bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Participation of seniors in the Argentinian labour market: An option value model*
Authors: Alós Marcelo , Apella Ignacio , Grushka Carlos , Muiños Marcelo
Published: September 2008

The aim of this article is to define the factors which determine seniors' decisions to continue to participate in the labour market in Argentina. An option value model is developed. This model is used to produce estimates based on micro‐data drawn from household surveys. These indicate the relative importance of the impact of conditions governing eligibility for benefits on decisions to remain actively employed. Work history is found to be the main factor in such decisions. Inadequacy of social security benefits and accumulated human capital also create incentives for economic participation in old age. On the basis of these findings, compensatory policy adjustments, to improve coverage, increase benefit levels and improve employment conditions for seniors, are proposed.
Disability benefits and workers with HIV/AIDS: Coverage issues and challenges in the United Republic of Tanzania
Authors: Ackson Tulia
Published: September 2008

This paper explores the effective non‐availability of disability/invalidity benefits to formal sector employees with HIV/AIDS in the United Republic of Tanzania. The legal difficulty of establishing a direct connection between HIV/AIDS and employment injury and occupational diseases present a challenge to social security institutions and schemes which are simultaneously trying to come to grips with the mounting problems of the shrinkage of the formal sector and low coverage. Remedial policy responses are proposed. These identify the statutory and legal adjustments needed both to ensure convergence of eligibility criteria for invalidity benefit claims among the concerned institutions, and to ensure that qualifying conditions are both consistent and in line with contemporary approaches to disbility. The suggested adjustments would simplify and clarify eligibility criteria in cases of invalidity involving existing scheme members, potentially also allowing for a future expansion of benefit coverage better to reflect labour market realities.
Between labour market and retirement pension — flexible transition as a new paradigm for ageing societies?
Authors: Bredt Stephan
Published: September 2008

Increasing the pensionable age due to rising life expectancy meets strong political resistance. For health and labour market reasons it will always be impossible for some to achieve full pension eligibility directly from employment. Even if early retirement options are not restricted the scope for an accumulation of earnings to fund an early pension is often narrowly defined. Consequently, it is impossible for early retirees to compensate for the reductions in the pension they receive. Contrary to the general tendency to increase the pensionable age an alternative reform proposal is currently under discussion in German social policy circles. This involves free choice of retirement at age 60; unlimited accumulation of additional pension entitlements whilst earning; actuarial deductions for early retirement; and consideration of life expectancy in making adjustments to pension awards. This solution relieves the public pension system financially, raises the attractiveness of senior citizens on the labour market, offers the opportunity for a self‐determined transition from work to retirement and reduces political resistance to pension reform. The effect on the labour market for senior citizens remains to be examined.
Asymmetry in the detection of shapes from shading in infants1
Authors: IMURA TOMOKO , TOMONAGA MASAKI , YAMAGUCHI MASAMI K. , YAGI AKIHIRO
Published: September 2008

Abstract:  We investigated 3‐ and 4‐month‐old infants’ sensitivity to differences defined by shading using a paired‐comparison familiarity/novelty preference procedure. Infants were familiarized with a pair of displays consisting of homogeneous shaded disks, and then were tested with two displays: the familiar display and a novel one containing shaded disks with reversed polarity (defined as the target). Experiment 1 examined two assumptions on discerning shapes from shading in infants by manipulating the orientations in the shading gradient of stimuli. When the orientation of the shading gradient was vertical, 4‐month‐old infants looked at the novel display for a longer time during the test trial. However, they failed to detect differences when the orientation of shading gradients was horizontal. Three‐month‐old infants did not detect differences in either orientation of the shading gradient. Experiment 2 examined asymmetry in the detection of convex versus concave shapes. Four‐month‐old infants failed to detect the target when the orientation of the shading grating was vertical and the target was convex. Taken with the results of Experiment 1, concave shapes were much easier to detect than convex shapes for 4‐month‐olds. This asymmetry suggests that 4‐month‐old infants process shading information in the same manner as adults.
Role of endpoints and closures in feature search1
Authors: KANBE FUMIO
Published: September 2008

Abstract:  The present study intended to examine the role of endpoints and of closures, the two most frequently referred to features, in a feature‐search paradigm. Two experiments were conducted with a rigorous stimulus control using random lined figures of different levels of complexity. The experiments gave almost identical results: there was no search asymmetry between the two features, smaller latencies were obtained in the presence of a feature as a target rather than in its absence, and the latencies were smaller for the displays having a background consisting of closures rather than for those having a background of endpoints. The results were more comprehensively explained by the high contrast between an endpoint as a target and closures as a background, rather than the conspicuity of an endpoint as a target. The possibility for closures to group into a homogeneous ground was discussed.
Practitioner Review: Adolescent alcohol use disorders: assessment and treatment issues
Authors: Perepletchikova Francheska , Krystal John H. , Kaufman Joan
Published: September 2008

Background:  Alcohol use disorders in adolescents are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Over the past decade, there has been a burgeoning of research on adolescent alcohol use disorders.

