bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF NON‐PRICE EXPORT PROMOTION: SOME EVIDENCE FOR COTTON*
Authors: Solomon H. , Kinnucan Henry W.
Published: April 2012

An Annington‐type trade model is estimated to determine the effects of government‐subsidized export promotion on the demand for U.S. cotton in the Pacific Rim. Results show a significant relationship between promotion expenditures and U.S. market share in four of the six countries examined. One of the two countries exhibiting a non‐significant effect had very low promotion expenditures, suggesting that a minimal level of funding may be necessary to achieve a market response. The hypothesis that export promotion has a carryover period lasting beyond one year in general is supported by the data. The question of the economic impacts of export promotion on domestic producers and taxpayers must await additional research.
PRIVATISING THE PRODUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE: PROMISE AND PITFALLS FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION
Authors: Lindner Robert K.
Published: April 2012

In the absence of some form of government intervention, knowledge is a classic public good which will be under‐produced because of lack of price excludability. Government intervention may take the form of establishing intellectual property rights, or other means of shielding knowledge‐based innovations from imitation or copying. Such intervention offers the prospect of 'privatising' the production of knowledge in the sense that a certain level of private knowledge production may become profitable if producers can appropriate at least part of the benefits of R&D.

However, publicly funded R&D or extension still can 'crowd out' private knowledge production by charging lower prices. The principal finding of this study is that such 'crowding out' behaviour may be efficient in the sense of being potentially Pareto superior even if it is at the expense of public funding for so called 'orphan' areas of knowledge production which are privately unprofitable. The reason why conventional conclusions about privatisation and 'crowding out' of private goods need not apply to rural research and extension is that private goods are both rival in consumption and price excludable, while knowledge is intrinsically non rival in consumption even if it can be made price excludable.
CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR PST‐SUPPLEMENT PORK
Authors: Halbrendt Catherine K. , Pesek John D. , Parsons April , Lindner Robert K.
Published: April 2012

Conjoint measurement was used to determine consumer preference for fresh pork produced with genetically engineered porcine somatotropin (pST). A preference model was constructed based on three pork attributes, degree of fat reduction, price, and production technology, which allowed for interactions between attributes to be estimated. Interview surveys were used to collect data in several shopping centres in three Australian cities. Respondents generally preferred leaner pST‐supplemented pork, but only at fat reduction levels greater than those possible with conventionally produced pork, and at competitive prices.
THE NATIONAL INTEREST, WESTMINSTER, AND PUBLIC CHOICE*
Authors: Johnson R.W.M.
Published: April 2012

There has been increasing scrutiny of government policy decisions and advice in recent years. The supremacy of the national interest has been questioned and self interest theories explored. Administrative systems have been reformed, and the role of the Westminster model of government decision‐making endlessly reviewed. Increased interest by economists in the policy process has created a new subject area in economics, namely, public choice theory. It places greater emphasis on individual choice and hence on the way political institutions meet society's needs. It provides a suitable framework for explaining political decision making and administrative processes. In this Address, New Zealand agricultural policies and processes in the last two decades are explored from this viewpoint and the applicability of the theory assessed.
AN OPTIMAL CONTROL MODEL FOR INTEGRATED WEED MANAGEMENT UNDER HERBICIDE RESISTANCE*
Authors: Gorddard Russell J. , Pannell David J. , Hertzler Greg
Published: April 2012

The presence of weeds which have developed resistance to chemical herbicides is a problem of rapidly growing importance in Australian agriculture. We present an optimal control model of herbicide resistance development in ryegrass, the weed for which resistance is most commonly reported. The model is used to select the optimal combination of chemical and non‐chemical control measures taking account of the trade off between short term profits and the long term level of herbicide resistance. Results indicate that given the threat of resistance there are benefits from integrating a combination of chemical and non‐chemical control measures. The optimal strategy is found to include a declining herbicide dosage as resistance develops, with compensatory increases in the level of non‐chemical control.
A NOTE: A CLARIFICATION OF THE ROLE OF YIELD UNCERTAINTY IN INFLUENCING OVER‐QUOTA PRODUCTION*
Authors: Fraser Rob W.
Published: April 2012

The literature shows that the influence of yield uncertainty on production relative to quota is ambiguous in the case of a single market. This paper uses a two‐market framework (quota market and secondary market) with multiplicative yield uncertainty to show that if over‐quota production in the absence of yield uncertainty is profitable, then the presence of yield uncertainty is unambiguously a further stimulus to over‐quota production. The analysis is discussed in the context of recent changes to the marketing arrangements for Western Australian potatoes.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN FRONTIER MODELLING AND EFFICIENCY MEASUREMENT
Authors: Coelli Tim J.
Published: April 2012

In this paper recent developments in the estimation of frontier functions and the measurement of efficiency are surveyed, and the potential applicability of these methods in agricultural economics is discussed. Frontier production, cost and profit functions are discussed, along with the construction of technical, allocative, scale and overall efficiency measures relative to these estimated frontiers. The two primary methods of frontier estimation, econometric and linear programming, are compared. A survey of recent applications of frontier methods in agriculture is also provided.
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: MORELLI EMERY A.
Published: April 2012

Book reviewed in this article:

Environmental Economics: First Canadian Edition. By BARRY C. FIELD and NANCY D.

