to yield a product from the rDNA that was then bidirectionally sequenced using the same primers. The resulting 480-nt sequences were identical to each other, and a BLAST search of GenBank revealed 100% identity to 19 previously reported isolates of P. kuehnii but not more than 89% similarity to any isolate of P. melanocephala (4). To our knowledge, this is the first report of orange rust in Louisiana. In the 4 months following the detection of orange rust, observations of the disease have been limited to Ho 05-961. Seed cane increase plots of this newly released cultivar were surveyed, and orange rust symptoms and urediniospores were detected in 17 of 38 (45%) fields. The incidence and severity of the disease remained low, and the distribution appeared to be limited to the southern portion of the Louisiana sugarcane production area.

References: (1) N. C. Glynn et al. Plant Pathol. 59:703, 2010. (2) H. Koike. Plant Dis. 64:226, 1980. (3) C. C. Ryan et al. Page 189 in: Diseases of Sugarcane: Major Diseases. C. Ricaud et al., eds. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1989. (4) E. V. Virtudazo et al. Mycoscience 42:447, 2001.
A Developmental Transcriptional Network for Maize Defines Coexpression Modules
Authors: Downs Gregory S. , Bi Yong-Mei , Colasanti Joseph , Wu Wenqing , Chen Xi , Zhu Tong , Rothstein Steven J. , Lukens Lewis N.
Published: February 2013

Here, we present a genome-wide overview of transcriptional circuits in the agriculturally significant crop species maize (Zea mays). We examined transcript abundance data at 50 developmental stages, from embryogenesis to senescence, for 34,876 gene models and classified genes into 24 robust coexpression modules. Modules were strongly associated with tissue types and related biological processes. Sixteen of the 24 modules (67%) have preferential transcript abundance within specific tissues. One-third of modules had an absence of gene expression in specific tissues. Genes within a number of modules also correlated with the developmental age of tissues. Coexpression of genes is likely due to transcriptional control. For a number of modules, key genes involved in transcriptional control have expression profiles that mimic the expression profiles of module genes, although the expression of transcriptional control genes is not unusually representative of module gene expression. Known regulatory motifs are enriched in several modules. Finally, of the 13 network modules with more than 200 genes, three contain genes that are notably clustered (P < 0.05) within the genome. This work, based on a carefully selected set of major tissues representing diverse stages of maize development, demonstrates the remarkable power of transcript-level coexpression networks to identify underlying biological processes and their molecular components.
Stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in aquatic food webs are tracers of diet and provenance
Authors: Soto David X. , Wassenaar Leonard I. , Hobson Keith A.
Published: February 2013

The stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope (δ2H and δ18O) composition of animal tissues are well‐established tracers for terrestrial migration ecology and wildlife forensics. However, the behaviour of these isotopes in aquatic ecosystems and their potential as tracers of diet and provenance are complicated because of inputs from ambient H2O and diet.

We conducted controlled aquaria‐based experiments to quantify the mechanisms that drive the H and O isotopic flow within and among aquatic species. The isotopic composition of water and diet of two aquatic species (Chironomus tentans and Poecilia reticulata), representing two trophic levels, was varied in six isothermal treatments. Both species were raised from juvenile to adult to ensure that tissues were in isotopic equilibrium with their dietary and environmental conditions (ambient water, food, dissolved oxygen). We measured water, dissolved O2, diet, tissue protein and lipids for δ2H or δ18O.

The flows of H and O isotopes for tissue formation in aquatic organisms were parameterized using a steady‐state multi‐pool mass‐balance model. The ambient H2O contribution to tissue protein H and O isotopes in both species was significant (30–50% for 2H and >80% for 18O). An apparent trophic effect for δ2H and isotopic discrimination between water and protein for δ18O (c. 15 ‰) were identified.