Methods:  A summary of the alcohol assessment tools is provided, and randomized studies reviewed and synthesized to provide an overview of state of the art knowledge of treatment of adolescent alcohol use disorders. Animal models of addiction are also briefly reviewed, and the value of translational research approaches, using findings from basic studies to guide the design of clinical investigations, is also highlighted.

Results:  Comorbidity is the rule, not the exception in adolescent alcohol use disorders. Comprehensive assessment of psychiatric and other substance use disorders, trauma experiences, and suicidality is indicated in this population to optimize selection of appropriate clinical interventions. In terms of available investigated treatments for adolescents with alcohol use disorders, Multidimensional Family Therapy and group administered Cognitive Behavioral Therapies have received the most empirical support to date. There is a paucity of research on pharmacological interventions in this patient population, and no firm treatment recommendations can be made in this area.

Conclusions:  Given the high rate of relapse after treatment, evaluation of combined psychosocial and pharmacological interventions, and the development of novel intervention strategies are indicated.
G × E interaction in the organization of attachment: mothers’ responsiveness as a moderator of children’s genotypes
Authors: Barry Robin A. , Kochanska Grazyna , Philibert Robert A.
Published: September 2008

Background:  Scholars acknowledge that both biologically‐founded child temperament and environmental factors are influential in determining the quality of infant–mother attachment. We present evidence for gene by environment (G × E) interaction in the organization of attachment.

Methods:  Participants were 88 typically developing infants and their mothers. Molecular genetic measures of the infants focused on the polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene (5‐HTTLPR, ss/sl vs. ll genotype). Mothers’ responsiveness to their infants at 7 months was observed in lengthy naturalistic interactions, and was conceptualized as the environmental influence.

Results:  For infants with a short allele (ss/sl ), variation in mothers’ responsiveness was significantly associated with attachment security, assessed at 15 months in the Strange Situation. For those infants, low responsiveness predicted particularly high risk for insecure attachment, and high responsiveness offset that risk. For infants homozygous for the long allele (ll ), there was no association between responsiveness and attachment organization.

Conclusions:  The findings show that the quality of early care serves to amplify or offset the risk conferred by genotype.
Effortful control mediates associations of fetal growth with hyperactivity and behavioural problems in 7‐ to 9‐year‐old children
Authors: Schlotz Wolff , Jones Alexander , Godfrey Keith M. , Phillips David I.W.
Published: September 2008

Background:  Inverse associations of fetal growth with behavioural problems in childhood have been repeatedly reported, suggesting long‐term effects of the prenatal developmental environment on behaviour later in life. However, no study so far has examined effects on temperament and potential developmental pathways. Temperamental traits may be particularly susceptible to neurodevelopmental alterations, and they are linked to behavioural problems. Therefore, we tested for associations of fetal growth with behavioural problems in children and tested if temperament mediated such effects.

Methods:  One hundred and thirty‐nine mother–child pairs were recruited in early pregnancy. Weight, head circumference and gestational age were measured at birth, and the mother reported on their child’s behavioural problems and temperament at age 7 to 9 years.

Results:  Birth weight and head circumference at birth adjusted for gestational age (i.e., fetal growth) were inversely associated with hyperactivity and total behavioural problems, and positively associated with the temperamental trait Effortful Control. Path analyses showed that Effortful Control mediated the effects of fetal growth on hyperactivity and total behavioural problems.

Conclusions:  Our results suggest that an adverse fetal environment is associated with behavioural problems in childhood, in particular in those children that show a low capacity for attentional and behavioural regulation. An adverse fetal environment might induce vulnerability for behavioural problems, or it might induce changes in temperament and behavioural problems independently, representing a common cause. Pathways are likely to be based on long‐lasting neurodevelopmental alterations due to prenatal adversity.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorders: a randomized, controlled trial
Authors: Wood Jeffrey J. , Drahota Amy , Sze Karen , Har Kim , Chiu Angela , Langer David A.
Published: September 2008

Background:  Children with autism spectrum disorders often present with comorbid anxiety disorders that cause significant functional impairment. This study tested a modular cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program for children with this profile. A standard CBT program was augmented with multiple treatment components designed to accommodate or remediate the social and adaptive skill deficits of children with ASD that could pose barriers to anxiety reduction.

Method:  Forty children (7–11 years old) were randomly assigned to 16 sessions of CBT or a 3‐month waitlist (36 completed treatment or waitlist). Therapists worked with individual families. The CBT model emphasized behavioral experimentation, parent‐training, and school consultation. Independent evaluators blind to treatment condition conducted structured diagnostic interviews and parents and children completed anxiety symptom checklists at baseline and posttreatment/postwaitlist.