Confessions of a Failed Finance Minister. By PETER WALSH

Structural Change and Small‐Farm Agriculture in Northwest Portugal. By ERIC MONKE

Science Under Scarcity: Principles and Practice for Agricultural Research Evaluation and Priority Setting. J.M. ALSTON, G.W. NORTON and P.G. PARDEY
QUALITY PREMIUMS FOR AUSTRALIAN WHEAT IN THE GROWING ASIAN MARKETS
Authors: Ahmadi‐Esfahani Fredoun Z. , Stanmore R.G.
Published: April 2012

An hedonic price function is applied to Australia's wheat exports to the growing Asian markets. The values for the quality characteristics in the wheat markets of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand are estimated. The data base for the study is from the Australian Wheat Board shipments over the period 1984 to 1991. The sample is divided into two separate time periods to test the consistency in demand for export wheat and to trace recent trends in quality premiums. The implications of the results for wheat marketing and trade are explored.
UNDERINVESTMENT AND TIMBER RIGHTS: AN EXAMINATION OF THE EARLY TASMANIAN AND VICTORIAN TIMBER INDUSTRIES*
Authors: Pitchford R.
Published: April 2012

This paper distinguishes between the hypothesis that the Victorian government developed a reputation for easy renewal of timber rights, so that the lack of clearly defined site sizes and the short‐term nature of these rights did not matter, and the hypothesis that tenure and site size as written in law was the major determinant. A model of a firm's investment choice when there is uncertain tenure is developed to examine the effect of changes in the tenure prospect on capital intensity. The predictions of this model are then used to assess the competing hypotheses with reference to data on capital labour ratios and legislation regarding tenure and site size laws in Victoria and Tasmania from 1890 to 1927.
PROFITABILITY OF INCREMENTAL EXPENDITURE ON FIBRE PROMOTION
Authors: Hill D.J. , Piggott Roley R. , Griffith Garry R.
Published: April 2012

In this paper the impact of changes in wool promotion expenditure and changes in expenditure on the promotion of competing fibres are examined using an equilibrium displacement model. The emphasis is on examining impacts on producer profits net of promotion expenditure and on benefit‐cost ratios measuring changes in producer surplus relative to changes in promotion expenditure. It was found, for example, that incremental expenditure on apparel wool promotion on the domestic market is unprofitable but incremental expenditure on promotion of apparel wool on the export market is generally profitable. Further, it was found that increased promotion of cotton and man‐made fibres on the export market, with promotion of apparel wool unchanged, would reduce profits to apparel wool producers. Finally, a case is made for improved data availability in order to allow more comprehensive ex‐ante and ex‐post evaluations of promotion programs, thereby increasing the intensity of scrutiny of promotion programs to a level more in line with that for investment in rural research and development.
AN ECONOMIC TOOL FOR EVALUATING DISEASE MANAGEMENT IN THE JARRAH FORESTS OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA*
Authors: Dole David , Brennan Paul
Published: April 2012

A pathogenic, soil‐borne fungus has been gradually spreading through the jarrah forest of Western Australia for most of this century. On some sites this fungus can cause almost total forest destruction. Infection is incurable and the effects are irreversible. This paper develops a means for evaluating disease control measures and identifying the optimal level of protection. Standard protection measures are warranted for high and moderate impact sites, over a wide range of risks. Increased expenditure on forest protection is warranted for high and moderate impact sites at especially high risk.
From FOB to cool: Transnational migrant students in Toronto  and the styling of global linguistic capital
Authors: Shin Hyunjung
Published: April 2012

Globalization and the rise of ‘Korean cool’ provide middle‐class Korean yuhaksaeng (visa students) in Toronto with resources they can mobilize as strategies of distinction. In their construction of themselves as new transnational subjects with hybrid identities that are simultaneously global and Korean, yuhaksaeng deploy re‐valued varieties of Korean language and culture as stylistic resources in the globalized new economy. In this process, yuhaksaeng contest their marginal positions as ‘FOBs’ (Fresh‐Off‐the‐Boats) and ‘Nerds’ in dominant Western racial discourse, and construct themselves as wealthy, modern, and cosmopolitan ‘Cools’vis‐à‐vis long‐term immigrants in local Korean diasporic communities as well as Canadians. The stories of yuhaksaeng illustrate how notions of ‘global’ and ‘local’ linguistic resources are transformed under the material conditions of globalization and its structures of inequality.

세계화와 ‘한국적 쿨’의 등장은 토론토에 거주하는 중산층 한국 유학생들이 차별화를 위해 사용할수 있는 자원을 제공한다. 유학생들은 세계화로 인한 새로운 경제체제에서 새롭게 가치평가된 한국 언어와 문화를, 자신들을 글로벌하면서도 동시에 한국적인 혼성적 정체성을 가진 새로운 초국가적 주체로 스타일링하기 위한 자원으로 활용한다. 이 과정에서 유학생들은 서양의 지배적 인종 담론내에서의 ‘FOBs’ (Fresh‐Off‐the‐Boats) 와 ‘Nerds’ 와 같은 주변인 정체성에 저항하며, 자신들을 토론토에 거주하는 캐나다인들뿐 아니라 오래된 한국이민자들과 대비하여, 부유하고 모던하며 코스모폴리탄적인 ‘쿨’의 정체성을 형성한다. 이 글에 나타난 유학생들의 이야기는 세계화의 물질적 조건과 그 불평등의 구조 속에서 언어자원의 세계성과 지역성이 어떻게 변형되는지의 사례를 보여준다. [Korean]
Transnational South Korea as a site for a sociolinguistics of globalization: Markets, timescales, neoliberalism1
Authors: Sung‐Yul Park Joseph , Lo Adrienne
Published: April 2012

This special issue seeks a new direction for the sociolinguistics of globalization in the process of transnationalism, using as a case study new modes of Korean migration that are changing the face of Korean transnationalism, including short‐term early study abroad and return migration. Through a discussion of the historical and sociolinguistic context of South Korea, this paper demonstrates how transnational Korea is a relevant site for refining, reframing, and reconsidering the current sociolinguistics of globalization. We identify two important interventions into the theoretical considerations of language and globalization brought forward by the Korean case: (1) a heightened attention to multiple timescales and markets; and (2) a more serious engagement with and critique of neoliberalism.

