bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Case Vignette Study of Decision Making in Forensic Psychiatric Cases
Authors: Grøndahl Pål , Grønnerød Cato , Sexton Joseph
Published: March 2010

We tested whether the judgment of forensic psychiatric experts differed from that of laypersons. We constructed 18 case vignettes that were rated by 21 psychologists, 14 psychiatrists, and 126 laypeople on the following variables: Insanity by Legal Terms, Risk of Repeated Offense, and Need of Treatment. We found significant differences among laypeople and professionals on all three variables ( p = .008, p = .024, and p = .009, respectively), although the differences were dependent on the composition of the case vignettes. Case vignettes containing negative descriptions and/or serious crimes were rated high on all variables by laypeople, whereas the professional groups? ratings varied according to the variations given in the information.
When Healthy Food Makes You Hungry
Authors: Finkelstein Stacey R. , Fishbach Ayelet
Published: March 2010

Do subtle cues for imposed healthy eating make consumers hungry? Imposed healthy eating signals that the health goal was sufficiently met, and thus it increases the strength of the conflicting motive to fulfill one’s appetite. Accordingly, consumers asked to sample an item framed as healthy later reported being hungrier and consumed more food than those who sampled the same item framed as tasty or those who did not eat at all. These effects of healthy eating depend on the consumer’s perception that healthy eating is mandatory; therefore, only imposed healthy eating made consumers hungrier, whereas freely choosing to eat healthy did not increase hunger.
Albertus,MagnusorMagus?Magic, Natural Philosophy, and Religious Reform in the Late Middle Ages*
Authors: Collins David J.
Published: March 2010

This article analyzes the fifteenth-century attempt by the Dominican order, especially in Cologne, to win canonization for the thirteenth-century natural philosopher Albert the Great. It shows how Albert's thought on natural philosophy and magic was understood and variously applied, how the Dominicans at Cologne composed his vitae, and how the order's Observant movement participated in these developments. It situates the canonization attempt at the intersection of two significant trends in which the order was a leading participant: first, the late medieval efforts to reform Christian society beginning with the religious life of monks and mendicants; second, the increasing concerns about the practice of learned and demonic magic that laid groundwork for the witch-hunting of the early modern period. The article aims to shed light on intersections of science and religion — their apprehension and negotiation — at a decisive moment in European history for both fields of human endeavor.
Constructing Identities in a Music Manuscript: The Medici Codex as a Gift*
Authors: Shephard Tim
Published: March 2010

The motet manuscript known as the Medici Codex is associated by modern scholarship with the 1518 marriage of Lorenzo II de' Medici and Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne. It was once thought that the manuscript was made in France and given to Lorenzo by Francis I, but now it is almost unanimously agreed that it was made in Rome under the patronage of Pope Leo X. Since this revision, no one has put forward a detailed view of how the manuscript relates to the circumstances under which it was given and to the individuals involved, or how it functions as a gift. This study places the manuscript in the context of other gifts associated with the marriage to arrive at such a view.
Contract and Exit Decisions in Finisher Hog Production
Authors: Dong Fengxia , Hennessy David A. , Jensen Helen H.
Published: March 2010

Finisher hog production in North America has shifted toward larger units and contract format since 1990. Exit among independent growers has been high. We develop a model showing that growers with any of three efficiency attributes (lower innate hazard of exit, variable costs, or contract adoption costs) are more likely to contract, produce more, and expend more on business protection. Using 2004 Agricultural Resource Management Survey data, a recursive bivariate probit model confirms that contracting producers are less likely to exit. Specialization increases the probability of contracting. Education, nonfarm income, and older production facilities are significant in increasing expected exit.
High-frequency homogenization for periodic media
Authors: Craster R. V. , Kaplunov J. , Pichugin A. V.
Published: March 2010

An asymptotic procedure based upon a two-scale approach is developed for wave propagation in a doubly periodic inhomogeneous medium with a characteristic length scale of microstructure far less than that of the macrostructure. In periodic media, there are frequencies for which standing waves, periodic with the period or double period of the cell, on the microscale emerge. These frequencies do not belong to the low-frequency range of validity covered by the classical homogenization theory, which motivates our use of the term ‘high-frequency homogenization’ when perturbing about these standing waves. The resulting long-wave equations are deduced only explicitly dependent upon the macroscale, with the microscale represented by integral quantities. These equations accurately reproduce the behaviour of the Bloch mode spectrum near the edges of the Brillouin zone, hence yielding an explicit way for homogenizing periodic media in the vicinity of ‘cell resonances’. The similarity of such model equations to high-frequency long wavelength asymptotics, for homogeneous acoustic and elastic waveguides, valid in the vicinities of thickness resonances is emphasized. Several illustrative examples are considered and show the efficacy of the developed techniques.
How fast could HIV change gene frequencies in the human population?
Authors: Cromer Deborah , Wolinsky Steven M. , McLean Angela R.
Published: March 2010