Results:  In intent‐to‐treat analyses, 78.5% of the CBT group met Clinical Global Impressions‐Improvement scale criteria for positive treatment response at posttreatment, as compared to only 8.7% of the waitlist group. CBT also outperformed the waitlist on diagnostic outcomes and parent reports of child anxiety, but not children’s self‐reports. Treatment gains were maintained at 3‐month follow‐up.

Conclusions:  The CBT manual employed in this study is one of the first adaptations of an evidence‐based treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders. Remission of anxiety disorders appears to be an achievable goal among high‐functioning children with autism.
Reduced change blindness suggests enhanced attention to detail in individuals with autism
Authors: Smith Hayley , Milne Elizabeth
Published: September 2008

Background:  The phenomenon of change blindness illustrates that a limited number of items within the visual scene are attended to at any one time. It has been suggested that individuals with autism focus attention on less contextually relevant aspects of the visual scene, show superior perceptual discrimination and notice details which are often ignored by typical observers.

Methods:  In this study we investigated change blindness in autism by asking participants to detect continuity errors deliberately introduced into a short film. Whether the continuity errors involved central/marginal or social/non‐social aspects of the visual scene was varied. Thirty adolescent participants, 15 with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and 15 typically developing (TD) controls participated.

Results:  The participants with ASD detected significantly more errors than the TD participants. Both groups identified more errors involving central rather than marginal aspects of the scene, although this effect was larger in the TD participants. There was no difference in the number of social or non‐social errors detected by either group of participants.

Conclusion:  In line with previous data suggesting an abnormally broad attentional spotlight and enhanced perceptual function in individuals with ASD, the results of this study suggest enhanced awareness of the visual scene in ASD. The results of this study could reflect superior top‐down control of visual search in autism, enhanced perceptual function, or inefficient filtering of visual information in ASD.
Quantitative imaging for discovery and assembly of the metabo‐regulome
Authors: Okumoto Sakiko , Takanaga Hitomi , Frommer Wolf B.
Published: September 2008

Contents

Summary
271

I.
Introduction
272

II.
From individual enzymes to a complete parts list in 100 yr
272

III.
Pathways and flux
273

IV.
Quantitative imaging for flux analysis
274

V.
Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) as a tool
275

VI.
Methods for FRET determination and analysis of FRET changes
276

VII.
FRET sensors for determination of steady‐state concentrations and composite flux, as well as their change
278

VIII.
A ‘Gedankenexperiment’ illustrating the potential for flux analysis using FRET sensors
280

IX.
The in vivo measurement set‐up
285

X.
Spatial resolution of FRET metabolite analyses
286

XI.
Potential effect of other parameters on the sensor response
287

XII.
Alternatives to FRET sensors for monitoring metabolite concentrations
287

XIII.
In vivo analysis of metabolite flux in microorganisms
288

XIV.
In vivo analysis of metabolite flux in mammalian cells
288

XV.
In vivo analysis of metabolite flux in plants
289

XVI.
Application of FRET sensors for high‐throughput analyses
290

Acknowledgements
291

References
291
Interrupter technique and pressure oscillation analysis during bronchoconstriction in children
Authors: Kivastik J. , Talts J. , Primhak R. A.
Published: September 2008

The use of interrupter resistance (Rint) is a feasible method of measuring bronchodilator responsiveness and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in preschool children. It has been suggested that analysis of recorded oscillations of the mouth pressure may provide additional indices of changes in airway mechanics. The aim of our study was to determine whether amplitude or damping properties of oscillations were more sensitive than Rint in describing changes during bronchoconstriction. Data from 44 children (24 boys) who completed tripling dose methacholine (Mch) challenge were analysed. The median (range) age of children was 4·9 (3·1–6·1 years). In addition to baseline and maximal Rint after Mch [mean (SD) were 0·92 (0·19) and 1·44 (0·35) kPa l−1 s, respectively], obtained from a commercial device we analysed the following parameters: difference between the first maximum and minimum (AMxMn), maximum instantaneous amplitude (Ainst), amplitudes of fitted mathematical model and the dominant frequency, sum of frequency component amplitudes, two damping factors and frequency. All amplitude parameters changed significantly after Mch. For comparison of the decrease in amplitudes and increase in Rint we additionally used reciprocals of amplitudes. Using the sensitivity index (SI) i.e. the change after intervention divided by the baseline SD, 1/Ainst and 1/AMxMn were the most sensitive indices to describe the change (with median SI of 6·29 and 6·28, respectively). Rint had a median SI of 5·13. Frequency and damping factors were less sensitive, with median SI values <1. These findings suggest that oscillation amplitude analysis implemented in the software of commercial devices could have further applications in assessing respiratory mechanics.
Battling Stereotypes: A Taxonomy of Common Soldiers in Civil War History
Authors: Phillips Jason
Published: September 2008