본 특별호는 초국가성이 세계화의 사회언어학의 새로운 연구 방향이 되어야 한다고 주장하며, 조기유학과 재이주 등 한국의 초국가성의 양상을 변화시키는 새로운 이주 현상들을 그 사례로 제시한다. 한국의 역사적, 사회언어학적 배경에 대한 논의를 통해, 본 논문은 왜 한국의 초국가성이 세계화에 대한 사회언어학적 연구를 새롭게 정립하는데 유용한 연구대상이 될 수 있는지 설명한다. 한국의 사례는 언어와 세계화의 관계에 관한 이론의 발전을 위하여 다음과 같은 두 방향을 제시한다: (1) 시간단위와 시장들의 다양성에 촛점을 맞출 것; 그리고 (2) 신자유주의에 대한 더 진지한 비판에 임할 것. [Korean]
Reliance on prey‐derived nitrogen by the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia decreases with increasing nitrogen deposition
Authors: Millett J. , Svensson B. M. , Newton J. , Rydin H.
Published: April 2012

Carnivory in plants is presumed to be an adaptation to a low‐nutrient environment. Nitrogen (N) from carnivory is expected to become a less important component of the N budget as root N availability increases.

Here, we investigated the uptake of N via roots versus prey of the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia growing in ombrotrophic bogs along a latitudinal N deposition gradient through Sweden, using a natural abundance stable isotope mass balance technique.

Drosera rotundifolia plants receiving the lowest level of N deposition obtained a greater proportion of N from prey (57%) than did plants on bogs with higher N deposition (22% at intermediate and 33% at the highest deposition). When adjusted for differences in plant mass, this pattern was also present when considering total prey N uptake (66, 26 and 26 μg prey N per plant at the low, intermediate and high N deposition sites, respectively). The pattern of mass‐adjusted root N uptake was opposite to this (47, 75 and 86 μg N per plant).

Drosera rotundifolia plants in this study switched from reliance on prey N to reliance on root‐derived N as a result of increasing N availability from atmospheric N deposition.
Sulphite‐based resist styles for digital printing cotton fabrics
Authors: Lewis David M , Broadbent Peter J
Published: April 2012

Discharge printing provides a method of producing either a white or coloured image on a solid ground fabric; unfortunately, the shade range from this process is limited. An alternative approach to discharge printing is resist printing, which provides prints that are almost indistinguishable from those achieved by the discharge printing process and has the advantage of offering a wider shade range. In resist printing, the resist agent prevents fixation of the background colour by chemical (resist agent inhibits dye fixation) or physical (resist agent inhibits dye absorption) processes and so yields a white print. Printing is carried out on grounds that have been pad‐dry ‘dyed’ with selected reactive dyes; the dyes must not fix during this process otherwise white grounds are not achievable – subsequently fixation is achieved by steaming after digitally printing the resist agent. In this paper, the resist agent studied is sodium sulphite, which selectively blocks reactive groups in reactive dyes – the ground shade reactive dye must be deactivated in this reaction to produce the resist effect. A coloured print may be achieved by incorporating a suitable reactive dye, of a different class to that used in the ground shade, which is not deactivated by the resist agent, in the resist ink.
Panoramic ECG display versus conventional ECG: ischaemia detection by critical care nurses
Authors: Wilson Nick , Hassani Aimen , Gibson Vanessa , Lightfoot Timothy , Zizzo Claudio
Published: April 2012

Aim: To compare accuracy and certainty of diagnosis of cardiac ischaemia using the Panoramic ECG display tool plus conventional 12‐lead electrocardiogram (ECG) versus 12‐lead ECG alone by UK critical care nurses who were members of the British Association of Critical Care Nurses (BACCN).

Background: Critically ill patients are prone to myocardial ischaemia. Symptoms may be masked by sedation or analgesia, and ECG changes may be the only sign. Critical care nurses have an essential role in detecting ECG changes promptly. Despite this, critical care nurses may lack expertise in interpreting ECGs and myocardial ischaemia often goes undetected by critical care staff.

Method: British Association of Critical Care Nurses (BACCN) members were invited to complete an online survey to evaluate the analysis of two sets of eight ECGs displayed alone and with the new display device.

Results: Data from 82 participants showed diagnostic accuracy improved from 67·1% reading ECG traces alone, to 96·0% reading ECG plus Panoramic ECG display tool (P < 0·01, significance level α = 0·05). Participants' diagnostic certainty score rose from 41·7% reading ECG alone to 66·8% reading ECG plus Panoramic ECG display tool (P < 0·01, α = 0·05).