Infectious diseases have the potential to act as strong forces for genetic selection on the populations they affect. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a prime candidate to impose such genetic selection owing to the vast number of people it infects and the varying susceptibility of different human leucocyte antigen (HLA) types to HIV disease progression. We have constructed a model of HIV infection that differentiates between these HLA types, and have used reported estimates of the number of people infected with HIV and the different rates of progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) to provide a lower bound estimate on the length of time it would take for HIV to impose major genetic change in humans. We find that an HIV infection similar to that currently affecting sub-Saharan Africa could not yet have caused more than a 3 per cent decrease in the proportion of individuals who progress quickly to disease. Such an infection is unlikely to cause major genetic change (defined as a decrease in the proportion of quickly progressing individuals to under 50 per cent of their starting proportion) until 400 years have passed since HIV emergence. However, in very severely affected populations, there is a chance of observing such major genetic changes after another 50 years.
Interactions among social monitoring, anti-predator vigilance and group size in eastern grey kangaroos
Authors: Favreau François-René , Goldizen Anne W. , Pays Olivier
Published: March 2010

Group size is known to affect both the amount of time that prey animals spend in vigilance and the degree to which the vigilance of group members is synchronized. However, the variation in group-size effects reported in the literature is not yet understood. Prey animals exhibit vigilance both to protect themselves against predators and to monitor other group members, and both forms of vigilance presumably influence group-size effects on vigilance. However, our understanding of the patterns of individual investment underlying the time sharing between anti-predator and social vigilance is still limited. We studied patterns of variation in individual vigilance and the synchronization of vigilance with group size in a wild population of eastern grey kangaroos (
Macropus giganteus
) subject to predation, in particular focusing on peripheral females because we expected that they would exhibit both social and anti-predator vigilance. There was no global effect of group size on individual vigilance. The lack of group-size effect was the result of two compensating effects. The proportion of time individuals spent looking at other group members increased, whereas the proportion of time they spent scanning the environment decreased with group size; as a result, overall vigilance levels did not change with group size. Moreover, a degree of synchrony of vigilance occurred within groups and that degree increased with the proportion of vigilance time peripheral females spent in anti-predator vigilance. Our results highlight the crucial roles of both social and anti-predator components of vigilance in the understanding of the relationship between group size and vigilance, as well as in the synchronization of vigilance among group members.
Human aging-associated DNA hypermethylation occurs preferentially at bivalent chromatin domains
Authors: Rakyan Vardhman K. , Down Thomas A. , Maslau Siarhei , Andrew Toby , Yang Tsun-Po , Beyan Huriya , Whittaker Pamela , McCann Owen T. , Finer Sarah , Valdes Ana M. , Leslie R. David , Deloukas Panogiotis , Spector Timothy D.
Published: March 2010

There is a growing realization that some aging-associated phenotypes/diseases have an epigenetic basis. Here, we report the first genome-scale study of epigenomic dynamics during normal human aging. We identify aging-associated differentially methylated regions (aDMRs) in whole blood in a discovery cohort, and then replicate these aDMRs in sorted CD4+ T-cells and CD14+ monocytes in an independent cohort, suggesting that aDMRs occur in precursor haematopoietic cells. Further replication of the aDMRs in buccal cells, representing a tissue that originates from a different germ layer compared with blood, demonstrates that the aDMR signature is a multitissue phenomenon. Moreover, we demonstrate that aging-associated DNA hypermethylation occurs predominantly at bivalent chromatin domain promoters. This same category of promoters, associated with key developmental genes, is frequently hypermethylated in cancers and in vitro cell culture, pointing to a novel mechanistic link between aberrant hypermethylation in cancer, aging, and cell culture.
ANKYRIN REPEAT-CONTAINING PROTEIN 2A Is an Essential Molecular Chaperone for Peroxisomal Membrane-Bound ASCORBATE PEROXIDASE3 inArabidopsis
Authors: Shen Guoxin , Kuppu Sundaram , Venkataramani Sujatha , Wang Jing , Yan Juqiang , Qiu Xiaoyun , Zhang Hong
Published: March 2010

Arabidopsis thaliana ANKYRIN REPEAT-CONTAINING PROTEIN 2A (AKR2A) interacts with peroxisomal membrane-bound ASCORBATE PEROXIDASE3 (APX3). This interaction involves the C-terminal sequence of APX3 (i.e., a transmembrane domain plus a few basic amino acid residues). The specificity of the AKR2A–APX3 interaction suggests that AKR2A may function as a molecular chaperone for APX3 because binding of AKR2A to the transmembrane domain can prevent APX3 from forming aggregates after translation. Analysis of three akr2a mutants indicates that these mutant plants have reduced steady state levels of APX3. Reduced expression of AKR2A using RNA interference also leads to reduced steady state levels of APX3 and reduced targeting of APX3 to peroxisomes in plant cells. Since AKR2A also binds specifically to the chloroplast OUTER ENVELOPE PROTEIN7 (OEP7) and is required for the biogenesis of OEP7, AKR2A may serve as a molecular chaperone for OEP7 as well. The pleiotropic phenotype of akr2a mutants indicates that AKR2A plays many important roles in plant cellular metabolism and is essential for plant growth and development.
A 100-position robotic sample changer for powder diffraction with low-background vacuum chamber
Authors: Olsen S. R. , Pullen S. A. , Avdeev M.
Published: March 2010