This article explores how American historians have stereotyped Civil War soldiers as heroes, victims and villains, race warriors, and citizens at war to explain how these archetypes formed and propose methods that transcend them. The wealth of primary evidence from Civil War soldiers supports virtually any portrayal of them. Scholars influenced by current events and invested in academic debates have marshaled sources to honor courage, condemn war, remember the forgotten, or recreate society. While each camp has expanded our knowledge of soldiers, because Civil War history favors historiography over theory, the field perpetuates stereotypes that rob soldiers of their complexity. Three approaches could help scholars avoid stereotypes and the pitfalls of presentism: historians could emphasize soldiers’ individuality and not just their agency; they could study influential soldiers instead of searching for typical ones; and they could write narratives instead of monographs.
Quantification of Extinction Risk: IUCN's System for Classifying Threatened Species
Authors: MACE GEORGINA M. , COLLAR NIGEL J. , GASTON KEVIN J. , HILTON‐TAYLOR CRAIG , AKÇAKAYA H. RESIT , LEADER‐WILLIAMS NIGEL , MILNER‐GULLAND E.J. , STUART SIMON N.
Published: September 2008

Abstract: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species was increasingly used during the 1980s to assess the conservation status of species for policy and planning purposes. This use stimulated the development of a new set of quantitative criteria for listing species in the categories of threat: critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable. These criteria, which were intended to be applicable to all species except microorganisms, were part of a broader system for classifying threatened species and were fully implemented by IUCN in 2000. The system and the criteria have been widely used by conservation practitioners and scientists and now underpin one indicator being used to assess the Convention on Biological Diversity 2010 biodiversity target. We describe the process and the technical background to the IUCN Red List system. The criteria refer to fundamental biological processes underlying population decline and extinction. But given major differences between species, the threatening processes affecting them, and the paucity of knowledge relating to most species, the IUCN system had to be both broad and flexible to be applicable to the majority of described species. The system was designed to measure the symptoms of extinction risk, and uses 5 independent criteria relating to aspects of population loss and decline of range size. A species is assigned to a threat category if it meets the quantitative threshold for at least one criterion. The criteria and the accompanying rules and guidelines used by IUCN are intended to increase the consistency, transparency, and validity of its categorization system, but it necessitates some compromises that affect the applicability of the system and the species lists that result. In particular, choices were made over the assessment of uncertainty, poorly known species, depleted species, population decline, restricted ranges, and rarity; all of these affect the way red lists should be viewed and used. Processes related to priority setting and the development of national red lists need to take account of some assumptions in the formulation of the criteria.
Influence of Political Opposition and Compromise on Conservation Outcomes in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska
Authors: BEIER COLIN M.
Published: September 2008

Abstract:  To understand how a highly contentious policy process influenced a major conservation effort, I examined the origins, compromises, and outcomes of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA) for the Tongass National Forest. Tongass wilderness designation was among the most controversial issues in the ANILCA debate, and it faced strong opposition from influential lawmakers, land managers, and Alaska residents. To investigate the influence of this opposition on Tongass conservation outcomes, I conducted a gap analysis of Tongass reserves and a policy analysis of the ANILCA debate and traced the influence of specific interests through the amendments, negotiations, and resulting compromises needed to enact ANILCA. Overall, I found that Tongass reserves comprise a broadly representative cross‐section of ecosystems and species habitats in southeastern Alaska. Redrawn reserve boundaries, industry subsidies, and special access regulations reflected compromises to minimize the impact of wilderness conservation on mining, timber, and local stakeholder interests, respectively. Fragmentation of the Admiralty Island National Monument—the most ecologically valuable and politically controversial reserve—resulted from compromises with Alaskan Native (indigenous peoples of Alaska) corporations and timber interests. Despite language to accommodate “reasonable access” to wilderness reserves, ongoing access limitations highlight the concerns of Alaska residents that opposed ANILCA several decades ago. More broadly, the Tongass case suggests that early and ambitious conservation action may offset strong political opposition; compromises needed to establish key reserves often exacerbate development impacts in unprotected areas; and efforts to minimize social conflicts are needed to safeguard the long‐term viability of conservation measures.
Predicting the Deleterious Effects of Mutation Load in Fragmented Populations
Authors: JAQUIÉRY J. , GUILLAUME F. , PERRIN N.
Published: September 2008

Abstract:  Human‐induced habitat fragmentation constitutes a major threat to biodiversity. Both genetic and demographic factors combine to drive small and isolated populations into extinction vortices. Nevertheless, the deleterious effects of inbreeding and drift load may depend on population structure, migration patterns, and mating systems and are difficult to predict in the absence of crossing experiments. We performed stochastic individual‐based simulations aimed at predicting the effects of deleterious mutations on population fitness (offspring viability and median time to extinction) under a variety of settings (landscape configurations, migration models, and mating systems) on the basis of easy‐to‐collect demographic and genetic information. Pooling all simulations, a large part (70%) of variance in offspring viability was explained by a combination of genetic structure (FST) and within‐deme heterozygosity (HS). A similar part of variance in median time to extinction was explained by a combination of local population size (N) and heterozygosity (HS). In both cases the predictive power increased above 80% when information on mating systems was available. These results provide robust predictive models to evaluate the viability prospects of fragmented populations.
Population Consequences of Environmental Sex Reversal
Authors: COTTON SAMUEL , WEDEKIND CLAUS
Published: September 2008