Conclusion: The Panoramic ECG display tool improves both accuracy and certainty of detecting ST segment changes among critical care nurses, when compared to conventional 12‐lead ECG alone. This benefit was greatest with early ischaemic changes. Critical care nurses who are least confident in reading conventional ECGs benefit the most from the new display.

Relevance to clinical practice: Critical care nurses have an essential role in the monitoring of critically ill patients. However, nurses do not always have the expertise to detect subtle ischaemic ECG changes promptly. Introduction of the Panoramic ECG display tool into clinical practice could lead to patients receiving treatment for myocardial ischaemia sooner with the potential for reduction in morbidity and mortality.
Decreasing frequency of plasma exchange complications in patients treated for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura‐hemolytic uremic syndrome, 1996 to 2011 (CME)
Authors: Som Sumit , Deford Cassandra C. , Kaiser Mandi L. , Terrell Deirdra R. , Kremer Hovinga Johanna A. , Lämmle Bernhard , George James N. , Vesely Sara K.
Published: April 2012

BACKGROUND: Plasma exchange (PEX) treatment for patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura‐hemolytic uremic syndrome (TTP‐HUS) has risk for major complications.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Data for PEX‐related complications have been prospectively collected on all patients enrolled in the Oklahoma TTP‐HUS Registry, 1996 to 2011. PEX‐related complications have been defined as major or minor and as central venous catheter related or plasma related.

RESULTS: During 15 years, 1996 to 2011, 72 (24%) of 302 consecutive patients had major PEX‐related complications. Analysis of five consecutive 3‐year cohorts demonstrated that there has been a significant trend for decreasing frequency of all PEX‐related major complications (p = 0.014) and central venous catheter–related major complications (p = 0.021) but not for the less common plasma‐related major complications (p = 0.380). ADAMTS13 activity was measured in 288 (95%) of the 302 patients. Analysis of the 66 patients with ADAMTS13 activity of less than 10% demonstrated a significant trend for decreasing frequency of PEX‐related major complications (p = 0.036); the trend for the 222 patients with ADAMTS13 activity of at least 10% was not significant (p = 0.118). The decreased frequency of PEX‐related major complications among patients with ADAMTS13 activity of less than 10% may be related to a significant trend for decreasing duration of PEX treatment (p = 0.040) and decreasing frequency of requirement for more than one central venous catheter (p = 0.044). The decreased duration of PEX treatment may be related to increased use of adjunctive treatments: corticosteroids (p < 0.001) and rituximab (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of PEX‐related major complications has decreased from 1996 to 2011, possibly related to increased use of corticosteroids and rituximab and the decreased duration of PEX required to achieve remission.
Estimation of Blood Flow Rates in Large Microvascular Networks
Authors: FRY BRENDAN C. , LEE JACK , SMITH NICOLAS P. , SECOMB TIMOTHY W.
Published: April 2012

Please cite this paper as: Fry BC, Lee J, Smith NP, Secomb TW. Estimation of blood flow rates in large microvascular networks. Microcirculation 19: 530–538, 2012.

Objective:  Recent methods for imaging microvascular structures provide geometrical data on networks containing thousands of segments. Prediction of functional properties, such as solute transport, requires information on blood flow rates also, but experimental measurement of many individual flows is difficult. Here, a method is presented for estimating flow rates in a microvascular network based on incomplete information on the flows in the boundary segments that feed and drain the network.

Methods:  With incomplete boundary data, the equations governing blood flow form an underdetermined linear system. An algorithm was developed that uses independent information about the distribution of wall shear stresses and pressures in microvessels to resolve this indeterminacy, by minimizing the deviation of pressures and wall shear stresses from target values.

Results:  The algorithm was tested using previously obtained experimental flow data from four microvascular networks in the rat mesentery. With two or three prescribed boundary conditions, predicted flows showed relatively small errors in most segments and fewer than 10% incorrect flow directions on average.

Conclusions:  The proposed method can be used to estimate flow rates in microvascular networks, based on incomplete boundary data, and provides a basis for deducing functional properties of microvessel networks.
Liver X Receptor Agonist Alleviated High Glucose‐Induced Endothelial Progenitor Cell Dysfunction via Inhibition of Reactive Oxygen Species and Activation of AMP‐Activated Protein Kinase
Authors: LI XIAOXIA , SONG YIMENG , HAN YINGYING , WANG DAWEI , ZHU YI
Published: April 2012

Please cite this paper as: Li X, Song Y, Han Y, Wang D, Zhu Y. Liver X receptor agonist alleviated high glucose‐induced endothelial progenitor cell dysfunction via inhibition of reactive oxygen species and activation of AMP‐activated protein kinase. Microcirculation 19: 547–553, 2012.

Objective:  Liver X receptors (LXRs) are key regulators of cholesterol homeostasis. Synthetic LXR agonists are anti‐atherogenic and anti‐inflammatory. However, the effect of LXR agonists on endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) function is largely unknown. Here, we explored the effect of the LXR agonist TO901317 (TO) on EPC biology and the underlying mechanisms.

Methods:  Endothelial progenitor cells were cultured in mannitol or 30 mm glucose (high glucose) for 24 hours. For TO treatments, cells were pretreated with TO (10 μm) for 12 hours, then mannitol or high glucose was added for an additional 24 hours. EPCs function, reactive oxygen species (ROS) release, and phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) were analyzed.