At the new Australian OPAL research reactor, experiments carried out at room temperature use a substantial fraction of beam time on the high-resolution powder diffractometer, Echidna. With an average data collection time of 2 h and a complicated safety interlock system to protect users, the need for a fully automated and remotely controlled system was quickly realized. This report presents a solution based on a commercial four-axis robot capable of loading samples from two 50-position sample trays, in any order, into an automatically evacuated chamber. This chamber significantly reduced background signal arising from air scattering, with the effect being especially pronounced at low and high 2θ angles. In the case of textured or inhomogeneous samples, the system may be re-configured so that the robot rotates the sample in the beam or translates it vertically through the beam.
New records of orange roughy Hoplostethus atlanticus juveniles in Chile
Authors: Lafon A. , Niklitschek E. J. , Cornejo‐Donoso J. , González K.
Published: March 2010

Orange roughy Hoplostethus atlanticus juveniles <24 cm fork length (LF) (10–17 years old) were recorded for the first time in Chile, when 10 specimens were collected on the continental slope and seamount JF2 in Juan Fernandez Archipelago. The LF, total mass, anatomical and parasitological information are reported. Relevance to current life‐cycle hypotheses is discussed.
Corallivory in tubelip wrasses: diet, feeding and trophic importance
Authors: Cole A. J. , Pratchett M. S. , Jones G. P.
Published: March 2010

This paper describes a 2 month study of the patterns of abundance, feeding pressure, diet and feeding selectivity in corallivorous tubelip wrasses (Labridae), rarely studied, yet widespread and abundant group of corallivores on Indo‐Pacific coral reefs. The relative abundance and feeding pressure of corallivorous wrasses and butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae) in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, were compared. Overall, tubelip wrasses were more than twice as abundant as corallivorous butterflyfishes and accounted for three times as many feeding bites on corals. The three most abundant tubelip wrasses (yellowtail tubelip Diproctacanthus xanthurus, Allen's tubelip Labropsis alleni and the tubelip wrasse Labrichthys unilineatus) were all obligate corallivores taking > 97% of bites from the surface of live corals. Labropsis alleni and D. xanthurus were highly selective, consuming preferred prey species in proportions significantly higher than expected given their availability. In contrast, L. unilineatus was fairly non‐selective and consumed most corals in direct accordance with their availability. As coral predators, tubelip wrasses are highly comparable to coral‐feeding butterflyfishes in the coral species consumed, range of dietary specialization and their reliance on live coral. Tubelip wrasses, however, may supersede butterflyfishes as the predominant corallivorous family in some Indo‐Pacific locations, and coral‐feeding tubelip wrasses are likely to be severely affected by coral decline.
Critical oxygen tension increases during digestion in the perch Perca fluviatilis
Authors: Thuy N. H. , Tien L. A. , Tuyet P. N. , Huong D. T. T. , Cong N. V. , Bayley M. , Wang T. , Lefevre S.
Published: March 2010

Oxygen uptake () and critical oxygen tension (Pcrit) were measured in resting perch Perca fluviatilis that were either fasting or digesting. Digestion caused to double (from 61 to 117 mg O2 kg−1h−1) and was associated with a rise in Pcrit (from 3·4 to 4·9 kPa), showing that the animal's digestive state must be considered when assessing the effect of hypoxia in natural conditions, and when defining optimal oxygen conditions in aquaculture.
Larval ontogeny and morphology of giant trahira Hoplias lacerdae
Authors: Gomes M. L. M. , Matta S. L. P. , Araújo V. A. , Silva G. M. F. , Zacaro A. A.
Published: March 2010

In the present study, the morphology and behaviour of giant trahira Hoplias lacerdae larvae were investigated, from hatching to complete absorption of the yolk sac, under laboratory conditions. In the first day post‐hatching (dph), the larvae presented a big ovoid‐shaped yolk sac that underwent regression during larval ontogeny. The mouth opened 3 dph, when the pectoral fins were evident. From this day, the larvae were able to perform sudden bursts of activity and appear to be able to swim a few centimetres before sinking again. The branchial apparatus was defined at 5 dph, and by 6 dph the operculum was formed. The internal organs such as intestine, liver, kidney and external sensorial structures were present at 7 dph. The yolk sac remained until 7 dph.
Riparian contributions to the diet of terapontid grunters (Pisces: Terapontidae) in wet–dry tropical rivers
Authors: Davis A. M. , Pusey B. J. , Thorburn D. C. , Dowe J. L. , Morgan D. L. , Burrows D.
Published: March 2010