Abstract:  When sex determination in a species is predominantly genetic but environmentally reversible, exposure to (anthropogenic) changes in the environment can lead to shifts in a population's sex ratio. Such scenarios may be common in many fishes and amphibians, yet their ramifications remain largely unexplored. We used a simple model to study the (short‐term) population consequences of environmental sex reversal (ESR). We examined the effects on sex ratios, sex chromosome frequencies, and population growth and persistence after exposure to environmental forces with feminizing or masculinizing tendencies. When environmental feminization was strong, X chromosomes were driven to extinction. Analogously, extinction of normally male‐linked genetic factors (e.g., Y chromosomes) was caused by continuous environmental masculinization. Although moderate feminization was beneficial for population growth in the absence of large viability effects, our results suggest that the consequences of ESR are generally negative in terms of population size and the persistence of sex chromosomes. Extreme sex ratios resulting from high rates of ESR also reduced effective population sizes considerably. This may limit any evolutionary response to the deleterious effects of ESR. Our findings suggest that ESR changes population growth and sex ratios in some counter‐intuitive ways and can change the predominant factor in sex determination from genetic to fully environmental, often within only a few tens of generations. Populations that lose genetic sex determination may quickly go extinct if the environmental forces that cause sex reversal cease.
Habitat Change and Plant Demography: Assessing the Extinction Risk of a Formerly Common Grassland Perennial
Authors: SCHLEUNING MATTHIAS , MATTHIES DIETHART
Published: September 2008

Abstract:  An important aim of conservation biology is to understand how habitat change affects the dynamics and extinction risk of populations. We used matrix models to analyze the effect of habitat degradation on the demography of the declining perennial plant Trifolium montanum in 9 calcareous grasslands in Germany over 4 years and experimentally tested the effect of grassland management. Finite population growth rates (λ) decreased with light competition, measured as leaf‐area index above T. montanum plants. At unmanaged sites λ was <1 due to lower recruitment and lower survival and flowering probability of large plants. Nevertheless, in stochastic simulations, extinction of unmanaged populations of 100 flowering plants was delayed for several decades. Clipping as a management technique rapidly increased population growth because of higher survival and flowering probability of large plants in managed than in unmanaged plots. Transition‐matrix simulations from these plots indicated grazing or mowing every second year would be sufficient to ensure a growth rate ≥1 if conditions stayed the same. At frequently grazed sites, the finite growth rate was approximately 1 in most populations of T. montanum. In stochastic simulations, the extinction risk of even relatively small grazed populations was low, but about half the extant populations of T. montanum in central Germany are smaller than would be sufficient for a probability of survival of >95% over 100 years. We conclude that habitat change after cessation of management strongly reduces recruitment and survival of established individuals of this perennial plant. Nevertheless, our results suggest extinction processes may take a long time in perennial plants, resulting in an extinction debt. Even if management is frequent, many remnant populations of T. montanum may be at risk because of their small size, but even a slight increase in size could considerably reduce their extinction risk.
Effects of Weed‐Management Burning on Reptile Assemblages in Australian Tropical Savannas
Authors: VALENTINE LEONIE E. , SCHWARZKOPF LIN
Published: September 2008

Abstract:  Fire is frequently used for land management purposes and may be crucial for effective control of invasive non‐native plants. Nevertheless, fire modifies environments and may affect nontarget native biodiversity, which can cause conflicts for conservation managers. Native Australian reptiles avoid habitat invaded by the alien plant rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora) and may be susceptible to the impacts of burning, a situation that provides a model system in which to examine possible conservation trade‐offs between managing invasive plants and maintaining native biodiversity. We used replicated, experimental fire treatments (unburned, dry‐season burned, and wet‐season burned) in 2 habitats (riparian and adjacent open woodland) to examine the short‐ (within 12 months of fire) and longer‐term (within 3 years of fire) changes of reptile assemblages in response to wet‐ and dry‐season burning for weed management in tropical savannas of northern Australia. Within 12 months of fire, abundances of the skink Carlia munda (Scincidae) were higher in the burned sites, but overall reptile composition was structured by habitat type rather than by effects of burning. Within 3 years of a fire, the effects of fire were evident. Reptiles, especially the gecko Heteronotia binoei (Gekkonidae), were least abundant in dry‐season burned sites; litter‐associated species, including Carlia pectoralis (Scincidae), were rarely observed in burned habitat; and there were fewer species in the wet‐season burned sites. Reptile abundance was associated with vegetation structure, which suggests that fire‐induced changes detrimentally altered the availability of resources for some reptiles, particularly leaf‐litter species. Invasive alien plants, such as rubber vine, have severe effects on native biodiversity, and control of such species is a fundamental land management objective. Nevertheless, fire management of invasive alien plants may adversely affect native biodiversity, creating a conservation conundrum. In such scenarios, land managers will need to identify the most desired conservation goal and consider the consequences for native biota.
Learning in the 2‐Bottle Alcohol Preference Test
Authors: Blizard David A. , Vandenbergh David J. , Lionikas Arimantas , McClearn Gerald E.
Published: September 2008

Background:  The 2‐bottle preference test is a popular protocol for characterizing a rodent’s selection of a variety of solutions. Little attention has been paid, however, to the role of learning in this procedure.