Results:  TO could restore the high glucose‐impaired adhesion and migration capacity of EPCs. High glucose impaired EPC‐mediated angiogenesis, and TO reversed the impairment. TO also alleviated ROS release induced by high glucose. Western blot analysis revealed that high glucose downregulated the phosphorylation of AMPK and endothelial nitric oxide synthase, which could be reversed with TO treatment. Furthermore, inhibiting AMPK activation by compound C could abolish the protective effects of TO on EPCs.

Conclusions:  TO had a protective effect on EPCs under high glucose by inhibiting ROS release and activating AMPK.
6  Political Economy and the Routinization of Religious Movements: A View from the Eastern Woodlands
Authors: Beck Jr. Robin A. , Brown James A.
Published: April 2012

Max Weber's concept of routinization offers a useful framework for understanding the relationship between political economy and the organization of religious movements. Here, we apply this concept to a comparison of Hopewell and Mississippian, two of the most important religious movements in the precolonial Eastern Woodlands. We focus on two archaeological contexts in particular—Mound 25 at the Hopewell site and Mound C at Etowah—to illustrate how Weber's concept allows for a more nuanced comparison than concepts associated with a more traditional neoevolutionary logic.
10  The Semiotics of Gunung Kawi: Materializing Affiliation at Ancient and Modern Balinese Temples
Authors: Schoenfelder John W.
Published: April 2012

Comprehending pure symbols generally requires arbitrary culture‐specific knowledge. Messages communicated by means of signs with nonsymbolic dimensions, such as indexical symbols and indexical icons, should thus be of particular interest to archaeologists. I demonstrate how site design and communal ritual function as multiplex sign production to materialize religious and social statements at ethnographic Balinese Hindu temples. I apply the semiotic tools thus developed to Gunung Kawi, where nine nearly identical candi (temple building) facades were carved into cliffs beside a Balinese river around the 11th century C.E. Scale‐based indices show the importance attached to the meanings of the candis, and their similarity and mutual proximity suggest that alliance (as well as inequality) was important to the builders’ construction of power. This interpretation, initially built by examining indexical and iconic meanings, is buttressed by examination of inscriptions and by comparisons to earlier Javanese and (again) later Balinese temples.
The Ethics of Health Care Reform: Impact on Emergency Medicine
Authors: Marco Catherine A. , Moskop John C. , Schears Raquel M. , Stankus Jennifer L’Hommedieu , Bookman Kelly J. , Padela Aasim I. , Baine Jennifer , Bryant Eric
Published: April 2012

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19: 461–468 © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

The recent enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, and the ongoing debate over reform of the U.S. health care system, raise numerous important ethical issues. This article reviews basic provisions of the ACA; examines underlying moral and policy issues in the U.S. health care reform debate; and addresses health care reform’s likely effects on access to care, emergency department (ED) crowding, and end‐of‐life care. The article concludes with several suggested actions that emergency physicians (EPs) should take to contribute to the success of health care reform in America.
The “Refrige‐a‐RAT‐or”: An Accurate, Inexpensive, and Clinically Relevant Small Animal Model of Therapeutic Hypothermia
Authors: Lagina Anthony T. , Deogracias Michael , Reed Karin , Bazzi Danielle , Chepuri Rasika , Foster Lesley , Sullivan Jonathon M.
Published: April 2012

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19: 402–408 © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Background:  Physical and molecular mechanisms for the neuroprotective effect of therapeutic hypothermia are not completely understood, and new therapeutic applications incorporating hypothermia remain to be developed and tested. Clinically relevant animal models of therapeutic hypothermia are not well established or consistent.

Objectives:  The objective was to develop and test an inexpensive small animal therapeutic hypothermia system that models those in widespread clinical use and verify that such a system confers neuroprotection in a rat model of global brain ischemia.

Methods:  A water‐cooled extracorporeal system and attendant anesthesia/sedation protocol were developed and tested. In Stage 1, animals were instrumented for brain, temporalis, and rectal temperature monitoring, and the system was tested for its effect on temperature and hemodynamics. In Stage 2, animals were instrumented for rectal temperature only, subjected to global brain ischemia by two‐vessel occlusion and hypotension for 8 minutes, and given either sham therapy (37°C) or hypothermia (32°C) for 4 hours. Viable CA1 neurons were counted at 7 days.

Results:  The system was well tolerated, provided exquisite control of animal core and brain temperatures, and conferred robust neuroprotection at 7 days. The median and interquartile ranges (IQRs) of viable neurons per 300‐μm field were 130 (IQR = 128 to 135) for sham control, 19 (IQR = 15 to 30) for untreated ischemic animals, and 101 (IQR = 94 to 113) for ischemic animals treated with hypothermia (p < 0.05 for comparison between all groups).