Our isotopic data and model revealed potential applications and cautions in using δ2H and δ18O measurements for ecological studies in aquatic food webs. Tissue δ2H values may be a complementary trophic tracer in aquatic food webs, but only when the main controlling mechanisms are properly accounted for (i.e., H isotopic exchange with water during protein synthesis and influence of metabolic water). Measurements of δ18O, on the other hand, reflect that of water and so can be used for predicting isotopic assignment to origin of aquatic organisms as there is no complicating trophic effect, but more δ18O field data and improved analytical precision may be required to better establish the strengths to ecological applications.
Plant‐microbe‐herbivore interactions in invasive and non‐invasive alien plant species
Authors: Kempel Anne , Nater Patrick , Fischer Markus , van Kleunen Mark
Published: February 2013

Plants interact with many organisms, such as microbes and herbivores, and these interactions are likely to affect the establishment and spread of plants. In the context of plant invasions, mycorrhizal fungi and constitutive and induced resistance of plants against herbivores have received attention independently of each other. However, plants are frequently involved in complex multi‐trophic interactions, which might differ between invasive and non‐invasive alien plants.

In a multi‐species comparative experiment, we aimed to improve our understanding of plant traits associated with invasiveness. We tested whether eight invasive alien plant species use the mycorrhizal symbiosis in a more beneficial way, and have higher levels of constitutive or induced resistance against two generalist bioassay herbivores, than nine non‐invasive alien species. We further assessed whether the presence of mycorrhizal fungi altered the resistance of the plant species, and whether this differed between invasive and non‐invasive alien species.

While invasive species produced more biomass, they did not differ in their biomass response to mycorrhizal fungi from non‐invasive alien species. Invasive species also did not have higher levels of constitutive or induced resistance against the two generalist herbivores. Mycorrhizal fungi greatly affected the resistance of our plant species, however, this was also unrelated to whether the alien species were invasive or not.

Our study confirms the previous findings that invasive species generally grow faster and produce more biomass than non‐invasive alien species. We further show that alien plant species used a variety of defence strategies, and also varied in their interactions with mycorrhizal fungi. These multi‐trophic interactions were not consistently related to invasiveness of the alien plant species.

We suggest that awareness of the fact that alien plant species are involved in multi‐trophic interactions might lead to a more complete understanding of the factors contributing to a plant's success.
Peripheral hypertrophic subepithelial corneal degeneration: characterization, treatment and association with human leucocyte antigen genes
Authors: Järventausta Petri J. , Holopainen Juha M. , Zalentein Waldir N. , Paakkanen Riitta , Wennerström Annika , Seppänen Mikko , Lokki Marja‐Liisa , Tervo Timo M. T.
Published: February 2013

Purpose:  To evaluate the efficacy of keratectomy in treating irregular astigmatism caused by peripheral hypertrophic subepithelial corneal degeneration (PHSD) and to study the possible underlying immunological risk factors.

Materials and methods:  Patients (14 eyes) with diagnosed PHSD were treated with superficial keratectomy with or without the assistance of phototherapeutic keratectomy (VisX S4; VisX Inc., Santa Ana, CA, USA). Thirteen patients were subjected to analysis of human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genes, complement C4 gene numbers and total plasma immunoglobulin levels. Immunological risk factors between patients and a control group comprising 150 individuals were compared.

Results:  The mean preoperative best spectacle corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved from 0.16 ± 0.22 (LogMAR scale range 0–0.7) to 0.06 ± 0.13 (−0.1–0.4) (p < 0.01). The mean preoperative astigmatism decreased significantly from 3.8 ± 2.1 D (range 1.2–8.2) to 2.1 ± 1.4 (range 0.6–5.0, p = 0.02) based on corneal topography. The HLA‐B*44 allele and the ancestral haplotype (AH) 8.1 were found significantly more often in PHSD patients than in controls (both p = 0.03). No differences in the C4 genes were found.

Conclusions:  Astigmatism secondary to PHSD can be effectively treated with keratectomy. Peeling of the fibrotic tissue reduced astigmatism and improved visual performance. We suggest that HLA‐B*44 allele and AH 8.1 haplotype are immunological factors predisposing to the development of PHSD. The consequent disruption/alteration of the limbal barrier may lead to corneal peripheral fibrous formation inducing astigmatism.