The diets of terapontid assemblages in 22 catchments across Australia's wet–dry tropics were investigated in relation to the direct use of terrestrial‐riparian inputs, as well as the role of ontogeny and morphology in mediating consumption of allocthonous material. The diet of several species was restricted almost entirely to instream trophic resources throughout their life history. In contrast, ontogenetic diet shifts towards increasing consumption of terrestrial prey types were a prominent feature of the dietary ecology of some terapontids, with collective allocthonous dietary items making a significant contribution (up to 42%) to diet in larger size classes of several species. For those species consuming terrestrial‐riparian material in their diet, terrestrial invertebrates were the most common prey item; however, terrestrial vegetation, principally riparian fruits, and terrestrial vertebrates were also important dietary inclusions in the larger size classes of particular species. A large mouth gape was the morphological feature most strongly associated with consumption of terrestrial food resources within the Terapontidae. Results indicate that the direct consumption of terrestrially derived food sources in northern Australian aquatic systems may be more important than previously asserted, and that additional research is required to better clarify the role of terrestrial subsidies to these ecosystems.
Determining the effects of species, environmental conditions and tracking method on the detection efficiency of portable PIT telemetry
Authors: Cucherousset J. , Britton J. R. , Beaumont W. R. C. , Nyqvist M. , Sievers K. , Gozlan R. E.
Published: March 2010

The efficiency of portable passive integrated transponder (PIT) telemetry at detecting five fish species in a small river was evaluated under different environmental and tracking conditions. Significant differences between species were apparent, with detection efficiency varying between 0·7% (Leuciscus leuciscus) and 43·1% (Salmo trutta). Conditions of reduced flow and tracking in a downstream direction significantly increased detection efficiency for salmonids, while time of day had no significant effect for any species.
Variability of 18S rDNA locus among Symphysodon fishes: chromosomal rearrangements
Authors: Gross M. C. , Schneider C. H. , Valente G. T. , Martins C. , Feldberg E.
Published: March 2010

Three species of cichlids belonging to the genus Symphysodon have demonstrated interspecific and intraspecific variation in nucleolus organizer regions (NOR) detected with silver nitrate. In order to understand the evolution of this marker in the genus, the structural variability of these sequences in mitotic chromosomes from Symphysodon aequifasciatus, Symphysodon discus and Symphysodon haraldi was investigated using both silver nitrate impregnation and hybridization of the 18S rRNA gene probe. For the three species, the two markers were intraspecifically and interspecifically variable both in the number and in the size of the sites. This polymorphism may stem from duplications and translocations, which suggests that structural chromosome rearrangements effectively act in the karyoevolution of wild Symphysodon species and may have favoured the adaptability of these fishes to diverse aquatic environments in the Amazon.
An osmotic induction method for externally marking saltwater fishes, Stigmatopora argus and Stigmatopora nigra, with calcein
Authors: Smith J. E. , Macreadie P. I. , Swearer S. E.
Published: March 2010

Calcein marking via osmotic induction and overnight immersion was compared in saltwater fishes. Immersion in a salt solution for 10 min followed by 30 min in a 500 mg l−1 calcein solution produced the highest fluorescent mark in 40 min with no effect on survival.
Electroshock‐induced mortality in freshwater fish embryos increases with embryo diameter: a model based on results from 10 species
Authors: Bohl R. J. , Henry T. B. , Strange R. J.
Published: March 2010

The purpose of this study was to develop a model to predict electroshock‐induced mortality in embryos of freshwater fishes. Herein, electroshock‐induced mortality was evaluated for sauger Sander canadensis and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, and results were combined with published results obtained for eight other species in studies that used consistent methodology. The model was based on embryo diameter (1·1–4·1 mm among species), the most sensitive stage of embryonic development (near completion of epiboly for all species), and mortality (to hatching or eyed stage) after exposure to a homogeneous electric field [direct current (DC) or 60 Hz pulsed DC (PDC)]. Embryo diameter was positively related to electroshock‐induced mortality for DC (P < 0·001) and 60 Hz PDC (P < 0·05). Results suggested that vulnerability to electroshock‐induced mortality was related to physical characteristics (i.e. size) of embryos rather than species differences, and indicated that prediction of vulnerability in untested species is possible. This is particularly important for protection of endangered species, and those species with larger embryo sizes may be at most risk from electroshock. Conversely, results also suggested that it may be possible to assist in removal of invasive non‐native fish species with large embryo diameters (e.g. O. mykiss) by application of electroshock to target and kill embryos of these species in some freshwater habitats.
Aggregation and spawning of the humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus (Pisces: Labridae): general aspects of spawning behaviour
Authors: Colin P. L.
Published: March 2010

The humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus formed resident spawning aggregations daily after high tide at specific locations along the seaward edge of the Palau barrier reef. The location and extent of one aggregation site remained consistent for 6 years with no physical features distinguishing it from adjacent areas. Spawning was documented most months and probably occurred year round with possible seasonal and lunar variation. Spawning males arrived first at the site, followed by females and potentially small primary males. The aggregation female to male sex ratio was estimated to be between 6:1 and 10:1. A maximum of 15 males and 100–150 females were observed at the site. A male courtship posture with the anal fin pointed, the caudal fin folded down and the dorsal fin folded against the body was maintained while swimming a few metres off the bottom in view of females. When ready to spawn females rose up as the posturing male passed and the pair released gametes in a relatively sedate fashion near the surface along the shelf break. No attempted predation on spawning adults was seen. Egg predation after spawning was uncommon. On days with early to mid‐day high tides the spawning period started 2·0–2·5 h after high tide when the speed of lagoon–ocean tidal currents peaked and lasted c. 1 h. On days with later afternoon high tides, spawning occurred sooner after high tide and before current speeds peaked. Other fishes with planktonic eggs spawned at the site as pairs or small groups in a rough succession after high tide with C. undulatus, the last species to spawn.
Current knowledge on non‐native freshwater fish introductions
Authors: Gozlan R. E. , Britton J. R. , Cowx I. , Copp G. H.
Published: March 2010