Methods:  We explored the role of learning in 2‐bottle alcohol preference (AP) in mice by recording changes between days and periods (every 3 days the alcohol and water tubes were interchanged) throughout a 15‐day standard exposure protocol in use in our laboratory.

Results:  Male and female ethanol‐naive mice of 2 BALB strains (cJ and cByJ), both characterized by low AP scores in the 2‐bottle test, exhibited decreases in AP among days but the magnitude of the change depended on test period: relatively large reductions in AP between Day 1 and the subsequent 2 days of the first 3‐day test period, smaller decreases between days during Period 2, while there were no significant differences between days during Periods 3 and 4. Thus, the ability of the mice to adapt to changes in tube position improved with increasing experience with the test until asymptote was reached. Study of mice from a C57BL/6JXBALB/cCrgl intercross with a wide range of AP scores showed that learning in the 2‐bottle test was not restricted to inbred animals. In this genetically heterogeneous group, learning was shown to be flexible according to an animal’s idiosyncratic pattern of alcohol intake: mice characterized by low AP scores on the basis of their 15‐day mean AP index exhibited decreases across Days and Periods similar to those shown by the BALB mice (who also had low alcohol consumption) but F2 mice characterized by high overall AP scores exhibited increases in AP across Periods.

Conclusions:  Two‐bottle AP scores are known to be affected by genetic influences and environmental variation before test administration. The present data provide evidence of learning within the 2‐bottle test situation and this phenomenon may help understand the biobehavioral mechanisms underlying preference behavior.
Relationship Between the Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Thyroid Axis and Alcohol Craving in Alcohol‐Dependent Patients: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Leggio Lorenzo , Ferrulli Anna , Cardone Silvia , Malandrino Noemi , Mirijello Antonio , D’Angelo Cristina , Vonghia Luisa , Miceli Antonio , Capristo Esmeralda , Kenna George A. , Gasbarrini Giovanni , Swift Robert M. , Addolorato Giovanni
Published: September 2008

Background:  A relationship between some hypothalamic–pituitary–related hormones and craving for alcohol has been suggested, leading to hypothesize a role of some hormones in the neurobiology of alcohol dependence. Investigating this association in alcohol‐dependent (AD) patients was the aim of this preliminary and exploratory study.

Methods:  Cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone, prolactin, thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH), free T3, free T4, growth hormone, follicle‐stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone as well as administering the Obsessive‐Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) and Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks in 25 current AD patients. Patients were treated with baclofen (10 mg t.i.d.) for these 12 weeks. Sixteen patients remained totally abstinent for 12 weeks.

Results:  At baseline, a significant inverse correlation was found between TSH and PACS (r = −0.46; p = 0.022) and OCDS scores (r = −0.53; p = 0.007). A significant direct correlation was found between free T3 and OCDS score (r = 0.44; p = 0.026). In the 16 abstinent patients, craving scores were significantly decreased at 12 weeks (p < 0.01). At 12 weeks, no significant correlation was found between TSH and craving, but free T3 remained directly correlated with OCDS score (r = 0.60; p = 0.013).

Conclusions:  A relationship between alcohol craving and free T3 and TSH was demonstrated in AD patients, suggesting the potential involvement of the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid axis in the neurobiology of alcohol craving.
Association of Pro‐Ghrelin and GHS‐R1A Gene Polymorphisms and Haplotypes With Heavy Alcohol Use and Body Mass
Authors: Landgren Sara , Jerlhag Elisabet , Zetterberg Henrik , Gonzalez‐Quintela Arturo , Campos Joaquin , Olofsson Ulrica , Nilsson Staffan , Blennow Kaj , Engel Jörgen A.
Published: September 2008

Background:  Ghrelin, an orexigenic peptide, acts on growth hormone secretagogue receptors (GHS‐R1A), expressed in the hypothalamus as well as in important reward nodes such as the ventral tegmental area. Interestingly, ghrelin has been found to activate an important part of the reward systems, i.e., the cholinergic‐dopaminergic reward link. Additionally, the rewarding and neurochemical properties of alcohol are, at least in part, mediated via this reward link. There is comorbidity between alcohol dependence and eating disorders. Thus, plasma levels of ghrelin are altered in patients with addictive behaviors such as alcohol and nicotine dependence and in binge eating disorder. This overlap prompted as to investigate the pro‐ghrelin and GHS‐R1A genes in a haplotype analysis of heavy alcohol‐using individuals.