Conclusions:  Like human protocols, this model incorporates sedation and analgesia, results in robust neuroprotection, is well tolerated, and offers exquisite temperature control. The system is noninvasive and inexpensive and offers a model that is similar to methods used in clinical practice. This system will be of interest to investigators using small animal models to examine neuroprotective mechanisms of hypothermia and translational strategies that combine hypothermia with targeted pharmacotherapy.
Who's Stressed? Distributions of Psychological Stress in the United States in Probability Samples from 1983, 2006, and 20091
Authors: COHEN SHELDON , JANICKI‐DEVERTS DENISE
Published: April 2012

Psychological stress was assessed in 3 national surveys administered in 1983, 2006, and 2009. In all 3 surveys, stress was higher among women than men; and increased with decreasing age, education, and income. Unemployed persons reported high levels of stress, while the retired reported low levels. All associations were independent of one another and of race/ethnicity. Although minorities generally reported more stress than Whites, these differences lost significance when adjusted for the other demographics. Stress increased little in response to the 2008–2009 economic downturn, except among middle‐aged, college‐educated White men with full‐time employment. These data suggest greater stress‐related health risks among women, younger adults, those of lower socioeconomic status, and men potentially subject to substantial losses of income and wealth.
Predicting the Importance of Freedom of Speech and the Perceived Harm of Hate Speech
Authors: DOWNS DANIEL M. , COWAN GLORIA
Published: April 2012

Although freedom of speech is a fundamental value in the United States, individuals vary in the importance they place on it. The purpose of this study was to examine personality and attitudinal factors that may influence an individual's judgments of the importance of freedom of speech and, secondarily, the harm of hate speech. As expected, the importance of freedom of speech was positively related to intellect, individualism, separate knowing, and negatively related to right‐wing authoritarianism. Men rated freedom of speech more important than did women. The perceived harm of hate speech was positively related to intellect and liberalism, and women perceived a greater harm of hate speech than did men.
Learning Emotional Intelligence: An Exploratory Study in the Domain of Health
Authors: PETER PAULA C. , BRINBERG DAVID
Published: April 2012

This research examines the role of emotional intelligence (EI) on the adoption and maintenance of a healthy weight. We implemented an intervention over a 6‐week period demonstrating that EI can be learned to promote the use of cognitive health knowledge in the adoption and maintenance of a healthy weight. Results suggest that improving EI reduces the negative impact of low EI on positive health outcomes, and promotes quality decision making related to health (i.e., reduced calorie intake).
Ethnicity of Dating Partner, Pressure for Thinness, and Body Dissatisfaction
Authors: ROBERTS ALAN , CUNNINGHAM MICHAEL , DREHER LAURA
Published: April 2012

Two studies explored the relation between ethnicity, attitudes toward body weight, dating behavior, and female body satisfaction. Study 1 found that White men expressed a lighter female ideal weight, more resentment about their girlfriend's weight, and more pressure for their partner's thinness than did Black men. Study 2 found that regardless of their own ethnicity, women who dated White men had lower body mass index (BMI), lower ideal weights, and reported experiencing lower levels of body acceptance by their dating partners. This lack of acceptance was associated with lower levels of body satisfaction. These results support the view that the differing aesthetic preferences of Black and White men contribute to differing levels of body satisfaction among Black and White women.
Dental implants from the patients perspective: Transition from tooth loss, through amputation to implants – negative and positive trajectories
Authors: Johannsen Annsofi , Westergren Albert , Johannsen Gunnar
Published: April 2012

Aim

The aim of this study was to explore patients' expectations on and experiences from dental implant treatment through deep‐interview technique.

Material & Methods

A qualitative study design was chosen and 17 patients were interviewed by open‐ended questions. All patients in the study had a previous history of periodontal disease with, in most cases, many years of treatment. The interviews were transcribed; a coding process was used according to qualitative conventional content analysis.

Results

In the analysis, a core category was identified as “Transition from tooth loss, to ‘Amputation’, and to implants – negative and positive trajectories”. When the patients faced the fact that it was not possible to keep the teeth any longer, a period of fear, shame and denial, which also affected their social life negatively followed. After they received their implants and the chewing ability and appearance became better, it also improved their quality of life.

Conclusion

Treatment with dental implants improved function, enhanced self‐esteem, social life and, thus quality of life. In clinical practice, information about dental implants and motivational strategies are needed during the period before getting dental implants. Follow‐up is important thereafter, capturing both the pros and cons with implants.
Isolation of human epidermal layers by laser capture microdissection: application to the analysis of gene expression by quantitative real‐time PCR
Authors: Percoco Giuseppe , Bénard Magalie , Ramdani Yasmina , Lati Elian , Lefeuvre Luc , Driouich Azeddine , Follet‐Gueye Marie‐Laure
Published: April 2012

We describe, for the first time, an efficient protocol based on laser capture microdissection (LCM) for the isolation of human epidermal layers for gene expression profiling using quantitative real‐time PCR. Two areas enriched either in basal or granular layers were isolated by LCM. Skin biopsies were fixed in dry ice–cooled isopentane, cryosectioned and stained before the laser procedure. High‐quality total RNA was extracted from each microdissected sample, which allowed the analysis of the spatial distribution of mRNA transcripts from 10 innate immunity‐related genes within the epidermal layers. Using integrin alpha‐6/integrin beta‐4 and corneodesmosin/filaggrin‐2 sets as gene markers for the basal and granular layers, respectively, we showed that Toll‐like receptor 2, RNase 7, human beta‐defensin‐2 and ‐3, psoriasin and nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain 1 are upregulated in the suprabasal layer of normal human epidermis. Our protocol, which is based on the rapid isolation of epidermal layers, can be used to follow transcriptional processes in specific areas of the epidermis and is a very promising tool to use in the study of numerous aspects of dermatology.
An updated consumer’s guide to evenness and related indices
Authors: Tuomisto Hanna
Published: April 2012