This review provides a contemporary account of knowledge on aspects of introductions of non‐native fish species and includes issues associated with introduction pathways, ecological and economic impacts, risk assessments, management options and impact of climate change. It offers guidance to reconcile the increasing demands of certain stakeholders to diversify their activities using non‐native fishes with the long‐term sustainability of native aquatic biodiversity. The rate at which non‐native freshwater fishes have been introduced worldwide has doubled in the space of 30 years, with the principal motives being aquaculture (39%) and improvement of wild stocks (17%). Economic activity is the principal driver of human‐mediated non‐native fish introductions, including the globalization of fish culture, whereby the production of the African cichlid tilapia is seven times higher in Asia than in most areas of Africa, and Chile is responsible for c. 30% of the world's farmed salmon, all based on introduced species. Consequently, these economic benefits need balancing against the detrimental environmental, social and economic effects of introduced non‐native fishes. There are several major ecological effects associated with non‐native fish introductions, including predation, habitat degradation, increased competition for resources, hybridization and disease transmission. Consideration of these aspects in isolation, however, is rarely sufficient to adequately characterize the overall ecological effect of an introduced species. Regarding the management of introduced non‐native fish, pre‐introduction screening tools, such as the fish invasiveness scoring kit (FISK), can be used to ensure that species are not introduced, which may develop invasive populations. Following the introduction of non‐native fish that do develop invasive populations, management responses are typified by either a remediation or a mitigation response, although these are often difficult and expensive to implement, and may have limited effectiveness.
Long‐term oncological outcomes of ovarian serous carcinomas with psammoma bodies: A novel insight into the molecular pathogenesis of ovarian epithelial carcinoma
Authors: Motohara Takeshi , Tashiro Hironori , Miyahara Yo , Sakaguchi Isao , Ohtake Hideyuki , Katabuchi Hidetaka
Published: March 2010

A two‐tier system in which ovarian epithelial carcinomas are subdivided into type I and type II tumors has been proposed on the basis of recent molecular pathogenesis findings. Type I tumors, unrelated to tumor protein p53 (TP53) mutations, show favorable prognosis in a slow step‐wise process, whereas type II tumors, related to TP53 mutations, contribute to poor prognosis. Ovarian serous carcinomas with excessive psammoma bodies behave like type I tumors. However, their etiology and prognostic significance remain obscure. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the characteristic features and potential relevance of psammoma bodies to the clinical outcome of 44 patients with serous carcinomas with long‐term follow‐up. The 5‐ and 10‐year survival rates were significantly different between the serous carcinomas with less than 5% area of psammoma bodies and those at least 5% area (P < 0.01). All tumors with at least 5% area were both diploid and immunohistochemically negative for TP53 mutations. All patients with these tumors, including eight with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages III or IV disease, survived more than 5 years and their 10‐year survival rate was 76%. In multivariate analysis using clinical parameters, the apparent existence of psammoma bodies was an indication to view serous carcinomas as type I tumors with long‐term survival. Our results suggested that the formation of psammoma bodies is associated with increased apoptotic tumor cell death related to normal TP53 function. The pathological findings of psammoma bodies might contribute to the consideration of pathogenesis and to the development of prognostic prediction rules for serous carcinomas. (Cancer Sci 2010)
Osteopontin can act as an effector for a germline mutation of BRCA1 in malignant transformation of breast cancer‐related cells
Authors: El‐Tanani Mohamed K. , Yuen Hiu‐Fung , Shi Zhanzhong , Platt‐Higgins Angela , Buckley Niamh E. , Mullan Paul B. , Harkin Denis Paul , Johnston Patrick G. , Rudland Philip S.
Published: March 2010

Breast cancer‐associated 1 (BRCA1) plays an important role in breast cancer initiation and progression through its functions in the cell cycle and DNA repair processes; however, its role in metastatic development in human breast cancer is still poorly understood. We have previously shown that osteopontin (OPN) expression was suppressed by wild‐type BRCA1 (Wt.BRCA1) and that a natural mutant allele of BRCA1 (Mut.BRCA1) diminished the effect of Wt.BRCA1 on OPN in vitro. In this study, we show that while Wt.BRCA1 suppresses OPN‐induced metastasis in a rat syngeneic system, Mut.BRCA1 enhances the development of metastasis through OPN, suggesting that OPN and BRCA1 work closely to regulate metastatic development in the rat. To test whether these findings are relevant to human breast cancer, we have investigated the relationship between BRCA1, OPN, and metastatic properties in human breast cancer‐related cells. Using western blot analysis, we show that Wt.BRCA1 suppresses, while Mut.BRCA1 enhances, OPN protein expression; and in parallel that Wt.BRCA1 suppresses, while Mut.BRCA1 enhances, OPN‐mediated in vitro properties associated with the metastatic state in both MCF‐7 and MDA MB435s cells. Overall, these results suggest that Mut.BRCA1 can elicit some of the changes involved in metastatic progression in human breast cancer via the overexpression of OPN. (Cancer Sci 2010)
Vested Interests in Addiction Research and Policy Poisonous partnerships: health sector buy‐in to arrangements with government and addictive consumption industries
Authors: Adams Peter J. , Buetow Stephen , Rossen Fiona
Published: March 2010