Methods:  A total of 417 Spanish individuals (abstainers, moderate, and heavy alcohol drinkers) were investigated in a haplotype analysis of the pro‐ghrelin and GHS‐R1A genes. Tag SNPs were chosen using HapMap data and the Tagger and Haploview softwares. These SNPs were then genotyped using TaqMan Allelic Discrimination.

Results:  SNP rs2232165 of the GHS‐R1A gene was associated with heavy alcohol consumption and SNP rs2948694 of the same gene as well as haplotypes of both the pro‐ghrelin and the GHS‐R1A genes were associated with body mass in heavy alcohol consuming individuals.

Conclusions:  The present findings are the first to disclose an association between the pro‐ghrelin and GHS‐R1A genes and heavy alcohol use, further strengthening the role of the ghrelin system in addictive behaviors and brain reward.
Relationship Between Ethanol’s Acute Locomotor Effects and Ethanol Self‐Administration in Male Long‐Evans Rats
Authors: Chappell Ann M. , Weiner Jeff L.
Published: September 2008

Background: Human studies have suggested an important relationship between ethanol sensitivity and risk of alcoholism. These studies have led some to hypothesize that a low initial sensitivity to ethanol’s depressant effects and/or an elevated response to ethanol’s stimulant effects may represent important risk factors associated with the development of abusive drinking behavior. Unfortunately, elucidating neurobiologic mechanisms that may underlie these relationships between ethanol sensitivity and ethanol drinking have been hampered by difficulties in modeling some of these interactions in animals. In this study, we re‐examined some of these relationships in an outbred strain of rats using continuous access two‐bottle choice drinking and a limited‐access operant procedure that engenders pharmacologically relevant levels of ethanol intake and permits the discrete assessment of appetitive and consummatory measures of ethanol drinking behavior.

Methods: Twenty‐three male Long‐Evans rats were habituated to a locomotor activity box and then tested for their response to a stimulant (0.5 g/kg) and depressant (1.5 g/kg) ethanol dose. Rats were then trained to complete a lever pressing requirement to gain access to 10% ethanol for 20‐minute sessions conducted 5 d/wk for 5 weeks. Appetitive behavior was assessed after 2.5 and 4.5 weeks using 20‐minute extinction trials in which ethanol was not presented and lever responses were recorded. Home‐cage ethanol preference was also assessed prior to and immediately following the 5‐week self‐administration regimen using a continuous access, two‐bottle choice procedure.

Results: A significant increase in home‐cage ethanol preference was observed following the self‐administration procedure, however, neither measure of ethanol preference correlated with average daily ethanol intake during the operant self‐administration sessions or with initial sensitivity to ethanol’s stimulant or depressant effects. Notably, a significant negative correlation was observed between sensitivity to ethanol’s locomotor depressant effect and daily intake during the operant self‐administration sessions. No significant relationships were noted between sensitivity to ethanol’s locomotor effects and extinction responding.

Conclusions: The results of these studies suggest that the well‐established relationship between a low level of response to ethanol and increased ethanol consumption reported in human studies can be observed in an outbred rodent strain using a limited‐access operant self‐administration procedure, but not with home‐cage ethanol drinking.
Energy Requirements of Carbon Nanoparticle Production
Authors: Kushnir Duncan , Sandén Björn A.
Published: September 2008

Energy requirements for fullerene and nanotube synthesis are calculated from literature data and presented for a number of important production processes, including fluidized bed and floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (CVD), carbon monoxide disproportionation, pyrolysis, laser ablation, and electric arc and solar furnace synthesis. To produce data for strategic forward‐looking assessments of the environmental implications of carbon nanoparticles, an attempt is made to balance generality with sufficient detail for individual processes, a trade‐off that will likely be inherent in the analysis of many nanotechnologies. Critical energy and production issues are identified, and potential improvements in industrial‐scale processes are discussed. Possible interactions with industrial ecosystems are discussed with a view toward integrating synthesis to mitigate the impacts of large‐scale carbon nanoparticle manufacture. Carbon nanoparticles are found to be highly energy‐intensive materials, on the order of 2 to 100 times more energy‐intensive than aluminum, even with idealized production models.
Serum Parathyroid Hormone Levels Predict Falls in Older Adults with Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Houston Denise K. , Schwartz Ann V. , Cauley Jane A. , Tylavsky Frances A. , Simonsick Eleanor M. , Harris Tamara B. , De Rekeneire Nathalie , Schwartz Gary G. , Kritchevsky Stephen B. ,   for the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study
Published: September 2008

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels and incident falls in older adults with diabetes mellitus.

DESIGN: Longitudinal analysis of incident falls over 1 year in a substudy of participants with diabetes mellitus in the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study.

SETTING: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Memphis, Tennessee.