Ecologists widely agree that species diversity consists of two components, richness (the number of species) and evenness (a measure of the equitability of the proportional abundances of those species). However, no consensus on an exact definition of evenness (or equitability) has emerged. Instead, numerous equitability indices have been used in the ecological literature, as different researchers have preferred indices with different mathematical properties. In this paper, I show that the phrase ‘species diversity consists of two independent components, richness and evenness’ logically leads to one particular definition of evenness (Evenness = Diversity/Richness). To facilitate accurate communication, I propose that the term ‘evenness’ be used only to refer to this phenomenon, and that other terms be used for the equitability indices that measure other things. Here I provide a review of popular equitability indices, explain what each measures in practice, and show how they relate to each other and to evenness itself. I also explore how the partitioning of diversity into richness and evenness components is related to the partitioning of diversity into alpha and beta components. Dissecting the indices makes it easier to see the conceptual differences among them. Such understanding is necessary to ensure that an appropriate index is chosen for the questions at hand, as well as to interpret the index values correctly and to assess when index values can and when they cannot be considered comparable.
IMMANUEL KANT'S ACCOUNT OF COGNITIVE EXPERIENCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION
Authors: Bynum Gregory Lewis
Published: April 2012

In this essay Gregory Bynum seeks to show that Immanuel Kant's thought, which was conceived in an eighteenth‐century context of new, and newly widespread, pressures for nationally institutionalized human rights–based regimes (the American and French revolutions being the most prominent examples), can help us think in new and appreciative ways about how to approach human rights education more effectively in our own time. Kant's discussion of moral experience features prominently in Bynum's analysis, which emphasizes the following: Kant's conception of a Categorical Imperative to treat humanity as an end in itself; his conscious avoidance of, and his discussion of the necessity of avoiding, the limitations of empiricist and rationalist extremes of thought; and his discussion of moral experience in interrelated individual, community, and global aspects. Bynum demonstrates the usefulness of Kant's approach by using it as a lens through which to appreciatively examine a Japanese‐born university professor's account of her ultimately successful effort to teach American students about U.S.‐instigated human rights violations abroad.
EDUCATION AND THE LIMITS OF REASON: READING DOSTOEVSKY
Authors: Roberts Peter
Published: April 2012

Philosophers of education have had a longstanding interest in the nature and value of reason. Literature can provide an important source of insight in addressing questions in this area. One writer who is especially helpful in this regard is Fyodor Dostoevsky. In this essay Peter Roberts provides an educational reading of Dostoevsky's highly influential shorter novel, Notes from Underground. This novel was Dostoevsky's critical response to the emerging philosophy of rational egoism. In this close reading of Notes from Underground, Roberts compares rational egoism with neoliberalism, analyzes the experiences of the central character (the Underground Man), and considers the need for harmony in our educational development as reasoning, feeling, and willing beings.
Functional characterization of UvrD helicases from Haemophilus influenzae and Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Sharma Ruchika , Rao Desirazu N.
Published: April 2012

Haemophilus influenzae and Helicobacter pylori are major bacterial pathogens that face high levels of genotoxic stress within their host. UvrD, a ubiquitous bacterial helicase that plays important roles in multiple DNA metabolic pathways, is essential for genome stability and might, therefore, be crucial in bacterial physiology and pathogenesis. In this study, the functional characterization of UvrD helicase from Haemophilus influenzae and Helicobacter pylori is reported. UvrD from Haemophilus influenzae (HiUvrD) and Helicobacter pylori (HpUvrD) exhibit strong single‐stranded DNA‐specific ATPase and 3′–5′ helicase activities. Mutation of highly conserved arginine (R288) in HiUvrD and glutamate (E206) in HpUvrD abrogated their activities. Both the proteins were able to bind and unwind a variety of DNA structures including duplexes with strand discontinuities and branches, three‐ and four‐way junctions that underpin their role in DNA replication, repair and recombination. HiUvrD required a minimum of 12 nucleotides, whereas HpUvrD preferred 20 or more nucleotides of 3′‐single‐stranded DNA tail for efficient unwinding of duplex DNA. Interestingly, HpUvrD was able to hydrolyze and utilize GTP for its helicase activity although not as effectively as ATP, which has not been reported to date for UvrD characterized from other organisms. HiUvrD and HpUvrD were found to exist predominantly as monomers in solution together with multimeric forms. Noticeably, deletion of distal C‐terminal 48 amino acid residues disrupted the oligomerization of HiUvrD, whereas deletion of 63 amino acids from C‐terminus of HpUvrD had no effect on its oligomerization. This study presents the characteristic features and comparative analysis of Haemophilus influenzae and Helicobacter pylori UvrD, and constitutes the basis for understanding the role of UvrD in the biology and virulence of these pathogens.

Structured digital abstract

 HiUvrD and HiUvrD interact by molecular sieving (View interaction)

 HpUvrD and HpUvrD interact by molecular sieving (View interaction)

 HiUvrD and HiUvrD interact by cross‐linking study (View interaction)

 HpUvrD and HpUvrD interact by cross‐linking study (View interaction)
Der Kreislauf in großen Höhen1
Authors: Christensen E. Hohwü , Forbes W. H.
Published: April 2012

Der Einfluß großer Höhen auf den Kreislauf in Ruhe und bei Muskelarbeit wurde untersucht. Während eines Aufenthaltes in großen Höhen wird in der Regel vorübergehend eine kompensatorische Änderung des Kreislaufes stattfinden, das Herzminutenvolumen wird vergrößert sein, nach einigen Tagen werden aber wieder in Ruhe wie bei der Arbeit die gleichen Minutenvolumen wie in Seehöhe gefunden. Die zahlreichen Arbeitsversuche berechtigen zu der Anschauung, daß in großen Höhen der begrenzende Faktor für die maximale O2‐Aufnahme für Vpn. mit gesunden Herzen nicht der Kreislauf, sondern der Atmungsapparat ist.