Aim  This paper critically appraises relationship arrangements among three broadly conceived sectors: the government sector, the health sector (including researchers) and addictive consumption industries (particularly tobacco, alcohol and gambling).

Method  Three models for involvement are examined. In the ‘tripartite partnership model’ health sector agencies engage as co‐equals with the government and industry sectors in order to implement public health initiatives such as host responsibility and public education. In the ‘non‐ association model’ the health sector engages with government agencies but not with the industry sector. In the ‘managed association model’ the health sector engages for specific purposes with the industry sector but contact is monitored and managed by government agencies.

Findings  Government and industry sectors commonly favour tripartite partnership arrangements. Health sector agencies that opt to engage in these partnership arrangements can encounter conflicts of interest and find their voice subsumed by dominant influences. Furthermore, their partnership compliance generates divisions within the health sector, with partnership dissenters often silenced and excluded from policy processes and funding. The non‐association model is the least hazardous to the health sector because it protects against compromise and dominance. The managed association model is an option only when the government sector as a whole is committed strongly and clearly to the public health objectives.

Conclusion  In contexts where key parts of the government sector are conflicted over their public health responsibilities, health sector engagement in partnership arrangements entails too many risks.
The added risk of opioid problem use among treatment‐seeking youth with marijuana and/or alcohol problem use
Authors: Subramaniam Geetha A. , Ives Melissa L. , Stitzer Maxine L. , Dennis Michael L.
Published: March 2010

Objectives  To determine the added risk of opioid problem use (OPU) in youth with marijuana/alcohol problem use (MAPU).

Methods  A total of 475 youth (ages 14–21 years) with OPU + MAPU were compared to a weighted sample of 475 youth with MAPU only (i.e. no OPU) before and after propensity score matching on gender, age, race, level of care and weekly use of marijuana/alcohol. Youth were recruited from 88 drug treatment sites participating in eight Center for Substance Abuse Treatment‐funded grants. At treatment intake, participants were administered the Global Appraisal of Individual Need to elicit information on demographic, social, substance, mental health, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), physical and legal characteristics. Odds ratios with confidence intervals were calculated.

Results  The added risk of OPU among MAPU youth was associated with greater comorbidity; higher rates of psychiatric symptoms and trauma/victimization; greater needle use and sex‐related HIV risk behaviours; and greater physical distress. The OPU + MAPU group was less likely to be African American or other race and more likely to be aged 15–17 years, Caucasian; report weekly drug use at home and among peers; engage in illegal behaviors and be confined longer; have greater substance abuse severity and polydrug use; and use mental health and substance abuse treatment services.

Conclusions  These findings expand upon the existing literature and highlight the substantial incremental risk of OPU on multiple comorbid areas among treatment‐seeking youth. Further evaluation is needed to assess their outcomes following standard drug treatment and to evaluate specialized interventions for this subgroup of severely impaired youth.
Brief screening questionnaires to identify problem drinking during pregnancy: a systematic review
Authors: Burns Ethel , Gray Ron , Smith Lesley A.
Published: March 2010

Aims  Although prenatal screening for problem drinking during pregnancy has been recommended, guidance on screening instruments is lacking. We investigated the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of brief alcohol screening questionnaires to identify problem drinking in pregnant women.

Methods  Electronic databases from their inception to June 2008 were searched, as well as reference lists of eligible papers and related review papers. We sought cohort or cross‐sectional studies that compared one or more brief alcohol screening questionnaire(s) with reference criteria obtained using structured interviews to detect ‘at‐risk’ drinking, alcohol abuse or dependency in pregnant women receiving prenatal care.

Results  Five studies (6724 participants) were included. In total, seven instruments were evaluated: TWEAK (Tolerance, Worried, Eye‐opener, Amnesia, Kut down), T‐ACE [Take (number of drinks), Annoyed, Cut down, Eye‐opener], CAGE (Cut down, Annoyed, Guilt, Eye‐opener], NET (Normal drinker, Eye‐opener, Tolerance), AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test), AUDIT‐C (AUDIT‐consumption) and SMAST (Short Michigan Alcohol Screening Test). Study quality was generally good, but lack of blinding was a common weakness. For risk drinking sensitivity was highest for T‐ACE (69‐88%), TWEAK (71–91%) and AUDIT‐C (95%), with high specificity (71–89%, 73–83% and 85%, respectively). CAGE and SMAST performed poorly. Sensitivity of AUDIT‐C at score ≥3 was high for past year alcohol dependence (100%) or alcohol use disorder (96%) with moderate specificity (71% each). For life‐time alcohol dependency the AUDIT at score ≥8 performed poorly.