PARTICIPANTS: Well‐functioning, community‐dwelling black and white adults aged 70 to 79 with diabetes mellitus (N=472).

MEASUREMENTS: Measured baseline serum PTH. Self‐report of falls over the subsequent 12 months. Baseline physical performance and self‐reported demographic, behavioral, and health status measures including kidney function, chronic conditions, and medication use.

RESULTS: One‐third (30.3%) of participants reported falling over 1 year of follow‐up. Mean baseline serum PTH was 53.5±30.0 pg/mL in nonfallers and 62.6±46.2 pg/mL in fallers (P=.01). For every 1 standard deviation (36 pg/mL) increment in baseline serum PTH, there was approximately a 30% greater likelihood of reporting a fall in the subsequent year, after adjusting for age, sex, race, field center, alcohol consumption, body mass index, physical activity, and winter or spring season (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.06–1.59). Further adjustment for kidney function, chronic conditions, medication and supplement use, and physical performance attenuated the association slightly (aOR=1.26, 95% CI=1.01–1.58). A trend remained after additional adjustment for reported falls in the previous year.

CONCLUSION: Higher serum PTH was associated with incident falls in older, well‐functioning men and women with diabetes mellitus. Further investigation aimed at understanding the underlying mechanism for the association between serum PTH and falls is needed.
Evaluation of Closed Reduction and Screw Fixation in Lag Fashion of Sacroiliac Fracture‐Luxations
Authors: TONKS CATHERINE A. , TOMLINSON JAMES L. , COOK JAMES L.
Published: September 2008

Objective— To evaluate outcome by radiographic assessment after closed reduction and percutaneous screw fixation in lag fashion of sacroiliac fracture‐luxations in dogs.

Study Design— Retrospective study.

Animals— Dogs (n=24) with sacroiliac fracture‐luxations.

Methods— Medical records (1999–2006) and radiographs of 24 dogs (29 fracture‐luxations) that had stabilization of sacroiliac fracture‐luxation by fluoroscopic‐guided closed reduction and percutaneous screw fixation in lag fashion were reviewed. Signalment, body weight, number, and location of all concurrent injuries and implants used for repair were recorded. Radiographs were used to evaluate the accuracy of screw placement in the sacral body, screw depth/sacral width ratio, reduction of the sacroiliac joint, pelvic canal diameter, and hemipelvic canal width. Radiographic re‐examination (range, 4 to >8 weeks postoperatively) was available for evaluation.

Results— Mean screw depth/sacral width ratio on immediate postoperative and re‐examination radiographs was 64% and 61%, respectively. Mean percentage reduction of the sacroiliac joint on immediate postoperative and re‐examination radiographs were 91% and 87%, respectively. Pelvic canal diameter ratio demonstrated successful restoration of the pelvic canal. Hemipelvic canal width ratio documented successful closed reduction repair independent of concurrent pelvic injuries.

Conclusion— Successful repair of sacroiliac fracture‐luxations, determined by radiographic assessment, can be achieved by fluoroscopic‐guided closed reduction and percutaneous screw fixation in lag fashion.

Clinical Relevance— Fluoroscopic‐guided closed reduction and percutaneous screw fixation in lag fashion of sacroiliac fracture‐luxations is a minimally invasive technique that restores and maintains pelvic canal dimensions and should be considered as an alternative to open reduction or nonsurgical management of sacroiliac fracture‐luxations.
Effect of Head Position on Radiographic Assessment of Laryngeal Tie‐Forward Procedure in Horses
Authors: McCLUSKIE LAURA K. , FRANKLIN SAMANTHA H. , LANE J. GEOFFREY , TREMAINE W. HENRY , ALLEN KATHERINE J.
Published: September 2008

Objective— To assess the effect of head position on relative position of the larynx and hyoid apparatus in horses with palatal dysfunction, and to define a standard position for radiographic assessment of laryngeal tie‐forward.

Study Design— Prospective clinical study.

Animals— Adult horses (n=9) with palatal dysfunction.

Methods— Left lateral radiographs of the larynx were obtained pre and postoperatively for 3 different head positions (flexed=90°; neutral=100°; extended=115°). Distance between thyrohyoid bone and thyroid cartilage was measured. Data were analyzed to investigate differences between head positions, and to compare differences between pre‐ and postoperative measurements.

Results— Head position had a significant effect on relative position of the larynx and hyoid apparatus preoperatively. There was no significant difference in postoperative measurements of the 3 head positions. A significant difference between pre‐ and postoperative measurements was found with the head in the neutral or extended position whereas there were no significant differences between pre‐ and postoperative measurements using the flexed position.

Conclusions— Head position affects the relationship between the hyoid apparatus and larynx preoperatively, with greatest distance occurring when the head is extended. In a flexed position, it is not possible to ascertain whether laryngeal position has changed postoperatively.

Clinical Relevance— A standardized head position is necessary when assessing the laryngeal tie‐forward procedure radiographically. An extended head position is most useful for this assessment.