Das Versuchsmaterial dieser Abhandlung entstammt: »The International High Altitude Expedition to Chile«, 1935. Die Expedition wurde unterstützt vom Fatigue Laboratory und Milton Fund, Harvard; Duke University; die Universität von Kopenhagen; Carlsberg‐und Rask‐Ørsted Fond, Kopenhagen; King's College, Cambridge University; the Corn Industries Research Foundation; Columbia University; the National Research Council, the Royal Society, London; the Josiah Macy Foundation and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, und von zahlreichen Institutionen in Chile.
Der Stoffwechsel bakterienfreier Tiere. III. Die Gewinnung von Meerschweinchenmilch1
Authors: Glimstedt Gösta , Moberg Harald A:son , Widmark Erik M. P.
Published: April 2012

Es wird eine einfache Methode beschrieben, mit der Meerschweinchenmilch in gewünschten Quantitäten leicht erhalten werden kann. Mit dieser Methode ist die Laktation des Meerschweinchens verfolgt worden. Es hat sich gezeigt, daß die Milchabsonderung mit dem 3. Tage nach dem Partus ihr Maximum erreicht, um dann ziemlich schnell abzunehmen. Die Laktationsdauer war im Mittel 16,9 Tage mit einem Maximum von 23 Tagen. Bei der Sterilisation koaguliert die Meerschweinchenmilch sowohl bei 110° als bei 100° C, gleich, ob sie vom Anfang oder Ende der Laktationsperiode stammt. Versuche, Meerschweinchenmilch unter Beibehaltung ihrer fließenden Konsistenz zu sterilisieren, stoßen auf große Schwierigkeiten.
Combination of Phosphatidylinositol 3‐Kinases Pathway Inhibitor and Photodynamic Therapy in Endothelial and Tumor Cells
Authors: Fateye Babasola , Li Weihua , Wang Chenguang , Chen Bin
Published: April 2012

Tumor recurrence due to incomplete eradication of tumor cells is a major problem facing current cancer therapies. To overcome this problem, it is necessary to enhance cell killing and/or prevent cell regrowth after treatment. Because phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinases (PI3K) pathway plays an important role in stimulating cell survival and growth, we studied the feasibility of using a PI3K pathway inhibitor NVP‐BEZ235 (BEZ235) to enhance the effectiveness of vascular‐targeted photodynamic therapy (vPDT) with verteporfin. We found that BEZ235 or PDT alone significantly inhibited cell growth in both SVEC endothelial and PC‐3 prostate cancer cells, although SVEC cells appeared to be more responsive than PC‐3 cells. Autophagy was detected after both BEZ235 and verteporfin‐PDT in both cell lines. Autophagy appeared to protect cells from PDT‐induced cell death because inhibition of autophagy increased cell death. Autophagic flux assay revealed that PDT actually decreased autophagic flux especially at a high dose of verteporfin. Combination of BEZ235 and PDT caused greater inhibition of PI3K signaling pathway, leading to enhanced cell growth inhibition in both cell lines. SVEC cells exhibited a higher sensitivity towards such a combination than PC‐3 cells. Our data indicated that BEZ235 in combination with PDT provides a promising approach of enhancing therapeutic response.
Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors, Congestive Heart Failure, and Sudden Death: Time for Re‐Evaluation
Authors: Varma Amit , Shah Keyur B. , Hess Michael L.
Published: April 2012

©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A 42‐year‐old diabetic man was admitted with systolic heart failure and pulmonary hypertension being treated with sildenafil for the previous year. With an increase in creatinine, he experienced 3 episodes of ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. Withdrawal of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor resulted in no further episodes of dysrhythmias. The basic pharmacology of PDE inhibitors is presented and the use of PDE‐3 inhibitors for the treatment of heart failure causing an increase in sudden death is also reviewed. There have been several cases of sudden death associated with sildenafil use and with its increasing use in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension and decompensated heart failure. The authors also reviewed the electrophysiologic effects of PDE‐5 inhibitors associated with their use. The crossover between PDE‐3 and PDE‐5 inhibitors is also discussed and caution is urged when contemplating the use of PDE‐5 inhibitors in patients with systolic heart failure and pulmonary hypertension.
Conservation in tropical Pacific Island countries: why most current approaches are failing
Authors: Keppel Gunnar , Morrison Clare , Watling Dick , Tuiwawa Marika V. , Rounds Isaac A.
Published: April 2012

The independent island nations of the South Pacific have a rich and threatened terrestrial biota. Despite considerable investment of resources into conservation over the last three decades, biodiversity is dwindling and protected area systems remain inadequate. This lack of success is caused by important differences in cultural, economic, landownership, and social factors in developing Pacific Island countries, compared to developed nations that often fund conservation programs and plans. Despite the obvious need for capacity building and information exchange among stakeholders, little collaboration and development has eventuated. A coordinated and integrated approach, focusing conservation resources on national priorities, is essential to achieve efficient conservation. This will need to include active involvement of landowners, a good sociocultural understanding of target communities, improved collaboration between the various stakeholders, provision of sustainable alternative economic activities, and a commitment to long funding cycles for projects.