Conclusion  T‐ACE, TWEAK and AUDIT‐C show promise for screening for risk drinking, and AUDIT‐C may also be useful for identifying alcohol dependency or abuse. However, their performance as stand‐alone tools is uncertain, and further evaluation of questionnaires for prenatal alcohol use is warranted.
The effect of time spent in treatment and dropout status on rates of convictions, cautions and imprisonment over 5 years in a primary care‐led methadone maintenance service
Authors: Oliver Phillip , Keen Jenny , Rowse Georgina , Ewins Elizabeth , Griffiths Laura , Mathers Nigel
Published: March 2010

Background  Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in primary care settings is used increasingly as a standard method of delivering treatment for heroin users. It has been shown to reduce criminal activity and incarceration over periods of periods of 12 months or less; however, little is known about the effect of this treatment over longer durations.

Aims  To examine the association between treatment status and rates of convictions and cautions (judicial disposals) over a 5‐year period in a cohort of heroin users treated in a general practitioner (GP)‐led MMT service.

Design  Cohort study.

Setting  The primary care clinic for drug dependence, Sheffield, 1999–2005.

Participants  The cohort comprised 108 consecutive patients who were eligible and entered treatment. Ninety were followed‐up for the full 5 years.

Intervention  The intervention consisted of MMT provided by GPs in a primary care clinic setting.

Measurements  Criminal conviction and caution rates and time spent in prison, derived from Police National Computer (PNC) criminal records.

Findings  The overall reduction in the number of convictions and cautions expected for patients entering MMT in similar primary care settings is 10% for each 6 months retained in treatment. Patients in continuous treatment had the greatest reduction in judicial disposal rates, similar to those who were discharged for positive reasons (e.g. drug free). Patients who had more than one treatment episode over the observation period did no better than those who dropped out of treatment.

Conclusions  MMT delivered in a primary care clinic setting is effective in reducing convictions and cautions and incarceration over an extended period. Continuous treatment is associated with the greatest reductions.
Do maternal parenting practices predict problematic patterns of adolescent alcohol consumption?
Authors: Alati Rosa , Maloney Elizabeth , Hutchinson Delyse M. , Najman Jake M. , Mattick Richard P. , Bor William , Williams Gail M.
Published: March 2010

Objective  This study examines whether a mother's style of parenting at child age 5 years predicts problematic patterns of drinking in adolescence, after controlling for relevant individual, maternal and social risk factors.

Methods  Data were used from the Mater‐University Study of Pregnancy, an Australian longitudinal study of mothers and their children from pregnancy to when the children were 14 years of age. Logistic regression analyses examined whether maternal parenting practices at child age 5 predicted problematic drinking patterns in adolescence, after controlling for a range of confounding covariates.

Results  Physical punishment at child age 5 did not predict adolescent alcohol problems at follow‐up. Results indicated that low maternal control at child age 5 predicted adolescent occasional drinking patterns at age 14. More frequent maternal partner change coupled with lower levels of control was the strongest predictor of more problematic patterns of drinking by adolescents.

Conclusions  These findings highlight the importance of family structure and level of parental control in the development of problematic patterns of drinking in adolescence.
Mental disorders as risk factors for substance use, abuse and dependence: results from the 10‐year follow‐up of the National Comorbidity Survey
Authors: Swendsen Joel , Conway Kevin P. , Degenhardt Louisa , Glantz Meyer , Jin Robert , Merikangas Kathleen R. , Sampson Nancy , Kessler Ronald C.
Published: March 2010

Aims The comorbidity of mental disorders and substance dependence is well documented, but prospective investigations in community samples are rare. This investigation examines the role of primary mental disorders as risk factors for the later onset of nicotine, alcohol and illicit drug use, abuse and dependence with abuse.

Design The National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) was a nationally representative survey of mental and substance disorders in the United States carried out in 1990–92. The NCS‐2 re‐interviewed a probability subsample of NCS respondents in 2001–03, a decade after the baseline survey.

Participants A total of 5001 NCS respondents were re‐interviewed in the NCS‐2 (87.6% of baseline sample).

Results Aggregate analyses demonstrated significant prospective risks posed by baseline mental disorders for the onset of nicotine, alcohol and illicit drug dependence with abuse over the follow‐up period. Particularly strong and consistent associations were observed for behavioral disorders and previous substance use conditions, as well as for certain mood and anxiety disorders. Conditional analyses demonstrated that many observed associations were limited to specific categories of use, abuse or dependence, including several mental disorders that were non‐significant predictors in the aggregate analyses.

Conclusions Many mental disorders are associated with an increased risk of later substance use conditions, but important differences in these associations are observed across the categories of use, abuse and dependence with abuse. These prospective findings have implications for the precision of prevention and treatment strategies targeting substance use disorders.
Estimating the number of alcohol‐attributable deaths: methodological issues and illustration with French data for 2006
Authors: Rey Grégoire , Boniol Mathieu , Jougla Eric
Published: March 2010

Aims Computing the number of alcohol‐attributable deaths requires a series of hypotheses. Using French data for 2006, the potential biases are reviewed and the sensitivity of estimates to various hypotheses evaluated.

Methods Self‐reported alcohol consumption data were derived from large population‐based surveys. The risks of occurrence of diseases associated with alcohol consumption and relative risks for all‐cause mortality were obtained through literature searches. All‐cause and cause‐specific population alcohol‐attributable fractions (PAAFs) were calculated. In order to account for potential under‐reporting, the impact of adjustment on sales data was tested. The 2006 mortality data were restricted to people aged between 15 and 75 years.

Results When alcohol consumption distribution was adjusted for sales data, the estimated number of alcohol‐attributable deaths, the sum of the cause‐specific estimates, was 20 255. Without adjustment, the estimate fell to 7158. Using an all‐cause mortality approach, the adjusted number of alcohol‐attributable deaths was 15 950, while the non‐adjusted estimate was a negative number. Other methodological issues, such as computation based on risk estimates for all causes for ‘all countries’ or only ‘European countries’, also influenced the results, but to a lesser extent.

Discussion The estimates of the number of alcohol‐attributable deaths varied greatly, depending upon the hypothesis used. The most realistic and evidence‐based estimate seems to be obtained by adjusting the consumption data for national alcohol sales, and by summing the cause‐specific estimates. However, interpretation of the estimates must be cautious in view of their potentially large imprecision.
Trajectories of resilience over 25 years of individuals who as adolescents consulted for substance misuse and a matched comparison group
Authors: Larm Peter , Hodgins Sheilagh , Tengström Anders , Larsson Agne
Published: March 2010

Aims  To examine trajectories of resilience over 25 years among individuals who as adolescents received treatment for substance misuse, the clinical sample (CS) and a matched general population sample (GP).

Design  Comparison of the CS and GP over 25 years using Swedish national registers of health care and criminality.

Setting  A substance misuse clinic for adolescents in an urban area in Sweden.

Measurements  Resilience was defined as the absence of substance misuse, hospitalizations for physical illnesses related to substance misuse, hospitalization for mental illness and law‐abiding behaviour from ages 21 to 45 years.

Participants  The CS included 701 individuals who as adolescents had consulted a clinic for substance misuse. The GP included 731 individuals selected randomly from the Swedish population and matched for age, sex and birthplace.

Findings  A total of 52.4% of the GP and 24.4% of the CS achieved resilience in all domains through 25 years. Among the CS, another one‐third initially displayed moderate levels of resilience that rose to high levels over time, one‐quarter displayed decreasing levels of resilience over time, while 9.3% showed little but improving resilience and 8.8% showed no resilience. Levels of resilience were associated with the severity of substance misuse and delinquency in adolescence.

Conclusions  Individuals who had presented substance misuse problems in adolescence were less likely to achieve resilience over the subsequent 25 years than was a matched general population sample, and among them, four distinct trajectories of resilience were identified. The severity and type of problems presented in adolescence distinguished the four trajectories.
What economics can contribute to the addiction sciences
Authors: Caulkins Jonathan P. , Nicosia Nancy
Published: March 2010

Aims The addiction sciences are intrinsically multi‐disciplinary, and economics is among the disciplines that offer useful perspectives on the complex behaviors surrounding substance abuse. This paper summarizes contributions economics has made in the past and could make in the future towards understanding how illegal markets operate, how prices affect use, how use generates various consequences, and how policy shapes all three.

Methods Review of literature, concentrating on illegal drugs as insights concerning markets are particularly salient, although we also mention relevant studies from the alcohol and tobacco fields.

Findings and Conclusions Economics offers tools and topical expertise that usefully complement other disciplines associated traditionally with the addiction sciences. Its value goes far beyond the ability to monetize non‐monetary outcomes or to calculate a cost‐benefit ratio.
What are the policy lessons of National Alcohol Prohibition in the United States, 1920–1933?
Authors: Hall Wayne
Published: March 2010

National alcohol prohibition in the United States between 1920 and 1933 is believed widely to have been a misguided and failed social experiment that made alcohol problems worse by encouraging drinkers to switch to spirits and created a large black market for alcohol supplied by organized crime. The standard view of alcohol prohibition provides policy lessons that are invoked routinely in policy debates about alcohol and other drugs. The alcohol industry invokes it routinely when resisting proposals to reduce the availability of alcohol, increase its price or regulate alcohol advertising and promotion. Advocates of cannabis law reform invoke it frequently in support of their cause. This paper aims: (i) to provide an account of alcohol prohibition that is more accurate than the standard account because it is informed by historical and econometric analyses; (ii) to describe the policy debates in the 1920s and 1930s about the effectiveness of national prohibition; and (iii) to reflect on any relevance that the US experience with alcohol prohibition has for contemporary policies towards alcohol. It is incorrect to claim that the US experience of National Prohibition indicates that prohibition as a means of regulating alcohol is always doomed to failure. Subsequent experience shows that partial prohibitions can produce substantial public health benefits at an acceptable social cost, in the absence of substantial enforcement.